John of Damascus, Sacred parallels

it was once of a thorn; but later the thorn was joined with the beauty of the flower, so that with the pleasure of enjoyment we might have pain lying near at hand, being reminded of the sin for which the earth was condemned to bring forth thorns and thistles for us. If the sight of this sun is insatiable, of what sort in beauty is the Sun of righteousness? If it is a loss for a blind man not to see this, what a loss it is for the sinner to be deprived of the true light? Sin is heavy, dragging the soul down to 95.1161 the bottom of Hades. Sinning happens to us in the absence of the fear of God. If sin is good, keep it to the end. But if it is harmful to the one who does it, why do you persist in what is destructive? No one seeking to vomit up bile from a wicked and intemperate diet stores it up for himself many times over. Understand your postponement, even if you cloak it in words; the deeds themselves cry out, even if you are silent with your voice. Let me be, I will use the flesh for the enjoyment of shameful things. Let me wallow in the mire of pleasures; let me bloody my hands; let me take what belongs to others; let me proceed deceitfully, swear falsely, lie, and then I will repent. See to it that, having collected a multitude of evils in the hope of redemption, you do not gather sin but fail to obtain forgiveness. God is not mocked. Do not make a trade of grace. Do not say: The law is good, but sin is more pleasant; pleasure is the devil's fish-hook, pulling toward destruction; pleasure is the mother of sin, and sin is the sting of death. Pleasure is the nurse of the eternal worm, which for a time gladdens the sinner, but later makes its offerings bitterer than gall. Postponement cries out nothing else than this: Let sin reign in me, then someday the Lord will reign too. I will present my members as instruments of unrighteousness to lawlessness someday, and them as instruments of righteousness to God. Thus also Cain offered his sacrifices, the first things for his own enjoyment, the second things to God who created and gave them. When you are strong in deeds, you spend your youth on sins; when your faculties grow weary, then you bring them to God, when they are of no use, but must lie idle, their vigor having been paralyzed by the decay of time. Self-control in old age is not self-control, but the inability to be licentious; a dead man is not crowned. No one is righteous through inability to do evil. While there is strength, by reason master sin. For this is virtue, turning away from evil and doing good. But idleness from wickedness is worthy neither of praise in itself, nor of punishment. If you cease from sin because of age, the credit belongs to weakness. We praise those who are good by choice, not those who are kept from it by necessity. And who has fixed for you the limit of your life? Who has determined for you the appointed time of old age? Who is this trustworthy guarantor of the future for you? Do you not see infants being snatched away? Those in their prime being led away? Life does not have one appointed time. Why do you wait for repentance to become the gift of a fever, when you will not be able to speak, and perhaps not even to hear, nor to lift your hands to the heavens, nor to stand up on your feet, nor to bend your knee in worship. 