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D CRIPTION OF THE PERFECT MAN, OR GNOSTIO.
HERE I find persection apprehended variousty in relation to Him .ho excels in every Virtue. Accordingly one is perfectedas pious, and as patient, and as continent, and as a Worker, and as a martyr, and as a Gnostic. But I know no ono ofmen perfeci in ali things at once, While stili human, thoughaecording to the mere letter of the laW, except Him alono whosor us closted Himself With humanity. Who then is perfecti ΗΘ Who professes abstinence Dom What is bad. Well, this is the way to the gospei and in mellinoing. But gnostio persection in the case of the legat man is the acceptanco of the gospei, that he that is alter the iam may be perfeci. For so he, Who Was after the law, Moses, forotold that it Wasnecessary in hear in order that We might, according to tho osse, receive Christ, the fulneas of tho law. But now in the gospes the Gnostic attains proficiency not only by mahlaguse of the law as a step, but by understanding and compr
cassed porfeci in the flosti bosoreliand; since it is the close of life which claims this appellation, When the gnostic martyr has fidit shown the persect wois, and rightly exhibited ii, and
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according to the fame apostle, must give no offence in anything, but in everything approve themselves not to men, butis God.' And, as a consequence, also they ought to yield tomen; sor it is reasonable, on account of abusive calumnies. Ηero is tho specification: in much patience, in amictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonmenta, in
repentance unto salvation uot to be regretted; but the sorrow
discipline. And sinco the omnipotent God Himself gaussome apostles, and Some propheis, and Some evangelisis, and some pastors and teachera, for the perfecting of the sainis,
for the work of the ministry, sor the edi sying of tho bodyos Christ, tili mo ali attain to tho unity of the salth, and of
the knowlodge of the Son os God, to a perfeci man, to the me ure os the stature of the fulness of Christ; M we arethon to strive to reach manhood as befiis tho Gnostic, and tobe as persect as κε can while stili abiding in the flesti, mahingit our study With perfeci concord here to concur with the willos God, to the restoration of What is the trub persect nobi
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perseetly depends on Our perfection. And noW We perceive Where, and hoW, and when the divino apostle mentions tho perfeci man, and hoW ho fhows thodisserences of the perfeci. And again, on the other hand :
Tho manifestation of tho Spirit is given for our profit. For to one is oven the word of wisdom by the Spirit; tonnother the word of knowledge according to the fame Spirit; to another fiath through the fame Spirit; to another thogista of healing through tho fame Spirit; to another tho
Working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discernnient of spirita; in another diversities of tongues'; toanother the interpretation of langues: and ali these Workeththe one and the fame Spirit, distributing to each one accord ing as IIo Wills.' Such being the case, the propheta aroperieci in prophe , the righteous in righteousness, and tho martyra in consession, and others in preachinn not that theyare not sharere in the common virtves, but are proficient in thoso to Whicli they ars appotnted. For What man in his Senses Would say that a prophet Was not righteoust For What
did not righteous men like Abraham prophesy Τ
-one in one Way, another in another. But the apostles Wero
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oxertion of the intellect is exerciso is prolonged to a pe petuat exertion. And the perpetuat exertion of tho intellectis the essenco os an intelligent being, Whicli resulta hom anuninterrupted procres of admixture, and remains eternat contemplation, a living substance. Could We, then, suppose any one proposing to the Gnostic Whethor he would chooso thoknowledge of God or evertasting salvation; and ii these, which are entirely identical, mero separabie, he would withoni tho least hesitation choose the knowledge of God, deemingillat proper of faith, whicli from love ascends to knowledge, destrabie, for iis own sahe. This, then, is the perfeci maii'ssiret form os doing good, When it is done not for any advan
sor reputation, nor from reWard either trom men or God; butso as to pass life after the image and likeness of tho Lord.
And is, in doing good, lis bo met With anything adverse, hemill let the recompense pass Without reseniment as ii it mero
.hen he shali do good by habit, he will imitate the nature ofgood, and his disposition will be his nature and his practice.
