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BUT the reason why that nation in which the children of Israel were
born, was bidden not to be utterly destroyed but only to have its land
forsaken, while it was commanded that these seven nations were to be
completely destroyed, is this: because however great may be the ardour of
spirit, inspired by which we have entered on the desert of virtues, yet we
cannot possibly free ourselves entirely from the neighbourhood of gluttony
or from its service and, so to speak, from daily intercourse with it. For
the liking for delicacies and dainties will live on as something natural
and innate in us, even though we take pains to cut off all superfluous
appetites and desires, which, as they cannot be altogether destroyed, ought
to be shunned and avoided. For of these we read "Take no care for the flesh
with its desires." While then we still retain the feeling for this
care, which we are bidden not altogether to cut off, but to keep without
its desires, it is clear that we do not destroy the Egyptian nation but
separate ourselves in a sort of way from it, not thinking anything about
luxuries and delicate feasts, but, as the Apostle says, being "content with
our daily food and clothing." And this is commanded in a figure in the
law, in this way: "Thou shalt not abhor the Egyptian, because thou wast a
stranger in his land." For necessary food is not refused to the body
without danger to it and sinfulness in the soul. But of those seven
troublesome faults we must in every possible way root out the affections
from the inmost recesses of our souls. For of them we read: "Let all
bitterness and anger and indignation and clamour and blasphemy be put away
from you with all malice:" and again: "But fornication and all uncleanness
and covetousness let it not so much as be named among you, or obscenity or
foolish talking or scurrility." We can then cut out the roots of these
faults which are grafted into our nature from without while we cannot
possibly cut off occasions of gluttony. For however far we have advanced,
we cannot help being what we were born. And that this is so we can show not
only from the lives of little people like ourselves but from the lives and
customs of all who have attained perfection, who even when they have got
rid of incentives to all other passions, and are retiring to the desert
with perfect fervour of spirit and bodily abnegation, yet still cannot do
without thought for their daily meal and the preparation of their food from
year to year.
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