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you said, having struggled against them even unto death, and having graciously granted us the victory over them; and having destroyed the power of death, he gave his resurrection unto life to the whole world. But pray for me, Father, that I may be fully able to know the purpose of the Lord, and of his apostles; and that I may be able to be sober in times of temptation, and not to be ignorant of the thoughts of the devil and his demons.

ιζ΄. And the elder answering, said: If you always have the study of the aforementioned things, you are able to not be ignorant. But also if you understand that just as you are tempted, so also your brother is tempted; and you forgive the one being tempted, but you resist the tempter who wants to lead you to hatred of the one being tempted, not obeying his device. and this is what (925) James, the brother of God, says in the Catholic Epistles: Submit yourselves to God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. If therefore, as has been said, you soberly have unceasing study of the aforementioned things, you are able to know the purpose of the Lord, and of his apostles; and to love men, and to suffer with them when they stumble; but to fight unceasingly against the wicked demons through love. But if we are vain and negligent and slothful, and we defile our reasoning with fleshly pleasures, we do not fight the demons, but ourselves and the brothers; but rather we serve the demons through them, fighting for them against men.

ιη΄. And the brother said: So it is, Father; for indeed the demons always find occasions against me from my negligence; but I beseech you, Father, to tell me, how I ought to acquire sobriety. And the elder answered: Complete freedom from earthly cares, and the constant [Fr. altergue M. frequent] study of the divine Scripture brings the soul to the fear of God; and the fear of God brings sobriety; and then the soul begins to see the demons that fight against it through thoughts, and to defend itself; concerning which David said: And my eye has looked upon my enemies. To this struggle also Peter, the chief of the apostles, rousing the disciples, said: Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith; and the Lord also: Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation. But Ecclesiastes says: If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place [al. find]. But the place of the mind is virtue, and knowledge, and the fear of God. But the wonderful Apostle, struggling very soberly and bravely, said: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God; and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience. If therefore you also imitate the saints, and diligently give yourself to God, you will be sober.

ιθ΄. And the Brother said: And what must one do, Father, to be able to give himself unceasingly to God? and the elder answered: It is impossible for the mind to give itself completely to God, unless it acquires these three virtues: I mean love, and continence, and prayer. For love tames anger; continence withers desire; and prayer separates the mind from all thoughts, (928) and presents it naked to God himself. These three virtues, therefore, are comprehensive of all the virtues; and without these the mind cannot give itself to God.

κ΄. And the brother said: I beseech you, Father, to learn how love tames anger. And the elder answered: Because it has the quality of pitying, and of doing good to one's neighbor;

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εἶπας, μέχρι θανάτου πρός αὐτούς ἀγωνισάμενος, καί τήν κατ᾿ αὐτῶν νίκην ἡμῖν χαρισάμενος· καί τοῦ θανάτου καταλύσας τό κράτος, τήν ἀνάστασιν αὐτοῦ εἰς ζωήν παντί τῷ κόσμῳ ἐδωρήσατο. Ἀλλ᾿ εὔχου ὑπέρ ἐμοῦ, Πάτερ, ἵνα τελείως ἐξισχύσω γνῶναι τόν σκοπόν τοῦ Κυρίου, καί τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ· καί δυνηθῶ νήφειν ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς τῶν πειρασμῶν, καί μή ἀγνοεῖν τά νοήματα τοῦ διαβόλου καί τῶν δαιμόνων αὐτοῦ.

ιζ΄. Καί ὁ γέρων ἀποκριθείς, εἶπεν· Ἐάν τῶν προειρημένων ἔχεις ἀεί τήν μελέτην, δύνασαι μή ἀγνοεῖν. Ἀλλά καί ἐάν συνιῇς, ὅτι ὥσπερ σύ πειράζῃ, οὕτως καί ὁ ἀδελφός σου πειράζεται· καί τῷ μέν πειραζομένῳ συγγινώσκεις, τῷ δέ πειράζοντι θέλοντί σε εἰς μῖσος ἀγαγεῖν τοῦ πειραζομένου ἀντιστῇς, μή ὑπακούων αὐτοῦ τῷ μηχανήματι. καί τοῦτό ἐστιν ὅ λέγει (925) ὁ ἀδελφόθεος Ἰάκωβος ἐν ταῖς Καθολικαῖς· Ὑποτάγητε τῷ Θεῷ· ἀντίστητε δέ τῷ διαβόλῳ, καί φεύξεται ἀφ᾿ ὑμῶν. Ἐάν οὖν, ὡς εἴρηται, ἔχεις νηφόντως τήν τῶν προειρημένων ἀδιαλείπτως μελέτην, δύνασαι γνῶναι τόν σκοπόν τοῦ Κυρίου, καί τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ· καί τούς μέν ἀνθρώπους ἀγαπᾷν, καί συμπάσχειν αὐτοῖς πταίουσι· τοῖς δέ πονηροῖς δαίμοσιν ἀδιαλείπτως διά τῆς ἀγάπης πολεμεῖν. Εἰ δέ ἐσμέν χαῦνοι καί ἀμελεῖς καί ῥᾴθυμοι, καί ταῖς σαρκικαῖς ἡδοναῖς τόν λογισμόν ἐμφύρομεν, οὐχί τούς δαίμονας, ἀλλ᾿ ἑαυτούς καί τούς ἀδελφούς πολεμοῦμεν· τούς δέ δαίμονας μᾶλλον δι᾿ αὐτῶν θεραπεύομεν, ὑπέρ αὐτῶν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μαχόμενοι.

