About the clothes of virgins

The essay “On the Clothes of Virgins” was written by Sschmch. Cyprian of Carthage, in all likelihood, in 249. The reason for its writing was probably the case when virgins who had taken a vow of chastity lived under the same roof with clergy. The author calls for maintaining church discipline. St. Cyprian calls on virgins to adorn themselves, having chosen the path of virginity, not with external attire and attire, which are the invention of the evil one, but with abstinence, chastity, purity, modesty and other virtues. The Virgin is “the flower of the church shoot, the high adornment of spiritual grace, the cheerful nature, the pure and intact creature of praise and honor, the image of God corresponding to Divine holiness - this is the most luminous part of the flock of Christ.” It is indecent for a virgin to decorate her face with cosmetics and exquisite hairstyles, to constantly take care of her beauty, for this is contrary to the path she has chosen. If she wants to be proud of her flesh, then this is appropriate when the flesh suffers torment from Christian persecutors. Virgins are prohibited from attending weddings and sharing baths with men. By maintaining purity and chastity, virgins already in this world become equal to the angels of God, and in the next century they will be rewarded with even greater grace and honor. Considering virginity as a state of future life, the author puts forward the requirement of uirginitas mentis - purity not only of the body, but also of the mind. St. Cyprian advises “not only virgins or widows, but also married women and all wives in general” not to distort the divine creation by adding all kinds of artificial tricks. Man is created in the image and likeness of God. Those who try to remake what “God Himself formed raise their hands against God.” The author correlates the “likeness of God” with the expression of the Apostle Paul “the image of heavenly things” (1 Cor. 15:47-49), which consists in becoming like Christ, in acquiring such virtues as integrity, piety, constancy in faith, humility, fear of God, patience, mercy. *The title of the essay in Latin is De habitu virginum. Deanery (disciplina) - guardian of hope, guardian of faith, leader on the path of salvation, planting and nurturing good inclinations, nurturer of virtue - makes a person able to always abide in Christ, constantly live for God and strive for heavenly promises and Divine rewards. As much as it is salutary to follow it, it is disastrous to evade it and neglect it. The Holy Spirit says in the book of Psalms: Accept discipline (disciplinam), lest the Lord be angry, and perish from the path of the righteous, when His wrath is soon kindled (Ps. 2:12). And again: To the sinner God said: How many will you tell of My justifications, and will you accept My covenant with your lips? But you hated this punishment and rejected my words back (Ps. 49:16-17). And in another place we read: Disdain wisdom and punishment, the accursed (Wis. 3:11). And Solomon, who taught the rules of wisdom, commanded: Son, do not despise the punishment of the Lord, weaken below, from him we reprove: for the Lord loves him, he punishes (Proverbs 3:11-12). If the Lord punishes the one he loves, and punishes in order to correct him, then the brothers, and especially the priests, show not hatred, but love for those who are punished in the same way for correction. Yes, and God Himself, through the prophet Jeremiah, foretold this and designated our time, saying: And I will give you shepherds after My heart, and they will guide you with understanding and teaching (disciplina) (Jer. 3:15). So, if the Holy Scripture commands discipline (disciplina), if the entire building of discipline and faith is based on its God-fearing preservation, then what more can we desire, what should we strive for, what should we hold on to, if not that, having established our churches on this cornerstone, as on an unshakable foundation, we stand firmly and unshakably against all the misfortunes and temptations of this world, and so Thus, through the observance of the Divine commandments, we achieved the Divine gifts, reasoning and realizing that our members, cleansed from all uncleanness of the ancient infection by the consecration of the life-giving font, are the churches of God, which should not be corrupted or desecrated by anyone; If anyone corrupts God's church, God will corrupt him (1 Cor. 3:17). We are the builders and abbots of these churches; Let us serve the One to Whom we already belong. This is what the Apostle Paul says, who taught us in his epistles, according to Divine teaching, the rules for life: carry your own - you are naturally bought with a price; glorify (and bear) God in all your bodies (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Let us glorify and bear the Lord in a clean and undefiled body, observing all possible caution, redeemed by the Blood of Christ, let us submit to the will of our Redeemer in all the actions of our service to Him; Let us make sure that we do not bring anything nasty or unclean into His church, so that He, offended by our behavior, does not leave the dwelling in which He now dwells. These are the words of the Lord, who heals and teaches, who gives together