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DANIEL: There are, according to the statements of Scripture, three
kinds of souls; the first is the carnal, the second the natural, and the
third the spiritual: which we find are thus described by the Apostle. For
of the carnal he says: "I gave you milk to drink, not meat: for you were
not able as yet. But neither indeed are you now able; for you are yet
carnal." And again: "For whereas there is among you envying and contention,
are you not carnal?" Concerning the natural he also speaks as follows:
"But the natural man perceiveth not the things that are of the spirit of
God; for it is foolishness to him." But concerning the spiritual: "But the
spiritual man judgeth all things: and he himself is judged by no man."
And again "You who are spiritual instruct such ones in the spirit of
meekness." And so, though at our renunciation we ceased to be carnal,
i.e., we began to separate ourselves from intercourse with those in the
world, and to have nothing to do with open pollution of the flesh, we must
still be careful to strive with all our might to attain forthwith a
spiritual condition, lest haply we flatter ourselves because we seem as far
as the outer man is concerned to have renounced this world and got rid of
the defilement of carnal fornication, as if by this we had reached the
heights of perfection; and thence become careless and indifferent about
purifying ourselves from other affections, and so being kept back between
these two, become unable to reach the stage of spiritual advancement;
either because we think that it is amply sufficient for our perfection if
we seem to separate ourselves, as regards the outward man, from intercourse
with this world and from its pleasure, or because we are free from
corruption and carnal intercourse, and thus we find ourselves in that
lukewarm condition which is considered the worst of all, and discover that
we are spued out of the mouth of the Lord, in accordance with these words
of His: "I would that thou wert hot or cold. But now thou art lukewarm and
I will begin to spue thee out of My mouth." And not without good reason
does the Lord declare that those whom he has previously received in the
bowels of His love, and who have become shamefully lukewarm, shall be spued
out and rejected from His bosom: in as much as, though they might have
yielded Him some health-giving subsistence, they preferred to be torn away
from His heart: thus becoming far worse than those who had never found
their way into the Lord's mouth as food, just as we turn away with loathing
from that which nausea compels us to bring up. For whatever is cold is
warmed when received into the mouth and is received with satisfaction and
good results. But whatever has been once rejected owing to its miserable
luke-warmness, we cannot -- I will not say touch with the lips -- but even
look on from a distance without the greatest disgust. Rightly then is he
said to be worse, because the carnal man, i.e., the worldly man and the
heathen, is more readily brought to saving conversion and to the heights of
perfection than one who has been professed as a monk, but has not, as his
rule directs, laid hold on the way of perfection, and so has once for all
drawn back from that fire of spiritual fervour. For the former is at last
broken down by the sins of the flesh, and acknowledges his uncleanness, and
in his compunction hastens from carnal pollution to the fountain of true
cleansing, and the heights of perfection, and in his horror at that cold
state of infidelity in which he finds himself, he is kindled with the fire
of the spirit and flies the more readily to perfection. For one who has, as
we said, once started with a lukewarm beginning, and has begun to abuse the
name of monk, and who has not laid hold on the way of this profession with
the humility and fervour that he ought, when once he is infected by this
miserable plague, and is as it were unstrung by it, can no longer of
himself discern what is perfect nor learn from the admonitions of another.
For he says in his heart that which the Lord tells us: "Because I am rich
and wealthy and want nothing;" and so this which follows is at once applied
to him: "But thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and
naked:" and he is so far in a worse condition than a worldly man,
because he has no idea that he is wretched or blind or naked or requires
cleansing, or needs to be directed and taught by any one; and on this
account he receives no sound advice as he does not realise that he is
weighted with the name of monk, and is lowered in the judgment of all,
whereas, though everybody believes him to be a saint and regards him as a
servant of God, he must hereafter be subjected to a stricter judgment and
punishment. Lastly, why should we any longer linger over those things which
we have sufficiently discovered and proved by experience? We have often
seen those who were cold and carnal, i.e., worldly men and heathen, attain
spiritual warmth: but lukewarm and "natural" men never. And these too we
read in the prophet are hated of the Lord, so that a charge is given to
spiritual and learned men to desist from warning and teaching them, and not
to sow the seed of the life-giving word in ground that is barren and
unfruitful and choked by noxious thorns; but that they should scorn this,
and rather cultivate fallow ground, i.e., that they should transfer all
their care and teaching, and their zeal in the life-giving word to pagans
and worldly men: as we thus read: "Thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah
and inhabitants of Jerusalem: break up your fallow ground, and sow not
among thorns."
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