285. Some of the old men asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “If we see one of the brethren committing sin, wouldst thou have us rebuke him?” And the old man said unto them, “If I had some business which made me pass by him, and in passing by him I saw him committing sin, I should pass him by and not see him.”
286. And the old man also said, “It is written, ‘Whatsoever thine eyes have seen, that declare.’ But I say unto you, that unless ye have not first touched with your hands, ye shall not testify. For on one occasion the devil led astray a brother in a matter of this kind. This brother saw a brother committing sin with a woman, and the war being strong against him, he went to them, thinking that what he saw was really a man and a woman, and he kicked them with his foot, and said, ‘Enough, enough, how long [will ye act thus]?’ And suddenly he discovered that the things were sacks of wheat. For this reason I say unto you that unless ye have felt with your hands ye should not offer rebuke.”
287. One of the fathers related a story, saying:—On one occasion in Scete when the clergy were offering up the Offering, something which was like unto an eagle descended upon the Offering, and no man saw the appearance except the clergy; and one day a brother questioned the deacon about the matter, and the deacon said unto him, “I am not at leisure now [to discuss it].” And afterwards when the time arrived for the Offering, and the clergy went in as usual to offer It up, the form of the eagle did not appear as it did before; and the priest said unto the deacon, “What is this? The eagle hath not come as usual, and the fault of this lieth either upon me or thee. But get thee gone from me, and if the eagle then appeareth and descendeth, it will be evident that it did not come down now because of thee, and if it doth not descend thou wilt know that the fault is mine.” Now as soon as the deacon had departed, the eagle appeared as usual, and after the Office had been said, and the service was ended, the priest said unto the deacon, “Tell me what thou hast done.” And the deacon, wishing to shew him everything, made excuses, saying, “I am not conscious in my soul of having committed any sin, except when a brother came to me, and asked me a question on the matter, and I made answer to him, saying, ‘I am not at leisure [to talk] with thee.’” Then the priest said, “It was because of thee that the eagle came not down, for the brother was offended at thee”; and straightway the deacon went to the brother, and expressed his contrition, and entreated him [to forgive] him his offence.
288. They used to speak about a certain father, who for seven years asked God to give him a certain gift, and [at length] it was given unto him; and he went to a great old man and told him about the gift, and when the old man heard thereof, he was grieved, and said, “What great labour!” Then he said unto the father, “Go and spend seven years more in entreating God that the gift may be taken away from thee, for it will do thee no good”; and the old man went, and did as he had told him until the gift was taken away from him.
289. A certain brother dwelt in a cell outside his village, and he had passed many years without going into the village; and he said unto the brethren who were with him, “Behold, how many years have I lived here without going into the village, whilst ye are always going therein.” Now Abbâ Poemen was told about this man, and that he used to say words of this kind to the brethren, and he said, “If I were [that man] I would go up and walk round about in the village during the night, so that my thoughts might not be able to boast themselves that I had not gone into it.”
290. One of the fathers said, “God beareth with the sins of those who live in the world, but He will not endure the sins of those who live in the desert.”
291. Abbâ Job used to say, “Since the time when I was [first] called by the Name of Christ, falsehood hath never gone forth from my mouth.”
292. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “If a man dwelleth with a youth, however much he may guard his thoughts he maketh a means for sin.”
293. A certain brother asked an old man, saying, “What shall I do because of my negligence?” The old man said unto him, “If thou wilt root out this small plant, which is negligence, a great forest will come into being.”
294. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “Do not dwell in a place wherein thou seest that there are those who have envy against thee, for if thou dost thou wilt never advance.”
295. Abbâ Chronius used to say, “The man who dwelleth with a youth will, unless he be mighty, go downwards, and if he be mighty, even though he doth not go downwards temporarily, yet he will never advance in spiritual excellence.”
296. Abbâ Anthony used to say, “There are some monks who vex their bodies with the labours of abstinence and self-denial, and who, because they have not found understanding, are remote from the path of God.”
297. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “Teach thy heart to keep that which thy tongue teacheth.”
298. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “One man is thought to be silent, yet his heart condemneth others, and he who is thus speaketh everything; and another speaketh from morn until evening, and yet keepeth silence, but such a man speaketh not without profit.”
