Strengthened spiritually and inflamed with holy love, St. Tikhon, meanwhile, weakened and faded away physically. From his exploits and old age, already weak in complexity, his health began to noticeably weaken and become upset. Those illnesses with which he suffered in the diocese, and from which he healed himself by retirement and bodily labors, with the onset of old age again returned with the same strength and troubled him. The disorder of the nerves increased more and more and produced insomnia, shudders in the limbs (convulsions), and even fainting. Awake in spirit, but due to the weakening of bodily strength, feeling the imminent deposition of his body, – St. At the end of his life, Tikhon gave himself over to complete solitude, silence and self-absorption.

The day of the feast of the Nativity of Christ in 1779 was the last day of Tikhon's departure from his cell to the church. On the occasion of the opening of the district town in Zadonsk, on this day many officials and people gathered in the cathedral for the liturgy. From the crowding and stuffiness in the church, the saint felt extreme exhaustion. When his cell-attendant, who was reading the Epistles, approached him for a blessing according to the monastic custom, Tikhon, having blessed him, ordered him to go forward and clear the road. Leaving the church and standing for a quarter of an hour on the northern porch, he again returned to the church in the same order and served the service. At the end of the Liturgy and upon leaving the church, the saint gave a blessing to the officials and the people, – and he became even more tired and exhausted. Returning to his cell, he gave orders to lock the doors and refuse visitors, whom, as usual, he received after the Liturgy for soul-saving conversations. This was the beginning of his complete solitude.

The dream that followed about this time caused him to completely shut himself up in his cell. It seemed to him that he had been led to a beautiful meadow, on which stood the most beautiful crystal buildings of enormous size, that banquet tables had been prepared in these buildings, that he had seen them rejoicing, heard their singing and rejoicing, although he did not understand the meaning of the chants he heard; – that he was allegedly asked: "Is it good here?" and he answered: "Very well," and to this he heard the following comforting words: "In three years you too can enter here, but now go and work."

Upon awakening, St. Tikhon felt an inexplicable joy in his heart. But because of his age and infirmity, he could not work as he had worked before. Burning with a burning desire to be freed from the bonds of the flesh and to be with Christ, and knowing by this revelation the term of his labor, he wanted to devote himself to contemplation of God and contemplation of the coming eternity for the rest of his time. Therefore, he initially shut himself up in his cell, did not show himself to anyone, and only occasionally went out to the back porch of his cell to refresh himself a little in the fresh air. He did not receive anyone to himself, except for the closest and most spiritual persons (spiritual, probably, in spirit, and not in rank and clothing), and then for a short time. He told his cellmates only the most necessary and necessary. Previously, when the cell-attendant read the Holy Scriptures to him, he explained many things to him, but at this time he only listened, remaining in silence: sometimes the cell-attendant would read him ten chapters or more, and he would only say: "Enough, thank you, go to yourself." The rest of the time he was in deep silence. The cell-attendant, who was allowed to enter his bedroom, often found him sitting on the bed, leaning on the table and lowering his head on his hand. Immersed in the contemplation of God with all his soul, it was as if the saint of God did not see or hear the person who entered, and only as if he did not see or hear the person who entered, and only, as if in a dream, did he feel that someone was with him. Therefore, afterwards he asked the cell-attendant in a tone of doubt: "Did you not come in at such and such a time?" and then explained to him about his condition. [99]

To the Reflection on Death and Eternity of St. Tikhon also disposed himself in a special way: he either looked at the picture hanging at the foot of his bed, on which was depicted an elder in a black robe lying in a coffin; or he went out into the closet, in which stood a coffin upholstered in black flannel and white braid, with all the clothes for burial, and looking at this coffin, he mourned the fall of man, saying: "This is what man has brought himself to, that being created by God blameless and immortal, as cattle bury themselves in the ground." Returning to his cell, he sometimes gave himself over to loud weeping and sobbing. Such visits happened every day. [100]

However, despite his complete solitude, St. Tikhon did not abandon the works of mercy. As before, poor beggars came to him in great numbers and still received alms, with the only difference that no one saw him personally, only the prison prisoners had the consolation of seeing him himself and hearing his soul-saving conversations. Since there were no government buildings in the new city, the courts and the prison were placed in the monastery for a while. Seeing in this closeness of the prison prisoners to him a special opportunity, given by the Lord Himself, for the service of these unfortunate brethren, and in their person to Christ Himself, the saint began to visit their sad dwelling frequently, spending several hours with the unfortunate in consoling conversations, and, as usual, when parting with them, he endowed them with alms. On the day of Holy Pascha, the Nativity of Christ, and on Cheesefare Sunday, in addition to consolations and almsgiving, he came to kiss them with the usual Christian greetings. But even now, as before, this work of mercy was hindered by the gossip of slanderers, and he was forced at times to deprive himself of the pleasure of visiting the unfortunate prisoners.

Declining personal visits, Saint Tikhon did not want to deprive of his instruction those who had recourse to his spiritual wisdom and awaited his advice. He did not refuse to answer such in writing until the last opportunity, as long as he could wield the pen. Therefore, one instruction written for monastics was not even finished, because of the extreme weakening of his health. Lying on his sickbed and hearing that some of his acquaintances, deprived of his beneficial influence, had begun to weaken in their virtuous life, the saint wrote an epistle to them, full of fatherly love and sorrow for his beloved children. We can look upon this epistle, which was not included in his writings, as the last.

