Letter 18

To the same person. Perhaps it is not only from the man who has conquered that the tempting demons withdraw for a time, but also from the one who has been defeated; for God, exercising forethought for his own creature, grants a respite and a little relief to the one who has been overcome, so that he may be able to catch his breath, gather his own powers, and once more lift up his hands against his adversaries.

Τάχα οὐ μόνον ἀπὸ τοῦ νικήσαντος ἀνθρώπου ἀφίσταται πρὸς καιρὸν οἱ πειρασταὶ δαίμονες, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡττηθέντος, διότι ὁ Θεὸς προνοούμενος τοῦ ἰδίου πλάσματος, δίδωσιν ἀνοχήν, καὶ ἀνάψυξιν ὀλίγην τῷ νενικημένῳ, ἵνα δυνηθῇ ἀναπνεῦσαι, καὶ συλλέξαι τὰς οἰκείας δυνάμεις, καὶ πάλιν ἀντᾶραι χεῖρας κατὰ τῶν ἀντιπάλων.