Mark the Ascetic - On the Spiritual Law 187-191

187. He who does not choose to suffer for the sake of truth will be chastened more painfully by suffering he has not chosen.
188. He who knows God's will, and performs it according to his power, escapes more severe suffering by suffering a little.
189. If a man tries to overcome temptations without prayer and patient endurance, he will become more entangled in them instead of driving them away.
190. The Lord is hidden in His own commandments, and He is to be found there in the measure that He is sought.
191. Do not say: 'I have fulfilled the commandments, but have not found the Lord'. For you have often found 'spiritual knowledge with righteousness', as Scripture says, 'and those who rightly seek Him shall find peace' (Prov. 16:8. LXX).