Умоляю вас, возлюбленные, излейте за меня сердца свои и помолитесь о мне, припадая к благому и человеколюбивому и единородному Сыну Божию, чтоб сотворил со мною милость Свою, и избавил меня от множества беззаконий моих, и вселил меня в кругу селений ваших, в ограде благословенного рая, где был бы я в соседстве с вами - наследниками Его. Поелику вы чада возлюбленные, а я презренный пес, то бросьте мне крупиц от трапезы вашей, чтоб исполнилось на мне написанное: ибо и пси ядят от крупиц, падающих от трапезы (Мф.15:27).

Итак, возлюбленные, излейте за меня молитвы свои, и вместе приложим старание о жизни нашей. Ибо все преходит, как тень; возненавидим мир, и что в мире, и плотское попечение, и не будем иметь иного попечения, как только о спасении своем, как и Господь наш сказал: кая до польза человеку, аще мир весь приобрящет, душу же свою отщетит? или что даст человек измену за душу свою (Мф.16:26)?

Духовные купцы мы, братия, и подобны купцам мирским. Купец каждый день высчитывает прибыль и убыток; и если потерпел убыток, прилагает старание и заботится, как бы вознаградить потерю. Так и ты, возлюбленный, каждый день, и вечером и утром, тщательно размысли, до чего доведена купля твоя. И вечером, войдя в храмину сердца своего, рассчисли и спроси сам себя; "не прогневал ли я чем-нибудь Бога? Не сказал ли праздного слова? Не был ли беспечен? Не огорчил ли брата моего? Не оговорил ли кого? И когда пел устами псалмы, тогда ум мой не мечтал ли о чем мирском? Не возрождалось ли во мне плотское пожелание, и не с удовольствием ли занимался я им? Не уступил ли я над собою победу земным заботам?" Если потерпел ты от сего ущерб, то постарайся прибрести утраченное; воздыхай, плачь, чтоб опять не впасть в то же. А утром опять займись с самим собою и спроси: "как прошла эта ночь? Получил ли я в нее какую прибыль от купли своей? Бодрствовал ли ум мой вместе с телом? Лились ли слезы из очей моих? Не был ли отягчен я сном во время коленопреклонения? Не приходили ли мне на ум лукавые помыслы, и не занимался ли я ими с приятностью?" Если побежден ты был этим, то постарайся исцелиться, приставь стража к сердцу своему, чтоб не потерпеть опять того же. Если так будешь попечителен, то сохранишь в целости куплю свою; а таким образом соделаешься благоугодным Господу своему и принесешь себе пользу.

Будь же внимателен к себе, чтоб не вдаться тебе когда-либо в леность; потому что преобладание лености - начало погибели. Подражай пчеле, и всмотрись в дивную ее тайну, как с рассеянных по земле цветов собирает она свое произведение. Проникни мыслью своею на эту ничтожную тварь.

Подобно сему и ты, возлюбленный мой, будь, как пчела, и из Божественных Писаний собери себе богатство, и некрадомое сокровище, и предпошли оное в небо.

И земные князья, когда пожелает кто из них идти в дальнюю сторону, посылают вперед себя служителей с богатством своим, чтобы, пришедши на готовый покой, остановиться там. Так и ты, возлюбленный, предпошли богатство свое в небо, чтобы приняли тебя в обители святых. Не будь нерадив в продолжение сего краткого времени, чтоб не каяться нескончаемые веки.

Не слышишь разве, что говорит Господь нам: в мире скорбни будете (Ин.16:33)? И еще сказал Он: в терпении вашем стяжите души ваша (Лк.21:19).

If you boast in this life, then your hope is vain, and your expectation is in vain.

Or were you afraid, wretched one, that the good and loving God would reject your labors? But He Himself and His grace give you strength to do so; He Himself breaks your heart, and He Himself gives you a reward. Everything is from Him, and you are proud! He exacts the wages of a hireling from those who deprive Him of it; Will He deprive you of the reward for your tears? Let it not be so! He who said, "Seek, and ye shall find: pound, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matt. 7:7), shall he become a liar? Nohow. Go away, wretched one. Who wished you harm? Who is jealous of you? A rival and hater of good. He has all his efforts to ensure that not a single person is saved.

Therefore, come to yourself and do not harbor hatred for your soul; open the eyes of your mind, and look at those who live with you: how they struggle, how they exert their efforts; and their lamps are with them, and their lips sing and glorify the immortal Bridegroom; their eyes behold His beauty, and their soul blossoms and delights.

