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it makes disappear the whole phalanx of thoughts or concepts surrounding him.” And Saint Macarius says, “God, being good, more lovingly grants their requests to those who ask; therefore to one who exerts himself in prayer, even if he shows the same zeal toward the other virtues, sometimes divine grace visits him, and a prayer of grace is given to him in part, with gladness, according to his seeking of God, but this one remains bereft of all other good things. It is necessary, then, not to be negligent toward the other things, but by practice and exercise to make the resistant heart yield and be obedient to God, [and to pursue] the zeal for and acquisition of every virtue. For thus the gift of prayer given by the Spirit will come to progress, bringing with it true humility and unfeigned love and the whole catalogue of virtues, which he also sought out with effort.”

Do you see the distinction of the patristic admonition? For it builds upon what is lacking, but does not dig up the foundations because the walls have not yet been raised, nor does it tear these down because the roof is not set upon them. For he knows, having understood by experience, that the kingdom of heaven within us is sown as a grain of mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds, but later grows to such an extent and rises above all the powers of the soul (p. 256), so as to be a delightful dwelling place for the birds of heaven. But these whom you mention, proceeding to judge out of indiscretion, take away out of inexperience even anything that might be beneficial to the brothers, and snatching God’s judgment with shamelessness, they pronounce one man worthy of grace, whoever might seem so to them, and another not. For it is God’s alone to judge those worthy of His own grace. If, therefore, He Himself has accepted someone, “who are you to judge another’s servant?” says the Apostle. But let us, returning whence we departed and having added a few things, for the present hold back the discourse that is stretching out to a great length.

He who does not believe this great mystery of the new grace, nor looks to the hope of deification, would not be able to despise the pleasure of the flesh and of money and of possessions and of glory from men. But if he should be able, even for a short time, pride succeeds him as one who has already obtained the perfect, by which again he who has already obtained succeeds to [the catalogue] of the unclean, by which again he is dragged down to the catalogue of the unclean. But he who looks to that, even if he acquires every good work, having before him the super-perfect and unfinishable perfection, does not yet reckon that he has attained anything, and thus adds to his humility; and considering on the one hand the excellence of the saints who have gone before, and on the other the excess of divine loving-kindness, mourning, he cries out the words of Isaiah, “Woe is me, for being unclean and having unclean lips, I have seen the Lord of Sabaoth with my eyes.” And this mourning adds to his purification; and the Lord of grace lavishes upon it both consolation and illumination.

Hence, indeed, John, who teaches by experience, says: “An abyss of mourning has beheld consolation; but purity of heart has received illumination.” A purified heart, therefore, is receptive of this illumination; but whatever is said (p. 258) and known about God, even an impure heart receives. It is clear, therefore, that this illumination is beyond reason and knowledge. And if one should call this knowledge and intellection, as being supplied to the intellect by the Spirit, he speaks of another kind of intellection, something spiritual and incomprehensible even to faithful hearts, unless they have been purified by works. Wherefore also that which provides sight and is seen—that is to say, the light of a pure heart—God says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” How then are these blessed for this reason, if this vision is knowledge, which even we who are impure possess? Well then did he who was illuminated speak, defining illumination, that illumination is not knowledge but

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πᾶσαν τήν κυκλοῦσαν αὐτόν τῶν λογισμῶν ἤ νοημάτων φάλαγγα ἐξαφανίζει». Ὁ δέ ἅγιος Μακάριος, «ἀγαθός ὤν ὁ Θεός», φησίν, «ὀρέγει τοῖς αἰτοῦσι φιλανθρωπότερον τά αἰτήματα˙ τῷ τοίνυν εἰς προσευχήν ἑαυτόν ἐκπονοῦντι, κἄν εἰ ή πρός τάς ἄλλας τῶν ἀρετῶν τόν αὐτόν τρόπον ἐπιδείκνυται τήν σπουδήν, ἐνίοτε μέν αὐτῷ ἡ θεία χάρις ἐπιφοιτᾷ, καί δίδοται τούτῳ χάριτος ἐκ μέρους ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ κατά τήν αὐτοῦ πρός τόν Θεόν ζήτησιν εὐχή, ἀλλ᾿ ἔρημος οὗτος τῶν ἄλλων πάντων μένει καλῶν˙ δεῖ δή μή ὀλιγώρως ἔχειν πρός τἄλλα, ἀλλά τριβῇ καί γυμνασίᾳ τήν καρδίαν ἀντερίζουσαν ἐνδοτικήν καί πειθήνιον τῷ Θεῷ ποιεῖν τήν σπουδήν τε καί κτῆσιν ἁπάσης ἀρετῆς˙ οὕτω γάρ καί τό δοθέν ὑπό τοῦ Πνεύματος τῆς εὐχῆς χάρισμα πρός ἐπίδοσιν ἥξει, συνεπαγόμενον ταπεινοφροσύνην ἀληθῆ καί ἀγάπην ἀψευδῆ καί πάντα τόν τῶν ἀρετῶν κατάλογον, ὅν καί προβιασάμενος ἐξεζήτησεν».

