VVE have spoken of all things as we could, and as the divinity would suffer p. 124 and permit: It onely remaines that we praise God and pray unto him, and so return to the care of the body. For treating sufficiently of divine matters, we have satified our minds as it were with the food of the soul. But as they passed out of the cloyster, when they began to pray to God, they looked back towards the South; for when the Sun setteth, if any man will pray to God, he ought to look that way; as also when the Sun riseth, to look East: Now as they were saying their prayers, Asclepius said, with a low voice. O Tatius let us put the Father in mind that he command that we should dedicate our prayers unto God, with an addition of frankincense, and incense. Trismegistus hearing of it, and being moved, saith. Guess better O Asclepius, for p. 125 this is like unto theft when you pray unto God to burn frankinsence, and the like: for nothing is wanting unto him, who himself is all things, for in him are all things; but let us give thanks, and adore him, for these are the cheif sacrifices of God, when thankes are given of mortall men. We give thee thankes, O great and glorious God, for by thy grace only we have attained to the Light of thy knowledge. Thou Name, holy and worthy to be honoured, one name by which God as a Father is devoutly to be praised, because thou vouchsafest to give unto all fatherly piety religion and love, or whatsoever thing else is of most efficacy, when thou dost reward us with sense, reason, and understanding; with sense that we may know thee; with reason, that we may look up unto p. 126 thee, and search into thy divine nature; with understanding that knowing thee we may rejoyce in thee, and being preserved by thy Majesty, we may delight our selves in thee, that thou wast pleased to shew thy self wholly unto us: let us give thankes that thou hast vouchsafed to consecrate us, who are placed in these earthly rabernacles to be heirs of eternity. For this is only mans congratulation and knowledge of thy Majesty. We have known thee, thou great Light, by reason we have known thee to be the most wise and sensible God, O true way of Life, O fruitfull encrease of all naturall things; we have known thee in the full conception of thy whole nature, we have known thee in thy eternity, for in all this our prayer adoring the bounty of p. 127 thy goodnesse, we only beseech thee, that thou wilt be pleased to continue us in the love of thy knowledge, and that by this kind of life we be never separated from thee: desiring this we betake us to a pure Supper without flesh.
The Commentary.
This Fifteenth Chapter religiously endeth the Dialogue with giving of thankes. When thanksgiving and adoration is ended, Mercurius, Asclepius Amnon and Tatius, the Four men which filled the holy place or cloister, according to the religious Rites of the Aegyptians, betake themselves to a pure banket not consisting of flesh: and thus far Hermes, of the will of God.
FINIS.