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κα΄. If you have received a flame, brother, and have run and come to a monastery or to a spiritual father for this reason, even if you are urged by him or by the brothers who are your fellow ascetics to make use of baths or foods or other bodily treatments for the sake of rest, do not accept this, but always be prepared for fasting, for hardship, for the strictest self-control, so that, if you are urged by your father in the Lord to partake of some comfort, you may be found obedient to him, while not even in this doing your own will by choice; but if not, with joy you will endure what you willingly wished to do, being spiritually benefited. For by keeping this, you will always be in all things as one who is fasting and practicing self-control and has completely renounced his own will; and moreover you will also keep unquenched the flame present in your heart, which compels you to despise all things.

κβ΄. When the demons have done everything in their power and are unable to alter or hinder our purpose which is according to God, then they slip into those who feign piety and through them they try to hinder those who are striving. And first, as if moved by love and sympathy, they advise them to proceed to bodily rests (389), "lest," it says, "the body grow weak and you fall into despondency." Then, calling them out to useless conversations, they make them spend their days in these. If one of the zealous ones obeys and becomes like them, they turn and mock his destruction; but if he is not led away by their words, but keeps himself a stranger to all, and sober-minded and withdrawn, they are moved to envy and do and contrive everything until they even drive him out of the monastery. For dishonored vainglory cannot bear to see praised humility opposite it.

κγ΄. A vainglorious man is choked when he sees a humble-minded man pouring forth tears and being doubly benefited, making God merciful through them and unwillingly drawing men to praise.

κδ΄. From the moment you entrust your whole self to your spiritual father, know that you are a stranger to all things that you bring in from the outside, I mean human affairs and possessions, without whom you should wish to do or make nothing with them; but neither should you ask him to permit you any small or great thing, unless he himself of his own mind either commands you to take it or he himself provides it to you with his own hand.

κε΄. Do not give alms from the money you brought in without your father according to God, nor should you wish to receive any of it from him through an intermediary. For it is better for you to be and be called poor and a stranger than to scatter money and give to the poor, since it is introductory to unadulterated faith to entrust all things by your will as into the hand of God or of your spiritual father.

κστ΄. Do not ask to take a drink of water, even if you happen to be burning with thirst, until your spiritual father, moved from within, urges you. For choke and compel yourself in all things, persuading and saying to your thought, "If God wills" and if you are worthy to drink, He will surely reveal it to your spiritual (390) father and he will say to you, "Drink," and then you will drink with a pure conscience, even if the hour is inopportune.

κζ΄. One who has had experience of spiritual benefit and acquired unadulterated faith, calling God as a witness of the truth, said: "I set such a thought in myself as never to ask my father for food or drink, or to partake of anything at all apart from him, until God should fully inform him and command me. And being so disposed," he says, "I never failed in my purpose."

κη΄. He who has acquired a clear faith towards his father according to God, when he sees him, considers that he sees Christ himself, and when he is with him or follows him, he firmly believes that he is with and follows Christ. Such a one will not desire another

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κα΄. Εἰ φλόγα ἔλαβες, ἀδελφέ, καί δραμών παρεγένου ἐν κοινοβίῳ ἤ πνευματικῷ πατρί διά τοῦτο, κἄν προτρέπῃ παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἤ παρά τῶν συνασκομένων σοι ἀδελφῶν λουτροῖς ἤ βρώμασιν ἤ ἄλλαις θεραπείαις σωματικαῖς χρήσασθαι ἀναπαύσεως χάριν, τοῦτο μή καταδέξῃ, ἀλλ᾿ ἀεί παρεσκευασμένος ἔσο πρός νηστείαν, πρός κακοπάθειαν, πρός ἐγκράτειαν ἀκροτάτην, ἵνα, εἰ μέν παρά τοῦ σοῦ ἐν Κυρίῳ πατρός προτραπῇς μετασχεῖν παρακλήσεως, εὑρεθῇς ἐκείνῳ μέν ὑπήκοος, τό δέ ἴδιόν σου μηδέ ἐν τούτῳ ποιῶν ἐκ προαιρέσεως θέλημα εἰ δέ μή, μετά χαρᾶς ὑπομενεῖς ἅπερ ἑκουσίως ποιῆσαι ἠθέλησας ψυχικῶς ὠφελούμενος. Τοῦτο γάρ φυλάττων, ἔσῃ διά παντός ἐπί πᾶσιν ὡς νηστεύων καί ἐγκρατευόμενος καί τό ἴδιον ἀποταξάμενος παντάπασι θέλημα οὐ μήν δέ ἀλλά καί τήν ἐνοῦσαν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου φλόγα ἄσβεστον διατηρήσεις, τήν πάντων καταφρονεῖν σε βιάζουσαν.

