Clement of Alexandria, Miscellanies 7

We are commanded to revere and honor the Word, having been convinced that He is both our Savior and Leader, and that through Him we come to the Father. We must do this not only on particular days, as some people do, but continuously throughout our entire lives and in every possible way. Scripture says of the chosen race, 'Seven times a day I have praised you,' justifying this practice by the commandment (Psalms 119:164). Consequently, the spiritual person requires neither a designated place nor a special temple, nor appointed festivals and days. Instead, he honors God in every place and at all times, whether he happens to be alone or in the company of those who have believed in the same way. This honor consists in giving thanks for the knowledge and the way of life God has granted.

Consider this: if the presence of a good man always molds the one who meets him toward what is better through shame and respect, how much more will the person who is continually present with God through knowledge, life, and unceasing thanksgiving become better in every respect—in deeds, words, and disposition? The spiritual person is convinced that God is present everywhere; he does not suppose that God is confined to specific locations. Were he to think otherwise, he might imagine himself without God at some moment and behave improperly, both night and day.

Therefore, conducting our whole life as a festival, persuaded that God is present everywhere, we farm while praising and sail while hymning. We conduct ourselves skillfully according to the demands of our higher citizenship. The spiritual person draws especially near to God, maintaining a demeanor that is both dignified and cheerful in all things. He is dignified because of his orientation toward the divine; he is cheerful because he reckons up the human goods God has given us.

The prophet displays the excellence of knowledge in this prayer: 'Teach me goodness and discipline and knowledge,' thereby advancing the ruling faculty of perfection step by step (Psalms 119:66). This, then, is truly the royal person; this is the holy priest of God. Even now, the most rational of the barbarians preserve the priestly office, linking it to the kingdom. Such a person never surrenders himself to the mob rule of the theaters, nor does he even dream of the things said, done, and seen there for the sake of dissolute pleasure. He does not pursue those visual pleasures, nor the varied delights of the other senses—such as costly incense that beguiles the sense of smell, or rich foods and diverse wines that lure the sense of taste, or elaborate, fragrant hairstyles that soften the soul through sensation.

Rather, he consistently directs the dignified enjoyment of all things toward God. For every meal, drink, and anointing, he offers firstfruits to the Giver of all, acknowledging the gift and the use of what has been granted to him through the Word.