If, only reading the example of the five virgins, who were excommunicated from the bridal chamber for lack of oil (Matt. 25:8-12), we grieve over their misfortune on an equal footing with themselves and are troubled, then at the very thought that we ourselves will be subjected to the same for carelessness, who (among us) will be so stony that, constantly having this example in our souls, we will give ourselves over to negligence? It would be possible to spread the word even more, but since we have spoken it only out of obedience, and not out of other need, there is more written than was required. I am well aware that you yourself strictly adhere to all the virtue of contrition, and could, even silently, teach it to others, if they would wish to live with your piety even for a short time and see your life on the cross. Thus, if our contemporaries need to learn to contrite, they must go to your dwelling, and posterity must hear about your deeds; A great guide to this, I think, will be given by one story of your life. Wherefore I beseech and beseech you at last to reward us and repay us with your prayers, that I may not only speak of contrition, but also show it by deeds; for teaching without works not only does not bring any benefit, but even brings great harm and condemnation to him who spends his life in such carelessness. "Not everyone," says (the Lord), "who says to Me, Lord Lord, but whoever does and teaches will be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:19; cf. 7:21).

SECOND WORD.

TO STECHIUM.

HOW is it possible that what you have commanded, holy man of God, Stelachius? How can words of contrition come from a soul so weak and cold? Whoever intends to say something good on this subject, he must, I think, himself be more inflamed and burning with such zeal than all others, that the words he utters about it, stronger than a red-hot iron, cut into the soul of his hearers. And we do not have this fire, but everything that is inside is dust and ashes. Tell me, how can we kindle this flame, when we have neither a spark, nor a substituted substance, nor a wind that would flow and fan this flame, because of the great darkness that a multitude of sins has spread over our souls? I do not know. Let it be said by you, who gave the command, how this command can be put into action and receive proper execution. We will offer our tongue to our services, and you pray to Him Who heals the brokenhearted, Who gives long-suffering to the fainthearted, Who raises up the poor from the earth, that He may kindle in us that fire which usually destroys all human weakness, destroys all drowsiness, carelessness and hardness of the flesh, directs the flight of the soul to heaven, and from that vault (heavenly), as if from some lofty peak, shows all the vanity and deception of the present life. And whoever cannot fly there and sit down on this height, it is impossible for him to see properly either the earth or what is happening on the earth. For (here) there are many things that darken the sight, many things that disturb the ear and restrain the tongue; then it is necessary, avoiding all noise and smoke, to withdraw into that wilderness, where the silence is great and the clarity is pure, and there is no noise, where the eyes are intently and unswervingly directed to the contemplation of the love of God, and the ears are imperturbably devoted to one occupation - listening to the Word of God and paying attention to that harmonious and spiritual harmony, the power of which, once captivating the soul, so takes possession of it, that (a person), carried away by this melody, is reluctant to take food, drink, and sleep. Therefore, this power cannot be weakened either by the turmoil of worldly affairs, or by the pressure of many carnal (desires).

But when it soars and devotes itself to the occupation of spiritual things, it blocks the entrance to sinful dreams, not closing the senses, but directing their activity to the same height. As a formidable and stern lady, having begun to prepare a heterogeneous, ponderous, and precious color, and needing a multitude of hands for this purpose, wakes up her maids, and, having brought them to her, orders one to select for the sieve the fragrances that have not yet been prepared, the other to take the barren and scales and watch attentively, so that they do not enter less or more than the proper one, and thereby the proportion of the prepared composition is not violated; he tells one to cook what is necessary, the other to rub what is not good (wiped)

And if it happens to herself, having gathered herself to meditate on something righteous and pleasing to God, she immediately forces her senses to cease their activity, so that they do not untimely introduce into her something unnecessary, and thus disturb her inner silence. Therefore, although sounds are attached to hearing and visible objects to sight, none of them penetrates inside, since the activity of each of these members is directed to the soul. And what do I say about sounds and visible objects, when many of those who were in such a state did not feel not only what others passed before their eyes, but even that they were struck? Such is the virtue of the soul, that it is easy for one who desires to be on earth, but as if seated in heaven, not to feel anything that is happening on earth.