and instructs: Behold, you are healthy: let no one sin, so that no worse thing befall him (John 5:14). Having bestowed health, He then offers a way of life and the law of purity; not only prohibits a disorderly and dissolute life for the future, but threatens those who have received healing with even worse consequences: precisely because your guilt is less when you sinned before you learned the Divine teaching; but there is no excuse for you when you sin, having already known God. Keep this in mind, men and women, boys and girls, of every gender and every age, and by faith and piety, which we all owe to God, strive so that, not without care and fear, you observe that which is holy and blameless for us to receive from the Lord. Now our word is addressed primarily to virgins, who have a greater need for care, the higher the glory given to them. The virgin is the flower of the church shoot, the high adornment of spiritual grace, a cheerful nature, a pure and undamaged creature of praise and honor, the image of God corresponding to Divine holiness - this is the most luminous part of the flock of Christ. She rejoices in them, the glorious childbearing of the Mother Church abundantly flaunts in them: and the more virginity increases in number, the more the mother’s joy increases. It is to them that we address our words, we exhort them, more out of love than out of power; humble and insignificant, without at all arrogating to ourselves the right of judgment, we are prompted to take care of them mainly by fear - mainly by the fact that we are afraid of the slander of the devil. And it is not in vain that fear, not empty fear, which gives advice on the path of salvation and guides the preservation of the Divine commandments and the rules of life, so that those who have betrothed themselves to Christ, who have renounced bodily lusts and who have devoted themselves entirely to God, both body and soul, do their work worthy of the great destiny, adorning themselves for their Lord alone and pleasing Him alone, from Whom and They expect the reward of their virginity, according to His word: not all can bear this word, according to which it is given: for they are eunuchs, from whose womb matter was born; and they are eunuchs, who are gathered together from men; and they are eunuchs, who have distorted the Kingdom for themselves for the sake of the Heavenly (Matthew 19:11-12). The same gift of chastity is signified, the same virginity is proclaimed by the following words of the Angel: these are the same who have not defiled themselves with their wives, they are virgins: these will follow the Lamb, even if He goes (Apoc. 14:4). And it is not only the male sex that the Lord assimilates the grace of chastity - He does not bypass wives, because the wife is a part of the husband, taken from him and created. God, in almost all Scripture, refers to the primordial, since two make one flesh, and in the husband the wife is designated together. If chastity follows Christ and virginity is intended for the Kingdom of God, then what in the earthly decoration and adornment with which those who want to please people insult God, not thinking about what was said before: I am ashamed of people-pleasers, for God despised them (Ps. 52:6), and what was solemnly preached by the Apostle: if he were still a man pleased, would he not be a servant of Christ (Gal.1:10)? Temperance and chastity consist not only in the purity of the body, but also in the modesty and decency of the attire itself, so that, according to the apostolic word, one who has not violated the holy body and spirit. The Apostle Paul speaks for our instruction: he who is not married cares for the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord, but he who is married cares for the things of the world, how to please his wife; So the one who has not violated the law cares for the Lord, how to please the Lord, so that she may be holy in both body and spirit (1 Cor. 7:32-34). A virgin must not only be, but also appear to others in appearance as such, so that everyone, when looking at her, is not left wondering whether she is really a virgin. Purity must manifest itself equally in everything, and the clothing of the body must not discredit the virtues of the soul. And why should she present herself in decoration and finery, as if she had a husband or was looking for him? She should rather be wary of being liked by others if she really guards her virginity, and should not expose herself to temptation, striving for better and Divine goals. Having no husbands, and therefore no incentive to please them, must remain immaculate and pure not only in body, but also in spirit. It is indecent for a virgin to resort to an exquisite hairstyle to decorate her face and to be vain about her body and its beauty, when she faces the greatest battle against the flesh and the most difficult feat in winning victory over it. The Apostle Paul exclaims publicly: Let me not boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and to the world (Gal. 6:14). And the virgin is glorified in the church by the adornment of her flesh and the beauty of her body! The Apostle adds to this: they are like Christ, having crucified the flesh with passions and lusts (Gal. 5:24). And she who