176. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “Who is a hypocrite?” The old man said unto him, “The hypocrite is he who teacheth his neighbour to do a certain thing which he himself hath not performed, and to the doing of which he hath not attained; for it is written, ‘Hypocrite! why dost thou look at the mote which is in the eye of thy brother, and behold there is a beam in thine own eye? And how canst thou say to thy brother, Let me take out the mote from thine eye, seeing that thou hast not first taken the beam out of thine own eye?’” (St. Matthew vii, 5.)
177. A brother asked Abbâ Chronius, saying, “What shall I do in respect of the error which leadeth captive my mind? For I do not perceive it until it bringeth me to the committal of sin.” And the old man said unto him, “When the Philistines took captive the Ark of the Lord because of the evil deeds of the children of Israel, they dragged it along and carried it until they had brought it into the house of Dagon their God, and then Dagon fell down on his face in that place” (1 Samuel v, 3). The brother said unto him, “What [meaneth] this word?” The old man said unto him, “If the unclean devils take captive the mind of a man by their own means, they lead it on until they bring it to invisible and unknown passion; but if, on the spot, the mind turneth and seeketh God, and remembereth fervently the judgement of the world which is to come, straightway the passion departeth, and is destroyed. For it is written, ‘When ye repent and groan, ye shall be redeemed, and ye shall know in what condition ye are.’”
178. Again a brother asked Abbâ Chronius, saying, “In what manner doth a man come to humility?” The old man said unto him, “In my opinion a man doeth this by restraining and withdrawing himself from everything, and by devoting himself to the labour of the body, and as far as he hath the power so to do he should remember his departure from the body, and the awful judgement of God.”
179. Abbâ Anthony used to say, “Behold a time shall come to the children of men when they shall become silly, and they shall turn aside and depart from the fear of God, and if they see a man who is neither as mad nor as silly as they are, they shall rise up against him, saying, ‘Thou art both mad and silly,’ because he is not like unto them.”
180. Abbâ Ammon of Nitria went to Abbâ Anthony, and said unto him, “I see that the labours which I perform are greater than thine, how then is it that thy name is more renowned among men than mine?” Abbâ Anthony said unto him, “Because I also love the Lord more than thou.”
181. When Abbâ Poemen heard that Abbâ Nastîr was dwelling in the coenobium he desired greatly to see him, and he told his Abbâ that he ought to send him to go and visit him, but he refused to send him by himself, and he would not let him go. Now a few days afterwards the steward of the coenobium, who had certain thoughts, persuaded Abbâ to send him to Abbâ Nastîr, and he dismissed him, saying, “Take this brother with thee, and send me an old man because of him; and because I could not trust myself to send him alone I did not send him at all.” Now when the steward had come to the old man Nastîr, he told him his thoughts, and Abbâ Nastîr healed him. And afterwards the old man asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “Whence hast thou gotten such humility that whensoever it happeneth that there be trouble in the coenobium thou dost not speak, and dost not interfere to put an end to contention?” And the old man having pressed the brother, Abbâ Poemen answered and said unto him, “Forgive me, father! When I first entered the coenobium I said unto my mind, I and the ass are one. As the ass is beaten and speaketh not, and is cursed and maketh no answer, so also act thou, according to what the blessed David said, ‘I was a beast with Thee’” (Psalm lxxiii, 22).
182. On one occasion Saint Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, came to Scete, and when the brethren were gathered together they said unto Abbâ Pambô, “Speak a word to the Bishop, so that we may be built in this place”; the old man said unto them, “If by my silence [we] are not helped, [we] shall not be builded by my word.”
183. One of the brethren entreated Abbâ Sisoes, saying, “Do an act of love, father, and do thou thyself speak to me a word”; and he answered and said, “He who holdeth with knowledge [the belief] that a man should not esteem himself fulfilleth the whole Book.”
184. An old man used to say, “This is what is written: Because of two, and because of three transactions of Tyre, yea, because of four, I will not turn back from them” (Amos i, 9); “[that is to say,] to be content with wickedness, to fulfil a thought, and to utter it; and the fourth is to carry a thought into effect. For at such a thing as this [last] the wrath of the Lord turneth not back.”