2. Such was the blessed Paul; For example, when he says: "For me the world is crucified" (Gal. 6:14), he means this insensibility (to earthly things), and not even this one, but another of the same kind, so that it was twofold in him. He did not only say, "For me the world is crucified," and he fell silent; but in the following words he also pointed to another (insensibility), saying: "And I am for the world." Great is wisdom in considering the world dead; but even greater and much more important is to be, as it were, dead to him. Thus the saying of Paul means the following: he, according to his words, was far from the present, not so much as the living from the dead, but as far as the dead from the dead. The living, of course, does not have a partiality for the dead, but has some other feeling, either being amazed at the beauty of the deceased, or feeling sorry and weeping for him; but the dead have no such feeling or affection for the dead. Wishing to express this, he added to the words: "For me the world is crucified": "And I am for the world." Do you see how far he was from the universe, how, walking on earth, he reached the very height of heaven? Do not speak to me of mountain peaks, of forests, of valleys, and impassable wilderness: they alone are not enough to free the soul from the noise (of the world), but we need that flame which Christ kindled in the soul of Paul, and which the blessed one himself supported with spiritual thought, and raised it to such a height, that this flame, beginning from below, from the earth, reached to heaven, and to the highest heaven, to the highest, for he himself was caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2); but his affection and love for Christ extended beyond not only the three, but all the heavens. In body he was small and in no way exceeded us; but in his disposition he excessively exalted himself above all people existing on earth.

In this way, however, I do not seem to have depicted the slightest part of his love. And that these words are not exaggerated, anyone can know for sure by reading what we have written on this subject to Demetrius. This is how one should love Christ, this is how one should renounce the present. Such were the souls of the holy prophets; That is why they received other eyes. To renounce the present was the work of their own zeal; and that later their other eyes were opened to the contemplation of the future, this was already a work of God's grace. Such was Elisha: because he distanced himself from all worldly things, loved the kingdom of heaven and despised all things that are present, that is, the kingdom and power, and glory and universal respect; then he saw something that no one had ever seen before - a whole mountain, covered with a line of fiery horses and chariots and warriors (2 Kings 6:17). Whoever is seduced by the present will never be worthy to contemplate the future; but whoever despises the things here and considers them no better than shadows and dreams, will soon receive great and spiritual blessings. In the same way, we reveal the wealth that belongs to men to our children when we see that they have become men and despise all the things of childhood; but as long as they are deceived by the latter, we consider them unworthy of the former. A soul that has not learned to neglect the unimportant and mundane will not be able to contemplate the heavenly, just as the one who contemplates the latter cannot but laugh at the former. Blessed Paul also said this; although his words refer to dogmas, they can nevertheless be applied to morals and gifts, namely: "The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:14).

