1. Already the stench of bliss is upon you, you who are enlightened! Already you are gathering spiritual flowers to weave the crowns of heaven; the fragrance of the Holy Spirit has already been poured out; you are already on the threshold of the royal palaces; Oh, if only the King himself would lead you into them! The trees are now in color; Oh, when to see fruit on them? There has already been a census of your names. Likewise, the naming of the army, and the marriage lamps. And the desire for heavenly coexistence, and the good intention, and the hope that follows. For he who has not lied said, "To them that love God all things shall be hastened for good" (Rom. 8:23). Although God is generous in doing good; yet he expects from everyone an unhypocritical arbitrariness. For this reason the Apostle adds: "To those who are called according to foreknowledge." An intention without hypocrisy makes you called. For if you are here in body, but not in spirit; then this is useless.

2. Simon the sorcerer once approached the font; he was baptized, but not enlightened; He washed his body with water, but did not enlighten his heart with the Spirit; the body entered into the font, and came out of it, but the soul was not buried with Christ, and did not unite with Him (Col. 2:12; Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor. 10:2). I mention falls, so that you do not fall; For this has happened to them educationally, and it is written for instruction even to those who are now approaching: lest any of you dare to tempt grace, lest any of you vegetate mischief should do evil (Heb. 12:15), lest any of you should ascend, saying, Let us see what the faithful do. When I go up, I will look to find out what is happening among them. You hope to see, but don't you think that they will see you? Do you think that you know what is happening, but God does not know your heart?

3. Someone thought to find out what happened at the marriage mentioned in the Gospel; And having put on unseemly clothes, he went up, and sat down and began to eat, because the bridegroom would allow it. When he saw everyone wearing white clothes, he should have put on the same clothes. However, eating the same food as others, he did not have the same clothes and did not have the same intention. But the bridegroom, although generous, is not without discernment. Going around each of those who sat at table and examining them all (for he wanted to have them not in rags, but in splendid clothes), when he saw a stranger without a wedding garment, he said to him, "Friend! how didst thou enter into this (Matt. 22:12)? In what form? With what conscience? let not the doorkeeper hinder you, who in generosity invited you to the feast; even if you did not know in what clothes you had to come to the feast. Thou didst come, and saw the glittering garments upon those who sat at the table; Should you not have learned at least from what you have seen? Was it not necessary to ascend in good time, in order to go out in good time? But now thou hast not ascended at the right time, and thou shalt not be cast out at the right time. And he commands the servants: bind his feet that have dared to enter here, bind the hands that did not know how to clothe him in bright clothes, and cast him into utter darkness. For he is not worthy of the marriage lamps. Do you see what happened to him? Beware of this also.

4. We, the servants of Christ, accept everyone, and being in the rank of gatekeepers, as it were, we leave the door unshut; And so, it is possible for you to ascend with a soul defiled by sins, and with an unclean intention. Thou hast ascended, thou hast been vouchsafed, thy name is written. Do you see this important ecclesiastical order? Do you contemplate order and decorum? Reading the Scriptures? The presence of the clergy and the continuity of teachings? Revere this place, and learn from what you behold. Go out today in good time, and come up tomorrow in good time. If your soul is clothed in the garment of the love of money, then go up dressed differently: cast off your former clothes, do not cover them; cast off the garment of lust and impurity, and put on the bright garment of chastity. I declare to you before the Bridegroom of souls, Jesus, comes, and sees the garments. You have a lot of time for this. You have forty days for repentance. There is a lot of time that is capable of undressing and washing, and dressing and going up. But if you remain in your evil will; then he who preaches to you will not be guilty, but you do not hope to receive grace. The water will accept you, but the spirit will not accept you. Whoever sees a wound on himself, let him apply a plaster; Let none of you be Simon, let there be no hypocrisy or curiosity in you about this matter.

