36) On reasoning in particular, and on the fact that there is no price for moderate action; and obedience.

However, all this and all the like must you go through with careful consideration, in order to preserve a peaceful heart, dispensation, while satisfying the needs of your twofold nature. With wisdom, says the Most Wise, a house is built, and with understanding it is straightened out: with feeling are filled with treasures of all honest and good riches (Proverbs 24:3, 4). The divine Thalassius also writes: "The prudent poverty and straitness of the king is the way; reckless self-exhaustion and wordless indulgence are harmful, as they are useless on both sides." And the Monk Isaac: "The weakening of the members is followed by a frenzy and confusion of thoughts; after immoderate work there is despondency, and after despondency there is frenzy. But one transgression differs from another: the first transgression is followed by fornication; and after the second, leaving his silent abode, and moving from place to place. Moderate and patient, though with difficulty, work is priceless. The belittling of ascetic self-labor multiplies the sweetness of sin, and the immensity in it breeds ecstasy" (Verse 71, p. 524). And St. Maximus the Confessor: "Do not care all about the flesh, but having determined for it a podvig according to its strength, turn your whole mind to the inner. For bodily instruction is profitable in a little, but godliness is profitable in all things (1 Tim. 4:8)" [On Love, One Hundred, 4-63]. But when the weighing cup of the flesh is somewhat overdrawn, it torments and burdens the cup of the soul, drawing it to desires and movements that are disorderly and suffocating, as it is written: "The flesh lusts after the spirit, but the spirit against the flesh" (Gal. 5:15); then you yourself, having restrained it with the reins of abstinence, put it to death until it reluctantly becomes obedient to the ruler and submits to the best, remembering the words of the great Paul: "As our outward man decays, so much does the inward man renew himself all the days" (2 Corinthians 4:16)," and St. Isaac: "Let yourself die in asceticism, and not live in negligence: for not only those who have accepted death for their faith in Christ, are martyrs, but also those who die for the observance of the commandments" — Again: "It is better for us to die in exploits than to live in falls." Again: "The main thing is to do everything with the advice and enquiry of your spiritual father about Christ Jesus: for in this way, by the grace of Christ, the intolerable and the swift are easy, and it will seem to you as if you are rushing through an equal, somewhat sloping field." But it is time for us to return to what we have departed from (See Chapter 27).

(37) As a ascetic, one should spend the time from eating to the setting of the sun; and that we must believe, that according to the work and measure of our work, the alms of the divine gifts are added to us.

Having strengthened yourself with food, as befits a ascetic, according to the word of the divine Paul, who commands: "Strive to abstain from all" (1 Corinthians 9:25), sit down and read the writings of the fathers sufficiently, especially those that teach sobriety; then sleep for one hour, if the days are long; Then, getting up, do a little handiwork, holding prayer as well; after this, pray as it was shown before... Read again, meditate and learn, trying in every way to be humble and to have yourself lower than all people.

For exalt himself, saith the Lord, he shall humble himself; but humble thyself, he shall be exalted (Luke 18:14); again: "Take heed to stand, lest it fall" (1 Cor. 10:12); again: the Lord resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; Proverbs 4:34). Again: the beginning of pride is apostasy from the Lord (Sir. 10:14); again: "Gordii transgressed the law to the ground" (Psalm 118:51); and again: "Not lofty in wisdom, but led by the humble" (Romans 12:16). And the divine Chrysostom says: "He knows himself best who thinks of himself as nothing; and nothing is so pleasing to God as to count oneself among the last." And St. Isaac: "Mysteries are revealed to the humble-minded." Again: "Where humility grows, there the glory of God flows." Again: "Grace is preceded by humility, and punishment is preceded by self-conceit." And St. Barsanuphius: "If you truly wish to be saved, then show obedience by your very deeds: raise your feet from the earth, lift up your mind to heaven, and there be your mind night and day, but at the same time, as much as you have strength, consider yourself contemptible, straining in every way to see yourself as inferior to any person. This is the true way; except for him there is no other for him that desires to be saved in Christ Who strengthens him (Phil. 4:13). Let the desire flow; let it flow; let him flow — let him comprehend (1 Corinthians 9:24). I bear witness to this before the living God, Who desires to grant eternal life to everyone who wills" (Rev. 477). And St. Climacus: "I did not fast, I did not keep vigils, I did not sleep on the bare ground, but humbled myself, seeking above all things imputation to myself, and the Lord will soon save me" (Ps. 114, 5)». Again, St. Barsanuphius says: "Neglect of everything brings you closer to the city; Disrespect for oneself with anything among people instills in the city, and death for every person makes the heir of the city and its treasures." Again: "If you want to be saved, keep yourself imputed to nothing, and flow forward." "Imputing oneself to nothing," according to St. John, a disciple of this saint, "is not to equate oneself with anyone, and not to speak of a good deed: I have done the same."

After this, pray again purely and without steaming, until the evening subsides. Here sing the usual vespers and perform the dismissal, believing from a pure heart that, to the extent of our labor and illness for the sake of virtue, and in general to the extent of our ascetic work, God grants us alms of gifts, crowns and consolations, as the divine Psalmist says: "Because of the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, Thy consolation hath made my soul rejoice" (Psalm 93:19). And the Saviour Himself: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28); and Paul the Great: Inasmuch as we suffer with Him (Christ), that we also may be glorified with Him. For we are unworthy of the passion of this present time for the glory that desires to be manifested in us (Romans 8:17, 18); and Maximus, the most wise in the understanding of divine things: "The reason (for this or that) distribution of divine blessings is the measure of the faith of each. For as long as we believe. We have the ceiling and the power of zeal for acting in faith. Why does he who acts according to faith, according to his activity, show both the measure of faith, accepting, in so far as he believed, and the measure of grace? And he who does not act according to faith, in accordance with his idleness, also shows the measure of unbelief, accepting, since he did not believe, the deprivation of grace. In this way, the envious one does evil, envying those who are prosperous, when it is clearly in his power, and not anyone else, to apply faith and activity according to faith, in order to receive the grace that comes to him according to the measure of faith."

