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then we establish the counsel, then we abide by what has been counseled. Therefore, the purity in our mind is first of all blessed, since the root of the actions through the body is the counsel in the heart. For adultery, first being inflamed in the soul of the pleasure-lover, thus works the corruption through the body. Whence also the Lord says that the things that defile a man are from within. But since impiety is properly called sin against God, may it never happen that we accept out of unbelief any doubt about God! For this is to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, if you say in your heart: Is there a God governing all things? Is there a God in heaven, ordering the affairs of each one? Is there a judgment? Is there a recompense for each according to his work? Why then are the just poor, and sinners rich? The former are weak, and the latter are strong? The former are dishonored, and the latter are glorious? Does the world perhaps move by itself, and do some irrational chances disorderly allot their lives to each person? If you think these things, you have walked in the counsel of the ungodly. Blessed, therefore, is he who has not had a doubt concerning God, who has not become fainthearted concerning present things, but awaits the things that are expected; who has not held an unbelieving opinion about the one who created us. And blessed is he who has not stood in the way of sinners. Now, life is called a way because of the haste of each of those who have been born toward the end. For just as those who sleep in ships are brought to harbors automatically by the wind, even if they themselves do not perceive it, but the course hastens them toward the end; so also we, as the time of our life flows by, are hurried along by a kind of continuous and unceasing motion, each one toward his own end, by the unseen course of our life. For example, you are sleeping, and time runs past you; you are awake, and your mind is occupied 29.221; but still life is being spent, even if it escapes our perception. Therefore, all we men are running a certain race, each one hurrying toward his own end; for this reason we are all on a way. And thus you might grasp the concept of the way. You stand as a traveler in this life; you pass by everything, everything becomes behind you. You saw on the way a plant, or grass, or water, or whatever you might chance upon of things worth seeing; you were delighted for a little while, then you ran past. Again you encountered stones, and ravines, and cliffs, and reefs, and stakes, or perhaps also beasts, and reptiles, and thorns, and some other troublesome things; you were vexed for a little while, then you left them behind. Such is life, possessing neither pleasures that are permanent, nor sorrows that are lasting. The way is not yours, nor are present things yours. Among those who travel, at the same time as the first one moved his step, immediately the one after him brought his foot forward, and after that one the one who followed. Consider also if the things of life are not very similar. Today you cultivated the land, and tomorrow another, and after that one another. Do you see these fields and the luxurious houses? How many names has each of these changed since it came to be! It was called so-and-so's, then it was renamed for another; it passed to so-and-so, then now it is called another's. Is not our life, therefore, a way, at different times taking on a different person, and having all following one another? Blessed, therefore, is he who has not stood in the way of sinners. But what is, "has not stood"? While still in our first age, we humans are neither in vice nor in virtue (for that age is incapable of either state); but when our reason is completed, then what is written comes to pass: But when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. For wicked thoughts spring up, being born in our souls from the passions of the flesh. For indeed when the commandment comes, that is, the discernment of good things, if it does not master the worse thought, but allows the reason to be enslaved by the passions; sin revived, but the mind died, having become dead to its transgressions. Blessed, therefore, is he who has not lingered in the way of those who sin, but with a better reasoning has leaped over to the pious way of life.

