29. Thus the spirit of man,
cleaving unto the Spirit of God, lusts against the flesh, that is,
against itself: but for itself, in order that those motions,
whether in the flesh or in the soul, after man, not after God,
which as yet exist through the sickness man hath gotten, may be
restrained by continence, that so health may be gotten; and man,
not living after man, may now be able to say, “But I live, now
not I, but there liveth in me Christ.”1916
For where not I, there more
happily I: and, when any
evil motion after man arises, unto which
he, who with the
mind serves the
Law of
God, consents not, let him
say that also, “Now it is not I that do this.”
1917
To such
forsooth are said those words, which we, as partners and sharers
with them, ought to listen to.
1918
“If ye have risen together with
Christ,
seek the things that are above, where
Christ is sitting at
the Right
Hand of
God:
mind1919
the things that are above, not
what are upon
earth. For ye are dead, and your
life is hid with
Christ in
God: when
Christ your
life shall have appeared, then ye
also shall appear with Him in
glory.” Let us understand unto whom
he is speaking, yea, rather, let us listen with more attention. For
what more plain than this? what more clear? He is certainly
speaking unto those, who had risen again with
Christ, not yet
surely in the
flesh, but in the
mind: whom he calls dead, and on
this account the more living: for “your
life,” saith he, “is
hid with
Christ in
God.” Of such dead the
speech is: “But I
live, now not I, but there liveth in me
Christ.” They therefore,
whose
life was hidden in
God, are
admonished and exhorted to
mortify their members, which are upon the
earth. For this follows,
“
Mortify, therefore, your members, which are upon the
earth.”
And, lest any through excess of dullness should think that such are
to
mortify the members of the body that are seen, straightway
opening what it is he saith, “
Fornication,” saith he,
“uncleanness, passion,
evil lust, and
covetousness, which is
idolatry.”
1920
But is it
so to be believed, that they, who were already dead, and their
life
hidden with
Christ in
God, were still committing
fornication, were
still living in
unclean habits and works, were still
slaves to
passions of
evil lust and
covetousness? What madman would thus
think of such? What, therefore, would he that they
mortify,
save
the motions themselves still living in a certain intrusion
1921
of their
own, without the consent of our
mind, without the action of the
members of the body? And how are they mortified by the
work of
continence,
save when we consent not to them with the
mind, nor are
the members of the body yielded to them as
weapons; and, what is
greater, and to be looked to with yet greater watchfulness of
continence, our very thought itself, although in a certain way it
be touched by their suggestion, and as it were, whisper, yet turns
away from these, that it receive not
delight from them, and turns
to more delightful thoughts of things above: on this account naming
them in
discourse, that men
abide not in them, but
flee from them.
And this is brought to pass, if we listen effectually, with His
help, Who, through His
Apostle gives this command, “
Seek things
that are above, where
Christ is sitting at the Right
Hand of God.
Mind the things that are above, not what are on earth.”
1922
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