3. And so, as I have said, we must seek the wilderness life not only in some places, but also in the very will, and first of all to lead our souls into the most uninhabited (the wilderness). With such a disposition, Blessed David, who lived in the city, ruled the kingdom and was burdened with innumerable cares, was embraced by the love of Christ more strongly than those who lived in the wilderness. Such tears, sighs, and sobs are scarcely seen day and night in any of those who are now crucified (for the world), if there is one to be found. In doing so, we must not only pay attention to the tears, but also delve into who shed them; for it does not matter whether he who is endowed with (royal) dignity, revered by all, and is not subject to anyone's reproof, humbles himself, humbles himself and wears himself out, or does the same thing who has nothing of the kind. The Tsar is brought to a point of weakness and prevents him from gathering his courage. He also weakens and pampers himself from daily luxury, and is haughty with power and is drawn to pride; he is inflamed by the love of glory, and no less by the love of the flesh, born of power and nourished by luxury. Moreover, the whirlwinds of care, rushing at him from all sides, disturb his soul no less than those passions, and therefore contrition, meeting so many obstacles, cannot find access (to it); for even a soul free from all this can hardly implant this good in itself. And the private man, unless he is exceedingly depraved, is a stranger to all this confusion; therefore he can give himself up (to contrition) with less inconvenience than he who enjoys such power, authority and honor. Just as it is difficult and even impossible to mix fire with water, so I think it is impossible to combine pleasure (of earthly goods) with contrition, because they are opposite and incompatible with each other. The one is the mother of tears and sobriety, and the other of laughter and immoderation; one makes the soul light and inspired, and the other brings it into a state heavier than any lead. But I have not yet said the most important thing, that (David) lived in a time when there was no need for special strictness in the way of life; And we have begun the podvig when a great punishment is imposed not only for other sins, but also for laughter, and on the contrary, weeping and sorrow are constantly approved. However, this blessed one, having broken down all obstacles, gave himself over to contrition as much as if he were one of the common people and had never seen in a dream either the kingdom or the royal splendour; And in purple, and in diadem, and on the royal throne, He showed the same contrition as He who sits in sackcloth, on ashes, and in the wilderness. Whoever really has this good disposition exerts the same power as the fire in the thorns, and even though (such a person) is oppressed by a multitude of evils, even though he is entangled in many ropes of sins, even though the flame of lust burns strongly in him, and a great confusion of worldly affairs surrounds him, this (contrition), as if with a strong scourge, will completely dispel all such things and remove them from the soul. As light dust cannot withstand the pressure of a strong wind, so the multitude of lusts cannot withstand the force of destruction rushing upon them, but disappears and disperses more quickly than any dust and smoke. If carnal love so enslaves the soul that it distracts it from everything and subordinates it to the influence of one beloved, then what will not love for Christ and the fear of being separated from Him do? Both of these things stirred the soul of the prophet so much that he sometimes said: "As a deer longs for streams of water, so does my soul desire for You, O God!" (Psalm 41:2) and again: "My soul is to Thee, as the thirsty earth." (Psalm 142:6) and: "My soul is cleaved to Thee" (Psalm 62:9); and sometimes: "Lord! Do not rebuke me in Thy wrath, nor punish me in Thy wrath" (Psalm 6:2).

