302 NOVATIAN THE ROMAN PRESBYTER true,and holy,and pure,isa true faith,an unspottedcon science,and an innocentsoul. Whosoever isthus fed,feeds alsowith Christ. Such a banqueter is God's guest: these are the feaststhatfeed the angels,theseare the tableswhich the martyrs make. Hence is thatword of the law : " Man doth not liveby bread alone,but by every word which pro- ceedethout of the mouth of God." 1 Hence, too,thatsaying of Christ: " My meat isto do the willof Him thatsentme, and to finishHis work."2 Hence, " Ye seekme not because ye saw the miracles,but becauseye did eatof my loavesand were filled.But labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which endureth to lifeeternal,which the Son of man willgiveyou; forHim hath the Father sealed."5 By righteousness,I say,and by continency,and by therest of the virtues,God isworshipped. For Zechariasalsotells us, saying: " If ye eat or drink,is it not ye that eator drink?"4— declaringtherebythat meat or drink attainnot unto God, but unto man : for neitheris God fleshly,soas to be pleasedwith flesh;nor is He careful5for theseplea sures,so as to rejoicein our food. God rejoicesin oor faithalone,in our innocency alone,in our truth alone,in our virtuesalone. And these dwell not in our belly,hot in our soul; and these are acquiredfor us by divineawe and heavenlyfear,and not by earthlyfood. And suchthe apostlefitlyrebuked,as " obeyingthe superstitionsof angels, puffedup by theirfleshlymind; not holdingChristthehead, from whom allthe body,joined togetherby links,and in woven and grown togetherby mutual members in thebond of charity,increasethto God ;" 6 but observingthosethings: "Touch not,tastenot, handle,not; which indeed seem to have a form of religion,in that the body is not spared.''' Yet thereisno advantage at allof righteousness,whilewe are recalledby a voluntary slaveryto those elementsto which by baptism we have died. 1Deut.viii.3. * Johniv.84. 8Johnvi.26,27. * Zech.vii.6,LXX. 5 " Attonitus"isassumedtoberightlyread"atteutus."• Col.ii.18,19. 7Col.ii.21,23.