426. O man, for thy sake was Christ born, and the Son of God came that He might make thee to live; He became a babe, He became a child, and He became a man, being [at the same time] God in His Nature, and the Son of God.
427. He Who was the Lawgiver became a reader, and He took the Book in the synagogue, and read, saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, and therefore He hath anointed Me, and hath sent Me to preach the Gospel to the poor” (St. Luke iv, 18).
428. Like a subdeacon He made a whip of cord, and drove out from the temple all those who sold oxen, and rams, and doves, et cetera.
429. Like a servant He girded a napkin about His loins, and washed the feet of His disciples, and He commanded them to wash the feet of their brethren.
430. Like a priest He sat among the priests and taught the people.
431. Like a Bishop He took bread, and blessed [it], and brake, and gave unto His disciples. He was beaten for thy sake, He was crucified for thy sake, and He died for thy sake, yet for His sake thou wilt not even bear disgrace! He rose as God, and He ascended as God. He wrought all things for us, fittingly and in order, that He might redeem us. Let us, then, be watchful, and zealous, and constant in prayer; let us do all things which are pleasing unto Him, and which gratify those who love Him, so that we may be redeemed and live. Was not Joseph sold into Egypt, and was he not in a strange land? And the three Holy Children in Babylon, peradventure they acquired knowledge with man and stood in front of them [ot themselves]? Nay, it was because they feared God that He helped them, and made them glorious.
432. An old man, who hath delivered himself unto God, used to say, “The monk hath no will of his own. Now he who abideth in ministering unto the will of God never wearieth, but if thou performest thine own will thou becomest weary and exhausted, because God doth not support thee.”
433. The old man also said, “When a soldier entereth the battle he taketh care for himself only, and so also is it with the huntsmen; let us then be like unto these, for riches, and kinsfolk, and wisdom are dung without a correct rule of life and conduct.”
434. The old man also said, “God dwelleth in the man who worketh with God, for He said, ‘I will dwell in them, and I will walk in them, and they shall be to Me a people, and I will be unto them a God.’”
435. The old man also said, “God saith unto thee thus: If thou lovest Me, O monk, that which I wish do, and do not what I desire not. The life of a monk consisteth of:—Good works, obedience, training, not to blame his neighbour, not to calumniate any man, and not to complain, for it is written, ‘The mercy of the Lord hateth evil things.’”
436. The same old man used to say, “The life and conduct of a monk are these:—He must not act iniquitously, and he must not look upon evil things with his eyes, and he must not hearken with his ears unto things which are alien to the fear of God, and he must not utter calumnies with his mouth, and he must not seize things with his hands, but must give especially to those who are in need, he must neither be exalted in his mind nor meditate with wicked thoughts, and he must not fill his belly. All these things he must perform with intelligence, for by them is a monk known.”
437. A certain brother vexed an old man several times by saying unto him, “What shall I do in respect of the wicked and filthy thoughts of all sorts and kinds which go through me?” And the old man answered and said unto him, “Thou art like unto a stagnant pool which is at one time filled with water, and which at another, when water hath been drawn up from it, runneth dry. Why canst thou not rather be like unto the spring which never faileth? Patient persistence is victory, and victory is constancy, and constancy is life, and life is kingdom, and kingdom is God.”
438. Abbâ Epiphanius used to say, “Whatsoever food thou wishest to eat with pleasure desire not to give to thy body, especially when thou art not sick, and that food for which thou lustest thou shalt not eat. When, however, thou art eating the things which are sent unto thee by God, give thanks unto Him at all times, and be grateful unto Him. We have received pleasures and delights because of the name of monastic life, but we perform not the works of monks, and it shall be that thou art not a monk. What then? Wilt thou not play the man that, peradventure, thou mayest be clothed in the apparel which is alien unto thee? Tell me, O brother, how can a man possess the seal of service unless he possesseth humility? For the humble man who seeth another sinning weepeth bitterly, saying, ‘This man may perhaps sin to-day, but how many times shall I sin to-morrow?’ But, if any man sin before thee, no matter who he may be, condemn him not, but consider thyself to be a greater sinner than he is, even though he be both a child of this world, and make people to sin against God.”
439. He also used to say, “Know thyself, and thou shalt never fall. Give work unto thy soul, that is to say, constant prayer, and the love which is in God, before another can give it evil thoughts; and pray ye that the spirit of error may be remote from you.”