4. Let no one tell me that David wrote this (sixth) Psalm in lamentation for his sin. This is not true, and the inscription on the top (of the Psalm) does not admit of such a supposition. If the content (of the psalm) could not be indicated in the inscription, then it would be possible, if you wish, to apply this psalm to the circumstances of that sin; but when we know (another) psalm spoken on these circumstances, and the present psalm has a different content, then, I beseech you, let us not throw the divine into disorder, and give more importance to our own judgments than to the dogmas spoken from the Spirit. What is the inscription (of the 6th Psalm)? Of the eighth, "On eight-stringed" (Psalm 6:1), he speaks (David). What eighth day is this, if not that day of the Lord, great and glorious, like a burning furnace, which will make even the powers of heaven tremble ("and the powers of heaven," it is said, "shall be shaken," Matt. 24:29), and will bring forth the fire that precedes the King (Christ)? He called this day the eighth, indicating the change of the (present) state and the renewal of the life to come. The present life is nothing but one week: it begins on the first day and ends with the seventh: and then it revolves again within the same limits, ascending to the same beginning and descending to the (same) end. Therefore no one would call the Lord's (Sunday) the eighth, but the first; because the cycle of the week does not extend to the eightfold number. But when all that is present ceases and is destroyed, then there will be a course of the eighth day; it will not return to the beginning, but will rush into further spaces. And so, the prophet, out of great contrition, always had in mind the (last) judgment, in the midst of such honor and pleasures he constantly saw before him that day, which we hardly remember in sorrows, and, constantly contemplating the destinies of God, he wrote this psalm. What does he say? "Lord! Do not rebuke me in Thy wrath, nor punish me in Thy wrath" - calling the great power of punishment by rage and wrath (he knew that God is free from all passion), although he considered himself worthy not of torment and punishment, but of honor and crowns. His faith, by which he threw down the tower of the foreigners (Goliath) and all the people of Judah plucked out of the very gates of death, and the good deed which he had shown not once, not twice, but many times to his persecutor (Saul), and before that the sentence pronounced against him by God Himself, sufficiently show the valor of this man more than his merits themselves. The works (of men), however great and wondrous they may be, may nevertheless be suspected of depravity, although the merits of this righteous man (David) are for the most part free from all suspicion. But when God testifies, then the sentence is not subject to any suspicion; and if David had not given the surest proof of his prowess, he would not have received the heavenly testimony. What does God say about him? "I have found a man after my own heart, David the son of Jesse" (Acts 13:22; cf. 1 Sam. 13:14). And yet, after such judgment (of God) and after such feats of his, he pronounced the words peculiar to those who are condemned and have no boldness before God, fulfilling the Gospel commandment: "When you have done all that is commanded you, say, We are worthless servants, because we have done what we ought to have done." (Luke 17:10). What more than this did the publican, who was really full of many sins, who did not dare to look up to heaven, or utter many words, or stand near the Pharisee? This one reproached him, saying: "I am not like other men, robbers, offenders, adulterers, or like this publican" (Luke 18:11); but he received his words as if he had heard nothing offensive, and not only did he not be indignant, but honored the offender and the proud man with such honor that he recognized himself unworthy of the land which he trampled underfoot; he uttered nothing but a confession of his sins, and, beating his chest hard, fervently implored God to be merciful to him. However, it is not at all surprising that he did so, because a multitude of sins forced him, willingly and unwillingly, to bow his head; and that the righteous and unconscious of himself approached (to God) with the same self-condemnation as the publican, is surprising, and shows a soul truly broken. For what is the difference between the words: "Be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13) than the words: "Lord! Do not rebuke me in Thy wrath, nor punish me in Thy wrath"? The latter express even more than the former. The publican did not dare to look at heaven, but the righteous one (David) did much more than he did. The one said, "Be merciful to me," but this one did not dare to say even this; He did not say, "Rebuke me not," but, "Not in Thy wrath"; He did not say, "Punish me not," but, "Not in Thy wrath," and prayed, not that he might not be punished, but that it would not be grievous to be punished. Thus, from everything we can see the humility of his soul - both from the fact that he considered himself worthy of such a punishment, and from the fact that he did not dare to beg God for perfect forgiveness, and this is characteristic of those who are extremely condemned and confess themselves to be more sinful than all people. And even more important is that he asks for deliverance from the grievous punishment from the mercy and love of mankind of God, as if he were weak. "Have mercy on me," he says, "for I am weak" (Psalm 6:3). What is this? He who has received such a testimony and does not forget the destinies of God ("Thy judgments," he said, "I have not forgotten" Psalm 118:30), shining brighter than the sun, says these words? Yes; then it is surprising that he who did such great deeds did not say or think anything great about himself, but considered himself the last of all and asked for salvation from the love of God alone. It was as if he were saying: I am worthy of unrelenting punishment and eternal torment; but, as I am no longer able to endure, I pray for deliverance from present calamities, like slaves who have done much evil, who cannot say that they have not sinned, but since the pain of the scourges is unbearable, they beg at last for the cessation of the blows. But here, I think, David understood another weakness. Which one? The weakness that came from sorrow and sighing in him. When excessive sorrow overtakes us with great force, it devours all the strength of the soul. This, I think, was experienced by the righteous man from strong self-condemnation and from the fact that he was not carried away by pleasant hopes, but always the opposite. This is clearly expressed by him in the following words. Saying: "Lord! Do not rebuke me in Thy wrath, have mercy on me", he added, "for I am weak; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are shaken; and my soul is greatly shaken (Psalm 6:3-4). But if he whose conscience was so clear prays that his deeds may not be subjected to strict examination, what shall we do, who are burdened with so many vices, who are so far from his boldness, and have not shown even the slightest part of his confession? Why then did this blessed one utter such a confession? He was convinced that no one can be justified before God, that even the righteous can hardly be saved; therefore he beseeches (God) - sometimes thus: "Enter not into judgment with Thy servant" (Psalm 142:2); and sometimes thus: "Have mercy on me, for I am weak" (Psalm 6:3).

