13. Let no one say in his heart, “God careth not for sins of the flesh.” “Know ye not,”
saith the Apostle, “that ye are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If
any man defile the temple of God, him will God destroy.”2755 “Let no man deceive himself.”
But perhaps a man will say, “My soul is the temple of God, not my body,” and will add this
testimony also, “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.”2756
Unhappy interpretation! conceit meet for punishment! The flesh is called grass, because it
dies; but take thou heed that that which dies for a time, rise not again with guilt. Wouldest
thou ascertain a plain judgment on this point also? “Know ye not,” says the same Apostle,
“that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God?”2757
Do not then any longer disregard sins of the body; seeing that your “bodies are the temples
of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God.” If thou didst disregard a sin of
the body, wilt thou disregard a sin which thou committest against a temple? Thy very body
is a temple of the Spirit of God within thee. Now take heed what thou doest with the temple
of God. If thou wert to choose to commit adultery in the Church within these walls, what
wickedness could be greater? But now thou art thyself the temple of God. In thy going out,
in thy coming in, as thou abidest in thy house, as thou risest up, in all thou art a temple.
Take heed then what thou doest, take heed that thou offend not the Indweller of the temple,
lest He forsake thee, and thou fall into ruins. “Know ye not,” he says, “that your bodies”
(and this the Apostle spake touching fornication, that they might not think lightly of sins
of the body) “are the temples of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and
ye are not your own?” For “ye have been bought with a great2758 price.” If thou think so
lightly of thine own body, have some consideration for thy price.
14. I know, and as I do every one knows, who has used a little more than ordinary con-
sideration, that no man who has any fear of God omits to reform himself in obedience to
His words, but he who thinks that he has longer time to live. This it is which kills so many,
while they are saying, “To-morrow, To-morrow;” and suddenly the door is shut. He remains
outside with the raven’s croak,2759 because he had not the moaning of the dove. “To-morrow,
To-morrow;” is the raven’s croak. Moan plaintively as the dove, and beat thy breast; but
whilst thou art inflicting blows on thy breast, be the better for the beating; lest thou seem
not to beat thy conscience, but rather with blows to harden it, and make an evil conscience
more unyielding instead of better. Moan with no fruitless moaning. For it may be thou art
2755 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17.
2756 1 Pet. i. 24.
2757 1 Cor. vi. 19.
2758 Vulgate.
2759 Serm. ccxxiii. 4. Enarr. in Ps. cii. 16.
759
On the words of the Gospel, Matt. xviii. 15, ‘If thy brother sin against…