Chapter viij. Of Scrupulous Watchfulness in our Thoughts and Words and Deeds
ABBÂ POEMEN used to say, “Satan hath three kinds of power which precede all sin. The first is error, and the second is neglect (or laxity), and the third is lust.
248. “When error hath come it produceth neglect, and from neglect springeth lust, and by lust man fell; if we watch against error neglect will not come, and if we be not negligent, lust will not appear, and if a man worketh not lust, he will, through the help of Christ, never fall.”
249. They used to say that there was a certain father who was [occupied] in great works, and that [on one occasion], when he was singing the Psalms and praying, one of the holy men came unto him, and he heard him striving with his thoughts, and saying, “How long for the sake of one thought wilt thou go through all this?” Then the man who had come thought that the father was striving with another man, and he knocked at the door before going in to make peace between them; but when he had gone inside he saw no other man there. And because he possessed some authority over the father, he said unto him, “Father, with whom wast thou striving?” And he said, “With my thoughts. For I can repeat fourteen Books, but if I hear one little word outside it will make useless my service to me, and [the repetition] of all these Books will be in vain. And this word only cometh and standeth before me at the season of prayer, and it is because of this that I strive.” And when the holy man heard [these things], he marvelled at the spiritual excellence and purity of the old man, and how openly he had told him about his war.
250. One of the old men used to say, “The Prophets compiled the Scriptures, and the Fathers have copied them, and the men who came after them learned to repeat them by heart; then hath come this generation and [its children] have placed them in cupboards as useless things.”
251. A disciple of Abbâ Ammon told the following story: “On one occasion when we were singing the service, my mind became confused, and I forgot the verse in the Psalm; and when we had ended the service Ammon answered and said unto me, ‘Whilst I was standing up during the service it seemed that I was standing on fire and was being consumed, and my mind was unable to make me turn aside either to the right hand or to the left. And as for thee, where was thy mind when we were singing the service? for thou didst omit a verse from the Psalm. Didst thou not know that thou wast standing in the presence of God, and that thou wast speaking unto Him?’”
252. A certain brother came to dwell in a cell with one of the fathers, and he told him of a thought whereby he was afflicted; and the old man said unto him, “Thou hast left upon the earth the excellent service of the fear of God, and thou hast taken and hast laid hold upon a staff made of a reed, that is to say, evil thoughts. Take unto thyself the fear of God, which is the fire, and as soon as they come nigh unto thee they shall be burned like reeds.” Now this man was, according to what his disciple related about him, a great old man, and for twenty years he never lay upon either of his sides, but slept upon the seat whereon he sat to work. Sometimes he ate once in two days, and at other times once in four days, and at others once in five days, and in this manner he passed twenty years. Now I said unto him, “What is this which thou doest, O father?” And he said unto me, “Because I set the judgement of God before my eyes I cannot be negligent, for I keep in remembrance [the fact that] my sins are many.
253. Whilst Abbâ Arsenius was dwelling in Canopus of Alexandria a certain noble lady came to him; she was a virgin, and was exceedingly rich, and she feared the Lord, and she was from Rome and had come to see Abbâ Arsenius. Now Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, received her, and she begged him to entreat the old man to receive her. Then Theophilus went to Abbâ Arsenius and entreated him, saying, “Such and such a noble lady hath come from Rome, and she wisheth to see thee, and to be blessed by thee”; but the old man refused to receive her. And when Theophilus informed her that the old man refused to receive her, she commanded them to make ready the beasts [for travelling], and she said, “By God, I believe that I shall see him. I did not come to see men, for there are men in my own city, but I came to see a prophet.” And when she came outside the cell of the old man, he happened, through the working of God, to be there, and she saw him, and fell down at his feet; then he lifted her up eagerly, and looking at her, said, “If thou wishest to look upon my face, behold, look”; but she by reason of her bashfulness, was not able to look upon his face. Then the old man said unto her, “Hast thou not heard about my works, and that I am a sinner? For it is these which it is necessary for thee to see. How didst thou dare to travel hither by ship? Didst thou not know that thou wast a woman, and that it was incumbent upon thee not to go forth anywhere? Wouldst thou go back to Rome and make a boast to the women [there] that thou hast seen Arsenius, and dost thou wish to make the sea into a road whereby women shall come unto me?” And the lady said unto him, “Please God I will not let any woman come unto thee; but pray for me that God may have me in remembrance always.” Then Abbâ Arsenius said unto her, “I will pray to God that He may blot out the memory of thee from my heart”; and when she heard these words she went forth, being afraid. Now as soon as she had come to the city a fever began to come upon her because of her grief of mind, and the people told the Bishop, saying, “That noble lady is ill”; and he came to her, and entreated her that he might learn the cause of her sickness. Then she said unto him, “Would that I never had journeyed thither! For I said unto the old man Arsenius, ‘Make mention of me in prayer,’ and he said unto me, ‘I will pray unto God that He may blot out the remembrance of thee from my heart,’ and behold I shall die of grief.” And the Archbishop said unto her, “Dost thou not know that thou art a woman, and that the Enemy doeth battle with the holy men by means of women? It was for this reason that the old man spake as he did; for thy soul, however, he will pray always.” And the noble lady remembered [these things] in her mind, and she rose up, and went to her country with gladness.
