Deer and Serpents

"As a hart longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God."
--Ps 42:1

"Listen to something else that is to be observed in the deer. It kills serpents, and after killing the serpents its thirst is inflamed all the more intensely. Having killed the serpents, it runs to the brook more speedily than ever. The serpents signify your vices. Destroy these wicked serpents, and you will have greater longing for the fountain of truth."
--St. Augustine of Hippo, On Psalm XLI,I §3

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