A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

226 A Source Book for Ancient Church History[204]Ch. 17. He who practises wisdom practises the knowledge ofGod; though not always in prayer and sacrifice, practising pietytoward God by his works. For a man is not rendered agreeable toGod by ruling himself according to the prejudices of men and thevain declamations of the sophists. It is the man himself who, byhis own works, renders himself agreeable to God, and is deifiedby the conforming of his own soul to the incorruptible blessedOne. And it is he himself who makes himself impious anddispleasing to God, not suffering evil from God, for the Divinitydoes only what is good. It is the man himself who causes hisevils by his false beliefs in regard to God. The impious is not somuch he who does not honor the statues of the gods as he whomixes up with the idea of God the superstitions of the vulgar.As for thyself, do not hold any unworthy idea of God, of hisblessedness or of his incorruptibility.Ch. 18. The greatest fruit of piety is this—to honor the Deityaccording to our fatherland; not that He has need of anything,but His holy and happy Majesty invites us to offer Him ourhomage. Altars consecrated to God do no harm, and when neglectedthey render no help. But he who honors God as needinganything declares, without knowing it, that he is superior to God.Therefore it is not angering God that harms us, but not knowingGod, for wrath is alien to God, because it is the product of theinvoluntary, and there is nothing involuntary in God. Do notthen dishonor the Divinity by human false opinions, for thou wiltnot thereby injure the Being enjoying eternal blessedness, fromwhose incorruptible nature every injury is repelled.Ch. 19. But thou shouldest not think that I say these thingswhen I exhort to the worship of God; for he who exhorts to thiswould be ridiculous; as if it were possible to doubt concerningthis; and we do not worship Him aright doing this thing orthinking that about God. 69 Neither tears nor supplications turn69 I.e., it is not certain rites nor certain beliefs that give merit to our worship.