Chapter 11

Of other means, besides the former, whereby some grow to lose their Chastity; that we may fly from them, if we also will not lose ours; and by what means we may strengthen ourselves.

NO care, or labour (though never so great) which is employed towards the proseruation of Chastity, will be esteemed too much by any, if he know, how to put the true price, upon the merit, and reward thereof. Now since our Lord hath made thee understand, the value of this treasure; & hath given thee grace both to choose it, and to make¹ promise thereof again to him; I shall not be put, into so much necessity to declare the excellency thereof, as to give thee good directions, how thou mayst be sure not to lose it; and to tell thee of some errors, besides the former, through which it is lost by others; that so thou knowing them, mayst avoid them, lest thou also come to lose it, and thyself with it. Some² lose it, in respect, that having fierce & violent inclinations against it, and they, on the other side, being not earnest in making such a continual and sharp war against themselves; do, with a miserable resolution, deliver themselves over, bound hand and foot, to the will of their enemies. Not considering, that the purpose of a³ Christian, is to be, either to dye, or else to overcome; by means of his grace, who helpeth such, as fight for his honour. Others there are, who although they be not greatly tempted, have yet naturally a certain baseness & straitness of hart, which is inclined to vile, & poor things. And for as much as this pleasure, is one of the most vile, & poor, & most at hand; they quickly find means to meet with it, & to bestow themselves upon it, as a thing that is proportionable to the baseness & poorness of their own hart; which doth not raise itself so high, as to embrace a life of such men, as are ruled even by natural reason. Which alone, taught one, so good a lesson, as to make him say, That in carnal pleasures, there was nothing worthy of a magnanimous hart. And another said, That the life which consists in carnal pleasure, is a life of beasts. For not only, doth the light of heaven, but even that of natural reason, condemn such as employ themselves upon this baseness; as people who live not in the circle of men, whose life must be agreeable to reason; but of beasts, whose very life is, sensual appetite. And if justice might be done, there would be a great deal of cause, to take away the name of men, from these fellows; in regard, that although they have the shape of men; they yet lead a life of beasts, & are the true dishonour and reproach of men. Nor would⁴ it be a thing moderately strange, or give small wonder, to them that saw it, if a beast should lead a man, bridled, up and down; and carry him whither it would, directing him, who ought to govern it. And yet there are so many, ruled by the bridle of bestial appetite, both of high and low condition; that I know not, whether it is through the multitude thereof, that it cannot be so easily discerned. Or else I rather believe, that it is because there are few, who have light to see, how miserable, a soul in a body is, when it is killed by carnal pleasures; and the more, if that body, be fresh, and fair.

O how many souls of these, and others, are burning in this infernal fire; nor is there any to cast tears of compassion upon them, or to say with their hart, To⁵ thee, O Lord will I cry out, because the fire hath devoured, the beautiful things of the desert. For⁶ certainly, if we had amongst us of those⁷ widows of Naim, who would bitterly bewail their dead children, Christ would use mercy, for the reviving them in soul, as he did the body of that widow's son, who is mentioned, in the Gospel.

It is not his part to sleep, who hath the office, in the Church, to pray, and intercede for the people with the tenderness of a Mother. Lest God do chastise both him & them; saying,⁸ I sought, among them, for a man who might place himself, as a wall; &⁹ might oppose himself against me, and so I might not destroy the earth: but I fou●d no such man; and I poured out my wrath upon them, & in the fire of my¹⁰ anger I consumed them. Take heed therefore that thou love not a narrow, and poor hart of thine own; to which these base pleasures use to be agreeable and delightful. Remember that which S. Bernard said, That if thou well consider the body, and that which proceeds from thence, it is a kind of more loathsome dunghill, than otherwise, thou hast seen. Despise it from thy hart, withal the ornaments, and ●ace, and delight it hath; and make account that even already, it is in the sepulchre, converted into a handful of dust.

