We find various commandments in the Scriptures, applied in different states. Thus here we find the commandments concerning prayer, its nature, image, and fruits. "Prayer to God is a good deed," says the Scriptures. But both the kind and the manner of prayer are shown here. Divide thy bread with the hungry, and bring the wandering poor into the house; says the Scriptures, when you see a naked one, clothe him, and do not hide yourself from your kinsman. Then thy light shall be revealed like the dawn, and thy healing shall soon increase, and thy righteousness shall go before thee, and the glory of the Lord shall follow thee (Isaiah 58:7-8). And what is the fruit of this prayer? You will call, and the Lord will hear; cry out, and He will say, "Here I am!" But with regard to fasting, the commandment is also given: Is this the fast which I have chosen, says the Lord, the day on which a man weary his soul, when he bends his head like reeds, and covers rags and ashes under him? Can you call this fasting and a day pleasing to the Lord? What kind of fasting is pleasing to God? This is the fast which I have chosen, saith the Lord, loose the bands of iniquity, loose the bands of the yoke, and set the oppressed set free, and break every yoke; Divide thy bread with the hungry, and bring the wandering poor into the house; when you see the naked, clothe him. (Isaiah 58:5-7). The same applies to sacrifices. Why do I need a multitude of your sacrifices? saith the Lord. I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fattened cattle; I do not want the blood of bulls, or lambs, or goats. When you come to appear before me, who requires you to trample down my courts? Bear no more vain gifts; smoking is abhorrent to Me; New moons and Sabbaths, festive gatherings I cannot endure: iniquity and feasting (Isaiah 1:11-13). What sacrifices should we offer to the Lord? Sacrifice to God, it is said, is a contrite spirit (about sin) (Psalm 50:19). Why, therefore, should I adorn myself with a wreath, anoint myself with incense, and burn incense before the Lord? "The heart is already fragrant before the Lord, glorifying its Creator," says the Scriptures. Here is the wreath, here is the sacrifice, here is the fragrance and fragrance of flowers before God.

There are sayings in the Scriptures that inspire us with patience. But if thy brother sins against thee, saith he, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and seven times a day turns and says, "I repent," forgive him (Luke 17:3, 4). Further, through the mouth of John, the Lord announces to the soldiers that they should be content with their wages (Luke 3:14); to the tax collectors, so that they do not demand anything more than what is determined for them (Luke 3:13); To the judges: Do not distinguish between persons in judgment (Deuteronomy 1:17); Do not accept gifts: for gifts make blind those who see, and transform the cause of the righteous (Exodus 23:8), instead of freeing the oppressed (Isaiah 1:17), freeing those who commit crimes. Further, the Scripture says to the householders: "Wealth is exhausted by worldliness" (Proverbs 13:11); and about Christian love: Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8); and about civil duties: Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's (Matt. 22:21). Of oath and rancor: For I did not speak to your fathers, nor did I give them a commandment in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices (Jeremiah 7:22); but this commandment He gave them: "Let not any of you think evil in his heart against his neighbor, neither shall ye love a false oath" (Zech. 8:17).

To liars and arrogant He threatens in this way. First: Woe to those who consider bitter things sweet, and sweet bitter (Isaiah 5:20). Last: "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their sight" (Isaiah 5:21); for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; but he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11; 18:14). He calls the merciful blessed, for they shall obtain mercy (Matt. 3:7); but Wisdom complains of anger, because (anger destroys even the prudent) (Proverbs 15:1). It commands us to love our enemies, and to bless those who curse us, to pray for those who offend us. To him who struck you on the cheek, turn the other cheek; and he who takes away your outer garment shall not hinder him from taking even your shirt (Matt. 5:40;

Lux. 6, 27-29). And about faith: "And whatsoever ye ask in prayer with faith, ye shall receive" (Matt. 21:22); "but he who is distrustful, according to Pindar, is not trustworthy." He makes it our duty to treat our servants as we would treat ourselves, because they are men like us; and both masters and servants have one and the same God as their Lord (Col. 4:7; Eph. 6:9). Erring brothers should not be punished, but rebuked (2 Tim. 4:2). In this sense it is said: "He who has compassion for the fallen, hates his son" (Proverbs 12:24). And He condemns the pursuit of vain differences: "Woe to you, Pharisees, for you love the presiding over the synagogues and saluting in the assemblies of the people" (Luke 11:43). But He willingly accepts the repentance of the sinner (Ezekiel 18:23); He rejoices in repentance as the epilogue of a sinful deed. He is sinless (i.e. by nature), for only the Logos. Sin is a kind of common inheritance; but to turn after sin, not everyone is able to do this, but only the honest.