5. It is possible to come here for another reason; A husband can come to please his wife, and vice versa the same can be said about wives. Often a slave wanted to please his master, a friend with his parish. I cast down the rod, and I catch you, though you have come with a bad intention, but you are saved by the good hope. Perhaps you did not know where you were going, and by what net you were caught. Caught by the snares of the Church; Surrender yourself alive to captivity. Do not flee: for Jesus does not catch you in order to kill you; but in order to be put to death to revive. For it behooves thee both to die and to rise again. I heard the Apostle say: "Dead to sin, but alive to righteousness" (Romans 6:2). Die to sin and live in righteousness; From this day live for her.

6. See what dignity Jesus bestows upon you; Thou wast called a catechumen, having been a catechumens from without. He heard the word about hope, and did not know it; he listened to the mysteries, and did not understand them; he listened to the Divine Scriptures, and did not comprehend the depth of them. Now the catechesis is pronounced not outside, but inside you. For the indwelling spirit (James 4:5) makes your mind the temple of God. When you hear what is written about the sacraments, then you will understand what you did not know before. Do not think that you are getting something of little importance. Being a miserable man, you receive the name of God. Listen to what Paul says: "God is faithful" (1 Corinthians 1:9). Listen to what the other scripture says: God is faithful and just (1 John 1:9). This (i.e., that people are called God's), foreseeing the Psalmist, said on behalf of God: "I am God, and all the sons of the Most High" (Psalm 81:6). But see to it that there is not the name of the faithful, but the will of the unbeliever. He entered the field, the techs; there is no other time like this for you. If the days of thy marriage were approaching, thou wouldst not have despised all the rest, and would thou not have occupied thyself with the preparation of the feast? But desiring to dedicate your soul to the heavenly Bridegroom, do you not renounce the bodily in order to receive the spiritual?

7. You cannot be baptized twice or three times; otherwise I could have said: the first time it was useless for me, so the next time I will correct it. On the contrary, if the first time was useless, then you can't fix it. For there is one Lord, and one faith, and one baptism (Ephesians 4:5). Only heretics are baptized another time, because they were baptized first, they were not baptized.

8. God does not require anything else from us, except for a good will. Do not tell me how my sins will be cleansed? By will and belief, I tell you. What is shorter than this? However, if your mouth says that you desire this, and your heart does not speak, then the Knower of the Heart is the judge. From this time abstain from every evil deed; let not thy tongue utter disorderly words, let not thy eye sin, and let not it wander in useless things;

9. Let your feet hasten to catechetical teachings. Accept incantations with reverence, and whether they blow on you, whether they conjure you, consider these actions for yourself salvation. Of coarse gold and counterfeit, mixed with various substances, with copper, tin, iron, and lead, when we want to obtain only gold; then without fire, gold cannot be purified from foreign impurities; so the soul cannot be purified without spells. They are Divine, extracted from the Divine Scriptures. Thy face is hidden, that thy mind may be free; so that the eyes, wandering, and the heart do not make you wander; and the closing of the eyes does not in the least prevent the ear from heeding the salvific teaching. As goldsmiths, by means of certain small tools, fanning the fire, and melting the gold placed in the furnace, intensifying the flame, find what they seek; so it is with exorcists, when by the Spirit of God they produce fear in a person, and in the body, as in a furnace, they warm the soul; then the devil flees; but there remains salvation, the hope of eternal life, and finally the soul, cleansed of sins, receives salvation. For let us, brethren, be firm in our hope, and having given ourselves over to it, let us trust; that God, the Lord of all, seeing our will, cleanse us from sins; that He may give us the good hope of things, and grant us saving repentance. God has called you, and you are called.

10. Не уклоняйся от огласительных поучений: сколько бы ни продолжительно они говорены были, дабы мысль твоя не ослабела когда. Ибо оружие ты получаешь против сил сопротивных, против еретиков, иудеев, самарян и язычников. Много у тебя врагов, много и оружия иметь старайся, во многих мещешь стрелы, так и надобно знать тебе, как поражать ими эллина, как сражаться с еретиком, иудеем и самарянином. И вот уже оружие готово, и меч духовный еще готовее. Надлежит при том тебе благим произволением и десную руку простирать, дабы вести брань Господню, дабы преодолеть противные силы, дабы быть непобедимым при всяком еретическом нападении.

