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597. A brother on several occasions troubled an old man, and said unto him, “What shall I do with the impure and wicked thoughts of divers kinds which force their way into me by various means?” The old man answered and said unto him, “Thou art like unto a cistern which hath been dug out, and which is sometimes full, but which, when a man cometh to draw water thereat, is found [to be dry]. Why dost thou not make thyself more like a fountain of water which is never without [water]? Persistence is victory, and victory is constancy, and constancy is life, and life is kingdom, and kingdom is God.”

598. TWO brethren were in restraint to the lust of fornication, and they went and took to themselves wives. At length, however, they repented, and said to each other, “What have we gained by leaving the labour of angels, and coming to this [state of] impurity, since after the present life we shall be delivered over to fire and everlasting torture? Let us return to the desert and repent.” And they went forth straightway, and came to the desert to the fathers, and they entreated them to offer up supplications on their behalf; now the outward appearance of both was the same, and they shut themselves up for one year, and they made supplications to God, and entreated Him to pardon them, and to each of the two brethren a like quantity of bread and water was given. Now after their period of repentance was fulfilled, they went forth from their seclusion; and the old men saw that the countenance of one was changed, and that it was exceedingly sad, whilst that of the other brother was cheerful and glad, and the fathers marvelled why, seeing that the two men had been partaking of the same amount of food, and had endured the same restraint, the face of one was so different from that of the other. And they asked him of the sad face, saying, “What didst thou think about in thy cell?” And he said, “On the evil things which I have committed, and I think about the torture which is to come, and by reason of my fear my flesh cleaveth to my bones.” And they asked him whose appearance was cheerful, saying, “Do thou also tell us what thou didst think about in thy cell.” And he said, “I gave thanks unto God, Who hath delivered me from the impurity of this world, and from everlasting punishment, and Who hath