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to remain in the lamp? The fire always longs and wants to take hold of the matter, but it is certainly our task to prepare it beforehand and to readily offer ourselves as lamps adorned with oil and all kinds of virtues, and to put forth the wick of the mind straightway, so that it may touch the fire and be kindled little by little, and thus remain with those who have acquired it. For otherwise - let no one be deceived - it is not seen, it is not grasped, it is not held at all. For it is, as I have said, outside of all created things, but it becomes graspable ungraspably by the ineffable union and likewise circumscribed in an uncircumscribable way. But do not seek these things at all by words or by speculation, but ask to receive fire, which teaches and shows (342) clearly to those who possess it all these things and things more mystical than these in an unutterable way. But hear things more mystical than these, if you wish, child! When it shines forth as I have said, and drives out the swarm of passions and cleanses the house of your soul, then it is mingled with it without confusion and united ineffably, essentially with its essence, whole to whole, in every way, and little by little it makes it radiant,

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παραμένειν ἐν τῷ λύχνῳ; Πάντοτε τό πῦρ τῆς ὕλης δράσσεσθαι ποθεῖ καί θέλει, ἀλλ᾿ ἡμῶν ὑπάρχει πάντως τό προευτρεπίσαι ταύτην καί παρέξαι εὐπροθύμως ἑαυτούς ἡμᾶς ὡς λύχνους ἐν ἐλαίῳ καί παντοίαις ἀρεταῖς κεκοσμημένους, τοῦ νοός δέ θρυαλλίδα εὐθυβόλως προβαλέσθαι, ἵνα τῷ πυρί προσψαύσῃ καί κατά μικρόν ἀνάψῃ, οὕτω τε συμπαραμένῃ τοῖς αὐτό προσκτησαμένοις. Ἄλλως γάρ - μηδείς πλανάσθω - οὐχ ὁρᾶται, οὐ κρατεῖται, οὐ συνέχεται κἄν ὅλως. Ἔστι γάρ, καθάπερ εἶπον, ἔξω τῶν κτισμάτων πάντων, γίνεται ληπτόν δ᾿ ἀλήπτως τῇ ἑνώσει τῇ ἀρρήτῳ καί περιγραπτόν ὡσαύτως ἐν ἀπεριγράπτῳ τρόπῳ. Ταῦτα δέ μή λόγοις ὅλως μηδέ ἐπινοίας ζήτει, ἀλλά πῦρ λαβεῖν ἐξαίτει, ὅ διδάσκει καί δεικνύει (342) ἐναργῶς τοῖς κεκτημένοις ταῦτα πάντα καί τά τούτων μυστικώτερα ἀφράστως. Μυστικώτερα δέ τούτων ἄκουσον, εἰ βούλει, τέκνον! Ὅταν λάμψῃ καθώς εἶπον, καί τό σμῆνος ἐκδιώξῃ τῶν παθῶν καί ἐκκαθάρῃ σοῦ τόν οἶκον τῆς ψυχῆς σου, τότε μίγνυται αὐτῇ ἀμίκτως καί ἑνοῦται ἀπορρήτως, ἐνουσίως τῇ οὐσίᾳ ταύτης ὅλον ὅλῃ πάντως καί κατά μικρόν λαμπρύνει,