Then you are walking in the Spirit. You have conquered yourself,
and so are a really brave man. You have obeyed the Spirit, and you
have your reward by feeling inspirited, as we say; you can face
death with spirit, and fight with spirit.
But the struggle between the Spirit and the flesh is not ended
there. When you got excited, there would probably come over you the
lust of fighting; you would get angry, get mad and lose your self-
possession.
There is the flesh waking up again, and saying, Be cruel; kill every
one you meet. And to that the Spirit answers, No; be reasonable and
merciful. Do not fulfil the lusts of the flesh, and turn yourself
into a raging wild beast. Your business is not to butcher human
beings, but to win a battle.
Well; and even if you have conquered the enemy, you may not have
conquered your worst enemy, which is yourself. For, after having
fought bravely, and done your duty, what would the flesh say to you?
I am sure it would say it to me. What but--Boast: talk of your own
valiant deeds and successes; get all the praise and honour you can;
and shew how much finer a person you are than any of your comrades.
But what would the Spirit say?--and I trust you would all listen to
the Spirit. The Spirit would say, No; do not boast; do not lower
yourself into the likeness of a vain peacock: but be just, and be
modest.
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