For the intention sins when it comes to be with an evil purpose, and sometimes the deed also, when it is done corruptly, or not in the way it ought to be done; for it often happens that the licentious man gives alms with a corrupt purpose towards a younger woman for a shameful end, yet displays a reasonable action, that is, giving assistance as to an orphan or someone alone and in training; and it also happens that one gives alms with a right purpose, to the sick or the aged or those who have fallen from wealth, but sparingly and with grumbling, and so the purpose is right, but the action is unworthy of the purpose; for the merciful man ought to show mercy with cheerfulness, and give with generosity. 54.4 And he also said this: that there are advantages in many souls; in some, cleverness of mind, in others, aptitude for noble things. If, then, those who possess these advantages do not ascribe them to God, the giver of good things, but to their own choice and cleverness and ability, such men, being abandoned, or taken into shameful acts or shameful passions, through the resulting humiliation and shame, somehow gently rub off the pride in their supposed virtue. For since the one puffed up by the cleverness of his words, being exalted, does not ascribe to God his cleverness nor the provision of knowledge, but to his own training and cleverness, God withdraws the angel of providence. When this one has withdrawn, he who is exalted by his cleverness, being overpowered by the adversary, falls into licentiousness. So that the bestial and dog-like licentiousness may drive out the demonic one, which is pride, so that, the witness of his moderation having been taken away, the things said by him may become untrustworthy; the pious fleeing the teaching from such a mouth, as from a spring containing leeches, so that what is written might be fulfilled: But to the sinner God said, ‘Why do you declare my statutes, and take up my covenant in your mouth?’ 54.5 For truly the souls of the impassioned are like various springs. The gluttonous and drunkards are like muddy springs; the avaricious and greedy are like springs containing frogs; the proud and envious, who have an aptitude for knowledge, are like springs that nourish snakes; in which reason stagnates, because no one gladly draws from them on account of the bitterness of their character. Wherefore David prays, asking for three things: goodness and discipline and knowledge; for without goodness, knowledge is useless. 54.6 And if such a person is corrected, having put away the cause of his abandonment, that is, his pride, and takes up humility, and recognizes his own measure, neither exalting himself against anyone and giving thanks to God, then attested knowledge returns to him again. For spiritual words that do not have a serious and moderate life riding alongside them are like wind-blighted ears of corn, having the form, but having had their nourishment stolen. 54.7 Every fall, therefore, whether through the tongue, or through the senses, or through action, or through the whole body, occurs by God’s abandonment in proportion to one’s pride, while He spares those who are abandoned. For if, along with their pride, the Lord were to bear witness to their cleverness by the provision of words, He would make them demons, exalting themselves greatly and boldly. 54.8 And the man also said these things to us: whenever you see someone who is difficult in life, but persuasive in speech, remember the demon in the holy scripture who spoke with Christ, and the testimony that says, ‘The serpent was more cunning than all the beasts on the earth,’ for whom this cunning became a cause of harm, since no other virtue accompanied it. For the faithful and good man must think what God gives, speak what he thinks, and do what he speaks. For if the affinity of one’s life does not accompany the truth of one’s words, it is bread without salt, according to Job. It will not be eaten at all, or if eaten, it will lead to a bad state of health. For, he says, ‘Will bread be eaten without salt?’

