He answered: "As often as we hide a brother's sin, God hides one of ours, but he tells ours in that hour in which we tell our brother's."
5. The Abbot Alonius said: "Unless a man says in his heart, I and my God are the only two in the world, he will not have rest."
6. Abbot Pambo, being summoned by St. Athanasius to Alexandria, met an actress, and forthwith began to weep. "I weep," he said, "because I do not strive to please my God as she strives to please the impure."
7. An old monk fell sick and for many days could not eat, and his novice made him some pudding. There was a vessel of honey, and there was another vessel of linseed oil for the lamp, good for nothing else, for it was rancid. The novice mistook, and mixed up the oil in the pudding. The old man said not a word, but ate it.
The novice pressed him, and helped him a second time, and the old man ate again.
When he offered it the third time, the old man said, "I have had enough;" but the novice cried, "Indeed, it is very good. I will eat some with you."
When he had tasted it, he fell on his face and said: "Father, I shall be the death of you! Why didn't you speak?"
The old man answered: "Had it been God's will that I should eat honey, honey thou wouldst have given me."