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On the Dress of Virgins

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 13

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

13. Moreover Isaiah, full of the Holy Spirit, cries

‹ Section 12 Section 14 ›

out

and

chides

the

daughters

of

Sion

,

corrupted

with

gold

,

and

silver

,

and

raiment

,

and

rebukes

them

,

affluent

as

they

were

in

pernicious

wealth

,

and

departing

from

God

for

the

sake

of

the

world’s

delights

.

“

The

daughters

of

Sion

,

”

says

he

,

“

are

haughty

,

and

walk

with

stretched

-

out

neck

and

beckoning

of

the

eyes

,

trailing

their

gowns

as

they

go

,

and

mincing

with

their

feet

.

And

God

will

humble

the

princely

daughters

of

Sion

,

and

the

Lord

will

unveil

their

dress

;

and

the

Lord

will

take

away

the

glory

of

their

apparel

,

and

their

ornaments

,

and

their

hair

,

and

their

curls

,

and

their

round

tires

like

the

moon

,

and

their

crisping

-

pins

,

and

their

bracelets

,

and

their

clusters

of

pearls

,

and

their

armlets

and

rings

,

and

earrings

,

and

silks

woven

with

gold

and

hyacinth

.

And

instead

of

a

sweet

smell

there

shall

be

dust

;

and

thou

shalt

be

girt

with

a

rope

instead

of

with

a

girdle

;

and

for

a

golden

ornament

of

thy

head

thou

shalt

have

baldness

.

”

This

God

blames

,

this

He

marks

out

:

hence

He

declares

that

virgins

are

corrupted

;

hence

,

that

they

have

departed

from

the

true

and

divine

worship

.

Lifted

up

,

they

have

fallen

;

with

their

heads

adorned

,

they

merited

dishonour

and

disgrace

.

Having

put

on

silk

and

purple

,

they

cannot

put

on

Christ

;

adorned

with

gold

,

and

pearls

,

and

necklaces

,

they

have

lost

the

ornaments

of

the

heart

and

spirit

.

Who

would

not

execrate

and

avoid

that

which

has

been

the

destruction

of

another

?

Who

would

desire

and

take

up

that

which

has

served

as

the

sword

and

weapon

for

the

death

of

another

?

If

he

who

had

drunk

should

die

by

draining

the

cup

,

you

would

know

that

what

he

had

drunk

was

poison

;

if

,

on

taking

food

,

he

who

had

taken

it

were

to

perish

,

you

would

know

that

what

,

when

taken

could

kill

,

was

deadly

;

nor

would

you

eat

or

drink

of

that

whence

you

had

before

seen

that

others

had

perished

.

Now

what

ignorance

of

truth

is

it

,

what

madness

of

mind

,

to

wish

for

that

which

both

has

hurt

and

always

will

hurt

and

to

think

that

you

yourself

will

not

perish

by

those

means

whereby

you

know

that

others

have

perished

!

Notes

32
Isa. iii. 16.