Arnobius

“ It is a disposition possessed by all, and impressed on us almost from our cradles even, to prefer good things to bad, useful to useless things, and to pursue and seek that with more pleasure which has been generally regarded [4] as more than usually precious, and to set on that our hopes for prosperity and favourable circumstances. ”

“ So, then, even if you are pure, and have been cleansed from every stain of vice, have won over and charmed [1] those powers not to shut the ways against you and bar your passage when returning to heaven, by no efforts will you be able to reach the prize of immortality, unless by Christ’s gift you have perceived what constitutes this very immortality, and have been allowed to enter on the true life. ”