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transgressing none of Thy commmdments. Wherelare also me claim the promises. And we pray for What is beneficiat, since it is not requisite in ask of Thoe what is most excellent. And we shali tako everything for good; even though the exercises that meet us, Which Thine arrangement brings tous for the disciplino of our stediastness, appear to be evit. The Gnostic, then, hom his ex eding holinem, is botterprepared to sati When he aas, than to get When he does not
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Such a Gnostic is tompted is no one except With Gossis permission, and that for the benefit of those who are missilium; and he strangiliens them sor faith, enco aging them by manly endurance. And assuredb it Was for this end, sorthe establishment and confirmation of the churches, that theblessed apostles Wore brouot into triai and in martyrdom. The Gnostic, then, hearing a voico ringing in his ear, Whichsus, Whom I shali strihe, do thou pitri beseeches that those Whο hate him may repent. For the punishment os malesa tors, to be consummated in the highways, is for childron towitnem; y for there is no possibili of the Gnostic, Who has fram choico trained himself to be excellent and good, everbeing instructed or delighted missi such spectacles. d so, having become incap te of being sonened by pleas es, and never salting into sins, he is not corrected by the examplesos other men's sufferings. And sar hom being pleased Withearthb ple ures and spectacles is he who has shown a nobie contempt for the prospecta held out in this Worid, althoughthey are divine. Not every one,' threefore, that svs Lord, Lord, shallenter into the hingdom os God; but he stat dooth tho willos God. ' Such is the gnostic labourer, Who has themastery os Worldly destres even While stili in tho flesh; ind
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Ηo knows also sto enimas of the fasting os those dvs I mean the Fourth and the Preparation. For the one hasiis name hom Hermes, and the oster frem Aphrodite. Hefasta in his lis' in respect of covetousness and Voluptuou nem, hom Whicli ali the vices gro . For We have atready osten a ve shown the three varieties of fornication, acco
ing to the apostl-love of plemure, love os money, idolatry. Ηe fasta, then, according to the La , abstaining frem baddeeds, and, according to the persection of the Gospei, Domerii thoughis. Temptations are applied in him, not for his purification, but, as me have said, for the good of his ne h- boure, is, mahing trial of totis and pians, he has despisodand passed them by. The samo holds os plorauro. For it is tho hi hest achisve-ment for one Who has had trial of it, after ards to abstain. For What great thing is it, is a man restratas himself in Whaths knows noti Ηo, in sulfilment of the precepi, accordingto the Gospei, heeps the Lord's day, when he abandons an erit disposition, and assumes that os tho Gnostic, glorisying the Loraes resurrection in himself. Further atio, When hohas received tho comprehension os scientific speculation, hedoems that he foes tho Loes, directing his ves toWards things invisibis, although he seems to look on What ho do not in to look on; chastising the faculty of vision, When heperceives himself pleasurably affected by the application ofhis Ves; since he Wishes to see and hear that alono whicli
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good, Without carnal pleas e. And they ars reatly brethren ;inasmuch as, is reason os their elect creation, and theironeneas of character, and the nature ol their deias, theydo, and thin and speis the samo holy and good Woris, in accordance With the sentimenta missi Which the Lota Minodinem as eieci in be inspired. For faith inows iraeli in stela mising choice of tho famothings; and knowledge, in learning and thinhing the inme
d is, throuo the necessity oi lde, he spend a smali pomtion os time a ut his sustenance, he thinis himsoli defraudod, Ming divorted by busta s. Thus not even in dreams do ho look on auot stat is insuit te in an elect man. Forthoroughly' a stranger and wjourner in the wholo os tuo is every suta one, Who, inhabiting the citri despises tho things in tho city Which are admired by othera, and livos in thecity as in a deseri, so that the placo may not compet his, but his modo of liso inoW him in be just. This Gnostic, in speis compendiously, mahes up sor inoabsence of the apostles, by the rectitudo ot his lito, tho accura of his Howledge, is benesting his relations, removing tho mountians ' of his neighbο ' and puttingaway tho irregularities of their mul. Although each of us is his ' own vineyard and la ureri He, to hilo desng the most excellent things, wis sto elude the notice of men, persuading the Loes alang.ith himsolf that he is living in accordance With the commandmenta, preferring these inings hom belloing thom toerist. For Where any one's miud is, thero iam is his
