Knowledge and the Call

Ὁ δὲ ψιλῇ κλήσει, καθὸ κὲκληται, ὑπακούων οὔτε διὰ φόβον οὔτε διὰ ἡδονὰς ἐπὶ τὴν γνῶσιν ἴεται· οὐ γὰρ περισκέπτεται, εἴ τι λυσιτελὲς ἔξωθεν ἔπεται κέρδος ἢ ἀπόλαυσις αὐτῷ· ἀγάπῃ δὲ τοῦ ὄντως ὄντος ἐπαστοῦ ἑλκόμενος, καὶ πρὸς τὸ δέον ἀγόμενος, θεοσεβεῖ. Ὄθεν οὐδ' εἰ καθ' ὑπόθεσιν ἐξουσίαν λάβοι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πράττειν τὰ ἀπηγορευμένα, ἀτιμώρητός τε ὤν, οὐδ' εἰ καὶ μισθὸν τὰ μακάρων ἀγαθα λήψεσθαι ἐπὶ τοισδε ἐπαγγελίαν προσλάβοι, ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ λήσεσθαι τὸν Θεὸν ἐφ' οἶς πράττει πεισθείη· ὅπερ ἀδύνατον· πρᾶξαι τι παρὰ τὸν λόγον τὸν ὀρθὸν ἐθελήσαι ποτ' ἄν, τὸ ὄντως καλὸν καὶ αἴρετὸν ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ταύτῃ ἀγαπητὸν εἶναι ἅπαξ ἐλόμενος. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν γαστρὸς βορᾷ τὸ χρηστὸν εἶναι διειλήφαγεν. Ἀκήκοε δ' ἐκεῖνος ὡς βρῶμα ἡμᾶς οὐ παραστήσει, οὐδὲ μὴν γάμος, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀποχὴ γάμου ἐν ἀγνωσία, ἀλλὰ τὸ κατ' ἀρετὴν ἔρςον τὸ γνωστικόν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ κύων, τὸ ζῶον τὸ ἄλογον, ἐγκρατὲς λεγέσθω, τὸν ἐπαιρόμενον τὴν βακτηρίαν δεδιὸς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τοῦ ὅψου ἀπεχόμενον. Τῶν τοιούτων, εὖ ἴσθι, ὅτι περιαιρεθεῖσα ἡ ὑπόσχεσις ἡ προεπηγγελμένη, καὶ ὁ φόβος περιγραφεὶς ὁ ἐπηπειλημένος, καὶ χωρισθεὶς ὁ κίνδυμενος ὁ ἐπηρτημένος, τὴν πρόθεσιν ἐλέγχει. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Τεταρτος, Κεφ ΚΓ'

But he who is obedient to the call, insofar as he is called, neither is so for  fear, nor for pleasure, but he advances to knowledge. For he does not look toward any extrinsic lucrative gain or enjoyment to come to him, but being pious he is drawn by the love of the One who is the true and the rightful object of love. And so it is that not even were we to suppose such a man had received permission from God to do things forbidden with impunity, not even if he were to be promised that he would receive as a reward the good things of the blessed, and not even if he were persuaded that God would not know what he does, something which is impossible, would he ever be willing to do anything contrary to right reason, having chosen what is truly worthy to be chosen and truly good in itself, and therefore to be loved. For it is not in the food of the belly that we have heard good to be situated, for he has heard that 'meat will not profit us,' and it is not found in marriage, nor in ignorant refusal of marriage, but in virtuous knowledgeable conduct. Even the dog, which is an irrational animal, may be said to be continent, fearing as it does the uplifted stick, and thereby it keeps away from the meat. But from such a nature, know well, that with the predicted promise taken away, the threatened dread cancelled, and the impending danger removed, the character is demonstrated. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 4, Ch 22.