painter confounding his colors together, the greatest loathsomeness ensues, every one of
the several parts hastening to corruption, and dissolution:—so is it also when the Spirit
forsakes the body and the soul, the loathsomeness which ensues is worse and greater. Do
not then, because the body is inferior to the soul, revile it, for neither do I endure to revile
the soul because it hath no strength without the Spirit. If one need say anything at all, the
soul is deserving of the greater censure than the body; for the body indeed can do no grevious
harm without the soul, whereas the soul can do much without the body. Because, we know,
when the one is even wasting away, and has no wantonness, the soul is busily employed.
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Even as those sorcerers, magicians, envious persons, enchanters, especially cause the body
to waste away. But besides this, not even luxury is the effect of the necessity of the body, but
rather of the inattentiveness of the soul; for food, not feasting, is the object of the necessity
of the body. For if I have a mind to put on a strong curb, I stop the horse; but the body is
unable to check the soul in her evil courses. Wherefore then does he call it the carnal mind?
Because it comes to be wholly of the flesh, for when she has the mastery, then she goes
wrong, as soon as ever she has deprived herself of reason, and of the supremacy of the soul.
The virtue therefore of the body consists in this, in its submission to the soul, since of itself
the flesh is neither good nor evil. For what could the body ever do of itself? It is then by its
connection that the body is good, good because of its subjection, but of itself neither good
nor evil, with capacity, however, both for one and for the other, and having an equal tendency
either way. The body has a natural desire, not however of fornication, nor of adultery, but
of pleasure; the body has a desire not of feasting, but of food; not of drunkenness, but of
drink. For in proof that it is not drunkenness that is the natural desire of the body, mark
how, whenever you exceed the measure, when you go beyond the boundary-lines, it cannot
hold out a moment longer. Up to this point it is of the body, but all the rest of the excesses,
as e.g., when she is hurried away into sensualities, when she becomes stupefied, these are of
the soul. For though the body be good, still it is vastly inferior to the soul, as lead is less of
value than gold, and yet gold needs lead to solder it, and just so has the soul need also of the
body. Or in the same way as a noble child requires a conductor, so again does the soul stand
in need of the body. For, as we speak of childish things, not to the disparagement of child-
hood, but only of those acts which are done during childhood; so also are we now speaking
of the body.
Yet it is in our power, if we will, no longer to be in the flesh, no, nor upon the earth, but
in heaven, and in the Spirit. For our being here or there, is not determined so much by our
position, as by our disposition. Of many people, at least, who are in some place, we say they
are not there, when we say, “Thou wast not here. And again Thou art not here.” And why
do I say this? We often say, “Thou art not at (ἐν) thyself, I am not at (ἐν) myself,” and yet
what can be more material (a stronger instance of corporeal locality) than this, that a man
is near to himself? And yet, notwithstanding, we say that he is not at himself. Let us then be
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Ephesians 2:11,12