solemnly renounces the passions and lusts of the flesh finds herself a participant in the very thing she renounced! They will expose you, girl, they will reveal that you are presenting yourself as something other than what you really are - you are not after anything at all! With the filth of carnal lust you darken and dishonor yourself, whereas you destined yourself for purity and chastity. “Cry,” says the Lord to Isaiah, “all flesh is hay, and all the glory of man is like the flower of grass; The grass is gone and the flower is fallen away, but the word of our God abides forever (Is. 40:6-8). It is indecent for a Christian, and even more so for a virgin, to pursue glory and carnal honors, but it is necessary to heed the word of God and seek in it blessings that endure forever. Or, if one is already proud of one’s flesh, then only when it is tormented for confessing the name of Christ, when a wife is more courageous than the husbands who torture her, when she endures fire, crosses, iron, the torment of animals, in order to receive a crown. All these are precious necklaces of flesh, these are the best decorations of the body! But there are some of them who are rich and have sufficient property, who, highly valuing their wealth, say that they should use their benefits. Let such know, first of all, that she who is truly rich is the one who is rich in God, the one who is sufficient is the one who has the abundance of sufficiency in Christ; let them know that true blessings are spiritual, divine, heavenly blessings, which lead us to God and from God constitute our eternal acquisition. Then, everything earthly, acquired in this world and left in it, must be despised just like the world itself, the pomp and pleasures of which we have refused since that grace-filled time, as soon as we turned to God. John encourages and exhorts us to this with his spiritual and heavenly speech. “Don’t love,” he says, “the world, no more than the world.” If anyone loves the world, the Father’s love is not in him; for all that is in the world, carnal lust, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from this world. And the world passes away, and lust through it: but he who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:15-17). So, we must strive for the eternal and Divine and do everything according to the will of God, following the footsteps and Divine teaching of our Lord, who for our instruction said: He came down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me (John 6:38). If a slave is no greater than his master, and he who has received freedom is obliged to obey his liberator, then we, wanting to be Christians, must imitate what Christ taught and did. The Scripture says and we read, hear, and through the mouth of the Church it is proclaimed to us as an example: he who says to abide in Him (in Christ) must eat as He walked to eat, and let him also walk in the same way (1 John 2:6). Therefore, one must walk in the same footsteps, zealously follow the same path. Then only the name of faith corresponds to true adherence and the believer is rewarded when he fulfills what he believes. Saying that you are sufficient and rich. But Paul raises his voice against your wealth, prescribing rules that limit your attire and decoration. He says: Let women adorn themselves with stucco with shame and chastity, not with wickerwork or gold... or costly garments, but as it becomes for women who promise themselves to godliness, good works (1 Tim. 2:9-10). In accordance with him, Peter also commands: let them (wives) not wear outward braiding of hair, or overlaying with gold, or clothing with robes; but the hidden man of the heart (1 Pet. 3:3-4). If the apostles advise to curb themselves and sacredly observe the rules of church deanery even to wives, whose outfits and decorations are accustomed to excuse their marriage, then all the more should virgins observe this, who in this case have no excuse and cannot lay their blame on others, but must themselves remain guilty of their sin. You say that you are sufficient and rich. But everything that can be done and should be done: extensive desires born from the vanity of this age should not go beyond the boundaries of the honor and chastity of the virgin, when the Scripture says: all is to fly, but not all is for good; All are to fly, but not all are to edify (1 Cor. 10:23). Moreover, when you dress up luxuriously and magnificently and openly appear at public gatherings, you attract the gaze of youth, attract the sighs of young people with you, feed in them the lust of lust, inflame them to sin; then even though you yourself did not perish, but because you destroy others and become, as it were, a sword or poison for those who look at you, you can no longer justify your spiritual purity and chastity. Your very insolent attire and your shameless decoration expose you, and you can no longer be counted among the young women and virgins of Christ, you who behave in such a way that you can inspire the passion of love towards yourself. You say that you are rich and sufficient. But a virgin should not boast of her wealth, especially since the Divine Scripture says: what use has pride to us? and what riches and magnificence have you given us? She has all passed away like a