Finally, ask from your heart for the rest of the time to abide in peace and repentance, to be vouchsafed a Christian end of life, painless, shameless and peaceful, and a good answer at the dreadful judgment of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

38) Pure prayer is more than any work.

In addition to what has been shown above, know also, brethren, that every method or method, every rule, and, if you like, these various actions, are therefore established and legitimized, that we cannot yet pray purely and unwaveringly. Since, by the grace and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, this is accomplished in us, then, having forsaken many and varied things, we are immediately united with the One Individual and Unifying more than reason, as the glorious Theologian said: "When God is united with the gods (i.e., God-like people) and is known by them, then by the Holy Spirit the seeding of the heart is accomplished." It is born from the above-mentioned pure and unwavering prayer of the heart. Seldom is anyone, and hardly one in thousands, vouchsafed by the grace of Christ to attain such a dispensation. And to ascend even higher than it and to be vouchsafed spiritual prayer, and to be worthy of the revelation of the mysteries of the age to come, is the property of very few, who appear in generations and generations, by the grace of grace, as St. Isaac also writes: "As out of many thousands there is scarcely one who has fulfilled the commandments and all that is lawful and has attained purity of soul: so out of a thousand there is only one who has been vouchsafed with great care to attain pure prayer, to dissolve this limit and to obtain this sacrament, because many have not been vouchsafed pure prayer, and only a few. But he who has attained that sacrament which is after it and beyond it, is scarcely found in generation and generation by the grace of Christ" (Verse 16, p. 91). . . .

Wherefore thou, too, if thou wilt be vouchsafed such new sacraments by deed and prophetic deed, i.e., by the very experience of Christ Jesus, at all times and at every hour, and in all thy work, try to be so attuned that thou mayest pray in thy heart purely and unwisely, so that from a child thou shalt grow into a perfect man, to the measure of the age of the fulfillment of Christ, and with a faithful and wise builder (steward, Luke 12:12:11). 42) You will receive pleasure and public approval, as in judgment (intelligently) arranging your words, i.e. leading your life in accordance with the word, therefore you will not be shaken forever. Philemon writes about this in the following way: "Brother, by night or by day, God will vouchsafe you to pray with your mind purely and without hesitation, do not look at your rule, but as much as you have strength, strain yourself to remain in this clinging to God, and He will enlighten your heart about spiritual work." And one of the God-wise said: "If you wish to serve God in the body, like the incorporeal, acquire unceasing prayer hidden in your heart, and before death your soul will be like an angel." — St. Isaac also writes in agreement with this; When he was asked by a certain "what is the main thing in all the labors of this work, that is, silence, so that he who has attained it may understand that he has attained perfection in this way of life," he answered: "Then when someone is vouchsafed unceasing prayer." For when he achieves this, it will mean that he has ascended to the very summit of all virtues and has already become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit; for it is not possible for one who has not unquestionably received this grace of the Comforter to keep this prayer in his heart with joy. That is why it is said that when the Holy Spirit dwells in one of the people, then he does not cease from prayer: for then the Spirit Himself prays in him without ceasing (Romans 8:26). Then, both when he sleeps and when he is awake, prayer is not cut off in his soul; but whether he eats, drinks, sleeps, or does anything, even in deep sleep, the fragrance and sighs of prayer are easily emitted by his heart. Then prayer does not depart from him; but every hour, although it is silent outside, within it it does not cease to perform the sacrament in secret. Why does one of the Christ-bearers call the silence of the pure a prayer? since their thoughts are divine movements; but the movements of a pure heart and mind are gentle voices, with which they secretly sing the Hidden One" (Verse 21, pp. 151-2). And many other God-bearing men, being secretly taught by grace itself, uttered many such things worthy of wonder. that we omit the duration of the word.

39) On the number of genuflections during the day and night.

As for the number of genuflections, we know that the number of three hundred is determined for us by the Divine Fathers, which we must perform on each night of the five days of the week. For on every Saturday and Sunday, as well as on other customary days and weeks, for some mysterious and hidden reasons, we have received the commandment to abstain from them. Some, however, make prostrations on this date. and others less: each according to his strength and will. And thou shalt do them according to thy strength, Yet blessed is he who, always in all that is according to God, forcing himself, often compels himself in this also. For the kingdom of God is wanting, and the needy take it away (Matt. 11:12).

40) That the distribution of God's gifts is not only according to the measure of our podvig and work, as has been said, but also according to skill and ability. according to faith and our natural disposition.

And it behooves us to know that the distribution of God's gifts to us is not only according to the measure of our podvig and work, as we said before, but also according to our habit of this way of life, and according to our ability. both according to our faith and according to our natural disposition. St. Maximus says: "The mind is the organ of wisdom; reason is an organ of knowledge; a natural conviction for both of them is an organ of faith that is both components of it; natural philanthropy is the organ of the gift of healing. For every grace-filled gift of God, capable of this and natural, has in us a receiving organ, such as strength, or habit, or predisposition. Namely, he who has made his mind pure from all sensual dreams receives wisdom; but whoever has made reason the master of the passions that are innate in us, that is, anger and lust, accepts knowledge; whoever has an unshakable conviction in divine things in his mind and understanding accepts all the faith that is might; whoever has succeeded in natural love for mankind, after the complete destruction of self-love, accepts the gift of healing." "And all this is true. —