The Straight Paths of Virtue

He is considered to be practicing lawlessness, yet it is necessary to imitate that man who is blessed, the one meditating on the law of the Lord day and night: 'But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he will meditate day and night' (Psalm 1:2). The one meditating on the law of the Lord day and night is not considered to have lawlessness upon his bed, but the law.

It was said by the hierophant Moses from the face of God: 'And all these words, as many as I command you this day, shall be in your heart and in your soul' (Deut 6:6). Then: 'Going on a road, looking, wandering.' If he speaks the words of God and is looking, he is not considered to have lawlessness upon his bed. It is possible even to call the body a bed of the soul.

Even if the soul is in a body, it already meditates on becoming outside of it, subduing the body and leading it as a slave. Thus indeed it is said concerning those having such a mindset: 'You are not in the flesh' (Rom 8:8). Even though they had flesh, they were not in the mindset of the flesh. And again: 'The mindset of the flesh is enmity against God' (Jas 4:4). And again: 'Those who, being in the flesh, seek to please God, are unable' (Rom 8:7).

If he speaks concerning this flesh, all the saints, being in it, pleased God. But the mindset of thinking according to the flesh, being entirely lifted up by the flesh, and consequently becoming fleshly—who is this fleshly person, or he who sells himself to sin? 'But I am fleshly, having been mastered by sin' (Rom 7:24). 'He considered lawlessness upon his bed.' According to the ascent: just as he considered lawlessness in the bed of the body. But it was necessary, while remaining upon this bed, to strip himself and to be pitied, because in the considering there is lawlessness, so as to say: 'With my tears I will wet my bed' (Ps 6:6). The voice of one repenting: but he who repents is not considered to be practicing lawlessness. And concerning others it is said in the prophet Micah: 'He was considered to be thinking of evils upon his bed, and at once with the day he completed them' (Mic 7:3).

They are often covered in the night by lawless things and at the same time complete them with the day. It is necessary, therefore, if an injustice has ever occurred upon the bed, to be convicted of it; for this is what the word protects: 'Be angry and do not sin; what you say in your hearts, be convicted upon your bed' (Ps 4:4). For if you are convicted, the devil finds no place.

He stood in every way not good, but he did not approach wickedness. He turned away every good way. And the virtues are ways. Therefore, do not pay attention to Elymas the sorcerer; the apostle says: 'Will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?' (Acts 13:10). They are straight and good. And the virtues are called straight because of being a mean; for in a straight way there is no deviation. 'God knows the ways on the right, but the ways on the left are perverted' (Ps 16:6). And it is also good to say 'not good'; for he did not say 'evil.' Not every thing that is not good is evil. It is impossible for something to stand in every bad way by being contrary to it and concerning wickedness. The cowardly cannot be bold, nor the impious pious. Therefore these things are not good. In decision they are the same, but in condemnation they are not the same. 'He did not approach wickedness' (Ps 36:6).

Lord, in heaven is your mercy, and your truth unto the clouds (Ps 36:6). Concerning those dwelling on the earth according to the mindset, we say, 'those thinking of things on earth,' whom the God-Word, blaming, says in the prophet Jeremiah: 'You have sunk down into the earth in sitting' (Jer 48:10), if it is possible, and you want to be lower than the earth, thinking of nothing rising, not having 'your citizenship in the heavens' (Phil 3:20), not having your heart there toward those saying: 'Let us lift up our heart to the high one in heaven.' And it is said again concerning some this: 'But they sought my soul in vain, they shall enter into the lowest parts of the earth' (Ps 118:17). And Moses, in a triumphal song against Pharaoh and those with him, was saying: 'You stretched out your right hand, and you swallowed' (Ex 15:1).