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Nothing else among all other things is so beneficial to a soul that chooses to meditate on the law of God night and day, as the investigation of the divine Scriptures. For the mind of the grace of the Spirit, being hidden in them, causes its intellectual sense to be filled with all pleasure, and lifting it entirely from earthly things and from the lowliness of things seen, makes it angel-like and to live with the angels themselves. But let us see what the divine Apostle speaks to us in each case and let us examine with understanding some of his divinely inspired words, so that we may be enriched with the wealth stored in them and from there may delight in the grace of the Spirit unto the inexhaustible gladness and enjoyment of the soul. What then is being investigated by us? What Paul advises, saying: “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” But having considered it from the affairs of life, let us also learn this well. For just as every merchant and craftsman and farmer, and indeed every other person who pursues any given trade, needs the greatest possible haste and much diligence in his (348) work, so that, if he should be neglectful for a short time or a brief hour, he suffers a great loss, so also it happens in spiritual contests and works and actions.

But first, as in an example, let us speak in more detail to your love concerning one of these merchants. If all the merchants run to the festival to trade something and to profit from their wares, and one of them sees some preceding him, and others coming behind him and with great haste overtaking him, or sitting at his house watches them passing by and departing to the festival with haste, while he himself, being overcome by ease and sloth, and not only this, but also being occupied with drunkenness and luxury and being wretchedly held by the spell of a prostitute, does not choose to run to the trade, putting it off from day to day, have not these men redeemed the time of their life, having traded and returned with a great profit, while that man has lost it, having spent it on useless and vain things, or rather, having sold it off? But if he should also reach the festival with them, and all of those, carrying gold, immediately proceed to their business and one buys one thing, another another, by which he hopes to profit, but that man, carrying nothing at all, runs about seeking from where he might even borrow, or even after finding gold, if the festival should be forgotten and he be left without having traded, has he not again lost the time, having gone to the festival without gold? But if, carrying gold, he should reach the festival, if, ceasing to trade with haste, he should begin to go around the tents of the retailers and the cooks and those selling off other foods, and at one time from these and at another (349) from others, gluttonously eating and drinking, and not only this, but also if he should squander his gold on drunkenness and licentiousness, has not this man also lost the time and foolishly squandered what belonged to him?

But the one who arrives at the festival with gold and does nothing contrary of what we have said, but having entered it with his fellow merchants, if he only goes about the whole festival, observing and learning, sometimes those known to him, and at other times those not known to him, both his own people and strangers, how each of them trades, but he himself trades nothing, and thus while he is going about unseasonably the festival should again be dissolved, with everyone having departed to their own homes, have not those who traded indeed redeemed the time with haste, having done what was fitting for the time and having acquired a profit for themselves from it, but the one meddling in the affairs of others and not

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Οὐδέν οὕτως ἕτερον τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ὠφελιμώτερον ψυχῇ, νυκτός καί ἡμέρας ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ μελετᾶν αἱρουμένῃ, ὡς ἡ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ἔρευνα. Ἐν αὐταῖς γάρ ἐγκεκρυμμένη οὖσα ἡ διάνοια τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτος, ἡδονῆς ἁπάσης πληροῦσθαι ποιεῖ τήν νοεράν αὐτῆς αἴσθησιν, καί ὅλην ἀπό τῶν γηΐνων και τῆς τῶν ὁρωμένων ταπεινώσεως ἄρασα, ἀγγελοειδῆ ταύτην καί ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῖς ὁμοδίαιτον ἀπεργάζεται. Ἀλλά γάρ ἴδωμεν τί καθ᾿ ἑκάστην ἡμῖν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ὁμιλεῖ καί τῶν αὐτοῦ θεοπνεύστων ῥημάτων τινά συνετῶς ἐξετάσωμεν, ἵνα καί τόν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀποκείμενον πλοῦτον πλουτήσωμεν καί τήν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν ἐκεῖθεν τρυφήσωμεν εἰς ἀκένωτον εὐφροσύνην ψυχῆς καί ἀπόλαυσιν. Τί οὖν ἐστι τό παρ᾿ ἡμῶν ἐρευνώμενον; Ὅ παραινεῖ λέγων ὁ Παῦλος· «Ἐξαγοραζόμενοι τόν καιρόν, ὅτι αἱ ἡμέραι πονηραί εἰσιν». Ἀλλ᾿ ἀπό τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων σκοπήσαντες, καί τοῦτο καλῶς καταμάθωμεν. Ὥσπερ γάρ πᾶς ἔμπορος καί χειροτέχνης καί γεωργός, ἀλλά μήν καί πᾶς τις ἄλλος ὁ τήν τυχοῦσαν μετερχόμενος τέχνην, σπουδῆς ὅτι μάλιστα καί ἐπιμελείας χρῄζει πολλῆς εἰς τό ἔργον (348) αὐτοῦ, ὡς, ἐάν μικρόν χρόνον ἤ βραχεῖαν ὥραν ἀμελήσῃ, μεγάλην ὑφίσταται τήν ζημίαν, οὕτω καί ἐπί τῶν πνευματικῶν ἀγώνων καί ἔργων καί πράξεων συμβαίνει γίνεσθαι.

