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we cannot know precisely the state of the air, since we are ignorant of the way of the wind, 93.609 God wisely and variously ordering all things concerning us. And so we are ignorant of the dispensations of God concerning us, as the bones being formed of her who is with child. For who knows whether the one being formed is male or female, or complete or in some part maimed? And if we do not know what the formed thing is, much more are we ignorant of how the embryo is constituted, how the bones are put together, how the harmony of the whole body is arranged. And so you, he says, by being meddlesome and seeking to whom you ought to give, or to whom not to give, and whether he is faithful, or unfaithful, or just, or unjust, you will lose the time for sowing, and you will not find the time to reap; but without delay and in simplicity of heart perform almsgiving; for you do not know if the one whom you consider unjust, the Spirit justifies. And the reverse. "In the morning sow your seed; and in the evening let not your hand rest, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that; and if both alike are good." He who has driven away the darkness of ignorance from his own mind, beginning the virtues sows in the morning, according to, "As long as it is day, work." And if he also remains until the end pursuing practical virtue, until evening he has not let rest, nor has his hand been idle from doing good. Therefore, beginning virtue remain until the end; you do not know which of your good works will please the Judge, those at the beginning, or those toward the end. But if both alike should please, such work is full of goodness. Or even thus: From your earliest age practice virtue, and do not say, "Now while I am younger I will enjoy the pleasures of life, and in old age I will repent;" you do not know what will follow for you, or when the end will come upon you; so it is good always to practice virtue, and to use all one's power for oneself; and to exhort God, that the things ordered by us may be shown to be pleasing to His goodness. "And the light is sweet, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun; for even if a man lives many years, he will rejoice in all of them, and he will remember the works of darkness, for they will be many; and everything that comes is vanity." He teaches what morning he meant to sow, that is, the one pleasant and sweet to the intelligible eyes, which the sun of righteousness works, illuminating our souls. For just as those who see the perceptible sun, through it also see visible things, and thus pursue perceptible works; but those who do not see the sun, are not even able to be active, because they do not see the things illuminated 93.612 by it; so also those who behold the intelligible sun are illuminated by it, so as to see and behold what must be done according to His will, and from what things to abstain. But he who lives according to the will of the Word, even if he should pass many years in this life which seems to be toilsome, greatly rejoices in his soul, contemplating both the practical and intelligible beauties, being illumined by the bright flashes of the aforesaid sun. Such a one also considers the days of darkness which will succeed the impious, and remembering that they happen to be endless; and that vanity awaits the sinners, that is, punishment, he turns away from evil with all his might. "Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart blameless, and in the sight of your eyes." By saying, "And walk in the ways of your heart blameless," he showed that he exhorts the young man to rejoice in spiritual joy. And by young man he means the one vigorous in soul and able to strive against the evil one, having put off the old man, and having put on the new, the one after the image of God. And such a one, walking blameless in the ways of the heart, that is, securing the soul itself, and purifying the mind, necessarily has pure also the senses of the body. Moreover he becomes discerning, and beholds wondrous beauties, rejoicing in his own spiritual

