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perpetually. 7.12 For this reason Paul also, writing, said to people entangled in the flesh and turning about in the midst of things and caring for wife and children: “Set your minds on things above.” Then, so that we might learn what he means by this exhortation and what it is to set one's mind on things above, he added: “where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Those things, he says, I want you to set your minds on, the things that are able to transfer your thought there, the things that draw you away from the affairs on earth. “For your citizenship is in heaven.” Where therefore you have been registered, he says, strive to transfer all your mind there and resolve to do those things which will be able to show you worthy of the citizenship there. 7.13 And so that we might not think he is commanding impossible things and things that surpass our nature, he repeats the exhortation and says: “Set your minds on things above, not on things on earth.” What is it that he wants to teach us? Do not, he says, set your minds on these things that are worthy of the earth. And what are the things worthy of the earth? The things having nothing permanent, the things that fly away before they appear, the things having nothing sure nor immovable, the things that are destroyed along with the present life, the things that wither before they blossom, the things subject to corruption. For such are all human affairs, whether you speak of wealth or power or glory or beauty of body or all the prosperity of life. 7.14 For this reason he also used such a word, saying: “not on things on earth,” wishing by the name of the earth to show their great worthlessness. Therefore, do not set your minds on these things, he says, but on things above; instead of the things on earth, these worthless and fleeting things, set your minds, he says, on the things above, the things in the heavens, the immovable things, the things coextensive with the perpetual age, the things seen by the eyes of faith, the things that know no end, the things that know no succession, the things that have no limit. I want your thought to be perpetually occupied with those things. For meditation on these things frees one from the earth and transfers one to heaven. 7.15 For this reason Christ also said: “Where a man's treasure is, there his heart is also.” For when the soul receives the concept of those ineffable goods, as if released from the bonds of the body, it becomes, so to speak, uplifted, and each day imagining the enjoyment of those things, it is not even able to conceive of the affairs on earth but runs past everything as if it were a dream and a shadow, having its thought perpetually fixed there and considering that it sees those things, as it were, with the eyes of faith and on each occasion hastening toward their enjoyment. 7.16 Let us listen, therefore, to the exhortation of this blessed one, this wondrous teacher of the world, this good trainer, this farmer of our souls, and let us set our minds on those things which he himself advised; for in this way we will be able both to enjoy present things and to obtain future things. For if we seek those things first, we will also have these things as an addition; “For seek,” he says, “the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Let us not, therefore, seek first those things which he promised to give us as an addition, so that we, by acting contrary to the Lord's exhortation, do not fall away from both. For does the master wait for our reminder and then give us his gifts? He knows what we need before we ask him. If, therefore, he sees us being zealous about those things, he will grant us the enjoyment of those things and will lavishly provide these things which he promised to bestow as an addition. Let us seek, therefore, I beseech you, the spiritual things first and set our minds on things above, not on things on earth, so that we may both obtain those things and enjoy these things. 7.17 Since these holy martyrs also, because they set their minds on things above and despised the earth and sought those things, for this reason they both obtained those things lavishly and enjoy the honor here each day, even if they do not need it, having utterly despised it, but nevertheless for our benefit they accept it