κβ΄. Ὅταν πάντα τά παρ᾿ ἑαυτῶν οἱ δαίμονες πράξωσι καί τόν κατά Θεόν ἡμῶν σκοπόν μεταστῆσαι οὐ δυνηθῶσιν ἤ ἐμποδίσαι, τότε τοῖς τήν εὐλάβειαν ὑποκρινομένοις ὑπεισέρχονται καί δι᾿ αὐτῶν τούς ἀγωνιζομένους ἐμποδίζειν πειρῶνται. Καί πρῶτον μέν, ὡς ἐξ ἀγάπης δῆθεν καί συμπαθείας κινούμενοι, εἰς σωματικάς ἀναπαύσεις (389) χωρεῖν παραινοῦσιν αὐτοῖς, ἵνα μή καί τό σῶμα ἀδυνατήσῃ, φησί, καί εἰς ἀκηδίαν ἐμπέσητε. Ἔπειτα εἰς συντυχίας ἀνωφελεῖς ἐκκαλούμενοι, τάς ἡμέρας ἐν ταύταις προσαναλίσκειν αὐτούς ποιοῦσιν. Εἰ μέν τις ὑπακούσας τῶν σπουδαίων ὁμοιωθῇ αὐτοῖς, στρέφονται καί ἐπεγγελῶσι τήν αὐτοῦ ἀπώλειαν εἰ δέ μή ὑπαχθῇ τοῖς αὐτῶν λόγοις, ἀλλά τηρεῖ ἑαυτόν ξένον ἐκ πάντων καί σύννουν καί ἀπαρρησίαστον, κινοῦνται εἰς φθόνον καί πάντα ποιοῦσι καί πράττουσιν ἕως οὗ καί τῆς μονῆς αὐτόν ἐκδιώξωσιν οὐ φέρει γάρ κενοδοξία ἄτιμος ἐπαινουμένην ταπείνωσιν ὁρᾶν ἀπεναντίας αὐτῆς.

κγ΄. Ἄγχεται κενόδοξος ταπεινόφρονα ὁρῶν προχέοντα δάκρυα καί δισσῶς ὠφελούμενον, Θεόν ἵλεω δι᾿ αύτῶν ἐργαζόμενον καί ἀνθρώπους εἰς ἔπαινον ἐπισπώμενον ἀβουλήτως.

κδ΄. Ἀφ᾿ οὗ σεαυτόν ὅλον τῷ πνευματικῷ σου ἀναθῇ πατρί, ἴσθι ὡς ξένος εἶ ἐπί πᾶσιν οἷς ἔξωθεν ἐπιφέρῃ, ἀνθρωπίνοις λέγω πράγμασί τε καί χρήμασιν οὗ χωρίς μηδέν ἐν αὐτοῖς πρᾶξαι ἤ ποιῆσαι θελήσῃς, ἀλλά μηδέ μικρόν ἤ μέγα αἰτήσῃ πρᾶγμα αὐτῷ ἐᾶσαί σοι, εἰ μή τοι αὐτός τῇ οἰκείᾳ γνώμῃ, ἤ προστάξῃ λαβεῖν ἤ αὐτός ἐκεῖνος αὐτοχείρως παρέξῃ σοι.

κε΄. Μή δῷς ἄνευ τοῦ κατά Θεόν πατρός σου ἐλεημοσύνην ἐξ ὧν χρημάτων εἰσήνεγκας, ἀλλά μηδέ διά μεσίτου σου λαβεῖν τινα ἐξ αὐτῶν παρ᾿ ἐκείνου θελήσῃς. Κρεῖττον γάρ πτωχόν καί ξένον εἶναί τε καί ἀκούειν σε ἤ σκορπίζειν χρήματα καί διδόναι τοῖς πένησι, εἰσαγωγικόν ὄντα πίστεως δέ ἀκραιφνοῦς τό πάντα ὡς ἐν χειρί Θεοῦ ἤ τοῦ πνευματικοῦ πατρός ἀναθέσθαι βουλήσει.

κστ΄. Μή δή λαβεῖν ὕδατος αἰτήσῃ ποτόν, εἰ καί συμβῇ σε φλέγεσθαι, μέχρις ἄν οἴκοθεν κινηθείς ὁ πνευματικός σου πατήρ προτρέψηται. Ἄγχε γάρ σεαυτόν καί βιάζου ἐν πᾶσι, πείθων καί λέγων τῷ λογισμῷ «Εἰ θέλει ὁ Θεός» καί εἰ ᾗς ἄξιος τοῦ πιεῖν, ἀποκαλύπτει πάντως τῷ πνευματικῷ σου (390) πατρί καί λέγει σοι «Πίε» καί τηνικαῦτα πίεσαι μετά καθαροῦ συνειδότος, εἰ καί παρά τόν καιρόν ἡ ὥρα ἐστίν.

κζ΄. Ὁ πεῖραν ἐσχηκώς πνευματικῆς ὠφελείας καί ἀνόθευτον πίστιν κτησάμενος, μάρτυρα τῆς ἀληθείας τόν Θεόν προβαλλόμενος εἶπεν «Ἐθέμην τοιοῦτον ἐν ἐμαυτῷ λογισμόν ὡς μήτε φαγεῖν μήτε πιεῖν αἰτήσασθαί ποτε τῷ πατρί μου ἤ πάρεξ αὐτοῦ μεταλαβεῖν τινος τό καθόλου, ἕως ἄν ὁ Θεός πληροφορήσῃ αὐτόν καί προστάξῃ μοι καί οὕτως ἔχων οὐδέποτε, φησί, τοῦ σκοποῦ μου ἀπέτυχον».

κη΄. Ὁ πίστιν κτησάμενος ἐναργῆ πρός τόν κατά Θεόν πατέρα αὐτοῦ, βλέπων αὐτόν, αὐτόν βλέπειν λογίζεται τόν Χριστόν καί συνών ἤ ἀκολουθῶν αὐτῷ, Χριστῷ συνεῖναι καί ἀκολουθεῖν βεβαίως πιστεύει. Ὁ τοιοῦτος οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσει ἑτέρῳ τινί