Letter 796

To Parnasius the Advocate. When, then, will you rise from the sleep of wretched and unfruitful pleasures? When will you recognize that you were made a rational living being? When will you choose to hate the devil, the enemy of your soul, the contriver of every kind of unseemly pleasure? When will you take to mind that dread tribunal that will be set up, after the dissolution of all things visible? When, then, will you condemn yourself? When will you abhor your evil practice? When will you hate that foul-smelling business? When will you loathe the love-charms of the demons? When will you cease [...] the thought of God? When, then, will you look up to heaven with weeping? When, then, will you lend your ear to the blessed Paul and obey him when he says: "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, neither present your members as slaves to lawlessness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, in righteousness, and your members as slaves to sanctification" [Romans 6:12-13] - to the Lord of all things, unto life eternal.

Πότε ἄρα ἐξ ὕπνου ἀναστήσῃ τῶν μοχθηρῶν καὶ ἀκάρπων ἡδονῶν ; Πότε γνώσῃ, ὅτι λογικὸν κατεσκευάσθης ζῶον ; Πότε μισήσεις θελήσεις τὸν ἐχθρὸν τῆς ψυχῆς σου διάβολον, τὸν παντοίας ἀτόπου δημιουργὸν ἡδονῆς ; Πότε κατὰ νοῦν λάβῃς τὸ καθ- εσθησόμενον φρικῶδες κριτήριον, μετὰ τὴν λύσιν τῶν βλεπομένων ἁπάντων ; Πότε ἄρα σεαυτοῦ κατα- γνοίης ; Πότε ἄρα βδελύξῃ τὴν κακὴν ἐργασίαν ; Πότε μισήσεις τὸ πρᾶγμα τὸ δυσῶδες ; Πότε στυ- γήσεις τῶν δαιμόνων τὰ φίλτρα ; Πότε λήξῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔννοιαν ; Πότε ἄρα εἰς οὐρανὸν σὺν κλαυθμῷ ἀναβλέψεις ; Πότε ἄρα τῷ μακαρίῳ Παύλῳ ὑποθή- σεις τὸ ὠτίον, καὶ πειθαρχήσεις ; λέγοντι, « Μὴ οὖν βασιλευέτω ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐν τῷ θνητῷ ὑμῶν σώ- Α ματι, μηδὲ παριστάνετε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ ἁνομίᾳ· ἀλλὰ παραστήσατε ἑαυτοὺς τῷ Θεῷ ὡς ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῷ ἁγιασμῷ· τῷ Κυρίῳ τῶν ὅλων εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.