As for the fifth, i.e., that you should not be too anxious and too anxious, both about blessed and unblessed things, let what the Lord says in the Gospel serve as a lesson to you: for this reason I say to you: Do not be concerned with your soul for what you eat, nor with your body, with what you put on. Is not the soul more to eat food, and the body to be clothed; Behold the birds of the air, for they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns: are you not better than them? Whoever cares for you can add only a treat to his age; and for the garments that you take care of; "Do not be anxious, saying, 'What are the pits, or what do we drink?' For all these tongues seek: for the tidings of your heavenly Father require them all. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all this shall be added unto you. For do not be anxious about the morning, for the morning is anxious for himself: his wickedness prevaileth in the day (Matt. 6:25-28, 31-34). And St. Isaac says: "Without liberation from cares, do not seek light in your soul, nor silence and silence in the dissoluteness of your feelings" (Verse 69, p. 508). And Climacus: "A small hair troubles the eye, and a little care destroys silence, for silence is the laying aside of all thoughts that are not related to the work of salvation, and the rejection of all cares, even blessed ones. Truly, he who has attained silence will not care for his body, for he who promised to take care of it is not false (27:51, 52).

f) You must be silent.

And as for the sixth, i.e., that you must be silent, the order of the word compels us to say to you: "For St. Isaac should speak to you about this also: "Above all, love silence; because it brings you closer to the fruit. And the tongue is powerless to depict it. First let us force ourselves to silence, and then from silence something will be born for us, which will lead to silence itself. May God grant you to feel this something born of silence. But if you begin to live this life, then I do not know how much light will shine for you from here. "When you put all the deeds of this life (monastic, silent) on one side, and silence on the other, you will find that it is pulling in the balance" (Verse 41, p. 250 1). "Silence is the mystery of the age to come, and words are the instrument of this world" (Verse 42, p. 263). "Whoever forbids his mouth to talk (to speak much) guards his heart from passions. And he who guards his heart from passions sees the Lord every hour" (Verse 8 at first). And to St. Arsenius the divine voice for the second time decreed thus: "Arsenius! run, be silent, remain in silence, for in this lies the roots of sinlessness" (Dost. Tale of Abba Arsenius-2-).

g) You must be silent (love solitude).

In the same way, about the seventh, i.e., that you must lead a silent life, the reliable pointers to you are Basil the Great and again St. Isaac: of whom the former says: "Silence is the beginning of the purification of the soul," and the latter: "The limit of silence is silence from everything" (all-round). With these words, the former briefly signified the beginning of it (silence), and this one the end. And in the Old Testament Scriptures it is said: "Be abolished, and understand that I am God" (Psalm 45:11). And St. Climacus says: "The first work of silence is carelessness about all things, both blessed and unblessed; for he who opens the door first will certainly fall into the second. The second thing is prayer without sloth; and the third is the undisturbed activity of the heart. As it is impossible, according to the natural order, for one who has not learned the letters to read books, so it is even more impossible for those who have not acquired the first work of silence to reasonably pass through the last two" (Verses 27:46). And again St. Isaac writes: "The desired work of silence should be the unceasing expectation of death. Whoever enters into silence without this thought cannot bear what we must endure and bear by all means" (Verse 41, p. 255).

h) You should thank God for everything.

Likewise, in the case of this, i.e., that you must thank God for everything, let the divine Apostle Paul be a sufficient Teacher for you, who commands: "In all things give thanks" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Add to it the Monk Isaac, who writes: "The gratitude of the one who receives induces the giver to give gifts greater than the former. Whoever is ungrateful for the lesser is deceitful and unjust in the greater" (Verse 2 from the beginning). Again: "The conductor of God's gifts to man is the heart, which is constantly moved to thanksgiving, and the conductor of temptation to the soul is a murmuring thought, always moved in the heart." Also: "The lips, which are always thanksgiving, receive blessing from God, and grace suddenly descends into the heart that abides in thanksgiving."

i) You must be aware of your weakness.

How great a good thing is gathered in one who has attained the knowledge of his weakness — that the ninth is in number — this you will understand if you delve into the sixth psalm of the divine David, in which it says: "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak" (v. 3), and in another place: "I am a worm, and not a man, a reproach of men and a humiliation of men" (Psalm 21:7). And St. Isaac says: "Blessed is the man who knows his weakness, because this knowledge becomes for him the foundation, the root, and the beginning of all goodness. For as soon as someone comes to know and truly feels his weakness, he immediately oppresses his soul in its vain pride, which darkens the mind, and treasures his own protection" (Verse 61 from the beginning); And: "A man who has attained the knowledge of his measure has attained the perfection of humility."

j) It is necessary to endure temptations valiantly.