440. He also used to say, “Whatsoever thou doest successfully, and makest a boast of, that destroy, for it is not right for a monk to boast about his good deeds, and if he boasteth he will fall.”
441. “When thou prayest say with a hidden voice unto God, ‘Lord, how am I to acquire Thee? Thou, even Thou knowest that I am a beast, and that I know nothing. Thou hast brought me to the highest point of this life, O redeem me for Thy mercy’s sake. I am Thy servant and the son of Thine handmaiden. O Lord, by Thy wish make me to live.’”
442. The old man is falsehood, and the new man is truth. Truth is the root of good works, falsehood is death. If the liar, and the thief, and the calumniator, knew that they were to be exposed and made known to all at a subsequent period they would never commit their offences, and it is even thus with those who commit adultery.
443. The sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord, but they feared not God, and they and all their house perished.
444. He who layeth hold upon, and bindeth, and taketh to himself the remembrance of evil things, is like unto the man who burieth fire within chopped straw.
445. If thou wouldst talk to a man concerning life, and if thou wouldst say a word unto him with suffering, and with repentance, and with weeping, speak unto him that heareth and doeth; and if thou dost not [do this] speak not at all, lest thou die, and depart without profit from the words wherewith thou didst wish to vivify others. For unto the sinner God saith, “What are the Books of My commandments unto thee, for thou hast taken My covenant in thy mouth?”
446. Abbâ Epiphanius said, “When the thought cometh to fill thy bosom, that is to say, thy heart, with vainglory or pride, say thou unto it, ‘Old man, behold thy fornication.’”
447. And he also said, “If we do evil things God will be unmindful of His longsuffering; but if we do good things it will not help us greatly, for in order to increase the profit of freedom, and that the merchandise of the will may not be spoiled, a man must rejoice in contending.”
448. On one occasion the brethren entreated Rabbâ Epiphanius, saying, “Speak to us, father, something whereby we may live, even though thou speakest and we keep not the seed of thy word because our ground is a salted thing.” And the old man answered and said unto them, “He who doth not receive all brethren, and who maketh distinctions between them, he who doth this, I say, cannot be perfect.”
449. If a man revile thee, bless him, and if he accept the blessing it shall be good for both of you; and if he doth not, he shall receive the reward of his reviling, and thou of the blessing.
450. It is right for a monk to live even as Abbâ Arsenius lived. Take care each day to stand before God without sin, and draw nigh unto Him with tears as did the sinful woman; and pray thou unto the Lord God as if He were standing before thee, for He is near and looketh at thee carefully.
451. He who wisheth to dwell in the desert must be a teacher by his own knowledge, and he must not be in need of being taught, lest, peradventure, he be harmed by devils, and lest he scrutinize his understanding too closely, and lest, in some form or other, he become a laughing-stock to the beings who are above, and to those who are below.
452. The correct rule of conduct for him that loveth God is to be without blame.
453. A certain old man returned an answer against evil thoughts, and said unto the brethren, “Now I beseech you, O my brethren, that we cease from the ascetic life and its labours, and that we also desist from the anxieties of evil thoughts. For what are we? A sound which cometh from the fine dust, or a sound which cometh from the dust of the ground. Joseph of Râmâh, having asked to [be allowed to] take away the body of Jesus, removed it and swathed it with swathings of fine linen, and then laid it in a new grave. Now the pure heart is the new grave of the new man.”
454. The devils said unto one of the old men, wishing to lead him astray, “Dost thou wish to see Christ?” And he said unto them, “My curse be upon you, and on that which ye say, for I believe in Christ Who said, ‘If they say unto you, Behold, here is Christ, or, Behold, there is Christ, believe them not’” (St. Matthew xxiv, 23); and immediately the devils disappeared.
455. What is [the meaning of] the word which the Apostle spake, “To the pure all things are pure?” (Titus 1, 15.) The old man said unto him, “If a man cometh to this word, and arriveth at this measure, he will see that he himself hath more shortcomings than any other creature, and that he is inferior to every being.” The brother said unto him, “How is it possible for me to consider myself more imperfect than a murderer and inferior to him? Is it possible for me to consider the murderer and the fornicator, whose actions are abominable, better than myself?” And the old man answered and said unto him, “If a man attaineth unto this word, and he seeth his neighbour committing a murder, or doing something else which is not good, he will think within himself, saying, ‘This is [only] one sin, and this man hath only committed this one sin, but I am at all times a murderer through hatred and a wicked will.’”
