Part IV, Chapter VI

How Temptation and Delectation May Become Sinful

The princess, of whom we spoke before, could not prevent the dishonorable proposal which was made to her, because, as was presupposed, it was made against her will; but had she, on the contrary, given it the least encouragement, or betrayed a willingness to give her affection to him that courted her, doubtless she would then have been guilty in the sight of God, and, however she might dissemble it, would certainly deserve both blame and punishment. Thus it sometimes happens that the temptation alone involves us in sin, because we ourselves are the cause of it. For example, I know that when I play, I fall easily into violent passions and blasphemy, and that gaming serves me as a temptation to those sins; I sin, therefore, as often as I play, and I am accountable for all the temptations which shall befall me. In like manner, if I know that certain conversations will expose me to the danger of falling into sin, and yet willingly expose myself to them, I am doubtless guilty of all the temptations I may meet with on such occasions.

When the delectation which proceeds from the temptation can be avoided, it is always a greater or less sin to admit it, in proportion as the pleasure we take, or the consent we give to it, is of a longer or shorter duration. The young princess before alluded to would be highly blamable, if, after having heard the filthy proposal, she should take pleasure in it, and entertain her heart with satisfaction on so improper a subject: for, although she does not consent to the real execution of what is proposed to her, she consents, nevertheless, to the spiritual application of her heart to the evil, by the pleasure she takes in it, because it is always criminal to apply either the heart or the body to anything that is immodest; but the sin depends so much on the consent of the heart, that without it even the application of the body could not be a sin.

Wherefore, whenever you are tempted to any sin, consider whether you have not voluntarily given occasion to the temptation; for then the temptation itself puts you in a state of sin, on account of the danger to which you have exposed yourself; this is to be understood when you could conveniently have avoided the occasion, and foresaw, or ought to have foreseen, the approach of the temptation; but, if you have given no occasion to the temptation, it cannot by any means be imputed to you as a sin.

When the delectation which follows temptation might have been avoided, and yet has not, there is always some kind of sin, more or less considerable, according to the time you have dwelt upon it, or the pleasure you have taken in it. A woman who has given no occasion to her being courted, and yet takes pleasure therein, is, nevertheless, to be blamed, if the pleasure which she takes originate in no other cause than the courtship. But, for example, if the gallant who sues for love should play well upon the lute and she should take pleasure, not in his courtship, but in the harmony and sweetness of his lute, this would be no sin; though she ought not to indulge this pleasure long, for fear that she should pass thence to a desire of being courted. In like manner, if any one should propose to me some ingenious stratagem, to take revenge of my enemy, and I should neither delight in, nor consent to, the proposed revenge, but only be pleased with the subtility of the artful invention; although it would be no sin, still I ought not to continue long amusing myself with this pleasure, for fear that by degrees I might be induced to take some delight in the revenge itself.

We are sometimes surprised by certain symptoms of pleasure, which immediately follow the temptation, before we are well aware of it. This at most can only be a light venial sin; but it becomes greater, if, after we have perceived the evil which has befallen us, we stop some time, through negligence, to determine whether we shall admit or reject that delectation; and the sin becomes still greater, if, after being sensible of the delectation, we dwell upon it, through downright negligence, without being determined to reject it; but when we voluntarily, and with full deliberation, resolve to consent to this delectation, this of itself is a great sin, if the object in which we take delight be also a great sin. It is a great crime in a woman to be willing to entertain dishonest love, although she never designs to yield herself up really to her lovers.

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