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(172) But do you then know what kingdom he tells us to seek? The one in the height of the heavens, the one that is to be after the resurrection or, as one that is somewhere far away, does he say we should seek this one? By no means. What kind, then, does he command us to seek? Pay close attention to what kind of kingdom it is that ought to be sought by us. God, being the founder and creator of all things, always reigns over all things in heaven and on earth and under the earth; but he also reigns over things not yet created as though they were already created in him, because through him they will be created and whatever is to be created after these things, and he reigns not least over each one of us in righteousness and knowledge and truth. Therefore, he tells you to seek this kingdom, so that just as "God reigned over the nations," as it is written, he may also reign over us, since we are from the nations. But how will he reign? As if riding upon us as upon some chariot and holding the wills of our souls as reins in his hand, who will lead us wherever he wishes, finding us obedient, and he will use our wills as he would horses for his own will, readily submitting to his laws and commandments. Thus indeed God reigns in those over whom he never reigned, who are purified through tears and repentance and are perfected through the wisdom and knowledge of the Spirit. Thus also men become Cherubim, carrying the God over all on the back of their souls in this world. Who then is so foolish and senseless that before seeing and experiencing this glory will desire power or glory or riches? Or rather, who is so mad and wretched that he would suspect there to be another glory or kingdom or wealth or honor or power or luxury, or any of the other so-called and considered good things on earth or in heaven, (173) to be greater than the kingdom and glory of God, that he would choose those things instead of this? Truly, for those who have understanding, there is nothing else more desirable than this.

Therefore, when Christ goes about and seeks to reign over all of us, let no one foolishly push him away; let no one, I beg, deprive himself of this great and welcome gift; let no one make himself an outcast from the true glory; let no one for the sake of temporary wealth abandon God, the giver of wealth and maker of the universe; let no one, through affection for parents and friends and relatives, deny the Master of the angels; let no one, for the sake of fleshly desire, be deprived of the sweetness of the true life; let no one, for the sake of a fading glory, become a stranger to the eternal and unending glory. But come, all of you, if it is possible, gathered together in the same place, let us long for and seek him who is above every rule and authority and every name that is named to come upon us and to reign over each one of us, so that each of us, having received him whole with himself, will have him inseparable day and night, shining with the unapproachable light which will then consume his adversaries, when he comes on account of the unbelievers, those who do not now receive him nor want him to reign over them; and he will likewise have him entering the house with him and lying down with him on the bed and being embraced by the unbearable light and ineffably kissed, soothing sicknesses, driving away griefs and afflictions, expelling demons, providing joy and tears sweeter than honey and the honeycomb every hour, healing the passions of soul and body, making death disappear, causing life to gush forth ineffably and after the departure from the body, leading each of us up to the (174) heaven of heavens, and each one, carried upon his own shoulders while he himself is mounted, being taken up from where he was not separated.

You must experience and learn these things, beloved, with every perception of the soul, so that you may have God now raising you up with him apart from the body, and later your body also

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(172) Ἀλλά γάρ ἐπίστασθε ἄρα ποίαν λέγει ζητεῖν ἡμᾶς βασιλείαν; Τήν ἐν τῷ ὕψει τῶν οὐρανῶν, τήν μέλλουσαν μετά τήν ἀνάστασιν ἔσεσθαι ἤ, ὥς πού ποτε οὖσαν μακράν, ταύτην λέγει ζητεῖν ἡμᾶς; Οὐδαμῶς. Ὁποίαν δέ ἄρα ζητεῖν ἐγκελεύεται; Πρόσεχε ἀκριβῶς ὁποία τίς ἐστιν ἡ ζητεῖσθαι ὀφείλουσα παρ᾿ ἡμῶν βασιλεία. Ὁ Θεός, κτίστης ὤν καί δημιουργός τῶν ἁπάντων, ἀεί πάντων ἐπουρανίων βασιλεύει καί ἐπιγείων καί καταχθονίων· ἀλλά καί τῶν μήπω γεγονότων ὡς ἤδη γεγονότων ἐν αὐτῷ αὐτός βασιλεύει, ὅτι δι᾿ αὐτοῦ γενήσονται καί εἴ τι δ᾿ἄν μετά ταῦτα γενήσεσθαι μέλλει, βασιλεύει δέ οὐχ ἤκιστα καί ἐφ᾿ ἕνα ἕκαστον ἡμῶν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καί γνώσει καί ἀληθείᾳ. Ταύτην τοιγαροῦν λέγει ζητεῖν τήν βασιλείαν ὑμᾶς, ἵνα καθώς "ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ Θεός ἐπί τά ἔθνη", ὡς γέγραπται, βασιλεύσῃ καί ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν, ἐπειδή ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐσμεν. Βασιλεύσει δέ πῶς; Ὡς ἐπί ὀχήματός τινος ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς ἐποχούμενος καί ὡς ἡνίας τά θελήματα κρατῶν ἐν τῇ χειρί αὐτοῦ τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν, ὅς καί ἄξει ἐν οἷς ἄν βούληται ἡμᾶς εὐηνίους εὑρών καί εἰς τό ἐκείνου θέλημα οἷα δή ἵπποις χρήσεται ἡμῶν τοῖς θελήμασιν, ὑπείκουσι προθύμως ταῖς αὐτοῦ νομοθεσίαις καί ἐντολαῖς. Οὕτω δή βασιλεύει Θεός ἐν οἷς οὐδέποτε ἐβασίλευσε, καθαιρομένοις διά δακρύων καί μετανοίας καί τελειουμένοις διά σοφίας καί γνώσεως τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος. Οὕτω καί Χερουβίμ οἱ ἄνθρωποι γίνονται, τόν ἐπί πάντων Θεόν ἐπί τοῦ νώτου τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτῶν ἐν τῷδε τῷ κόσμῳ ἐπιφερόμενοι. Τίς οὖν ἐπί τοσοῦτον ἄφρων καί ἀναίσθητος ὅς πρό τοῦ τήν δόξαν ταύτην καί ἰδεῖν καί παθεῖν ἀρχῆς ἤ δόξης ἤ πλούτου ἐπιθυμήσει; Μᾶλλον δέ τίς οὕτως ἀπονενοημένος καί ἄθλιος, ὅς μείζονα τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείας καί δόξης ἄλλην εἶναι δόξαν ἤ βασιλείαν ἤ πλοῦτον ἤ τιμήν ἤ ἀρχήν ἤ τρυφήν, ἤ τι τῶν λεγομένων ἄλλον καί νομιζομένων καλῶν ἐπί γῆς ἤ ἐν οὐρανῷ, (173) ὑποπτεύσει, ἵνα καί ἐκεῖνα ἀντί ταύτης ἐκλέξηται; Ὄντως οὐκ ἔστι ταύτης ἕτερον οὐδέν ἐφετώτερον τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσι.

