95.  Since then I knew these things, and that no one is worthy of the mightiness of God, and the sacrifice, and priesthood, who has not first presented himself to God, a living, holy sacrifice, and set forth the reasonable, well-pleasing service,298    Rom. xii. 1. and sacrificed to God the sacrifice of praise and the contrite spirit,299    Ps. l. 14. which is the only sacrifice required of us by the Giver of all; how could I dare to offer to Him the external sacrifice, the antitype of the great mysteries,300    The great mysteries, i.e., the Sacrificial Death of Christ upon the Cross. or clothe myself with the garb and name of priest, before my hands had been consecrated by holy works; before my eyes had been accustomed to gaze safely upon created things, with wonder only for the Creator, and without injury to the creature; before my ear had been sufficiently opened to the instruction of the Lord, and He had opened mine ear to hear301    Isai. l. 4; vi. 10. without heaviness, and had set a golden earring with precious sardius, that is, a wise man’s word in an obedient ear;302    Prov. xxv. 12. before my mouth had been opened to draw in the Spirit,303    Ps. cxix. 131. and opened wide to be filled304    Ib. lxxxi. 10. with the spirit of speaking mysteries and doctrines;305    1 Cor. xiv. 2. and my lips bound,306    Prov. xv. 7 (LXX.). to use the words of wisdom, by divine knowledge, and, as I would add, loosed in due season:  before my tongue had been filled with exultation, and become an instrument of Divine melody, awaking with glory, awaking right early,307    Ps. lvii. 9. and laboring till it cleave to my jaws:308    Ib. cxxxvii. 6.  before my feet had been set upon the rock,309    Ib. xviii. 33; xl. 3. made like hart’s feet, and my footsteps directed in a godly fashion so that they should not well-nigh slip,310    Ib. lxxiii. 2. nor slip at all; before all my members had become instruments of righteousness,311    Rom. vi. 13. and all mortality had been put off, and swallowed up of life,312    2 Cor. v. 4. and had yielded to the Spirit?

ϞΕʹ. Ταῦτα οὖν εἰδὼς ἐγὼ, καὶ ὅτι μηδεὶς ἄξιος τοῦ μεγάλου καὶ Θεοῦ, καὶ θύματος, καὶ ἀρχιερέως, ὅστις μὴ πρότερον ἑαυτὸν παρέστησε τῷ Θεῷ θυσίαν ζῶσαν, ἁγίαν, μηδὲ τὴν λογικὴν λατρείαν εὐάρεστον ἐπεδείξατο, μηδὲ ἔθυσε τῷ Θεῷ θυσίαν αἰνέσεως καὶ πνεῦμα συντετριμμένον, ἣν μόνον ὁ πάντα δοὺς ἀπαιτεῖ παρ' ἡμῶν θυσίαν, πῶς ἔμελλον θαῤῥῆσαι προσφέρειν αὐτῷ τὴν ἔξωθεν, τὴν τῶν μεγάλων μυστηρίων ἀντίτυπον: ἢ πῶς ἱερέως σχῆμα καὶ ὄνομα ὑποδύεσθαι, πρὶν ὁσίοις ἔργοις τελειῶσαι τὰς χεῖρας; πρὶν τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ἐθίσαι βλέπειν ὑγιῶς τὴν κτίσιν, καὶ εἰς θαῦμα μόνον τοῦ κτίσαντος, ἀλλὰ μὴ ζημίαν τοῦ πλάσαντος; πρὶν τῇ παιδείᾳ Κυρίου ἱκανῶς ἀνοιγῆναι τὰ ὦτα, καὶ προστεθῆναί μοι ὠτίον μὴ βαρέως ἀκούειν δυνάμενον, ἀλλὰ ἐνώτιον χρυσοῦν σαρδίῳ πολυτελεῖ δεθῆναι, λόγον σοφοῦ εἰς οὖς εὐήκοον; πρὶν τὸ στόμα, τὰ χείλη, τὴν γλῶσσαν, τὸ μὲν ἀνοιγῆναι καὶ ἑλκῦσαι πνεῦμα, ἢ πλατυνθῆναι καὶ πληρωθῆναι τῷ πνεύματι λαλουμένων μυστηρίων τε καὶ δογμάτων: τὰ δὲ αἰσθήσει θείᾳ, κατὰ τὴν σοφίαν εἰπεῖν, δεθῆναι, προσθείην δ' ἂν ὅτι καὶ ἐν καιρῷ λυθῆναι: τὴν δὲ πλησθῆναι ἀγαλλιάσεως, καὶ θείας μελῳδίας γενέσθαι πλῆκτρον, ἐξεγειρομένην τῇ δόξῃ, συνεξεγειρομένην ὄρθριον, καὶ μέχρι τοῦ κολληθῆναι τῷ λάρυγγι κάμνουσαν; πρὶν ἐπὶ πέτραν στῆναι τοὺς πόδας μου, καταρτισθέντας ὡς ἐλάφων, καὶ κατευθυνθῆναί μοι τὰ κατὰ Θεὸν διαβήματα, μὴ παρ' ὀλίγον μηδ' ὅλως ἐκχεόμενα; πρὶν ἅπαν μέλος ὅπλον γενέσθαι δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ἀποθέσθαι πᾶσαν νεκρότητα, καταποθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ ὑποχωρήσασαν τῷ πνεύματι;