11. Советую же тебе и cиe: выучи сказанное тебе, и храни оное; не почитай сих поучений обыкновенными беседами. Ибо хотя и сии хороши и достойны веры; но ежели мы что нибудь опустим сегодня в оных, то узнаем завтра. А учете по порядку преподаваемое тебе о бане отрождения, если сего дня будет опущено, то когда вознаградится? Представь, что время садить дерева: ежели не вскопаем земли и их не посадим; то в какое другое время хорошо может быть посажено, что сперва посажено худо? Представь, что поучение огласительное есть строение. Ежели не укрепим оного, как следует, связями, дабы не оказалось расщелин; то и будет строение непрочно. Но надлежит, по порядку класть камень на камень; уголь связывать с углом; излишнее отбрасывать, и таким образом строение возвышать. Подобно мы доставляем тебе будто камни познания. Должно слушать о живом Боге, должно слушать о суде, должно слушать о Христе, должно слушать о воскресении; о многом надлежит говорить по порядку; ныне сказано cиe порознь, а потом представлено оное будет в связи. Ежели же ты не совокупишь во едино, и не будешь памятовать первого и второго, то созидающий будет созидать, а твое здание будет худо.

12. Тогда, как говорят огласительное поучение, если оглашенный спросить тебя, что говорили тебе учители? Ты ничего не отвечай постороннему. Ибо тайну преподаем тебе, и упование будущего века. Храни тайну сию ради Мздовоздаятеля, и не слушай, когда кто скажет тебе, что за беда, если и я узнаю? И больные просят вина; но если оно безвременно будет дано, то сумасшествие производить; от чего рождаются два зла: и больной умирает, и врач остается в безславии. Так если оглашенный услышит что либо от верного; то и оглашенный впадает в безумие; потому что не понимает слышанного, однако ж оное порочит и осмеивает говоримое, и верный осуждается, как предатель сей тайны. Се ты уже теперь близок к нам; смотри не рассказывай, не потому, чтобы проповедуемое здесь не достойно рассказывать; но потому, что слух не достоин слышания. Был некогда и ты оглашенным; тогда я не сообщал тебе, что надлежит сообщить. Когда ты опытом постигнешь высоту учения, тогда узнаешь, что оглашаемые недостойны слышания.

13. Вы, коих имена внесены в список просвещаемых, вы соделались сынами и дщерями единой матери. Когда взойдете вы ранее заклинаний, то каждый из вас пусть говорить о чем нибудь благочестивом; и если кого из вас не будет, пошлите за ним. Ибо если бы тебя позвали на обед, то не стал ли бы ты ждать званного вместе с тобою? Если бы имел брата, то не постарался ли бы о благе его? Впрочем, не любопытствуй о бесполезном; как например: что делается в городе, что делается в селе, что делает царь, что делает епископ, что делает пресвитер. Горе1 взирай, сего требует время твое; упразднитеся и разумейте, яко Аз есмь Бог (Пс. 45, 11). Если ты увидишь верных служащих и не смущающихся: то они имеют непреложное, знают, что получили, сохраняют блогодать. А ты еще на точке равновесия, получишь, или не получишь. Не подражай тем, кои спокойны, но исполняйся страхом.

14. Когда бывает заклинание, тогда, до прибытя других заклинаемых, мужи должны пребывать с мужами, а жены с женами. Кстати теперь вспомнить о ковчеге Ноевом. В нем были Ной, и сыны его, и жена, и жены сынов его. Хотя один был ковчег, и дверь затворена: однако все было там в порядке. Хотя затворен храм, и все внутрь оного: однако должно быть разделению между вами; мужам должно быть с мужами, а женам с женами, дабы предположение спасения не было случаем к погибели. Доброе предположение, — сидеть одному близ другого; но удалены да будут страсти. Чего ради сидячие мужи должны иметь и книгу полезную; один пусть читает, а другой слушает; если же книги нет. то один пусть молится, а другой должен говорить что нибудь полезное. И девы, когда собираются, должны или петь, или читать про себя, так чтоб уста говорили, но не слышали чужие уши. Жене бо глаголати в церкви не пoвелевaю (1 Кор. 14, 34; 1 Тим. 2, 12).