He also motivates us to do good with rewards. Come, he said, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you received me; I was naked, and you clothed me; was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto Me (Matt. 25:34-6). And when have we done any of these things to the Lord? Again, let the Teacher himself tell us about this. Attributing the loving beneficence of the brethren to His Own Person, He says: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me: and the righteous shall go away into eternal life" (Matt. 25:40, 46). Such are the commandments of the Logos, such are His reminders. They are not inscribed with the finger of the Lord on tablets of stone (2 Corinthians 3:3), but on linen tablets of hearts, so long as these are not broken. The tablets of hard-hearted Jews are broken precisely because these truths of faith were to be imprinted on the hearts of young Christians. But both laws serve the Logos in the education of mankind, the one through Moses, the other through the apostles.

For this reason I now find it necessary to present in general terms pedagogy and the apostles, or, rather, the Pedagogue himself speaks through me, offering here the seeds of the commandments. Having rejected falsehood, speak the truth each one to his neighbor, for we are members of one another. When you are angry, do not sin: let not the sun go down on your anger; And don't give room to the devil. Whoever has stolen, do not steal forward, but rather labor, doing with your own hands what is useful, so that you may have something to give to the needy (Ephesians 4:25-28). Let all anger and wrath, and wrath, and shouting, and slander, with all malice, be removed from you. But be kind to one another, compassionate, forgive one another, as God also in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:31-32). Therefore be wise (Matt. 10:6), imitate God as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ also loved us (Ephesians 5:1-2). Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord (Ephesians 5:22). Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). Those who are united in marriage must love each other as their bodies (Ephesians 5:28). Children, obey your parents in the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the teaching and instruction of the Lord. Servants, obey your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to Christ, not only with visible helpfulness, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart (Ephesians 6:1:4-3). And you, gentlemen, do the same to them, moderating your severity, knowing that the Lord is in heaven both over you and over them, who has no respect of persons (Ephesians 6:9). If we live in the spirit, then we must act in the spirit. Let us not be vain, irritate each other, envy each other. (Gad. 5:23-26). Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). Do not be deceived: God is not mocked (Gal. 6:7). In doing good, let us not lose heart, for in due time we shall reap, if we do not faint. (Gal. 6:9). Be at peace with one another. We also beseech you, brethren: admonish the disorderly, comfort the faint-hearted, support the weak, be long-suffering towards all. See that no one repays evil for evil to anyone (1 Thess. 5:13-15). Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Try everything, stick to the good. Abstain from every kind of evil (1 Thess. 5:19-22). Be constant in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving (Col. 4:2). Treat external ones wisely. Let your word always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how to answer each one (Col. 4:5, 6). Feed on words of faith and good doctrine. Exercise yourself in piety. For bodily exercise is of little use, but godliness is profitable in all things, having the promise of life, present and future (1 Tim. 4:6-8). Those who have believers as lords should not treat them carelessly, because they are brethren, but all the more should serve them because they are faithful (1 Tim. 6:2). If you are a dispenser, distribute in simplicity; if you are a ruler, rule with diligence; if you are a benefactor, do good with cordiality. Let love be unfeigned; turn away from evil, cleave to good; be brotherly to one another with tenderness, warn one another in reverence, do not weaken in diligence; burn with the Spirit; Serve the Lord; be comforted in hope; be patient in tribulation, constant in prayer; take part in the needs of the saints; be zealous for the hospitality of strangers (Romans 12:8-13).

