The Proud Soul Handed Over to Spiritual Wickedness

This clearly shows that every soul taken over by the swelling of pride is handed over to the Syrians of the soul, that is, to spiritual wickedness, and becomes entangled in the cravings of the flesh. The purpose is that the soul, humbled at last by earthly faults and polluted in the flesh, may recognize its uncleanness. Yet while it stood upright in the coldness of its heart, it could not understand that through pride of heart it had been made unclean in the sight of God. And by this means, once humbled, a person may get rid of his former coldness, and, cast down and confused with the shame of his fleshly cravings, may from then on hurry all the more eagerly toward fervor and warmth of spirit. [a]