The Wise And Contemplation

Οὕτως ὅ μεγαλόφρων, ὁ τὸ πάντων τιμιώτατον, ὁ τὸ πάντων ἀγαθώτατον κατὰ τὴν προσβολὴν τῆς θεωρίας, ἔμμονον δὲ τὴν τῶν θεωρητῶν δύναμιν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ κεκτημένος, τουτέστι τὴν διοραικὴν τῆς ἐπιστήμης δριμύτητα. Ταύτην δὲ ὡς ἕνι μάλιστα βιάζεται κτήσασθαι τὴν δύναμιν, ἐγκρατης γὲνόμενος τῶν ἀντιστρατευομένων τῷ νῷ· καὶ τῇ μὲν θεωρίᾳ ἀδιαλείπως προσεδρεύων τῇ ἐφεκτικῇ δὲ τῶν ἡδέων καὶ τῃ κατορθωτικῇ τῶν πρακτέων ἐγγυμνασάμενος ἀσκήσει, πρὸς τούτοις ἐμπειρίᾳ πολλῇ χρησάμενος, τῇ κατὰ τὴν μάθησίν τε καὶ τὸν βίον, παῥῥησίαν ἔχει, οὐ τὴν ἁπλῶς οὕτως ἀθυρόγλωσσον δύναμιν, δύναμιν δὲ ἁπλῷ λόγῳ χρωμένην, μηδὲν τῶν λεχθῆναι δυναμένων κατὰ τὸν προσήκοντα καιρὸν, ἐφ' ὦν μάλιστα χρὴ, ἐπὶκρυπτομένον μήτε διὰ χάριν μήτε διὰ φόβον ἀξιολόγως. Ὁ γοῦν τὰ περὶ Θεοῦ διειληφὼς, πρὸς αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας, χοροῦ μυστικοῦ λόγῳ τῷ προτρέποντι τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ἀρετῆς, κατ' ἀξίαν αὐτήν τε καὶ τὰ ἀπ' αὐτῆς ἐνδεικνυμένυν χρῆται μετὰ διάρματος ἐν Θεου τῆς εὐχῆς, τοῖς νοητοῖς  καὶ πνευματικοῖς ὡς ἕνι μάλαιστα γνωστικῶς οἰκειούμενος. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Ζ', Κεφ Ζ' Migne PG 9 464-465

Thus the wise man, being great of soul, has what is most precious of all, what is best of all, according to his application to contemplation, the permanent power of those things contemplated retaining in his soul, that is the perspicacious keenness of knowledge. And this power he strives to his utmost to possess, by being master over all the distractions that may come to the mind. And by attending continually to contemplation, by training in abstinence from pleasures and in rectitude of conduct, and acquiring much experience in these, both in study and in life, he has freedom of speech, not the simple power of a babbling tongue, but a power which employs simple language, that which does not conceal anything which may be worthily said at the right time, in which it is very necessary to speak, on account of favour or fear. He, then, having received the things concerning God from the mystic choir of the truth, exhorts the greatness of virtue in accordance with its worth, and shows what comes from it by the elevation of prayer in God, his thoughts with spiritual things dwelling, as far as possible, according to this knowledge. Clement of Alexandria, from the Stromata, Book 7, Ch 7.