who was an eunuch from his mother’s womb, and as they were talking together about spiritual excellences, he said, “When we were in Scete the cultivation of the soul was our labour, and we worked with our hands only in the ordinary way, and we only did work of this kind when it came [in the way]; to-day, however, the cultivation of the soul is made our ordinary work, which is performed whensoever it happeneth to come [in the way], and the work of our hands, which was always regarded as a common matter, hath become unto us a serious matter and an object of earnest solicitude.”
149. A brother asked an old man, saying, “What is the cultivation of the soul like? And what is the labour of the hands like?” The old man said unto him, “Whatsoever happeneth for God’s sake is the cultivation (or labour) of the soul; but whatsoever a man doeth for himself, or whatsoever he gathereth together for himself, is the labour of the hands.” That brother said unto him, “Father, teach me a proof of this matter which I do not understand.” The old man said unto him, “It is as if a man were to say, Behold, thou hearest that I am sick, and thou sayest in thyself, Now I have a piece of work to do, shall I leave [it], and go and visit him, or shall I finish it first and then go? And however many times thou art prevented [from going] for some reason or cause, and however many times the brother saith unto thee, Come, take me, and help me, thou sayest within thy-self, Shall I leave my work and go and help him? But if thou goest not, behold, thou hast abrogated the commandments of God, which are for the cultivation of the soul, because of the work of the hands. If then a man ask thee, go with him, since this is a work of God, for He said, ‘If a man compel thee to go a mile with him, go two’ ” (St. Matthew 5:41).
150. A brother asked Abbâ Marcianus, saying, “What shall I do so that I may live?” And the old man answered and said unto him, “He who looketh above seeth not what is below; he who is occupied closely with the things which are below hath no knowledge of what is above. And he who understandeth the things which are above is not concerned with what is below, for it is written, ‘Turn ye, and know that I am God’ ” (Psalm 46:10).
151. Abbâ Poemen said that Abbâ John cultivated all spiritual excellences.
152. A brother asked one of the old men, saying, “If I am being tempted, and a temptation come upon me, and I have no one in whom I have confidence to tell about it, what shall
