5) The intrigues of the common enemy of Christians – the devil, who walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

6) The negligence and negligence of oneself of a person who, listening to the word of God read in churches, is negligent and careless about it, and goes like a blind man into a pit into eternal perdition.

And it follows from this:

7) How young children need a good upbringing and instruction! Not to speak French, not German, not Italian, not to dance, which is what today's people are most concerned about, but to live in a Christian way – this is what Christians are obliged to teach their children by the law of God. Even if children do not know any language, but live in a Christian way, they will not be deprived of true bliss.

8) How carefully the young must guard against the temptations by which the evil hidden in their hearts is aroused!

9) For a sinner who has deviated from the true path after Baptism, there is only one hope left – true repentance. To do this, sinful soul, turn to the Heavenly Father, as the prodigal son did, and fall down before His merciful eyes, and with contrition and groaning of heart cry out to Him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before Thee, and am no longer worthy to be called Thy son; receive me among Thy hired servants" (Luke 15:18-19). And believe without doubt that He will receive you, and clothe you in the best garments, and so will you be joyful before the angels of God.

14. A benefactor and ungrateful, who receives benefit from him

If someone lived in the house of a certain good and merciful lord and received food, drink, clothing, protection and other benefits from him, but not only did not show him worthy gratitude as his benefactor, but also showed all rudeness, disrespect and annoyance, reviled and scolded him, then it would be worthy of pity and everyone would be indignant at such a mad person. And indeed, such a person would be worthy of all indignation and reproach! Ingratitude is a great evil, madness and blindness, and it is abhorrent to every person. In this vice dwell children who do not honor their parents; people who revile and slander their shepherd; students who annoy their teachers; those who are subject to the authorities, who care about the common good, do not show worthy honor and love; beggars who do not love those who give them alms and do not remember their benevolence, and others. Such or incomparably bitter ingratitude is shown to God by lawless Christians.

For no matter what good man does to man, he does not his own, but God's good, since God is the Source and Cause of all good in the world. God gives us His true good. What good and beneficence God has not shown us, O Christians! He created us, and created us not as cattle, but as people gifted with intelligence. He created by His most special counsel: "Let us make man" (Gen. 1:26). He created in His own image and likeness. What greater honor can there be for a man than to be created in the image of God! For this alone, we will never be able to thank God with anything.

But when we sinned, fell and perished, – and then our Most Gracious Creator did not abandon us in our destruction. And what means has He not invented to restore us and bring us to Himself! He sent His prophets to us, who turned us, who had departed from Him, to Him. He gave us His holy word, as an epistle, in which He revealed and declared His holy will.

For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him (John 3:16-17), Who, while living, or rather wandering on earth, did not do anything! No matter what beneficences he showed! No matter how much he suffered for us! What reproaches, blasphemy, and insults from His ungrateful people He endured! Finally, he died on the cross for our salvation! All this was done by our Most Gracious Lord by the grace of His Heavenly Father and by His free will. Thus having shown the wondrous Providence for us, our Most Merciful God called us to His holy faith, and washed us, sanctified us, and justified us in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Holy Spirit, as the Apostle says to Christians: "But we were washed, but we were sanctified, but we were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:11). These and other blessings of God belong to our soul and to eternal life.

The whole world bears witness to what good He does to our body and temporal life. Turn your mind and eyes, O man, to all His creation, and judge: whom does it serve? Isn't it us? Who cares about the sun, moon and stars? Isn't it us? Who cares about the air and clouds? Isn't it us?

Who cares about the land with fruits? Isn't it us? To whom are cattle, beasts, and birds? Isn't it us? Who cares about water with fish and other things that live in it? Is it not us, O Christians? All creation serves us by God's command, since without it we cannot live even the slightest time. Who can live without bread and water, who can live without clothes? We need air so much that we cannot live a minute without it. What would our lives be like if God took the light away from us? Would not everyone wander like blind men? Who could have remained unharmed from the invisible enemy, the devil, if God by His almighty hand had not protected us from the enemy, who with great malice rages at our generation, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).