254. They say that Abbâ Hôr (or Ôr) of the Cells dwelt for twenty years in the church, and that he never once lifted his eyes and saw the roof thereof.
255. Abbâ Ammon asked Abbâ Poemen about the unclean thoughts which a man begetteth, and about vain lusts; Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “Peradventure shall an axe boast itself without him that heweth therewith? (Isaiah x, 15.) Do not henceforward aid these thoughts and they will come to an end.”
256. They say concerning Abbâ Paphnutius, the disciple of Abbâ Macarius, that when he was a youth he used to look after the oxen with others of his companions; and they went to take some cucumbers to the animals, and as they were going along one of the cucumbers fell, and Abbâ Paphnutius took it up and ate it, and whensoever he remembered this thing, he used to sit down and weep over it with great feeling.
257. One of the fathers went to Abbâ Akîlâ and saw that he was throwing up blood from his mouth, and he asked him, saying, “What is this, O father?” and the old man said unto him, “It is a word. I was vexed with a certain brother, and I was engaged in a strife of which I knew nothing, and I made supplication to God that it might be taken from me; and straightway that word became blood in my mouth, but when I spat it up I was relieved, and I forgot my vexation.”
258. One of the old men used to say: “We were going [on one occasion] to the mountain of the blessed Anthony to visit Abbâ Sisoes, and when he sat down to eat there came up to us a young man who begged for alms; and when we were beginning to eat, the old man said, ‘Ask that young man if he wisheth to come in and eat with us.’ Now when one had said this to him, the young man refused [to do so], and the old man said, ‘Let whatsoever is left over by us be given to him to eat outside.’ Then the old man brought out a jar of wine which he kept for the Offering, and he mixed for each one of us a cup, but he gave to the young man two cups, whereat I smiled, and said unto him, ‘I also will go outside, and thou shalt give me two cups of wine also.’ Abbâ Sisoes said, ‘If he had eaten with us he would have drunk the same quantity as ourselves, and he would have have been convinced that we did not drink more than he did; but now he will say in his mind, These monks enjoy themselves more than I do. It is good therefore that our conscience should not hold us in contempt.’”
259. One of the old men came to another old man who was his companion, and as they were talking together one of them said, “I have died to the world”; and his companion said, “Have no confidence in thyself that this is so until thou goest forth from the world, for although thou sayest, ‘I have died,’ Satan is not dead.”
260. A brother asked Abbâ Sisoes, saying, “Tell me a word [whereby I may live].” The old man saith unto him, “Why dost thou urge me, O brother, to speak a useless word? Whatsoever thou seest me do, that do thyself.”
261. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “Is it possible for a man to keep hold upon all thoughts, and not to give any of them to the Enemy?” The old man said unto him, “There are some of them who give ten and keep one, and there are some who give one and keep ten.” And the brother told this saying to Abbâ Sisoes, who said, “There are some who do not give even one [thought] to the Enemy.”
262. Abbâ Joseph asked Abbâ Sisoes, saying, “How many times is it right for a man to cut off his passions?” The old said unto him, “Dost thou wish to learn when thou must cut them off?” and Joseph said unto him, “Yes.” Abbâ Sisoes said unto him, “Whensoever passion cometh cut it off immediately.”
263. Abbâ Nastîr and a certain brother were walking together in the desert, and they saw a serpent, and both took to flight; and the brother said to Nastîr, “Father, art thou also afraid?” The old man said unto him, “My son, I am not afraid, but it was a beneficial thing for me to flee, for otherwise I should not have been able to escape from the thought of the love of approbation.”