185. They used to say concerning a great old man who dwelt in Scete that, whenever the brethren were building cells in Scete, he would go out and lay the foundation, and would not depart until [the building] was completed. Once, however, when he went forth to build, he was exceedingly sad, and very sorry, and the brethren said to him, “Why is it that thou art thus grieved and sorry?” And he said unto them, “My sons, this place shall be laid waste. For I have seen a fire kindled in Scete, and have seen that the brethren took palm leaves and beat upon it until they extinguished it; and it broke out again, and the brethren took palm leaves and extinguished it; but it broke out a third time, and it filled all Scete, and the brethren were never again able to extinguish it. It is for this reason that I am grieved, and sad, and sorry.”
186. An old man used to say, “It is written, ‘The righteous man shall blossom like the palm tree’ (Psalm xcii, 12). Now these words make known that the soul acquireth height, and straightness of stature, and sweetness from beautiful deeds. But there is another quality which is found in the palm, that is, a single, white heart, which is wholly suitable for work (or useful for being worked). And this must be found in the righteous man, for his heart must be single and simple, and it must be accustomed to look towards God only. Now the heart of the palm tree is also white by reason of that fire which it possesseth naturally, and all the service of the righteous man is in his heart; and the hollowness and the evenness of the tops of the leaves [typify] the setting up of sharpness of the soul of the righteous man against the Calumniator.”
187. Another of the fathers used to say, “The eyes of the pig are so arranged by nature that they look always on the ground, and the animal can never look upwards to heaven. And thus is it with the soul which hath once been swallowed up in the gratification of the lusts, for it is caught henceforward in the filthy mire of the gratification of the passions, and it is only with difficulty that it is able to look towards God, or to meditate upon any of the things which are worthy of praise.”
188. The fathers prophesied concerning the later generation, saying, “What manner of work will they do?” And one of them, whose conduct was exalted, and whose name was Isôkhôrôn, said, “We perform the commandments of God”; and the others answered and said unto him, “And those who will come after us, what manner of work will they do?” And he said, “They will attain to the half of our service.” And again they answered and said, “What manner of work will those who come after these do?” And he said, “Those who are in that generation will possess no work of any kind, for many trials are about to come upon them, and those among them who are found to be chosen men will be found to be greater than ourselves and our fathers.”
189. An old man was [once] asked, “How is it that thou art never dejected?” And he said, “Because each day I hope to die.”
190. A brother asked an old man, “Why is it that, when I happen to go out by myself at night, fear attacketh me?” The old man said, “Because the life of this world is still dear to thee.”
191. An old man was asked, “What is the work of monks?” And he said, “To cultivate [all] the virtues, to make themselves strangers to all wickedness, and to be watchful against judging and condemning others; prayer, and obedience, and the cultivation of the virtues are the mirror of the monk. For his soul is a fountain, and if it cast forth from it the things which are abominable it shall be made pure; but if he dig a pit, God is not wicked that He should lead us out from one house of bondage and carry us into another.”
192. An old man used to say, “Do nothing without prayer, and afterwards thou wilt never be sorry.”
193. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “The work of the monastic life is poverty, and trouble, and separation; for it is written, If there be there these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, as I live, saith the Lord (Ezekiel xiv, 14). Noah must be taken [as representing] the personification of self-abnegation, and Job as representing labours, and Daniel as representing separation; if then a man possess these three rules of conduct the Lord dwelleth in him.”
194. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen, “Which is the better, to speak or to keep silence?” The old man said unto him, “He who speaketh for God’s sake is a good man, and he doeth well, and he who holdeth his peace for God’s sake doeth well.”
195. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen about pollutions and impurities of all sorts and kinds, and he said unto him, “If we stablish in ourselves a portion [only] of the work of our soul[s], a man may seek for impurity or uncleanness and it shall not be found.”
196. An old man used to say, “We saw in Abbâ Pambô three virtues which appertained to the body, namely, fasting from one evening to the other, and silence, and abundant work of the hands.”
197. Abbâ Pambô asked Abbâ Anthony, saying, “What shall I do?” The old man said unto him, “Put no confidence in thine own righteousness, and regret not nor cogitate upon a matter which is past, and be persistent in restraining thy tongue and thy belly.”
198. An old man was asked, “What is it right for a man to do that he may live?” Now the [old man himself] used to plait palm leaves into mats, and he never lifted up his head from the work of his hands, but he occupied himself at all times therewith. And the old man answered and said unto him that asked him, “Behold, what thou seest.”
199. The old men used to say, “There is nothing worse than a man passing judgement upon his neighbour.”
200. And the old men used to say, “From those who are beginners in the monastic life God demandeth nothing except work, and the vexing of the body, and that a man should be obedient.”
