56. It is well that He seeks
your beauty within, where He hath given unto you power to become
daughters of God:22182218 He seeks not of you a fair flesh,
but fair conduct, whereby to bridle also the flesh. He is not one
unto Whom any one can lie concerning you, and make him rage through
jealousy. See with how great security ye love Him, Whom ye fear not
to offend by false suspicions. Husband and wife love each other, in
that they see each other: and what they see not, that they fear
between themselves: nor have they sure delight in what is visible,
while in what is concealed they usually suspect what is not. Ye in
Him, Whom ye see not with the eyes, and behold by faith, neither
have what is real to blame, nor fear lest haply ye offend Him by
what is false. If therefore ye should owe great love to husbands,
Him, for Whose sake ye would not have husbands, how greatly ought
ye to love? Let Him be fixed in your whole heart, Who for you was
fixed on the Cross: let Him possess in your soul all that, whatever
it be, that ye would not have occupied by marriage. It is not
lawful for you to love little Him, for Whose sake ye have not loved
even what were lawful. So loving Him Who is meek and lowly of
heart, I have no fear for you of pride.
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