times in the spirit; and when it would be unseemly for thee to pray, because thou art speaking with another man, pray thou through supplication.”
597. What manner of prayer is it necessary for a man to pray?
O. M. The prayer in the Gospel which our Lord taught His disciples.
598. B. What limit ought there to be to prayer?
O. M. No measure hath been laid down to prayer; because He said, “Pray ye at all times, and continually,” He did not lay down any measure to prayer. For if the monk only really prayeth when he standeth up in prayer, he who is thus doth not pray with the heart but with the mouth only. Now the old man said, “It is necessary for the man who is thus to look upon all [men] in the same way, and he must be remote from all calumny for the love of Christ; to Whom be glory for ever! Amen.”
599. In another manuscript I have found the following:—A certain monk who was a foreigner, and was chaste in his conduct, and who came from the city of Antioch, from the monastery which is called Kawsyân, went once to pray in Jerusalem, and to see the holy places wherein our Lord Jesus Christ went about, and after he had lived there for a long time, and had worked a way which was full of every excellence, he wished to return to his country in peace. Now he lacked food for the journey and the money which was necessary for his wants, and he knew not what to do; and when he had gone in to pray in the great temple of the Resurrection of our Lord, he prayed, and sat down in sorrow, and he was troubled about his departure, and the lack of that which he needed. And having sat down, he dropped into slumber, and slept, and he saw in his dream our Lord Jesus Christ, Who bade him be of good cheer, saying, “Arise, be not sorrowful, but go in to the steward of My house of the Resurrection, and say unto him, ‘Jesus hath sent me unto thee so that thou mayest give me the one dînâr of which I am in need, and when He cometh He will give it [back] to thee for me.’ ” Now when the monk had awoke from his sleep, he arose, and prayed first and believed the vision which had appeared to him, and he rose up and went to the steward [of the Church] of the Resurrection, as he had been commanded to do, and he spake to the steward, as he had been told in the vision. Then the steward said unto him, “When will Jesus come and repay me?” And the monk said unto him, “I have told thee what I have heard from Him, and as for thee, thou must do what thou wishest.” And the steward said unto the monk, “Give me a paper in thine own
