holy child, hear these things. I shall see' are on this account not called a grandmother,
ON THE GOOD OF WIDOWHOOD.
careful about the things of the Lord, to be holy both in body and spirit; but she who is married is careful about the things of the world, how to please her husband."'?_ He saith not, is careful about the things of the world, so as not to be holy; but certainly that that marriage holiness? is less, in regard of that portion of cares, which hath thought of the pleasure of the world. Whatever, therefore, of earnest purpose of mind would be expended also on these things whereby she would have to please a husband, the unmarried Christian woman ought in a certain way to gather and bring together unto that earnest purpose whereby she is to please the Lord. And consider, Whom she pleases, who pleases the Lord; and assuredly she is by so much the more blessed by how much the more she pleases Him; but by how much the more her thoughts are of the things of the world, by so much the less does she please Him. Therefore do ye with all earnest purpose please Him, Who is "' fair of form above the sons of men.'3 For that ye please Him, it is by His grace which is *'shed abroad on His lips." Please ye Him in that portion of thought also, which would be occupied by the world, in order to please a husband. Please ye Him, Who displeased the world, in order that such as please Him might be set free from the world. For This One, fair of form above the sons of men, men saw on the Cross of the Passion; "'and He had not form or beauty, but His face cast down, and His posture unseemly."4 Yet from this unseemliness of your Redeemer flowed the price of your beauty, but of a beauty within, for "'all the beauty of the King's daughter is within.'' > By this beauty please ye Him, this beauty order ye with studious care and anxious thought. He loves not dyes of deceits; the Truth delighteth in things that are true, and He, if you recognize what you have read, is called the Truth,."° I am,'' saith He, °'the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.''® Run ye to Him through Him, please ye Him of Him; live ye with Him, in Him, of Him. With true affections and holiest chastity love ye to be loved by such a Husband.
you second, marriage. Certainly if there were husbands whom ye had to please, by this time, perhaps, you would feel ashamed to adorn yourself together with your daughter; now let it not shame you, to set yourselves to do what may adorn you both together; because it is not matter of blame, but of glory, that ye be loved both together by That One. But white and red, feigned and laid on with paints, ye would not use, even if ye had husbands; not thinking that they were fit persons for you to deceive, or yourselves such as ought to deceive; now therefore That King, Who had longed for the beauty of His Only Spouse, of Whom ye are members, do ye with all truth together please, together cleave unto; she with virginal chastity, you with widowed continence, both with = spiritual beauty. In which beauty also her grandmother, and your mother-in-law, who by this time surely hath grown old, is beautiful together with you. Forsooth whilst charity carries the vigor of this beauty into things that are before, length of years causeth not in ita wrinkle. You have with you a holy-aged woman, both in your house and in Christ, whom to consult concerning perseverance; how you are to fight with this or that temptation, what you are to do, that it may be the more easily overcome; what safeguard you are to take, that it may not easily again lay wait; and if there be any thing of this sort, she teaches you, who is now by time fixed, by love a well-wisher, by natural affection full of cares, by age secure. Do you specially, do you in such things consult her, who hath made trial of what you have made trial of. For your child sings that song,® which in the Apocalypse none save virgins can sing. But for both.of you she prays more carefully than for herself, but she is more full of care for her granddaughter, for whom there remains a longer space of years to overcome temptations; but you she sees nearer to her own age, and mother of a daughter of such an age, as that, had you seen her married, (which now is not lawful, and far be it from her,) I think you would have blushed to bear children together with her. How much then is it that now remains to you of a dangerous age, who are on this account not called a grandmother, in order that together with your daughter you may be fruitful in offspring of holy thoughts and works? 'Therefore not without reason is the grandmother more full of care for her, for whom you also the mother; because both what she hath vowed is greater, and the whole of what she hath just now begun remains to
24. Let the inner ear of the virgin also, thy holy child, hear these things. I shall see' how far she goes before you in the Kingdom of That King: it is another question. Yet ye have found, mother and daughter, Him, Whom by beauty of chastity ye ought to please together, having despised, she all,
1 x Cor. vii. 34. ; ; 2 Most mss. 'but certainly that divine holiness." 3 Ps, xlv. 2. 4 Is, lili. 2, [See R.V.] Ps, Ixv. 13. [See R.V.] 6 John xiv.6. 7 One ms ''to see."
8 Rev. xiv. 3, 4. [See R.V.]