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διηνεκῶς. 7.12 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος γράφων ἔλεγεν ἀνθρώποις σαρκὶ συμπεπλεγμένοις καὶ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ στρεφομένοις καὶ γυναικὸς καὶ παίδων φροντίζουσιν· «Τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖτε.» Εἶτα ἵνα μάθωμεν τί βούλεται αὐτῷ ἡ παραίνεσις αὕτη καὶ τί ἐστι τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖν ἐπήγαγεν· «Οὗ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ καθήμενος.» Ἐκεῖνα, φησί, βούλομαι ὑμᾶς φρονεῖν τὰ δυνάμενα ὑμῶν ἐκεῖ μεταστῆσαι τὸν λογισμόν, τὰ ἀφιστῶντα ὑμᾶς τῶν ἐν τῇ γῇ πραγμάτων. «Καὶ γὰρ τὸ πολίτευμα ὑμῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ ὑπάρχει.» Ἔνθα οὖν ἀπεγράφητε, φησίν, ἐκεῖ τὸν νοῦν ὑμῶν ἅπαντα μεταγαγεῖν σπουδάσατε κἀκεῖνα βουλεύεσθε καὶ πράττειν ἃ τῆς ἐκεῖ πολιτείας ὑμᾶς ἀξίους ἀποφῆναι δυνήσεται. 7.13 Καὶ ἵνα μὴ νομίσωμεν αὐτὸν ἀδύνατά τινα ἐπιτάττειν καὶ ὑπερβαίνοντα τὴν φύσιν τὴν ἡμετέραν, πάλιν δευτεροῖ τὴν παραίνεσιν καί φησι· «Τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖτε, μὴ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.» Τί ἐστιν ὃ βούλεται ἡμᾶς παιδεῦσαι; Μὴ ταῦτα, φησί, φρονεῖτε τὰ τῆς γῆς ἄξια. Τίνα δέ ἐστι τὰ τῆς γῆς ἄξια; Τὰ μηδὲν ἔχοντα μόνιμον, τὰ πρὶν ἢ φανῆναι ἀφιπτάμενα, τὰ μηδὲν ἔχοντα βέβαιον μηδὲ ἀκίνητον, τὰ τῷ παρόντι βίῳ συγκαταλυόμενα, τὰ πρὶν ἢ ἀνθῆσαι μαραινόμενα, τὰ φθορᾷ ὑποκείμενα. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ ἅπαντα τὰ ἀνθρώπινα κἂν πλοῦτον εἴπῃς κἂν δυναστείαν κἂν δόξαν κἂν σώματος ὥραν κἂν ἅπασαν τοῦ βίου τὴν εὐημερίαν. 7.14 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ λέξει τοιαύτῃ ἐχρήσατο εἰπών· «Μὴ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς», τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς γῆς τὴν πολλὴν αὐτῶν εὐτέλειαν ἐνδείξασθαι βουλόμενος. Μὴ τοίνυν ταῦτα φρονεῖτε, φησίν, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἄνω· ἀντὶ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τῶν εὐτελῶν τούτων καὶ παρατρεχόντων, τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖτε, φησί, τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, τὰ ἀκίνητα, τὰ τῷ διηνεκεῖ αἰῶνι συμπαρεκτεινόμενα, τὰ τοῖς τῆς πίστεως ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρώμενα, τὰ τέλος οὐκ ἐπιστάμενα, τὰ διαδοχὴν οὐκ εἰδότα, τὰ πέρας οὐκ ἔχοντα. Περὶ ἐκεῖνα βούλομαι διηνεκῶς ὑμῶν στρέφεσθαι τὸν λογισμόν. Ἡ γὰρ ἐν τούτοις μελέτη τῆς γῆς ἀπαλλάττει καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν μεθίστησι. 7.15 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν· «Ὅπου ὁ θησαυρὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἐκεῖ καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ.» Ἡ γὰρ ψυχὴ ἐπειδὰν τὴν ἔννοιαν δέξηται τῶν ἀπορρήτων ἐκείνων ἀγαθῶν, καθάπερ ἀπολυθεῖσα τῶν συνδέσμων τοῦ σώματος, μετάρσιος ὡς εἰπεῖν γίνεται καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐκείνων τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν φανταζομένη, οὐδὲ ἔννοιαν λαβεῖν δύναται τῶν ἐν τῇ γῇ πραγμάτων ἀλλὰ πάντα καθάπερ ὄναρ καὶ σκιὰν παρατρέχει, ἐκεῖ τεταμένον ἔχουσα διηνεκῶς τὸν λογισμὸν κἀκεῖνα μονονουχὶ ὁρᾶν νομίζουσα τοῖς τῆς πίστεως ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ ἐφ' ἑκάστης πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων ἀπόλαυσιν ἐπειγομένη. 7.16 Ἀκούσωμεν τοίνυν τῆς παραινέσεως τοῦ μακαρίου τούτου τοῦ θαυμαστοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης διδασκάλου, τοῦ καλοῦ παιδοτρίβου, τοῦ γεωργοῦ τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν, κἀκεῖνα φρονῶμεν ἅπερ αὐτὸς συνεβούλευσεν· οὕτω γὰρ δυνησόμεθα καὶ τῶν παρόντων ἀπολαύειν καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτυχεῖν. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἐκεῖνα ζητῶμεν προηγουμένως, καὶ ταῦτα ἐν προσθήκης ἕξομεν μέρει· «Ζητεῖτε γάρ, φησί, τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν.» Μὴ τοίνυν ἅπερ ἐν προσθήκης μέρει ὑπέσχετο ἡμῖν παρέξειν, ταῦτα προηγουμένως ζητῶμεν ἵνα μὴ ἐναντία τῇ δεσποτικῇ παραινέσει διαπραττόμενοι, ἑκατέρων ἐκπέσωμεν. Μὴ γὰρ ἀναμένει τὴν παρ' ἡμῶν ὑπόμνησιν ὁ δεσπότης καὶ τότε ἡμῖν τὰς παρ' ἑαυτοῦ παρέχει δωρεάς; Οἶδεν ὧν χρείαν ἔχομεν πρὸ τοῦ ἡμᾶς αἰτῆσαι αὐτόν. Ἂν τοίνυν ἴδῃ περὶ ἐκεῖνα τὴν σπουδὴν ἡμᾶς ἔχοντας, κἀκείνων ἡμῖν τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν χαριεῖται καὶ ταῦτα μετὰ δαψιλείας παρέξει ἅπερ ἐν προσθήκης μέρει φιλοτιμεῖσθαι ὑπέσχετο. Ζητῶμεν οὖν, παρακαλῶ, τὰ πνευματικὰ προηγουμένως καὶ τὰ ἄνω φρονῶμεν, μὴ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἵνα κἀκείνων ἐπιτύχωμεν καὶ τούτων ἀπολαύσωμεν. 7.17 Ἐπειδὴ καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι οὗτοι μάρτυρες, ἐπεὶ τὰ ἄνω ἐφρόνησαν καὶ τῆς γῆς ὑπερεῖδον κἀκεῖνα ἐζήτησαν, διὰ τοῦτο κἀκείνων μετὰ δαψιλείας ἐπέτυχον καὶ τῆς ἐνταῦθα τιμῆς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀπολαύουσιν, εἰ καὶ μὴ δέονται ταύτης καθάπαξ αὐτῆς ὑπεριδόντες, ἀλλ' ὅμως διὰ τὴν ὠφέλειαν τὴν ἡμετέραν προσίενται