The Conferences — CONFERENCE 5.

BY ST. JOHN CASSIAN

BY ST. JOHN CASSIAN

CONFERENCE OF ABBOT SERAPION ON THE EIGHT PRINCIPAL FAULTS.

CONFERENCE OF ABBOT SERAPION. ON THE EIGHT PRINCIPAL FAULTS.

Our arrival at Abbot Serapion's cell, and our inquiry about the different kinds of faults and the way to overcome them.

Our arrival at Abbot Serapion's cell, and inquiry on the different kinds of faults and the way to overcome them.

In that gathering of seniors and elders was a man named Serapion, who was especially gifted with the grace of discretion. I think it is worthwhile to write down his teaching. When we asked him to speak about how to overcome our faults so that we could better understand their origin and cause, he began as follows.

In that assembly of Ancients and Elders was a man named Serapion, especially endowed with the grace of discretion, whose Conference I think it is worth while to set down in writing. For when we entreated him to discourse of the way to overcome our faults, so that their origin and cause might be made clearer to us, he thus began.

Abbot Serapion's list of eight principal faults.

Abbot Serapion's enumeration of eight principal faults.

There are eight principal faults which attack mankind: first, gastrimargia, which means gluttony; second, fornication; third, philargyria, that is, greed or love of money; fourth, anger; fifth, dejection; sixth, acedia, that is, listlessness or low spirits; seventh, cenodoxia, that is, boasting or vain glory; and eighth, pride.

There are eight principal faults which attack mankind; viz., first gastrimargia, which means gluttony, secondly fornication, thirdly philargyria, i.e., avarice or the love of money, fourthly anger, fifthly dejection, sixthly acedia, i.e., listlessness or low spirits, seventhly cenodoxia, i.e., boasting or vain glory; and eighthly pride.

There are two classes of faults, and they act on us in four different ways.

Of the two classes of faults and their fourfold manner of acting on us.

Of these faults, then, there are two classes. For they are either natural to us, like gluttony, or arise outside of nature, like covetousness. But their manner of acting on us is fourfold. For some cannot be completed without an act on the part of the flesh, such as gluttony and fornication, while some can be completed without any bodily act, such as pride and vainglory. Some find the reasons for their being excited outside us, such as covetousness and anger; others are aroused by internal feelings, such as accidie and dejection.

Of these faults then there are two classes. For they are either natural to us as gluttony, or arise outside of nature as covetousness. But their manner of acting on us is fourfold. For some cannot be consummated without an act on the part of the flesh, as gluttony and fornication, while some can be completed without any bodily act, as pride and vainglory. Some find the reasons for their being excited outside us, as covetousness and anger; others are aroused by internal feelings, as accidie and dejection.

A review of the passions of gluttony and fornication and their remedies.

A review of the passions of gluttony and fornication and their remedies.

To make this clearer not only through a brief discussion to the best of my ability, but also through scriptural proof: gluttony and fornication, though they exist in us naturally (for sometimes they spring up without any provocation from the mind, simply at the impulse and allure of the flesh), still require an external object if they are to be fulfilled, and thus they take effect only through bodily acts. For every man is tempted by his own lust. Then lust, when it has conceived, bears sin, and sin, when it is fulfilled, brings forth death (James 1:14-15). The first Adam could not have fallen victim to gluttony unless he had material food available and had used it wrongly, nor could the second Adam be tempted without the enticement of some object, when it was said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread" (Matthew 4:3). And it is clear to everyone that fornication also is completed only by a bodily act, as God says of this spirit to the blessed Job: "And his force is in his loins, and his strength in the navel of his belly" (Job 40:16). So these two faults in particular, which are carried out with the help of the flesh, especially require bodily abstinence as well as spiritual care of the soul. For mental determination by itself is not enough to resist their attacks (as is sometimes the case with anger or sadness or the other passions, which an effort of the mind alone can overcome without any mortification of the flesh). Instead, bodily discipline must also be used and carried out through fasting, vigils, and acts of contrition, and to this must be added a change of location. Because these sins result from faults of both mind and body, they can only be overcome by the combined efforts of both. Although the blessed Apostle says generally that all faults are carnal, since he lists enmities, anger, and heresies among other works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19), yet in order to cure them and understand their nature more precisely, we make a twofold division of them: we call some carnal and some spiritual. Those we call carnal are the ones that specifically have to do with indulging the appetites of the flesh, and the flesh is so charmed and satisfied by them that sometimes it stirs up the mind when it is at rest and even drags it against its will to consent to its desire. Of these the blessed Apostle says, "In which we all once walked in the desires of our flesh, fulfilling the will of the flesh and of our thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest" (Ephesians 2:3). But we call those spiritual which spring only from the impulse of the mind and not only contribute no pleasure to the flesh, but actually bring on it a harmful weakness, and only feed a diseased mind with the food of a most miserable pleasure. Therefore these need a single medicine for the heart, but those which are carnal can only be cured, as we said, by a double remedy. This is why it is extremely useful for those who aspire to purity to begin by removing from themselves the material that feeds these carnal passions, through which the opportunity for or memory of these same desires can arise in a soul that is still affected by the evil. For a complex disease needs a complex remedy. From the body, the object and material that would allure it must be withdrawn, so that the lust should not try to break out into action. And before the mind we should no less carefully place diligent meditation on Scripture, watchful concern, and withdrawal into solitude, so that it should not give birth to desire even in thought. But as for other faults, interaction with our fellow men is no obstacle; rather it is of the greatest possible use to those who truly desire to get rid of them, because in mixing with others they more often meet with rebuke, and while they are more frequently provoked, the existence of the faults is made evident, and so they are cured with swift remedies.

And to make this clearer not only by a short discussion to the best of my ability, but by Scripture proof as well, gluttony and fornication, though they exist in us naturally (for sometimes they spring up without any incitement from the mind, and simply at the motion and allurement of the flesh) yet if they are to be consummated, must find an external object, and thus take effect only through bodily acts. For every man is tempted of his own lust. Then lust when it has conceived bears sin, and sin when it is consummated begets death. James 1:14-15 For the first Adam could not have fallen a victim to gluttony unless he had had material food at hand, and had used it wrongly, nor could the second Adam be tempted without the enticement of some object, when it was said to Him: If You are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Matthew 4:3 And it is clear to everybody that fornication also is only completed by a bodily act, as God says of this spirit to the blessed Job: And his force is in his loins, and his strength in the navel of his belly. Job 40:16 And so these two faults in particular, which are carried into effect by the aid of the flesh, especially require bodily abstinence as well as spiritual care of the soul; since the determination of the mind is not in itself enough to resist their attacks (as is sometimes the case with anger or gloominess or the other passions, which an effort of the mind alone can overcome without any mortification of the flesh); but bodily chastisement must be used as well, and be carried out by means of fasting and vigils and acts of contrition; and to this must be added change of scene, because since these sins are the results of faults of both mind and body, so they can only be overcome by the united efforts of both. And although the blessed Apostle says generally that all faults are carnal, since he enumerates enmities and anger and heresies among other works of the flesh, Galatians 5:19 yet in order to cure them and to discover their nature more exactly we make a twofold division of them: for we call some of them carnal, and some spiritual. And those we call carnal, which specially have to do with pampering the appetites of the flesh, and with which it is so charmed and satisfied, that sometimes it excites the mind when at rest and even drags it against its will to consent to its desire. Of which the blessed Apostle says: In which also we all walked in time past in the desires of our flesh, fulfilling the will of the flesh and of our thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest. Ephesians 2:3 But we call those spiritual which spring only from the impulse of the mind and not merely contribute no pleasure to the flesh, but actually bring on it a weakness that is harmful to it, and only feed a diseased mind with the food of a most miserable pleasure. And therefore these need a single medicine for the heart: but those which are carnal can only be cured, as we said, by a double remedy. Whence it is extremely useful for those who aspire to purity, to begin by withdrawing from themselves the material which feeds these carnal passions, through which opportunity for or recollection of these same desires can arise in a soul that is still affected by the evil. For a complicated disease needs a complicated remedy. For from the body the object and material which would allure it must be withdrawn, for fear lest the lust should endeavour to break out into act; and before the mind we should no less carefully place diligent meditation on Scripture and watchful anxiety and the withdrawal into solitude, lest it should give birth to desire even in thought. But as regards other faults intercourse with our fellows is no obstacle, or rather it is of the greatest possible use, to those who truly desire to get rid of them, because in mixing with others they more often meet with rebuke, and while they are more frequently provoked the existence of the faults is made evident, and so they are cured with speedy remedies.

How our Lord alone was tempted without sin.

How our Lord alone was tempted without sin.

And so our Lord Jesus Christ, though the Apostle declares that He was tempted in all points like we are, is yet said to have been without sin (Hebrews 4:15)—that is, without the infection of this appetite, since He knew nothing of the incitements of carnal lust that we are certain to be troubled by even against our will and without our knowledge. For the archangel describes the manner of His conception this way: "The Holy Ghost shall come upon you and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you: therefore that which shall be born of you shall be called holy, the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).

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, Hebrews 4:15 i.e., without the infection of this appetite, as He knew nothing of incitements of carnal lust, with which we are sure to be troubled even against our will and without our knowledge; for the archangel thus describes the manner of His conception: The Holy Ghost shall come upon you and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you: therefore that which shall be born of you shall be called holy, the Son of God. Luke 1:35

Concerning the manner of the temptation in which our Lord was attacked by the devil.

Of the manner of the temptation in which our Lord was attacked by the devil.

