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entering in to those who are sick, and before the diseases they trace out the sources, so as to check the evil from its origin; for he who, while the root remains, only cuts off the sprouts, does nothing other than labor in vain. Where then did Scripture speak of both the sin and the cause of the sin? It accuses those who lived before the flood for their improper unions; and hear how it states the cause: "The sons of God, seeing that the daughters of men were beautiful, took them to themselves as wives." What then, is beauty the cause of sin? May it never be; for it is the work of God's wisdom; and a work of God could never become a cause of wickedness. But seeing? Not this either; for this too is a work of nature. But what? Seeing badly; for this comes from a corrupt choice. For this reason a certain wise man also advises, saying: "Do not gaze upon another's beauty." He did not say: Do not see; for this can happen even by chance; but "Do not gaze," he says, taking away the comprehension that comes from study, the curious glance, the viewing with lingering, which comes from a corrupt and lustful soul. And what harm, he says, could come from this? "From this," he says, "friendship is kindled like a fire." For just as fire, when it takes hold of some grass or straw, does not wait for any length of time, but as soon as it touches the material, it kindles a brilliant flame; so also the fire of desire within us, when through the eyes it touches a comely and brilliant sight, immediately sets the souls of the beholders on fire. Therefore, do not look at the temporary pleasure from the sight, but consider the perpetual pain from the desire. For the one, having inflicted a great wound, has often leaped away; but the wound does not leap away, but remains and destroys. And just as a deer that has received an arrow in a vital part of the body, even if it escapes the hands of the hunters, gains nothing thereafter, so also a soul that has received the arrow of desire from an intemperate and curious gaze, even if the arrow, having been let go, departs, the soul itself is corrupted and perishes, seeing the enemy everywhere and having him as a follower. But as I was saying—for one must not allow the discourse to make long digressions—that Scripture is accustomed to speak of both the sins and their causes; hear, at any rate, what it says here also about Uzziah. For it did not teach us only that his heart was lifted up, but also added from where it was lifted up. From where then was it lifted up? "When he was strong," it says, "his heart was lifted up." He did not bear the greatness of his power, but just as from gluttony comes inflammation, and from inflammation is born fever, and then from there often death, so also here from the great abundance of affairs came folly. For what inflammation is to bodies, this folly is to souls. Then from folly came a desire for things not belonging to him. 3.5 We do not prolong these things without purpose, but so that you may never consider enviable[, nor bless] those who are in power, knowing how precarious the matter is, so that you may never consider wretched those in poverty and hardship, knowing that from this comes greater safety. For which reason the prophet also cried out, saying: "It is good for me, Lord, that you have humbled me." See, at any rate, how great was the evil that came from his height. "His heart was lifted up to his destruction," it says. What is it? "To his destruction?" Of wicked thoughts, some do not enter our soul at all, if we fence ourselves in with much security; but others are born within, and when we are negligent, they also sprout; but if they are caught beforehand, they are quickly choked and buried. Others are both born and grow and proceed to wicked actions and corrupt all the health of our soul, whenever we fall into great negligence. This then is what it says, "His heart was lifted up"; and the folly did not remain within, nor

