The Body's Rule

Ὅτι μετὰ τῆς πτώσεως ἡμῶν περιπατοῦμεν, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ παγίων διαβαίνομεν, διορατικοὺς ἡμᾶς ποιῶν ὁ Κύριος, ἀπεφήνατο προσέχειν ἀπὸ τῆς ζύμης καὶ τῶν σκανδάλων, καὶ εὐνοεῖν τῷ ἀντιδίκῳ ταχὺ, ἕως ὅτου ὦμεν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ματ' αὐτοῦ. Ἀντίδικον, τὴν τοῦ σώματος ὅρεχιν πρὸς τὸ πνεῦμα θεοπρεπῶς ὀρισάμενος. Ὁδὸν μὲν, τὸν βίον καλῶν, ὑπὸ τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν ἀστάτως ὀδευόμενον. Εὔνοιοαν δὲ πρὸς τὸ σῶμα τὴν συναίσθησιν τῆς ἐπαναστάσεως αὐτοῦ προσαγορεύων, ὀξέως παρ' ἡμῶν θεωρεῖσθαι ὀφείλουσαν μήποτε τοῖς αὐτῆς προστάγμασιν ὑποκύψαντες, καὶ ἀνάξια τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως πράξαντες, παραδοθῶμεν ὑπ' ἐκείνων τῷ Κριτῇ, ὅτε τὰ ἔργα ἡμῶν καὶ τοὺς λόγους συναγαγεῖν παραγίνεται, καὶ ἀποδοῦναι ἐκάστω κατὰ τὸ ἴδιον ἔργον. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή Π' Νειλῳ Μονακῳ Source:  Migne PG 78.237b-c

Because we walk with our ruin, and in the midst of snares we go, so the Lord, that He might make us more keen sighted, tells us to keep ourselves from the leaven 1 and from scandal, 2 and to come to an understanding with our adversary quickly while we are on the way, 3 the tribulation of the body which keeps us from the Divine spirit. The way, then, He calls this life, which by our nature, we travel without any stability. And coming to an understanding with the body, He calls the perception of its rebelliousness, which quickly should be known by us, lest otherwise, if we succumb to its rule, we are handed over to the judge, when He comes to reckon up our deeds and words, and He returns to each one according to his work. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 80, Nilus the Monk 1 Mk 8.15 2 Mt 18.6 3 Mt 5.25