But, as I had begun to say, whether virginity devoted to God be the hundredfold fruit, or in some other way—whether one we have mentioned or one we have not mentioned—that difference of fertility is to be understood, yet no one, so far as I think, would have dared to prefer virginity to martyrdom; and no one would doubt that this gift is hidden, if the tempting trial be absent. The virgin has therefore something to consider that may profit her in preserving humility, lest she violate that charity which surpasses all gifts, without which assuredly whatever else she may have—be it little or much, great or small—is nothing:
she has, I say, something to consider, that she be not puffed up, that she envy not—namely, so to profess her virginal good as far more abundant and better than the conjugal good, yet so that she knows not whether this or that married woman is already able to suffer for Christ, while she herself as yet cannot, and that in this she is spared, because her weakness is not put to the question by temptation. 'For God is faithful,' says the Apostle, 'who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able, but will make with the temptation also a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.' Perhaps, then, this or that man or woman holding a mode of conjugal life praiseworthy in its own kind may already be able to contend against the enemy who forces them to iniquity, even to the tearing of their flesh and the shedding of their blood;
while those men or women who from childhood are continent and have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven are not yet strong enough to endure such things, whether for justice's sake or for the sake of chastity itself. For it is one thing not to consent, for the sake of truth and a holy purpose, to one who persuades and flatters; another not to yield even to one who tortures and strikes. These things lie hidden in the faculties and powers of souls; tempted, they are laid open; by experience they are made manifest. Therefore, that no one be puffed up, from that which he perceives himself able to do, let him humbly consider that he is perhaps unable to do something more excellent which he knows not, and that some, who neither have nor profess that whereby he is gloriously known to himself, are able to do that which he himself cannot. Thus will be preserved not a deceptive but a truthful humility:
'in honor preferring one another,' and 'each esteeming others better than themselves.' What shall I now say of the very caution and vigilance in not sinning? Who shall boast that he has a chaste heart? Or who shall boast that he is pure from sin? Holy virginity is indeed whole from the mother's womb; but 'no one,' it says, 'is clean in Thy sight, not even the infant whose life upon earth is of one day.' There is preserved also a certain virginal chastity in inviolate faith, whereby the Church is fitted to one husband as a chaste virgin;
but that one Husband taught not only the faithful who are virgins in mind and body, but absolutely all Christians, from the spiritual to the carnal, from the apostles to the last of the penitents—as it were from the heights of the heavens to their bounds—to pray, and in that very prayer admonished them to say: 'Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors,' wherein by that which we ask, He showed also what we ourselves should remember that we are. For He did not command us to pray, saying, 'Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors,' for those debts of all our past life which we trust have been forgiven us in baptism through His peace;
otherwise catechumens rather ought to pray this prayer until baptism. But since the baptized pray it—prelates and peoples, shepherds and flocks—it is sufficiently shown that in this life, which is wholly a temptation, no one ought to boast as though he were immune from all sins. Accordingly, even the virgins of God, being indeed blameless, follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth, both with the purgation of sins made perfect and with virginity preserved, which once lost would not return; but because that same Apocalypse, where such were revealed as such, also praises them on this account, that 'in their mouth was found no guile,' let them remember that they are truthful in this also, that they dare not say they have no sin.
For the same John who saw that vision said this: 'If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And if we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.' This assuredly is said not to these or those, but to all Christians, among whom virgins also ought to recognize themselves. For thus will they be without falsehood, such as they appeared in the Apocalypse. And by this, as long as perfection is not yet in the heavenly sublimity, confession in humility makes them blameless.
But again, lest anyone, taking occasion from this sentence, should sin with deadly security and permit himself to be dragged along as though his sins were soon to be blotted out by easy confession, he immediately added: 'My little children, these things I write unto you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the propitiation for our sins.' Let no one, therefore, depart from sin as though intending to return, nor bind himself with iniquity by a kind of pact of fellowship, so as to delight in confessing what he delights not to avoid.
But since even to those who are diligent and watchful lest they sin, sins in some way creep in out of human frailty—slight though they be, few though they be, yet not none—those very sins become great and grievous if pride add increase and weight to them; whereas by the Priest whom we have in heaven, if they be destroyed by pious humility, they are purged with all felicity. But I do not contend with those who assert that a man can live in this life without any sin; I do not contend, I do not contradict. For perhaps out of our own misery we measure great men, and comparing ourselves with ourselves we understand not.
One thing I know: that those great men, such as we are not, such as we have not yet experienced ourselves to be—the greater they are, the more they humble themselves in all things, that they may find grace before God. For however great they be, 'the servant is not greater than his lord, nor the disciple than his master.' And assuredly He is the Lord who says, 'All things are delivered to Me by My Father,' and He is the Master who says, 'Come unto Me, all you that labor, and learn of Me.' And yet what do we learn? 'For I am meek,' He says, 'and humble of heart.' Here someone will say: 'This is now no longer about virginity, but about writing on humility.' As though any virginity whatever, and not that which is according to God, had been undertaken by us to be extolled!
The greater I see this good to be, the more I dread pride for it in the future, lest it perish. For nothing preserves the virginal good save God Himself, who gave it—and God is love. The guardian, therefore, of virginity is charity; but the dwelling-place of this guardian is humility. For there dwells He who said that His Spirit rests 'upon the humble and quiet, and him that trembles at His words.' What, then, have I done that is foreign to my purpose, if, wishing the good which I have praised to be more safely guarded, I have taken care also to prepare a dwelling for its guardian? For I confidently say—nor do I fear lest those be angry with me whom, being anxious, I admonish to fear along with me for themselves—more easily do humble married folk follow the Lamb, even if not whithersoever He goeth, at least as far as they are able, than proud virgins.
