Thoughts Coming and Going

Τῶν λογισμῶν οἱ τέμνουσιν, οἱ δὲ τέμνονται· καὶ τέμνουσι μὲν οἱ πονηροὶ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς, τέμνονται δὲ πάλιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγαθῶν οἱ πονηροὶ, τὸ τοίνυν Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον πρώτως τεθέντι προσέχει λογισμῷ, καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον κρίνει ἡμᾶς, ἢ ἀποδέχεται.  Ὃ δὲ λέγω τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν.  Ἔχω τινὰ φιλοξενίας λογισμὸν, καὶ τοῦτον ἔχω διὰ τὸν Κύριον, ἀλλ' οὑτος  ἐπελθόντος τοῦ πειράζοντος τέμνεται καὶ δόξης χάριν φιλοξενεῖν ὑποβάλλοντος.  Πάλιν· ἔχω φιλοξενίας λογισμὸν πρὸς τὸ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις φανῆναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος ἐπελθοντος κρείττονος λογισμοῦ διατέμνεται, τοῦ πρὸς τὸν Κύριον μᾶλλον ῾ῶν τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀπευθύνοντος.    Εὐάγριος ὁ Ποντικός, Περὶ διαφόρων πονηρῶν λογισμῶν

Sometimes thoughts cut off and sometimes they are cut off. Evil thoughts cut off good thoughts, and again evil thoughts are cut off by good thoughts. The Holy Spirit therefore notes to which thought we give priority and for that condemns or approves us. What I mean is something like this: I have a thought of hospitality and it is for the Lord’s sake, but this is cut off when the tempter comes to me and in its place he suggests giving hospitality for the sake of glory. Again, I have the thought of hospitality in order to appear hospitable to men, but this is cut off when a better thought comes to me, which leads me to practice this virtue for the Lord’s sake. Evagrius Ponticus, On Various Evil Thoughts