The Seat of Pestilence

Πλαιωεθὲν γὰρ πάθος ψυχῆς, καὶ κακοῦ μελέτη χρόνῳ βεβαιωθεῖσα δυσίατός ἐστιν, ἤ καὶ ἀνίατος παντελῶς, εἰς φύσιν, ὡς τὰ πολλὰ, τοῦ ἔθους μεθισταμένου. Εὐχῆς μὲν οὔν ἄξἰον μὴ προσάψασθαι τοῦ κακοῦ. Δεύτερος δὲ πλοῦς, εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν πεῖραν ὥσπερ ιοβόλου πληψὴν ἀποφεύγειν, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον παρὰ τοῦ Σολομῶντος περὶ τῆς γυναικὸς τῆς φαύλης, ὅτι Μὴ ἐπιστήσῃς σὸν ὅμμα πρὸς αὐτὴν, ἀλλ' ἀποπήδησον· μὴ ἐγχρονίσῃς. Νῦν δὲ οἴδά τινας ἐν νεότητι πρὸς τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς πάθη κατολισθήσαντας, καὶ μεχρι πολιᾶς αὐτῆς διὰ συνήθειαν τοῦ κακοῦ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις παραμένοντας. Ὡς γὰρ οἱ ἐν βορβόρῳ καλινδούμενοι χοῖροι ἀεὶ προσπλάττουσιν ἑαυτοῖς τὸν πηλόν· οὕτως οὖτοι τὸ ἐκ τῆς ἡδονῆς αἶσχος καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν προσαναμάσσονται. Μακάριον μὲν οὖν τὸ μὴ διανοηθῆναι τὸ πνηρόν· εἰ δὲ κατὰ συναρπαγὴν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ ἐδέξω τῇ ψυχῇ βουλεύματα ἀσεβείας, μὴ στῇς ἐπὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο πέπονθας, μὴ ἐνιδρυνθῇς τῷ κακῷ. Μὴ τοίνυν καθεσθῇς ἐπὶ καθέδρας τῆς τῶν λοιμῶν. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός Ἀ

For an old disease of the soul, the established practice of evil through time, is difficult to heal and indeed utterly incurable if it passes into one's customary nature and comes to fullness. Pray then that you are not touched by evil. Then that if it does happen that instantly after it has struck that you flee like one hit by an arrow, of which Solomon writes concerning a disreputable woman: 'Do not let your eye linger on her, but turn away lest you tarry.'1 And indeed one knows that in youth one falls in into the passions of the flesh and even to white hairs it persists on account of one persevering in sin, and like one rolling in mud one covers oneself in ever more filth, and so daily we are bound to the shameful pleasure of it. Blessed therefore is he who has not thought on evil. If, however, you have received in your soul an attack of the enemy counseling an impiety, do not stand in sin. And if you do it, do not remain in the evil. Thus you will not sit in the seat of pestilence. Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 1  1. Prov 9.18