Chapter Thirteen
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Teacher of Monks
ONCE, being asked by the monks to return to them and oversee them and their dwellings from time to time, he set out with the monks who had come to meet him. A camel carried bread and water for them, for all that desert is waterless and there is no drinkable water at all except in the one hill where they had drawn, where his monastery is. On the way, the water failed, and they were all like to be in danger, the heat being extreme. For having searched around and found no water, they were now unable even to walk, but lay down on the ground and let the camel go, giving themselves up. And the old man, seeing all in danger, was very grieved, and groaning, went a little way from them and prayed, bending his knees and lifting his hands. And at once the Lord made a spring come forth there where he was praying, and so all drank and were refreshed. Filling their water-skins, they sought the camel and found it, for it happened that the rope had wrapped round a stone and so was held fast; they brought it back and watered it, and putting the skins on it, finished their journey unharmed.
When he came to the outer monasteries, all welcomed him, seeing in him a father. And he, as though he had brought with him supplies from the mount, entertained them with discourse and imparted help. So there was joy anew in the hills, eagerness to advance, and each drew courage from the faith of the rest. He too rejoiced to see the zeal of the monks and to find that his sister had grown old in her virginity and was herself a guide to other virgins.
After some days he returned to his hill. From that time many came to him, and some who were sufferers dared the journey. For all monks who came to him he always had this advice: to trust in the Lord, and love Him, to keep themselves from bad thoughts and bodily pleasures, and not to be led astray by the feasting of the stomach, (as it is written in Proverbs), to flee vainglory, to pray always, to sing psalms before sleeping and after, to repeat by heart the commandments of the Scriptures and to remember the deeds of the Saints, that by their example the soul may train itself under the guidance of the Commandments. Especially did he advise them to give continual heed to the Apostle’s word: Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, and to consider that this was spoken about all the Commandments alike, so that the sun should not go down, not simply on our anger, but on any other sin of ours, for that it is right and necessary that the sun condemn us not for any sin by day, nor the moon for any fall or even thought by night. To safeguard this it is well to hear and observe the Apostle, for he says: Judge yourselves and prove yourselves. (2 Cor. 13:5). Daily then let each take account with himself of the day’s and the night’s doings, and if he has sinned let him cease; and if he has not, let him not boast, but abide in the good and not grow careless, nor judge his neighbor, nor justify himself, as the blessed Apostle Paul said, till the Lord come who searcheth hidden things. For often we miss seeing what we do, and we do not know, but the Lord misses nothing. To Him therefore let us leave judgment; with each other let us have sympathy and bear one another’s burdens; ourselves let us judge, and where we fail be earnest to amend. For a safeguard against sinning, use this manner of observing: let us each note and write down our deeds and the movements of the soul, as if to tell them to each other, and be sure that from utter shame of being known, we shall cease from sinning and even from thinking over anything bad. For who likes to be seen when he is sinning, or having sinned, does not rather lie, wishing to hide it? Just as we should do no foulness in sight of each other, so if we write our thoughts as if telling them to each other, we shall better guard ourselves from foul thoughts, for shame of being known. Let the written tale be to us instead of the eyes of our fellow monks, that, shamed as much at writing as at being seen, we may not even think evil, and molding ourselves in this way, we shall be able to master the body, to please God and to trample on the snares of the enemy.”