This is a few of the many, quickly running through the Holy Scriptures. For the sake of the Scriptures, the Pedagogue offers an example to his children, with the help of this, uprooting evil from them, so to speak, and enclosing sin within boundaries. But there is in the Holy Scriptures. There are many commandments intended for individuals: bishops, presbyters, deacons, widows, about which we can talk about another time. Much in Scripture is symbolically expressed, and much in parables; Such parables are very useful for those who come across them on occasion. "But it is not My business," says the Pedagogue, "to talk about this; for the exposition of those holy teachings we need a Teacher, to whom we now have to turn (go)" The task of the Teacher is now finished for me; now we have to listen to the Teacher. With you, who have been instructed in good teachings by the Teacher, the Teacher will now converse in a scientific manner. The Church is the perfect guide in the understanding of these spiritual things, and the only Teacher in them is her Bridegroom, the (personified) will of the Father, true wisdom, the sanctification of all our knowledge. And He is sin for our sins, as John says of Him. He heals our spirit and body, the whole person. This is Jesus, (propitiation) for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world. And that we have come to know Him, we know from the fact that we keep His commandments. Whoever says, "I have come to know Him," but does not keep His commandments, is a liar and there is no truth in him. And whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God is truly finished; from this we know that we are in Him. Whoever says that he abides in Him must act as He did (1 John 2:3-6).

Oh, pets of sweet pedagogy! More and more, more and more closely, and more fully let us join this beautiful body of the Holy Spirit. Church; let us run into it, as little children run to their good mother. Having become hearers of the Logos, let us glorify the economy of our salvation, which makes us blessed; by it a person is brought up to the state of a child of God and sanctified into it; through education received on earth, he becomes a citizen of heaven (Phil. 3:20); in heaven he receives the Father, whom he learned to know here on earth. The Logos is the Creator of everything; He is both the Pedagogue and the Teacher. The horse is controlled by means of a bridle, the ox by means of a yoke, game is caught by nets, and human life is transformed by the Logos. He bridles a wild horse, catches animals swimming in the water with groundbait, flying in the air, fascinates them. It is He who forms the bridle for the horse, the yoke for the ox, the fishing rod for the fish, the snare for the birds. He Himself governs the citizens of His Kingdom, but He is also the Farmer; He is the Lord, but He is also the Minister; He Himself creates everything.

He formed the earth, the sky and the sea

And all the beautiful stars with which the sky is crowned.

O Divine works! O Divine commandments! "Let this water (of Divine revelations and commandments," says the Logos, "like the ebb and flow of the sea, be agitated unceasingly and unhindered, uniting us with each other! Let this fire (of Divine revelations and commandments) bring with it wrath. Let the air (of these revelations and commandments) be poured over the ether, purifying it. Let this ground (of Divine revelations and commandments) be strengthened; and, being fertilized by them, it is constantly and further covered with vegetation. If I wanted to create another (new) man, and desired more matter for this, I have it in these elements. In this creation of mine I live. If you believe in Me, fire (eternal, but also of the judgments of this world) will serve you." Such is the Logos and such is His greatness. He is the Pedagogue and the Teacher. He is the Creator of the world and man. And through this, He is the Teacher of the Universe. Spirit and matter are equally subject to Him; and it is them that He has to divide at the last judgment. For it is not by any fleeting word that the Logos announces us in these revelations and commandments, but by eternal wisdom, as Bacchylides says. That you may be blameless and pure, children of God, blameless in the midst of a stubborn and corrupt generation, in which you shine like lights in the world, says Paul (Phil. 2:15).

Now, after such a solemn recognition of the glory of the Logos, what can we do but turn to Him with such a humble prayer: "Be merciful to Thy children. The Divine Teacher, the Father, the Leader of Israel, the Son and the Father, both are one God, our Lord. Grant us, the fulfillers of Thy commandments, to be in the full likeness of Thy image, to love Thee as much as we can, to prove worthy of Thy goodness, and not to be subjected to the severity of Thy terrible justice at the Last Judgment. Meanwhile, before its coming, penetrate all with the desire to gather under the peaceful banner of Thy kingdom, under the meek wings of the Holy Spirit, transform all into peaceful citizens of Thy holy city, so that, under the influence of the gentle breeze of the grace of the Spirit, by His power, we may quietly sail towards the peaceful harbor, not suffering harm on the sea of this life from the surf of the waves of sin to us, on the contrary, in Him, the Holy Spirit, ineffable wisdom, night and day, even to the last hour of life, thanks to praise, and in praise, to give thanks to the one Father and Son, Son and Father, Thee the Son as Pedagogue and Teacher, with the Holy Spirit, Who is all in one, in Whom are all things, through Whom all things are one, through Whom eternity is, Whom we are all members. To whom belongs the glory, (history in all) ages. Which is the sum total of all good things, all beauty, all wisdom, all righteousness. To whom be glory now and forever and ever. Amen.