On Sins and Virtues
What adds to our spiritual strength? A temptation overcome.
Never allow yourself, for the sake of human friendship, to transgress the divine commandments.
There is no evil, no misfortune or hardship, more ruinous than sin. Philaret, Archbishop of Chernigov
A murderer parts the soul and the body from one another, but sin destroys both the body and the soul. Sin takes peace from the soul, light from the mind, incorruption from the body, blessing from the earth, goodness from every creature. It begins by settling hell in a man, and it ends by settling the man in hell.
There is no great and small sin. Whether it is great or small, sin is sin. Little sins do us more harm than one great sin, because a small sin goes unnoticed and we take no care to correct it. But a great sin is “ever before” us (Ps. 50).
Sin is sweet to man, but its fruit is bitter. Sin is sweet for a short time, but bitter for a long time.
In the life to come we shall all learn about one another: who is punished and who is rewarded. Let us remember that all our sins will be revealed. If we think of this often, we shall sin less.
Avoid places where you may fall, for when you do not see the forbidden fruit you do not want it so very much.
Do not grow used to falling easily. For with every fall the wall of the soul is broken down and it becomes easier for the enemy to enter, until the defeated one is wholly taken captive.
There is no greater conqueror in this world than one who conquers himself and rules over his passions.
It is far easier to defeat an outward enemy than oneself. A man has no greater enemy than himself.
He who rules over his senses spends his life in peace. Abba Isaiah
You must seek a peaceful union not only among men but in your own body, your own spirit, your own soul.
If at the beginning we forced ourselves even a little, afterwards we would be able to do everything easily and with joy. The labour of virtue is great, but the reward is greater and higher than the labour. Do you want to do good without toil? Tell yourself that the toil is temporary, and the reward eternal.
The human soul in this world is like a boat going against the current: it cannot stay in one place, and if it does not use its strength to go on, the current will carry it back again. If we do not use our strength for good works, we shall surely incline toward something bad: just as when we swim in a river, either we make our way forward against the current, or the current carries us back.
Wall in firmly the organs of the senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch — and you will gain the grace of Christ.
Tears cleanse everyone of sins, but tears are reached by labour.
What is gained by evil is spent in evil. If you make a profit by a bad deed, count it a pledge of misfortune. Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson
Whatever a man sins with, for the most part he is punished with. Zacharias sinned with his lips, and with his lips he was punished (Luke 1:20). Such is the judgement of God! Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson
The slave of sin is like a man coming down from a high mountain: at first the horizon is wide, many sights are before his eyes, many paths under his feet; but the lower he goes, the narrower the horizon grows and the fewer the sights. At last only one path is left, and it leads him to the abyss. Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson
However well, at first sight, a criminal may escape punishment for the crime he has committed, he always carries it with him.
Do you want the Lord to cover your sins? Do not make your good deeds known to people.
The less people think themselves sinners, the more sinful they are.
Those who are deeply sunk in sins reassure themselves with the Lord’s boundless mercy. But do not think, brethren, that God’s love for mankind will outweigh the holiness of His being, that God’s mercy will cast aside justice, that God’s patience will put up with the lawlessness of men. No — the Lord is as merciful as He is just.
Every Christian must remember that when we sin we should not think that God will punish us (He punishes no one); rather we should be troubled that by our sin we have pained and grieved our Lord, sweet Jesus, and we should fear that by this we ourselves lose the possibility of union with Him, which is ruinous for us.
This world is nothing but a wrestling of sin and good. One man loads sin on his back and it is heavy as lead; another loads good, and it is light as down.
