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Whoever, therefore, professes virginity, let him receive the counsels of the most temperate of all men, who, even though he lived before the epiphany of Christ, became so precise a guardian of temperance. And let no one simply hear me say that before the epiphany of Christ the just appeared, enduring so great a trial of continence; for they did not have so great a necessity of temperance laid upon them, nor did the neglect of the possession of temperance 580 bring such great blame upon the saints. How? Because for this reason God the most high, the creator of all, took our form, that he might bring down from heaven the sanctification of the angels.

When, therefore, men appear after so great an honor serving pleasures, it is not possible to describe the magnitude of their audacity, because, as far as it depends on them, they show the Master's love for humanity to be in vain, making the members of Christ members of a prostitute. Let demons hear and be afraid, that God does not refuse to join and unite us to himself; but some of the faithful dare to tear themselves away from Christ and unite themselves with prostitutes? It is not so great an evil to have been cast down from heaven and fallen into mud, as it is an evil, having become a member of Christ, to fall from divine honor and become a member of a prostitute. When, therefore, an evil desire inflames the soul, remember Christ quickly, consider Paul to be standing beside you, admonishing and saying: Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? If you remember these words, you will quickly see pleasure fleeing away. For if a well-ordered and temperate mistress, by appearing and with a sharp glance alone, has made misbehaving maids temperate, why do you wonder if the remembrance of Christ quickly puts to sleep a disturbing pleasure? Always have the cross shining before your eyes, and you will pass your time pure from sins. For just as the pillar of cloud, being a type and prophecy of the cross, gave rest to the multitude of the Hebrews and did not allow them to suffer anything terrible from the Egyptians, so the cross, seen before the eyes, quickly drives away every evil pleasure and does not allow one to suffer anything unworthy of piety.

This is the salvation of the soul, this is the wonderful antidote for shameful desire; for illnesses 581 in our bodies are stopped by the arts of physicians, but a sick soul is quickly healed by the oracles of Christ. Therefore, we also ask and beseech those who have already sinned and are slaves to pleasures to rise up and be sober, and not to be completely defeated by passion, nor to be carried along as if by a current, nor, having enslaved their reason to pleasures, to carry about a bitter tyranny in their soul, but to resist and draw up in battle array, and, having strengthened their mind with the fear of Christ, to cast out the harsh mistress from the citadel, so that, casting away every stain and having thrown off the multitude of sins, we may be able with a pure and incorruptible soul to approach the divine and fearful mysteries of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

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Ὅςτις οὖν ἐπαγγέλλεται παρθενίαν, δεχέσθω τὰς συμβουλίας τοῦ σωφρονεστάτου πάντων ἀνθρώπων, ὃς καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸ τῆς ἐπιφανείας τοῦ Χριστοῦ γεγονὼς οὕτως ἀκριβὴς ἐγένετο τῆς σωφροσύνης φύλαξ. Καί μοι μηδεὶς ἁπλῶς ἀκουέτω τὸ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιφανείας τοῦ Χριστοῦ πεφηνέναι τοὺς δικαίους τοσαύτην βάσανον ἐγκρατείας παρεχομένους· οὐ γὰρ τοσαύτην εἶχον ἐπικειμένην σωφροσύνης ἀνάγκην οὐδὲ μεγάλην οὕτω μέμψιν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἔφερεν ἀμελούμενον 580 τῆς σωφροσύνης τὸ κτῆμα. Πῶς; Ὅτι ταύτης ἕνεκα τῆς αἰτίας ὁ θεὸς ὁ ὕψιστος, ὁ τῶν ὅλων δημιουργός, τὴν ἡμετέραν ἔλαβε μορφήν, ἵνα τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων ἁγιαστίαν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταγάγῃ.