299. I have heard that there were two old men who dwelt together for many years, and who never quarrelled, and that one said to the other, “Let us also pick a quarrel with each other, even as other men do.” Then his companion answered and said unto him, “I know not how a quarrel cometh,” and the other old man answered and said unto him, “Behold, I will set a brick in the midst, and will say, ‘This is mine,’ and do thou say, ‘It is not thine, but mine’; and from this quarrelling will ensue.” And they placed a brick in the midst, and one of them said, “This is mine,” and his companion answered and said after him, “This is not so, for it is mine”; and straightway the other replied and said unto him, “If it be so, and the brick be thine, take it and go.” Thus they were not able to make a quarrel.
300. There was a certain brother who lived a life of very strict seclusion, and the devils, wishing to lead him astray, [used to appear] to him, when he was sleeping at night, in the form of angels, and wake him up to sing the Psalms and pray, and they would shew him a light. And he went to an old man, and said unto him, “Father, the devils come to me with a light and wake me up to sing and pray”; and the old man said unto him, “Hearken not unto them, O my son, for they are devils, but, if they come to wake thee up, say unto them, ‘When I wish to rise up I will do so, but unto you I will not hearken.’” And when they came to wake him he said unto them what the old man had told him, and they said unto him forthwith, “That wicked old man is a liar, and he hath led thee astray. For a certain brother came to him and wished to borrow some oboli on a pledge, and although he had money to lend, he lied and said, ‘I have none,’ and he gave him none, and learn from this thing that he is a liar.” Then the brother rose up early in the morning and went to the old man and related unto him everything which he had heard, and the old man said unto him, “The matter is thus. I had some oboli, and a brother came and asked me for some money, and I would not give him any because I saw that if I did so we should arrive at the loss of [our] soul[s]. And I made up my mind that I would treat with contempt one of the commandments, and not ten, and [therefore] we came to enmity [with each other]. But do thou hearken not unto the devils who wish to lead thee astray.” And when he had been greatly confirmed by the old man, that monk departed to his cell.
301. Abbâ Isaac, the priest of the Cells, said, “I saw a certain brother reaping the harvest in the field, and he wanted to eat one ear of wheat; and he said to the owner of the field, ‘Dost thou wish me to take one ear of wheat to eat?’ And the owner of the field wondered (now he profited greatly therefrom), and said unto him, ‘My son, the field is thine, and dost thou ask [my] permission to eat?’ To this extent did that brother shew scrupulous care.”
302. A brother asked an old man, and said unto him, “What shall I do? For the thoughts which make war with me are many, and I know not how to contend against them.” The old man said unto him, “Do not strive against them all, but against one, for all devilish thoughts have only one head, and it is necessary for a man to understand and to make war upon this head only, for afterwards all the rest will perforce be brought low. Just as in war, if on one side a very mighty man appear, the men on the other side use every means in their power to set up in opposition to him a mighty man who is stronger than he is, because, if he be able to hurl down that chief, all the rest will take to flight and be vanquished. In this same manner there is one head to all the thoughts which come from devils, whether it be fornication, or riotous living, or love of money, or wandering about from place to place, for if thou wilt first of all recognize it and wilt drive it out, it will not lead thee astray in respect of other things.” And [when] that chief thought came, and stood up and fought against him, he recognized which it was, and contended against it only.
303. Abbâ Lôt went to Abbâ Joseph, and said unto him, “Father, according to my strength I sing a few Psalms, and I pray a little, and my fasting is little, and my prayers and silent meditations [are few], and as far as lieth in my power I cleanse my thoughts, what more can I do?” Then the old man stood up, and spread out his hands towards heaven, and his fingers were like unto ten lamps of fire, and he said unto him, “If thou wishest, let the whole of thee be like unto fire.”
