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On the Dress of Virgins

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 17

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

17. Are you not afraid, I entreat you, being

‹ Section 16 Section 18 ›

such

as

you

are

,

that

when

the

day

of

resurrection

comes

,

your

Maker

may

not

recognise

you

again

,

and

may

turn

you

away

when

you

come

to

His

rewards

and

promises

,

and

may

exclude

you

,

rebuking

you

with

the

vigour

of

a

Censor

and

Judge

,

and

say

:

“

This

is

not

my

work

,

nor

is

this

our

image

.

You

have

polluted

your

skin

with

a

false

medicament

,

you

have

changed

your

hair

with

an

adulterous

colour

,

your

face

is

violently

taken

possession

of

by

a

lie

,

your

figure

is

corrupted

,

your

countenance

is

another’s

.

You

cannot

see

God

,

since

your

eyes

are

not

those

which

God

made

,

but

those

which

the

devil

has

spoiled

.

You

have

followed

him

,

you

have

imitated

the

red

and

painted

eyes

of

the

serpent

.

As

you

are

adorned

in

the

fashion

of

your

enemy

,

with

him

also

you

shall

burn

by

and

by

.

”

Are

not

these

,

I

beg

,

matters

to

be

reflected

on

by

God’s

servants

?

Are

they

not

always

to

be

dreaded

day

and

night

?

Let

married

women

see

to

it

,

in

what

respect

they

are

flattering

themselves

concerning

the

solace

of

their

husbands

with

the

desire

of

pleasing

them

,

and

while

they

put

them

forward

indeed

as

their

excuse

,

they

make

them

partners

in

the

association

of

guilty

consent

.

Virgins

,

assuredly

,

to

whom

this

address

is

intended

to

appeal

,

who

have

adorned

themselves

with

arts

of

this

kind

,

I

should

think

ought

not

to

be

counted

among

virgins

,

but

,

like

infected

sheep

and

diseased

cattle

,

to

be

driven

from

the

holy

and

pure

flock

of

virginity

,

lest

by

living

together

they

should

pollute

the

rest

with

their

contagion

;

lest

they

ruin

others

even

as

they

have

perished

themselves

.