It was fitting that He who possessed the perfect image and likeness of God should Himself be tempted through those passions by which Adam was also tempted while he still retained the unbroken image of God—that is, through gluttony, vainglory, and pride. He was not tempted through those passions in which Adam became entangled and trapped by his own fault after he broke the commandment, when the image and likeness of God was damaged. Adam fell into gluttony when he took the fruit of the forbidden tree, into vainglory when he heard "Your eyes shall be opened," and into pride when he heard "You shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." We read that the Lord our Savior was also tempted by these three sins: with gluttony when the devil said to Him, "Command these stones that they be made bread"; with vainglory when the devil said, "If You are the Son of God cast Yourself down"; with pride when the devil showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and said, "All this will I give to You if You will fall down and worship me." He did this to teach us by His example how we ought to defeat the tempter when we are attacked along the same lines of temptation as He was. Both the former and the latter are called Adam: one is the first for destruction and death, the other is the first for resurrection and life. Through the one, the whole human race is brought into condemnation; through the other, the whole human race is set free. The one was formed out of raw and unformed earth; the other was born of the Virgin Mary. In His case, though it was fitting that He undergo temptation, it was not necessary that He fail under it. He who had conquered gluttony could not be tempted by fornication, which springs from excess and gluttony as its root—a sin that would not have destroyed even the first Adam unless he had first been deceived by the devil's tricks and fallen victim to passion. Therefore the Son of God is not said to have come absolutely in the flesh of sin, but in the likeness of the flesh of sin. Though His flesh was true and He ate and drank and slept and truly received the nail prints, there was in Him no true sin inherited from the fall, but only something like it. He had no experience of the fiery darts of fleshly lust, which in our case arise even against our will from the constitution of our natures, but He took upon Himself something like this by sharing in our nature. Because He truly fulfilled every function that belongs to us and bore all human weaknesses, He has been considered to have been subject to this feeling also, so that He might appear through these weaknesses to bear in His own flesh the condition even of this fault and sin. Finally, the devil only tempted Him to those sins by which he had deceived the first Adam, reasoning that He as a man would likewise be deceived in other matters if the devil found that He was overcome by those temptations by which he had overthrown His predecessor. But because the devil was defeated in the first encounter, he was not able to bring upon Him the second weakness that had grown from the root of the first fault. He saw that Christ had not even admitted anything from which this weakness might arise, and it was pointless to hope for the fruit of sin from Him, since the devil saw that He in no way received into Himself its seeds or roots. Yet according to Luke, who places last the temptation in which the devil uses the words "If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down," we can understand this as the feeling of pride. That earlier temptation, which Matthew places third and in which (as the evangelist Luke says) the devil showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time and promised them to Him, may be understood as the feeling of covetousness. After His victory over gluttony, the devil did not dare tempt Him to fornication but moved on to covetousness, which he knew to be the root of all evils. When defeated again in this, he did not dare attack Him with any of those sins that follow, which (as he well knew) spring from this as a root and source. So he moved on to the last passion, namely pride, by which he knew that those who are perfect and have overcome all other sins can be affected, and through which he remembered that he himself in his character as Lucifer, and many others too, had fallen from their heavenly state without temptation from any of the preceding passions. In this order that we have mentioned, which is the one given by the evangelist Luke, there is an exact agreement between the allurements and forms of the temptations by which that most cunning enemy attacked both the first and the second Adam. To the one he said, "Your eyes shall be opened"; to the other he showed all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. In the one case he said, "You shall be as gods"; in the other, "If You are the Son of God."

For it was right that He who was in possession of the perfect image and likeness of God should be Himself tempted through those passions, through which Adam also was tempted while he still retained the image of God unbroken, that is, through gluttony, vainglory, pride; and not through those in which he was by his own fault entangled and involved after the transgression of the commandment, when the image and likeness of God was marred. For it was gluttony through which he took the fruit of the forbidden tree, vainglory through which it was said Your eyes shall be opened, and pride through which it was said You shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:5 With these three sins then we read that the Lord our Saviour was also tempted; with gluttony when the devil said to Him: Command these stones that they be made bread: with vainglory: If You are the Son of God cast Yourself down: with pride, when he showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them and said: All this will I give to You if You will fall down and worship me: in order that He might by His example teach us how we ought to vanquish the tempter when we are attacked on the same lines of temptation as He was. And so both the former and the latter are spoken of as Adam; the one being the first for destruction and death, and the other the first for resurrection and life. Through the one the whole race of mankind is brought into condemnation, through the other the whole race of mankind is set free. The one was fashioned out of raw and unformed earth, the other was born of the Virgin Mary. In His case then though it was fitting that He should undergo temptation, yet it was not necessary that He should fail under it. Nor could He who had vanquished gluttony be tempted by fornication, which springs from superfluity and gluttony as its root, with which even the first Adam would not have been destroyed unless before its birth he had been deceived by the wiles of the devil and fallen a victim to passion. And therefore the Son of God is not said absolutely to have come in the flesh of sin, but in the likeness of the flesh of sin, because though His was true flesh and He ate and drank and slept, and truly received the prints of the nails, there was in Him no true sin inherited from the fall, but only what was something like it. For He had no experience of the fiery darts of carnal lust, which in our case arise even against our will, from the constitution of our natures, but He took upon Him something like this, by sharing in our nature. For as He truly fulfilled every function which belongs to us, and bore all human infirmities, He has consequently been considered to have been subject to this feeling also, that He might appear through these infirmities to bear in His own flesh the state even of this fault and sin. Lastly the devil only tempted Him to those sins, by which he had deceived the first Adam, inferring that He as man would similarly be deceived in other matters if he found that He was overcome by those temptations by which he had overthrown His predecessor. But as he was overthrown in the first encounter he was not able to bring upon Him the second infirmity which had shot up as from the root of the first fault. For he saw that He had not even admitted anything from which this infirmity might take its rise, and it was idle to hope for the fruit of sin from Him, as he saw that He in no sort of way received into Himself seeds or roots of it. Yet according to Luke, who places last that temptation in which he uses the words If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down, Luke 4:9 we can understand this of the feeling of pride, so that that earlier one, which Matthew places third, in which, as Luke the evangelist says, the devil showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time and promised them to Him, may be taken of the feeling of covetousness, because after His victory over gluttony, he did not venture to tempt Him to fornication, but passed on to covetousness, which he knew to be the root of all evils, 1 Timothy 6:10 and when again vanquished in this, he did not dare attack Him with any of those sins which follow, which, as he knew full well, spring from this as a root and source; and so he passed on to the last passion; viz., pride, by which he knew that those who are perfect and have overcome all other sins, can be affected, and owing to which he remembered that he himself in his character of Lucifer, and many others too, had fallen from their heavenly estate, without temptation from any of the preceding passions. In this order then which we have mentioned, which is the one given by the evangelist Luke, there is an exact agreement between the allurements and forms of the temptations by which that most crafty foe attacked both the first and the second Adam. For to the one he said Your eyes shall be opened; to the other he showed all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. In the one case he said You shall be as gods; in the other, If You are the Son of God.

How vainglory and pride can be fully realized without any help from the body.

How vainglory and pride can be consummated without any assistance from the body.

And to continue in the order we proposed with our account of how the other passions act (our analysis of which had to be interrupted by this account of gluttony and the Lord's temptation), vainglory and pride can be fully realized even without the slightest assistance from the body. For in what way do these passions need any action of the flesh, when they bring complete destruction on the soul they capture simply through its consent and desire to gain praise and glory from men? Or what bodily act was involved in that ancient pride in the case of the above-mentioned Lucifer, since he only conceived it in his heart and mind, as the prophet tells us: "Who said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will set my throne above the stars of God. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most High" (Isaiah 14:13-14)? And just as he had no one to stir him up to this pride, so his thoughts alone were the authors of the sin when complete and of his eternal fall, especially since no exercise of the dominion he aimed at actually followed.

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 pride can be consummated even without the slightest assistance from the body. For in what way do those passions need any action of the flesh, which bring ample destruction on the soul they take captive simply by its assent and wish to gain praise and glory from men? Or what act on the part of the body was there in that pride of old in the case of the above mentioned Lucifer; as he only conceived it in his heart and mind, as the prophet tells us: Who said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will set my throne above the stars of God. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most High. Isaiah 14:13-14 And just as he had no one to stir him up to this pride, so his thoughts alone were the authors of the sin when complete and of his eternal fall; especially as no exercise of the dominion at which he aimed followed.

Of covetousness, which is something outside our nature, and of the difference between it and those faults which are natural to us.

Of covetousness, which is something outside our nature, and of the difference between it and those faults which are natural to us.

Covetousness and anger, though they differ in character (since the former is something outside our nature while the latter seems to have its seed planted within us), arise in the same way, as they usually find their reasons for being stirred up in something external to us. Often men who are still quite weak complain that they have fallen into these sins through irritation and the provocation of others, and are driven headlong into the passions of anger and covetousness by other people's provocation. But we can clearly see that covetousness is something outside our nature from this: it is proven not to have its first starting point inside us, nor does it originate in what contributes to keeping body and soul together and to the existence of life. For clearly nothing belongs to the actual needs and necessities of our common life except our daily food and drink. But everything else, however much zeal and care we use to preserve it, is shown by life's needs themselves to be something distinct from human wants. And so this temptation, being something outside our nature, only attacks monks who are lukewarm and built on a bad foundation, whereas those temptations which are natural to us do not stop troubling even the best monks and those who live in solitude. This is shown to be so true that we find there are some nations who are completely free from this passion of covetousness, because they have never through use and custom taken this fault and weakness into themselves. And we believe that the old world before the flood was ignorant of the madness of this desire for long ages. And in the case of each one of us who makes a thorough renunciation of the world, we know that it is rooted out without any difficulty, if a man gives up all his property and seeks the monastic discipline in such a way as not to allow himself to keep a single coin. And we can find thousands of men to witness to this, who in a single moment have given up all their property and have so completely eradicated this passion as not to be troubled by it in the slightest degree afterward, though all their life long they have to fight against gluttony and cannot be safe from it without striving with the utmost watchfulness of heart and bodily abstinence.