304. A certain brother entreated one of the old men to interpret to him some words which he had asked him, saying, “If I see a man doing something, and I tell others about it, I mean not by way of passing judgement upon him, but merely for the sake of conversation, would this be considered as evil talk of the thoughts?” The old man said unto him, “If there be any motion of passion the repetition is wicked, but if it be free from passion the repetition is not wicked, but speak in such a way that evil increase not.” And another brother made answer to the old man, and said, “If I come to one of the old men and ask him, saying, ‘I wish to dwell with such and such a man, [may I do so?]’ and I know at the same time that it will not be profitable for me, what answer must he make me? If he saith, ‘Thou shalt not go,’ hath he not condemned that man in his mind?” Then the old man answered and said unto him, “This refinement [of thought] is not [given] to many, and I do not regard it as a sure matter. If there be any passion in the motion of the soul I should say that he would injure himself; but in words there is no power [to do so]. And as to ‘What is he bound to say?’ I say that I do not know, if his soul be [not] free [from passion]; but if it be free from passions he will not condemn any man, and he will condemn himself, and say, ‘I am a changeable person,’ now perhaps [this] will not help thee, but if he be a man of understanding he will not go.” Now the old man did not speak concerning wickedness, but only that wickedness might not be multiplied.
305. Abbâ Arsenius said unto Abbâ Alexander, “When thou hast finished the work of thy hands, come to me and we will eat; but if strangers come, eat with them, and do not come to me.” Now Alexander continued at his work late, and when the time for the meal had arrived, and palm leaves were still standing before him, although he was anxious to keep the word of the old man, he also wanted to finish up the leaves, and then to go to him. Now when the old man saw that Abbâ Alexander delayed [in coming] to eat, he thought that it was because strangers had come to him. And when Abbâ Alexander had finished his work he went to the old man, who said unto him, “Did strangers come to thee?” And Alexander said unto him, “No, father.” Then the old man said unto him, “Why hast thou delayed [in coming]?” And Alexander answered and said unto him, “Because thou didst say unto me, ‘When thou hast finished thy leaves come to me’; and paying heed to thy word, and having finished [my work], behold, I have come.” And the old man marvelled at this scrupulous obedience, and said unto him, “Make haste and perform thy service of praise and prayer, and bring it to an end, and drink some water, for if thou dost not do it quickly thy body will become sick.”
306. Abbâ Poemen used to say often, “We need nothing except a watchful and strenuous heart.”
307. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “How is it right for me to live in the place wherein I am?” The old man saith unto him, “Acquire the thought of sojourning in the place where thou livest, and desire not to cast thy word among the multitude, or to be the first to speak, and thou wilt find rest.”
308. Abbâ Agathon said concerning Abbâ Mûaîn that, on one occasion, he made fifty bushels of wheat into bread for the needs of the community, and then laid it out in the sun, but before it became dry and hard he saw something in the place which was not helpful to him, and he said to the brethren who were with him, “Arise, let us go hence”; and they were greatly grieved. And when he saw that they were grieved, he said unto them, “Are ye troubled about the bread? Verily I have seen men take to flight and forsake their cells, although they were well whitewashed and contained cupboards which were filled with books of the Holy Scriptures and service books, and they did not even shut the cupboard doors, but departed leaving them wide open.”
309. Abbâ Copres used to say, “Blessed is the man who beareth temptation with thanksgiving.”
310. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “The mighty ones have been many, and those who never felt envy have been many, and they have neither been jealous in an evil way, nor have they stirred up their own passions.”
311. Abbâ Sisoes used to say, “Seek the Lord, and search [Him] out, but not only in the place where [thou] dwellest.”
312. An old man used to say, “Eat not before thou art hungry; lie not down to sleep before thou art sleepy; and speak not before thou art asked a question.”
313. An old man used to say, “Prepare not a table before the time when thou art alone, and speak not before thou art asked a question, and if thou art asked a question, speak that which is fair and helpful, and not that which is evil and destructive.”
314. Abbâ Euprepius said, “If thou art not certain in thyself that God is faithful and mighty, believe in Him, and associate thyself with those who are His, but if thou art doubtful thou canst not believe. For we all believe and confess that God is mighty, and we are certain that all things are easy for Him [to do]; do thou then also shew thy belief in Him by thy works, for in thee also He worketh miracles, and doeth wonders, and sheweth forth marvels.”
315. Abbâ Theodore used to say, “If thou hast affection for a man, and it happeneth that he fall into temptation, stretch out thy hand to him, and lift him up therefrom, but if he fall into heresy, and will not be persuaded by thee to return, cut him off from thee immediately, lest, if thou tarry long with him, thou be drawn unto him, and thou sink down into the uttermost depths.”