Τοίνυν καί περιϊόντι τῷ Χριστῷ καί βασιλεῦσαι ζητοῦντι ἐπί πάντας ἡμᾶς, μηδείς ἀφρόνως αὐτόν ἀπώσηται· μηδείς ἀξιῶ, τοῦ μεγάλου τούτου καί ἀσπάστου δώρου ἀποστερήσειεν ἑαυτόν· μηδείς τῆς ἀληθινῆς δόξης ἔκπτωτον ἑαυτόν ἀπεργάσηται· μηδείς διά πρόσκαιρον πλοῦτον τόν πλουτοδότην Θεόν καί ποιητήν τοῦ παντός καταλείψῃ· μηδείς διά γονέων καί φίλων καί συγγενῶν προσπάθειαν τόν ∆εσπότην τῶν ἀγγέλων ἀρνήσηται· μηδείς δι᾿ ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκός τοῦ γλυκασμοῦ τῆς ὄντως ζωῆς ἀποστερηθήσεται· μηδείς διά δόξαν εὐμάραντον τῆς αἰωνίου δόξης καί ἀτελευτήτου ἀλλότριος γένηται. Ἀλλά δεῦτε πάντες, εἰ οἷόν τε, συναχθέντες ἐπί τό αὐτό, τόν ὑπεράνω πάσης ὄντα ἀρχῆς καί ἐξουσίας καί παντός ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένου ἐλθεῖν ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς καί ἐφ᾿ ἕνί ἑκάστῳ ἡμῶν βασιλεῦσαι ποθήσωμεν καί ζητήσωμεν, ὡς ἄν ἕκαστος ἡμῶν, ὅλον αὐτόν μεθ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ λαβών, ἀχώριστον ἕξει ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τε καί νυκτί, λάμποντα τῷ ἀπροσίτῳ φωτί ὅ κατεσθίειν μέλλει τότε τούς ὑπεναντίους, ὅτε διά τούς ἀπιστοῦντας ἐλεύσεται, τούς νυνί μή δεχομένους αὐτόν μηδέ θέλοντας αὐτόν βασιλεύειν ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς· ἐν οἰκίᾳ τε συνεισερχόμενον ὡσαύτως ἕξει αὐτόν καί ἐπί τῆς κλίνης συνανακείμενον καί τῷ ἀστέκτῳ φωτί περιπλεκόμενόν τε ὁμοῦ καί ἀρρήτως κατασπαζόμενον, νόσους παραμυθούμενον, λύπας καί θλίψεις διώκοντα, δαίμονας ἀπελεύνοντα, χαράν καί δάκρυα ὑπέρ μέλι καί κηρίον γλυκύτερα καθ᾿ ὥραν παρέχοντα, πάθη ψυχῆς καί σώματος ἐξιώμενον, θάνατον ἀφανίζοντα, ζωήν ἀνεκφράστως βλυστάνοντα καί μετά τήν ἐκδημίαν τήν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος εἰς (174) οὐρανούς οὐρανῶν ἀναβιβάζοντα ἡμῶν ἕκαστον, καί ἐποχούμενον αὐτόν ἕκαστος ἐπί τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ὤμων ἐπιφερόμενος, ἀναλαμβανόμενον ὅθεν οὐκ ἐχωρίσθη.

Ταῦτα παθεῖν σε δεῖ καί μαθεῖν, ἀγαπητέ, ἐν αἰσθήσει πάσῃ ψυχῆς, ὡς ἄν ἕξεις Θεόν νῦν μέν συναναφέροντά σε δίχα τοῦ σώματος, ὕστερον δέ καί τό σῶμά σου