Covetousness and anger, although they are not of the same character (for the former is something outside our nature, while the latter seems to have as it were its seed plot within us) yet they spring up in the same way, as in most instances they find the reasons for their being stirred in something outside of us. For often men who are still rather weak complain that they have fallen into these sins through irritation and the instigation of others, and are plunged headlong into the passions of anger and covetousness by the provocation of other people. But that covetousness is something outside our nature, we can clearly see from this; viz., that it is proved not to have its first starting point inside us, nor does it originate in what contributes to keeping body and soul together, and to the existence of life. For it is plain that nothing belongs to the actual needs and necessities of our common life except our daily meat and drink: but everything else, with whatever zeal and care we preserve it, is shown to be something distinct from the wants of man by the needs of life itself. And so this temptation, as being something outside our nature, only attacks those monks who are but lukewarm and built on a bad foundation, whereas those which are natural to us do not cease from troubling even the best of monks and those who dwell in solitude. And so far is this shown to be true, that we find that there are some nations who are altogether free from this passion of covetousness, because they have never by use and custom received into themselves this fault and infirmity. And we believe that the old world before the flood was for long ages ignorant of the madness of this desire. And in the case of each one of us who makes his renunciation of the world a thorough one, we know that it is extirpated without any difficulty, if, that is, a man gives up all his property, and seeks the monastic discipline in such a way as not to allow himself to keep a single farthing. And we can find thousands of men to bear witness to this, who in a single moment have given up all their property, and have so thoroughly eradicated this passion as not to be in the slightest degree troubled by it afterwards, though all their life long they have to fight against gluttony, and cannot be safe from it without striving with the utmost watchfulness of heart and bodily abstinence.

How dejection and accidie generally arise without any external provocation, unlike other faults.

How dejection and accidie generally arise without any external provocation, as in the case of other faults.

Dejection and accidie generally arise without any external provocation, just like the other faults we have been discussing. We know very well that they often trouble hermits and those who have settled in the desert without any contact with other people, and they do so in the most distressing way. Anyone who has lived in the desert and experienced the struggles of the inner man can easily verify this truth through personal experience.

Dejection and accidie generally arise without any external provocation, like those others of which we have been speaking: for we are well aware that they often harass solitaries, and those who have settled themselves in the desert without any intercourse with other men, and this in the most distressing way. And the truth of this any one who has lived in the desert and made trial of the conflicts of the inner man, can easily prove by experience.

How six of these faults are related, and the two that differ from them are akin to one another.

How six of these faults are related, and the two which differ from them are akin to one another.

Of these eight faults, although they differ in their origin and in how they affect us, the first six—gluttony, fornication, covetousness, anger, dejection, and accidie—have a kind of connection with each other and are linked together like a chain, so that any excess of one creates a starting point for the next. From an excess of gluttony, fornication is sure to spring; from fornication, covetousness; from covetousness, anger; from anger, dejection; and from dejection, accidie. Therefore we must fight against them in the same way and with the same methods. Having overcome one, we should always enter the struggle against the next. A tall and spreading tree of a harmful kind will more easily wither if the roots it depends on are first exposed or cut. A dangerous pond of water will dry up at once if the spring and flowing channel that produce it are carefully stopped up. Therefore, to overcome accidie, you must first get the better of dejection. To get rid of dejection, anger must first be expelled. To quell anger, covetousness must be trampled underfoot. To root out covetousness, fornication must be checked. And to destroy fornication, you must discipline the sin of gluttony. But the two remaining faults—vainglory and pride—are connected together in a somewhat similar way to the others we have mentioned, so that the growth of one creates a starting point for the other (for an excess of vainglory produces an incentive to pride). However, they are altogether different from the first six faults and are not joined in the same category with them, since not only is there no opportunity given for them to spring up from these, but they are actually aroused in an entirely different way and manner. When the first six have been eradicated, these latter flourish more vigorously, and from the death of the others they shoot forth and grow up all the stronger. Therefore we are attacked by these two faults in quite a different way. We fall into each of those six faults at the moment we have been overcome by the ones that preceded them, but into these two we are in danger of falling when we have proved victorious, and especially after some splendid triumph. In the cases of all the faults, just as they spring up from the growth of those that precede them, so they are eradicated by getting rid of the earlier ones. In this way, for pride to be driven out, vainglory must be stifled. And so, if we always overcome the earlier ones, the later ones will be checked. Through the extermination of those that lead the way, the rest of our passions will die down without difficulty. And though these eight faults we have spoken of are connected and joined together in the way we have shown, they may be more precisely divided into four groups and subdivisions. For to gluttony, fornication is linked by a special tie; to covetousness, anger; to dejection, accidie; and to vainglory, pride is closely allied.

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 connection with each other, and are, so to speak, linked together in a chain, so that any excess of the one forms a starting point for the next. For from superfluity of gluttony fornication is sure to spring, and from fornication covetousness, from covetousness anger, from anger, dejection, and from dejection, accidie. And so we must fight against them in the same way, and with the same methods: and having overcome one, we ought always to enter the lists against the next. For a tall and spreading tree of a noxious kind will the more easily be made to wither if the roots on which it depends have first been laid bare or cut; and a pond of water which is dangerous will be dried up at once if the spring and flowing channel which produce it are carefully stopped up. Wherefore in order to overcome accidie, you must first get the better of dejection: in order to get rid of dejection, anger must first be expelled: in order to quell anger, covetousness must be trampled under foot: in order to root out covetousness, fornication must be checked: and in order to destroy fornication, you must chastise the sin of gluttony. But the two remaining faults; viz., vainglory and pride, are connected together in a somewhat similar way as the others of which we have spoken, so that the growth of the one makes a starting point for the other (for superfluity of vainglory produces an incentive to pride); but they are altogether different from the six former faults, and are not joined in the same category with them, since not only is there no opportunity given for them to spring up from these, but they are actually aroused in an entirely different way and manner. For when these others have been eradicated these latter flourish the more vigorously, and from the death of the others they shoot forth and grow up all the stronger: and therefore we are attacked by these two faults in quite a different way. For we fall into each one of those six faults at the moment when we have been overcome by the ones that went before them; but into these two we are in danger of falling when we have proved victorious, and above all after some splendid triumph. In the cases then of all faults just as they spring up from the growth of those that go before them, so are they eradicated by getting rid of the earlier ones. And in this way in order that pride may be driven out vainglory must be stifled, and so if we always overcome the earlier ones, the later ones will be checked; and through the extermination of those that lead the way, the rest of our passions will die down without difficulty. And though these eight faults of which we have spoken are connected and joined together in the way which we have shown, yet they may be more exactly divided into four groups and sub-divisions. For to gluttony fornication is linked by a special tie: to covetousness anger, to dejection accidie, and to vainglory pride is closely allied.

Of the origin and nature of each of these faults.

Of the origin and character of each of these faults.

And now, to speak about each kind of fault separately: there are three types of gluttony: (1) that which drives a monk to eat before the proper and established times; (2) that which cares about filling the belly and stuffing it with all kinds of food; and (3) that which seeks out fancy and delicious foods. These three types give a monk considerable trouble unless he tries to free himself from all of them with the same care and attention. For just as one should never dare to break one's fast before the right time, so we must completely avoid all greediness in eating and the selection and elaborate preparation of our food. From these three causes different but extremely dangerous conditions of the soul arise. From the first comes dislike of the monastery, and from that grows disgust and intolerance of the life there, and this is sure to be soon followed by withdrawal and quick departure from it. By the second, the fiery darts of luxury and lust are kindled. The third also weaves the entangling meshes of covetousness as nets for its prisoners, and constantly prevents monks from following the perfect self-denial of Christ. When there are traces of this passion in us, we can recognize them by this: if we are invited to dine by one of the brothers, we are not content to eat our food with the seasoning he has prepared and offers us, but take the inexcusable liberty of asking to have something else poured over it or added to it, which we should never do for three reasons: (1) because the monastic mind ought always to be accustomed to practicing endurance and abstinence, and like the Apostle, to learn to be content in whatever state he is (Philippians 4:11). For one who is upset by taking an unpleasant bite once in a while, and who cannot even for a short time overcome his delicate appetite, will never succeed in controlling the hidden and more important desires of the body; (2) because it sometimes happens that at the time our host does not have that particular thing we ask for, and we make him feel ashamed of the scarcity and emptiness of his table by exposing his poverty, which he would rather have known only to God; (3) because sometimes other people do not care for the seasoning we ask for, and so it turns out that we are annoying most of them while focused on satisfying the desires of our own taste. And for this reason we must by all means avoid such liberty. There are three types of fornication: (1) that which is accomplished by sexual intercourse; (2) that which takes place without touching a woman, for which we read that Onan the son of the patriarch Judah was struck down by the Lord, and which is called by Scripture uncleanness, of which the Apostle says: But I say to the unmarried and to widows, that it is good for them if they remain even as I. But if they do not have self-control, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn (1 Corinthians 7:8-9); (3) that which is conceived in heart and mind, of which the Lord says in the gospel: Whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28). And these three kinds the blessed Apostle tells us must be stamped out in one and the same way. Mortify, he says, your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, lust, etc. (Colossians 3:5). And again of two of them he says to the Ephesians: Let fornication and uncleanness not even be named among you; and once more: But know this, that no fornicator or unclean person, or covetous person who is an idolater, has inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God (Ephesians 5:3-5). And just as these three must be avoided by us with equal care, so they one and all shut us out and exclude us equally from the kingdom of Christ. There are three kinds of covetousness: (1) that which prevents those renouncing the world from allowing themselves to be stripped of their goods and property; (2) that which draws us to take back with excessive eagerness the possession of those things we have given away and distributed to the poor; (3) that which leads a man to desire and acquire what he never previously possessed. There are three kinds of anger: one which rages within, which is called in Greek thymos; another which breaks out in word and deed and action, which they call orge, of which the Apostle speaks, saying: But now you also put aside all anger and indignation (Colossians 3:8); the third, which is not like those in boiling over and being finished within an hour, but which lasts for days and long periods, which is called menis. And all these three must be condemned by us with equal horror. There are two kinds of dejection: one, that which springs up when anger has died down, or is the result of some loss we have suffered or of some purpose which has been blocked and frustrated; the other, that which comes from unreasonable anxiety of mind or from despair. There are two kinds of accidie: one which sends those affected by it to sleep; the other which makes them abandon their cell and flee away. Although vainglory takes various forms and shapes and is divided into different classes, there are two main kinds: (1) when we are puffed up about bodily things and visible things, and (2) when we are inflamed with the desire for vain praise for spiritual and unseen things.

