14. Vices and carnal sins must be trampled down, beloved brethren, and the corrupting plague of the earthly body must be trodden under foot with spiritual vigour, lest, while we are turned back again to the conversation of the old man, we be entangled in deadly snares, even as the apostle, with foresight and wholesomeness, forewarned us of this very thing, and said: “Therefore, brethren, let us not live after the flesh; for if ye live after the flesh, ye shall begin to die; but if ye, through the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the flesh, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”31    Rom. viii. 12–14. If we are the sons of God, if we are already beginning to be His temples, if, having received the Holy Spirit, we are living holily and spiritually, if we have raised our eyes from earth to heaven, if we have lifted our hearts, filled with God and Christ, to things above and divine, let us do nothing but what is worthy of God and Christ, even as the apostle arouses and exhorts us, saying: “If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God; occupy your minds with things that are above, not with things which are upon the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. But when Christ, who is your life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.”32    Col. iii. 1–4. Let us, then, who in baptism have both died and been buried in respect of the carnal sins of the old man, who have risen again with Christ in the heavenly regeneration, both think upon and do the things which are Christ’s, even as the same apostle again teaches and counsels, saying: “The first man is of the dust of the earth; the second man is from heaven.  Such as he is from the earth, such also are they who are from the earth and such as He the heavenly is, such also are they who are heavenly. As we have borne the image of him who is of the earth, let us also bear the image of Him who is from heaven.”33    1 Cor. xv. 47–49. But we cannot bear the heavenly image, unless in that condition wherein we have already begun to be, we show forth the likeness of Christ.

0647B XIV. Obterenda sunt, fratres dilectissimi, vitia et peccata carnalia, et terreni corporis infesta labes spiritali vigore calcanda, ne, dum iterum ad veteris hominis conversationem revolvimur, lethalibus laqueis implicemur, Apostolo hoc idem providenter et salubriter praemonente: Itaque, inquit, fratres, non secundum carnem vivamus: si enim secundum carnem vixeritis , incipietis mori: si autem spiritu opera carnis mortificaveritis , vivetis. Quotquot enim Spiritu Dei aguntur, hi filii Dei sunt (Rom. VIII, 12-14). Si filii Dei sumus, si templa ejus esse jam coepimus, si, accepto Spiritu sancto, sancte et spiritaliter vivimus, si de terris oculos ad coelum sustulimus, si ad superna et divina plenum Deo et Christo pectus ereximus, 0647C non nisi quae sunt Deo et Christo digna faciamus, sicut et Apostolus excitat et hortatur: Si consurrexistis , inquit, cum Christo, quae sursum sunt quaerite, ubi Christus est in dextera Dei sedens; quae sursum sunt sapite, non quae super terram . Mortui enim estis, et vita vestra abscondita est cum Christo in Deo. Cum autem Christus apparuerit vita vestra, tunc et vos apparetitis 0648A cum ipso in gloria (Coloss. III, 1-4). Qui ergo in Baptismo secundum hominis antiqui peccata carnalia et mortui et sepulti sumus, qui regeneratione coelesti Christo consurreximus, quae sunt Christi et cogitemus pariter et geramus, sicut idem Apostolus docet rursus et monet dicens: Primus homo de terrae limo, secundus homo de coelo. Qualis ille de limo, tales et qui de limo; et qualis coelestis, tales et coelestes. Quomodo portavimus imaginem ejus qui de limo est, portemus et imaginem ejus qui de coelo est (I Cor. XV, 47-49). Imaginem autem coelestem portare non possumus, nisi in eo quod esse jam coepimus , Christi similitudinem praebeamus.