38. I send
thee not, soul that art religiously chaste, that hast not given the
reins to fleshly appetite even so far as to allowed marriage, that
hast not indulged thy body about to depart even to the begetting
one to succeed thee, that hast sustained aloft thy earthly members,
afloat to accustom them to heaven; I send thee not, in order that
thou mayest learn humility, unto publicans and sinners, who yet
enter into the kingdom of heaven before the proud: I send thee not
to these: for they, who have been set free from the gulf of
uncleanness, are unworthy that undefiled virginity be sent to them
to take pattern from. I send thee unto the King of Heaven, unto
Him, by Whom men were created, and Who was created among men for
the sake of men; unto Him, Who is fair of beauty above the sons of
men,2135
and
despised by the sons of men on behalf of the sons of men: unto Him,
Who, ruling the
immortal angels, disdained not to do service unto
mortals. Him, at any rate, not
unrighteousness, but
charity, made
humble; “
Charity, which rivalleth not, is not puffed up, seeketh
not her own;”
2136
forasmuch
as “
Christ also pleased not Himself, but, as it is written of
Him, The reproaches of such as
reproached Thee have fallen upon
Me.”
2137
Go then,
come unto Him, and
learn, in that He is “
meek and lowly of
heart.” Thou shall not go unto him, who
dared not by reason of
the burden of
unrighteousness to lift up his
eyes to
heaven, but
unto Him, Who by the weight of
charity came down from
heaven.
2138
Thou shalt
not go unto her, who watered with
tears the
feet of her
Lord,
seeking
forgiveness of heavy
sins; but thou shalt go unto Him, Who,
granting
forgiveness of all
sins,
washed the
feet of His own
disciples.
2139
I know the
dignity of thy
virginity; I propose not to thee to
imitate the
Publican humbly accusing his own faults; but I
fear for the
Pharisee proudly boasting of his own merits.
2140
I say not, Be thou such as she, of
whom it was said, “There are
forgiven unto her many
sins, in that
she hath loved much;”
2141
but I fear lest, as thinking that
thou hast little forgiven to thee, thou love little.
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