The instruction of youth in Christian piety taken out of the sacred Scriptures, and Holy Fathers; divided into five parts. With a very profitable instruction for meditation, or mental prayer. By Charles Gobinet, Doctor of Divinity, of the House and Society of Sorbon, principal of the College of Plessis-Sorbon. The last edition in French, now render'd into English.

ARTICLE II.

Of the sad Effects of the Sin of Impurity

The Author of the Book De bono pudi∣citiae, attributed to St. Cyprian, describes briefly a great number of the misfortunate Effects of this Sin: For he says, that Im∣modesty is a detestable Passion, which spares neither Souls nor Bodies, which renders Men absolutely Slaves of dishonest Love, flattering them at the beginning, that it might more ef∣fectually destroy them. When it hath gotten

possession of their Hearts, it drains their Goods together with their Shamefac'dness; It excites Passions even to excess, it destroys a good Conscience, it is the Mother of Impenitence, the loss and ruin of the best part of Age, that is, of Youth.

Omitting the Damage that Sin causes to the Body, Honor and Possessions, I shall insist only upon the dreadful Effects it produces in the Soul, which I reduce to Five or Six.

The First is, the destruction of the Fear of God, which it works in the Soul, and the ruin of all good Inclinations. Expe∣rience shews this Effect so common, that we need not seek any other Proof; we see many young People well Educated, who have very good Inclinations in their Youth, an aversion from Evil, a great affection to Piety, the Fear of God strongly imprinted in their Souls: Now all these good Quali∣ties remain, if the Sin of Impurity doth not take possession of their Heart; but when that hath once enter'd into their Mind, it entirely subverts them. It creeps in first by immodest Thoughts, the Thoughts produce the desire of wanton Pleasures, the Desire moves to unchast Actions, these Sins repeated and multi∣ply'd, ruin all the good Inclinations; things now appear far otherwise than before, the

Sin now seems no more so great, it be∣comes more familiar to them; and such an one who before had a great apprehension of one sole mortal Sin, when he is once overcome by this brutish Passion, is not dis∣may'd to commit them by hundreds and thousands. O God, what a Change, what a subversion is this of a Conscience!

The Second Effect of this Sin, is a Dis∣relishing, and even an Aversion to Vertue, and to all pious and wholsom Things. It is not to be conceiv'd how those who are infected with this Vice, have an aversion to Divine Things and Salvation. Prayer is tedious to them, and Sacraments contem∣ptible, the Word of God moves them not, reading of pious Books is insupportable. This is too manifest by Experience, and no wonder, Theotime, he who is Distem∣per'd with a Fever, takes no delight in the most delicious Meats; on the contrary, they seem to him bitter, because his Tast is deprav'd with some bitter Quality. Thus he who is once seis'd by this burning Fever of Impurity, finds a wonderful loath∣ing and dislike of all the most pious and wholsome Things, by reason he hath his Heart infected with carnal and impure Affections; which permit him not to re∣lish the sweetness of holy Things.a The natural man, says S. Paul, that is, who fol∣lows the Motions of the Animal or Sensi∣ble part, tasts not the things which are of God. Andb those who live according to flesh, relish only the things of the flesh.

The Third Effect is a Blindness of Mind which this Sin produces in the Soul, which hinders her from discerning Good from Bad, and judging of things as she ought. It is impossible that a Mind once possess'd by that Passion, should not have its Judg∣ment perverted, and should not determin of things of Salvation quite contrary to Truth: The Tie and Inclination it hath to that Sin, makes it not account it so great an Evil (for we ordinarily judg accord∣ing to our Inclinations) and that it can withdraw it self when it pleases; it hin∣ders it from seeing the wicked Consequen∣ces and Misfortunes this Vice brings after it. It takes away the remembrance of the Divine Judgments, and frequently endea∣deavors to take God himself out of their Minds, that they may Sin more freely, as it is observ'd of those infamous old Men, who attempted to corrupt the Chastity of modest Susanna. They being inflam'd with Concupiscence, says the Sacred Scri∣pture, lost their Sense and Judgment, and cast down their Eyes, that they might not look towards Heaven, and remember the just Judgments of God. This is the proper and peculiar Effect of Immodesty; it blinds the Mind, and makes it hoodwink it self, flifling in it self all good Thoughts, that it might sin with a greater liberty, and with less remorse of Conscience.

See the Account St. Augustin gives of himself concerning this Subject, in his Second Book of Confessions, Chap. 2.

which I have cited Part 1. Chap. 13. Artic. 2.

From this Blindness of Mind springs Pride, the Fourth Effect of this Sin of Im∣purity, which hindering the Mind from knowing its own Good, makes it despise all Admonitions, resist all Documents, and scoff at the most wholsom Counsels. So that as this Sin renders young Spirits soft and pliable to Vice, it makes them inflexi∣ble, and obdurate to the Advertisements of their Salvation. The Wiseman teaches you this Truth, which Experience also makes sufficiently appear. A wise Man, says he, when he hears wise Sayings and In∣structions, receives them with esteem, and ad∣vantages himself by them; the lascivious hath no sooner heard them, but he is disgusted and rejects them with contempt. We need no other Example of this Truth, than that of S. Augustin in the Second Book of his Con∣fessions, Chap. 3. where he deplores the insupportable Pride with which he con∣temn'd the discreet Admonitions of his pious Mother, to whom next to God he was oblig'd for the Favor of his Salva∣tion.

