Of Patience or Fortitude
Book VII
"A certain old man dwelt in the desert, and his cell was far from water, about seven miles: and once when he was going to draw water, he flagged and said to himself, "What need is there for me to endure this toil? I shall come and live near the water." And saying this, he turned about and saw one following him and counting his footprints: and he questioned him, saying, "Who art thou?" And he said, "I am the angel of the Lord, and I am sent to count thy footprints and give thee thy reward." And when he heard him, the old man's heart was stout, and himself more ready, and he set his cell still farther from that water."
I have been so often amazed at the heroic discipline that these saints of old exercised in their pursuit of Christ, and of course I am humiliated by their mortifications of the flesh. It is a hard thing to fathom for the modern Christian accustomed to such comforts as we have in this country, but nonetheless the Apostle Paul does not mince words when he says "For if you live according to the flesh, you shall die: but if by the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live." And he does not speak for the generation of his day alone, but unto every generation. If you live your life according to the base desires of your human nature, you will indeed die, not just physically mind you, but you will live as a dead man, while you yet breathe! We don't suggest that the desire for food, or shelter,or warmth, or even sex is anything evil, but to be ruled by these things is to be reduced to the level of the animals. Of course some of you in the scientific community would have us believe that we are nothing more than animals to after all, so it would be absurd to think we should behave differently.
"A certain old man dwelt in the desert, and his cell was far from water, about seven miles: and once when he was going to draw water, he flagged and said to himself, "What need is there for me to endure this toil? I shall come and live near the water." And saying this, he turned about and saw one following him and counting his footprints: and he questioned him, saying, "Who art thou?" And he said, "I am the angel of the Lord, and I am sent to count thy footprints and give thee thy reward." And when he heard him, the old man's heart was stout, and himself more ready, and he set his cell still farther from that water."
I have been so often amazed at the heroic discipline that these saints of old exercised in their pursuit of Christ, and of course I am humiliated by their mortifications of the flesh. It is a hard thing to fathom for the modern Christian accustomed to such comforts as we have in this country, but nonetheless the Apostle Paul does not mince words when he says "For if you live according to the flesh, you shall die: but if by the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live." And he does not speak for the generation of his day alone, but unto every generation. If you live your life according to the base desires of your human nature, you will indeed die, not just physically mind you, but you will live as a dead man, while you yet breathe! We don't suggest that the desire for food, or shelter,or warmth, or even sex is anything evil, but to be ruled by these things is to be reduced to the level of the animals. Of course some of you in the scientific community would have us believe that we are nothing more than animals to after all, so it would be absurd to think we should behave differently.