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 been said, and the service was ended, the priest said unto the deacon, “Tell me what thou hast done.” And the deacon, wishing to shew him everything, made excuses, saying, “I am not conscious in my soul of having committed any sin, except when a brother came to me, and asked me a question on the matter, and I made answer to him, saying, ‘I am not at leisure [to talk] with thee.’ ” Then the priest said, “It was because of thee that the eagle came not down, for the brother was offended at thee”; and straightway the deacon went to the brother, and expressed his contrition, and entreated him [to forgive] him his offence.

288. They used to speak about a certain father, who for seven years asked God to give him a certain gift, and [at length] it was given unto him; and he went to a great old man and told him about the gift, and when the old man heard thereof, he was grieved, and said, “What great labour!” Then he said unto the father, “Go and spend seven years more in entreating God that the gift may be taken away from thee, for it will do thee no good”; and the old man went, and did as he had told him until the gift was taken away from him.

289. A certain brother dwelt in a cell outside his village, and he had passed many years without going into the village; and he said unto the brethren who were with him, “Behold, how many years have I lived here without going into the village, whilst ye are always going therein.” Now Abbâ Poemen was told about this man, and that he used to say words of this kind to the brethren, and he said, “If I were [that man] I would go up and walk round about in the village during the night, so that my thoughts might not be able to boast themselves that I had not gone into it.”

290. One of the fathers said, “God beareth with the sins of those who live in the world, but He will not endure the sins of those who live in the desert.”

291. Abbâ Job used to say, “Since the time when I was [first] called by the Name of Christ, falsehood hath never gone forth from my mouth.”

292. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “If a man dwelleth with a youth, however much he may guard his thoughts he maketh a means for sin.”

293. A certain brother asked an old man, saying, “What shall I do because of my negligence?” The old man said unto him, “If thou wilt root out this small plant, which is negligence, a great forest will come into being.”

294. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “Do not dwell in a place wherein thou seest that there are those who have envy against thee, for if thou dost thou wilt never advance.”