The Fifth Effect is an Obdurateness of the Will in Wickedness. According to the measure that Sin multiplies, the Soul habituates her self, and becomes obdurate, so that nothing is able to soften her. It would be an incredible thing, if we did not daily see it most apparently, how those who are possess'd with this Sin, become

stupid and obdurate. They are found insensible of all good Motions, deaf to all Inspirations of Grace; the Menaces of Divine Justice and Chastisements seem to them but Dreams; witness the two Sons-in-law of Lot, who lookt upon that Ad∣monition he gave them to depart from the City of Sodom, as a Fiction, which the Night following should be destroy'd, as in effect it was, and they together with it. The Examples of those whom God hath so rigorously punish'd for this Sin, touch them not at all; the Misfortunes which they see with their own Eyes to befall o∣thers like themselves, make no Impressions upon their Minds; nothing is capable to move them, as soon as this brutish Passion most dreadfully takes possession. Alas (saith St. Augustin,) the Chain of violent Passions wherewith this mortal Flesh kept me captive, made such a noise about me, that I was deaf to all that might advertise me for my good. And this Deafness was a Punish∣ment of the Pride of my Heart, contracted by the Disorders of my Life. O what a de∣plorable State is that to which a Soul is reduc'd by Impurity.

After all these dreadful Effects of the Sin of Immodesty, there remains one, which is the accomplishment of all the former, and the Mark at which they all aim, viz. Final Impenitency, or Death in mortal Sin; which is the greatest and utmost of all Misfortunes. It is, O Theo∣time, a most common, and most ordinary

Effect of this detestable Sin, which inces∣santly fills Hell with a vast number of wretched Souls, which by untimely Deaths it casts into that endless Pit: Some dying surpris'd with Sickness, which deprives them of the Time or Means to do Penance; Others seis'd by some frightful Accident; Others departing in Obdurateness, aban∣don'd by God in punishment of their Sins. Give ear to what the Scripture speaks of those, and in the Name of God imprint deeply in your Heart those astonishing Words of St. Peter, Novit Deus pios de tentatione eripere; iniquos verò igni reser∣vare cruciandos. God, says that great A∣postle, knows how to deliver the Good from temptation, and reserve the Wicked for the torments of Fire, which his Justice hath pre∣par'd for them. Hearken to what fol∣lows, Mugis autem eos qui post carnem in concupiscentia immunditiae ambulant. Now for whom amongst the Wicked doth he principally reserve these Chastisements? For those chiefly who walk after the Flesh in the Concupiscence of immodest Pleasures. But what will befall them? Hearken, Theotime; Hi velut irationabilia pecora in corruptione sua peribunt, percipientes mercedem injustitiae. They shall die like brute Beasts in their Corruption, and perish in their Impurity, receiving thus the Recompence they have deserv'd for their Sins. O dear Theotime, is it possible that this Oracle pronounc'd by the Holy Ghost himself against Immo∣desty, causes not an horror of that dete∣stable

Sin? Read it attentively, and pre∣serve it in your Memory; and that it may be more strongly setled in your Mind, add to it the following Examples.

Notes

• Impudicitia semper est de∣testanda, ob∣scoenum ludi∣brium red∣dens ministris suis, nec cor∣poribus par∣cens, nec ani∣mis debellatis propriis mo∣ribus, totum hominem su∣um sub trium∣phum libidi∣nis mittit, blanda prius ut plus noceat, dum placet. Ea hauriens rem cum pudore, cupiditatum infesta tabies, incendium conscientiae bonae, mater impoenitentiae, ruina melioris aetatis. Auth. de bon. Pud.
• First Effect, the destruction of the Fear of God.
• Second Effect. A Disrelish of Vertue.
• a

  Animalis homo non per∣cipit ea quae Dei sunt.
• b

  Qui secun∣dum carnem sunt quae car∣nis sunt sapi∣unt. Rom. 5.
• Third Effect, Blindness of Mind.
• Exarserunt concupiscenti∣am ejus & e∣verterunt sen∣sum suum, & declinaverunt oculos suos ut non viderent coelum neque recordarentur judiciorum justorum. Dan. 3.
• Fourth Effect, Pride.
• Cereus in vi∣tium flecti, monitoribus asper.
• Verbum sa∣piens quod∣cunque audie∣rit scius lau∣dabit, & ad se adjiciet, audi∣vit luxuriosus & dispiciet illi & projiciet illud post dor∣sum suum. Eocl. 2.18.
• Fifth Effect, Obdurateness in Evil.
• Surgite, egre∣diamini de lo∣co isto, quia delebit Domi∣nus civitatem hanc, & visus est eis quasi ludens loqui. Gen. 19.
• Obsurduerant stridore ca∣tenae mortali∣tatis meae poe∣na superbiae animae meae. Lib. 2. Conf. cap. 2.
• Sixth Effect, Final Impeni∣tency.
• 5. Pet. 2.