NPNF2-08. Basil: Letters and Select Works - Holy Bible Institute

Without address. On the Perfection of the Life of Solitaries.jesting; 1933 he ought not to laugh nor even to suffer laugh makers. 1934 He must not talkidly, saying things which are of no service to the hearers nor to such usage as is necessaryand permitted us by God; 1935 so that workers may do their best as far as possible to workin silence; and that good words be suggested to them by those who are entrusted with theduty of carefully dispensing the word to the building up of the faith, lest God’s Holy Spiritbe grieved. Any one who comes in ought not to be able, of his own free will, to accost orspeak to any of the brothers, before those to whom the responsibility of general disciplineis committed have approved of it as pleasing to God, with a view to the common good. 1936The Christian ought not to be enslaved by wine; 1937 nor to be eager for flesh meat, 1938 andas a general rule ought not to be a lover of pleasure in eating or drinking, 1939 “for every manthat striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.” 1940 The Christian ought to regardall the things that are given him for his use, not as his to hold as his own or to lay up; 1941and, giving careful heed to all things as the Lord’s, not to overlook any of the things that arebeing thrown aside and disregarded, should this be the case. No Christian ought to thinkof himself as his own master, but each should rather so think and act as though given byGod to be slave to his like minded brethren; 1942 but “every man in his own order.” 19432. The Christian ought never to murmur 1944 either in scarcity of necessities, or in toilor labour, for the responsibility in these matters lies with such as have authority in them.There never ought to be any clamour, or any behaviour or agitation by which anger is expressed,1945 or diversion of mind from the full assurance of the presence of God. 19461933 Eph. v. 4.1934 This charge is probably founded on Luke vi. 21 and 25, and James iv. 9. Yet our Lord’s promise thatthey who hunger and weep “shall laugh,” admits of fulfilment in the kingdom of God on earth. Cheerfulness isa note of the Church, whose members, “if sorrowful,” are yet “alway rejoicing.” (2 Cor. vi. 10.)1935 Eph. v. 4.1936 It is less easy to find explicit Scriptural sanction even for such a modified rule of silence as is here givenby St. Basil. St. Paul can only be quoted for the “silence” of the woman. But even St. Basil’s “silence” with a viewto preserving his cœnobium from vain conversation, is a long way off the “silence” of St. Bruno’s Carthusians.1937 1 Pet. iv. 3.1938 Rom. xiv. 21.1939 2 Tim. iii. 4.1940 1 Cor. ix. 25.1941 cf. Acts iv. 32.1942 cf. 1 Cor. ix. 19.1943 cf. 1 Cor. xv. 23.1944 cf. 1 Cor. x. 10.1945 cf. Eph. iv. 31.1946 cf. Heb. iv. 13.403