And now, to speak about each kind of fault separately: of gluttony there are three sorts: (1) that which drives a monk to eat before the proper and stated times; (2) that which cares about filling the belly and gorging it with all kinds of food, and (3) that which is on the lookout for dainties and delicacies. And these three sorts give a monk no little trouble, unless he tries to free himself from all of them with the same care and scrupulousness. For just as one should never venture to break one's fast before the right time so we must utterly avoid all greediness in eating, and the choice and dainty preparation of our food: for from these three causes different but extremely dangerous conditions of the soul arise. For from the first there springs up dislike of the monastery, and thence there grows up disgust and intolerance of the life there, and this is sure to be soon followed by withdrawal and speedy departure from it. By the second there are kindled the fiery darts of luxury and lasciviousness. The third also weaves the entangling meshes of covetousness for the nets of its prisoners, and ever hinders monks from following the perfect self-abnegation of Christ. And when there are traces of this passion in us we can recognize them by this; viz., if we are kept to dine by one of the brethren we are not content to eat our food with the relish which he has prepared and offers to us, but take the unpardonable liberty of asking to have something else poured over it or added to it, a thing which we should never do for three reasons: (1) because the monastic mind ought always to be accustomed to practise endurance and abstinence, and like the Apostle, to learn to be content in whatever state he is. Philippians 4:11 For one who is upset by taking an unsavoury morsel once and in a way, and who cannot even for a short time overcome the delicacy of his appetite will never succeed in curbing the secret and more important desires of the body; (2) because it sometimes happens that at the time our host is out of that particular thing which we ask for, and we make him feel ashamed of the wants and bareness of his table, by exposing his poverty which he would rather was only known to God; (3) because sometimes other people do not care about the relish which we ask for, and so it turns out that we are annoying most of them while intent on satisfying the desires of our own palate. And on this account we must by all means avoid such a liberty. Of fornication there are three sorts: (1) that which is accomplished by sexual intercourse; (2) that which takes place without touching a woman, for which we read that Onan the son of the patriarch Judah was smitten by the Lord; and which is termed by Scripture uncleanness: of which the Apostle says: But I say to the unmarried and to widows, that it is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they do not contain let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn; 1 Corinthians 7:8-9 (3) that which is conceived in heart and mind, of which the Lord says in the gospel: Whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:28 And these three kinds the blessed Apostle tells us must be stamped out in one and the same way. Mortify, says he, your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, lust, etc. Colossians 3:5 And again of two of them he says to the Ephesians: Let fornication and uncleanness be not so much as named among you: and once more: But know this that no fornicator or unclean person, or covetous person who is an idolater has inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Ephesians 5:3-5 And just as these three must be avoided by us with equal care, so they one and all shut us out and exclude us equally from the kingdom of Christ. Of covetousness there are three kinds: (1) That which hinders renunciants from allowing themselves of be stripped of their goods and property; (2) that which draws us to resume with excessive eagerness the possession of those things which we have given away and distributed to the poor; (3) that which leads a man to covet and procure what he never previously possessed. Of anger there are three kinds: one which rages within, which is called in Greek θυμός; another which breaks out in word and deed and action, which they term ὀργή: of which the Apostle speaks, saying But now do ye lay aside all anger and indignation; Colossians 3:8 the third, which is not like those in boiling over and being done with in an hour, but which lasts for days and long periods, which is called μῆνις. And all these three must be condemned by us with equal horror. Of dejection there are two kinds: one, that which springs up when anger has died down, or is the result of some loss we have incurred or of some purpose which has been hindered and interfered with; the other, that which comes from unreasonable anxiety of mind or from despair. Of accidie there are two kinds: one of which sends those affected by it to sleep; while the other makes them forsake their cell and flee away. Of vainglory, although it takes various forms and shapes, and is divided into different classes, yet there are two main kinds: (1) when we are puffed up about carnal things and things visible, and (2) when we are inflamed with the desire of vain praise for things spiritual and unseen.

How Vainglory May Be Useful to Us

How vainglory may be useful to us.

But in one matter vainglory is found to be useful for beginners—I mean for those who are still troubled by carnal sins. For example, when they are troubled by the spirit of fornication, they might think about the dignity of the priesthood or their reputation among all people, by which they are considered saints and pure. With these thoughts they repel the unclean suggestions of lust, considering them base and at least unworthy of their rank and reputation. In this way, by means of a smaller evil they overcome a greater one. For it is better for a person to be troubled by the sin of vainglory than to fall into the desire for fornication, from which they either cannot recover at all or can do so only with great difficulty once they have fallen. This thought is admirably expressed by one of the prophets speaking in the person of God: "For My name's sake I will remove My wrath afar off, and with My praise I will bridle you lest you should perish" (Isaiah 48:9). In other words, while you are held back by the praises of vainglory, you cannot possibly rush into the depths of hell or plunge irrevocably into deadly sins. We need not be surprised that this passion can stop someone from rushing into the sin of fornication, since it has been proven by many examples that once a person is affected by its poison and plague, it makes them utterly tireless, so that they scarcely feel a fast of even two or three days. We have often known people living in this desert who confess that when their home was in the monasteries of Syria they could easily go for five days without food, while now they are so overcome with hunger even by the third hour that they can scarcely keep their daily fast until the ninth hour. On this subject there is a very pointed answer from Abbot Macarius to someone who asked him why he was troubled with hunger as early as the third hour in the desert, when in the monastery he had often scorned food for a whole week without feeling hungry. "Because," he said, "here there is nobody to see your fast and feed and support you with their praise of you, but there you grew fat on the notice of others and the food of vainglory." Regarding the way in which, as we said, the sin of fornication is prevented by an attack of vainglory, there is an excellent and significant figure in the book of Kings. When the children of Israel had been taken captive by Necho, King of Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Assyria, came up and brought them back from the borders of Egypt to their own country—not to restore them to their former liberty and their native land, but intending to carry them off to his own land and transport them to a country even more distant than the land of Egypt where they had been prisoners. This illustration applies exactly to the case before us. For though there is less harm in yielding to the sin of vainglory than to fornication, it is more difficult to escape from the dominion of vainglory. For somehow the prisoner who is carried off to a greater distance will have more difficulty returning to his native land and the freedom of his fathers, and the prophet's rebuke will deservedly be aimed at him: "Why have you grown old in a strange country?" (Baruch 3:11). A person is rightly said to have grown old in a strange country if they have not broken up the ground of their faults. There are two kinds of pride: (1) carnal, and (2) spiritual, which is worse. For it especially attacks those who are seen to have made progress in some good qualities.

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 all men, by which they may be thought saints and immaculate: and so with these considerations they repell the unclean suggestions of lust, as deeming them base and at least unworthy of their rank and reputation; and so by means of a smaller evil they overcome a greater one. For it is better for a man to be troubled by the sin of vainglory than for him to fall into the desire for fornication, from which he either cannot recover at all or only with great difficulty after he has fallen. And this thought is admirably expressed by one of the prophets speaking in the person of God, and saying: For My name's sake I will remove My wrath afar off: and with My praise I will bridle you lest you should perish, Isaiah 48:9 i.e., while you are enchained by the praises of vainglory, you cannot possibly rush on into the depths of hell, or plunge irrevocably into the commission of deadly sins. Nor need we wonder that this passion has the power of checking anyone from rushing into the sin of fornication, since it has been again and again proved by many examples that when once a man has been affected by its poison and plague, it makes him utterly indefatigable, so that he scarcely feels a fast of even two or three days. And we have often known some who are living in this desert, confessing that when their home was in the monasteries of Syria they could without difficulty go for five days without food, while now they are so overcome with hunger even by the third hour, that they can scarcely keep on their daily fast to the ninth hour. And on this subject there is a very neat answer of Abbot Macarius to one who asked him why he was troubled with hunger as early as the third hour in the desert, when in the monastery he had often scorned food for a whole week, without feeling hungry. Because, said he, here there is nobody to see your fast, and feed and support you with his praise of you: but there you grew fat on the notice of others and the food of vainglory. And of the way in which, as we said, the sin of fornication is prevented by an attack of vainglory, there is an excellent and significant figure in the book of Kings, where, when the children of Israel had been taken captive by Necho, King of Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Assyria, came up and brought them back from the borders of Egypt to their own country, not indeed meaning to restore them to their former liberty and their native land, but meaning to carry them off to his own land and to transport them to a still more distant country than the land of Egypt in which they had been prisoners. And this illustration exactly applies to the case before us. For though there is less harm in yielding to the sin of vainglory than to fornication, yet it is more difficult to escape from the dominion of vainglory. For somehow or other the prisoner who is carried off to a greater distance, will have more difficulty in returning to his native land and the freedom of his fathers, and the prophet's rebuke will be deservedly aimed at him: Wherefore are you grown old in a strange country? Baruch 3:11 since a man is rightly said to have grown old in a strange country, if he has not broken up the ground of his faults. Of pride there are two kinds: (1) carnal, and (2) spiritual, which is the worse. For it especially attacks those who are seen to have made progress in some good qualities.