When thou seest any man or woman, look not much upon their face, or person; and if thou do, let it be to loathe it; but address thy internal eyes, to the soul, which is shut up, and hidden in the body; amongst which souls, there is no difference, of man, or woman. And admire thou that soul, as a thing created by God; since¹¹ the value of that alone, is greater than that of all corporeal things, either made, or to be made. And thus, dismissing thyself from the baseness of bodies, bestow thyself upon the search of greater treasures; and undertake thou, noble erterprises; and no less, then to lodge even God himself both in thy soul, and in thy body, with a profound purity of hart.

Behold¹² thyself with such eyes, as these, since S. Paul saith,¹³ Know you not that you are the temple of God; and that the spirit of God remaineth in you? And in another place, do you not know that your members, are the temples of the holy Ghost, who remains within you, and whom God hath given to you; And, you are not your own; And since you are bought with a great price, let God be honoured in your bodies. Consider also, that when thou didst receive holy Baptism, thou wert made the Temple of God; and thy soul was consecrated to him, by his grace; and so was thy body also, by the ●uch of that holy water. And the holy Ghost doth derue itself, both of the soul and body; as being the Lord of the whole house; inclining both the one, and the other, to good works; and for this it is said, That even the parts of our body, are the Temples of the holy Ghost.

God¹⁴ doth vouchsafe us great honour; by being pleased to dwell in us, and to honour us indeed, with the name of Temples; and great is the obligation which thereby is put upon us, to cleanse ourselves; it being so fit, that the house of God be clean. And if thou wilt consider, that thou wert purchased, as S. Paul saith, at a great price; that is by the life of God humaned, which for thee was given, thou mayst see, how great reason it is, for thee to honour God, and to bear him in thy body, doing him service; and not therein, to commit any thing, which may be to his dishonour, and thine own extreme disadvantage. For just, and true, is that sentence, That¹⁵ whosoever shall defile the Temple of God, him will God destroy. For in his Temple, there must be nothing, but that which tends to his honour, and praise. Remember that which S. Augustine said, When I had once understood, that God had redeemed and purchased me, with his precious blood, I resolved, that never more, I would sell myself; To which I would have thee add, And how much less will I do it, for the base pleasure of flesh, and blood.

Thou hast begun a¹⁶ work, worthy of a noble courage, because thou meanest to be incorrupt, in that corruptible flesh of thine; and to possess that, by way of virtue, which the Angels possess by way of nature; and to pretend to a particular crown in heaven, in being companion to those blessed Virgins, Who sing that new song, and follow the Lamb, wheresoever he goeth. Consider the name, which now thou holdest, of being the spouse of Christ; and the joy which thou mayst expect in heaven, when there that spouse of thine shall lodge thee in thy bed; for thus thou wilt come to so much love of the purity of virginity, that for it, thou wilt gladly lose thy life, as many holy Virgins have done; who rather than they would not be Virgins, were content to be Martyrs, with great magnanimity. Procure thou also to¹⁷ have a noble hart, which is very necessary, for the keeping of thee in that high estate, where God hath placed thee.

Footnotes

1. This Ladv had vowed Chastity. ↩

2. Of the diverse ways, whereby chastity groweth to be lost. ↩

3. A noble word for a Christian to write in his hart; ●ither to couq●er sin, or to dye in the battles. ↩

4. How strange this is, and yet after a sort, it is daily seen. ↩

5. jod. 1. ↩

6. Note. ↩

7. Luc 7. ↩

8. Ezech. 22. ↩

9. See the infinite goodness of God, who is angry, if by praying for one another, we seek not to appease his wrath. ↩

10. Ezech. 22. ↩

11. The inestimable dignity, & excellency of a soul. ↩

12. The height, and dignity, of the vocation, of a Christian. ↩

13. C●. or. 3. ↩

14. Be thou amazed, at this infinite vouchsafing, of almighty God. ↩

15. 1. Cor. 3.
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16. A vow of perpetual Chastity. ↩

17. This is true Nobility; & the contrary is mere baseness. ↩