"Christians! – wrote the saint, – the Judgment of Christ is approaching and is already near, and, like a thief in the night, the day will come unexpectedly, and in whatever he finds, he will appear at this terrible judgment. He will find another in fornication, and with him he will appear; another in murder, and with him he will appear; he will find another in drunkenness, and with him he will appear; some in slander, some in slander, some in lies, cunning, and hypocrisy, some in resentment and insult of his neighbor – and with this everyone will appear. Some in banquets and feasting, some in a game of cards, others in operas and masquerades, and so he will appear there. Others are in strife and strife, and so will appear there. He will find others in bribery and pernicious bribes, and with that he will appear there. Others he will find in dances, dances, games, and other disorders, and with that he will appear there. Others in other iniquities, and with that they will appear there!

Pious and God-fearing soul! Rejoice, for eternal salvation draws near to you. You will stand at the right hand of the Judge, the King of heaven, and you will hear the most longed-for voice: "Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34). Woe to the above-mentioned and other lawless Christians! They will be executed by the righteous judgment of God, they will be sent into eternal fire, and with the devil and his angels they will be tormented forever and ever, more than the Turks and idolaters who do not know God!

I beseech you, beloved, I beseech you by the mercy and meekness of Christ, have mercy on your souls and repent, that you may not perish forever. God is still waiting for us, still long-suffering for us. Blessed will be he who truly converts and repents; cursed is he who remains in hardening. He will repent, weep and weep in that hour, but it is too late and useless, for with weeping he will depart into eternal torment.

I am writing this to you out of Christian love and regret. Accept a brief but helpful admonition. Do not look at those who are clearly already godless, and neglect the law of the Lord, because they do not learn from it. Listen to me, who desires your salvation, as well as yourselves, and rather listen to Christ Himself, Who hungers and thirsts for our salvation, Who for this reason also came into the world, suffered and died, that He might see us saved. Fulfill, beloved, the holy and salvific desire of Christ, and eternal salvation, valued at the cost of Christ's blood and death, do not lose. The angels of God in heaven will rejoice over us, and the holy souls when we turn and repent. Christ the Lord will gladly receive us, and will forgive us all our sins. Let us repent and be in constant preparation for the coming of Christ the Lord, the King of glory, Who is coming to judge the living and the dead. The Judge of all is coming quickly, and will not delay. Behold, I come quickly, and my recompense is with me, to repay each one according to his deeds, says the Lord (Rev. 22:12). To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen." [101]

Judging by the tone of the speech of this epistle, meek and full of love and anointing, as well as by the entire way of life of the saint during his imprisonment in solitude, we can confidently think and say that at this time his soul remained at peace from the adversity and struggle with those temptations of which we spoke in the preceding chapters. The spiritual, grace-filled peace that comes after the struggle, at this time already dwelt in the holy soul of the ascetic!

On January 29, 1872, St. Tikhon drew up a spiritual testament, in which, having given glory to God for all his good deeds towards him, – in the words of the Apostle Paul, he expresses his hope in God's mercy beyond the boundaries of this life. For we know that if our earthly tabernacle of the body be destroyed, the creation of the Imam from God, the temple of the Imam, eternal in heaven (Psalm 145:1). Praise the Lord, praise Him ye people, for His mercy is established upon us, and the truth of the Lord endureth forever (Psalm 116). Praise the Lord to my soul (Psalm 145:1). Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He visited His people, and wrought deliverance for them, and raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant (Luke 1:68-69). After this, the saint made an order about his writings, which he instructed his cell-attendant John Efimov to submit to the Holy Synod for consideration. In another note, he makes an order, first, about his property, which, no matter how small, he bequeaths to sell and distribute to the poor, with the exception of some things intended as gifts for memory. Secondly, about his burial, bequeathing to bury himself in prepared clothes and a coffin, in a bishop's mantle and with a panagia. And finally, about the place of the grave, designating it near the Church of the Vladimir Mother of God, on the threshold, at the entrance to the altar: "Let my sinful body be trampled underfoot," he wrote in his will.

For a year and three months, Saint Tikhon received a paralysis of the entire left side of his body and completely lay down in bed. It happened to him in a dream. He imagined that he was praying in the side chapel of the monastery church of St. Eusebius of Samosata, and the parish priest of the city of Zadonsk, named Michael, carried a baby under a white veil to the royal doors. Tikhon asked about the name of the infant, and he was answered: "Basil." Lifting the veil, he kissed him on the right cheek, and the child struck him on the left. Waking up at the same moment, the saint felt numbness in his cheek and the entire left side of his body. Without a doubt, he accepted this illness as God's calling to new spiritual labors and feats. Hearing of this illness of the saint, his sincere friend and admirer, the Right Reverend Tikhon III, immediately came to him. The saint spent a whole day at the monastery, visiting his sick friend many times, consoling him and consoling himself with him with spiritual conversations. [102]