For how does one follow Him to whom he is unwilling to draw near? Or how does one draw near to Him whom he comes not to, that he may learn that He is meek and humble of heart? Those, accordingly, the Lamb, following Him whithersoever He goeth, leads—those in whom He has first found where He Himself may lay His head. For a certain proud and crafty man had said this to Him: 'Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest.' To whom He answered: 'The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.' Under the name of foxes He reproved cunning craftiness, and under the name of birds windy pride, in which He found no pious humility whereon He might rest.
And by this he in no way at all followed the Lord, who had promised that he would follow, not up to some certain point of advancement, but altogether whithersoever He should go. Wherefore do this, O virgins of God, do this: follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. But first come to Him whom you are to follow, and learn that He is meek and humble of heart. Come humbly to the Humble One, if you love Him; and depart not from Him, lest you fall. For he who fears to depart from Him prays and says: 'Let not the foot of pride come against me.' Pursue the way of sublimity with the foot of humility. He Himself exalts those who follow humbly, He whom it did not grieve to descend to the fallen. Commit His gifts to Him to be preserved; keep your strength unto Him.
Whatever evil you commit not while He guards, reckon as remitted by Him, lest, esteeming that little has been forgiven you, you love little, and, smiting your breasts, you despise the publicans with ruinous boasting. Beware of your tested strengths, lest, because you were able to bear something, you be puffed up; but concerning untested ones, pray, lest you be tempted above what you are able to bear. Esteem some to be, in secret, superior to you, to whom you are, in the open, better. When the perhaps unknown good deeds of others are kindly believed by you, your own, known to us, are not diminished by comparison, but confirmed by love; and those things which perhaps are still lacking are given the more easily, the more humbly they are desired.
Let those who persevere in your number afford you an example; but let those who fall increase your fear. Love the former, that you may imitate them; mourn the latter, that you be not puffed up. Do not establish your own righteousness; submit yourselves to God who justifies you. Grant pardon to the sins of others; pray for your own. Avoid future sins by watching; blot out past ones by confessing. Behold, you are now such that you agree in your other conduct also with the virginity you have professed and preserved.
Behold, you now abstain not only from murders, diabolical sacrifices and abominations, thefts, robberies, frauds, perjuries, drunkennesses, and every luxury and avarice, dissimulations, envyings, impieties, cruelties, but even those things which are, or are thought to be, lighter, are neither found nor arise in you: no shameless countenance, no wandering eyes, no unbridled tongue, no wanton laughter, no scurrilous jest, no unbecoming attire, no proud or dissolute gait; you now render not evil for evil, nor cursing for cursing; you now at last fulfill that measure of love, that you lay down your souls for your brethren. Behold, you are now such, because you also ought to be such.
These things, added to virginity, exhibit to men an angelic life and to earth the manners of heaven. But the greater you are, whoever you are that are thus great, the more humble yourselves in all things, that you may find grace before God, lest He resist the proud, lest He humble those who exalt themselves, lest He fail to bring the puffed-up through the narrow places—although such solicitude be superfluous, lest, where charity is fervent, humility be lacking. If, then, you have despised the marriages of the sons of men, from whom you might have begotten sons of men, love with your whole heart Him who is beautiful in form above the sons of men: you are at leisure, your heart is free from conjugal bonds.
Behold the beauty of your Lover; consider Him equal to the Father, subject also to His mother, ruling even in the heavens and serving on earth, creating all things, created among all things. That very thing which the proud deride in Him, behold how beautiful it is; with your inward eyes behold the wounds of Him hanging, the scars of Him rising again, the blood of Him dying, the price paid by Him believing in, the exchange made by Him redeeming. Consider how much these things are worth; weigh them in the balance of charity, and whatever of love you had to expend upon your marriages, repay to Him.
It is well that He seeks your inward beauty, where He gave you power to become the sons of God: He seeks from you not beautiful flesh, but beautiful morals, by which you bridle even the flesh. There is no one who can lie about you to Him and make the jealous One rage. See with how great security you may love Him whom you fear not to displease by false suspicions. Husband and wife love each other because they see each other, and what they do not see they fear in each other; nor do they rejoice securely from that which is open, while in secret they mostly suspect what is not. You, in Him whom you see not with the eyes but behold by faith, have neither anything true which you might reprove, nor do you fear Him, lest perchance you offend Him over something false.
If, then, you would have owed a great love to husbands, how much ought you to love Him for whose sake you were unwilling to have husbands! Let Him be fixed wholly in your heart who for your sake was fixed upon the cross; let Him hold wholly in your soul all that you were unwilling to have occupied by wedlock. It is not permitted you to love but little Him for whose sake you loved not even that which was permitted. To you who thus love the One meek and humble of heart, I dread no pride. According to our small measure, then, we have spoken enough both of the sanctity by which you are properly called consecrated women, and of the humility by which is preserved whatever great thing you are called.
But more worthily may those three young men—to whom He whom they loved with a most fervent heart afforded refreshment in the fire—admonish you from this little work of our words, far briefer indeed in the number of words, but far grander in the weight of authority, in the hymn by which God is honored by them. For, joining humility to sanctity in the praisers of God, they most openly taught that each one should so much the more beware lest he be deceived by pride, the holier the thing that is uttered. Accordingly, do you also praise Him who grants you that, in the midst of the fire of this world, although you be not joined in wedlock, you nevertheless be not burned; and praying also for us, 'Bless the Lord, O holy and humble of heart; sing a hymn and exalt Him above all forever.'