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mind being at tho samo timo unuoiled to God. Now thovem ancient altar in Delos they celebrated as holy; Whichalone, being undefiled by siaughter and death, they sayPythagoras approached. And will they not bellove us whenwe say that the righteous foui is the truly sacred altar, and that incenso arising srom it is holy prvor But I bellove sacrifices were invented by men to bo a pretexi for eatingssesh. But without such idolato he who wished might have partaken os flesti. For the sacrifices of the Law express figuratively the pieumhich We practise, as the turti dove and the pigeon offered forsins potnt out that the cieansing of the irrational pari os thesout is acceptable to God. But is any one of the righteous does not burden his foui by the eating of flesti, he has theaduantage of a rational reason, not as Pythagoras and his followors dream of the transmigration of the foui.
from animais,' and Polemon in his mork On Lise aecordingto Nature, seem clearly to say that animal sood is unWholesome, inasmuch as it has atready been olaborated and assimilatedio the fouis of the irrational creatures. So also, in particular, the Jews abstain from swine's flestion the ground of this animal being unclean; since more thanthe other animias it roota up, and destroys the productions of the ground. But ii they say that the animais Wero assignedio men-and we agree with them-yet it Was not entirelysor sood. Nor Was it ali animais, but such as do not Work.
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stoad os sali,' that their Besh may not putresy. Some, then, eat them as useless, others as destructive os fruits. Andothera do not eat them, because the animal has a strong propensi for coition. So, then, the laW sacrifices not the goat, excepi in the solocaso of ths banishment of sins ;y sinco pleas e is the meis polis os vice. It is to the potnt also that it is said that thoeating of goaes flesti contributos to epilepsy. And they saythat the greatest increase is produced by swine's flesh. Wheroforo it is beneficiat to those Who exercise the body; but to those who devote themselves to the development of the foui it is not so, on account of the hebetude that resulta irom the eating os flesti. Percliance also some Gnostic Willabstain froin the eating os flesti for the sahe of tnaining, and in ordor that tho flesh may not groW Wanton in amomusneSS. For Wine,' says Androcydes, and gluttonous Deds of flesti maho the body strong, but the foui more flumisti.' AccoHingly such food, in order to clear underetanding, is in berejected. Whoroforo also the Egyptians, in the purifications practised among them, do not alloW the priesis to seed onfesti; but they use chichens, as lightest; and they do nottouch fish, on account of certain sabies, but especialty on account of such sood mahing the flesh flabby. But nowterrestriat animais and birda breathe the fame air as our vital spiriis, boing possessed os a vitai principie cognato withtho air. But it is said that fishes do not breathe this ala, but that which was mixod with the water at the instant of iis first creation, as weli as With the rest of the elementa, whicli is also a sign of the permanence of matter. Wherofore κε ought to offer to God sacrifices not costly, but such as He loves. Αnd that compounded incenso whichis montioned in tho LaW, is that Whicli consista of many longues and Volces in prayer, or rather os different nations and natures, prepared by the gist Vouchsased in the dispon
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samo one, Ming persuaded that He is Word, Saviour, and Leador, and by Him, tho Father, not on species dus, assonio ostera, but doing this continualty in Our Wholo lira, and in every Way. Certainly the eieci race justised by the precept says, Seven times a day havs I praised Thoo.' Whonco not in a specified place, or selected temple, or at certain festivals and on appotnted days, but during his Whololiso, tho Gnostic in every place, even ii ho bo alone by himself, and wheraver ho has any of thoso Who havo exercised the liko faith, hono s God, that is, achnowledges his gratutudo sor tho knowledge of the way to livo. d ii the presenco os a good man, through the respect
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and reverence Whicli ho inspires, alWays improves him With Whom he associatos, with much more reason does not he whoalways holds uninterrupted converse Willi God by knowledge, illa, and thanksgiving, gro at every step superior to himselsin ali respecta-in conduci, in Woriis, in disposition Τ Suchan ono is persuaded that God is over beside him, and does not supposo that he is confined in certain limited places; sothat under tho idea that at times he is without him, he may indulge in excesses night and day. Holding festivat, then, in our Whole lise, persuaded that God is altogether on every si de present, We cultivate Our fields, praising ; We sati the sea, hymning ; in ali the rest os
priest of God. And this is even noW observed among themost sagacious of the Barbarians, in advancing the sacerdotalcaste to the royal power. He, thereiore, neVer Surrendera himsoli to tho rabble that rules supremo over the theatres, and gives no admittance even in a dream to tho things whichare spoken, done, and seen for the salie os alluring pleasura; neither, thereiore, to the pleasures of sight, nor the Various pleasures Whicli are found in other enjomenta, as costly incense and odours, Whicli beWitch the nostriis, or prepar tions os meata, and indulgences in different Wines, whichensnare the palate, or fragrant bouqueis of many flowers, which through the senses effeminate the foui. But always
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acra throuo the passages of the bo , has the apprehensions longing to id not through corporeat pomer, but throuo apsychical perception, and tho intelligenco whicli distinguishes
significant founti. God is not, thon, possessed of humansem, So as in hear; nor needs He senses, as the Stoica havo
be permitted to use theso expressions.
