Chapter XVII.

Let that which was then said by our Lord be the general maxim for every life; especially let it be the maxim for those who are coming nearer God through the gateway of virginity, that they should never in watching for a perfection in one direction present an unguarded side in another and contrary one; but should in all directions realize the good, so that they may guarantee in all things their holy life against failure. A soldier does not arm himself only on some points, leaving the rest of his body to take its chance unprotected. If he were to receive his death-wound upon that, what would have been the advantage of this partial armour? Again, who would call that feature faultless, which from some accident had lost one of those requisites which go to make up the sum of beauty? The disfigurement of the mutilated part mars the grace of the part untouched. The Gospel implies that he who undertakes the building of a tower, but spends all his labour upon the foundations without ever reaching the completion, is worthy of ridicule; and what else do we learn from the Parable of the Tower, but to strive to come to the finish of every lofty purpose, accomplishing the work of God in all the multiform structures of His commandments? One stone, indeed, is no more the whole edifice of the Tower, than one commandment kept will raise the soul’s perfection to the required height. The foundation must by all means first be laid but over it, as the Apostle says112    1 Cor. iii. 12., the edifice of gold and precious gems must be built; for so is the doing of the commandment put by the Prophet who cries, “I have loved Thy commandment above gold and many a precious stone113    Ps. cxix. 127, LXX. (χρυσίον καὶ τοπάζιον)..” Let the virtuous life have for its substructure the love of virginity; but upon this let every result of virtue be reared. If virginity is believed to be a vastly precious thing and to have a divine look (as indeed is the case, as well as men believe of it), yet, if the whole life does not harmonize with this perfect note, and it be marred by the succeeding114    τῇ λοιπὸν discord of the soul, this thing becomes but “the jewel of gold in the swine’s snout115    For the gold, see Prov. xi. 22; for the pearl, S. Matt. vii. 6” or “the pearl that is trodden under the swine’s feet.” But we have said enough upon this.

[17] Κεφάλαιον ιζʹὍτι ἀτελὴς εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν ὁ καὶ ἑνί τινι τῶν κατ' ἀρετὴν ἐλλείπων. Εἰ δὴ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει, διορθωτέον ὡς οἷόν τε τῶν πολλῶν τὴν συνήθειαν: ὅσοι πρὸς μὲν τὰς αἰσχροτέρας τῶν ἡδονῶν ἰσχυρῶς ἀπομάχονται, ἄλλως δὲ τὴν ἡδονὴν ἐν τιμαῖς καὶ φιλαρχίαις θηρεύουσι, παραπλήσιον ποιοῦντες ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις οἰκέτης μὴ ὅπως ἔξω τῆς δουλείας γενήσεται σπεύδοι, ἀλλ' ἐναμείβοι τοὺς κεκτημένους, τὴν ἐναλλαγὴν τῶν κυριευόντων ἐλευθερίαν οἰόμενος_δοῦλοι γάρ εἰσιν ἐπίσης πάντες, κἂν μὴ ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτῶν κυριεύωνται, ἕως ἂν ὅλως ἐπικρατῇ τις αὐτῶν μετὰ δυναστείας ἀρχή_. Εἰσὶ δὲ πάλιν οἳ τῇ πολλῇ πρὸς τὰς ἡδονὰς μάχῃ εὐκαταγώνιστοί πως τῷ ἀντικειμένῳ πάθει γεγόνασι, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐπιτεταμένῃ τῆς ζωῆς ἀκριβείᾳ λύπαις καὶ παροξυσμοῖς καὶ μνησικακίαις καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς πᾶσιν, ὅσα πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἡδονὴν πάθους ἀντικαθέστηκεν, εὐκόλως τε ἁλίσκονται καὶ δυσχερῶς διεκδύνουσι: τοῦτο δὲ γίνεται, ὅταν μὴ ὁ λόγος ὁ κατ' ἀρετήν, ἀλλά τι πάθος τῆς κατὰ τὸν βίον πορείας ἡγεμονεύῃ.
«Ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἐντολὴ τοῦ κυρίου σφόδρα τηλαυγής», καθώς φησιν ἡ γραφή, ὡς καὶ νηπίων «ὀφθαλμοὺς φωτίσαι», μόνῳ «τῷ θεῷ προσκολλᾶσθαι ἀγαθὸν εἶναι» λέγουσα. Ὁ δὲ θεὸς οὔτε λύπη ἐστὶν οὔτε ἡδονὴ οὔτε δειλία ἢ θράσος ἢ φόβος ἢ ὀργὴ ἢ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον πάθος, ὃ τῆς ἀπαιδεύτου κυριεύει ψυχῆς, ἀλλ', ὥς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, αὐτοσοφία καὶ ἁγιασμός, ἀλήθειά τε καὶ χαρὰ καὶ εἰρήνη καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Πῶς οὖν ἔστι τῷ ταῦτα ὄντι προσκολληθῆναι τὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων κρατούμενον; Ἢ πῶς οὐκ ἄλογον τὸν ἔν τινι τῶν παθῶν ὅπως μὴ ὑπαχθῇ σπουδάζοντα ἀρετὴν νομίζειν τὸ ἀντικείμενον; οἷον ἡδονὴν μὲν φεύγοντα λύπῃ κατέχεσθαι, τὸ δὲ θρασὺ καὶ προπετὲς διακλίνοντα δειλίᾳ ταπεινοῦν τὴν ψυχήν, ἢ θυμοῖς ἀνάλωτον μένειν ἐσπουδακότα κατεπτηχέναι τῷ φόβῳ. Τί γὰρ διαφέρει οὕτως ἢ ἄλλως τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐκπεσεῖν, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἔξω γενέσθαι, ὅς ἐστιν ἡ παντελὴς ἀρετή; Καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν τοῦ σώματος ἀρρωστημάτων οὐκ ἂν διαφέρειν τὸ κακόν τις εἴποι δι' ὑπερβαλλούσης ἐνδείας ἢ ἀπὸ πλησμονῆς ἀμέτρου διαφθαρῆναι, εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ πέρας τῆς ἀμετρίας ἐν ἑκατέροις ληγούσης. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ὁ τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν ζωῆς τε καὶ ὑγείας ἐπιμελούμενος ἐπὶ τοῦ μέσου τῆς ἀπαθείας ἑαυτὸν τηρήσει, ἀμιγὴς καὶ ἀμέτοχος διαμένων τῆς ἑκατέρωθεν τῇ ἀρετῇ παρακειμένης ἐναντιότητος. Οὐκ ἐμὸς ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' αὐτῆς τῆς θείας φωνῆς: τὸ δόγμα φανερῶς γὰρ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου διδασκαλίας ἔστιν ἀκοῦσαι, ἐν οἷς διδάσκει τοὺς μαθητάς, ὡς ἄρνας λύκοις συναναστρεφομένους, μὴ περιστερὰς εἶναι μόνον, ἀλλ' ἔχειν τι καὶ τοῦ ὄφεως ἐν τῷ ἤθει. Τοῦτο δέ ἐστι μὴ τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἁπλότητα δοκοῦν ἐπαινετὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποις εἰς ἄκρον ἐπιτηδεύειν, ὡς τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἀνοίᾳ τῆς τοιαύτης ἕξεως πλησιαζούσης: μηδ' αὖ πάλιν τὴν ἐπαινουμένην ὑπὸ τῶν πολλῶν δεινότητα καὶ πανουργίαν ἀμιγῆ τῶν ἐναντίων καὶ ἄκρατον ἀρετὴν νομίζειν: ἐκ δὲ τῆς δοκούσης ἐναντιότητος μίαν τινὰ συγκεκραμένην ἤθους κατάστασιν ἀπεργάζεσθαι, τῆς μὲν τὸ ἀνόητον, τῆς δὲ τὸ ἐν πονηρίᾳ σοφὸν περικόψαντας, ὡς ἐξ ἑκατέρων ἓν ἀποτελεσθῆναι καλὸν ἐπιτήδευμα ἁπλότητι γνώμης καὶ ἀγχινοίᾳ συγκεκραμένον. «Γίνεσθε γάρ», φησί, «φρόνιμοι ὡς οἱ ὄφεις καὶ ἀκέραιοι ὡς αἱ περιστεραί.»