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it fears, nor is it wary of the air changing into drought; for having sufficient moisture enclosed within itself, it immediately repels and thrusts away any excess of solar heat attacking from without; so also a soul standing by the streams of the divine Scriptures, and being watered continually, gathering those streams and the dew of the Spirit within itself, will be invincible against every circumstance of life, whether sickness, or insolence, or slander, or railings, or taunts, or any sloth, or all the evils of the world should rush down upon such a soul, it easily repels the burning heat of the passions, having sufficient consolation from the reading of the Scriptures. For neither greatness of glory, nor bulk of power, nor the presence of friends, nor anything else of human things will be able to console one in pain as will the reading of the divine Scriptures. Why so? Because 51.90 those things are mortal and perishable, wherefore their consolation is also perishable; but the reading of the Scriptures is a conversation with God. When, therefore, God consoles one in despondency, what of existing things can cast him into despondency? Let us attend, therefore, to the reading, not only for these two hours (for this bare hearing is not sufficient for our security), but continually; and let each one, having returned home, take up the Books in his hands, and go over the meanings of what has been said, if indeed he is to have continual and sufficient benefit from the Scripture. For indeed that tree, standing by the streams, does not commune with the waters for two or three hours, but for every day, and every night. For this reason it is luxuriant in its leaves, for this reason that tree is heavy with fruit, even if no man waters it; because it stands by the streams, through its roots it draws up the moisture, and as if through certain channels it sends the benefit to its whole body; so also the one who continually reads the divine Scriptures, and stands by their streams, even if he has no one to interpret them, through continuous reading, as if through certain roots, he draws up much benefit. For this reason we too, knowing your cares, your distractions, your many occupations, bring you gently and little by little to the meanings of the Scriptures, by the leisureliness of the exegesis making the memory of what is said permanent. For a violent rain, indeed, pouring down, floods the surface, and benefits the depth not at all; but gently and little by little settling like oil on the face of the earth, slipping down to the depth as if through certain veins of its pores, having filled its inward parts with moisture, it makes it most fertile for the bearing of fruits. Therefore we too send forth this spiritual rain gently into your souls; for the Scriptures are like spiritual clouds, and the words and meanings are like a rain much better than this; and for this reason we send this spiritual rain to you little by little, so that the words may proceed to the very depth. For this reason, today being the fourth day of exegesis, we have not yet been able to get past a single inscription, but are still lingering over it. For it is better, digging up a small plot, and going down to the depth, to find much of the necessary treasure, than going over many fields from above, to toil simply and at random and in vain. And yet I know that many are vexed at this slowness; but I do not care about their accusation, but I do care about your benefit. Let those who are able to walk more quickly wait for the slower of the brethren; for the former are able to wait for the latter, but the weaker are not strong enough to stretch themselves to the former. For this reason Paul also says, that we ought not to compel the weak before the time, who are not able to stretch out toward the perfection of the strong; but that we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak

