Moralia in Job 302

Same verse. 'And visiting thy beauty, thou shalt not sin.' 54. Let each one consider and love himself in another. Paul, becoming all things to all men, by condescending, not by falling. — For the beauty of a man is indeed another man. For our neighbour is rightly called our beauty, because in him we discern what we ourselves are. For by a bodily visitation we go to the neighbour by the approach of our steps; but by a spiritual one we are led not by step but by affection. He therefore visits his own beauty, whosoever, toward him whom he beholds like to himself by nature, stretches out with the steps of love; that, considering his own things in another, he may gather from himself how he should condescend to another who is weak. He visits his own beauty, who, that he may refresh another in himself, weighs himself in another.

For hence, when the Truth through Moses described things done, He signified things to be done, saying: 'The earth brought forth the green herb and such as yields seed according to its kind, and the tree making fruit, and having each one its seed according to its kind' (Gen. 1:12). The tree indeed produces seed according to its kind, when our mind gathers from itself its consideration into another, and brings forth the germ of right work. Hence a certain wise man says: 'What thou wouldest not have done to thee, do not to another' (Tob. 4:16). Hence in the Gospel the Lord says: 'Whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them' (Matt. 7:12). As if He said openly:

Visit your own beauty in another, and from your very selves know what you ought to show to others. Hence Paul says: 'I became to the Jews as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; and to them that are under the law as if I were under the law, whereas I myself was not under the law, that I might gain them that were under the law; and to them that were without law as if I were without law, whereas I was not without the law of God, but was in the law of Christ' (1 Cor. 9:20-21). And a little after: 'I became all things to all men, that I might make all men safe' (1 Cor. 9:22). For that eminent preacher, in order to become as it were a Jew, did not break forth into perfidy; nor, in order to be as it were under the law, did he return to carnal sacrifice;

nor, in order to become all things to all men, did he change the simplicity of his mind into the variety of error; but by condescending he drew near to the unbelievers, not by falling; that namely, receiving individuals into himself, and transfiguring himself into individuals, he might by compassion gather them in, wishing rightly that, were he himself as they are, what should be bestowed upon him by others; and he ran to meet each erring one the more truly, the more he had learned the measure of his salvation from his own consideration. Well therefore is it said: 'And visiting thy beauty thou shalt not sin,' because sin is then fully conquered, when each one weighs from his own likeness how he may be enlarged in the love of his neighbour.

But when the flesh is restrained from vices, when the mind is exercised in virtues, it remains that each one should teach by speaking the life which he keeps by his conduct. [Old Chapter XXIV.] For he indeed gathers abundant fruits of preaching, who sends before him the seeds of good working. Whence after the peace of the tabernacle, and the visitation of our beauty, it is rightly subjoined: