41. Or are we indeed to believe that it is for any other reason, that God suffers to be mixed up with the number of your profession, many, both men and women, about to fall, than that by the fall of these your fear may be increased, whereby to repress pride; which God so hates, as that against this one thing The Highest humbled Himself? Unless haply, in truth, thou shalt therefore fear less, and be more puffed up, so as to love little Him, Who hath loved thee so much, as to give up Himself for thee,138    Gal. ii. 20 because He hath forgiven thee little, living, forsooth from childhood, religiously, piously, with pious chastity, with inviolate virginity. As though in truth you ought not to love with much greater glow of affection Him, Who, whatsoever things He hath forgiven unto sinners upon their being turned to Him, suffered you not to fall into them. Or indeed that Pharisee,139    Luke vii. 36–47 who therefore loved little, because he thought that little was forgiven him, was it for any other reason that he was blinded by this error, than because being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish his own, he had not been made subject unto the righteousness of God?140    Rom. x. 3 But you, an elect race, and among the elect more elect, virgin choirs that follow the Lamb, even you “by grace have been saved through faith; and this not of yourselves, but it is the gift of God: not of works, lest haply any be elated. For we are His workmanship, created in Jesus Christ in good works, which God hath prepared, that in them we may walk.”141    Eph. ii. 8–10. [See R.V.] What therefore, by how much the more ye are adorned by His gifts, shall ye by so much the less love Him? May He Himself turn away so dreadful madness! Wherefore forasmuch as the Truth has spoken the truth, that he, unto whom little is forgiven, loveth little; do ye, in order that ye may love with full glow of affection Him, Whom ye are free to love, being loosened from ties of marriage, account as altogether forgiven unto you, whatever of evil, by His governance, ye have not committed. For “your eyes ever unto the Lord, forasmuch as He shall pluck out of the net your feet,”142    Ps. xxv. 15 and, “Except the Lord shall have kept the city, in vain hath he watched who keepeth it.”143    Ps. cxxvii. 1 And speaking of Continence itself the Apostle says, “But I would that all men were as I myself; but each one hath his own proper gift from God; one in this way, and another in that way.”144    1 Cor. vii. 7 Who therefore bestoweth these gifts? Who distributeth his own proper gifts unto each as He will?145    1 Cor. xii. 11 Forsooth God, with Whom there is not unrighteousness,146    Rom. ix. 16 and by this means with what equity He makes some in this way, and others in that way, for man to know is either impossible or altogether hard: but that with equity He maketh, it is not lawful to doubt. “What,” therefore, “hast thou, which thou hast not received?”147    1 Cor. iv. 7 And by what perversity dost thou less love Him, of Whom thou hast received more?

41. Justis miscentur casuri, ut ex horum casu timor augeatur. Justus non putet modicum sibi dimissum, ut modicum diligat. Dimissum deputet quidquid mali a se non est commissum. An vero propter aliud credendum est, permittere Deum ut misceantur numero professionis vestrae multi et multae casuri et casurae, nisi ut his cadentibus timor vester augeatur, quo superbia comprimatur; quam sic odit Deus, ut contra hanc unam se tantum humiliaret Altissimus? Nisi forte revera ideo minus timebis, magisque inflaberis, ut modicum diligas eum qui te tantum dilexit, ut traderet semetipsum pro te (Galat. II, 20), quia modicum tibi dimisit, viventi videlicet a pueritia religiose, pudice, pia castitate , illibata virginitate. Quasi vero non tu multo ardentius diligere debeas eum, qui flagitiosis ad se conversis quaecumque dimisit, in ea te cadere non permisit? Aut vero ille pharisaeus, qui propterea modicum diligebat, quia modicum sibi dimitti existimabat (Luc. VII, 36-47), ob aliud hoc errore caecabatur, nisi quia ignorans Dei justitiam, et suam quaerens constituere, justitiae Dei subjectus non erat (Rom. X, 3)? Vos autem genus electum, et in electis electius, virginei chori sequentes Agnum, etiam vos gratia salvi facti estis per fidem: et hoc non ex vobis, sed Dei donum est; non ex operibus, ne forte quis extollatur. Ipsius enim sumus figmentum, creati in Christo Jesu in operibus bonis, quae praeparavit Deus ut in illis ambulemus (Ephes. II, 8-10). Ergone hunc quanto ejus donis ornatiores estis, tanto minus amabitis? Averterit tam horrendam ipse dementiam! Proinde quoniam verum Veritas dixit, quod ille cui modicum dimittitur, modicum diligit; vos ut ardentissime diligatis, cui diligendo a conjugiorum nexibus liberi vacatis, deputate vobis tanquam omnino dimissum, quidquid mali a vobis non est illo regente commissum. Oculi enim vestri semper ad Dominum, quoniam ipse evellet de laqueo pedes vestros (Psal. XXIV, 15): et, Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem, in vanum vigilavit qui custodit eam (Psal. CXXVI, 1). Et de ipsa continentia loquens Apostolus ait: Volo autem omnes homines esse sicut me ipsum: sed unusquisque proprium donum habet a Deo; alius sic, alius autem sic (I Cor. VII, 7). Quis ergo donat ista? quis distribuit propria unicuique sicut vult (Id. XII, 11)? Nempe Deus, apud quem non est iniquitas (Rom. IX, 14). Ac per hoc qua aequitate ille faciat alios sic, alios autem sic, homini nosse aut impossibile, aut omnino difficile est: quin tamen aequitate faciat, dubitare fas non est. Quid itaque habes quod non accepisti (I Cor. IV, 7)? aut qua perversitate minus diligis, a quo amplius accepisti?