Ὅταν οὖν φανῶσιν ἄνθρωποι μετὰ τοσαύτην τιμὴν ἡδοναῖς δουλεύοντες, οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν τῆς τόλμης τὸ μέγεθος, ὅτι τὴν τοῦ δεσπότου φιλανθρωπίαν τό γε κατ' αὐτοὺς ἀποφαίνουσι ματαίαν τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ μέλη πόρνης ποιοῦντες. Ἀκουσάτωσαν δαίμονες καὶ φοβηθήτωσαν, ὅτι θεὸς μὲν οὐκ ἀναίνεται συγκολλᾷν ἑαυτῷ καὶ συνάπτειν ἡμᾶς· τολμῶσι δέ τινες τῶν πιστῶν ἀπορρήξαντες ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ συνάπτεσθαι πόρναις; Οὐ τοσοῦτόν ἐστι κακὸν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατενεχθέντα πεσεῖν εἰς βόρβορον, ὅσον ἐστὶ κακόν, μέλος Χριστοῦ γενόμενον ἐκ τῆς θείας τιμῆς ἐκπεσεῖν καὶ γενέσθαι μέλος πόρνης. Ὅταν οὖν ἐπιθυμία πονηρὰ καταφλέγῃ τὴν ψυχήν, ἀναμνήσθητι τοῦ Χριστοῦ ταχέως, νόμιζε παρεστηκέναι σοι τὸν Παῦλον νουθετοῦντα καὶ λέγοντα· Οὐκ οἴδατε, ὅτι τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν μέλη Χριστοῦ ἐστιν; Ἄρας οὖν τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποιήσω πόρνης μέλη; Ἂν τούτων ἀναμνησθῇς τῶν ῥημάτων, ταχέως ὄψῃ τὴν ἡδονὴν δραπετεύουσαν. Εἰ γὰρ θεραπαίνας ἀσχημονούσας δέσποινα φανεῖσα κοσμία καὶ σώφρων βλέμματι μόνον ὀξέως ἐσωφρόνισε, τί θαυμάζεις, εἰ διενοχλοῦσαν ἡδονὴν ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μνήμη κατακοιμίζει ταχέως; Ἀεὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἔχε πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου λάμποντα, καὶ καθαρὸς ἁμαρτημάτων διαπεράσεις τὸν χρόνον. Ὥςπερ γὰρ ὁ τῆς νεφέλης στῦλος τύπος ὢν καὶ προφητεία τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸ τῶν Ἑβραίων πλῆθος ἀνέπαυε καὶ οὐκ εἴα πάσχειν οὐδὲν ὑπὸ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων δεινόν, οὕτως ὁ σταυρὸς πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὁρώμενος πᾶσαν ἀπελαύνει ταχέως πονηρὰν ἡδονὴν καὶ οὐκ ἐᾷ παθεῖν οὐδὲν τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀνάξιον.

Τοῦτο σωτηρία ψυχῆς, τοῦτο τῆς αἰσχρᾶς ἐπιθυμίας θαυμαστὸν ἀλεξιφάρμακον· τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν ἀρρωστήματα 581 ταῖς τῶν ἰατρῶν καταπαύεται τέχναις, ψυχὴν δὲ νοσοῦσαν ἰᾶται ταχέως τὰ λόγια τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ∆ιόπερ καὶ τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας ἤδη καὶ δουλεύοντας ἡδοναῖς ἀξιοῦμεν καὶ ἱκετεύομεν διαναστῆναι καὶ νῆψαι καὶ μὴ πάντα ἡττᾶσθαι τοῦ πάθους μηδὲ ὥσπερ κατὰ ῥοῦν φέρεσθαι μηδὲ δουλώσαντας ταῖς ἡδοναῖς τὸν λογισμὸν πικρὰν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ τὴν τυραννίδα περιφέρειν, ἀλλ' ἀντιστῆναι καὶ παρατάξασθαι καὶ τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸν νοῦν ἐπιρρώσαντας ἐκβαλεῖν ἐκ τῆς ἀκροπόλεως χαλεπὴν δέσποιναν, ἵνα πᾶσαν κηλῖδα ῥίψαντες καὶ τῶν ἡμαρτημένων τὸ πλῆθος ἀπορριψάμενοι μετὰ καθαρᾶς καὶ ἀδιαφθόρου τῆς ψυχῆς δυνηθῶμεν προςϊέναι τοῖς θείοις καὶ φοβεροῖς μυστηρίοις τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.