5. It is remarkable that David nowhere mentions his good works, but leaves his salvation to the love of God. This is characteristic of a contrite soul and a humble spirit; and from this it came to pass that he who performed great virtues feared and trembled more than sinners. And why David trembled and feared so much, listen to how he himself says: "If You, O Lord, take notice of iniquity, Lord! Who can stand?" (Psalm 129:3) He knew, he clearly knew, that we owe much to God and that the most trivial sins deserve great punishment; he foresaw for a long time what commandments Christ would give at his coming; he believed that not only murder would be severely condemned, but also insults and backbiting, and vicious thoughts, and laughter, and idle talk, and buffoonery, and other, even less important, vices. For this reason Paul, although he knew nothing about himself, said: "For [although] I know nothing about myself, yet by this I am not justified" (1 Cor. 4:4). Why? Because, even if he had done nothing wrong, as he had not really done it, he did not consider himself fully to have given the honor due to God. Even if we died a thousand times, even if we did every virtue, we would not repay God for the blessings given to us by Him. See: having no need of us, but being self-satisfied, He brought us from non-existence into existence, breathed (into us) a soul that (He did not give) to any of the earthly animals; He planted paradise, stretched out the sky, laid the earth under it, kindled the brilliant luminaries; He adorned the earth with lakes, springs, rivers, flowers and plants, and in the sky he set a choir of various stars; He made the night useful for us no less than the day, from the peace and strength provided by sleep. Sleep nourishes our bodies no less than food, as is evident from the following: often, we see, hunger is endured for many days, and without sleep it is impossible to remain even a few days. Night also cools and destroys in us the heat which accumulates in the course of the day, partly from the sun's rays, partly from the day's labours, and thus restores in us again the vigor for labour, and in the winter time it gives us still more peace and joy, forcing us to be under the shelter of our homes. And darkness was made an attribute of this time, not in vain and not without purpose, but for greater comfort. As compassionate mothers, wishing to put restless children to sleep, take them into their arms and, throwing a veil over their eyes, put them to sleep: so God, having spread darkness over the universe, as if a kind of veil, rests people from their labors. If this were not the case, then we would all be overwhelmed by fussiness or excessive love of money and from labor; and now we are involuntarily interrupted from our studies. And such a law (of nature) not only restores our bodies, but also our souls no less than bodies. How then everything is full of silence, free from noise, no one's cry is heard, as it happens in the daytime, when some grieve from poverty, others complain of injury, some mourn illness and bodily injury, others the death of relatives, some loss of money, some other human misfortune, of which there are so many! From all these misfortunes, as if from worries, the night delivers the human race and calms it in its harbor. Such are the blessings to us from the night; and the benefits of the day are known to all of us.

If anyone begins to count all the rest (goods)

As if a man had built himself a brilliant palace, adorned with an abundance of gold and shining with the brilliant brilliance of stones, so God, having created the world, brought man into it to reign over everything. And it is still more surprising that the roof of this building (God) did not make it of stones, but made it of another most precious substance, and did not light the fire on a golden lampstand, but, having lowered the luminaries from above, commanded them to flow over the roof of this building, so that we might receive not only benefit, but also great pleasure; and he spread out the earth in the form of a rich meal. All this God has given to a man who has not yet done anything good. Although man, after such a gift, turned out to be ungrateful to his Benefactor, yet God did not deprive him of honor, but only expelled him from paradise and thereby punished him, in order to prevent the further growth of ingratitude, and to restrain him from striving for the worst. Thinking of all these things, and as one moved by the Spirit of God, contemplating many things beyond that, both that which was from the beginning (of the world), and that which happens every day, and that which happens to each one separately, and that which happens to all together, and that which happens manifestly, and that which is secretly greater than what is manifest, and also the works of the economy of the Only-begotten Son of God, and the good things to come, surveying everything in general and finding and contemplating the ineffable love of God in everything, the apostle, as if having fallen into an immeasurable abyss, comprehended how much and how great he owed (to God), and did not give Him even the slightest part. For this reason he spoke the aforementioned words, with great diligence he examined even his small sins, and consigned good deeds to oblivion (1 Cor. 4:4). And we are not like that; but of sins, however numerous and great, we neither speak nor remember; and if we do any small good deed, then we show it everywhere and do not cease to boast and puff up until we have abolished even the smallest good by vanity. With this in mind, David also said: "What is man, that Thou rememberest him" (Psalm 8:5)? In addition, accusing man of ingratitude, he said: "But man, being in honor, did not understand (this), was made equal to senseless beasts, and became like unto them" (Psalm 48:13).

