Thus I waited at that time and in those years, wishing that someone more important than I and more intelligent than I would write, and I would go to bow down to him, so that he would teach and enlighten me. But when I inquired, I heard and learned for sure that no one was going to write about him anywhere; And when I remember or hear about this, I think and ponder: why did his quiet, miraculous, and virtuous life remain undescribed for so long? For several years I dwelt, as it were, in idleness and in contemplation, immersed in bewilderment, in sorrow, wondering in my mind, overwhelmed with desire. And I was seized with a passionate desire to somehow begin to write, even if only a little of the many, about the life of the venerable elder.

And I found certain elders, wise in their answers, judicious and reasonable, and I asked about Sergius, so that they would calm my desire, and I asked them whether I should write. And they answered: "As bad and as unseemly as it is to inquire about the lives of the wicked, so it is unbecoming to forget the lives of holy men, and not to describe, and to consign them to silence, and to leave them in oblivion.

After all, the Great Basil writes: "Be an imitator of those who live righteously, and seal their lives and deeds in your heart." You see how he commands that the lives of the saints be written, not only on parchment, but also in one's heart for the sake of benefit, and not to conceal or conceal: for the king's secret should be kept, and the works of God should be preached as a good and useful deed."

And so I had to inquire and question the ancient elders, well informed, truly knowing his life, as the Holy Scriptures say: "Ask your father, and he will tell you, and your elders, and they will tell you." All that I heard and learned, the fathers told me, that I had heard something from the elders, and that I had seen something with my own eyes, and that I had heard something from the lips of Sergius himself, and that I had learned something from the man who had served him for a long time and poured water on his hands, and that I had heard something else from his elder brother Stephen, who was the father of Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov; Other things I learned from other ancient elders, reliable eyewitnesses of his birth, and upbringing, and learning to read and write, his maturation, and youth until his tonsure; and the other elders were eyewitnesses and truthful witnesses of his tonsure, and the beginning of his wilderness life, and his appointment to the hegumenship; And I had other narrators and storytellers about other events.

But looking at the many labors of the elder and his great deeds, I was, as it were, dumb and idle, being bewildered with horror, not finding the words necessary, worthy of his deeds. How can I, poor man, at this time write the entire life of Sergius in order, and tell about his many deeds and innumerable labors? Where shall I begin, in order to tell my listeners about all his deeds and exploits? Or what is proper to remember first of all? Or what words are needed to praise him? Where will I find the wisdom I need for this story? I don't know how I can tell such a story, which is difficult to convey – will it not be beyond my strength? Just as a small boat cannot hold a large and heavy load, so cannot our powerlessness and the mind of this story.

Although this story is beyond our strength, we nevertheless pray to the all-merciful and all-powerful God and His most pure Mother, that He would enlighten and have mercy on me, coarse and unreasonable, that He would give me the gift of speech, which would open my mouth — not for my sake, the unworthy, but for the sake of the prayers of the holy elders. And I call upon this Sergius himself for help, and the spiritual grace that overshadows him, so that he may be my helper and support in my story, as well as his flock, called by God, good society, an assembly of honest elders. To them I humbly fall down, and touch their feet, and call and urge them to prayer. After all, I am always in great need of their prayers, especially now, when I am beginning this undertaking and striving to tell this story. And let no one condemn me for daring to do this: I myself would not have the opportunity and strength to begin writing, but the love and prayer of the venerable elder draws and torments my thoughts and compels me to tell and write.

It should be said more clearly that even though I, who am unworthy, could write, I should still be silent with fear and lay my finger on my lips, knowing my weakness, and not pronounce words with my lips that are not proper, and should not dare to do a work that is beyond my strength. But all the same, sorrow weighs me down, and pity has seized me: the life of such a great elder, holy, famous and glorified, is known everywhere – both in distant countries and in cities, everyone tells about this man, famous and glorious – and for so many years his life has not been compiled and written. I thought to consign it to silence, as if to plunge it into the abyss of oblivion. If the life of the elder is not written and left without remembrance, then it will not harm that holy elder, if we do not have memories and writings about him: for those whose names are written in heaven by God have no need of human writings and memories. But then we ourselves will not receive any benefit if we neglect such a useful work. And so, having gathered everything, we begin to write, so that the rest of the monks who have not seen the elder will read this story and follow the virtues of the elder and believe in his life; for it is said, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." More than others, one sorrow overwhelms me and overwhelms me: if I do not write and no one else writes a life, then I am afraid of being condemned according to the parable of the lazy servant who hid his talent and became lazy. After all, the virtuous Elder Sergius, a wonderful passion-bearer, always dwelt without laziness in good deeds and was never lazy; Not only do we not strive for podvigs, but we are too lazy to report on the well-known works of others, for which the life of Sergius is famous, in a story, to tell about it to our listeners.