thou dost, thou wilt drive the fear of God out of thy soul.”
144. Abbâ Paule used to say, “I had sunk in the mire up to my neck, and I wept and spake before God, saying, ‘Have mercy on me.’ ”
145. They used to say that Abbâ Theodore and Abbâ ’Ôr put on the skins of lambs for clothing; and they said to each other, “If God were to visit us now what should we do?” and they left [the skins], and departed to their cells weeping.
146. A blessed Archbishop, when he was about to depart from this world, said, “Blessed art thou, O Arsenius, because thou hast remembered this hour.”
147. An old man said, “God dwelleth in the man into whom nothing alien entereth.”
148. A brother asked a certain old man, and said unto him, “My soul desireth tears, even as I have heard that the old men [desire] them, but they will not come to me, and my soul is vexed.” And the old man said unto him, “The children of Israel entered into the land of promise [after] forty years; now tears are the land of promise, and since thou wouldst enter therein thou must not henceforward be afraid of fighting. For God wisheth to bring tribulation upon the soul in this manner in order that it may at all times be wishful to enter into that land [of promise].”
149. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen a question and said unto him, “What shall I do? for my thoughts disturb me, and they say unto me, ‘Thy sins have been forgiven thee,’ and they make me to pry into the shortcomings of the brethren.” Then Abbâ Poemen spake to him about Abbâ Isidore, who dwelt in a cell and wept over his soul, and his disciple used to dwell in another cell; and the disciple came to the old man, and finding him weeping, said unto him, “My father, why weepest thou?” And the old man said unto him, “I am weeping for my sins.” Then the disciple said unto him, “And hast thou any sins, father?” And the old man said unto him, “Indeed I have, my son, and if I were permitted to see my sins, not three or even four men would suffice to weep with me for them.” Then Abbâ Poemen said, “Thus it is with the man who knoweth himself.”
150. I have heard that the old men who lived in Nitria sent to Macarius the Great, who was living in Scete, and entreated him, saying, “In order that all the people may not be vexed, we beseech thee, O our father, to come to us so that we may see thee before [thou departest] to our Lord. And having gone [to them] they all gathered together to him, and the old men begged and entreated him to speak unto the brethren one
