XL. And what of the loins, or reins, for we must
not pass these over? Let the purification take hold of these
also. Let our loins be girded about and kept in check by
continence, as the Law bade
Israel of old when partaking of the Passover. Exod. xii. 11. For none comes out of Egypt purely, or
escapes the Destroyer, except he who has disciplined these. And
let the reins be changed by that good conversion by which they transfer
all the affections to God, so that they can say, Lord, all my desire is
before Thee, Ps. xxxviii. 9. and the day of man
have I not desired; Job xvii. 16. for you must be a
man of desires, Dan. x. 11. but they must be
those of the spirit. For thus you would destroy the dragon that
carries the greater part of his strength upon his navel and his
loins, Job xxxix. 16. by slaying the
power that comes to him from these. Do not be surprised at my
giving a more abundant honour to our uncomely parts, 1 Cor. xii. 23. mortifying them and making them chaste by my
speech, and standing up against the flesh. Let us give to God all
our members which are upon the earth; Col. iii. 5.
let us consecrate them all; not the lobe of the liver Levit. iii. 4. The Mosaic Law ordered that
the upper part of the liver and the kidneys, together with the fat,
should in creation sacrifices be consecrated to God; signifying that
anger (which was intimated by the liver, which produces bile), and lust
(signified by the kidneys and the fat) should especially be sacrificed
to God. Again Moses assigned the shoulder and the breast of some
sacrifices to the Priests, hinting obscurely at this, that we ought to
take care to offer our hearts to the Priests by confession (for the
heart is signified by the breast which protects it) and also our
actions, which are intended by the shoulder, that by the Priest they
may be presented to God. But the Apostle bids us mortify all our
members which are upon the earth, and offer ourselves entire as a
sacrifice to God, destroying with the sword of the Word of God all our
evil and corrupt affections.—Nicetas. or the kidneys with the fat, nor some part
of our bodies now this now that (why should we despise the rest?); but
let us bring ourselves entire, let us be reasonable
holocausts, Rom. xii. 1. perfect sacrifices;
and let us not make only the shoulder or the breast a portion for the
Priest to take away, Levit. vii. 34. for that would be a
small thing, but let us give ourselves entire, that we may receive back
ourselves entire; for this is to receive entirely, when we give
ourselves to God and offer as a sacrifice our own salvation.