Consequently our ancestors–who since they dwelt in the sacred land of paradise should never have forgotten God–ought first to have acquired more practice and, so to speak, schooling in simple, genuine goodness and to have gained greater stability in the life of contemplation. Being still in an imperfect and intermediate state–that is to say, easily influenced, whether for good or evil, by whatever they made use of–they should not have ventured on the experience of things pleasant to the senses.
They ought especially to have been on their guard against things that by nature greatly allure and dominate the senses and that seduce the entire intellect and give access to evil passions, thus rendering plausible the originator and creator of these passions.
~St Gregory Palamas (Philokalia, vol.4, pp.369-370)
Prayerful Life 