Part III, Chapter XIII

Advice How to Preserve Chastity

Be exceedingly diligent in turning yourself from all the approaches and allurements of incontinency: for this evil works insensibly, and, from small beginnings, advances to great accidents, which are always more easy to avoid than to cure. Human bodies are like glasses, which cannot be carried, when they touch one another, without danger of being broken, or like fruits which, though ever so sound and seasonable, yet by touching one another are impaired. Water itself, in a vessel, be it ever so fresh, being once touched by any beast of the earth, cannot long retain its freshness. Never suffer any one, Philothea, to touch you uncivilly, either through play or love; for though perhaps chastity may be preserved in those actions which are rather light than lewd, yet the freshness and flower of chastity always receive some detriment and loss; but to suffer yourself to be touched immodestly is the utter ruin of chastity.

Chastity depends on the heart as its source, yet regards the body as its subject; and therefore it may be lost as well by the exterior senses of the body as the interior thoughts and desires of the heart. It is impurity to behold, to hear, to speak, to smell, or touch any immodest thing in which the heart entertains itself, and takes pleasure. St. Paul says positively, “Let not fornication be so much as once named amongst you.”

The bees not only have an aversion to carrion, but avoid and hate extremely all sorts of stench which proceed from it. The sacred Spouse, in the Canticles, has her hands distilling myrrh, which is the antidote against corruption; her lips are bound up with a scarlet ribbon, the mark of her modesty in her words; she has the eyes of a dove, by reason of her cleanness; her ears have gold earrings, in token of their purity; her nose is amongst the cedars of Lebanon, which are incorruptible wood; such ought to be the devout soul: chaste, clean, and pure, in hands, lips, ears, eyes, and in all her body.

To this purpose I will remind you of an expression which the ancient father John Cassian relates, as coming from the mouth of the great St. Basil, who, speaking of himself, said one day: “I know not what belongs to a woman, yet I am not a virgin.” Certainly chastity may be lost as many ways as there are kinds of immodesty and wantonness; so that, according as they are great or little, some weaken it, others wound it, and others destroy it entirely. There are certain indiscreet and sensual familiarities and passions, which, to speak properly, do not destroy chastity, and yet they weaken it, leave it languishing, and stain its beautiful whiteness. There are other familiarities and passions not only indiscreet, but vicious; not only fond, but dishonest; not only sensual, but carnal; and by these chastity is at least grievously wounded. I say, at least; because it dies by them, and perishes altogether, when these fooleries and wanton dalliances cause in the flesh the utmost effect of impure delight; for then chastity perishes in a more unworthy, more wicked, more wretched manner than when it is lost by fornication, or even by adultery and incest; since these latter kinds of filthiness are but sins, but the former, as Tertullian says in his book of Chastity, are monsters of iniquity and sin. Now, neither does Cassian believe, nor do I believe myself, that St. Basil spoke of any such disorder, when he accused himself of not being a virgin; but I am of opinion that he only said this in relation to pleasure in evil thoughts, which, though they had not defiled his body, yet had contaminated the purity of which generous souls are exceedingly jealous.

Frequent not the company of immodest persons, especially if they be also impudent, as is generally the case; for as when goats touch the sweet almond trees with their tongues, they make them become bitter: so these corrupted souls and infected hearts scarcely speak to any, either of the same or a different sex, without causing them to fall in some degree from purity; they have poison in their eyes and in their breath, like basilisks. On the contrary, keep company with the chaste and virtuous; often meditate upon and read holy things; for the word of God is chaste, and makes those also chaste that delight in it; which made David compare it to the Topaz, a precious stone which has the property of assuaging the heat of concupiscence.

Keep yourself always near to Jesus Christ crucified, both spiritually by meditation, and really by the holy communion. For as they who lie on the herb called agnus castus become chaste and modest; so you, laying down your heart to rest upon our Lord, who is the true, chaste, and immaculate Lamb, shall see that your soul and your heart shall soon be cleansed from all the defilements.

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