Of the different ways in which all these faults assault us.

Of the different ways in which all these faults assault us.

Although these eight faults trouble all kinds of people, they do not attack everyone in the same way. In one person the spirit of fornication holds the chief place, while wrath runs roughshod over another. Vainglory claims dominion over another person, and pride holds the field in yet another. And though it is clear that we are all attacked by all of them, the difficulties come to each of us in very different ways and manners.

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 other pride holds the field: and though it is clear that we are all attacked by all of them, yet the difficulties come to each of us in very different ways and manners.

When our faults attack us, we must enter into a struggle against them.

Of the struggle into which we must enter against our faults, when they attack us.

Therefore we must engage with these faults in such a way that each person should identify his dominant sin and direct his main attack against it, focusing all his care and mental vigilance to guard against its assault, aiming against it the daily weapons of fasting, and constantly hurling against it the steady arrows of sighs and groans from the heart, and employing against it the labors of night vigils and mental meditation, and further pouring out to God constant tears and prayers and continually and specifically praying to be delivered from its attack. For it is impossible for a person to win a victory over any kind of passion unless he has first clearly understood that he cannot possibly gain victory in the struggle against it by his own strength and efforts, although in order to be made pure he must persist night and day in the utmost care and watchfulness. And even when he feels that he has rid himself of this fault, he should still search the innermost depths of his heart with the same purpose, and identify the worst fault he can see among those still remaining there, and bring all the forces of the Spirit to bear against it in particular, and so by always overcoming the stronger passions, he will gain a quick and easy victory over the rest, because through a series of triumphs the soul is made more vigorous, and the fact that the next conflict is with weaker passion ensures him readier success in the struggle. This is generally the case with those who are accustomed to face all kinds of wild beasts in the presence of the kings of this world for the sake of rewards—a kind of spectacle which is generally called pancarpus. Such men, I say, direct their first assault against whatever beasts they see to be the strongest and fiercest, and when they have killed these, they can more easily overcome the remaining ones, which are not so terrible and powerful. So too, by always overcoming the stronger passions, as weaker ones take their place, a complete victory will be secured for us without any risk. Nor should we imagine that if someone grapples with one fault in particular and seems too careless about guarding against the attacks of others, he will be easily wounded by a sudden assault, for this cannot possibly happen. For when a person is eager to cleanse his heart and has steeled his heart's resolve against the attack of any one fault, it is impossible for him not to have a general fear of all other faults as well and take similar care of them. For if a person makes himself unworthy of the prize of purity by contaminating himself with other faults, how can he possibly succeed in gaining victory over that one passion from which he longs to be freed? But when the main purpose of our heart has singled out one passion as the special object of its attack, we shall pray about it more earnestly, and with special anxiety and fervor shall entreat that we may be more especially on our guard against it and so succeed in gaining a speedy victory. For the giver of the law himself teaches us that we ought to follow this plan in our conflicts and not to trust in our own power, as he says: You shall not fear them because the Lord your God is in the midst of you, a God mighty and terrible: He will consume these nations in your sight little by little and by degrees. You will not be able to destroy them altogether, lest perhaps the beasts of the earth should increase upon you. But the Lord your God shall deliver them in your sight and shall slay them until they be utterly destroyed.

Wherefore we must enter the lists against these faults in such a way that every one should discover his besetting sin, and direct his main attack against it, directing all his care and watchfulness of mind to guard against its assault, directing against it daily the weapons of fasting, and at all times hurling against it the constant darts of sighs and groanings from the heart, and employing against it the labours of vigils and the meditation of the heart, and further pouring forth to God constant tears and prayers and continually and expressly praying to be delivered from its attack. For it is impossible for a man to win a triumph over any kind of passion, unless he has first clearly understood that he cannot possibly gain the victory in the struggle with it by his own strength and efforts, although in order that he may be rendered pure he must night and day persist in the utmost care and watchfulness. And even when he feels that he has got rid of this fault, he should still search the inmost recesses of his heart with the same purpose, and single out the worst fault which he can see among those still there, and bring all the forces of the Spirit to bear against it in particular, and so by always overcoming the stronger passions, he will gain a quick and easy victory over the rest, because by a course of triumphs the soul is made more vigorous, and the fact that the next conflict is with weaker passion insures him a readier success in the struggle: as is generally the case with those who are wont to face all kinds of wild beasts in the presence of the kings of this world, out of consideration for the rewards — a kind of spectacle which is generally called pancarpus. Such men, I say, direct their first assault against whatever beasts they see to be the strongest and fiercest, and when they have dispatched these, then they can more easily lay low the remaining ones, which are not so terrible and powerful. So too, by always overcoming the stronger passions, as weaker ones take their place, a perfect victory will be secured for us without any risk. Nor need we imagine that if any one grapples with one fault in particular, and seems too careless about guarding against the attacks of others, he will be easily wounded by a sudden assault, for this cannot possibly happen. For where a man is anxious to cleanse his heart, and has steeled his heart's purpose against the attack of any one fault, it is impossible for him not to have a general dread of all other faults as well, and take similar care of them. For if a man renders himself unworthy of the prize of purity by contaminating himself with other faults, how can he possibly succeed in gaining the victory over that one passion from which he is longing to be freed? But when the main purpose of our heart has singled out one passion as the special object of its attack, we shall pray about it more earnestly, and with special anxiety and fervour shall entreat that we may be more especially on our guard against it and so succeed in gaining a speedy victory. For the giver of the law himself teaches us that we ought to follow this plan in our conflicts and not to trust in our own power; as he says: You shall not fear them because the Lord your God is in the midst of you, a God mighty and terrible: He will consume these nations in your sight little by little and by degrees. You will not be able to destroy them altogether: lest perhaps the beasts of the earth should increase upon you. But the Lord your God shall deliver them in your sight; and shall slay them until they be utterly destroyed. Deuteronomy 7:21-23

How we can do nothing against our faults without God's help, and how we should not become proud when we overcome them.

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.

Scripture also warns us not to become prideful when we defeat our sins. It says, "After you have eaten and are full, built fine houses and lived in them, acquired herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, and plenty of gold and silver and all things, do not let your heart become proud so that you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who led you through the great and terrible wilderness" (Deuteronomy 8:12-15). Solomon also says in Proverbs, "When your enemy falls, do not rejoice, and when he is ruined, do not be glad, lest the Lord see it and it displease Him, and He turn His wrath away from him." In other words, God might see your pride and stop attacking your enemy, and then you would be abandoned by Him and troubled again by the very passion you had previously conquered through God's grace. The prophet would not have prayed, "Do not hand over to beasts, O Lord, the soul that confesses to You," unless he knew that some people, because of their pride, were given back over to the faults they had conquered, so that they might be humbled. Therefore, it is good for us to learn both from actual experience and from countless Scripture passages that we cannot possibly overcome such powerful enemies by our own strength, and that we need God's help alone. We must always credit all our daily victories entirely to God Himself. The Lord instructs us through Moses on this very point: "Do not say in your heart, when the Lord your God has destroyed them before you, 'The Lord has brought me in to possess this land because of my righteousness,' when in fact these nations are being destroyed because of their wickedness. It is not because of your righteousness and the uprightness of your heart that you are going in to possess their lands, but because they have done wickedly, they are being destroyed as you arrive" (Deuteronomy 9:4-5). What could be said more clearly against that arrogant notion of ours in which we want to credit everything we do to our own free will and our own efforts? "Do not say in your heart," Scripture tells us, "when the Lord your God has destroyed them before you, 'The Lord has brought me in to possess this land because of my righteousness.'" To those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, doesn't this plainly say: When your struggle against bodily sins goes well and you see that you are free from their filth and from worldly ways, do not become proud because of your success and victory and attribute it to your own power and wisdom. Do not think that you have won the victory over spiritual wickedness and bodily sins through your own efforts, energy, and free will. There is no doubt that you could not possibly have succeeded in any of this unless you had been strengthened and protected by the Lord's help.

And that we ought not to be puffed up by victories over them he likewise charges us; saying, Lest after you have eaten and art filled, hast built goodly houses and dwelt in them, and shall have herds of oxen and flocks of sheep, and plenty of gold and of silver, and of all things, your heart be lifted up and you remember not the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; and was your leader in the great and terrible wilderness. Deuteronomy 8:12-15 Solomon also says in Proverbs: When your enemy shall fall be not glad, and in his ruin be not lifted up, lest the Lord see and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him, i.e., lest He see your pride of heart, and cease from attacking him, and you begin to be forsaken by Him and so once more to be troubled by that passion which by God's grace you had previously overcome. For the prophet would not have prayed in these words, Deliver not up to beasts, O Lord, the soul that confesses to You, unless he had known that because of their pride of heart some were given over again to those faults which they had overcome, in order that they might be humbled. Wherefore it is well for us both to be certified by actual experience, and also to be instructed by countless passages of Scripture, that we cannot possibly overcome such mighty foes in our own strength, and unless supported by the aid of God alone; and that we ought always to refer the whole of our victory each day to God Himself, as the Lord Himself also gives us instruction by Moses on this very point: Say not in your heart when the Lord your God shall have destroyed them in your sight: For my righteousness has the Lord brought me in to possess this land, whereas these nations are destroyed for their wickedness. For it is not for your righteousness, and the uprightness of your heart, that you shall go in to possess their lands: but because they have done wickedly they are destroyed at your coming in. Deuteronomy 9:4-5 I ask what could be said clearer in opposition to that impious notion and impertinence of ours, in which we want to ascribe everything that we do to our own free will and our own exertions? Say not, he tells us, in your heart, when the Lord your God shall have destroyed them in your sight: For my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land. To those who have their eyes opened and their ears ready to hearken does not this plainly say: When your struggle with carnal faults has gone well for you, and you see that you are free from the filth of them, and from the fashions of this world, do not be puffed up by the success of the conflict and victory and ascribe it to your own power and wisdom, nor fancy that you have gained the victory over spiritual wickedness and carnal sins through your own exertions and energy, and free will? For there is no doubt that in all this you could not possibly have succeeded, unless you had been fortified and protected by the help of the Lord.

