1 Samuel 9:25

And he spoke with Saul in the upper room, etc. John spoke with the Lord in the light of His known divinity. For certainly the upper room (which takes its name from the fact that by its height it first receives the rays of the rising sun before the lower buildings) signifies the hearts of those who, suspended from earthly desires by divine fear, the Sun of Righteousness rises more familiarly. For when both, namely the Lord and John, had begun the commencement of their mission for which they were sent, and the grace of the new light had just begun to shine in the world, the same John confessed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, while he himself was sent before Him, desiring Him with his whole intent of mind to rise to the works of the divine in the flesh, and to rest at the appropriate time from the duty of forerunning.

There follows: "And they went down from the high place into the town, and Samuel spoke with Saul on the rooftop. And Saul made his bed on the rooftop, and slept." Whoever is raised to the height of pastoral care must have in that very sublimity of his office both loftiness in his own life and compassion for the weakness of others. Therefore let Saul ascend with Samuel, and let him descend into the town. Let the ruler know how to conduct lofty matters; let him know how to arrange common ones. Let him say with Paul: "Our conversation is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20); let him say with us: "Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death? I see another law contradicting the law of my mind and leading me captive under the law of sin" (Rom. 7:24). The ruler is on the height when he speaks wisdom among the perfect. When he arranges carnal matters, he descends into the town, saying: "On account of fornication, let each man have his own wife, and each woman her own husband; let the husband render to his wife what is owed, and the wife likewise to her husband" (1 Cor. 7:2). He is on the height when he says: "No creature shall be able to separate us from the love of Christ" (Rom. 8:39). But he descends into the town, for speaking, he says: "I became weak to the weak, that I might gain the weak; I became all things to all men, that I might save all" (1 Cor. 9:22). Samuel therefore brought Saul up to the high place and set him down in the town, because great men, when they appoint someone to the summit of holy Church, teach those whom they place on that summit to live sublimely, to preach plainly, to be strict with themselves but temperate with their subjects — to attend so to their own salvation that they can yet be weak with the weak. I say "be weak" through the affection of the mind, not through the languor of inner sickness. For if the teacher lies prostrate through languor of mind, he cannot heal the sick or raise up those who are fallen. It is well, therefore, that Saul is reported to have descended with Samuel into the town and to have spoken with him on the rooftop. For the town is on the plain, but the rooftop is on high. Compared to the high place, the rooftop is on the plain; compared to the town, it is not on the plain but elevated. So indeed, when chosen preachers show compassion to lesser members, they seem to leave the height behind; but…