2) to make a solemn promise to improve his life for the better;

3) to call a priest (and where possible, even better, a bishop) and to consolidate and sanctify these new spiritual dispositions in the sacraments of repentance, unction and Holy Communion.115

4) finally, in order not to force the Lord to perform an obvious miracle and not to give rise to the growth of vile vanity and pride in oneself ("God Himself will help me"), to humble oneself under the strong Hand of the Almighty and call an earthly physician to the bedside. At the same time, it does not prevent one from being blessed with the blessed oil from the holy relics and miraculous icons, the saint

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water, especially Epiphany water, consecrated on relics and shrines with cotton, pieces of stones (St. Seraphim of Sarov) and other objects from grace-filled places (again, if we are talking about a person of strong spirit, then grace-filled means can be limited). Through them, with tender prayer and faith, the saints to whom these things belong will help us. At least, medicines (powders, potions, etc.) should be diluted and diluted with holy water, sprinkled with it on the patient's bed, the corners of his room, the whole apartment. Let us not forget to burn incense, to serve prayers for health at home and in church, and so on. Then there is an undoubted hope for recovery, although everything is in God's hands.

With this I will end this paragraph. Many questions in it remained unexplained, but this, as I have already mentioned more than once, is an inevitable feature of my "Fundamentals". Ars longa, vita brevis (est)* (Art is vast and life is short (Latin))

— it will be appropriate to cite the aphorism of the famous ancient physician Hippocrates. If this should be said about the art of medicine and other sciences, then what can we say about the bottomless depth of the boundless sea of the "Art of Holiness"... 116

Application. Service (cult) of the flesh.

A person should take care of his body in moderation (Ephesians 5:29). But the devil, who hinders man in every way, tries to spoil him here as well. Instead of what is necessary, he creates excess, instead of the apostolic: "Having food and clothing, we shall be content with them" (1 Tim. 6:3) – he inspires greed, the desire for much and luxury, instead of caring for the soul, he commands to groom and adorn every member of the body, including shame.

What things can come to here is shown by an example from the life of I. Turgenev, a famous writer.

Here is what Turgenev's admirer, the poet Polonsky1, says.

"Turgenev was very clean - every day he changed his sweatshirt, underwear and dried himself with a sponge - cologne with water or toilet vinegar. As for the hairstyle -54-

hair, it was quite a long story. More than once I happened to spend the night with Turguéneff, and more than once in my presence Turgenev made his morning toilet and combed his hair in my presence. Once he was very pleased that this procedure plunged me, as it were, into a certain amazement.