201. An old man used to say that separation was the most excellent of all spiritual virtues.
202. Abbâ Arsenius used to say, “Thou shalt not depart from a place without great labour, and thou shalt do none of the things which, evilly, thou desirest, and thou shalt do nothing without the testimony of the Scriptures.”
203. Abbâ Arsenius used to say, “If we seek God He will be revealed unto us, and if we lay hold upon Him, He will remain with us.”
An old man used to say, “If we seek God He will be revealed unto us, and if we lay hold upon Him, He will remain with us.”
204. Abbâ Poemen used to say to Abbâ Job, “Turn away thine eyes from beholding what is vain, the lust for which destroyeth souls.”
205. The old man used to say also, “It is impossible for him who believeth rightly, and who worketh in the fear of God, to fall into the impurity of the passions, and into the error of devils.”
206. Abbâ Macarius used to say, “If we remember the wickedness of men we destroy the power of the memory, but if we remember how the devils act wickedly we shall remain uninjured.”
207. On one occasion Abbâ Macarius went up from Scete to Therenuthum, and at eventide he came upon a certain place wherein he went that he might refresh himself and rest; and there were there some old bones, and bodies of the dead, and he took some of them and placed them under his head that he might lie down and rest a little from the labour of the road. Now when the devils which dwelt there saw his confidence and courage, they were smitten with envy, and wishing to disturb him they cried out and shouted from one to another the name of a woman, saying, “O So-and-so, O So-and-so, come with us, and let us go to the bath.” And another answered from out of the bones which were under the head of the blessed man, and said unto him that called him, “There is a stranger who is lying upon me, and I am unable to come”; but the blessed man was not moved, neither was he astonished, but with confidence and great courage he knocked upon the bones, saying, “Rise up, and get thee into darkness backwards.” Now when the devils heard this, they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Thou hast conquered us”; and they fled away ashamed.
208. Abbâ Anthony used to say, “Let us put God before our eyes continually; remember death and Christ our Redeemer; hate the world and everything which is therein; hate the world and all bodily pleasure; die unto this life, so that thou mayest live unto God, for God will require it of thee in the day of judgement. Be hungry, and thirsty, and naked; weep and mourn; watch and groan in thy heart; examine thyself [and see] if thou art worthy of God. Love labour and tribulation, so that thou mayest find God, and treat with contempt and despise the body, so that thy soul may live.”
209. An old man was asked, “What is the straight and narrow way?” And he answered and said, “The straight and narrow way is for a man to constrain his thoughts, and to restrain his desires for God’s sake, and this [is intended to be understood when] it is said, ‘Behold, we have left everything and followed Thee.’”
210. Abbâ Poemen asked Abbâ Joseph, saying, “What am I to do when passions rise up against me, wishing to make me quake? Shall I stand up against them, and drive them away, or shall I allow them to enter?” The old man said unto him, “Let them shake thee, and do thou strive with them.” But to another brother who had come from Thebes, and gone down to Scete, and asked the same old man the same question, he spake differently; and when he returned from Scete to Thebes, he said before all the brethren, “I went to Abbâ Joseph, and I asked him, saying, ‘If passions draw nigh unto me, shall I drive them away so that they may not make me shake, or shall I permit them to enter into me?’ And he said unto me, ‘Thou shalt not let them draw nigh to thee in any way, but cut them off quickly.’” Now when Abbâ Poemen, who happened to be there, heard that Abbâ Joseph had spoken differently to that Theban, he rose up and went again to Abbâ Joseph, and said unto him, “Abbâ, I have believed in thee as in God, and I have revealed unto thee my thoughts, and behold, thou hast spoken unto that Theban in one way, and to me thou hast declared the opposite.” The old man said unto him, “Dost thou not know that I love thee?” And he answered and said unto him, “Yea, I do.” The old man said unto him, “Didst thou not say unto me, Tell me as if thou wast telling thyself? If, then, thoughts enter into thee, and thou art mingled with them, and thou givest and takest, and art not injured, they prove thee to be one who is tried and chosen especially. Now I spake unto thee as I would unto myself. But there are others whom the passions cannot even approach or touch, nevertheless it helpeth them to cut them off quickly.”
211. Abbâ John Kolob used to say, “I am like unto a man who is sitting under a great tree, and who seeth multitudes of wild beasts and creeping things coming towards him, and because he is unable to stand up against them, he runneth and goeth up the tree, and is delivered. In like manner I sit in my cell, and I see evil thoughts coming against me, and because I cannot stand against them I flee and take refuge in God by prayer, and I am delivered from the enemies, and I live for ever.”