Take a closer look! The bridegroom draws near, and will not delay: for he is coming suddenly to rejoice those who are waiting for him. A voice is heard: "Behold, the Bridegroom is coming" (Matt. 25:6); and those who are with you will go with joy, having their lamps burning brightly and their bright garments, and they will hear the voice of the Bridegroom, Who will say, "Come in the blessing of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 25:34). And as soon as a voice is heard, you will say to them, 'Give me, my brethren, a little oil, for behold, my lamp is being extinguished'; but you will hear from them, 'The food is not enough for us and for you, go to those who sell and buy; you will go repentant, and you will not find where to buy: for the whole earth is like water in the sea, shaking because of His glory. And then, weeping, you will say: "I will go, I will knock at the door; Who knows, perhaps they will open it to me;" and you come, and you strike, and no one answers; thou dost wait all the time, and strike again, and they answer thee from within: Amen, I say unto thee, I know not who thou art (Matt. 25:12); depart from me, worker of iniquity." And when thou standest there, the voice of gladness and gladness shall come to thy ears, and thou shalt know the voice of every one of thy fellows, and sighing, thou shalt say, Alas, alas, unfortunate me! How have I lost such glory of my brethren, how have I lost the company of my companions? He spent all the time of his life with them, and now he has become separated. They were temperate, and I was careless; they sang psalms, and I soared in my mind and was silent; they were zealous for genuflections, and I rested; they prayed, and I rushed my mind to and fro; they humbled themselves, and I was proud; They put themselves in nothing, and I admired myself. Therefore they are now rejoicing, and I am complaining; they admire, and I cry."

Therefore, sober up, at least a little, wretched one, and think about His boundless love for mankind, and do not be negligent about your own salvation. Seek Him, and He will hasten unto thee unto salvation; call upon Him, and He will protect you; give to Him to receive a hundredfold. If inanimate paper, crying out through letters, repays the debts indicated on it, how much more will the good God give grace to those who seek Him. Paper adds growth to growth by means of writing: and the treasure of God's grace multiplies the reward of our prayers and petitions. Therefore, do not be lazy, do not allow your concern for earthly things to prevail over you, and do not fall into despair. God, in His kindness, accepts and protects you, as well as all those who seek Him with all their hearts. Approach Him fearlessly, fall down, sigh, weep and say to Him: "My Lord, my Saviour! Why have You forsaken me? Have mercy on me, for Thou alone art a lover of mankind; save me, a sinner, for Thou alone is sinless; hide me from the mire of my iniquities, so that I may not sink forever and ever; deliver me from the mouth of the enemy, for behold, like a lion he roars, and wants to devour me (1 Peter 5:8), raise up Thy power, and come to save me (Psalm 79:3); flash with Thy lightning, and kindle his power (Psalm 143:6), that he may fear and be scattered from Thy presence; for he has no strength to stand before Thee, and before the face of those who love Thee. As soon as he sees the sign of Thy grace, he fears Thee, and he who is ashamed departs from them. And now, O Lord, save me, for I have run to Thee." If you pray to Him in this way, and call upon Him with all your heart; immediately, like a good and compassionate father, He will send His grace to help you, and will fulfill all your desires.

Come then, my beloved, do not be negligent, do not look at me, who am lazy: for me, who speak and do not do, who exhort and do not understand, the shame with which my face is covered is sufficient. And you be an imitator of the perfect and spiritual fathers and follow their rule. Do not undertake beyond measure the highest that you are not able to accomplish, or the most unimportant, so that your reward may increase. Do not feed your body, lest it raise up a battle against you, do not accustom it to the pleasures of the flesh, lest it become a burden to your soul, and bring it down to the pit of the earth. For if you give yourself over to fulfill her lusts, she leaves the straight paths, walks in the rapids, comfortably receives every impure thought into herself, and no longer observes chastity. And again, if you strain the body excessively, then in this case it also becomes a burden to the soul, which is seized by timidity and despondency, and it becomes irritable, and lazy to singing, and to prayer and good obedience. Therefore, keeping to an excellent measure and weight, govern yourself.

Tell me: have you ever been a spectator on the horse lists? And again, have you ever seen boats on the sea? If someone drives the horses without measure, they fall from one sudden noise. And if you give them complete freedom again; then, having overthrown the charioteer, they drag after them. Like a boat on the sea; if it is loaded in excess of what it can lift, it is flooded by the waves and sinks; but if it is lightened and floats without a load, then it is conveniently capsized by the wind. Thus, the soul and the body, if they are burdened excessively, are subjected to what has been said above. Therefore, it is a beautiful thing to begin and accomplish, to please God, and to be useful to oneself and one's neighbor.