at a certain time ABA cisu was on his deathbed the brothers were standing around him and they saw that his face was shining like the sun he said to them behold habba Anthony has come and after a short while he also said behold the company of the prophets has come and his face again shown when he said behold the company of the Apostles has come and again his face Shone with two fold brightness and suddenly it appeared as if he was talking to someone but the brothers could not see to who father show us with
whom you are talking behold the Angels Came to take me away and and I entreated them to leave me here so that I might toil a little longer and repent you have no need to repent father Brothers I have not even begun to repent and through these words the brothers knew that the old man was perfect and again they saw his face beam brightly like the sun and all who gathered there were fearful when he said look look Behold our Lord Has Come and he said bring you to me The Chosen vessel which is in
the desert and straightway absis delivered up his spirit and became like lightning and a sweet odor filled the entire [Music] Place mother Sarah used to say whensoever I put my foot on the ladder to go up before I Ascend it I set my death before mine [Music] eyes a certain brother asked a certain old man what does the fear of God look like when it dwells in the soul of man and the old man said to him if a man possesses humility and practices abstinence and judges no other man then in this manner does the
fear of God dwell in his soul I've read that the Perfection of all spiritual Excellence is for a man not to judge his neighbor for when the hand of the Lord slew the firstborn of Egypt there was no house wherein there was not one dead person what is the meaning of these words if we if we allow ourselves to view our own sins then we will not see the sins of our neighbor it is folly for a man to forsake his own dead and to lament over that of his neighbor [Music] a certain brother used
to say I knew of an old man who dwelt in the mountain who would never accept any gifts from any man he possessed a little bit of water and with this water he used to care for the few garden herbs that he had he lived like that for 50 years and he never went outside the fence of his cell now This Old Man became exceedingly famous because of the various cures that he worked daily upon those who came to him after some time he died peacefully and now five brothers dwell there in his [Music] place
now ABA mccarus used to see that ABBA arenius would always flee from Gathering and speaking with the other brothers so one day ABA mauas asked Him Father why do you flee from us God knows that I love love you but I cannot be with both God and with men the thousands of 10 thousands of beings who are above have only one will but men have many Wills I cannot therefore leave God and be with men and they saw that the old man was always uttering the words to himself I've repented many times for saying something
but that I've held my peace I have never repented they used to say about Abba agathon that for a period of 3 years he placed a stone in his mouth and kept it there until he had learned how to thoroughly hold his [Applause] [Music] peace they used to tell of a certain man who had passed the age of 50 and he would go around and tell others that I have slain The Passion of fornication now it was so that ABBA Abraham heard stories of this man and he came to him saying brother did you Proclaim
that you've slain these things yes now if you were to go to your cell and found a woman on your mats would you able to keep your mind from thinking that she was a woman no but I would struggle against my thoughts so as to not touch her behold then you have not slain the Lust For fornication but that passion is still alive in you Al though restrained now also I ask you if you were traveling along a road and you saw lying there on the ground the broken clay pot and after some time more
of traveling you saw lying there on the ground some gold coins would your mind be able to look upon the gold coins in the same way as the broken clay pots no but I should wage battle against my thoughts in such a way as to not take the gold coins behold then brother The Passion of love for money is still alive within you though restrained now I ALS so ask you this if you heard of Two Brothers one of which was speaking high praises of you behind your back and the other was hating and reviling
you behind your back and if these two brothers came to your cell would you be able to regard each of them with equal friendliness no but I would strive against my thoughts in such a way that I would treat the man who reviled me as the same way as The Man Who Loved Me behold then my brother the passions are still alive in you but they are fed in the [Music] Saints on one occasion two old men were walking and the one said I have died to the world and the other said have no confidence
in yourself that this is so until you go forth from the world and leave your body for although you say you have died to the world Satan is not dead and still still walks about like a roaring lion looking for anyone he can devour ABA ner and another brother were walking together in the desert when they suddenly spotted a serpent to which they both quickly took the flight after which the brother said is a further are you also afraid and the old man said to him my son I am not afraid but it was beneficial
that I also flee otherwise I should not have been able to escape from the love of approval for being [Music] brave now they say that in the mountain of ABBA Anthony Seven Brothers lived there who during the date season would take turns each day to drive away the birds from eating the dates now among them was a certain old man who during his assigned day would yell at the birds saying depart depart oh you evil Thoughts From Within and depart oh you birds from without a brother visited ABA piman in his cell and asked Him
Father why do my thoughts persuade me to esteem myself highly and compare myself with those whose conduct is more excellent than mine and to despise them as if they were inferior to me the Blessed Apostle spoke about this saying in a large house there are not only vessels of gold and vessels of silver but there are also vessels of wood and Clay if a man will cleanse his soul from passions he will become a vessel which is suitable and convenient for the honor of his Lord and He will be ready for every good work father
what does this mean it can be explained in this way the house is the world the vessels are the children of men the vessels of gold are to be viewed as perfect the vessels of silver are the men who are inferior to the G in the measure of aesthetic deeds in the other vessels of wood and Clay are those who possess a little bit of aesthetic Excellence now if a man will cleanse his soul from all the things which are not right he will become a Pure vessel of Honor suitable to be of useful a
Lord and He will be ready for every good work now a certain old man dwelt in the desert 10 mil from the monastery and at the monastery there was a small stream and thus the brother had to travel these 10 miles every time he needed to fill up his water after some time of doing this the ordeal became very worrisome to him and he said what is the necessity for me to labor so much I will come and I will take take up my Abode by the side of this stream and after having said this
he turned around and saw that a man was coming after him he asked the man who are you I am an angel of the Lord I have been sent to count your footsteps and to give you your reward after having heard this the old man was comforted and he took up a new Abode 5 Mi further from the stream so that he had to walk 15 mil [Music] instead