There is no necessity sor removing those Who are raised onhio, but them is necessity sor those Who are Walhing to mach
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knowledge bo said to be habit or disposition; on account of diverse sentiments never obtaining access, the guiding iacuity, remaining unal tered, admits no alteration os appearances bysraming in dreams visionary conceptions out os iis move-ments by day. Whereforo also the Lord onjoiias to watch, so that our so ut may never be perturbed Mith passion, even indreams; but also to keep the liso of the night pure and stain-less, as is spent in the day. For assimilation to God, as faras We can, is preserving the mind in iis relation to the samethings. And this is tho relation of mind as minit. But the varie of disposition arises from inordinate affectionto materiat things. And sor this reason, as they appear to me, to have called night Euphrono; since then the foui, released irom the perceptions of sense, turns in on iraeli, and has a
also get this in Heraclitus: μMan touches ni t in himself,
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whon we belloved. The night is far spent, the day is athan d. Let us theresore cast ost the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light.' ' By day and light he designates figuratively the Son, and by the armour of light metaphori-eatly the promises. So it is said that we ought to go Washed to sacrifices and prayers, clean and bright; and that this externat adornmentand purification are practised sor a sign. NoW puxity is tot hink holy thoughis. Further, there is the image of baptism, which also was handed down to the poeta from Moses as follows:
Bo pure, not by Washing ol mater, hut in the mlad.
For sancti , as I conceive it, is persect pureness of minit,nnd Meds, and thoughis, and woriis too, and in iis last de eo sinlessness in dream s. And sufficient purification to a man, I rechon, is thoroughand sure repentance. Is, condemning ourselves for our formeractions, We go sorWard, aster these things tal ing thought,' and divesting our mind both os the things whicli plerae us throughthe senses, and of our former transgressions. Is, then, We are to ove the etymology of ἐπιστη , knοW-
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do Wrong, remians righteous. For he who, on account of theso considerations, abstains from anything Wrong, is not
is not on this supposition spontaneousty good. For as fearmines that man just, so reWard mahes this one; or rather,mahes him appear to be just. But mitti tho hope astor death-a good hope to the good, to the bad the reverse-not only they Who folloW astor Barbarian wisdom, but also the Pythagoreans, ars acquainted. For the lalter also pr posed hope as an end to those Who philosophige. Whereas Socrates also, in the Phoedo, says that good fovis departhenco mith a good hope; ' and again, denouncing the Wiched, lis sera against this the assertion, For they live missi an erilliope.' With him Heraclitus manifestly agrem in his di
Sertations concerning men: There aWalis man aster deassi
What they nesther hopo nor thiis.' Divinely, therelare, Paul Writes expressi' Tribulation morheth patience, and patience experience, and experience liope; and liope maethnot ashamed. in For the patience is on account of the liope in the futuro. Now hope is synonymous With tho recom-
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Wiss not commend us, y nor martiage, nor abstinence homma ago in ignoranos; but virtuom gnostic conduci. Fortho dog, which is an irrationes animal, may bo said to bocontinent, dreassing as it does the uplifled stich, and thoro- sors hseping a V hom the meat. But lut the predicted promise bo taen aWay, and the thre tened dread cancelled, and tho impending danger removed, and the disposition offuch peopte Will be reveMed.
Fon it is not suilablo to the nature of the thing ilaeis, stat theyinould apprehend in the trub gnostic manner tho truth, thatiat things Which Were created for our me are good; as, sorexample, marriage and procreation, When used in moderation;
and that it is bellar than good to become free os passion, and virinoua is assimilation to the divine. But in ius case of OM
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pleasant: nor the re ard, Which by promise persuades torostrain the impulses of passion.
tho bait of pleasure, choose obedience not for the sako of the commandment, but for the salie of the promise. Nor ill turning away srom objecta os sense, as a matter of neces-Sary consequence, produce attachment to intellectual objecta. On the contra , the attachment to intellectual objecis naturally becomes to the Gnostic an influenco whicli drawsaWay from the objecta os sense; in much as he, in virtve of tho selection of What is good, has chosen What is good accord-
tho salio os alliance with Theo. For the econow of creation
tiat ; but that things whicli are essentiat have been graeio b