Chapter one. What is Christian perfection? - To gain it is necessary to swear. – Four things very necessary for the success in this battle.

All of us naturally desire and have the commandment to be perfect. The Lord commands: "awake... you are perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect " (Matt. 5, 48); St. Paul urges: "malice medienstelle, minds, complete the case" (1 cor. 14, 20); in another place at it we read: "Yes you will be perfect and executed" (count. 4, 12), and again: "let us be led to the Commission" (Heb. 6, 1). This commandment was also written in the old Testament. Thus, God says to Israel in Deuteronomy, "thou shalt be done before the Lord thy God" (Deut. 18, 13).

And St. David also commands his son Solomon: "and now, Solomon, my son, let you know God of your fathers, and serve him with a perfect heart and soulful will" (1par. 28, 9). After this we cannot fail to see that God demands from Christians the fullness of perfection, demands that we be perfect in all virtues.

But if you, my reader, beloved in Christ, wish to reach such a height, you should know in advance what Christian perfection consists of. For, without knowing it, unable to evade the real way and thinking that flow to perfection, be directed in the opposite direction.

Let's just say the most perfect and the great thing that can only wish to achieve the man is closer to God and stay in communion with Him.

But there are many who say that the perfection of Christian life consists in fasting, vigil, kneeling, sleeping on the bare ground and other similar bodily rigors. Others say that it consists in making many prayers at home and in standing long services of the Church. And there are those who believe that our perfection is entirely in intelligent prayer, in solitude, seclusion and silence. Most part limits this perfection is the exact fulfillment of all the Charter provisions ascetic Delany, not deviating neither to excess nor a lack of something, and holding the Golden mean. However, well all these virtues alone do not constitute the sought Christian perfection, but are only means and ways to achieve it.

There is no doubt that they are the means and means of achieving perfection in the Christian life. For we see so many virtuous men who pass as these virtues should, with that purpose, to receive through this power and power against their sinfulness and thinness, to draw from them the courage to resist the temptations and seductions of our three main enemies: the flesh, the world and the devil, to stock up in them and through them the spiritual benefits so necessary for all the servants of God, especially for the newborns. They fast, to subdue their unruly flesh, making a vigil to Refine the eye its smart; they sleep on the bare ground, not to raspisatsya sleep; link the language of silence and retreat, to avoid the slightest of motives for perpetration of anything, offend the all-Holy God; they do prayers, to stand in the service of the Church and other do the works of piety in order to their do not depart from the things of heaven; they read about the life and sufferings of our Lord not for anything else, but in order to better know their own thinness and the benevolent goodness of God, to learn and settle down to follow the Lord Jesus Christ with self-sacrifice and a cross on their ramen and to more and more warm up their love for God and dislike for themselves.

But, on the other hand, these same virtues to those who believe in them the whole basis of their life and their hope can cause more harm than their obvious omissions – not in themselves, because they are pious and Holy, but because of those who do not use them as they should-it is when they, listening only to these virtues, externally committed, leave their mother-in-law's heart in their own volition and in the will of the devil, who, seeing that they have stepped off the right path, it does not prevent them not only with joy to fight in these bodily feats, but also to expand and multiply them in their vain thought. Experiencing with this some spiritual movements and consolations, these doers begin to think of themselves that they have risen to the state of the ranks of the angels and feel the presence of God himself; sometimes, delving into the contemplation of any abstract, not earthly things, dream of themselves, as if completely out of this world and admired to the third heaven.

But as parasiterna are any and how far away from true perfection, that everyone can understand, judging by their life and their disposition. They usually want to be preferred to others in any case; they like to live by their will and always persevere in their decisions; they are blind in everything that concerns themselves, but are very vigilant and diligent in the proceedings of the Affairs and words of others; if someone begins to enjoy the honor of others, which, as they think, they have, they can not tolerate this and are clearly made; if anyone interferes with their pious activities and ascetic deeds, especially in the presence of others – God save! – they immediately resent, immediately boil with anger and become completely different, not like themselves.

