Prescription against Heretics 10

Now the meaning of this saying consists in three points: in the matter, in the time, in the measure. In the matter, that you consider what is to be sought; in the time, when; in the measure, how long. What must be sought, then, is what Christ taught, of course as long as you do not find it, of course until you find it. And you have found it when you have believed. For you would not have believed if you had not found, just as you would not have sought except to find. So you seek in order to find, and you find in order to believe. By believing you have fixed a limit to all prolonging of seeking and finding. The very fruit of seeking has set you this measure. He himself has marked out this boundary for you who does not want you to believe anything other than what he taught, and so not to seek anything else either. Otherwise, if, because so many other things have been taught by others, we must therefore seek as long as we can find, we shall always be seeking and never believe at all. For where will be the end of seeking? Where the resting place of believing? Where the completion of finding? With Marcion? But Valentinus too puts forward “Seek, and you will find.” With Valentinus? But Apelles too will knock at my door with this saying, and Ebion and Simon and all of them in turn have no other way to worm their way into my favor and win me over to themselves. So I shall be nowhere, while I meet everywhere “Seek, and you will find,” and as good as nowhere, as one who has never grasped what Christ taught, what ought to be sought, what must be believed.