Athanasius of Alexandria, on Isa 38:18

“For hell shall not confess to thee, neither shall death praise thee: nor shall they that go down into the pit, look for thy truth.”

“[Those who live in a godly manner] and participate in such goodness are the only ones able to give glory to God, and that is what really constitutes a feast and a holy day. For the feast is not indulging in a lot of food or dressing up in lovely clothes. It is not enjoying days of leisure. It is acknowledging God and offering thanksgiving and songs of praise to him. But this belongs to the saints alone, who live in Christ.… That is the way it was with Hezekiah, who was delivered from death and therefore praised God, saying, "Those who are in hell cannot praise you; the dead cannot bless you; but the living shall bless you, as I do today."”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.