canopy (Wis. 5:8–9). And the Apostle again, admonishing, says: And they will buy, as if they do not contain, and they will demand this world, as if they do not require; For the image of this world passes away (1 Cor. 7:30-31). And Peter, to whom the Lord entrusts to shepherd and protect His sheep and on whom He laid the foundation of the Church (Matthew 16:18; fn. v. 16), also says that he has neither gold nor silver, but that he is rich in the grace of Christ, rich in His faith and power, through which he performed many signs and wonders and, for the glory of grace, enriched himself with spiritual gifts ( Acts 3:6-7). She who wants to be rich more for the world than for Christ cannot have these wealth, these riches. You say that you are sufficient and rich, and you insist that you should use the blessings that the Lord has endowed you with. Use them, use them, but for saving deeds; use for good purposes; use, but what God commanded, what the Lord Himself pointed out. Let the poor feel your wealth, let the poor feel your wealth. Give your property to increase to God, feed Christ. In order for you to be worthy to achieve the glory of virginity and be worthy to receive reward from the Lord, beg Him with the prayers of many. Hide your treasures where no thief can dig in, where no evil predator can penetrate. Acquire for yourself acquisitions that are more heavenly, where your acquisitions are not subject to any accidents and are free from all the enemy’s untruths of this age, where neither rust will destroy them, nor hail will destroy them, nor the sun will burn them, nor rain will harm them: you are already sinning against God by thinking that He has given you wealth to spend and waste it without benefit. After all, the voice was given from God to man, but not in order to sing love and shameful songs; and God deigned to create iron for cultivating the land, but, of course, not for killing people. Or: God produced frankincense and myrrh, and wine and fire; So is it really necessary to use them in sacrifices to idols? In your pastures are many herds of cattle; does it follow that they should be slaughtered as a sacrifice to idols? Otherwise, great wealth will serve as a temptation if it is not given the proper use: so, the richer someone is, the more he should use his wealth for atonement, and not for multiplying his sins! Sophistication of clothes and jewelry, seductive facial embellishments are characteristic only of obscene, shameless women, and almost no one has more expensive decoration than those whose shame is cheap. So, in Holy Scripture, in which the Lord deigned to give us instruction and admonition, a fornicating city is described, in decoration and finery, with finery, or better yet, for their sake, doomed to destruction. And he came, - they say, - one of the seven angels, who had the seven phials, and spoke with me, saying: come, that I will show you the judgment of the great fornicator who sits on many waters: and with her the kings of the earth have committed fornication... And he led me... in the spirit: and I saw a woman sitting on beasts... And the woman was clothed with purple and scarlet and gilded with gold and precious stones and beads, having a cup of gold in her hand, full of abomination and the filthiness of her fornication (Rev. 17:1-4). May pure and chaste virgins avoid the attire of harlots, the clothing of shameless women, the attire of seductresses, and the jewelry of fornicators! Isaiah, filled with the Holy Spirit, denounces the daughters of Zion, who were deceived by gold-embroidered and silver-woven clothes, reproaches those who abound in destructive wealth and for the sake of worldly amusements and amusement, those who depart from God. “The daughter of Sioni ascended,” he says, “and walked with her high neck, and with the twitching of her hair, and with the tread of her feet, dragging her robe together and her feet playing together. And the Lord will humble the first daughters of Zion, and the Lord will reveal their shame... and the Lord will take away the glory of their garments, and their beauty, and the golden woven work (on the head), and the cracked vestments, and the moons of the hryvnia, and the thin wedges, and the beauty of their faces... and the hoops and rings, and the monista and wrists and artistic jewelry... and fine linen with gold and blue... And instead of a good stench there will be a stench, and instead of a belt you will have already girded, and instead of a golden adornment on your head you will have baldness (Is. 3:16-23). This is what is blamed, God notices this, proclaiming that from here comes the corruption of virgins and their deviation from the true and Divine adornment. Those who ascended fell, those who flaunted their outfits and decorations were covered in stench and abomination. Those dressed in silk and scarlet cannot put on Christ. Those adorned with gold and precious stones and necklaces have lost the adornment of spirit and heart. Who would not be disgusted and would not run away from what has destroyed others? Who would wish for himself that which served another in destruction instead of sword and arrow? If someone, after drinking a glass of drink, died immediately, then you would understand that he drank poison. If