Concerning the meaning of the seven nations whose lands Israel took possession of, and the reason why they are sometimes spoken of as seven, and sometimes as many more.

Of the meaning of the seven nations of whose lands Israel took possession, and the reason why they are sometimes spoken of as seven, and sometimes as many.

These are the seven nations whose lands the Lord promised to give to the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt. Everything that happened to them, as the Apostle says, happened as a figure, and we ought to take it as written for our correction. For we read: When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are going to possess, and destroys many nations before you—the Hittite, the Girgashites, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations much more numerous and much stronger than you—and the Lord your God delivers them to you, you shall utterly destroy them. The reason they are said to be much more numerous is that vices are many more in number than virtues. In the list of them, the nations are counted as seven in number, but when their destruction is spoken of, they are mentioned without their number being given, for we read: And shall have destroyed many nations before you. The race of carnal passions that springs from this sevenfold source and root of sin is more numerous than the people of Israel. From it spring murders, conflicts, heresies, thefts, false witness, blasphemy, overeating, drunkenness, gossip, foolish joking, filthy speech, lies, perjury, foolish talk, crude humor, restlessness, greed, bitterness, shouting, anger, contempt, complaining, temptation, despair, and many other faults that would take too long to describe. If we are inclined to think these are small matters, let us hear what the Apostle thought about them and what his opinion was: Neither complain, he says, as some of them complained and were destroyed by the destroyer. And concerning temptation: Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them tempted and perished by serpents. Concerning gossip: Love not backbiting lest you be rooted out. And concerning despair: Who despairing have given themselves up to lasciviousness unto the working of all error, in uncleanness. That shouting is condemned as well as anger and indignation and blasphemy, the words of the same Apostle teach us as clearly as possible when he charges us: Let all bitterness, and anger, and indignation, and clamour, and blasphemy be put away from you with all malice, and many more things like these. Though these vices are far more numerous than the virtues, yet if those eight principal sins from which we know these naturally proceed are first overcome, all these at once sink down and are destroyed together with them in lasting destruction. For from gluttony proceed overeating and drunkenness. From fornication come filthy speech, crude humor, foolish joking, and foolish talk. From covetousness come lying, deceit, theft, perjury, the desire for dishonest gain, false witness, violence, inhumanity, and greed. From anger come murders, shouting, and indignation. From dejection come resentment, cowardice, bitterness, and despair. From accidie come laziness, sleepiness, rudeness, restlessness, wandering about, instability of both mind and body, talking too much, and excessive curiosity. From vainglory come contention, heresies, boasting, and confidence in novelties. From pride come contempt, envy, disobedience, blasphemy, complaining, and gossip. That all these plagues are stronger than we are, we can tell very plainly from the way they attack us. For the delight in carnal passions wars more powerfully in our bodies than does the desire for virtue, which is only gained with the greatest contrition of heart and body. But if you will only look with the eyes of the spirit on those countless hosts of our enemies, which the Apostle lists when he says: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places, and this which we find about the righteous man in the nineteenth Psalm: A thousand shall fall beside you and ten thousand at your right hand, then you will clearly see that they are far more numerous and more powerful than we are, carnal and earthly creatures as we are, while they possess a substance that is spiritual and incorporeal.

These are the seven nations whose lands the Lord promised to give to the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt. And everything which, as the Apostle says, happened to them in a figure 1 Corinthians 10:6 we ought to take as written for our correction. For so we read: When the Lord your God shall have brought you into the land, which you are going in to possess, and shall have destroyed many nations before you, the Hittite, and the Girgashites, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations much more numerous than you are and much stronger than you: and the Lord your God shall have delivered them to you, you shall utterly destroy them. Deuteronomy 7:1-2 And the reason that they are said to be much more numerous, is that faults are many more in number than virtues and so in the list of them the nations are reckoned as seven in number, but when the attack upon them is spoken of they are set down without their number being given, for thus we read And shall have destroyed many nations before you. For the race of carnal passions which springs from this sevenfold incentive and root of sin, is more numerous than that of Israel. For thence spring up murders, strifes, heresies, thefts, false witness, blasphemy, surfeiting, drunkenness, back-biting, buffoonery, filthy conversation, lies, perjury, foolish talking, scurrility, restlessness, greediness, bitterness, clamour, wrath, contempt, murmuring, temptation, despair, and many other faults, which it would take too long to describe. And if we are inclined to think these small matters, let us hear what the Apostle thought about them, and what was his opinion of them: Neither murmur, says he, as some of them murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer: and of temptation: Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them tempted and perished by the serpents. 1 Corinthians 10:9-10 Of backbiting: Love not backbiting lest you be rooted out. And of despair: Who despairing have given themselves up to lasciviousness unto the working of all error, in uncleanness. Ephesians 4:19 And that clamour is condemned as well as anger and indignation and blasphemy, the words of the same Apostle teach us as clearly as possible when he thus charges us: Let all bitterness, and anger, and indignation, and clamour, and blasphemy be put away from you with all malice, Ephesians 4:31 and many more things like these. And though these are far more numerous than the virtues are, yet if those eight principal sins, from which we know that these naturally proceed, are first overcome, all these at once sink down, and are destroyed together with them with a lasting destruction. For from gluttony proceed surfeiting and drunkenness. From fornication filthy conversation, scurrility, buffoonery and foolish talking. From covetousness, lying, deceit, theft, perjury, the desire of filthy lucre, false witness, violence, inhumanity, and greed. From anger, murders, clamour and indignation. From dejection, rancor, cowardice, bitterness, despair. From accidie, laziness, sleepiness, rudeness, restlessness, wandering about, instability both of mind and body, chattering, inquisitiveness. From vainglory, contention, heresies, boasting and confidence in novelties. From pride, contempt, envy, disobedience, blasphemy, murmuring, backbiting. And that all these plagues are stronger than we, we can tell very plainly from the way in which they attack us. For the delight in carnal passions wars more powerfully in our members than does the desire for virtue, which is only gained with the greatest contrition of heart and body. But if you will only gaze with the eyes of the spirit on those countless hosts of our foes, which the Apostle enumerates where he says: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places, and this which we find of the righteous man in the nineteenth Psalm: A thousand shall fall beside you and ten thousand at your right hand, then you will clearly see that they are far more numerous and more powerful than are we, carnal and earthly creatures as we are, while to them is given a substance which is spiritual and incorporeal.

A question concerning the comparison of nations with eight faults.

A question with regard to the comparison of nations with eight faults.

Germanus: How is it then that eight faults attack us, when Moses counts seven nations as enemies of the people of Israel, and how is it good for us to take possession of the territory of our 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?

Serapion: Everyone is perfectly agreed that there are eight principal faults which affect a monk. Not all of them are included in the figure of the nations for this reason: in Deuteronomy, Moses—or rather the Lord through him—was speaking to those who had already gone forth from Egypt and been set free from one most powerful nation, namely that of the Egyptians. We find that this figure also applies to our case. When we have escaped the snares of this world, we are found to be free from gluttony, that is, the sin of the belly and palate. Like them, we have a conflict against these seven remaining nations, without taking any account of the one which has already been overcome. The land of this nation was not given to Israel for a possession, but the Lord's command ordained that they should at once forsake it and go forth from it. For this reason our fasts ought to be moderate, so that there is no need for us through excessive abstinence—which results from weakness of the flesh and infirmity—to return again to the land of Egypt, that is, to our former greed and carnal lust which we forsook when we made our renunciation of this world. This has happened in a figure in those who, after having gone forth into the desert of virtue, again hanker after the flesh pots over which they sat in Egypt.

Serapion: Everybody is perfectly agreed that there are eight principal faults which affect a monk. And all of them are not included in the figure of the nations for this reason, because in Deuteronomy Moses, or rather the Lord through him, was speaking to those who had already gone forth from Egypt and been set free from one most powerful nation, I mean that of the Egyptians. And we find that this figure holds good also in our case, as when we have got clear of the snares of this world we are found to be free from gluttony, i.e., the sin of the belly and palate; and like them we have a conflict against these seven remaining nations, without taking account at all of the one which has been already overcome. And the land of this nation was not given to Israel for a possession, but the command of the Lord ordained that they should at once forsake it and go forth from it. And for this cause our fasts ought to be made moderate, that there may be no need for us through excessive abstinence, which results from weakness of the flesh and infirmity, to return again to the land of Egypt, i.e., to our former greed and carnal lust which we forsook when we made our renunciation of this world. And this has happened in a figure, in those who after having gone forth into the desert of virtue again hanker after the flesh pots over which they sat in Egypt.

The reason why one nation is to be abandoned, while seven are commanded to be destroyed.

The reason why one nation is to be forsaken, while seven are commanded to be destroyed.