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THE MISCELLANTES. 463 the persection stat is in iove, especialty is ho know that howill bear .ant himself easter than his brother. He considere, accordinon the othees pata his oWn gries; and is, is contributing hom his own indigenos in order in do good, hosuffer any hardinip, he does not fret at this, but augments his beneficonco stili moro. For ho possesses in iis sinceri tho faith Which is exercised in resorenco in the assairs of Ese, and presses the yspes in practice and contemplation. And, in truth, he mina his praue not imm men, but fram Gori' by the performance of What the Lord has tauot. , attracted by his oWn hope, instes not the good thingsthat are in the worid, enteriaining a nobie contempt sor allthings here; pitying thoso that are chastised alter death, whothrouo punishment unWillingly malis consession; haring aclear conscience With referenco to his departure, and Mingat Vs ready, a stranger and ptigrim,' With regard to thoi eritances here; mindsul only of those that are his om, and regarding ali inings hero as not his omn; not only as miring the Loia's commandinent' but, ω is speis, Ming byknowle e ilaeis partiser of the divino mili; a trub chosen intimato of the Lord and His commanti in virtuo os Ming
dominion hom shoro in aliore ol ocean, so that he maycling to tho sole servico of tho Lota. Wherofore alio, in
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And the iam of his prayer is inanis ring sor the past,sor the present, and sor the future as atready through faith present. This is preceded by the reception of knowledge. And ho asks to live tho allottod liso in the flesti as a Gnostic, as treo from tho flesh, and in attain to the best things, and
flee hom the worse. Ηo asis, ino, relies in those things in hicli me have si ed, and conversion to the achnowledgmentos them.
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since there is not equat lovo in having sown the fiesh,' λand in haring formed the foui lar knowledge. Ηo having acquired the habit of doing good, exercises beneficenco meli, quicher than speaking; prving that he mayget a stiare in the sins of his brethren, in order in confessionand conversion on the part of his hindred; and eager togive a aliare to those dearest to him of his oWn Mod things. And so theso are to him, Diends. Promoting, then, thegrowth of the seeds deposited in him, according to the liu bandry enjoined by the Lord, he continues laee of sin, and becomes continent, and lives in spirit mitti those .lio are lihohim, among the choirs of the sainta, though stili dotained on
former to those who need them. But tho Gnostic is cautious in accommodation, test he be not perceived, or lest the accommodation become disposition.
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is them. For so the Gnostic gives his prayer to those Whoare in need, and by his prayer they are supplied, Without his knowledge, and without vanity. Penury and disease, and such triais, are osten sent for admonition, for the correction os the past, and sor care for tho future. Such an one prus for reliei imm them, in virtusos possessing the prerogative of knowledge, not out os vian-
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to strangers, saying, μ Look not on a strange Woman, to lus 'δplainly pronounces sin foretgn and contra to the nature ostiis temple of God. Non the temple is great, as the Church, and it is smali, as the man who preserves the wed os
Abraham. Ηe, there re, Who has God resting in him Willnot destre aught else. At once leaving ali hindrances, and despising est matter Whita distracis him, he cloaves theheaven by knowledge. d passing through the spiritualEssences, and ali ruis and authori , he touches the highest thrones, hasting to that alone for the sise of Whicli Hono ho
Mixing, then, the serpent With the doue, ' ho lives atonce perfectly and with a Mod conscience, mingling faith
pens ; nor does he suspect those things, whicli, throuo divino arrangement, inhe place sor good. Nor is ho ashamed todie, having a good conscience, and being fit to bo seon by the PoWers. Cleansed, so to speis, from ali tho statiis of the foui, he knows right woli that it will bo Miter With himiator his departum. Whencs he never prefers pleasum and profit to tho divino arrangement, since he trains himsels by the commmds, that
Theso morda aro not found in Scripture. Solomon osten Warna against strango momen, and there Me our Loes'a Worda in Hati. v. 28. 3 Hau. X. 16.
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said, came to His oWn, and His own received Him not. Wheresere also in the me os the things of the worid he notonly gives thanks and praises the creation, but also, Whileusing them as is right, is praued; sinco tho end he has in Viem terminates in contemplation by gnostic activity in
accordance With the commandments.
DESCRIPTION OF THE GNOSTIC FURNISHED BY AN EXPOSITION OF I COR. VI. I, ETC.