someone, having taken food, also died soon after, then you would understand that the food he took was deadly. And you, of course, would neither eat nor drink what others, in your eyes, died from. After this, what ignorance, what madness - to desire what has always harmed and is harming, and to think that you will not perish from what you see others perishing from! The Lord did not create scarlet or scarlet-shaped sheep, He did not teach them to color and decorate their fleece with herbal juices and scarlet; It was not He who designed the necklaces with which you, having first intertwined your hair with gold and pearls, arranging them in orderly rows and numerous folds, would cover your neck, created by Him to hide what was formed in man by God, and to expose what was invented by the devil. Is it God’s will to make ulcers on the ears and torment with them the still innocent infancy, not involved in worldly evil, so that then to hang expensive heavy grains on the punctured ulcers, if not with their own weight, then with the money paid for them? All this was invented by the angels who sinned and fell away from God through their cunning, when, leaving their heavenly dwellings, they were cast down to the ground. It was they, prompted by their spoiled nature, who learned to blacken eyebrows, put a fake blush on their cheeks, dye their hair in a color that was not typical for them, and distort the true features of the face and head. Here, in this very place, prompted by the fear that faith inspires in us, and the love that brotherhood demands from us, I consider it necessary to give advice not only to virgins or widows, but also to married women and all wives in general: what is the work of God, His creation and work, should not be distorted by any admixture of golden color, or black powder, or blush, or, finally, any other there was no composition that concealed natural features. God said: Let us make man in our image and likeness (Gen. 1:26). Who will dare to change and reshape what was created by God Himself? Those who try to transform and remake what God Himself formed raise their hands against God, not realizing that everything, as it is born, is the work of God; and if anything is changed in it, then this is the work of the devil. If a skilled painter depicted in a picture someone’s face and entire figure with all sorts of bodily shades, and after the perfect finishing of the portrait, another painter, considering himself more skillful, laid his hand on his work, thinking of correcting this painting: then the latter would cause a grave offense to the first and would arouse in him justified indignation against himself. And do you think of escaping punishment for your reckless impudence for insulting the artist-God? Under flattering pretense and deceptive embellishments, you want to hide your shamelessness and debauchery from people, but through this you become the most vile fornicator, having desecrated and corrupted the work of God in yourself. Thinking of decorating yourself, cunningly removing your hair, you are ruining God’s creation and betraying the truth. This is what the apostle says for our instruction: cleanse away the old leaven, so that you may be a new mixture, as you are unleavened: for our Passover was devoured for us by Christ. Moreover, let us celebrate not with the leaven of wickedness, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but without the leaven of purity and truth (1 Cor. 5:7-8). Can’t purity and truth exist where the pure is defiled by counterfeit impurities, where the true is transformed into a lie by counterfeit compounds? Your Lord says: You cannot make one hair white or black (Matthew 5:36). And you, contrary to the word of the Divine, want to be more powerful than your Lord? With a daring attempt and sacrilegious contempt you dye your hair: an ill-fated omen, you thereby prophesy fiery hair for yourself in the future and sin, alas! the head, that is, the best part of the body. And when it is written about the Lord: His head and His hair are as white as snow, like snow (Rev. 1:14); you despise gray hair, you abhor the whiteness to which the head of the Lord is likened! Tell me, in doing this, are you not afraid if your Artist and Creator, on the day of the general Resurrection, does not recognize you, rejects you and removes you when you appear for reward and reward, and, reproaching you with the stern voice of the Judge, says: “This is not My creation, this is not Our image”? You have desecrated your skin with counterfeit rubbing, you have changed your hair to an unusual color, your appearance is distorted by lies, your image is distorted, your face is alien to you. “You cannot see God when your eyes are not the ones God gave you, but the ones the devil counterfeited.” You followed him; you imitated the golden and painted eyes of the serpent; the enemy removed your hair - and you will burn with him! And really, tell me, shouldn’t God’s servants think about this always, day and night, and be afraid of it? Let married women pay attention to what they are doing to deceive themselves, thinking that by trying to please them they please their husbands: by bringing their husbands to justify themselves, they only make them accomplices of their criminal