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Shorter Rules

St Basil the Great, tr. Lowther Clarke, 1925

Rule 10: With What Fear and Tears a Soul Which Has Lived Miserably in Many Sins Ought to…

First it ought to hate its reprobate former life, hating and abominating its very memory. For it is written: ‘I hate and abhor iniquity, but thy law do I love.”¹ Then it ought to accept the threat of eternal judgment and punishment as a teacher of fear, and recognise a time of tears as the time of penitence, as David taught in the sixth psalm. Since it is fully convinced that its sins are cleansed by the blood of Christ through the greatness of the mercy and the multitude of the compassions of God Who said: If your sins are as scarlet I will make them white as snow; and if they are as crimson I will make them white as wool.”² Then, having received power to please God, the soul says: “Weeping will tarry in the evening and joy cometh in the morning. Thou hast turned my lamentation into joy, thou hast rent my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, that my glory may sing to thee.”³ And having come thus it sings to God saying: ‘I will magnify thee, O Lord, because thou didst receive me and didst not let mine enemies rejoice over me.”⁴

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