VIII. (printed 'VII 1.' with §1; read as VIII per sequence + p.317 head)
Still, it is not unreasonable to employ such an example too, to urge toward praying and deter from neglecting prayer. As there is no begetting children without a wife and the activity taken up for childbearing, so one would not obtain certain things without having so prayed — [obscure clause] with such disposition, believing thus, not having so lived before prayer. One must not babble, then, nor ask small things, nor pray about earthly things, nor come to prayer with anger and troubled reasonings; nor without purity can one conceive leisure arising for prayer; nor can the pray-er obtain forgiveness of sins without heartily forgiving the brother who wronged him and asks pardon.
I hold that benefit comes in many ways to one who prays as one ought, or hastens toward it as he can. First, in any case, he who set his mind toward praying is benefited: by the very condition in praying he presents himself to God, and forms himself to speak to him as present — as overseeing and present. For as such impressions and reminders of certain things defile, concerning the things of which they are reminders, the reasonings born in those impressions — so we must be persuaded it is profitable to remember the believed God who observes the movements in the soul's sanctuary, with remembrance ordering itself to please him as present and overseeing, who reaches before every mind, who examines hearts and searches kidneys. For even if, hypothetically, no further benefit came to one who set his reasoning to pray beyond this one, no small thing must be conceived gained by one who thus reverently ordered himself in prayer's hour. What sins this oft-done thing keeps off, and to what right deeds it bears — those know by experience who gave themselves more constantly to praying. For if reminding and recalling a sensible man profited in wisdom provokes us to zeal for him and often blocks impulses to the worse — how much more does reminding of God, the Father of all, with prayer to him, profit those who persuaded themselves that they stand by and speak to a present and hearing God?
Greek (GCS)
§1. Ἔτι δὲ οὐχ ἄλογον καὶ τοιούτῳ τινὶ παραδείγματι χρήσασθαι πρὸς τὸ προτρέψασθαι ἐπὶ τὸ εὔξασθαι καὶ ἀποτρέψασθαι τοῦ ἀμελεῖν τῆς εὐχῆς. ὥσπερ οὐχ [ἔστι(?) — scan ἔστε] παιδοποιήσασθαι χωρὶς γυναικὸς καὶ τῆς εἰς παιδοποιΐαν [χρήσιμον(?) — scan xensiuov] παραλαμβανομένης ἐνεργείας, οὕτως τῶνδέ τινων οὐκ ἄν τις τύχοι, μὴ οὕτως εὐξάμενος ... ὅ(?) μετὰ διαθέσεως τοιᾶσδε, πιστεύων οὕτως, οὐ πρὸ τῆς εὐχῆς τόνδε βιώσας τὸν τρόπον [text rough; sense: certain things come only to one who so prayed, with such disposition, believing thus, not having so lived before prayer]. οὐ βαττολογητέον οὖν(?) οὐδὲ μικρὰ αἰτητέον οὐδὲ περὶ ἐπιγείων προσευκτέον οὐδὲ μετὰ ὀργῆς καὶ τεταραγμένων λογισμῶν ἐπὶ τὴν προσευχὴν ἐλθετέον, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ χωρὶς καθαρεύσεως(?) ἔστι(?) ἐπινοῆσαι γινομένην τῇ προσευχῇ σχολήν· ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτημάτων οἷόν τε τυχεῖν τὸν εὐχόμενον, μὴ ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας ἀφιέντα τῷ πεπλημμεληχότι καὶ συγγνώμης τυχεῖν ἀξιοῦντι ἀδελφῷ. §2. ὠφέλειαν δὲ ἐγγίνεσθαι τῷ ὃν δεῖ τρόπον εὐχομένῳ ἢ ἐπὶ τοῦτο κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἐπειγομένῳ πολλαχῶς ἡγοῦμαι συμβαίνειν. καὶ πρῶτόν γε πάντως ὠνατό(?) τε ὁ πρὸς τὸ εὔξασθαι ταθεὶς κατὰ τὸν νοῦν, διὰ αὐτῆς τῆς ἐν τῷ εὔχεσθαι καταστάσεως θεῷ παριστάναι ἑαυτὸν καὶ παρόντι ἐκείνῳ λέγειν σχηματίσας ὡς ἐφορῶντι καὶ παρόντι. ὥσπερ γὰρ αἱ τοιαίδε φαντασίαι καὶ ὑπομνήσεις τῶνδέ τινῶν περὶ τὰ, ὧν γεγόνασιν αἱ ὑπομνήσεις, μολύνουσι τοὺς λογισμοὺς τοὺς ἐν ταῖσδε ταῖς φαντασίαις γεγενημένους, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον πειστέον ὀνησιφόρον εἶναι μνήμην πεπιστευμένου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ κατανοοῦντος τὰ ἐν τῷ ἀδύτῳ τῆς ψυχῆς κινήματα, ῥυθμιζούσης(?) ἑαυτὴν ἀρέσκειν ὡς παρόντι καὶ ἐποπτεύοντι καὶ φθάνοντι ἐπὶ πάντα νοῦν τῷ ἐτάζοντι καρδίας καὶ ἐρευνῶντι νεφρούς. ἵνα γὰρ καθ᾽ ὑπόθεσιν μηδεμία ἔτι παρὰ ταύτην ὠφέλεια γένηται τῷ καταστήσαντι αὐτοῦ τὸν λογισμὸν εἰς τὸ εὔχεσθαι, οὐ τὸ τυχὸν ἐννοητέον λαβεῖν τὸν οὕτως εὐλαβῶς ἑαυτὸν ῥυθμίσαντα ἐν τῷ τῆς εὐχῆς καιρῷ. τοῦτο δὲ γινόμενον πολλάκις ὅσων ἀφίστησιν ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ ἐφ᾽ ὅσα φέρει τῶν κατορθωμάτων, ἴσασι τῇ πείρᾳ οἱ συνεχέστερον τῷ εὔχεσθαι ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδεδωκότες. εἰ γὰρ ὑπόμνησις καὶ ἀναπόλησις ἐλλογίμου ἀνδρὸς καὶ ὠφελημένου ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐπὶ ζῆλον ἡμᾶς αὐτοῦ προκαλεῖται καὶ πολλάκις ἐμποδίζει ὁρμὰς τὰς ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον, πόσῳ πλέον θεοῦ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων πατρὸς ὑπόμνησις μετὰ τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐχῆς ὀνίνησι τοὺς πείσαντας ἑαυτοὺς ὅτι παρόντι καὶ ἀκούοντι παρεστήχασι καὶ λέγουσι θεῷ;