μὲν γὰρ ἡ πρόθεσις ἐξαμαρτάνει ὅταν κακῷ σκοπῷ γίγνη ται, ποτὲ δὲ καὶ ἡ πρᾶξις, ὅταν διεφθαρμένως, ἢ καθ' ὃν δεῖ τρόπον οὐ γίγνηται· συμβαίνει γὰρ πολλάκις τὸν ἀκόλαστον διεφθαρμένῳ μὲν σκοπῷ ποιεῖν ἐλεημοσύνην ἐπὶ νεωτέρας δι' αἰσχρὸν τέλος, πρᾶξιν δὲ εὔλογον ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, τὸ ὡς ὀρφανῇ ἢ καὶ μόνῃ καὶ ἀσκουμένῃ διδόναι ἐπικουρίαν· συμβαίνει δὲ καὶ σκοπῷ μὲν ὀρθῷ ποιεῖν ἐλεημοσύνην, ἐπὶ νοσοῦντας ἢ γεγηρακότας ἢ ἐκπεπτωκότας πλούτου, φειδωλῶς δὲ καὶ μετὰ γογγυσμοῦ, καὶ εἶναι τὸν μὲν σκοπὸν ὀρθόν, τὴν δὲ πρᾶξιν τοῦ σκοποῦ ἀναξίαν· δεῖ γὰρ τὸν ἐλεήμονα ἐν ἱλαρότητι ἐλεεῖν, καὶ ἐν ἀφειδείᾳ διδόναι. 54.4 ἔλεγε δὲ καὶ τοῦτο· ὅτι προτερήματά εἰσιν ἐν πολλαῖς ψυχαῖς· ἐν αἷς μὲν εὐφυΐα διανοίας, ἐν αἷς δὲ τῶν καλῶν ἐπιτηδειότης· ἐὰν οὖν οἱ τὰ προτερήματα κεκτημένοι μὴ ἐπιγράφωσι τῷ θεῷ ταῦτα τῷ δοτῆρι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀλλὰ τῇ ἰδίᾳ προαιρέσει καὶ εὐφυΐᾳ καὶ ἱκανότητι, οἱ τοι οῦτοι καταλειφθέντες, ἢ εἰς αἰσχρουργίαν ἢ αἰσχροπάθειαν ληφθέντες, διὰ τῆς ἐπιγενομένης ταπεινώσεως καὶ αἰσχύνης, ἠρέμα πως τὸν ἐν τῇ νομιζομένῃ ἀρετῇ ἀποτρίβονται τῦφον· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ πεφυσιωμένος ἐπὶ εὐφυΐᾳ λόγων ἐπαιρόμενος οὐκ ἐπιγράφει τῷ θεῷ τὴν εὐφυΐαν οὔτε τὴν χορηγίαν τῆς γνώσεως, ἀλλὰ τῇ αὐτοῦ ἀσκήσει καὶ εὐφυΐᾳ, ἀφιστᾷ ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄγγελον τῆς προνοίας· οὗ ἀποστάντος καταδυναστευθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀντικειμένου ὁ ἐπαιρόμενος ἐπὶ τῇ εὐφυΐᾳ περιπίπτει ἀκολασίᾳ· ἵνα ἡ κτηνώδης καὶ κυνώδης ἀκολασία ἀπελάσῃ τὴν δαιμονιώδη, ἥ ἐστιν ὑπερ ηφανία, ἵνα τοῦ μάρτυρος τῆς σωφροσύνης ἀφαιρεθέντος, ἀναξιόπιστα γένηται τὰ λεγόμενα παρ' αὐτοῦ· φευγόντων τῶν εὐλαβῶν τὴν ἐκ τοῦ τοιούτου στόματος διδασκαλίαν, καθάπερ πηγὴν βδέλλας ἔχουσαν, ὡς πλη ροῦσθαι τὸ γεγραμμένον Τῷ δὲ ἁμαρτωλῷ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς ἵνα τί σὺ ἐκδιηγῇ τὰ δικαιώματά μου, καὶ ἀναλαμβάνεις τὴν διαθήκην μου διὰ στόματός σου; 54.5 ἐοίκασι γὰρ ἀληθῶς αἱ τῶν ἐμπαθῶν ψυχαὶ πηγαῖς διαφόροις· οἱ μὲν γαστρίμαργοι καὶ οἰνόφλυγοι πηγαῖς βορβορώδεσιν· οἱ δὲ φιλάρ γυροι καὶ πλεονέκται πηγαῖς βατράχους ἐχούσαις· οἱ δὲ ὑπερήφανοι καὶ βάσκανοι, ἐπιτηδειότητα δὲ γνώσεως ἔχοντες, πηγαῖς ὄφεις τρεφού σαις· ἐν αἷς ἐλλιμνάζει ὁ λόγος τῷ μηδένα ἡδέως ἀρύεσθαι ἐξ αὐτῶν διὰ τὴν πικρίαν τοῦ ἤθους. ὅθεν ὁ ∆αβὶδ παρακαλεῖ τρία αἰτῶν, χρη στότητα καὶ παιδείαν καὶ γνῶσιν· ἄνευ γὰρ χρηστότητος, ἡ γνῶσις ἄχρηστος. 54.6 καὶ εἰ μὲν διορθώσεται ὁ τοιοῦτος, τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἐγκαταλεί ψεως ἀποθέμενος, τουτέστι τὸν τῦφον, καὶ ἀναλάβηται ταπεινοφροσύνην, καὶ ἐπιγνῷ ἑαυτοῦ τὰ μέτρα, μήτε κατά τινος ἐπαιρόμενος καὶ τῷ θεῷ εὐχαριστῶν, ἐπανέρχεται πάλιν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ ἐμμάρτυρος γνῶσις· λόγοι γὰρ πνευματικοὶ βίον σεμνὸν καὶ σώφρονα μὴ ἔχοντες συνιππά ζοντα ἀστάχυές εἰσιν ἀνεμόφθοροι, τὸ μὲν σχῆμα ἔχοντες, τὸ δὲ τρό φιμον ὑποκλαπέντες. 54.7 πᾶσα οὖν πτῶσις, εἴτε διὰ γλώσσης, εἴτε δι' αἰσθήσεως, εἴτε διὰ πράξεως, εἴτε δι' ὅλου τοῦ σώματος, πρὸς τὴν ἀναλογίαν τῆς ὑπερηφανίας κατ' ἐγκατάλειψιν γίνεται θεοῦ, φειδομένου τῶν ἐγκα ταλιμπανομένων· εἰ γὰρ μετὰ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας καὶ τῇ εὐφυΐᾳ αὐτῶν μαρτυρήσει τῇ χορηγίᾳ τῶν λόγων ὁ κύριος, δαίμονας αὐτοὺς ἀπεργάσε ται ἐπαιρομένους μεγάλα καὶ θρασέα. 54.8 καὶ ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν ἡμῖν ὁ ἀνήρ· ὅταν ἴδῃς τινὰ βίῳ μὲν χαλεπόν, λόγῳ δὲ πιθανόν, μνημόνευσον τοῦ δαίμονος τοῦ ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ γραφῇ τῷ Χριστῷ ὁμιλοῦντος, καὶ τῆς λεγούσης μαρτυρίας, ὅτι Ὄφις φρονιμώτερος ἦν πάντων τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ᾧ ἡ φρόνησις μᾶλλον εἰς βλάβην γεγένηται, ἄλλης ἀρετῆς αὐτῷ μὴ συνδραμούσης· δεῖ γὰρ τὸν πιστὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν φρονεῖν μὲν ἃ δίδωσιν ὁ θεός, λαλεῖν δὲ ἃ φρονεῖ, ποιεῖν δὲ ἃ λαλεῖ· ἐὰν γὰρ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τῶν λόγων ἡ τοῦ βίου μὴ συντρέχῃ συγγένεια, ἄρτος ἐστὶν ἄνευ ἅλατος κατὰ τὸν Ἰώβ· βρωθήσε ται οὖν οὐδαμῶς, ἢ βρωθεὶς εἰς καχεξίαν γενήσεται· Εἰ βρωθήσεται γάρ, φησίν, ἄρτος ἄνευ