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Although even by thom Who are not Gnostica some thingsare done rightly, yet not according in reason; as in the caseos fortitude. For some Who ars naturalty high-spirited, and have aster ards Without reason fostered this disposition, rustito many things, and aci lias brave men, so as somotimes tosucceia in achiering the fame things; just as enduranceis easy for mechanics. But it is not hom tho fame cause, or Min the samo objeci; not mere they to give their Wholobody. For they have not love,' according to the aposse./All the action, then, os a man possessed of knowledge is right action; and that done by a man not possessed os knowledge is Wmng action, though he observe a plan; since it is not hom reflection stat he acta bravely, nor does he directhis action in thois things Which proceed from virtve to Viriue, to any usesul purpose. The samo holds also mitti the other virtves. So too the analogy is preserved in religion. Our Onostic, then, not onlyis inch in referonco to holinem; but corresponding to thopieu of knowledge are the commands respecting the rest of the conduci os isse. For it is our purpose at present todeseribe tho liis of the Gnostic, not to present the system os domas, Which πε shali astemarti explain at the fitting time, preserving the order of topim.
RESPECTINO tho universe, he conceives truly and grandiy in virtuo of his reception os divine reaching. Beginning, then,
With admiration of the Creation, and affording of himself aproos of his capabili sor receiving hno ledge, he becomes aready pupil of the Lota. Directly on hearing of God and
Providenco, he belleved in consequencs of the admiration hoenteriained. Through the power Oi impulso thonce derived ho devotes his energies in every Way to learning, doing allthmo things is means of Which he shali be able to acquire
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tho knowladge os What ho destres. And destro blendod mith inquiry arisos as fatili advinces. And this is in Moomo orthy of speculation, of such a character, and such importiance. So shali tho Gnostic t te of tho mill of God. Forit is not his eam, but his smil, stat he yiolds up to the things signified by What is spolien. Accordinon apprehendingomencos and things through tho mords, iis brings his foui, asis fit, in What is essentiat; apprehending Ies J in the peculiarWay in Whicli they are spinen to the Gnostic, tho commanti, Do nes commit adultorri' μ Do not hilland not as invare undereisod is other Mose. Training himself, then, inscientific speculation, ho procisti is exercus himself in largergeneraligations and grander propositions; lino ing right Wellinat Ho that inacheth man knowledge,' according to thoprophet, is the Lord, the Lord acting by man's mouth. M
to tho extent it prescribes, in the exercise of thankfulnem totho Creator, he becomes master of the ecloment of thom. He never cherishes reseniment or harboura a grudm
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that he accommodates himself, in so far as the foui is pro-Moed uisamed. For it is not in supposition or memingitat he wishos to faithfes; but in knowledge and truth, that is, in aure daed and effectual Wota. Wheroforo he notonly presses What is nobie, but endeamurs himself in bonOble; changing is love from a good and faithful servantinis a friend, throno tho perfection os habit, Which he has acquired in purity from true instruction and great disciplino.
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position to atas those dearest in them. Thus also tho apostlo says, that he who marries inouldbe as though he married not,' and deem his marriago fresos inordinato affection, and inseparabie fram love to tho
Lord; to which the true hvsband exhorted his mise to clingon her departura out of this liso to tho Loes. Was not then faith in the liope aster deast conspicuous in the case of those Who gave thanks to God even in the very extremities of their punishments For fim, in my opinion, Wasthe faith they possessed, Which was solio ed is moris of saith. In ali circumstances, then, is the foui os the Gnostic strong, in a condition os extremo health and strengst, lihe sto dyos an athlete.
For he is prudent in human affaira, in judging What oughtto be dono by the just man; having obtained the principies
hom God from above, and having acquired, in order to thodivine resemblance, moderation in bovily pains and pleasures. And he strumles against fears bolesy, trusting in God. Comininly, then, the gnostic foui, adorned With perfeci viriue, iathe earthb imago os the divine pomer; ita devel ment Ming the joint result os natum, of training, oi reason, ali togestor. This beauty of the foui becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit, When it acquires a disposition in the whole os lite coram sponding to the gos l. Such an one consequently With- stanti ali seis of everything terribi' not only of death, butalso poveru and diserae, and ignominy, and things ista tothese; Ming unconquered by pleasure, and lord over irrationaldestres. For he well knows What is and what is not to bodone; being perfectly aware What things are reatly in bedreaded, and what not. Whenm he beare intelligently Whattho Word intimates in him to bo requisite and necessarγ; i
telligently discriminating What is reatly sale that is, Mod ,
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illi virtus, transcendod tho wholo liso os passion. He has eve ining dependent on himself sor tho attainmont of theend. For those accidents which ara callod terribie are notiormidabie to the good man, bocause they are not evit. Andilioso Which are reatly in bo dreadod ars foretgn to thegnostic Christian, being diametricatly opposed to What is
Mod, because evit; and it is impossibio for contraries to meet in the fame person at the fame time. He, then, Who saul
knows both what is to bo dono and what is to be endured. Is it not then hom ignoranco of What is and What is notio bo dreaded that conardico arises Consequently the Onlyman os co age is tho Gnostic, Who kno s both presentand future good things; along With these, knowing, as I havesaid, also the things Which aro in reali not in bo Meaded. Because, knowing vice Mono to be halesul, and destructive of What contributes to knoMedge, protected by the armour of the Loia, he mahes War against it. For ii anything is caused through folly, and tho operationor rather co-operation of the devit, this thing is not strato, Way the devii or solly. For no action is Wisdom. For isdom is a habit. And no action is a habit. Tho action, then, that inses smm ignorance, is not Hready ignorance, but an ovit throuo ignorance, but not ignorance. Forneither perturbations of mind nor sins are vices, though pr c ding hom Vice. Νο one, then, Who is irrationalty brave is a Gnosiic; since
With the perit arising hom tho bad seeling of the multitude
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this may lis is distinguished hom othera that are cased ma Urs, inasmuch as some sumish occasions for themselves, andrush into the heari os dangere, I know not ho. for it is right to uso mild language); Whilo they, in accordance Withright reason, proieci themselves; then, on God reatly callingiliem, promptly surrender themselves, and confirm the cali, hom being conscious os no precipitan , and present theman to bo tested in the exerciso of true rationat sortitude. Νῶther, then, enduring tesser dangera smm fear of greater, lihe oster pmple, nor Meading censuro at the hands of thoirequias, and those of liho sentimendi, do they continue in tho confession of their calling; but hom love to God they Will- ingly obey tho cali, With no other iam in Vie than pie ingGod, and not for the salie of tho re ard of their totis.