6. It is characteristic of the grateful servant to look upon the good deeds rendered by all together as if they were his own, and to care and care as if he himself were a debtor for everything. So did Paul (it is good to remember him again) when he said that the Lord died for him: "But now," he said, "I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Gal. 2:20). He spoke thus not because he wanted to shorten the gift of Christ, but because he wished to present himself as guilty of everything and to arouse in everyone the same frame of mind. If Christ had come for one person, then His gift would not only not have diminished, but would have appeared even greater. Why is that? Because He would show such care for one person as one who seeks out one (lost) sheep; therefore (Paul) was troubled, and therefore he wept. If those who have borrowed money and are unable to repay, drowning in the great abyss of debts, do not eat or sleep from painful care, then what will not the righteous endure when he sees his debt (to God), which consists not in money, but in deeds? And we are not like that; but having paid very little, we behave as if we had paid everything, and even do even worse: we do not do this little with the zeal befitting free people, but inquire beforehand whether there is a reward for it, whether the reward is great, whether it will be imputed to ourselves, pronouncing the words of unfree and hired people. What sayest thou, faint-hearted and wretched man? Thou hast to do something pleasing to God, and yet thou standest anxious for the reward? If you were to fall into hell for such a deed, then would you have to evade, and not with great readiness to set about doing good? You do what is pleasing to God, and seek another reward. Truly you do not know what a great good it is to please God; for if you had known this, you would not have equaled any other reward (with this good). Do you not know that your reward will be greater when you do what is due, without expecting rewards? Do you not see that among men there is a special respect for those who have in mind to please (them) before rewards, and strive for this more than for their honor? Thus men behave so nobly even with those like themselves, but you, who have been so much favored by the Lord, and who expect so many blessings when it is necessary to do something useful for your salvation, first inquire about the reward. That is why we are always cold and pitiful, and are not ready for any noble cause; therefore, we cannot be in contrition and gather even a little courage. We do not think attentively about our sins, and do not examine the blessings of God, and do not look at those who have accomplished the greatest feats. We forget about good deeds because we also use well-being immoderately, and often calling ourselves sinners, we say this insincerely. This is evident from the fact that when we hear such a name from others, we become angry and irritated and call it an offense. Thus we have hypocrisy in everything, and we do not imitate the publican, who, when another reproached him with a multitude of sins, endured these reproaches and received fruit from his deeds - "this one went justified to his house more than the Pharisee" (Luke 18:14); and we do not even know what confession is, although we are full of innumerable sins. We should not only be convinced that we have a multitude of sins, but also inscribe all our sins, small and great, on our hearts, as in a book, and weep as if we had recently committed. Then we would humble the pride of our souls, constantly reminding it of our vices. Remembrance of one's sins is such a blessing that Blessed Paul often exposed even his atoned faults. Since he washed away all his former sins by baptism, and afterwards lived so purely that he was not aware of anything about himself and had no sins for which he should sigh, he remembered the sins that had already been washed away by baptism, and said: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first." (1 Tim. 1:15); and again: "I thank Him who gave me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, that He hath counted me faithful, appointing me to the ministry, me, who was formerly a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and an oppressor" (1 Timothy 1:12-13), "I persecuted the church of God with cruelty, and desolate it" (Galatians 1:13); and again: "He is not worthy to be called an Apostle, because he persecuted the church of God." (1 Cor. 15:9). Such sins, although we are freed from the guilt of them, can nevertheless greatly excite the soul and dispose it to love God greatly. In the same way, Simon, when asked by the Lord "which" of the two debtors "will love more" the lender, saying, "I think he to whom he has forgiven more," heard, "Thou hast judged rightly." (Luke 7:42-43).