But the reason why the nation in which the children of Israel were born was commanded not to be utterly destroyed but only to have its land abandoned, while these seven nations were commanded to be completely destroyed, is this: no matter how great our spiritual fervor may be when we enter the desert of virtues, we cannot possibly free ourselves entirely from the presence of gluttony or from dealing with it in our daily lives. The attraction to delicacies and fine foods will continue to exist as something natural and inborn in us, even though we work to cut off all excessive appetites and desires. Since these cannot be completely destroyed, they ought to be shunned and avoided. About these we read, "Take no care for the flesh with its desires" (Romans 13:14). So while we still retain this concern for the body, which we are told not to cut off entirely but to keep without its desires, it is clear that we do not destroy the Egyptian nation but rather separate ourselves from it in a way—not thinking about luxuries and elaborate feasts, but, as the Apostle says, being content with our daily food and clothing (1 Timothy 6:8). This is commanded figuratively in the law: "You shall not abhor the Egyptian, because you were a stranger in his land" (Deuteronomy 23:7). For necessary food cannot be refused to the body without danger to it and sin in the soul. But those seven troublesome faults we must root out completely from the innermost depths of our souls in every way possible. About these we read, "Let all bitterness and anger and indignation and clamor and blasphemy be put away from you with all malice," and again, "But fornication and all uncleanness and covetousness let it not so much as be named among you, or obscenity or foolish talking or scurrility." We can cut out the roots of these faults, which are grafted into our nature from outside, while we cannot possibly eliminate occasions of gluttony. For however far we have advanced, we cannot help being what we were born. We can show this is true not only from the lives of ordinary people like ourselves but from the lives and practices of all who have attained perfection, who even when they have eliminated incentives to all other passions and are withdrawing to the desert with perfect spiritual fervor and bodily discipline, still cannot do without thought for their daily meal and the preparation of their food from year to year.

But the reason why that nation in which the children of Israel were born, was bidden not to be utterly destroyed but only to have its land forsaken, while it was commanded that these seven nations were to be completely destroyed, is this: because however great may be the ardour of spirit, inspired by which we have entered on the desert of virtues, yet we cannot possibly free ourselves entirely from the neighbourhood of gluttony or from its service and, so to speak, from daily intercourse with it. For the liking for delicacies and dainties will live on as something natural and innate in us, even though we take pains to cut off all superfluous appetites and desires, which, as they cannot be altogether destroyed, ought to be shunned and avoided. For of these we read Take no care for the flesh with its desires. Romans 13:14 While then we still retain the feeling for this care, which we are bidden not altogether to cut off, but to keep without its desires, it is clear that we do not destroy the Egyptian nation but separate ourselves in a sort of way from it, not thinking anything about luxuries and delicate feasts, but, as the Apostle says, being content with our daily food and clothing. 1 Timothy 6:8 And this is commanded in a figure in the law, in this way: You shall not abhor the Egyptian, because you were a stranger in his land. Deuteronomy 23:7 For necessary food is not refused to the body without danger to it and sinfulness in the soul. But of those seven troublesome faults we must in every possible way root out the affections from the inmost recesses of our souls. For of them we read: Let all bitterness and anger and indignation and clamour and blasphemy be put away from you with all malice: and again: But fornication and all uncleanness and covetousness let it not so much as be named among you, or obscenity or foolish talking or scurrility. We can then cut out the roots of these faults which are grafted into our nature from without while we cannot possibly cut off occasions of gluttony. For however far we have advanced, we cannot help being what we were born. And that this is so we can show not only from the lives of little people like ourselves but from the lives and customs of all who have attained perfection, who even when they have got rid of incentives to all other passions, and are retiring to the desert with perfect fervour of spirit and bodily abnegation, yet still cannot do without thought for their daily meal and the preparation of their food from year to year.

Concerning the nature of gluttony, which can be illustrated by the comparison to an eagle.

Of the nature of gluttony, which may be illustrated by the simile of the eagle.

An excellent illustration of this passion, which is certain to trouble even a spiritual and outstanding monk, is found in the image of the eagle. For this bird, when flying high and soaring above the highest clouds, removing itself from the sight of all mortals and from the face of the entire earth, is still forced by the needs of the belly to descend and come down to earth to feed on carrion and dead bodies. This clearly demonstrates that the spirit of gluttony cannot be completely rooted out like all other faults, nor can it be entirely destroyed as they can, but we can only restrain and control through the power of the mind all its impulses and all unnecessary appetites.

An admirable illustration of this passion, with which a monk, however spiritual and excellent, is sure to be hampered, is found in the simile of the eagle. For this bird when in its flight on high it has soared above the highest clouds, and has withdrawn itself from the eyes of all mortals and from the face of the whole earth, is yet compelled by the needs of the belly to drop down and descend to the earth and feed upon carrion and dead bodies. And this clearly shows that the spirit of gluttony cannot be altogether extirpated like all other faults, nor be entirely destroyed like them, but that we can only hold down and check by the power of the mind all incentives to it and all superfluous appetites.

On the lasting character of gluttony as described by certain philosophers.

Of the lasting character of gluttony as described to some philosophers.

One of the Elders expressed the nature of this fault remarkably well through a riddle he used in a discussion with some philosophers. These philosophers thought they could mock him as an ignorant rustic because of his Christian simplicity. He said: My father left me in the grip of many creditors. I have paid off all the others in full and freed myself from all their urgent demands, but there is one I cannot satisfy even by paying it every day. When they could not understand the riddle and urgently begged him to explain it, he said: In my natural state, I was surrounded by many faults. But when God gave me the desire to be free, I renounced this world and at the same time gave up all my property that I had inherited from my father. In this way I satisfied them all, like pressing creditors, and freed myself completely from them. But I have never been able to completely rid myself of the urges toward gluttony. Even though I reduce the amount of food I eat to the smallest possible quantity, I cannot escape its daily demands. I must be constantly pressured by it, making what amounts to endless payments by continually satisfying it, and paying never-ending tribute whenever it demands. The philosophers then declared that this man, whom they had previously despised as a fool and country bumpkin, had thoroughly mastered the first principles of philosophy—that is, training in ethics. They marveled that he could have learned by natural insight what no worldly education could have taught him, while they themselves, with all their efforts and long course of study, had not learned this. This is enough about gluttony in particular. Now let us return to the discussion in which we had begun to consider the general relationship of our faults to each other.

For the nature of this fault was admirably expressed under cover of the following puzzle by one of the Elders in a discussion with some philosophers, who thought that they might chaff him like a country bumpkin because of his Christian simplicity. My father, said he, left me in the clutches of a great many creditors. All the others I have paid in full, and have freed myself from all their pressing claims; but one I cannot satisfy even by a daily payment. And when they could not see the meaning of the puzzle, and urgently begged him to explain it: I was, said he, in my natural condition, encompassed by a great many faults. But when God inspired me with the longing to be free, I renounced this world, and at the same time gave up all my property which I had inherited from my father, and so I satisfied them all like pressing creditors, and freed myself entirely from them. But I was never able altogether to get rid of the incentives to gluttony. For though I reduce the quantity of food which I take to the smallest possible amount, yet I cannot avoid the force of its daily solicitations, but must be perpetually 'dunned' by it, and be making as it were interminable payments by continually satisfying it, and pay never ending toll at its demand. Then they declared that this man, whom they had till now despised as a booby and a country bumpkin, had thoroughly grasped the first principles of philosophy, i.e., training in ethics, and they marvelled that he could by the light of nature have learned that which no schooling in this world could have taught him, while they themselves with all their efforts and long course of training had not learned this. This is enough on gluttony in particular. Now let us return to the discourse in which we had begun to consider the general relation of our faults to each other.

How God foretold to Abraham that Israel would have to drive out ten nations.

How it was that God foretold to Abraham that Israel would have to drive out ten nations.

When the Lord was speaking with Abraham about the future (a point which you did not ask about), we find that He did not list seven nations, but ten, whose land He promised to give to his descendants. Genesis 15:18-21 This number is clearly made up by adding idolatry and blasphemy, to whose dominion both the irreligious multitudes of the Gentiles and the blasphemous Jews were subject before the knowledge of God and the grace of Baptism, while they lived in a spiritual Egypt. But when a person has made his renunciation and come out from there, and having by God's grace conquered gluttony, has entered the spiritual wilderness, then he is free from the attacks of these three, and will only have to fight against those seven which Moses lists.

When the Lord was speaking with Abraham about the future (a point which you did not ask about) we find that He did not enumerate seven nations, but ten, whose land He promised to give to his seed. Genesis 15:18-21 And this number is plainly made up by adding idolatry, and blasphemy, to whose dominion, before the knowledge of God and the grace of Baptism, both the irreligious hosts of the Gentiles and blasphemous ones of the Jews were subject, while they dwelt in a spiritual Egypt. But when a man has made his renunciation and come forth from thence, and having by God's grace conquered gluttony, has come into the spiritual wilderness, then he is free from the attacks of these three, and will only have to wage war against those seven which Moses enumerates.

How it is beneficial for us to take possession of their lands.

How it is useful for us to take possession of their lands.

But the fact that we are commanded for our own good to take possession of the lands of those most wicked nations may be understood this way. Each fault has its own special corner in the heart, which it claims for itself in the hidden places of the soul. It drives out Israel—that is, the contemplation of holy and heavenly things—and never stops opposing them. For virtues cannot possibly live side by side with faults. For what participation does righteousness have with unrighteousness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? But as soon as these faults have been overcome by the people of Israel—that is, by those virtues that war against them—then immediately the place in our heart that the spirit of lust and sexual sin had occupied will be filled by chastity. The place that anger had held will be claimed by patience. The place that had been occupied by a sorrow that brings death will be taken by a godly sorrow that is full of joy. The place that had been wasted by acedia (spiritual sloth) will at once be cultivated by courage. The place that pride had trampled down will be made noble by humility. And so when each of these faults has been driven out, their places—that is, the tendency toward them—will be filled by the opposite virtues, which are fittingly called the children of Israel, that is, of the soul that sees God. And when these virtues have driven out all passions from the heart, we may believe that they have recovered their own possessions rather than invaded those of others.

