Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series • VOLUME 11
Sulpitius Severus, Vincent of Lerins & John Cassian
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Chapter XV.
Chapter XV. How we must meditate on God. But the contemplation of God is gained in a variety of ways. For we not only discover God by admiring His incomprehensible essence, a thing which still lies hid in the hope of the promise, but we see Him through the greatness of His creation, and the consideration of His justice, and th…
740 wordsSECTION 242Chapter XVIII.
Chapter XVIII. Comparison of a soul and a millstone. And this movement of the heart is not unsuitably illustrated by the comparison of a mill wheel, which the headlong rush of water whirls round, with revolving impetus, and which can never stop its work so long as it is driven round by the action of the water: but it is in the…
941 wordsSECTION 243Chapter XX.
Chapter XX. About discerning the thoughts, with an illustration from a good money-changer. We ought then carefully to notice this threefold order, and with a wise discretion to analyse the thoughts which arise in our hearts, tracking out their origin and cause and author in the first instance, that we may be able to consider h…
1,371 wordsSECTION 244Chapter XXI.
Chapter XXI. Of the illusion of Abbot John. In this manner we have heard that Abbot John who lived at Lycon, [1157] was recently deceived. For when his body was exhausted and failing as he had put off taking food during a fast of two days, on the third day while he was on his way to take some refreshment the devil came in the …
787 wordsSECTION 245Chapter XXIII.
Chapter XXIII. Of the discourse of the teacher in regard to the merits of his hearers. At this the old man seeing that we were astonished, and inflamed at the words of his discourse with an insatiable desire, stopped his speech for a little in consequence of our admiration and earnestness, and presently added: Since your zeal,…
747 wordsSECTION 246Chapter I.
Chapter I. Abbot Moses' introduction on the grace of discretion. And so when we had enjoyed our morning sleep, when to our delight the dawn of light again shone upon us, and we had begun to ask once more for his promised talk, the blessed Moses thus began: As I see you inflamed with such an eager desire, that I do not believe …
1,414 wordsSECTION 247Chapter III.
Chapter III. Of the error of Saul and of Ahab, by which they were deceived through lack of discretion. Lastly, the man who in the judgment of God was the first to be worthy of the kingdom of His people Israel, because he was lacking in this "eye" of discretion, was, as if his whole body were full of darkness, actually cast dow…
723 wordsSECTION 248Chapter V.
Chapter V. Of the death of the old man Heron. And to support this judgment delivered of old by the blessed Antony and the other fathers by a modern instance, as we promised to do, remember what you lately saw happen before your very eyes, I mean, how the old man Heron, [1176] only a very few days ago was cast down by an illusi…
947 wordsSECTION 249Chapter VII.
Chapter VII. Of an illusion into which another fell for lack of discretion. Why also should I speak of one (whose name we had rather not mention as he is still alive), who for a long while received a devil in the brightness of an angelic form, and was often deceived by countless revelations from him and believed that he was a …
1,002 wordsSECTION 250Chapter XI.
Chapter XI. The words of Abbot Serapion on the decline of thoughts that are exposed to others, and also on the danger of self-confidence. While, said he, I was still a lad, and stopping with Abbot Theonas, [1183] this habit was forced upon me by the assaults of the enemy, that after I had supped with the old man at the ninth h…
1,205 wordsSECTION 251Chapter XII.
Chapter XII. A confession of the modesty which made us ashamed to reveal our thoughts to the elders. Germanus: The ground of that hurtful modesty, through which we endeavour to hide bad thoughts, is especially owing to this reason; viz., that we have heard of a superior of the Elders in the region of Syria, as it was believed,…
2,140 wordsSECTION 252Chapter XIV.
Chapter XIV. Of the call of Samuel. Lastly so far has this opinion been shown to be pleasing to God that we see that this system not without reason finds a place in holy Scripture, so that the Lord would not of Himself instruct by the method of a Divine colloquy the lad Samuel, when chosen for judgment, but suffered him to run…
735 wordsSECTION 253Chapter XVII.
Chapter XVII. On excessive fasts and vigils. For I remember that I had so often resisted the desire for food, that having abstained from taking any for two or three days, my mind was not troubled even by the recollection of any eatables and also that sleep was by the assaults of the devil so far removed from my eyes, that for …
748 wordsSECTION 254Chapter XXIII.
