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| Reward of Chastity.
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Chapter
XXXVIII.—Reward of Chastity.
Therefore, as the order and reason of the mystery
demanded, on the following day she was baptized in the sea,804
| 804 [The baptism is
narrated in Homily XIV. 1.—R.] | and returning to the lodging, was
initiated in all the mysteries of religion in their order. And we
her sons, Niceta and Aquila, and I Clement, were present. And
after this we dined with her, and glorified God with her, thankfully
acknowledging the zeal and teaching of Peter, who showed us, by the
example of our mother, that the good of chastity is not lost with
God;805
| 805 [In Homily XIII. 20,
21, a longer discourse, to the same effect, is recorded; but it is
addressed to the mother the evening before her baptism.—R.] | “as, on the other hand,” said
he, “unchastity does not escape punishment, though it may not be
punished immediately, but slowly. But so well pleasing,”
said he, “is chastity to God, that it confers some grace in the
present life even upon those who are in error; for future blessedness
is laid up for those only who preserve chastity and righteousness by
the grace of baptism. In short, that which has befallen your
mother is an example of this, for all this welfare has been restored to
her in reward of her chastity, for the guarding and preserving of which
continence alone is not sufficient; but when any one perceives that
snares and deceptions are being prepared, he must straightway flee as
from the violence of fire or the attack of a mad dog, and not trust
that he can easily frustrate snares of this kind by philosophizing or
by humouring them; but, as I have said, he must flee and withdraw to a
distance, as your mother also did through her true and entire love of
chastity. And on this account she has been preserved to you, and
you to her; and in addition, she has been endowed with the knowledge of
eternal life.” When he had said this, and much more to the
same effect, the evening having come, we went to sleep.
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