Knowledge And Grace

Sicut enim qui vere esurit, tamdiu petit cibum, donec impleat necessitatem corporis sui, nec potest cessare, necessitas enim urget, quia sine cibo vivere non potest, ita et qui vere desiderat gratiam Dei, cessare non potest a petendo, sciens quia salvus fieri non potest sine gratia Dei. Adhuc quaerite, interrogantes sacerdotes caeterosque habentes scientiam spiritualium Scripturarum, sicut praecepit lex: Interroga patrem tuum, et dicet tibi, seniores tuos, et annuntiabunt tibi. Quaerite studio et labore, legentes Scripturas legis et prophetarum. Nam Deus ita nos disposuit esse, ut nec studentes et laborantes circa Scripturas acquiramus salutem scientiae sine gratia Dei, ut ne nobis imputemus quod scimus; nec tamen gratiam acquiramus, nisi studuerimus et laboraverimus circa Scripturas, ne donum Dei detur negligentibus. Gratia eim adjutorium est infirmitatis humanae: adjutorem autem non dormientibus datur, sed festinantibus, et praevalentibus. Sicut enim in bello non omnis, qui pugnat, vincit, nemo tamen vincere potest, nisi pugnaverit: sic non omnes, qui student et legunt, acquirunt scientiam spiritualem, nemo tamen acquirere potest, nisi qui aut studiosus fuerit ad legendum, aut assiduus ad audiendum. Et infideles quidem, et non timentes Deum inveniunt scientiam legendo et studendo, sed non illam quae ex Deo est, quae per Spiritum Sanctum datur, sed hanc quae est ex natura carnali, quae per exercitationem carnis acquiritur, quam habuerunt etiam et gentilium studiosi. Multa enim differentia est inter scientias istas. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XVIII 'Petite et dabitur vobis, quaerite et invenietis: pulsate et aperietur vobis' Source:  Migne PG 56.730-731

For as he who genuinely hungers, while he does so, seeks food, and until he has relieved the necessity of the body he cannot stop, for necessity urges him, and without food he is not able to live, thus even he who truly desires the grace of God is not able to stop seeking it, knowing that he is not able to be saved but by the grace of God. While you seek, question the priests and others who have spiritual knowledge of the Scriptures, as the law commands: 'Question your father and he shall speak to you, your elders, and they shall declare it to you.' 1 Seek with zeal and labour, reading the writings of the Law and the Prophets. For God has thus arranged it that zealously labouring over the Scriptures we shall not acquire the good of knowledge without the grace of God, lest we claim for ourselves what we know, for if we do not acquire grace, even if we sweat and toil over the Scriptures, the gift of God is not given to the negligent. For grace is a help for our human infirmity, and it is a help that is not given to those who sleep, but only to the active and the worthy. For as in war not all who fight prevail, yet no one is able to prevail unless he fights, so not all who strive and labour acquire spiritual knowledge, and yet no one is able to acquire it unless he who is eager when it comes to reading and attentive when it comes to hearing. Certainly those who are unfaithful and who do not revere God, they find knowledge by reading and studying, but not that which is of God, which is given by the Holy Spirit, but that which is from material nature, which is acquired by the exertion of the flesh, and this even the scholars of the Gentiles possessed. There is indeed a great difference between these types of knowledge. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 18, On 'Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.' 1 Deut 32.7