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,111    Ps. xlv. 2 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;”112    1 Cor. xiii. 4, 5 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.”113    Rom. xv. 3 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.114    John vi. 38 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.115    John xiii. 5 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.116    Luke xviii. 10–14 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;”117    Luke vii. 38, 47 but I fear lest, as thinking that thou hast little forgiven to thee, thou love little.

38. Non ego te, anima pie pudica, quae appetitum carnalem nec usque ad concessum conjugium relaxasti, quae decessurum corpus nec successori propagando indulsisti, quae fluitantia membra terrena in coeli consuetudinem suspendisti: non ego te, ut discas humilitatem, ad publicanos et peccatores mitto, qui tamen in regnum coelorum praecedunt superbos; non te ad hos mitto; indigni sunt enim qui ab immunditiae voragine liberati sunt, ut ad eos imitandos mittatur illibata virginitas: ad Regem coeli te mitto, ad eum per quem creati sunt homines, et qui creatus est inter homines propter homines; ad speciosum forma prae filiis hominum (Psal. XLIV, 3), et contemptum a filiis hominum pro filiis hominum, ad eum qui dominans Angelis immortalibus, non dedignatus est servire mortalibus. Eum certe humilem non iniquitas, sed charitas fecit; charitas quae non aemulatur, 0418 non inflatur, non quaerit quae sua sunt (I Cor. XIII, 4, 5): quia et Christus non sibi placuit; sed, sicut scriptum de illo est, Opprobria exprobrantium tibi ceciderunt super me (Rom. XV, 3). Vade, veni ad illum, et disce quoniam mitis est et humilis corde. Non ibis ad eum qui oculos ad coelum levare non audebat onere iniquitatis; sed ad eum qui de coelo descendit pondere charitatis (Joan. VI, 38). Non ibis ad eam quae Domini sui pedes lacrymis rigavit, quaerens indulgentiam gravium peccatorum; sed ibis ad eum qui cum daret indulgentiam omnium peccatorum, lavit pedes suorum servorum (Id. XIII, 5). Novi dignitatem virginitatis tuae: non tibi propono imitandum publicanum humiliter accusantem delicta sua; sed timeo tibi pharisaeum superbe jactantem merita sua (Luc. XVIII, 10-14). Non dico, Esto qualis illa de qua dictum est, Dimittuntur ei peccata multa, quoniam dilexit multum; sed metuo ne cum tibi modicum dimitti putas, modicum diligas (Id. VII, 38, 47).