Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| Chapter XXIII. How it is useful for us to take possession of their lands.
PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP 
Chapter XXIII.
How it is useful for us to take possession of their
lands.
But the fact that we are
bidden for our good to take possession of the countries of those most
wicked nations, may be understood in this way. Each fault has its own
especial corner in the heart, which it claims for itself in the
recesses of the soul, and drives out Israel, i.e., the contemplation of
holy and heavenly things, and never ceases to oppose them. For virtues
cannot possibly live side by side with faults. “For what
participation hath righteousness with unrighteousness? Or what
fellowship hath light with darkness?”1357
But as
soon as these faults have been overcome
by the people of Israel, i.e., by those virtues which war against them,
then at once the place in our heart which the spirit of concupiscence
and fornication had occupied, will be filled by chastity. That which
wrath had held, will be claimed by patience. That which had been
occupied by a sorrow that worketh death, will be taken by a godly
sorrow and one full of joy. That which had been wasted by accidie, will
at once be tilled by courage. That which pride had trodden down will be
ennobled by humility: and so when each of these faults has been
expelled, their places (that is the tendency towards them) will be
filled by the opposite virtues which are aptly termed the children of
Israel, that is, of the soul that seeth God:1358
| 1358 Cf. the note on
“Against Nestorius” VII. ix. | and when these have expelled all
passions from the heart we may believe that they have recovered their
own possessions rather than invaded those of others.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
