By the Father's grace, such a prayerful union was arranged, the voices stared decently from above, from the Holy Trinity, as if directed by some instrument! For nothing in life rejoices us so much as the splendor of the Church. In church there is joy for the sorrowful, in the church there is repose for those who labor, in the church there is rest for the oppressed. The Church has destroyed the battles, stopped the battles, calmed the storms, drove away demons, healed illnesses, repelled misfortunes, strengthened the shaken cities, opened the doors of heaven, broke the bonds of death, and the wounds inflicted from above, and the slanders of men — all things have been taken away and given rest.

"Come," she says, "to me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). What is more amiable than this voice? What is sweeter than this invocation? After all, it compels to rest from labors, gives weakening from illnesses, calls to joy from sorrows. Therefore, O beloved, let us hasten early to come to the beautiful church abode, as Peter and John did to the Holy Sepulchre.

Let us not wait for the end of the ringing and the beginning of the singing, but as soon as the bells begin to sing, let us immediately put aside all our affairs and with great diligence and with due diligence let us come, in order to receive the forgiveness of sins, and not to increase them. What is needed, what is required of us? To come to God with great fear, with deep reverence and contrition, with lofty thoughts, with decorum, with a contrite heart, manifesting in a visible way a heartfelt disposition in standing, in a deanous folding of hands, in a meek and muffled voice.

It is simple and possible for everyone. The Lord loves and accepts silence and meekness: "But on whom," He says, "I will look: on him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and on him who trembles at My word" (Isaiah 66:2). For when we leave conversation with Him, He considers it an annoyance, a transgression of the law, and a great sin, and does not want to draw us to conversation from earthly and perishable things, to mix filth with beads.

If someone converses with an earthly king, he tries in every way to show his greatest reverence for him, in order to be vouchsafed greater mercy from him, and he shows this by the expression of his face, and voice, and the folding of his hands, and the disposition of his legs and his whole body, and speaks only about what the king wants to talk about and about which he asks a question. If he dares to ask anything else, against the will of the king, he will receive the most terrible punishment.

You, standing before the Heavenly King, to Whom the angels stand with trembling, leave the conversation with Him and converse about feces, dust, and cobwebs! Will you endure the judgment that will follow for such an offense? And who will save you from torment? And how you are not afraid, how you do not tremble, accursed! Or do you not understand that the King of Heaven and Earth Himself stands here invisibly, and examines everyone's mind, and tortures the conscience, and the angels stand before Him with fear?

You don't think about it, but you stand like this, with negligence and negligence, and you don't even remember yourself — what you're talking about, what you're talking about... O mad and passionate one! You don't hear your own prayer, but you want God to hear you. "I have knelt," you say, but your thoughts are soaring. Your body is collected, but your will is relaxed. Your lips pronounce a prayer, but your thought counts your possessions and acquisitions, goes through tricks, filthy and impure thoughts, deceit, envy and hatred, bribery and betrayal.

The devil is cunning: he knows that during prayer we gain much, and at this time he especially deceives us in order to bring God into indignation against us. The evil one knows that there is nothing more convenient for him to bring the wrath of God upon us than this, because we do not show honor to God, as slaves to masters, as warriors to commanders, and as lovers to loved ones. For whoever converses with his beloved does so with circumspection, but we, conversing with God about sins and asking forgiveness for so many sins, are lazy and negligent.

You, accursed and passionate, are not afraid to speak in church about what you have heard at the crossroads, to exchange disorderly shouts, as if in a marketplace, and to pronounce in this wondrous time what is not useful, thinking about vain things, being lazy (In the manuscript of the Solovetsky Library No331 it is added: "and yawning".) and leaving your soul in negligence. Aren't you afraid that a certain demon, seeing you, is empty, swept and harmless (

В рукописи Соловецкой библиотеки №327: “бездверный”.) дом, войдет в тебя, как в пустое помещение, без всякого страха?(Ср.: Лк. 11, 24 — 26.) Когда же он видит кого-нибудь, предстоящего с трезвением и со страхом и трепетом, и всего простертого и устремленного ввысь, и у самых Небес парящего, и ручьи слез из очей испускающего, — более враг даже и смотреть не дерзает.

Кто-нибудь может сказать, что у нас плохо управлены дела и много всего требуется нам для жизни. Как же одно будет управлено, а другое — находиться в забвении? Одно будет умножаться приобретением, другое — оскудевать? И какой милости это достойно? Как изображают пророки и апостолы самого Владыку? Он сидит на высоком, устроенном на возвышении престоле и подает достойным почести и венцы, недостойным же — геенну и огонь определяет.

А ты, желая придумать бессмысленные оправдания своему глумлению и воспользоваться ими, говоришь то, за что понесешь неутешительные убытки и примешь нестерпимую печаль и необратимую беду! Нет, прошу вас и поучаю! Не станем придумывать объяснений грехам: ведь это — хитрость бесовская и прелесть дьявольская, суетны слова эти и прелести исполнены. Хотя и многое нам необходимо и много трудов нужно, чтобы устроить нашу жизнь, но у нас есть другое время, чтобы подумать об этом.

Если же, стоя в церкви, мы говорим о приобретениях и об имении, о суетном и тленном — гораздо лучше было бы не приходить, чем раздражать Господа. А тот, кто приходит, напрасно труждается, окаянный: мерзок он и нечист пред Богом, потому что Храм Божий сделал вертепом разбойников. Ты хочешь таким образом увеличить богатство и получить необходимые приобретения — но этого не выйдет: Бог с негодованием рассыплет и собранное.

Ибо Он говорит через пророка: “Что принесете домой, то Я развею”(Агг. 1, 9. См. также продолжение цитируемого стиха: “ — За что? говорит Господь Саваоф: за Мой дом, который в запустении, тогда как вы бежите, каждый к своему дому”.), — так говорит Господь. Тот, кто хочет обогатиться таким образом, вскоре возрыдает, лишаемый и того, что имел. Неправедно приобретающий немногое совершенно погубит и все свое имение: привнесенная недобрая мелочь испортит то хорошее, что уже было в доме, как говорит Господь: “Не заботьтесь для души вашей, что вам есть и что пить, ни для тела вашего, во что одеться...