He said to the abbots Ephrem and Serapion—
“You command large armies, and you are both great generals. Therefore, you shall put on in heaven an armour of gold, and the Archangel Michael shall give you the title of kiliarchs of his hosts.”
Perceiving the old man Philemon, he embraced him, and said—
“Behold, the kindest and best of all my children. His soul exhales a perfume as sweet as the flower of the beans he sows every year.”
To Abbot Zozimus he addressed these words—
“Thou hast never mistrusted divine goodness, and therefore the peace of the Lord is in thee. The lily of thy virtues has flowered upon the dunghill of thy corruption.”
To all he spoke words of unerring wisdom.
To the old hermits he said—
“The apostle saw, round the throne of God, eighty old men seated, clad in white robes, and wearing crowns on their heads.”
To the young men—