plan. At least, I think that the virgins to whom this speech is now addressed - if they indulge in such refinement of clothes and decorations - should not be counted among the virgins, but like infected sheep and sick cattle, they must be separated from the holy and blameless virgin flock, so that, living together, through mutual communication, they do not infect others and, perishing themselves, do not destroy others. So, zealous for the benefit of chastity, let us run away from everything harmful and tempting. I cannot remain silent about the fact that there are many such customs that, having come into use through negligence and improvidence, have thereby paved the way for the detriment of chastity and sobriety of morals. Some are not ashamed to attend weddings and, taking advantage of the freedom of lustful speech there, to interfere in shameful conversations, to listen to obscene words from others and to use foul language themselves, to be noticeable and to be present at drunken feasts, by which lusts are kindled, where the bride is excited to endure corruption, and the groom to insolent insolence. Is it appropriate for someone who has no inclination towards married life to appear at wedding feasts, or what kind of pleasure can there be, what pleasure can there be where the inclinations and desires are completely different? What will she learn there? what will he see? what will he hear? How far does a virgin deviate from her goal when she comes here chaste and leaves here having lost her shame! Even though she remained a virgin in body and soul, with her eyes, ears, and tongue she greatly diminished the qualities that she had. And what can we say about those who go to public baths, who expose their bodies to curious and lustful eyes, dedicated to virginity and chastity - who both themselves look shamelessly at naked men, and give men the opportunity to see themselves naked? Do they serve as bait for vices? Do they not themselves excite and incite the lust of those present for their own debauchery and desecration? He comes there, you say, with whatever thoughts he wants; and I come only to wash and refresh my body. Such an excuse will not protect you; it will not excuse your debauchery and impudence. This ablution stains you and does not cleanse you; does not whiten the members, but blackens them. Suppose you do not look at anyone with shamelessness, but others shamelessly direct their gazes at you. You do not defile your eyes with unclean pleasure, but by pleasing others, you yourself become defiled. From the bathhouse you make a spectacle that becomes more vile than the most shameful spectacle. There all modesty is stripped away; All body adornment and shame are put aside along with clothing; virginity is exposed as if for show and public exhibition. Judge now for yourself, are you able to maintain modesty among men - you, whose courage to be naked in front of them helps shamelessness? In this way, the Church often mourns its virgins and sighs when it hears inglorious and shameful rumors about them. In this way, the good name of virgins is darkened, respect for abstinence and reverence for chastity are undermined, all their glory and honor are consigned to reproach. This is how the enemy conqueror infiltrates through his tricks. This is how the devil sneaks up unnoticed with his deceptive cunning. This is how virgins, trying to outdo each other with the ostentation of external adornments and freer manners, being carried away by seductive dishonor, cease to be virgins - they become widows before marriage, violating marital fidelity not in relation to their husband, but in relation to Christ, and therefore must be subjected in the future to greater tortures for the loss of their virginity than greater ones were intended for them - virgins awards. So, virgins, listen to me as a father; listen, I ask and pray to you, to me, who fears for you and therefore gives us good advice; listen to the one who truly cares about your welfare and your benefit. Remain as God the Artist made you. Remain as the hand of the Father has made you. Let your face be genuine, your neck pure, your whole image unfeigned. Do not put ulcers on your ears, and do not entangle your muscles and necks with expensive chains of wrists and necklaces; may your feet be free from golden shackles, your hair free from all counterfeit, your eyes worthy of contemplating God. Go to the baths only with your own sex, that is, with women whose bathing with you is not dangerous for your chastity, avoid shameless wedding celebrations and voluptuous feasts, at which it is harmful for you to be present. True maiden, prove that you are above decoration, you who conquer the flesh and the world, conquer the passion for gold. She who is able to triumph over the greater is not able to triumph over the lesser? A narrow path, enter into the stomach (Matthew 7:14); difficult and difficult are the paths that lead to glory. It is along these paths that martyrs walk, virgins walk, and all the righteous walk. Avoid wide and spacious paths: there the baits are disastrous, the pleasures are deadly: there the devil flatters in order to deceive, smiles when he harms, lures in order to kill. The first fruit is a hundredfold - this is the fruit brought by