95.1164 Let no one deceive you with empty words; for sudden destruction will come upon you, and ruin will be present like a tempest. A downcast angel will come, leading you away by force, and dragging your soul, bound by sins, frequently turning back toward the things here, and lamenting without a voice, since the instrument of wailing has been shut off, Oh, how you will tear yourself, how you will groan, repenting in vain for what you willed! when you see the brightness of the just in the splendid distribution of gifts, and the dejection of sinners in the deepest darkness. What sort of things will you say then in the anguish of your heart? Woe is me, for not having cast off this heavy burden of sin, when the putting off was so easy, but for dragging along this heap of evils. Woe is me, for not having washed away the stains, but for being marked by sins. Now I would be with the angels; now I would be delighting in the heavenly goods. Oh, wicked counsels! for a temporary

ἀκάνθης ἦν πότε· ὕστερον δὲ τῷ κάλλει τοῦ ἄνθους ἀκάνθη συνεζεύχθη, ἵνα τῷ τέρπνῳ τῆς ἀπολαύσεως ἔγγυθεν ἔχωμεν παρακειμένην τὴν λύπην, μεμνημένοι τῆς ἁμαρτίας, δι' ἣν ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἡμῖν ἡ γῆ ἀνατέλλειν κατεδικάσθη. Εἰ ἀκόρεστος τοῦ ἡλίου τούτου ἡ θέα, ποταπὸς τῷ κάλλει ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης Ἥλιος; Εἰ τυφλῷ ζημία τοῦτον μὴ βλέπειν, ποταπὴ ζημία τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς στερηθῆναι; Βαρεῖα ἡ ἁμαρτία, καθέλκουσα τὴν ψυχὴν εἰς 95.1161 πυθμένα ᾅδου. Τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ἡμῖν κατὰ ἀπουσίαν τοῦ θείου φόβου γίνεται. Εἰ μὲν καλὸν ἡ ἁμαρτία, φύλασσε ταύτην εἰς τέλος. Εἰ δὲ βλαβερὰ τῷ ποιοῦντι, τί ἐπιμένεις τοῖς ὀλεθρίοις; οὐδεὶς χολὴν ἐμέσαι ζητῶν ἐκ πονηρᾶς καὶ ἀκολάστου διαίτης, πολυπλασίονα ταύτην ἑαυτῷ θησαυρίζει. Νοῦν σου τὴν ὑπέρθεσιν, κἂν περιστείλῃ τοῖς ῥήμασιν· αὐτὰ βοᾷ τὰ πράγματα, κἂν τῇ φωνῇ σιωπᾷς. Ἔασον, ἀποχρήσομαι τῇ σαρκὶ πρὸς ἀπόλαυσιν τῶν αἰσχρῶν. Ἐγκυλισθῶ τῷ βορβόρῳ τῶν ἡδονῶν· αἱμάξω τὰς χεῖρας· ἀφέλωμαι τὰ ἀλλότρια· πορευθῶ δολίως, ἐπιορκήσω, ψεύσωμαι, καὶ τότε μετανοῶ. Ὅρα μὴ ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως πλῆθος κακῶν συλλεξάμενος, τὴν μὲν ἁμαρτίαν ἀθροίσῃς, τῆς δὲ συγχωρήσεως ἀποτύχῃς. Θεὸς οὐ μυκτηρίζεται. Μὴ ἐμπορεύου τὴν χάριν. Μὴ εἴπῃς· καλὸς μὲν ὁ νόμος, ἀλλ' ἡδίων ἡ ἁμαρτία· ἡδονὴ ἄγγιστρόν ἐστιν τοῦ διαβόλου πρὸς ἀπώλειαν ἕλκον· ἡδονὴ μήτηρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἡ δὲ ἁμαρτία τὸ κέντρον ἐστὶ θανάτου. Ἡδονὴ τροφός ἐστι τοῦ αἰωνίου σκώληκος, ἣ πρὸς καιρὸν καταλιπαίνει τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα, ὕστερον δὲ πικροτέρας χολῆς ποιεῖται τὰς ἀναδόσεις. Οὐδὲν ἄλλο βοᾷ ἡ ὑπέρθεσις, ἢ ταῦτα· βασιλευσάτω ἐν ἐμοὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία, εἶτα βασιλεύσει ποτὲ καὶ ὁ Κύριος. Παραστήσω μου τὰ μέλη ὅπλα ἀδικίας τῇ ἀνομίᾳ ποτὲ, καὶ ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης αὐτὰ τῷ Θεῷ. