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In addition to all these, there is again another temptation brought upon us by the demons, by the concession of our good God and Master, for a providential chastisement for humility. What kind is this? The very weight of the body, for which, even without any other cause, on account of vainglory alone or pride or for condemning another who is negligent or for many other reasons, we are delivered to this demon for the destruction of the flesh and the crushing of the soul, (325) but for its greater trial and exercise, and so that, recognizing the compassion and mercy of God for us, we might transfer all our love to Him from our disposition and acquire all our longing for Him.

Therefore not all understand these things, but as for the changes of the soul and the alterations of the body, those who are moderately disposed toward virtue, each of them understands something partially, when it happens that something of this kind occurs in him—for we have nothing to say about those who are completely darkened; but the changes occurring in the mind, as we said, and its turnings, only the dispassionate and perfect, those who are pure and free in soul, and likewise in mind, know. And not even they; for they are not their own, but belong to another, from Him they are also taught about these things. For at one time, from the irregularities that occur in the mind, the soul is constricted and becomes gloomy, losing some of its existing joy, yet nevertheless taking courage, it also rouses the mind; at another time the mind, from what the soul suffers, suffers along with it and is compelled to be under the night, but does not accept it, but forces itself to remain in the light and perhaps illuminates the soul as well. At another time, again, from the irregularity of the body, both are severely tyrannized, at one time being weighed down from without and perceiving the weight while having their peaceful state intact, at another time being disturbed from within, so that the one suffering does not even hope to return to his former tranquil state. Thus, therefore, the soul and the mind transgress from the body, and the mind again from the soul itself, and the soul again from the mind and the body. But not always are the two, the soul and the mind, (326) thrown into confusion, but again from these at one time the soul alone suffers, with the mind asking it: "What is the matter with you?", he says, and comforting it, at another time the mind is blinded and veiled, and the soul, being free, by the power of divine fire drives out the gloom and lifts the veil and makes the mind see clearly.

For this reason I said, O fathers and brothers, that we must not only perceive the turns and changes and alterations that happen to us, but also know whence these come and how and from what, and what sort of winds of thoughts are blowing and from what sources the rivers of passions and temptations descend or come upon us, so that we may both securely support the house of the soul and steer the rudder of the ship well and not handle it unskillfully or ineptly. And knowledge of these things is provided by a life performed with precision and an unfailing rule. For the monk ought to set a limit and a model in himself and to know how he must pass each day, so that he may be swift for the work of virtue and not be hindered in its course by inexperience. For thus he will also make smooth for himself the path that is at once rough and laborious, by being in the habit and custom of this good, that is, and progressing with God and setting ascents in his heart he will be well-pleasing, running up from smaller things to greater and more perfect ones, and he will come to have knowledge of all that has been said and he will be named a teacher of virtue to many others, enlightening through his word and life those who encounter him, inasmuch as he himself has been enlightened from above, and revealing deep things (327) to those who seek with longing to learn the depths of the Spirit, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory unto the ages. Amen.

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Ἐπί δέ πᾶσι τούτοις ἄλλος πάλιν ἐστί παραχωρήσει τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἡμῶν Θεοῦ καί ∆εσπότου ἐπιφερόμενος ἡμῖν ὑπό τῶν δαιμόνων κατ᾿ οἰκονομικήν παίδευσιν πρός ταπείνωσιν πειρασμός. Ποῖος δή οὗτός ἐστιν; Αὐτό τό βάρος τοῦ σώματος, ὅ καί δίχα τινός ἑτέρας αἰτίας διά κενοδοξίαν μόνην ἤ ἔπαρσιν ἤ διά τό κατακρῖναι ἄλλον ἀμελῆ ἤ καί δι᾿ ἑτέρας πλείστας αἰτίας τῷ δαίμονι τούτῳ παραδιδόμεθα εἰς ὄλεθρον μέν τῆς σαρκός καί συντριμμόν τῆς ψυχῆς, (325) πεῖραν δέ καί γυμνασίαν περισσοτέραν αὐτῆς καί ἵνα τό περί ἡμᾶς συμπαθές τοῦ Θεοῦ καί εὔσπλαγχνον ἐπιγνόντες, ὅλην πρός αὐτόν μεταθῶμεν ἐκ διαθέσεως τήν ἀγάπην καί πρός ἐκεῖνον ὅλον τόν πόθον κτησώμεθα.

