Temporal bliss, which is nothing before, you diligently seek, because you see it. How can you not seek that infinite thing, when you see it by faith? For the sake of temporal honor and glory, you faithfully serve the earthly king and accept all kinds of labors, misfortunes and misfortunes, and go to bloody wars and battles, for you hope to receive honor and glory from him.

As it is written about Moses: he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, and he would rather suffer with the people of God than have temporary sinful pleasure, and he considered the reproach of Christ to be a greater wealth for himself than the Egyptian treasures; for he looked to the recompense (Hebrews 11:24-26), which should be understood about the martyrs of the saints and other saints of God.

You see, Christian, what follows from the knowledge of God, namely: turning away from sin, the world, carefully doing His commandments, and true worship. In the knowledge of God consists the knowledge not only of His name, but also of His divine attributes, that is, omnipresence, truth, goodness, mercy, truth, omnipotence, and so on. And from the knowledge of God's attributes will certainly follow, as it has been said, God's unfeigned worship of God. His righteousness will teach you to guard against sin; His omnipotence and majesty are to fear, tremble, and humble ourselves before Him; His truth is to believe Him in all things; goodness is to love Him, and to seek Him with all one's heart, and to cleave unto Him; His mercy and mercies are not to despair because of sins, but to repent and show mercy to one's neighbor; His omnipresent omniscience will also teach you to turn away from all evil, sin, and disorder, but to revere Him, and so on.

From this you see that the lawless and fearless life, for example, of thieves, predators, bribe-takers, covetous, fornicators, blasphemers, scoffers, spiteful, haters, drunkards, and so on, is proof of their godless hearts, the blindness and darkness of God's darkened ignorance. And although such confess God, yet in their hearts they say: There is no God, as Psalm 13 shows other places in the Scriptures. Of such confessors the Apostle wrote: "They say that they know God, but by their works they deny it, being abominable and disobedient, and incapable of any good work" (Titus 1:16). And the Lord says: "These men draw nigh unto Me with their lips, and worship Me with their tongue, but their heart is far from Me" (Matt. 15:8).

Just as a tree is known not by its leaves, but by its fruits, so by God's knowledge an enlightened person and worshiper of God is known, not from oral confession, but from deeds that are in accord with confession. The heart, enlightened by the knowledge of God, knows God as He is called; he knows and believes, and so fears and honors above all creatures in heaven and on earth, he loves, serves, and all that is due to Him alone, and earnestly tries to give. Consequently, is it not manifest blindness and godlessness to fear man, and not to fear God; to serve and please man faithfully, but not to please God; to listen to the man-king, the ruler, the lord, and the father according to the flesh, but not to listen to God, Who possesses all kings and masters; to thank a person who gives God's good, and not his own, but not to thank God, from Whom all good comes and is poured out on us, not to thank; to hope in a person like oneself and seek help from him in sorrow, but not to hope in God and not to seek help from Him, Who alone can do all things and alone helps, protects, delivers, and saves those who trust in Him (Psalm 36:39-40); to fear human judgment, which touches the body alone, but not to fear God's judgment, which can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28), and so on?

Truly, there is not even the slightest spark of knowledge of God in such a heart, even if he teaches and preaches about God! We see this in many Christians of the present century. We see that many are afraid to anger their masters and authorities, but they are not afraid to anger God, and therefore they commit lawlessness. Many please people, because they do not want to offend them, but they do not please God and offend Him by transgressing His holy law. Many listen to their authorities and masters, they do their commands, but they do not listen to God and do not fulfill His commandments.

Many thank their benefactors, but they do not thank God, their highest Benefactor, because they do not love Him, and without love there can be no gratitude. In times of adversity, many people turn to a person for help and protection, because they hope in him, but do not turn to God, only because they have no hope in Him. As a civil judgment, many are afraid, as everyone knows, but they do not fear God's judgment, for they do not cease to sin: which God's judgment will certainly follow. You see that these do not repay God what they do to man, and they do not revere God as a man, Whom His true knowledge teaches to revere most of all. Therefore such and those like them do not know God, although they confess Him through His mouth.

Without worship of God and knowledge of God, there can be no truth. Just as true worship of God, which consists in fear, love, submission, obedience, humility, hope, and patience, is a witness to the knowledge of God, so the untrue, but only verbal and hypocritical worship of God is a sign of ignorance of God, as the Apostle teaches: "Whoever says, 'I have known Him,' but does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and there is no truth in him (1 John 2:4).

Judge for yourself, for what reason do you revere and listen to the king, the ruler, the father and the master? Not because they are respectable people, otherwise all people should be honored and listened to: but because you recognize the king as your king, the ruler as your master, your father as your father, and your master as your master. What do you love and thank for the sake of your benefactor? Because you have him as your benefactor. What do you love for the sake of a merciful and kind person? Because you consider him as such. Why do you come to the rich and generous for the sake of almsgiving? Because you hope to get from him. Why do you seek help and protection from your defender in times of need? Because you trust in his power. Why are you afraid to anger a righteous ruler? Because you recognize him as such. Why do you not do anything unseemly before your superior, master, and father? Because you see them before you and do not dare to do so, so as not to offend and anger them.

Ради чего же Богу всего этого не воздаешь, если признаешь Его за Бога твоего, Царя твоего, Господа твоего, Отца твоего, Благодетеля твоего, Защитника и Помощника твоего? Или опять же почему немного более Богу то воздаешь, чем людям? Бог, как несравненно высший всех есть, так несравненно большего почитания достоин, нежели все и всякого звания люди.

Исповедуешь Бога – но почему не почитаешь Его как Бога?

Исповедуешь Его Царем и Господом своим– но почему не повинуешься Ему, как Царю и Господу своему?

Исповедуешь Его Отцом своим – но почему не любишь Его, как отца своего, и не показываешь Ему сыновнего послушания?

Исповедуешь Его Благодетелем своим – но почему не благодаришь, как благодетеля?