If God, wanting to lead them to knowledge of themselves and guide on the true path to perfection, will send them sorrow and illness or suffer to be subjected to persecution, which usually He feels, who is the true and real servants of God, then you discover that Sakrebulos in their heart and how deeply corrupt they are proud. For no matter what their sorrow may be, they do not want to bow down their yoke under the yoke of the will of God, resting on his righteous and secret courts, and do not want, following the example of the Lord Jesus Christ who humbled himself for us and suffered for us, the Son of God, to humble himself above all creatures, honoring his persecutors as instruments of divine goodness to them and spospeshnikov their salvation.

Why is it obvious that they are in great danger? Having their inner eye, i.e. their mind darkened, they look at themselves, and they look wrong. Thinking about their external deeds of piety, that they are good with them, they think that they have already reached perfection, and, being proud of this, they begin to condemn others. After this, there is no possibility that any of the people turned those, except the special influence of God. It is more convenient to turn to the good of the obvious sinner than to the secretive, hiding under the cover of visible virtues.

Now, having learned so clearly and definitely that spiritual life and perfection do not consist in some of those visible virtues, of which we have said, learn that it does not consist in anything other than in rapprochement with God and in unity With him, as said at first – in connection with what is the heartfelt confession of the goodness and greatness of God and the consciousness of our own insignificance and propensity for all evil; love for God and dislike for themselves; submission of themselves not only to God, but to all creatures out of love for God, rejection of all our own will and complete submission to the will of God; and while the desire of all this and the Commission of the pure heart, "for the glory of God" (1 cor. 10: 31), only for the sake of God alone, only because he wants so much and that it is proper for us to love him and work for him.

This is the law of love, inscribed by the finger of God himself in the hearts of his faithful servants! That's the rejection of ourselves that God requires of us. Here is the good yoke of Jesus Christ and his light burden! Here is submission to the will of God, which requires us to be our Redeemer and Teacher and example to His and His word! For did not our chief and Executor of our salvation, the Lord Jesus, command our Lord to say in his prayer to the Heavenly Father: "our father... thy will Be done, as it is in heaven and on earth" (Matt. 6, 10)? And he himself, entering into a feat of suffering, did not proclaim: "not Mine, father... but Thy will be done" (LK. 22, 42)? And about all his work did not he say, "come down from heaven, do not do My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me" (Jn. 6, 38)?

See now, brother, what's the matter. I assume that you are willing and eager to reach the height of such perfection. Bless your zeal! But prepare yourself for work, sweat, and struggle from the first steps of your current. All you have to bring a sacrifice to God and to do one's will. But you yourself will meet so many wills, the number of your forces and needs that all require satisfaction, in spite of the fact, according to do with the will of God. Therefore, in order to achieve your desired goal, you must first suppress your own volition, and finally completely extinguish them and kill them; and to have time in this, you must constantly resist yourself in the worst and force yourself to do good, otherwise, it must constantly fight with yourself and with everything that favors your volition, excites and supports them. Prepare yourself for such a struggle and such a curse and know that the crown – the achievement of your desired goal – is not given to anyone except the valiant warriors and fighters.

But as far as swearing and this is so Narodnaya any other, as, engaging in battle with them, imagine themselves to meet protivootecna – just as victory is in her naslovnata less every other and, most importantly, above all, blagorodnaya God. Because if woodsies jealousy, will win Martvili and disorderly passions, their lust and volinia, then blagorodie God more and work Him blagolepie than sucevita yourself to the blood and depleting yourself post more of all of the ancient desert-dwellers. Even if you, having redeemed hundreds of slaves of Christians from slavery at the wicked, give them freedom, will not save you, if you yourself are in bondage to passions. And what would do the job, be it great or made you and how hard and what donations have done it, not bring it to the goal to achieve what you desired, if you disregard the passions, giving them the freedom to live and act in you.