of pleas es and deliora aster death, Ming children in faith;
blessed indeod, but not yet become men in love in God, as the Gnostic is. For there are, as in the gymnastic contests, so also in the Church, crowns for men and for children. But lovo is to bo chosen for iraeis, and sor nothing else. There ore in
the Onostic, along With knowledge, the perfection os sortiinde is developed from tho discipline of lde, he having HWays
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The cause of these, then, is love, os ali scienco the most sacred and most foveret .FOr by the servico of What is best and most exalted, Whichis characteriged by unity, it rendera the Gnostic at oncehiend and son, having in truth Mo- a perfeci man, upto the meas e of fuit stature.' Further, agreement in the samo thing is consent. But liat is the samo is one. And friendship is consnmmatia in lihenms; tho community lying in oneness. The Gnostic, consequently, in virtve of Ming a lover of the one truo God, is the reatly perfeci man and friend of God, and is placed in the rank of son. For these aro names of nobili and knowledge, and perfection in tho contemplation of God; Whichem ning step of advincement the gnostic foui receiVes, Whenit has become quite pure, rechoned morthy to belloid eve
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equat and like. For he Mes not μ despise his brother, ho, according to the divine iam, is of the fame facter and mother. Certainly he relleves the amici , helping him missi conses tiOnS, enco Memenis, and the necessaries of sile; giving to
deseri; furthermore, to him Who perseculas and hates, even
In particular, the habit os liberali hich prevatis amongus is called righteo ness but the pomer os discriminatingaccording to deseri, as in greater and less, Willi referenco tothose Who are proper subjecta of it, is a form of the very hi est righteo nem. There are things practised in a Vulgar style is some mos such as conuol over pleasures. For as, among the heathen, there are those Who, hom tho impossibili of obtaining Whatone see'y and hom fear of men, and iam for tho sise of
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greater pleraures, abstain hom the deligitis that are bosorothem; so also, in the case of faith, some practise set restraint,either out os rogard to tho promise or hom fear of God. li, such sedisestraint is tho basis of knowledge, and an approach to something bellar, and an effori aster perfection.
of those who presse him. According in another vieW, it is not he who merely controis his passions that is called a continent man, but he who has also achieved tho mastery over good things, and has acquired fureb the great accomptishments of science, from which hoproduces as fruits the activities of virtuo. Thus tho Gnosticis neVer, on the occurrenco os an emergen , disiodged homilio habit peculiar in him. For the scientific possession of
things divino and human. KnoWledge, then, never becomes ignorance; nor does good change into evil. Herefore also he eata, and drinlis, and marries, not as principat ends of exis,enee, but as necessa . I name marriago even, is the Word prescribe, and as is suilablo. For having become perfeci, hehas the apostles for examples; and one is not reatly shoWn tobe a man in tho choice of single ilia; but he surpasses men,
Who, disciplined by marriage, procreation of chilhen, and care lar the liouse, Without pleasum or pian, in his solicitudo for tho house has been inseparabie fram God's love, and withstood ali tompation arising through children, and Wila, and domestim, and possessions. But he stat has no familyis in a great degres irae of temptation. Caring, then, larhimself alone, ho is surpassod by him Who is inferior, assar as his oWn personat salvation is concerned, but Who is superior in tho conduci os lite, preserving certainin in his
caro for the truth, a minute image. But We must as much as possibie subjeci the foui to
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activi in doing good, by Which salvation is acquired. As, then, those Who have learned the aris procuro stela living by What they have been tauot, so also is the Gnostic saved, procuring liso by What he knows. For he who has
not formod the wisti in extirpato the passion of the wes, hilla himself. But, as seems, ignorance is the starvation of the foui, and knowledge iis sustenanee.