264. Certain men who lived in the world came to see Abbâ Sisoes, and though they spoke much he held his peace and answered them never a word; at length one of them said to his companions, “My brethren, why do ye trouble the old man? He eateth not, and for this reason he is not able to talk.” And when the old man heard this, he made answer unto them straightway, and said, “My sons, I eat whensoever I feel the need of eating.”
265. On one occasion a certain judge of the district wished to see Abbâ Poemen, but the old man refused [to see him]. And, like a crafty man, the judge made an excuse, and seized Abbâ’s nephew, and threw him into prison, saying, “Unless Abbâ cometh and maketh entreaty on his behalf he shall not go out.” Then Abbâ’s sister came and stood by the door of his cell and wept for her son, but although she importuned him greatly, he did not give her an answer; now when the woman saw this she began to revile him, saying, “O thou who possessest mercy of brass, have mercy upon me, for my son is the only [child] I have.” And Abbâ Poemen sent her a message, saying, “Poemen hath no sons,” and thus she departed. And when the judge heard [these things] he answered and said, “If Abbâ will only give the order I will release him”; and after this the old man sent him a message, saying, “Examine and consider his case according to the Law, and if he be worthy of death, let him die; and if he be not do whatsoever thou pleasest with him.”
266. They say that in the mountain of Abbâ Anthony seven brethren dwelt, each of whom used to watch in the date season and drive away the birds; and among them was an old man who, when it was his day for watching [the dates], used to cry out, saying, “Depart, O ye evil thoughts, from within, and depart, O ye birds, from without.”
267. On one occasion the Arabs came and plundered Abbâ Sisoes and the brother who was with him of everything they had, and being hungry, the brethren went out into the desert to find something to eat. And when they were some distance from each other, Abbâ Sisoes found some camel dung, and he broke it, and found inside two grains of barley; and he ate one grain and placed the other in his hand; and when the brother came, and found that he was eating, he said unto him, “Is this love? Thou hast found food, and thou eatest it by thyself and hast not called me [to share it with thee].” Abbâ Sisoes saith unto him, “I have not defrauded thee, O brother, for behold, I have kept thy share in my hands.”
268. Mother Sarah used to say, “Whensoever I put my foot on the ladder to go up, before I ascend it I set my death before mine eyes.”
269. A certain brother came to Abbâ Theodore and entreated him to shew him how he twisted palm leaves, and he sent him away, saying, “Go away, and come here to-morrow morning.” Then the old man rose up straightway, and put some leaves to soak in water, and made ready, and when the brother came in the morning he shewed him [how to make] one or two plaits, and he said to him, “Work thus”; and the old man left him and went to his cell. And at the proper season the old man took him food and made him eat, and he rose up and went away; and when he came [back again] in the morning, the old man said unto him, “Why didst thou not take some palm leaves with thee? Take some now, and get thee gone, for thou hast made me fall into the temptation of caring about things,” and he did not allow him to come inside [his cell] again.
270. On one occasion Abbâ Muthues went from Re’îth to Mount Gebêl, and he had with him his brother ’Awsâbh, and Kântîrsâ, the Bishop, took the old man and made him a priest. And when they were eating together the Bishop said unto him, “Forgive me, Abbâ, for I know that thou didst not wish for this thing, but I ventured to do this thing that I might be blessed by thee.” Then the old man said unto him with a meek spirit, and with a sorrowful mind, “I will labour in this work, though I must be separated from this my brother who is with me, for I cannot endure the making of all the prayers.” The Bishop said unto him, “If thou knowest that he is worthy I will make him a priest also”; and Abbâ Muthues said unto him, “Whether he be worthy [or not] I do not know, but one thing I know, and that is, that he is better than I am,” so the Bishop laid his hands upon him and made him a priest also. And they ended their lives together, but one of them never approached the altar for the purpose of offering up the Offering, for the old man used to say, “By God, I hope that ordination doth not make it obligatory on me to do so, because I cannot offer up the Offering, for ordination belongeth unto those who are pure [only].”
271. A certain brother in Scete called one of his companions to come to him in his cell to wash his feet, and he did not go; and twice and thrice he said, “Come to [my] cell, and wash thy feet,” and he went not. And at length the brother went to him, and made excuses to him, and entreated him to go with him, and he rose up and went; and the brother said unto him, “How is it that thou didst not come when I entreated thee so often to do so?” And he answered and said unto him, “Whilst thou wast speaking my will would not consent to my coming, but when I saw that thou wast doing the work of monks, that is to say, repenting, then I rejoiced and came.”