Τοιγαροῦν καί ταῦτα οὐ πάντες ἐπίστανται, ἀλλά τάς μέν ψυχικάς ἀλλοιώσεις καί τάς μεταβολάς τάς τοῦ σώματος, οἱ μέσως πως πρός τήν ἀρετήν ἔχοντες, ἕκαστος τούτων μερικῶς τι νοεῖ, ὅτε δ᾿ ἄν καί συμβῇ ἐν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι τι τοιοῦτον, περί γάρ τῶν τελείως ἐσκοτισμένων οὐδείς ἡμῖν λόγος· τάς δέ γε γινομένας ἐν τῷ νοΐ μεταβολάς, ὡς εἴπομεν, καί στροφάς μόνοι οἱ ἀπαθεῖς καί τέλειοι, οἱ καθαροί τε καί ἐλεύθεροι τῇ ψυχῇ, ὡσαύτως καί τῷ νοΐ, γινώσκουσι. Καί οὐδ᾿ αὐτοί· οὐ γάρ ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλ᾿ οὗτινός εἰσιν, ἐξ ἐκείνου καί περί τούτων διδάσκονται. Ποτέ μέν γάρ, ἐκ τῶν ἀνωμαλιῶν τῶν ἐν τῷ νοΐ συμβαινουσῶν, ἡ ψυχή στενοῦται καί στυγνή γίνεται, ὑφελομένη τι τῆς προσούσης χαρᾶς, πλήν ὅμως ἀνδρισαμένη καί τόν νοῦν διανίστησι· ποτέ δέ ὁ νοῦς, ἐξ ὧν ἡ ψυχή πάσχει, συμπάσχει καί οὗτος καί ὑπό τήν νύκτα γενέσθαι καταναγκάζεται μέν, οὐ καταδέχεται δέ, βιάζεται δέ μένειν ἐν τῷ φωτί καί ἴσως διαυγάζει καί τήν ψυχήν. Ἄλλοτε ὑπό τῆς ἀνωμαλίας πάλιν τοῦ σώματος τά ἀμφότερα τυραννοῦνται σφοδρῶς, ποτέ μέν ἔξωθεν βαρούμενα καί τό μέν βάρος ἐπαισθανόμενα καί τήν εἰρηνικήν κατάστασιν σῶαν ἔχοντα, ποτέ δέ ἔσωθεν ταραττόμενα, ὡς μηδέ ἐλπίζειν τόν πάσχοντα εἰς τήν προτέραν ἐπανελθεῖν γαληνιαίαν κατάστασιν. Οὕτω τοίνυν ἡ μέν ψυχή καί ὁ νοῦς ἀπό τοῦ σώματος, ὁ δέ νοῦς ἀπό τῆς ψυχῆς πάλιν αὐτῆς καί ἡ ψυχή αὖθις ἀπό τοῦ νοός καί τοῦ σώματος πλημμελεῖ. Οὐ τά δύο δέ πάντοτε, ἡ ψυχή καί ὁ νοῦς, (326) ἐκταράσσονται, ἀλλά καί ἐκ τούτων πάλιν ποτέ μέν ἡ ψυχή μόνη πάσχει, τοῦ νοός ἐρομένου αὐτήν· "Τί, φησίν, ἔχεις;" καί παραμυθουμένου αὐτήν, ποτέ δέ ὁ νοῦς ἐκτυφλοῦται καί συγκαλύπτεται καί ἡ ψυχή, ἐλευθέρα οὖσα, δυνάμει θείου πυρός ἐκδιώκει τόν ζόφον καί αἴρει τό κάλυμμα καί τόν νοῦν διαβλέπειν ποιεῖ.

∆ιά τοῦτο εἶπον, ὦ πατέρες καί ἀδελφοί, ὅτι οὐ χρή νοεῖν μόνον ἡμᾶς τάς τροπάς καί μεταβολάς καί τάς συμβαινούσας ἀλλοιώσεις ἡμῖν, ἀλλά καί εἰδέναι πόθεν αὗται καί πῶς καί ἀπό τίνων, ὁποῖοί τε πνεύουσιν ἄνεμοι λογισμῶν καί ἐκ τίνων οἱ ποταμοί κατέρχονται ἤ ἐπέρχονται τῶν παθῶν τε καί πειρασμῶν, ἵνα καί τήν οἰκίαν στηρίξωμεν ἀσφαλῶς τῆς ψυχῆς καί τό πηδάλιον εὐθύνωμεν τοῦ πλοίου καλῶς καί μή ἀτεχνῶς ἤ ἀφυῶς αὐτό μεταχειρισώμεθα. Τούτων δέ τήν γνῶσιν βίος παρέχει μετά ἀκριβείας καί κανόνος ἀπαραλείπτως ἐπιτελούμενος. Θεῖναι γάρ ὅρον ἐν ἑαυτῷ χρεών καί τύπον τόν μοναχόν καί εἰδέναι αὐτόν, πῶς ἑκάστην ἡμέραν διέρχεσθαι δεῖ, ὡς ἄν εὔδρομος πρός ἐργασίαν τῆς ἀρετῆς ᾗ καί μή ἐμποδίζηται τῇ ἀπειρίᾳ πρός τόν δρόμον αὐτῆς. Οὕτω γάρ καί ἑαυτῷ τήν ὁδόν ἐξομαλίσει τήν τραχεῖαν ὁμοῦ καί ἐπίπονον, ταύτης ἐν ἕξει τοῦ καλοῦ καί συνηθείᾳ δηλονότι γενόμενος καί Θεῷ προκόπτων καί ἀναβάσεις τιθέμενος ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ εὐαρεστήσει, ἐκ τῶν μικροτέρων ἐπί τά μείζω καί τελεώτερα ἀνατρέχων, καί τῶν εἰρημένων ἁπάντων ἐν γνώσει γενήσεται καί πολλῶν ἄλλων διδάσκαλος ἀρετῆς χρηματίσει, φωτίζων διά τοῦ λόγου καί τοῦ βίου τούς αὐτῷ ἐντυγχάνοντας, ἅτε δή ὡς φωτισθείς καί αὐτός ἄνωθεν, καί ἀνακαλύπτων βαθέα (327) τοῖς μετά πόθου ζητοῦσι τά βάθη μαθεῖν τά τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τούς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.