Chapter LXXII
On True Knowledge And On Temptations And That It Is Becoming To Know Exactly That Not Only Weak And Insignificant And Uneducated People But Also Those Who Have Been Deemed Worthy Of Temporary Apathy And Have Reached Perfection Of Mind And Have Approached Partial Purity As Far As This Is Compatible With Mortality And Have Gained Exaltation Above Affections — In So Far As In This World It Is Allowed By God In Combination With Life In Affectible Flesh — Have To Struggle And Are Injured By The Affections Because Of The Body And That To Them Also Are Continually Permitted [Temptations] In Mercy Because Of The Danger Of Haughtiness In Some Degree And That Many Times They Transgress And Heal Themselves By Repentance Grace Accepting Them Again
That every rational nature is liable to deviation without distinction and that varying states pass through all men at all times, the discriminate is able to understand from many [symptoms]; moreover the experiences of each day are wholly sufficient to make him prudent if he is cautious and keeps to what is his domain. [They also show him] how many varying 49s states of rest and unrest work upon the mind every day, so that it suddenly passes from peace to perturbation without any reason from anywhere and falls into unspeakable danger. Even this is clearly described by the blessed Macarius, with great care and devotion, in order to remind and instinct the brethren, lest those who stand in the degree of purity give way to despair at the time of contrary states, when there happens to them an accidental [state] like [a change in] air, provided that this is not due to neglect and relaxation, but that these circumstances contrary to the scope of their mind, happen to them while they are walking in their path.
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And also the blessed Euagrius witnessing to this through real experience, has committed it to writing, for the sake of ampler confirmation, as it were lest any one should think that the blessed Macarius wrote this in his letter fortuitously without having examined his words carefully. Thus then by reason of two veracious witnesses like these, the mind may accept, without doubt, its consolation at the time of need. \What then? Varying· states happen to every man, like [changes of] the air. Understand it: to every man; for nature is one. Do not think that he is speaking to insignificant men only and that the perfect should be exempt from varying states and that they stay in one class, without liability of deviation and without the impulse of the affections, as the Me;;alleyane say. Therefore he says: unto every man. How is this, o blessed man? He says: there are states of 496 cold, and soon after states of heat; and perhaps of hail, and soon there-after of serenity. It is thus for our instruction: strife, then the help of grace. And sometimes the soul runs into a storm and heavy billows assail it; then there comes a different state and it is visited by grace; then joy fills the heart and peace from God and chaste, peaceful deliberations. Grace makes dawn here chaste deliberations on the bestiality and impurity of those whom it had ordered away. Therefore he warns, saying that after these chaste and peaceful deliberations, accidents will befall the mind, that we should not be sorry or despair; or at the time of rest caused by grace, be puffed up, but that, at the time of joy, we should look at trouble. He says that we should not be sorry when accidents happen; not that we should not resist them, nor that the mind should accept them joyfully as something natural belonging to us, but that thou shouldst not despair even as the man who expected what is exalted above strife, and perfect rest without varying states and without struggles and blows, and freedom from the impulse of any adversity -the which it has not pleased our Lord God to give to our nature in this world so that we should entirely desist from labours and in consequence of this thought thou shouldst be relaxed by despondency and desist from thy course-But know that all the saints have to face this labour as long as we are in this world, though we have ample con-49 7 solation for it in secret. For every day and at all times it is
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demanded of us that we give proof of our love unto God by the struggle against temptations. And therefore we should not be sorry; namely, we should not be dejected in our struggle but thus is our way prepared.,For he that deviates from this method, becomes a prey of the wolves'. Admirable is that saint, who with a small word confirmed this section that is loaded with significance and absolutely took doubt away from the mind of the reader.,For he that deviates from this method, becomes a prey of the wolves'. This means that he, that possesses this intention and is minded to walk out of the way, wishing to go in loneliness a way that has not been trodden by the Fathers, is through this in danger of becoming the prey of old wolves who are clad in lambs' clothes in order stealthily to turn back foolish souls to their evil under the pretence of truth. That at the time of joy we should look at trouble, means: when by the influence of grace, suddenly mighty emotions and amazement of the intellectual vision of what is above nature, fall on the soul; as the holy Euagrius says: when the holy angels approach us filling us with spiritual sight, and all those who were in opposition to us vanish, and there comes peace and unspeakable stupefaction; when thou art in this state; when grace envelops thee, and the holy angels are near and around thee and, therefore, all those who tried thee, have withdrawn from thee, then do not 498 extol thyself and do not think that thou hast reached now the undisturbable harbour and the unchangeable air and that thou art altogether exalted above this bay and the contrary storms and that there is no fiend and no evil accidents. For there were many who have thought thus and have fallen into danger, as Euagrius says, namely: the danger of thinking that thou art greater than many others, and that thou deservest these [spiritual distinctions] and that others, on account of their insufficient knowledge, are destitute of the like; but I possess [those distinctions] duly, and therefore I have reached perfect chastity and the degree of spirituality, and definite renovation. On the other hand recollect the impure deliberations and the unclear images which printed themselves in thy mind in the winterperiod, and the disturbancies and the disordered deliberations which assailed thee shortly before, during that gloomy darkness; and how easily thou deviatedst towards the
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affections and hadst intercourse with them, when thy mind was troubled, without being ashamed before the divine sight and on account of the gifts and presents thou hadst received. And know that all this was brought upon thee, in order to humble thee, by the care of God, which provides for every one of us as is profitable to him. But when thou exaltest thyself on account of its gifts, it leaves thee, and thou wilt wholly relapse into the practice of those things by which thou wert tried in thy thoughts. Know, therefore, that the fact that thou art standing, is not due to thee nor to thy excellence; but that it is grace which 4 99 bears thee on its handpalms so that thou art not moved.
These things thou hast to recollect at the time of joy, when thy deliberation exalts itself, says our holy Father, and then thou hast to weep and shed tears. And humble thyself at the recollection of thy transgressions committed when [temptations were] admitted to thee; perhaps thou wilt be saved by acquiring humility through them. Be not, however, dejected, but expiate thy sins by deliberations of humility. Humility, even without labours, expiates many sins. Labours without humility on the contrary, are not only destitute of profit, but cause us many evils. Therefore, expiate thy sins, by humility, as I have said. As salt is to all kinds of meat, so is humility to all virtues. The force of many sins is able to break this. Therefore it is necessary for the mind to suffer continually by humiliation and by pain borne with discernment. If we possess this, it makes us a son of God; even without service, it allows us to stand before God rich in virtues. Without it, every service and every virtue and all labours are vain. Therefore God demands the alteration of the mind. By the mind we acquire improvement and by the mind we become despicable. So this alone is sufficient, without [any further] help, to stand before God and to speak in our behalf. Thank God without break on account of the fact that, notwithstanding thy so weak and easily deviating nature, from time to time thou art lifted up by the aid of grace to such a height and to such gifts and remember in which sphere soo thou then art - above thy nature, and how when [temptations] are admitted to thee, thou art brought low and possessest a brutish mind. And recollect the wretchedness of thy
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nature and how easily thou becomest subject to varying states, as also one of the saintly Fathers has said: When thou art assailed by the deliberation of haughtiness which desires to enumerate thy virtues, then say: Father, look at thy fornication. He means the fornication by which the deliberations are tried at the time of the admittance [of temptations] and with which man is provided by grace, be it as a means of strife or as a means of help, according to the degree in which grace helps us. Seest thou how clearly this admirable Father explains the matter?, When thou art approached by the deliberation of haughtiness, because of the elevation of thy behaviour, then say: Father, look at thy fornication! ' It is manifest that this Father was speaking to a great one, because it is impossible that deliberations of haughtiness should assail other people than those who occupy a high degree and are behaving in a praiseworthy way. For this affection attacks the soul when virtue has been exercised, in order to bereave it of its performance. Also from one of the letters of Macarius thou canst learn, if thou desirest, which degrees those saints occupy unto whom temptations are admitted. That letter was written by Macarius to all his beloved sons, showing clearly how struggles and the help of grace are provided by God, through which it has pleased His wisdom to train them as long as they abide in s or this life, struggling against sin, in behalf of excellence. This He does in order that at all times their looks may be fi x ed upon Him and that, by continually looking at Him, His holy love may be augmented in them. So that, when they seek continually refuge with Him against the ardour of the affections and the fear of deviations, they are confirmed in faith, hope and love. So these things are not said to those who continually are in contact with men and wander about everywhere, participating in impure actions and passions [and living] in a state of relaxation. Nor are they said to those who perform righteousness in works which have nothing to do with solitude and who at every moment are captured by the senses, and who at all times are in danger of falling on account of the compulsion exercised on them by the things which happen to them involuntarily, through circumstances which they have not foreseen, so that they are unable to guard completely not
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only their deliberation but even their senses. But they are destined for those who by the great watchfulness with which they guard their bodies and their deliberations, keep altogether aloof from the perturbations and conversations of men, and who by having given up all, even their soul, are able to guard their mind in prayer and to receive various provisions from grace, in perfect solitude. And under the arm of the knowledg-e of the Lord they are brought up and secretly made wise by the spirit, while they have rest from works and the sight of things and possess a mind dead to the world. The affections do not die; but intercourse [with them] dies, because they keep aloof from things and because they are helped by grace.