Ὁρᾷς τῆς πατερικῆς νουθεσίας τοὐπίσημον; Προσεποικοδομεῖ γάρ τό λεῖπον, ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἐξορύττει τούς θεμελίους διά τό μήπω τούς τοίχους ἐπεγερθῆναι, οὐδέ καθαιρεῖ τούτους διά τό μή τούτοις ἐπικεῖσθαι τόν ὄροφον. Καί γάρ οἶδε, τῇ πείρᾳ συνείς, ὡς κόκκον μέν συνάπεως σπειρομένην τήν ἐν ἡμῖν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν, ὅ μικρότερον πάντων τῶν σπερμάτων ἐστίν, ὕστερον δ᾿ ἐπί τοσοῦτον αὐξομένην καί τάς (σελ. 256) τῆς ψυχῆς πάσας ὑπεραναβαίνουσαν δυνάμεις, ὡς καί τῶν οὐρανίων πτηνῶν ἐπιτερπές εἶναι σκήνωμα. Οὗτοι δ᾿ οὕς φῄς, ὑπ᾿ ἀκρισίας εἰς τό κρίνειν χωροῦντες, ὑπ᾿ ἀπειρίας ἀφαιροῦνται, κἄν τι προσῇ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς λυσιτελεῖν δυνάμενον, καί τήν τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσιν ὑπ᾿ ἀναιδείας ἁρπάζοντες, τόν μέν ἄξιον ἀποφαίνονται χάριτος, ὅς ἄν δήπου τούτοις δοκῇ, τόν δ᾿ οὔ˙ Θεοῦ γάρ μόνον τούς ἀξίους οἰκείας χάριτος κρίνειν. Εἴ τοίνυν αὐτός τινα προσελάβετο, «σύ τίς εἶ ὁ κρίνων ἀλλότριον οἰκέτην;» φησίν ὁ ἀπόστολος. Ἀλλ᾿ ἡμεῖς ἐπανελθόντες ὅθεν ἐξέβημεν καί μικρά προσειπόντες ἐπίσχωμεν τό νῦν ἔχον τόν λόγον εἰς πολύ μῆκος ἀποτεινόμενον.

Ὁ τοῦτο τό μέγα τῆς καινῆς χάριτος μή πιστεύων μυστήριον, μηδέ πρός τήν ἐλπίδα τῆς θεώσεως βλέπων, οὐδέ σαρκός ἡδονῆς καί χρημάτων καί κτημάτων καί τῆς πρός ἀνθρώπων δόξης καταφρονεῖν δύναιτ᾿ ἄν. Εἰ δ᾿ ἄρα καί δυνηθείη κἄν πρός βραχύ, φυσίωσις αὐτόν ὡς τό τέλειον ἤδη κτησάμενον διαδέχεται, δι᾿ ἧς αὖθις πρός τόν τῶν ἀκαθάρτων ἤδη κτησάμενον διαδέχεται, δι᾿ ἧς αὖθις πρός τόν τῶν ἀκαθάρτων κατασπᾶται κατάλογον. Ὁ δέ πρός ἐκεῖνο βλέπων, κἄν ἅπαν ἔργον ἀγαθόν κτήσηται, προκείμενον ἔχων τήν ὑπερτελῆ καί ἀτέλεστον τελειότητα, ἑαυτόν οὔπω λογίζεται κατειληφέναι τι καί οὕτω τῇ ταπεινώσει προστίθησι˙ διανοούμενος δέ τοῦτο μέν τήν τῶν προωδευκότων ἁγίων ὑπεροχήν, τοῦτο δέ τήν τῆς θείας φιλανθρωπίας ὑπερβολήν, πενθῶν, τό τοῦ Ἠσαΐου βοᾷ, «οἴμοι ὅτι ἀκάθαρτος ὤν καί ἀκάθαρτα χείλη ἔχων, Κύριον Σαβαώθ εἶδον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου». Τό δέ πένθος τοῦτο τῇ καθάρσει προστίθησιν˙ ἐπιδαψιλεύεται δέ ταύτῃ παράκλησίν τε καί ἔλλαμψιν ὁ τῆς χάριτος Κύριος. Ἔνθεν τοι καί ὁ τῇ πείρᾳ διδάσκων Ἰωάννης φησίν˙ «ἄβυσσος μέν πένθους παράκλησιν ἐθεάσατο˙ καθαρότης δέ καρδίας ἐδέξατο ἔλλαμψιν. ∆εκτική τοίνυν τῆς ἐλλάμψεως ταύτης καρδία κεκαθαρμένη˙ ὅσα δέ περί θεοῦ λέγεται (σελ. 258) καί γινώσκεται, καί καρδία ἀκάθαρτος δέχεται. Φανερόν τοίνυν ὡς ὑπέρ λόγον τε καί γνῶσιν αὕτη ἡ ἔλλαμψις. Κἄν γνῶσίν τις ταύτην εἴποι καί νόησιν, ὡς τῷ νῷ χορηγουμένην ὑπό τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἕτερον εἶδος λέγει νοήσεως, πνευματικόν τι καί αὐταῖς ταῖς πισταῖς καρδίαις, εἰ μή δι᾿ ἔργων καθαρθεῖεν, ἀχώρητον. ∆ιό καί τό παρέχον τό ὁρᾶν καί ὁρώμενον, ταυτό δ᾿ εἰπεῖν τό καθαρᾶς καρδίας φῶς, ὁ Θεός, «μακάριοί» φησιν «οἱ καθαροί τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοί τόν Θεόν ὄψονται». Πῶς οὖν οὗτοι διά τοῦτο μακάριοι, εἴπερ ἡ ὅρασις αὕτη γνῶσις, τήν δέ καί ἡμεῖς ἔχομεν οἱ ἀκάθαρτοι; Καλῶς ἄρ᾿ εἶπεν ὁ ἐλλαμφθείς καί τήν ἔλλαμψιν ὁριζόμενος ὅτι ἔλλαμψίς ἐστιν οὐ γνῶσις ἀλλ᾿