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Κάϊν προσέφερε τὰς θυσίας, τὰ πρῶτα τῇ ἀπολαύσει τῇ ἑαυτοῦ, τὰ δεύτερα τῷ κτίσαντι καὶ δωρησαμένῳ Θεῷ. Ὅτε δυνατὸς εἶ ἐν ἔργοις, τὴν νεότητά σου ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις προσαναλίσκεις· ὅταν ἀποκάμῃ τὰ ὄργανα, τότε προσάγεις αὐτὰ τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτε εἰς οὐδέν ἐστιν αὐτοῖς χρήσασθαι, ἀλλ' ἀνάγκη κεῖσθαι, διὰ τὸν ἐκ τοῦ χρόνου μαρασμὸν παραλυθέντος τοῦ τόνου. Ἡ ἐν γήρᾳ σωφροσύνη, οὐ σωφροσύνη, ἀλλ' ἀκολασίας ἀδυναμία· νεκρὸς οὐ στεφανοῦται. Οὐδεὶς δίκαιος δι' ἀδυναμίαν τοῦ κακοῦ. Ἕως ἐστὶ δύναμις, λόγῳ κράτει τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἀρετὴ, ἔκκλισις ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ ποίησις ἀγαθοῦ. Ἡ δὲ ἀργία τῆς πονηρίας, οὔτε ἐπαίνων αὐτὴ καθ' ἑαυτὴν, οὔτε κολάσεως ἀξιοῦται. Ἐὰν δι' ἡλικίαν παύσῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, τῆς ἀσθενείας ἡ χάρις. Ἐπαινοῦμεν δὲ τοὺς κατὰ προαίρεσιν ἀγαθοὺς, οὐ τοὺς ὑπὸ ἀνάγκης ἐξειργομένους. Τίς δέ σοι καὶ τὸν ὅρον τῆς ζωῆς ἔπηξεν; τί σοι τὴν προθεσμίαν τοῦ γήρως ὥρισεν; τίς οὗτος ἀξιόπιστος παρά σοι τῶν μελλόντων ἐγγυητής; οὐχ ὁρᾷς νήπια ἁρπαζόμενα; τοὺς ἐν ἡλικίᾳ ἀπαγομένους; οὐκ ἔχει μίαν προθεσμίαν ὁ βίος. Τί ἀναμένεις πυρετοῦ σοι δῶρον γενέσθαι τὴν μετάνοιαν, ὅτε οὔτε φθέγξασθαι δυνήσῃ, τάχα δὲ οὐδὲ ἀκοῦσαι, οὐ χεῖρας ἆραι εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, οὐκ ἐπὶ πόδας διαναστῆναι, οὐ κλῖναι γόνυ εἰς τὴν προσκύνησιν. 95.1164 Μηδείς σε ἐξαπατάτω κενοῖς λόγοις· ἐπιστήσεται γάρ σοι αἰφνίδιος ὄλεθρος, καὶ ἡ καταστροφὴ ὁμοίως καταιγίδι παρέσται. Ἥξει ἄγγελος κατηφὴς, ἀπάγων βιαίως, καὶ κατασύρων σου τὴν ψυχὴν δεδεμένην ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις πυκνὰ μεταστρεφομένην πρὸς τὰ ὧδε, καὶ ὀδυρομένην ἄνευ φωνῆς, τοῦ ὀργάνου λοιπὸν τὸν θρῆνον ἀποκλεισθέντος, Ὢ πόσα σπαράξεις σεαυτὸν, πόσα δὲ στενάξεις, ἄπρακτα μετανοῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς βουληθεῖσιν! ὅταν ἴδῃς τὴν φαιδρότητα τῶν δικαίων ἐν λαμπρᾷ διανομῇ τῶν δώρων, καὶ τὴν κατήφειαν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐν τῷ σκότει τῷ βαθυτάτῳ. Οἷα ἐρεῖς ἐν τῇ ὀδύνῃ τῆς καρδίας σου τότε; Αἲ ἐμὲ, μὴ ἀποῤῥίψαι τὸ βαρὺ τοῦτο φορτίον τῆς ἁμαρτίας, οὕτω ῥᾳδίας οὔσης τῆς ἀποθέσεως, ἀλλὰ τὸν σωρὸν τῶν κακῶν τούτων ἐφέλκεσθαι. Αἲ ἐμὲ, τὰς κηλίδας μὴ ἀποπλύνασθαι, ἀλλ' ἐστιγμένον εἶναι ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις. Νῦν ἂν ἤμην μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων· νῦν ἂν τοῖς οὐρανίοις ἀγαθοῖς ἐνετρύφων. Ὢ τῶν πονηρῶν βουλευμάτων! διὰ πρόσκαιρον