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πρὸς τοὺς κάμνοντας εἰσιόντες, καὶ πρὸ τῶν νοσημάτων ἀνιχνεύουσι τὰς πηγάς, ὥστε ἄνωθεν ἀναστεῖλαι τὸ κακόν· ὁ γάρ, τῆς ῥίζης μενούσης, τὰ βλαστήματα ἐκτέμνων μόνον, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ ματαιοπονεῖ. Ποῦ οὖν ἡ Γραφὴ καὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἶπεν; Κατηγορεῖ τῶν πρὸ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ γενομένων ἐπὶ ταῖς οὐ προσηκούσαις ἐπιμιξίαις· καὶ ἄκουσον πῶς τίθησι τὴν αἰτίαν· "Ἰδόντες οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὅτι καλαί εἰσιν, ἔλαβον αὐτὰς ἑαυτοῖς εἰς γυναῖκας." Τί οὖν, τὸ κάλλος τῆς ἁμαρτίας αἴτιον; Μὴ γένοιτο· τῆς γὰρ Θεοῦ σοφίας ἔργον ἐστίν· Θεοῦ δὲ ἔργον οὐκ ἄν ποτε γένοιτο πονηρίας αἴτιον. Ἀλλὰ τὸ ἰδεῖν; Οὐδὲ τοῦτο· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο τῆς φύσεως ἔργον ἐστίν. Ἀλλὰ τί; Τὸ κακῶς ἰδεῖν· τοῦτο γὰρ προαιρέσεως διεφθαρμένης ἐστίν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καί τις σοφὸς παραινεῖ λέγων· "Μὴ καταμάνθανε κάλλος ἀλλότριον." Οὐκ εἶπεν· Μὴ ἴδῃς· συμβαίνει γὰρ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτομάτου τοῦτο γενέσθαι· ἀλλά "Μὴ καταμάνθανε", φησίν, τὴν ἐκ μελέτης κατανόησιν, τὴν περίεργον ὄψιν, τὴν μετὰ διατριβῆς θεωρίαν, τὴν ἀπὸ ψυχῆς διεφθαρμένης καὶ ἐπιθυμούσης ἀναιρῶν. Καὶ τί, φησίν, ἐκ τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν βλάβος; "Ἐκ τούτου, φησί, φιλία ὡς πῦρ ἀνακαίεται." Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸ πῦρ, ἐπειδὰν χόρτου τινὸς ἢ καλάμης ἐπιλάβηται, οὐκ ἀναμένει χρόνον τινά, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ τε ἥψατο τῆς ὕλης, καὶ λαμπρὰν ἀνῆψε τὴν φλόγα· οὕτω καὶ τὸ πῦρ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν, ἐπειδὰν διὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὄψεως εὐειδοῦς καὶ λαμπρᾶς ἅψηται, εὐθέως τὰς τῶν ὁρώντων ἐμπίπρησι ψυχάς. Μὴ τοίνυν τὴν πρόσκαιρον ἴδῃς ἡδονήν, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς θεωρίας, ἀλλὰ τὴν διηνεκῆ σκόπησον ὀδύνην, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ μέγα τραῦμα ἐνθεῖσα ἀπεπήδησε πολλάκις· τὸ δὲ τραῦμα οὐκ ἀποπηδᾷ, ἀλλὰ μένει καὶ ἀπόλλυσιν. Καὶ καθάπερ ἔλαφος δεξαμένη βέλος ἐν καιρίῳ τοῦ σώματος, κἂν ἐκφύγῃ τῶν θηρατῶν τὰς χεῖρας, οὐδὲν κερδαίνει λοιπόν, οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴ δεξαμένη βέλος ἐπιθυμίας ἐξ ἀκολάστου καὶ περιέργου θεωρίας, κἂν τὸ βέλος ἀφεῖσα ἀπέλθῃ, αὐτὴ διαφθείρεται καὶ ἀπόλλυται, πανταχοῦ τὸν πολέμιον ὁρῶσα καὶ ἑπόμενον ἔχουσα. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔλεγονοὐ γὰρ δεῖ μακρὰς συγχωρεῖν τοῦ λόγου ποιεῖσθαι τὰς ἐκτροπάς, ὅτι ἡ Γραφὴ καὶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα καὶ τὰς αἰτίας αὐτῶν λέγειν εἴωθεν· ἄκουε γοῦν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τί φησι περὶ τοῦ Ὀζίου. Οὐ γὰρ ὅτι ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ, τοῦτο μόνον ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πόθεν ὑψώθη προσέθηκεν. Πόθεν οὖν ὑψώθη; "Ἡνίκα ἴσχυσεν, φησίν, ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ." Οὐκ ἤνεγκε τῆς δυναστείας τὸ μέγεθος, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀδηφαγίας μὲν γίνεται φλεγμονή, ἐκ φλεγμονῆς δὲ τίκτεται πυρετός, εἶτα ἐκεῖθεν θάνατος πολλάκις, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀπὸ τῆς πολλῆς τῶν πραγμάτων περιβολῆς ἀπόνοια γέγονεν. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν σωμάτων φλεγμονή, τοῦτο ἐπὶ τῶν ψυχῶν ἀπόνοια. Εἶτα ἐξ ἀπονοίας ἐπιθυμία τῶν οὐ προσηκόντων αὐτῷ πραγμάτων. 3.5 Ταῦτα οὐχ ἁπλῶς μηκύνομεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα μηδέποτε ζηλωτοὺς εἶναι νομίζητε[, μηδὲ μακαρίζητε] τοὺς ἐν δυναστείαις ὄντας, εἰδότες ὅσον τοῦ πράγματος τὸ ἐπισφαλές, ἵνα μηδέποτε τοὺς ἐν πενίᾳ καὶ ταλαιπωρίᾳ ἀθλίους ἡγῆσθε, εἰδότες ὅτι πλείων ἐντεῦθεν ἡ ἀσφάλεια. ∆ι' ὃ καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἐβόα λέγων· "Ἀγαθόν μοι, Κύριε, ὅτι ἐταπείνωσάς με." Ὅρα γοῦν ὅσον ἐκ τοῦ ὕψους γέγονε τὸ κακόν. "Ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ἕως τοῦ διαφθεῖραι", φησίν. Τί ἐστιν; "Ἕως τοῦ διαφθεῖραι;" Τῶν πονηρῶν λογισμῶν οἱ μὲν οὐδὲ ὅλως ἡμῶν ἐπιβαίνουσι τῆς ψυχῆς, ἂν πολλῇ περιφράξωμεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀσφαλείᾳ· οἱ δὲ τίκτονται μὲν ἔνδον, ῥᾳθυμησάντων δὲ ἡμῶν, καὶ βλαστάνουσιν· ἂν δὲ προληφθῶσιν, ἀποπνίγονται ταχέως καὶ καταχώννυνται. Ἄλλοι καὶ τίκτονται καὶ αὐξάνονται καὶ πρὸς τὰς πονηρὰς ἐκβαίνουσι πράξεις καὶ πᾶσαν ἡμῶν τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ὑγίειαν διαφθείρουσιν, ὅταν ἐν πολλῇ γενώμεθα ῥᾳθυμίᾳ. Τοῦτο οὖν ἔστιν ὅπερ λέγει "Ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ"· καὶ οὐκ ἔμεινεν ἔνδον ἡ ἀπόνοια, οὐδὲ