272. On one occasion when the old man Zeno was walking in Palestine, he became weary, and he sat down by the side of a cucumber bed to eat; and his thought said to him, “Take a cucumber and eat, for of what value is one cucumber?” And he answered and said to his thought, “Those who steal go to torment; try thy soul, then, and see if it be able to endure the torment.” And he crucified himself in the heat for five days, and having tortured himself he said unto his thought, “I cannot endure that torment; how then can the man who cannot do this steal and eat?”
273. They say that on one occasion, when it was time for Abbâ Poemen to go to the congregation for the service, he sat down for about one hour examining and passing judgement upon his thoughts, and that at the end of this time he went forth.
274. They say that a certain old man dwelt by himself in silence, and that a son of the world used to minister unto him continually; and it happened that the son of that son of the world fell sick, and his father entreated the old man to go with him to his house and to pray over him, and, when he had entreated him to do so often, the old man went forth and departed with him. And the man went before him and entered the village, and he said unto the people thereof, “Come forth to meet the monk”; now when the old man saw the people from afar off, and perceived that they had come forth to meet him carrying lanterns, straightway he stripped off his garments, and dipped them in the river, and he began to wash them, being naked. And when the man who ministered unto him saw [this], he was ashamed, and he entreated the people of the village, saying, “Get ye back, for the old man hath certainly gone mad”; then he approached the old man, and said unto him, “Father, what is this which thou hast done? For all the people are saying that the old man hath a devil.” And the old man said, “This is what I wished to hear.”
275. Paesius on one occasion had strife with the brother who was with him whilst Abbâ Poemen was sitting by, and they fought with each other until the blood ran down from both their heads; and although the old man saw [them] he uttered no word whatsoever. Then Abbâ Job came and found them fighting, and he said to Poemen, “Why hast thou let these brethren fight, and hast said nothing to them whilst they have been fighting?” Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “They are brethren, and will become reconciled again.” Abbâ Job said, “What is this that thou hast said? Thou seest that they continue to fight, and yet thou sayest that they will be reconciled again.” Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “Thou must think in thy heart that I am not here.”
276. Mother Sarah sent a message to Abbâ Paphnutius, saying, “Dost thou think that thou art doing God’s work in allowing thy brother to be reviled?” Abbâ Paphnutius saith, “Paphnutius is here doing the work of God, and I have no concern whatsoever about man.”
277. The old man Poemen used to say, “Thou shalt have no dealings whatsoever with a child of the world, and thou shalt hold no converse with women”; and he also said, “Thou shalt possess no knowledge of the judge (or governor), lest, when thou hearest his words, thou perform his work.”
278. One of the old men used to say, “I have never taken one step forwards without first of all learning where I was about to set my foot, and I have neither crossed my boundary to walk on a height, nor have I descended into a deep place, and been troubled by so doing; for my only care hath been to beseech God until He brought me forth from the old man.”
279. On one occasion the brethren were gathered together in Scete that they might enquire into the history of Melchisedek, and they forgot to invite Abbâ Copres to be with them; finally, however, they did call him, and they enquired of him concerning the matter. And he smote three times on his mouth, and said, “Woe be to thee! Woe be to thee, O Copres, for thou hast left undone what God commanded thee to do, and thou art enquired of concerning the things which God hath not demanded of thee”; and they all left the place and fled to their cells.
280. An old man used to say, “Freedom of speech (or boldness) is a wind which parcheth, and it smiteth the fruit at the harvest.”
281. An old man used to say, “The act of despising oneself is a strong fence for a man.”
282. The old man said, “The withdrawal in secret [from works] maketh dark the understanding, but the persisting in endurance with vigilance illuminateth and strengtheneth the soul of a man.”
283. An old man used to say, “Laughter and familiar talking are like unto the fire which kindleth among the reeds.”
284. Certain heretics came on one occasion to Abbâ Poemen, and they began to calumniate the Archbishop of Alexandria, and to speak evil things concerning him, and they sought to prove that as they had received consecration from the priests, they were consecrated like [other] priests; and the old man held his peace. Then he called his brother, and said unto him, “Make ready a table and make them eat,” and he dismissed them that they might depart in peace.