are as it were passages to that very God. Know therefore that adorations and vowes must with a pure and pious mind be principally made to that one only God, the highest father, King and Lord of all the gods. But when they shall come before to the inferiour gods, let the intention of the administration be terminated in them; therefore to adorations, and vowes, when they be directed to the inferiour dieties, Zoroastes, and Orpheus thought fitting that suffumigations and characters should be used; but when they are erected to the majesty of the supream God, they must not in any wise; which also Hermes, and Plato forbid to be done. Whence Hermes to Tatius; This (saith he) is like to sacrilege when thou prayest to God to be willing to kindle frankincense, and such like; for (saith Porphyrie) they are not agreeable to piety. For there is not any materiall thing can be found, which to the immateriall God is not unclean. Therefore neither is that prayer which is uttered by words agreeable to him, nor that prayer which is mentall, if the mind be polluted with vice; Secondly there is also required a certain assimilation of our life to the divine life, in purity, chastity and holiness, with a lawfull desire of that which we wish for; for by this means we especially obtain the divine benevolence, and are subjected to the divine bounty; for unlesse we, having our minds purged, be worthy to be heard, and also those things which we desire, be worthy to be done, it is manifest that the gods will not hearken to our prayers; whence divine Plato saith, that God cannot be bound by our prayers or gifts to do unjust things; therefore let us desire nothing of God, which we think uncomely to wish for: for by this means only, we see that very many are frustrated of their prayers and vowes, because that neither they themselves are Religiously disposed, nor are their desires and prayers made for those things which are well pleasing to God, neither do they know to discern in what order they ought to pray, and through what mediatours they ought to go to God; the ignorance of which doth very oft reduce our prayers and supplications to nothing, and causeth our desires and wishes to be denied.
Chapter lix. Of sacrifices and oblations, and their kinds and manners. A sacrifice