316. One of the fathers used to tell the story of Abbâ John, the Persian, who by reason of the abundance of his spiritual excellence arrived at goodness; now this man used to dwell in the Arabia of Egypt. And on one occasion he borrowed one dînâr from a brother, and bought some flax to weave, and a brother came and entreated him, saying, “Give me a little flax that I may make a tunic for myself”; and he gave it to him with joy; and then another [brother] entreated him, saying, “Give me a little flax that I may make myself a turban,” and he gave unto him also, and the man departed. And many other brethren borrowed from him, and he gave them [the flax] with rejoicing; but finally the owner of the dînâr came, and wanted to take it back. Then the old man said unto him, “I will go and bring it to thee,” but as he had no place wherefrom he could give it to him, he rose up and went to Abbâ Jacob, so that he might persuade him to give him a dînâr wherewith to repay the brother; and as he was going he found a dînâr lying on the ground, but he was not disposed to offer it to him, so he prayed and returned to his cell. And the brother came again and pressed him to let him have what was his own, and the old man said unto him, “Have patience with me this time only, and I will bring it to you.” And he again rose up and went to that place where he had found the daric, and, having made a prayer, he took it. And he came to the old man Jacob, and said unto him, “As I was coming to you, O father, I found this dînâr on the road. Do now, O father, an act which is worthy of love, and make a proclamation throughout these borders, for perhaps someone hath lost the dînâr, and if its owner be found, give it unto him.” Then the old man went, and made a proclamation for three days, and he could not find the man who had lost the dînâr. Then the old man said unto Abbâ Jacob, “If no man hath lost the dînâr give it unto that brother to whom I owe one, for I was coming to obtain one from thee for the Lord’s sake, when I found it.” And the old man Jacob marvelled at him, because, although he owed a dînâr, and had found one, he did not immediately take it and pay his debt.
Now this habit also was found with that old man who owed the dînâr: if any man came and wanted to borrow something from him, he did not give it unto him with his own hands, but he said unto him, “Take for thyself whatsoever thou wishest”; and when the man brought back that which he had taken, the old man would say unto him, “Place it where thou didst take it from,” and if he did not bring it back he would say to him nothing at all.
317. Abbâ Daniel used to say that on one occasion certain fathers came from Alexandria to see Abbâ Arsenius, and one of them was the brother of Timothy, Patriarch of Alexandria, and they were taking his nephew also. Now the old man was ill at that season, and he did not wish to spend much time with them, lest, peradventure, they should come to visit him another time and trouble him; and he was then living in Patârâ of Estôrîs, and the fathers went back sorrowfully. And it happened on one occasion that the barbarians invaded the country, and then Abbâ Arsenius came and dwelt in the lower countries; and when those same fathers heard [of his coming] they went to see him, and he received them with gladness. Then the brother who belonged to them said unto him, “Father, knowest thou not that when [these fathers] came to thee on the first occasion at Estôrîs thou didst not protract thy conversation with us?” The old man said unto him, “My son, ye ate bread, and ye drank water, in very truth, but I refused to eat bread and drink water, and I would not sit upon my legs throughout torturing myself, until the time when I knew from experience that ye must have arrived at your homes, for I knew that for my sake ye had given yourselves trouble.” Thus they were pleased and gratified in their minds and they departed rejoicing.
318. Abbâ Daniel used to say: Abbâ Alexander dwelt with Abbâ Agathon, and the old man loved Abbâ Alexander because he was a man of labour, and he was gentle and gracious. And it happened that all the brethren were washing their linen armcloths in the river, and Alexander was quietly washing his with them; but the brethren said unto Abbâ Agathon, “Brother Alexander doeth nothing,” and the old man, wishing to quiet his disciples, said unto him, “Wash well, O brother, for the armcloth is [made] of linen.” Now when Alexander heard [this] he was grieved, and afterwards the old man entreated him, saying, “What then? Do I not know that thou canst wash well? But I spake as I did to thee before them so that I might rebuke their minds by thine obedience.”
319. They used to say that one day when Abbâ John came to the church which was in Scete he heard the brethren quarrelling with each other, and that he went back to his cell, and went round it three times, and then entered it; now the brethren saw him, and they expressed their contrition to him, saying, “Tell us why thou didst go round thy cell three times.” And he said unto them, “Because the sound of the quarrel was still in my ears, and I said, ‘I will first of all drive it out from them, and then I will go into the cell.’”