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ἀκριβῶς οὐ δυνάμεθα τοῦ ἀέρος τὴν κατάστασιν, ἐπειδὴ ἀγνοοῦμεν τοῦ πνεύ 93.609 ματος τὴν ὁδὸν, σοφῶς καὶ ποικίλως τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς πάντα διέποντος. Οὕτως τε ἀγνοοῦμεν τὰς περὶ ἡμᾶς τοῦ Θεοῦ διοικήσεις, ὡς τὰ κυοφορούμενα ὀστᾶ τῆς ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσης. Τίς γὰρ οἶδε πότερον ἄῤῥεν ἢ θῆλυ τὸ κυοφορούμενον, ἢ ἄρτιον ἢ κατά τι μέρος κολοβόν; Εἰ δὲ τὸ μορφωθὲν οὐκ ἴσμεν τί ποτέ ἐστι, πολλῷ πλέον ἀγνοοῦμεν πῶς τὸ ἔμβρυον συνίσταται, πῶς τὰ ὀστᾶ συντίθενται, πῶς εὐθετίζεται τοῦ παντὸς σώματος ἡ ἁρμονία. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, φησὶ, μὴ πολυπραγμονῶν καὶ ἀναζητῶν τίνι δοῦναι, ἢ τίνι μὴ δοῦναι ὀφείλεις, καὶ πότερον πιστὸς, ἢ ἄπιστος, ἢ δίκαιος, ἢ ἄδικος, ἀπολέσῃς τοῦ σπεῖραι τὸν καιρὸν, καὶ οὐχ εὑρήσῃς ἐν καιρῷ θερίσαι· ἀλλ' ἀνυπερθέτως καὶ ἐν ἁπλότητι καρδίας τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην ἐργάζου· οὐ γὰρ οἶδας εἰ ὃν σὺ νομίζεις ἄδικον, τὸ πνεῦμα δικαιοῖ. Καὶ τὸ ἀνάπαλιν. "Ἐν πρωΐᾳ σπεῖρον τὸ σπέρμα σου· καὶ ἐν ἑσπέρᾳ μὴ ἀφιέτω ἡ χείρ σου, ὅτι οὐ γινώσκεις ποῖον στοιχήσει, τοῦτο ἢ τοῦτο· καὶ ἐὰν τὰ δύο ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ, ἀγαθόν." Ὁ τὸ σκότος τῆς ἀγνοίας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ διανοίας ἀπελάσας, ἐναρχόμενος τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐν πρωΐᾳ σπείρει, κατὰ τὸ, Ἕως ἡμέρα ἐστὶ, ἐργάζεσθε. Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ διαμένῃ μέχρι τέλους τὴν πρακτικὴν μετιὼν ἀρετὴν, ἕως ἑσπέρας οὐκ ἀφῆκε, οὐδὲ ἠπράκτησεν ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθοεργοῦσα. Ἀρχόμενος οὖν ἀρετῆς μέχρι τέλους διάμενε· οὐκ οἶδας ποῖά σου ἔργα ἀγαθὰ ἀρέσει τῷ κριτῇ, τὰ ἐν ἀρχῇ, ἢ τὰ πρὸς τῷ τέλει. Εἰ δὲ ἑκάτερα ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἀρέσοι, πλήρης ἀγαθότητος ἡ τοιαύτη ἐργασία. Ἢ καὶ οὕτως· Ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας ἐργάζου τὴν ἀρετὴν, καὶ μὴ λέγε, Νῦν μὲν νεώτερος ὣν ἀπολαύσω τῶν τοῦ βίου τερπνῶν, ἐν δὲ τῷ γήρᾳ μετανοῶ· οὐκ οἶδας τί σοι ἀκολουθήσει, ἢ πότε ἐπιστήσεταί σοι ἡ τελευτή· ὥστε καλὸν ἀεὶ ἐργάζεσθαι τὴν ἀρετὴν, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτῷ πᾶσαν δύναμιν ποιεῖν· Θεὸν δὲ παρακαλεῖν, ἐφ' ᾧ τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν ταττόμενα ἀρεστὰ τῇ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητι καταφανῆναι. "Καὶ γλυκὺ τὸ φῶς, καὶ ἀγαθὸν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τὸ βλέπειν σὺν τὸν ἥλιον· ὅτι καὶ ἐὰν ἔτη πολλὰ ζήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς εὐφρανθήσεται, καὶ μνησθήσεται τὰ ἔργα τοῦ σκότους, ὅτι πολλὰ ἔσονται· καὶ πᾶν τὸ ἐρχόμενον ματαιότης." ∆ιδάσκει ποίαν πρωΐαν ἔφησε σπείρειν, ἤγουν, τὴν ἡδεῖαν καὶ γλυκεῖαν τοῖς νοητοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, ἣν ἐργάζεται ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος, καταυγάζων ἡμῶν τὰς ψυχάς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ τὸν αἰσθητὸν ἥλιον βλέποντες, δι' αὐτοῦ βλέπουσι καὶ τὰ ὁρατὰ, καὶ οὕτω τὰς αἰσθητὰς ἐργασίας μετέρχονται· οἱ δὲ μὴ βλέποντες τὸν ἥλιον, οὐδὲ ἐνεργεῖν δύνανται, τῷ μὴ ὁρᾷν τὰ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ 93.612 φωτιζόμενα· οὕτως καὶ οἱ τὸν νοητὸν ἥλιον ἐνοπτριζόμενοι δι' αὐτοῦ καταφωτίζονται, πρὸς τὸ ὁρᾷν καὶ βλέπειν ἃ δεῖ πράττειν κατὰ τὸ αὐτοῦ θέλημα, καὶ ὦν ἀπέχεσθαι. Ὁ δὲ κατὰ τὸ τοῦ λόγου βούλημα ζῶν, κἂν πολυετίαν διαγένηται ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ τῷ ἐπιμόχθῳ εἶναι δοκοῦντι, κατευφραίνεται τὴν ψυχὴν, τά τε πρακτέα καὶ τὰ νοητὰ κάλλη περιαθρῶν, διὰ τῶν φωτεινῶν τοῦ προρηθέντος ἡλίου μαρμαρυγῶν ἐκλαμπόμενος. Ἀναλογίζεται δὲ ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ μέλλοντος τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς διαδέχεσθαι, καὶ μνημονεύων ὅτι ἀτελεύτητοι τυγχάνουσι· καὶ ὅτι ματαιότης ἐκδέχεται τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς, τουτέστι κόλασις, κατὰ κράτος ἐκτρέπεται τὴν κακίαν. "Εὐφραίνου, νεανίσκε, ἐν νεότητί σου, καὶ ἀγαθυνάτω σε ἡ καρδία σου ἐν ἡμέραις νεότητός σου, καὶ περιπάτει ἐν ὁδοῖς καρδίας σου ἄμωμος, καὶ ἐν ὁράσει ὀφθαλμῶν σου." Τῷ εἰπεῖν, Καὶ περιπάτει ἐν ὁδοῖς καρδίας σου ἄμωμος, ἔδειξε ὅτι τὴν πνευματικὴν εὐφροσύνην παραινεῖ τῷ νεανίσκῳ εὐφραίνεσθαι. Νεανίσκον δὲ τὸν κατὰ ψυχὴν ἀκμαῖον καὶ δυνάμενον ἐπαποδύεσθαι κατὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ φησι, τὸν ἀπεκδυσάμενον τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἐνδυσάμενον τὸν νέον, τὸν κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ. Ὁ δὲ τοιοῦτος ἐν ὁδοῖς καρδίας περιπατῶν ἄμωμος, τουτέστι αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχὴν ἀσφαλιζόμενος, καὶ καθαρεύων τὴν διάνοιαν, ἔχει μὲν ἀναγκαίως καθαρὰ καὶ τὰ τοῦ σώματος αἰσθητήρια. Πλὴν γίνεται διορατικὸς, καὶ θεωρεῖ κάλλη θαυμάσια, εὐφραινόμενος ἐν τῇ αὑτοῦ πνευματικῇ