But the fact that we are bidden for our good to take possession of the countries of those most wicked nations, may be understood in this way. Each fault has its own special corner in the heart, which it claims for itself in the recesses of the soul, and drives out Israel, i.e., the contemplation of holy and heavenly things, and never ceases to oppose them. For virtues cannot possibly live side by side with faults. For what participation has righteousness with unrighteousness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14 But as soon as these faults have been overcome by the people of Israel, i.e., by those virtues which war against them, then at once the place in our heart which the spirit of concupiscence and fornication had occupied, will be filled by chastity. That which wrath had held, will be claimed by patience. That which had been occupied by a sorrow that works death, will be taken by a godly sorrow and one full of joy. That which had been wasted by accidie, will at once be tilled by courage. That which pride had trodden down will be ennobled by humility: and so when each of these faults has been expelled, their places (that is the tendency towards them) will be filled by the opposite virtues which are aptly termed the children of Israel, that is, of the soul that sees God: and when these have expelled all passions from the heart we may believe that they have recovered their own possessions rather than invaded those of others.

How the lands from which the Canaanites were expelled had been assigned to the descendants of Shem.

How the lands from which the Canaanites were expelled, had been assigned to the seed of Shem.

According to an ancient tradition, these same Canaanite lands that the Israelites were brought into had originally been assigned to the descendants of Shem when the world was divided. Later, the descendants of Ham wickedly invaded these lands by force and violence and seized them. In this we can see God's righteous judgment, as He drove out those who had wrongfully taken possession of the land and restored to the rightful owners their ancestral property that had been assigned to their forefathers at the division of the world. We can clearly see that this pattern applies to our own situation as well. For by nature God's will assigned possession of our heart not to vices but to virtues. After Adam's fall, these virtues were driven out from their proper home by the sins that arose—that is, by the Canaanites. Therefore, when by God's grace and through our efforts and labor the virtues are restored to our heart again, we should understand that they have not occupied someone else's territory, but have rather reclaimed their own homeland.

For, as an ancient tradition tells us, these same lands of the Canaanites into which the children of Israel were brought, had been formerly allotted to the children of Shem at the division of the world, and afterward the descendants of Ham wickedly invading them with force and violence took possession of them. And in this the righteous judgment of God is shown, as He expelled from the land of others these who had wrongfully taken possession of them, and restored to those others the ancient property of their fathers which had been assigned to their ancestors at the division of the world. And we can perfectly well see that this figure holds good in our own case. For by nature God's will assigned the possession of our heart not to vices but to virtues, which, after the fall of Adam were driven out from their own country by the sins which grew up, i.e., by the Canaanites; and so when by God's grace they are by our efforts and labour restored again to it, we may hold that they have not occupied the territory of another, but rather have recovered their own country.

Different passages of Scripture regarding the meaning of the eight faults.

Different passages of Scripture on the meaning of the eight faults.

And regarding these eight faults, we also have the following in the gospel: But when the unclean spirit is gone out from a man, he walks through dry places seeking rest and finds none. Then he says, I will return to my house from which I came out, and coming he finds it empty, swept, and garnished. Then he goes and takes seven other spirits worse than himself, and they enter in and dwell there, and the last state of that man is made worse than the first. Matthew 12:43-45 Notice that just as in the earlier passages we read of seven nations besides that of the Egyptians from which the children of Israel had gone forth, so here too seven unclean spirits are said to return besides that one which we first hear of as going forth from the man. And regarding this sevenfold incitement to sins, Solomon gives the following account in Proverbs: If your enemy speaks loudly to you, do not agree to him because there are seven mischiefs in his heart. That is, if the spirit of gluttony is overcome and begins to flatter you for having humiliated it, asking in a manner of speaking that you would relax something of the fervor with which you began and yield to it something beyond what the proper limits of abstinence and measure of strict severity would allow, do not be overcome by its submission, nor return in false security from its assaults—as you seem to have become for a time freed from carnal desires—to your previous state of carelessness or former liking for good things. For through this, the spirit whom you have vanquished is saying, I will return to my house from which I came out, and immediately the seven spirits of sins which proceed from it will prove more injurious to you than that passion which in the first instance you overcame, and will presently drag you down to worse kinds of sins.

And in reference to these eight faults we also have the following in the gospel: But when the unclean spirit is gone out from a man, he walks through dry places seeking rest and finds none. Then he says, I will return to my house from whence I came out: and coming he finds it empty, swept, and garnished: then he goes and takes seven other spirits worse than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is made worse than the first. Matthew 12:43-45 Lo, just as in the former passages we read of seven nations besides that of the Egyptians from which the children of Israel had gone forth, so here too seven unclean spirits are said to return beside that one which we first hear of as going forth from the man. And of this sevenfold incentive of sins Solomon gives the following account in Proverbs: If your enemy speaks loud to you, do not agree to him because there are seven mischiefs in his heart; i.e., if the spirit of gluttony is overcome and begins to flatter you with having humiliated it, asking in a sort of way that you would relax something of the fervour with which you began, and yield to it something beyond what the due limits of abstinence, and measure of strict severity would allow, do not you be overcome by its submission, nor return in fancied security from its assaults, as you seem to have become for a time freed from carnal desires, to your previous state of carelessness or former liking for good things. For through this the spirit whom you have vanquished is saying I will return to my house from whence I came out, and immediately the seven spirits of sins which proceed from it will prove to you more injurious than that passion which in the first instance you overcame, and will presently drag you down to worse kinds of sins.

When we have overcome the passion of gluttony, we must take care to acquire all the other virtues.

How when we have got the better of the passion of gluttony we must take pains to gain all the other virtues.

Therefore, while we practice fasting and abstinence, we must be careful that once we have overcome the passion of gluttony, we never allow our mind to remain empty of the virtues we need. Instead, we should more earnestly fill the innermost depths of our heart with these virtues. Otherwise, the spirit of concupiscence might return and find us empty and lacking them, and might not be satisfied with entering by himself alone but would bring with him into our heart this sevenfold incentive of sins, making our final condition worse than the first. For the soul that claims to have renounced this world along with the eight faults that dominate it will afterward be more corrupt and unclean and subject to harsher punishments than it was when it formerly lived in the world, before it had taken on either the rules or the name of monk. These seven spirits are said to be worse than the first spirit that departed for this reason: the love of food—that is, gluttony—would not itself be harmful except that it opens the door to other passions, namely fornication, covetousness, anger, dejection, and pride, which are clearly harmful in themselves to the soul and tyrannical over it. Therefore, a person will never be able to achieve perfect purity if he hopes to obtain it through abstinence alone—that is, bodily fasting—unless he understands that he should practice it for this reason: so that when the flesh is weakened through fasting, he may more easily fight against other faults, since the flesh has not become accustomed to gluttony and overindulgence.

Wherefore while we are practising fasting and abstinence, we must be careful when we have got the better of the passion of gluttony never to allow our mind to remain empty of the virtues of which we stand in need; but we should the more earnestly fill the inmost recesses of our heart with them for fear lest the spirit of concupiscence should return and find us empty and void of them, and should not be content to secure an entrance there for himself alone, but should bring in with him into our heart this sevenfold incentive of sins and make our last state worse than the first. For the soul which boasts that it has renounced this world with the eight faults that hold sway over it, will afterwards be fouler and more unclean and visited with severer punishments, than it was when formerly it was at home in the world, when it had taken upon itself neither the rules nor the name of monk. For these seven spirits are said to be worse than the first which went forth, for this reason; because the love of good things, i.e., gluttony would not be in itself harmful, were it not that it opened the door to other passions; viz, to fornication, covetousness, anger, dejection, and pride, which are clearly hurtful in themselves to the soul, and domineering over it. And therefore a man will never be able to gain perfect purity, if he hopes to secure it by means of abstinence alone, i.e., bodily fasting, unless he knows that he ought to practise it for this reason that when the flesh is brought low by means of fasting, he may with greater ease enter the lists against other faults, as the flesh has not been habituated to gluttony and surfeiting.

Our battles with our faults are not fought in the same order in which they appear in the list.

That our battles are not fought with our faults in the same order as that in which they stand in the list.

But you must know that our battles are not all fought in the same order. As we mentioned, the attacks are not always made on us in the same way, so each one of us ought to begin the battle according to the character of the attack that especially comes against him. This means one person will have to fight his first battle against the fault that stands third on the list, another against the one that is fourth or fifth. And in proportion to how much faults dominate us and how the character of their attack may require, we too ought to regulate the order of our conflict. This should be done in such a way that the happy result of victory and triumph will ensure that we attain purity of heart and complete perfection.

But you must know that our battles are not all fought in the same order, because, as we mentioned that the attacks are not always made on us in the same way, each one of us ought also to begin the battle with due regard to the character of the attack which is especially made on him so that one man will have to fight his first battle against the fault which stands third on the list, another against that which is fourth or fifth. And in proportion as faults hold sway over us, and the character of their attack may demand, so we too ought to regulate the order of our conflict, in such a way that the happy result of a victory and triumph succeeding may insure our attainment of purity of heart and complete perfection.

Abbot Serapion spoke to us this far about the nature of the eight principal faults, and he explained so clearly the different kinds of passions hidden within us—their origin and connection, which we had never been able to fully understand and grasp even though they tormented us daily—that we seemed almost to see them laid out before our eyes as if in a mirror.

Thus far did Abbot Serapion discourse to us of the nature of the eight principal faults, and so clearly did he expound the different sorts of passions which are latent within us — the origin and connection of which, though we were daily tormented by them, we could never before thoroughly understand and perceive — that we seemed almost to see them spread out before our eyes as in a mirror.