456. A brother asked Abbâ Job, the brother of Abbâ Poemen, concerning a word which the Apostle spake, saying (Philippians ii, 3), “Esteem every man to be more excellent than thyself.” And the old man answered and said, “If a man hath arrived at this measure, and he seeth the offence of his brother, he will conceal it as if it had never happened.”
457. An old man used to say, “I never take a step without first learning where I am about to put my foot, but I stand up and look about me carefully, and I am not careless, and I do not let [my foot go] until God guideth me, and leadeth me on the path to the place which pleaseth Him.”
458. An old man used to say, “God giveth a man the opportunity to repent as long as he wisheth to do, and in proportion as he wisheth, for it is written, ‘Speak first thy sins, and thou shalt be justified.’”
459. An old man used to say, “Silence is filled with all life, but in the speech which is abundant death is hidden.”
460. And the old man also said, “Lying and sin are wont to lie in ambush in the words which are long and broad.”
461. An old man used to say, “Humility never becometh angry, and never provoketh a man to wrath.”
462. Abbâ Joseph said unto Abbâ Lôt, “Thou art unable to become a monk, but thou mayest become wholly like a flame which burneth and blazeth fiercely.”
463. An old man was asked, “What is humility?” And he said unto him that asked the question, “If thy brother offend thee, and thou forgive him before he can repent and entreat thee [that is humility].”
464. An old man also said, “Keep thy conscience with thy brother, and thou shalt find rest.”
465. Abbâ Paphnutius used to say, “He who esteemeth himself as nothing, whithersoever he goeth, or wheresoever he dwelleth, he shall find rest.”
466. The same old man said, “During all the days of the life of the old men I used to go and visit them twice each month, and my cell was distant from them twelve miles, and in respect of every thought about which I asked them, they never said to me anything except, ‘Wheresoever thou goest esteem thyself as nothing, and thou shalt find rest.’”
467. One of the old men used to say, “Love knoweth not how to keep a storehouse [full] of possessions.”
468. The same old man also said, “I do not know the actual thing whereby, on two occasions, the enemies led me into error, and into the committing of sin, and into the transgression [of the Law].”
469. Certain old men asked John the Less, saying, “When thou wast in Crete with the fathers, how didst thou see them conducting themselves?” And he said unto them, “By night and by day they were performing with all their might the work of God, that is to say, [they were reciting] the service, and they prayed, and read, and were anxious with divine solicitude, and instead of being idle they worked with their hands.”
470. On one occasion Abbâ Ammon came to the brethren, and they, whilst expressing regret [for troubling him, asked him] to say some words of excellence to them; and the old man answered and said unto them, “It is right that we all should travel the path of God with well-ordered [minds].”
471. Abbâ Anthony used to say, “When we rise up in the morning each day let us think that we shall not abide until the evening, and when we come to lie down also let us think that we shall not abide until the morning; for we know not the days of our life, but they are known unto God. If we do this each day we shall not sin, and we shall do nothing wicked before God, and we shall not lust eagerly for anything belonging to this world, and we shall not be angry with anyone, but in everything we shall be regarding our souls, even as men who await death.”
472. And he also said, “As fish die when they are drawn out of the water, even so do monks, who have forsaken the world, become sluggish, when they remain with the children of this world or dwell with them; it is then meet for us to hasten to the mountain even as fish haste to the water.”
473. Now they used to say that Abbâ Anthony was wholly [illumined] by the appearance of the light of the spirit, and that he could see what was happening from a distance; now on one occasion he saw the soul of the blessed Ammon being taken up into heaven by the hands of angels, although he was distant from him ten stages.
474. One of the brethren asked him once about the thoughts, and the old man answered and said unto him, “Do not carry them into effect, but let them settle down and down until they breed worms and perish.”
475. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “If a man pass a hundred years in the cell he will not understand his departure from this world and become a monk, unless he attribute sin to himself at all times, and make himself to be remote, both in his mind and in his actions, from those things which he knoweth will separate him from God, and make supplication unto God at all times through suffering and tears.”