Letter 780

To Demetrius the Monk. You have very many pledges of God's care for you, having been granted countless benefits by him and through the putting-on of the monastic habit, and cherished, and guarded, even though at that time you were accomplishing no good work. Chewing over those things, then, with a grateful mind, humble your spirit, fleeing the company of those who, after coming to the solitary life, embrace arrogance, and puff out their cheeks, and swell up their chests, and dance attendance at the law-courts, and are forever talking of worldly affairs, and by the wicked deeds of their later state conceal the evils they once did, and have dragged in upon themselves that evil spirit together with the seven of more wicked spirits, so that, according to the word of the Gospel, the last things are shown to be worse than the first. Crush your own heart, therefore, as David says: "For I was brought very low before the Lord my God, and before men who trusted in him. For my heart was not lifted up, nor did I walk in great matters, nor in things too wonderful for me; but I was on my guard, lest I be likened to certain harsh and utterly untaught men, who forgot the works of the Lord, who did not remember the benefits and wonders which he showed and did for them in days of evil."

Πλεῖστα ἔχεις τῆς περὶ σὲ τοῦ θεοῦ κηδεμονίας ἐνέχυρα, μυρία παρ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς περιβολῆς τοῦ μοναχικοῦ σχήματος; εὐεργετηθεὶς, καὶ θαλφθεὶς, καὶ φρουρηθεὶς, καίτοι τῇ τηνικαῦτα μηδὲν ἀγαθὸν ἔργον ἐπιτελῶν. Ἐκεῖνα τοίνυν ἀναμρυκώμενος εὐγνώμονι λογισμῷ, ταπείνωσον σοῦ τὸ φρόνημα, φεύγων τὴν διατριβὴν τῶν μετὰ τὸ ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὸν μονήρη βίον τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν ἀσπαζομένων, καὶ τὰς γνάθους φυσώντων, καὶ ἐξογκούντων τὰ στήθη, καὶ τοῖς δικαστηρίοις προσεδρευόντων, καὶ ἀεὶ βιωτικὰ λαλούντων, καὶ τοῖς πονηρεύμασι τῶν τελευταίων ἀποκρυπτόντων τὰ πρώην αὐτοῖς κακῶς πραχθέντα, καὶ ἐπισπασαμένων ἐκεῖνο τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ πονηρὸν μετὰ τῆς τῶν πονηροτέρων πνευμάτων ἑβδομάδος, ὅπως, κατὰ τὸν Εὐαγγελίου λόγον, τὰ ἔσχατα χείρονα τῶν πρώτων ἀποδειχθῇ. Αὐτὸς οὖν σύντριψον τὴν καρδίαν σου, καθά φησιν ὁ Δαυΐδ· Ὅτι κατεσμικρύνθην ἐγὼ ἐνώπιον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ μου, καὶ ἐνώπιον ἀνθρώπων ἐπ’ αὐτῷ πεποιθήθων. Οὔτε γὰρ ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία μου, οὐδὲ ἐπορεύθην ἐν μεγάλοις, οὐδὲ ἐν θαυμασίοις ὑπὲρ ἐμέ· ἀλλ’ εὐλαβούμην, μήποτε παρεικασθῶ ἀτεράμνοισί τισι καὶ ἀπαιδευτάτοις, οἵτινες ἐπελάθοντο τῶν ἔργων Κυρίου, οὐκ ἐμνήσθησαν τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν καὶ θαυμασίων, ὧν ἔδειξε, καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτοῖς ἀφ’ ἡμερῶν πονηρῶν.