en
crucified to me, and I to the world, and I have put off the old man,
which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and live no longer
to the flesh, but Christ liveth in me; and the life that I live, I live
by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
And the years, that have passed since then, I may rightly call years of
life, and days of salvation. And in numbering these at about forty and
five, I reckoned by the true tale, and not off the mark. So do thou
also alway hold by this reckoning; and be sure that there is no true
life for them that are dead to all good works, and live in sin, and
serve the world-ruler of them that are dragged downward, and waste
their time in pleasures and lusts: but rather be well assured that
these are dead and defunct in the activity of life. For a wise man
hath fitly called sin the death of the immortal soul. And the Apostle
also saith, 'When ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from
righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are
now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made
free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto
holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life.'"

Ioasaph said unto him, "Since thou reckonest not the life in the flesh
in the measure of life, neither canst thou reckon that death, which all
men undergo, as death."

The elder answered, "Without doubt thus think I of these matters also,
and fear this temporal death never a whit, nor do I call it death at
all, if only it overtake me walking in the way of the commandments of
God, but rather a passage from death to the better and more perfect
life, which is hid in Christ, in desire to obtain which the Saints were
impatient of the present. Wherefore saith the Apostle, 'We know that if
our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building
of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in
this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house
which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found
naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened:
not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality
might be swallowed up of life.' And again, 'O wretched man that I am!
who shall deliver me from the body of this death?' And once more, 'I
desire to depart and