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εἶτα ἱστῶμεν τὸ βούλευμα, εἶτα τοῖς βουλευθεῖσιν ἐναπομένομεν. Πρώτως οὖν μακαριστὸν τὸ ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ ἡμῶν κα θαρὸν, ἐπειδὴ ῥίζα τῶν διὰ τοῦ σώματος ἐνεργειῶν τὸ ἐν καρδίᾳ βούλευμα. Ἡ γὰρ μοιχεία, ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ τοῦ φιληδόνου πρῶτον ἀναφλεχθεῖσα, οὕτω τὴν διὰ τοῦ σώματος φθορὰν ἀπεργάζεται. Ὅθεν καὶ ὁ Κύριός φησιν ἔνδοθεν εἶναι τὰ κοινοῦντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀσέβεια κυρίως λέγεται ἡ εἰς Θεὸν ἁμαρτία, μὴ γένοιτο δέξασθαι ἡμᾶς ἐξ ἀπιστίας ποτὲ ἀμφιβολίαν περὶ Θεοῦ! Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ πορευθῆναι ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν, ἐὰν εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· Ἆρα ἔστι Θεὸς κυβερνῶν τὰ σύμπαντα; ἆρα ἔστι Θεὸς ἐν οὐ ρανῷ, οἰκονομῶν τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον; ἆρα κρίσις; ἆρα ἀνταπόδοσις ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ; ∆ιὰ τί οὖν δίκαιοι πένονται, καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὶ πλουτοῦσιν; οὗτοι ἀσθενοῦσι, κἀκεῖνοι ἔῤῥωνται; οὗτοι ἄτιμοι, κἀκεῖνοι ἔνδοξοι; Μήποτε αὐτομάτως ὁ κόσμος φέρεται, καὶ συντυχίαι τινὲς ἄλογοι ἀτάκτως ἑκάστῳ ἀποκλη ροῦσι τοὺς βίους; Ἐὰν ταῦτα διανοηθῇς, ἐπο ρεύθης ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν. Μακάριος οὖν ὃς οὐκ ἔλαβε περὶ Θεοῦ δισταγμὸν, ὁ μὴ μικροψυχήσας περὶ τὰ παρόντα, ἀλλ' ἀναμένων τὰ προσδοκώμενα· ὃς οὐκ ἔσχε περὶ τοῦ κτίσαντος ἡμᾶς ὑπόληψιν ἄπιστον. Μακάριος δὲ κἀκεῖνος, ὃς ἐν ὁδῷ ἁμαρτωλῶν οὐκ ἔστη. Ὁδὸς μὲν οὖν ὁ βίος εἴρηται διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἑκάστου τῶν γεννηθέντων ἔπειξιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ ἐν τοῖς πλοίοις καθεύδοντες αὐτομάτως ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐπὶ λιμένας ἄγονται, κἂν αὐτοὶ μὴ αἰσθά νωνται, ἀλλ' ὁ δρόμος αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἐπείγει· οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς, τοῦ χρόνου τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν παραῤ ῥέοντος, οἷόν τινι κινήσει συνεχεῖ καὶ ἀπαύστῳ πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον ἕκαστος πέρας τῷ λανθάνοντι δρόμῳ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν κατεπειγόμεθα. Οἷον, καθεύδεις, καὶ ὁ χρόνος σε παρατρέχει· ἐγρήγορας, καὶ ἄσχολος εἶ 29.221 τὴν διάνοιαν· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡ ζωὴ δαπανᾶται, κἂν τὴν αἴσθησιν ἡμῶν διαφεύγῃ. ∆ρόμον οὖν τινα τρέχομεν πάντες ἄνθρωποι, πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον τέλος ἕκαστος ἐπειγόμενοι· διὰ τοῦτο πάντες ἐσμὲν ἐν ὁδῷ. Καὶ οὕτω δ' ἂν λάβοις τῆς ὁδοῦ τὴν ἔννοιαν. Ὁδοιπόρος ἐφέστηκας τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ· πάντα παρέρχῃ, πάντα κατ όπιν σου γίνεται. Εἶδες ἐπὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ φυτὸν, ἢ πόαν ἢ ὕδωρ, ἢ ὅτι ἂν τύχῃ τῶν ἀξίων θεάματος· μικρὸν ἐτέρ φθης, εἶτα παρέδραμες. Πάλιν ἐνέτυχες λίθοις, καὶ φάραγξι, καὶ κρημνοῖς, καὶ σκοπέλοις, καὶ σκόλοψιν, ἤ που καὶ θηρίοις, καὶ ἑρπετοῖς, καὶ ἀκάνθαις, καί τισιν ἄλλοις τῶν ὀχληρῶν· μικρὸν ἠνιάθης, εἶτα κατέλι πες. Τοιοῦτος ὁ βίος, οὔτε τὰ τερπνὰ μόνιμα, οὔτε τὰ λυπηρὰ διαρκῆ κεκτημένος. Ἡ ὁδὸς οὐκ ἔστι σὴ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὰ παρόντα σά. Ἐπὶ τῶν ὁδευόντων, ὁμοῦ τε ὁ πρῶτος τὸ ἴχνος ἐκίνησε, καὶ εὐθὺς ὁ μετ' αὐτὸν τὴν βάσιν ἤνεγκε, καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνον ὁ ἐφεπό μενος. Σκόπει δὲ καὶ τὰ τοῦ βίου εἰ μὴ παραπλήσια. Σήμερον τὴν γῆν σὺ ἐγεώργησας, καὶ αὔριον ἄλλος, καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνον ἕτερος. Ὁρᾷς τοὺς ἀγροὺς τούτους καὶ τὰς πολυτελεῖς οἰκίας; Πόσα ἤδη ὀνόματα ἀφ' οὗ γέγονε τούτων ἕκαστον ἤμειψε! Τοῦ δεῖνος ἐλέγετο, εἶτα μετωνομάσθη πρὸς ἕτερον· πρὸς τὸν δεῖνα μετῆλθεν, εἶτα νῦν ἄλλου λέγεται. Ἆρ' οὖν οὐχ ὁδὸς ἡμῶν ὁ βίος, ἄλλοτε ἄλλον μεταλαμβάνων, καὶ πάντας ἔχων ἀλλήλοις ἐφεπομένους; Μακάριος οὖν ὃς ἐπὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν οὐκ ἔστη. Τὸ δὲ, Οὐκ ἔστη, τί ἐστιν; Ἔτι ἐπὶ τῆς πρώτης ἡλικίας ὄντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι, οὔτε ἐν κακίᾳ ἐσμὲν, οὔτε ἐν ἀρετῇ (ἀνεπίδεκτος γὰρ ἡ ἡλικία τῆς ἕξεως ἑκα τέρας)· ἐπειδὰν δὲ ὁ λόγος ἡμῶν συμπληρωθῇ, τότε γίνεται τὸ γεγραμμένον· Ἐλθούσης δὲ τῆς ἐντο λῆς, ἡ ἁμαρτία ἀνέζησεν, ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπέθανον. Ἐπανατέλλουσι γὰρ λογισμοὶ πονηροὶ, ἐκ τῶν παθῶν τῆς σαρκὸς ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν ἐντικτόμενοι. Τῷ ὄντι γὰρ ἐλθοῦσα ἡ ἐντολὴ, τουτέστιν ἡ διάγνωσις τῶν καλῶν, ἐὰν μὴ κατακρατήσῃ τοῦ χείρονος λογισμοῦ, ἀλλὰ συγχωρήσῃ ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν ἐξανδραποδισθῆναι τὸν λογισμόν· ἀνέζησε μὲν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἀπέθανε δὲ ὁ νοῦς, νεκρὸς γενόμενος τοῖς παραπτώμασι. Μακάριος οὖν ὁ μὴ ἐγχρονίσας τῇ ὁδῷ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων, ἀλλὰ λογισμῷ βελτίονι πρὸς τὴν εὐσεβῆ πολιτείαν μεταπηδήσας.