ιη΄. Καί ὁ ἀδελφός εἶπεν· Οὔτως ἔχει, Πάτερ· καί γάρ ἐκ τῆς ἀμελείας μου ἀεί λαμβάνουσιν ἀφορμάς κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ οἱ δαίμονες· ἀλλά παρακαλῶ σε, Πάτερ, εἰπεῖν μοι, πῶς ὀφείλω κτήσασθαι νῆψιν. Καί ἀπεκρίθη ὁ γέρων· Ἡ παντελής τῶν γηΐνων ἀμεριμνία, καί ἡ συνεχής [Fr. altergue M. συχνή] μελέτη τῆς θείας Γραφῆς φέρει τήν ψυχήν εἰς φόβον Θεοῦ· καί ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβος φέρει τήν νῆψιν· καί τότε ἡ ψυχή ἄρχεται βλέπειν τούς διά τῶν λογισμῶν πολεμοῦντας αὐτήν δαίμονας, καί ἀμύνασθαι· περί ὧν ὁ ∆αβίδ ἔλεγεν· Καί ἐπεῖδεν ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου ἐν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς μου. Πρός ταύτην τήν πάλην καί ὁ κορυφαῖος τῶν ἀποστόλων Πέτρος διεγείρων τούς μαθητάς, ἔλεγε· Νήψατε, γρηγορήσατε, ὅτι ὁ ἀντίδικος ὑμῶν διάβολος, ὡς λέων ὠρυόμενος περιπατεῖ, ζητῶν τίνα καταπίῃ· ᾧ ἀντίστητε στερεοί τῇ πίστει· καί ὁ Κύριος δέ· Γρηγορεῖτε καί προσεύχεσθε, ἵνα μή εἰσέλθητε εἰς πειρασμόν. Ὁ δέ Ἐκκλησιαστής φησιν· Ἐάν πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐξουσιάζοντος ἀναβῇ ἐπί σέ, τόπον σου μή ἀφῇς [al. εὕροι]. Τόπος δέ τοῦ νοῦ ἐστιν ἡ ἀρετή, καί ἡ γνῶσις, καί ὁ φόβος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὁ δέ θαυμαστός Ἀπόστολος σφόδρα νηφόντως καί γενναίως ἀγωνιζόμενος ἔλεγεν· Ἐν σαρκί γάρ περιπατοῦντες, οὐ κατά σάρκα στρατευόμεθα. Τά γάρ ὅπλα τῆς στρατείας ἡμῶν οὐ σαρκικά, ἀλλά δυνατά τῷ Θεῷ πρός καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων· λογισμούς καθαιροῦντες, καί πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατά τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ· καί αἰχμαλωτίζοντες πᾶν νόημα εἰς τήν ὑπακοήν τοῦ Χριστοῦ· καί ἐν ἑτοίμῳ ἔχοντες ἐκδικῆσαι πᾶσαν παρακοήν. Ἐάν οὖν καί σύ μιμήσῃ τούς ἁγίους, καί ἐμπόνως σχολάσῃς τῷ Θεῷ, ἔσῃ νηφόμενος.

ιθ΄. Καί ὁ Ἀδελφός εἶπε· Καί τί ὤφειλέ τις ποιεῖν, Πάτερ, ἵνα ἀδιαλείπτως δυνηθῇ σχολάζειν τῷ Θεῷ; καί ἀπεκρίθη ὁ γέρων· Ἀδύνατον τό νοῦν τελείως σχολάσαι τῷ Θεῷ, ἐάν μή τάς τρεῖς ταύτας κτήσηται ἀρετάς· τήν ἀγάπην λέγω, καί τήν ἐγκράτειαν καί τήν προσευχήν. Ἡ μέν γάρ ἀγάπη, ἡμεροῖ τόν θυμόν· ἡ δέ ἐγκράτεια, μαραίνει τήν ἐπιθυμίαν· ἡ δέ προσευχή, χωρίζει τόν νοῦν πάντων τῶν νοημάτων, (928) καί αὐτῷ αὐτόν παρίστησι γυμνόν τῷ Θεῷ. Αὗται οὖν αἱ τρεῖς ἀρεταί, συμπεριληπτικαί εἰσι πασῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν· καί ἄνευ τούτων ὁ νοῦς οὐ δύναται σχολάζειν τῷ Θεῷ.

κ΄. Καί ὁ ἀδελφός εἶπε· Παρακαλῶ σε, Πάτερ, μαθεῖν, πῶς ἡ ἀγάπη ἡμεροῖ τόν θυμόν. Καί ἀπεκρίθη ὁ γέρων· Ἐπειδή ἔχει τό ἐλεεῖν, καί τό εὐεργετεῖν τόν πλησίον·