Chapter XXIII. Quemadmodum abundantia umorum genitalium castigetur. [1197] Nam quod semel per escarum abundantian concretus fuerit in medullis, necesse est egeri atque ab ipsa naturæ lege propelli, quæ exuberantiam cujuslibet umoris superflui velut noxiam sibi atque contrariam in semet ipsa residere non patitur ideoque rationa…
1,068 wordsSECTION 255Chapter I.
Chapter I. Of the life and conduct of Abbot Paphnutius. In that choir of saints who shine like brilliant stars in the night of this world, we have seen the holy Paphnutius, [1199] like some great luminary, shining with the brightness of knowledge. For he was a presbyter of our company, I mean of those whose abode was in the de…
800 wordsSECTION 256Chapter III.
Chapter III. The statement of Abbot Paphnutius on the three kinds of vocations, and the three sorts of renunciations. Then The Blessed Paphnutius: There are, said he, three kinds of vocations. And we know that there are three sorts of renunciations as well, which are necessary to a monk, whatever his vocation may be. And we ou…
1,031 wordsSECTION 257Chapter V.
Chapter V. How the first of these calls is of no use to a sluggard, and the last is no hindrance to one who is in earnest. Of these three calls then, although the two former may seem to rest on better principles, yet sometimes we find that even by the third grade, which seems the lowest and the coldest, men have been made perf…
1,153 wordsSECTION 258Chapter VII.
Chapter VII. How we can attain perfection in each of these sorts of renunciations. Wherefore it will not be of much advantage to us that we have made our first renunciation with the utmost devotion and faith, if we do not complete the second with the same zeal and ardour. And so when we have succeeded in this, we shall be able…
1,680 wordsSECTION 259Chapter VIII.
Chapter VIII. Of our very own possessions in which the beauty of the soul is seen or its foulness. We ought then to take the utmost care that our inner man as well may cast off and make away with all those possessions of its sins, which it acquired in its former life: which as they continually cling to body and soul are our ve…
797 wordsSECTION 260Chapter X.
Chapter X. That none can become perfect merely through the first grade of renunciation. In leaving then these visible goods of the world we forsake not our own wealth, but that which is not ours, although we boast of it as either gained by our own exertions or inherited by us from our forefathers. For as I said nothing is our …
860 wordsSECTION 261Chapter XI.
Chapter XI. A question on the free will of man and the grace of God. Germanus: Where then is there room for free will, and how is it ascribed to our efforts that we are worthy of praise, if God both begins and ends everything in us which concerns our salvation? Chapter XII. The answer on the economy of Divine Grace, with fre…
759 wordsSECTION 262Chapter XIII.
Chapter XIII. That the ordering of our way comes from God. And truly the saints have never said that it was by their own efforts that they secured the direction of the way in which they walked in their course towards advance and perfection of virtue, but rather they prayed for it from the Lord, saying "Direct me in Thy truth,"…
949 wordsSECTION 263Chapter XVI.
Chapter XVI. That faith itself must be given us by the Lord. But so thoroughly did the Apostles realize that everything which concerns salvation was given them by the Lord, that they even asked that faith itself should be granted from the Lord, saying: "Add to us faith" [1266] as they did not imagine that it could be gained by…
733 wordsSECTION 264Chapter XVIII.
Chapter XVIII. That the continual fear of God must be bestowed on us by the Lord. And lastly the prophet Jeremiah, speaking in the person of God, clearly testifies that even the fear of God, by which we can hold fast to Him, is shed upon us by the Lord: saying as follows: "And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they…
756 wordsSECTION 265Chapter XX.
Chapter XX. That nothing can be done in this world without God. But it is right for us to hold with unswerving faith that nothing whatever is done in this world without God. For we must acknowledge that everything is done either by His will or by His permission, i.e., we must believe that whatever is good is carried out by the…
876 wordsSECTION 266Chapter I.
Chapter I. Of the life of Abbot Daniel. Among the other heroes of Christian philosophy we also knew Abbot Daniel, who was not only the equal of those who dwelt in the desert of Scete in every sort of virtue, but was specially marked by the grace of humility. This man on account of his purity and gentleness, though in age the j…
714 wordsSECTION 267Chapter III.
