169. After examining himself, acknowledging his sins and repenting a person must remain steadfast in a state of good right to the end of his life. For if he then slips back into his previous evil life, and embraces this, then he commits profanation by combining evil with good. His condition is then worse afterwards than it was before, as the Lord said:
When an unclean spirit leaves a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but does not find it. Then it says, I shall return to the home which I left. And when it comes and finds it empty, swept and made ready for itself, then it goes away and takes into its company seven other spirits worse than itself, and they go in and live there. And that person's last state is worse than his first. Matt. 12:43-45.
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