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δέδοικεν, οὔτε τὸν ἀέρα μεταπεσόντα εἰς αὐχμὸν εὐλαβεῖται· ἱκανὴν γὰρ ἔχον ἐναποκεκλεισμένην ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν νοτίδα, πάσης ἡλιακῆς θέρμης πλεονεξίαν ἔξωθεν προσβαλοῦσαν εὐθέως ἀποκρούεται καὶ διωθεῖται· οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴ παρὰ τοὺς ῥύακας ἑστηκυῖα τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, καὶ ποτιζομένη διηνεκῶς, ἐκεῖνα τὰ νάματα καὶ τὴν δρόσον τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν ἑαυτῇ συνάγουσα, πρὸς πᾶσαν πραγμάτων περίστασιν ἀχείρωτος ἔσται, κἂν νόσος, κἂν ἐπήρεια, κἂν συκοφαντία, κἂν λοιδορίαι, κἂν σκώμματα, κἂν πᾶσα ῥᾳθυμία, κἂν πάντα τὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης κακὰ εἰς τὴν τοιαύτην κατασκήψῃ ψυχὴν, εὐκόλως ἀποκρούεται τὴν πύρωσιν τῶν παθῶν, ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν Γραφῶν ἀναγνώσεως ἱκανὴν παράκλησιν ἔχουσα. Οὔτε γὰρ δόξης μέγεθος, οὐ δυναστείας ὄγκος, οὐ φίλων παρουσία, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων οὕτω τὸν ἐν ὀδύνῃ παραμυθήσασθαι δυνήσεται, ὡς ἡ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ἀνάγνωσις. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι 51.90 ἐκεῖνα μὲν ἐπίκηρα καὶ φθαρτὰ, διὸ καὶ φθαρτὴ αὐτῶν ἡ παράκλησις· ἡ δὲ τῶν Γραφῶν ἀνάγνωσις, Θεοῦ ὁμιλία ἐστίν. Ὅταν οὖν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ παρακαλῇ, τί τῶν ὄντων αὐτὸν εἰς ἀθυμίαν ἐμβαλεῖν δύναται; Προσέχωμεν τοίνυν τῇ ἀναγνώσει, μὴ τὰς δύο μόνον ταύτας ὥρας (οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν εἰς ἀσφάλειαν ἡ ψιλὴ αὕτη ἀκρόασις), ἀλλὰ διηνεκῶς· καὶ ἕκαστος οἴκαδε ἀναχωρήσας τὰ Βιβλία μετὰ χεῖρας λαμβανέτω, καὶ τῶν εἰρημένων ἐπερχέσθω τὰ νοήματα, εἴ γε μέλλῃ διηνεκῆ καὶ ἀρκοῦσαν ἔχειν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς ὠφέλειαν. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ ξύλον ἐκεῖνο, τὸ παρὰ τοὺς ῥύακας ἑστηκὸς, οὐ δύο καὶ τρεῖς ὥρας ὁμιλεῖ τοῖς ὕδασιν, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν μὲν ἡμέραν, πᾶσαν δὲ νύκτα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κομᾷ τοῖς φύλλοις, διὰ τοῦτο βρίθει τῷ καρπῷ ἐκεῖνο τὸ ξύλον, κἂν μηδεὶς αὐτὸ ἀνθρώπων ποτίζῃ· ἐπειδὴ παρὰ τοὺς ῥύακας ἕστηκεν αὐτὸ, διὰ τῶν ῥιζῶν ἐπισπᾶται τὴν νοτίδα, καὶ ὥσπερ διά τινων πόρων παραπέμπει τὴν ὠφέλειαν παντὶ τῷ σώματι· οὕτω καὶ ὁ συνεχῶς ἀναγινώσκων τὰς θείας Γραφὰς, καὶ παρὰ τοὺς ῥύακας αὐτῶν ἑστηκὼς, κἂν μηδένα ἔχῃ τὸν ἑρμηνεύοντα, διὰ τῆς συνεχοῦς ἀναγνώσεως, ὥσπερ διά τινων ῥιζῶν, πολλὴν ἐπισπᾶται τὴν ὠφέλειαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰς φροντίδας ὑμῶν εἰδότες, τοὺς περισπασμοὺς, τὰς ἀσχολίας τὰς πολλὰς, ἠρέμα καὶ καταμικρὸν ὑμᾶς προσάγομεν τοῖς νοήμασι τῶν Γραφῶν, τῷ σχολαίῳ τῆς ἐξηγήσεως μόνιμον ποιοῦντες τῶν λεγομένων τὴν μνήμην. Καὶ γὰρ ὄμβρος ῥαγδαῖος μὲν καταῤῥηγνύμενος, κατακλύζει τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν, καὶ τὸ βάθος οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ· ἠρέμα δὲ καὶ καταμικρὸν ἐλαίου δίκην ἐνιζάνων τῷ προσώπῳ τῆς γῆς, ὥσπερ διά τινων φλεβῶν τῶν πόρων αὐτῆς πρὸς τὸ βάθος διολισθαίνων, τὰς λαγόνας αὐτῆς ἐμπλήσας νοτίδος, εὐπορωτάτην ποιεῖ πρὸς τὴν τῶν καρπῶν φοράν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν πνευματικὸν τοῦτον ὄμβρον ἠρέμα ταῖς ὑμετέραις ἐνίεμεν ψυχαῖς· αἱ μὲν γὰρ Γραφαὶ νεφέλαις ἐοίκασι πνευματικαῖς, τὰ δὲ ῥήματα καὶ νοήματα ὄμβρῳ προσέοικε πολλῷ τούτου βελτίονι· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸν πνευματικὸν τοῦτον ὄμβρον καταμικρὸν ὑμῖν ἐνίεμεν, ἵνα πρὸς αὐτὸ τὸ βάθος χωρήσῃ τὰ ῥήματα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τετάρτην σήμερον ἡμέραν ἔχοντες ἐξηγήσεως, οὐδέπω μίαν ἐπιγραφὴν παρελθεῖν ἠδυνήθημεν, ἀλλ' ἔτι περὶ αὐτὴν στρεφόμεθα. Βέλτιον γὰρ μικρὸν διασκάπτοντας χωρίον, καὶ πρὸς τὸ βάθος καταβαίνοντας πολὺν τῶν ἀναγκαίων εὑρίσκειν τὸν θησαυρὸν, ἢ πολλὰς ἀρούρας ἐπιόντας ἄνωθεν, ἁπλῶς καὶ εἰκῆ ταλαιπωρεῖσθαι καὶ μάτην. Καίτοι οἶδα πολλοὺς πρὸς τὴν βραδύτητα ταύτην δυσχεραίνοντας· ἀλλ' οὐ μέλει μοι τῆς ἐκείνων κατηγορίας, ἀλλὰ μέλει μοι τῆς ὑμετέρας ὠφελείας. Οἱ ὀξύτερον βαδίζειν δυνάμενοι τοὺς βραδυτέρους τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀναμενέτωσαν· οὗτοι μὲν γὰρ ἐκείνους ἀναμεῖναι δύνανται, οἱ δὲ ἀσθενέστεροι πρὸς ἐκείνους ἑαυτοὺς παρεκτεῖναι οὐκ ἰσχύουσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν, ὅτι οὐκ ὀφείλομεν τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς ἀναγκάζειν πρὸ καιροῦ, πρὸς τὴν τελειότητα τῶν δυνατῶν ἐκτείνεσθαι μὴ δυναμένους· ἀλλ' ὅτι ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν οἱ δυνατοὶ τὰ ἀσθενήματα τῶν ἀδυνάτων