Chapter III. His answer to the question raised. A threefold account of this mental dryness of which you speak has been given by the Elders. For it comes either from carelessness on our part, or from the assaults of the devil, or from the permission and allowance of the Lord. From carelessness on our part, when through our own …
1,261 wordsSECTION 268Chapter VII.
Chapter VII. Of the value of the conflict which the Apostle makes to consist in the strife between the flesh and the spirit. This conflict too we read in the Apostle has for our good been placed in our members: "For the flesh lusteth against the spirit: and the spirit against the flesh. But these two are opposed to each other …
1,031 wordsSECTION 269Chapter XI.
Chapter XI. What the Apostle means by flesh in this passage, and what the lust of the flesh is. Wherefore in this passage we ought to take "flesh" as meaning not man, i.e., his material substance, but the carnal will and evil desires, just as "spirit" does not mean anything material, but the good and spiritual desires of the s…
1,469 wordsSECTION 270Chapter XIII.
Chapter XIII. Of the advantage of the delay which results from the struggle between flesh and spirit. But from the differences which this conflict causes, there arises a delay that is so far advantageous to us, and from this struggle an adjournment that is for our good, so that while through the resistance of the material body…
720 wordsSECTION 271Chapter XVI.
Chapter XVI. Of the excitements of the flesh, without the humiliation of which we should fall more grievously. To the fact then that the pride which results from this purity would be more dangerous than all sins and wickednesses, and that we should on that account gain no reward for any height of perfect chastity, we may call …
1,464 wordsSECTION 272Chapter XX.
Chapter XX. Of those who renounce the world but ill. In the last place I am ashamed to say how we find that a large number have made their renunciation in such a way that we find that they have altered nothing of their former sins and habits, but only their state of life and worldly garb. For they are eager in amassing wealth …
1,126 wordsSECTION 273Chapter I.
Chapter I. Our arrival at Abbot Serapion's cell, and inquiry on the different kinds of faults and the way to overcome them. In that assembly of Ancients and Elders was a man named Serapion, [1312] especially endowed with the grace of discretion, whose Conference I think it is worth while to set down in writing. For when we ent…
1,170 wordsSECTION 274Chapter V.
Chapter V. How our Lord alone was tempted without sin. And so our Lord Jesus Christ, though declared by the Apostle's word to have been tempted in all points like as we are, is yet said to have been "without sin," [1319] i.e., without the infection of this appetite, as He knew nothing of incitements of carnal lust, with which …
1,316 wordsSECTION 275Chapter VII.
Chapter VII. How vainglory and pride can be consummated without any assistance from the body. And to go on in the order which we proposed, with our account of the way in which the other passions act (our analysis of which was obliged to be interrupted by this account of gluttony and of the Lord's temptation) vainglory and prid…
824 wordsSECTION 276Chapter X.
Chapter X. How six of these faults are related, and the two which differ from them are akin to one another. Of these eight faults then, although they are different in their origin and in their way of affecting us, yet the six former; viz., gluttony, fornication, covetousness, anger, dejection, accidie, have a sort of connexion…
1,597 wordsSECTION 277Chapter XII.
Chapter XII. How vainglory may be useful to us. But in one matter vainglory is found to be a useful thing for beginners. I mean by those who are still troubled by carnal sins, as for instance, if, when they are troubled by the spirit of fornication, they formed an idea of the dignity of the priesthood, or of reputation among a…
702 wordsSECTION 278Chapter XIII.
Chapter XIII. Of the different ways in which all these faults assault us. Although then these eight faults trouble all sorts of men, yet they do not attack them all in the same way. For in one man the spirit of fornication holds the chief place: wrath rides rough shod over another: over another vainglory claims dominion: in an…
840 wordsSECTION 279Chapter XV.
Chapter XV. How we can do nothing against our faults without the help of God, and how we should not be puffed up by victories over them. And that we ought not to be puffed up by victories over them he likewise charges us; saying, "Lest after thou hast eaten and art filled, hast built goodly houses and dwelt in them, and shalt …
1,376 wordsSECTION 280Chapter XVII.
Chapter XVII. A question with regard to the comparison of seven nations with eight faults. Germanus: How then is it that there are eight faults which assault us, when Moses reckons the nations opposed to the people of Israel as seven, and how is it well for us to take possession of the territory of our faults? Chapter XVIII. …
804 wordsSource & rights
Historical text source: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The downloaded text itself records Public Domain.