Ἀλλά γάρ ὡς ἐν ὑποδείγματι πρῶτον περί ἑνός τούτων τῶν ἐμπορευομένων εἴπωμεν λεπτομερέστερον πρός τήν ἀγάπην ὑμῶν. Ἐάν οἱ ἔμποροι πάντες πρός τήν πανήγυριν τρέχουσιν ἐμπορεύσασθαί τι καί κερδῆσαι ἀπό τῆς πραγματείας αὐτῶν, εἷς δέ τούτων τούς μέν βλέπειν προάγοντας αὐτοῦ, τούς δ᾿ ὄπισθεν αὐτοῦ ἐρχομένους καί σπουδῇ πολλῇ φθάζοντας αὐτόν, ἤ πρός τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ καθεζόμενος ὁρᾷ διερχομένους αὐτούς καί πρός τήν πανήγυριν μετά σπουδῆς ἀπερχομένους, αὐτός ῥᾳστώνῃ καί ῥᾳθυμίᾳ κρατούμενος, οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλά καί μέθῃ καί τρυφῇ προσασχολούμενος καί φίλτρῳ πόρνης γυναικός ἐλεεινῶς κατεχόμενος, οὐ προαιρεῖται δραμεῖν εἰς τήν ἐμπορίαν, ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας ἀναβαλλόμενος, οὐχί οὗτοι μέν ἐξηγοράσαντο τόν καιρόν τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῶν, ἐμπορευσάμενοι καί μετά κέρδους μεγάλου ὑποστρέψαντες, ἐκεῖνος δέ ἀπώλεσεν αὐτόν, εἰς ἀνωφελῆ καί μάταια τοῦτον ἐξαναλώσας, εἶτ᾿ οὖν ἀπεμπολήσας αὐτόν; Εἰ δέ καί τήν πανήγυριν σύν αὐτοῖς καταλάβῃ καί πάντες μέν ἐκεῖνοι χρυσίον ἐπιφερόμενοι, εὐθύς πρός πραγματείαν χωρήσουσι καί ἄλλος μέν ἄλλο τι ἐξωνήσεται, δι᾿ οὗ κερδῆσαι ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ ἐλπίζει, ἐκεῖνος δέ μηδέν ὅλως ἐπιφερόμενος περιτρέχει ζητῶν εὑρεῖν πόθεν καί δανείσασθαι, ἤ καί μετά τό εὑρεῖν χρυσίον, ἐάν ληθῇ ἡ πανήγυρις καί καταλειφθῇ ἀπραγμάτευτος, οὐχί καί αὖθις ἀπώλεσε τόν καιρόν, ἄνευ χρυσίου εἰς τήν πανήγυριν ἀπελθών; Εἰ δέ καί χρυσίον ἐπιφερόμενος τήν πανήγυριν καταλάβῃ, ἐάν ἀφείς ἐν σπουδῇ πραγματεύσασθαι ἄρξηται τάς σκηνάς τῶν καπήλων καί τῶν μαγείρων καί τῶν τά λοιπά βρώματα ἀπεμπολούντων περιϊέναι καί ποτέ μέν ἐκ τούτων ποτέ δέ (349) ἐξ ἑτέρων λιχνευόμενος ἐσθίῃ καί πίνῃ, καί οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλά καί ἐάν μέθῃ καί ἀσελγείαις καταδαπανήσῃ τό χρυσίον αὐτοῦ, οὐχί καί οὖτος τόν καιρόν ἀπώλεσε καί τά προσόντα αὐτῷ ἀφρόνως κατεδαπάνησεν;

Ὁ δέ καί ἐν τῇ πανηγύρει μετά χρυσίου παραγινόμενος καί μηδέν ἐξ ὧν εἴπομεν ἐναντίον διαπραττόμενος, ἀλλά μετά τῶν συνεμπόρων αὐτοῦ εἰσελθών ἐν αὐτῇ, ἐάν μόνον ἅπασαν τήν πανήγυριν περιέρχηται, κατασκοπῶν καί καταμανθάνων ποτέ μέν τούς γνωρίμους, ποτέ δέ καί τούς μή γνωριζομένους αὐτῷ, οἰκείους τε καί ἀλλοτρίους, πῶς ἕκαστος αὐτῶν πραγματεύεται, αὐτός δέ μηδέν πραγματεύσηται καί οὕτως ἀκαίρως περιερχομένου αὐτοῦ διαλυθείη πάλιν ἡ πανήγυρις, πάντων αὐτομολησάντων εἰς τά οἰκεῖα, οὐχί οἱ ἐμπορευσάμενοι μέν τόν καιρόν ἐξηγοράσαντο ἐν σπουδῇ, τά τῷ καιρῷ πρέποντα ἐργασάμενοι καί κέρδος ἐκεῖθεν ἑαυτοῖς περιποιησάμενοι, ὁ δέ περιεργαζόμενος τά ἀλλότρια καί μή