The last chapter of this discourse, which fulfills the number of the decimal number we have assumed, shows that you must valiantly endure the various and manifold temptations that have befallen you, and resist them with patience and courage. Therefore, listen to what is written about this in the Holy Scriptures. "This is what the Christ-bearer Paul says: brethren! our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, and against the powers, and against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual wickedness in high places (Heb. 6:12); again: "Thou art without chastisement, but all are partakers of him, for thou art adulterers, and not sons" (Heb. 12:8); also: "The Lord loveth him, chastens him, and beateth every son, and receiveth him" (- — 6). And the thought of the brother of God James in the first chapter of the Epistle is this: "An inexperienced man is unskilled." — St. Elijah Ekdik says: "Every Christian, who rightly believes in God, should not give himself over to carelessness, but always wait for temptation and be ready to accept it; so that when it comes, we may not consider it strange and not be troubled by it, but gratefully endure the burden of sorrow, remembering that it sings with the Prophet: "Tempt me, O Lord, and try me" (Psalm 25:5); and again: "And Thy chastisement shall correct me in the end" (Psalm 17:36). Behold, He did not say, Thy chastisement shall bring me down, but, He shall correct me in the end" (Tsvetosobr 1).

Do not seek the causes of temptations, from whence they are found, but only pray to endure them gratefully, as St. Mark says: "When a temptation is found, do not seek from what and for what purpose it has come, but (take care of it) in order to endure it gratefully and without malice" (St. Mark on Justification by Works, ch. 198); again: "If there is no person who would please God without temptations, then one should thank God for every sorrowful event" (ibid., ch. 200); Also: "Any sorrow convicts the mood of our will, whether it is inclined to the right or to the left. That is why the sorrow that has occurred is also called a temptation, because the one who has been subjected to it is subjected to the test of his innermost dispositions" (ibid., ch. 204). And St. Isaac with many other things also says this: "Temptation is profitable for every man. For the temptation was profitable for Paul, let every mouth be stopped, and the whole world of God shall be guilty (Rom. 3:19). Those who are mobile are tempted to add something to their riches, and the weak, so that they may preserve themselves from harm, those who sleep, in order to prepare them for awakening, those who are far off, so that they may draw near to God, their own to God (God's household, those who are in the house), so that they may dwell boldly in Him. A son who has not been exercised (in lifting up difficult things) does not receive wealth from his father's house for his own benefit. Why does God first tempt and torment, and then reveals the gift of grace? Glory to the Lord, Who leads us into the sweetness of health with bitter medicines! There is no person who does not grieve during training; And there is no one who does not think that the time is bitter when he drinks the poison of temptations. Without them, it is impossible to acquire a strong constitution (soul). But it is not our strength to endure them either. Whence comes the poverty, which is made of clay, having the strength to resist the erosion of the water, if the divine fire did not make it strong? If we submit to the yoke of God's will and pray in humility with unceasing desire, then through patience we will receive everything in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Verse 37, pp. 231-2). And in the Book of the Wisdom of Sirach it is said: Child, if you begin to work for the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation. and be patient, and be not quick in the time of guidance" (Sir. 2:1, 2).

We must trust in God and expect from Him that which is useful.

Establish the cat of hope (Heb. 6:19) in God, who is able to save, and expect from Him an abundance of temptations in the time of need. For, as the Apostle says, God is faithful, Who will not leave us to be tempted more than we can, but will create with temptation also an abundance (1 Corinthians 10:13). Listen to what the Scripture says: "Tribulation worketh patience, but patience is art, and art is hope. but hope shall not put to shame" (Romans 5:3-5). He who endures to the end will be saved (Matt. 24:13). "In your patience gain your souls" (Luke 21:19). "Have all joy, my brethren, when you fall into various temptations, knowing that patience worketh the temptations of your faith: but patience may be a perfect deed, that ye may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Blessed is the man who endures temptation: for he who is not skilled shall receive the crown of life, which God hath promised to them that love Him (James 1:2-4, 12). "Unworthy of the passion of the present time for the glory that desires to be manifested in us" (Romans 8:18). "Being patient with the Lord, they will hear me, and hear my prayer: And bring me out of the pit of passions, and out of the mud, and set my feet on the stones, and straighten my feet: and put into my mouth a new song, a song to our God" (Psalm 39:1-4). Blessed Symeon Metaphrastes also writes: "The soul, being bound by the bonds of love for God, counts sufferings for nothing, but delights in sorrows and blossoms in suffering. And when he suffers nothing for the Beloved, then he thinks to suffer even more. and flees from consolation as from torment."