martyrs; the second sixty-fold belongs to you (Matthew 13:8,23; Mark 4:8,20). And just as martyrs have no thought about the flesh and the world when they enter into a difficult struggle with the enemy, so may the feat of patience be close to you, for whom the second grace-filled reward is intended after them. It is not easy to achieve high goals. How much sweat we shed, how much labor we put in when we try to climb the hills and mountain peaks! What kind of labor must we not endure in order to ascend to heaven? And if we compare the rewards promised to us, they are much higher than our exploits. Those who struggle are relentlessly granted immortality, endless life is promised, and an eternal kingdom from the Lord is offered. Watch, maidens, watch what you began to be; protect your future. A great reward awaits, a great reward for virtue, a great gift for chastity. Do you want to know what troubles the virtue of virginity gets rid of and what benefits? The Lord said to the wife: I will multiply your sorrows and your sighs; in illness, give birth to a child; and your appeal will be to your husband, and he will have possession of you (Gen. 3:16). You are free from this sentence: you are not afraid of the sorrows and sighs characteristic of wives; you are not at all afraid of diseases of childbirth; and the husband does not possess you, but your Master and Head is Christ, instead of the husband. The lot and position are the same for all of you. The Lord Himself says: the sons of this age marry and encroach; and those who have been granted the age of attainment and resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor encroach; neither can anyone die: for they are equals as angels, and as sons of God, being sons of the resurrection (Luke 20:34-36). You have already begun to be what we only hope to be. In this age you have already achieved the glory of the Resurrection and you are passing through the age without being defiled by the age. Being pure and immaculate, being virgins, you become like the Angels of God. Only let your virginity remain firm and unshakable; and with what courage, with what determination you laid the foundation for it, may it remain with you forever, seeking adornment for yourself not in necklaces and clothes, but in good morals. Keep in mind one God and one heaven; Do not turn your sorrow-seeking eyes to the lusts of the world and the flesh - do not reduce them to earthly things. The first commandment of the Lord to man was to grow and multiply, and the second related to abstinence (Gen. 1:28, 2:16–17). At a time when the world was still so populated, the human race multiplied and spread, filling it with itself, but when it reached its proper fullness, from that time on those who can accommodate abstinence and live like eunuchs make themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:11-12). However, the Lord does not command this, but only suggests it; does not impose the yoke of necessity, but leaves it to the freedom and will of everyone. But when he says that in the house of the Father His abodes are many (John 14:2), then he also points to the abodes that are predominantly the best. To these best abodes you strive; By renouncing the carnal pleasures of this world, you acquire the right to the highest grace-filled reward in heaven. It is true that all who are washed in the Divine bath in holy baptism are put off there from the old man by the grace of the saving font and, having been renewed by the Holy Spirit, are cleansed from the defilements of the ancient ulcer by a second birth (Titus 3:5; John 3:3-7); but the truth and holiness of this mysterious birth is highly befitting of you, as completely alien to the lusts of the flesh and the world. You have only that which is characteristic of virtue and spirit to achieve glory. The Apostle, whom the Lord called His chosen vessel and sent to carry heavenly commandments everywhere, says: the first man is from the earth, ringed: the second man is the Lord from heaven. Jacob of the ring, so are the rings; and Yakov is heavenly, and tats are also heavenly. And just as we have put on the image of the earth, let us also be clothed in the image of the heavenly (1 Cor. 15:47-49). This image of the Heavenly bears virginity, bears chastity, bears truth and holiness; worn by those who remember the teachings of the Lord, preserve truth and piety; who are unshakable in faith, humble in the fear of God, courageous in all patience, meek in enduring insults, always ready to perform deeds of mercy; who live among themselves in peace, like brothers, unanimously and inseparably. Each of these virtues - you, good virgins, must preserve, love and observe - you, who are idle for God and Christ, who, having dedicated yourself to the Lord, have chosen the best part and precede many others on the path to Him. So the elders instruct the youngest; For younger ones, incite competition among friends; encourage yourselves by mutual exhortations; call each other to glory, each in itself demonstrating a model of virtue worthy of competition: be strong, spiritually strive forward and forward, achieve your goal successfully. For all this, you will not forget about us at the time when your virginity begins to crown you with honor and glory.