In generat, then, an unWorthy opinion os God preserves nopie , either in hymns, or dis urses, or Writings, or dogmaS, but diverta in Movelling and unseemly ideas and notions. Whenco the commendation os the multitude differs nothingsrom censure, in consequencs of their ignorance of the truth. The objecta, then, of destres and aspirations, and, in a Word, of the mind's impulses, ars ius subjecis of prvers. Wher
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and no man destres an inheritance, but is inherit. And in like manner no man destres knowledge, but to know; or aright governinent, but to inhe pari in the govemment. Thosubjects of our prayers, then, are the subjects of our requesta, and the subjects of requesta aro the objecta os destres. Prayer, then, and destre, folloW in order, With the view of possessing the blessings and advantages offered.
The Gnostic, then, Who is such by possession, mahes his prver and request sor the truly good things Whicli appertain to the foui, and prays, he himself also contributing his efforisto attain to the habit of goodness, so as no longer to have thothings that are good as certain tessons belonging to lita, butio be good. Wherofore also it is most incumbent on such to pray,
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iter things, we compei it to advance to tho region os holia
this, he leaves bellind him ali that is os no service, as havingnoW received the perfection of the man that acta by love. Butilio distribution os the liours into a threesold division, honoured With as many prayers, those are acquainted With, Who kno tho bl essed triad of the holy abodes. Having got to this potnt, I recollect the doctrines about there being no necessity to pran introduced by certain otthe heterodox, that is, tho tollo ers of the heresy of Prodiacus. That they may not then be inflated with conceit about this godless Wisdom of theira, as is it Mero strange, let themlearn that it was embraced bosore by tho philosophera called Cyrenaics. Neverthelem, the unlioly knowledgo gnosia) of those falsely callod Gnosiicq shali meet vitii confutationat a fitting time; so that the assauit on them, by no means brief, may not, is Ming introduced into the commentary, broah the discourae in hand, in Which me are stio ing that the Only reatly holy and pious man is ho Who is truly a Gnosticaccor ling to the rule of the church, to Whom alone the petition made in accordanco with the will of God is graniod,J onashing and on thinhing. For as God can do ali that Ho
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436 THE MISCELLANTES. Joox VII. Nor is petition superfluous, though good things ars given
ali voluntarily and of freo choice speed in salvation. Wher fore also man received the commandments in ordor that he
his subjecta; We ourselves also conducting reelves obedientlyto arda our superiora, Who inhe the management of us, as
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are servandi and attendants of the Divinity. Each place, then, and time, in Which wo entertain the idea os God, is in
realiu sacred. When, then, the man who chooses What is right, and is atthe samo timo of thankful heari, malim his request in prayer,
peopte might M taught to turn to tho east when facing the images. μ Let my prver be directed before Theo as incense, the uplisting os my hanti as the evening sacrifice, ' say the
In the inso of wiched men, thereiore, pruer is most injurious, not in othere Mone, but to themselves also. I
then, they should ask and receive what they cali pieces olgood fortune, these injure them after they receive them, ing ignorant hoW to use them. For they prv in possess
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What they have not, and they ash things Which seem, butare not, good things. Bnt the Gnostic Will ash the permanence of the things he possesses, adaptation for What isto tae place, and the eternity of those things whieli ho shallreceive. And the things Whicli are reatly good, the thingswhicli concern the soni, he prays that they may belong tollim, and remain with him. Αnd so he destres not anythingiliat is absent, being content With What is present. For he is not deficient in tho good things whicli are proper to him ; Mingiaready sussicient for himself, through divine grace and knowledge. But having becomo sussicient in himself, he standsin no mant of other things. But knowing the fovereigia Will, and possessing as soon as he prays, being brought into close contact With the almighty po er, and earnestly destring to bespirituat, through Mundless love, he is united to the Spirit. Thus he, being magnanimous, possessin g, through hno ledge, What is the most precious of ali, the best os ali, being quick in applying himself to contemplation, retainsin his foui the permanent energy of the objecta of his
contemplation, that is the perspicacious keenness of knowledge. And this poWer he stri vos to his ulmost to acquire,
by obtaining command of ali tho influencos Which waragainst tho mind; and by applying himself without intermission to speculation, by exercising himself in the training of abstinenco from pleasures, and of right conduci in Whathe does; and besides, furnished with great experience both in study and in lite, he has froedom of speech, not the poWer of ababbling longue, but a pοWer Whicli emptos plain languam,
ceived the things respecting God from the mystic choir of the truth itself, emplοys languam Whicli urges the magnitudo os viriue in accordance Willi ita morth ; and shows ita resulis With an inspired elevation of prver, Ming associaled gnostieatly, as far as possibie, With intellectual and spiritual objecta. Whenco he is always mild and meeli, accessible, affabie, lonysuffering, gratesul, endued With a good conscience.