On Continence.

 1. It is difficult to treat of the virtue of the soul, which is called Continence, in a manner fully suitable and worthy but He, whose great gift thi

 2. And lest it should seem that necessary Continence was to be hoped for from the Lord only in respect of the lust of the lower parts of the flesh, it

 3. Lastly, to show more plainly the inner mouth, which by these words he meant, after having said, “Set a watch, O Lord, to my mouth, and a door of Co

 4. For which cause our Lord Himself also with His own mouth saith, “Cleanse what are within, and what are without will be clean.” And, also, in anothe

 5. And on this account that, which, the parts that beget being bridled by modesty, is most chiefly and properly to be called Continence, is violated b

 6. But it is one thing to fight well, which now is, when the strife of death is resisted another thing not to have an adversary, which will then be,

 7. This conflict none experience in themselves, save such as war on the side of the virtues, and war down the vices: nor doth any thing storm the evil

 8. Such soldiers the Apostolic trumpet enkindles for battle with that sound, “Therefore let not,” saith he, “sin reign in your mortal body to obey its

 9. And also, when he exhorts us, that we live not after the flesh, lest we die, but that by the Spirit we mortify the deeds of the flesh, that we may

 10. But in order that we fall not away from Continence, we ought to watch specially against those snares of the suggestions of the devil, that we pres

 11. But some one will say to me that it is one thing to live after man, another thing to live after the flesh because man forsooth is a rational crea

 12. When, therefore, you hear it said, “Sin shall not reign over you ” have not thou confidence of thyself, that sin reign not over thee, but of Him,

 13. In this so great conflict, wherein man under Grace lives, and when, being aided, he fights well, rejoices in the Lord with trembling, there yet ar

 14. And some indeed, who are used to excuse their own sins, complain that they are driven to sin by fate, as though the stars had decreed this, and he

 15. And there are also they who in excuse of their sins so accuse God, as to say that sins are pleasing to Him. For, if they were displeasing, say the

 16. But God wanted not power to make man such as that he should not be able to sin: but He chose rather to make him such, as that it should lie in his

 17. Now therefore let us return to that, wherefore we have said what we have. We have need of Continence, and we know it to be a divine gift, that our

 18. All we therefore, who believe in the Living and True God, Whose Nature, being in the highest sense good and incapable of change, neither doth any

 19. For the flesh lusts after nothing save through the soul, but the flesh is said to lust against the spirit, when the soul with fleshly lust wrestle

 20. There are therefore in us evil desires, by consenting not unto which we live not ill: there are in us lusts of sins, by obeying not which we perfe

 21. That, therefore, the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, that there dwelleth not in our flesh good, that the law in our members is opposed to the la

 22. I say not, therefore, with what error, but with what utter madness, do the Manichees attribute our flesh to some, I know not what, fabled “race of

 23. The Apostle has made known to us certain three unions, Christ and the Church, husband and wife, spirit and flesh. Of these the former consult for

 24. If what we have made mention of out of the Apostolic Epistles seem to you to fall short of an answer, hear yet others, if ye have ears. What saith

 25. But, say they, how is the flesh by a certain likeness compared unto the Church? What! doth the Church lust against Christ? whereas the same Apostl

 26. Thus much will suffice to have treated on behalf of true Continence against the Manichees deceitfully continent, lest the fruitful and glorious la

 27. There are also they who, in doing open service to evil demons, contain from pleasures of the body, that, through their means, they may satisfy unl

 28. Far be it therefore that we say of continence, of which Scripture saith. “And this very thing was wisdom, to know whose gift it was,” that even th

 29. Thus the spirit of man, cleaving unto the Spirit of God, lusts against the flesh, that is, against itself: but for itself, in order that those mot

 30. But, after that he had made mention of these evils, he added and said, “On account of which cometh the wrath of God on the sons of unbelief.” Sure

 31. “But now do ye also,” saith he, “put down all ” and he makes mention of several more evils of that sort. But what is it, that it is not enough for

 32. But whether keenly contending, that we be not overcome, or overcoming divers times, or even with unhoped and unlooked for ease, let us give the gl

7. This conflict none experience in themselves, save such as war on the side of the virtues, and war down the vices: nor doth any thing storm the evil of lust, save the good of Continence. But there are, who, being utterly ignorant of the law of God, account not evil lusts among their enemies, and through wretched blindness being slaves to them, over and above think themselves also blessed, by satisfying them rather than taming them. But whoso through the Law have come to know them, (“For through the Law is the knowledge of sin,”17    Rom. iii. 20 and, “Lust,” saith he, “I knew not, unless the Law should say, Thou shalt not lust after,”18    Rom. vii. 7. [See R.V.] and yet are overcome by their assault, because they live under the Law, whereby what is good is commanded, but not also given: they live not under Grace, which gives through the Holy Spirit what is commanded through the Law: unto these the Law therefore entered, that in them the offense might abound. The prohibition increased the lust, and made it unconquered:19    Rom. v. 20 that there might be transgression also, which without the Law was not, although there was sin, “For where there is not Law, neither is there transgression.”20    Rom. iv. 15 Thus the Law, Grace not helping, forbidding sin, became over and above the strength of sin; whence the Apostle saith, “The Law is the strength of sin.”21    1 Cor. xv. 56 Nor is it to be wondered at, that man’s weakness even from the good Law added strength to evil, whilst it trusts to fulfill the Law itself of its own strength. Forsooth being ignorant of the righteousness of God,22    Rom. x. 3 which He gives unto the weak, and wishing to establish his own, of which the weak is void, he was not made subject to the righteousness of God, reprobate and proud. But if the Law, as a schoolmaster, lead unto Grace one made an offender, as though for this purpose more grievously wounded, that he may desire a Physician; against the baneful sweetness, whereby lust prevailed, the Lord gives a sweetness that worketh good, that by it Continence may the more delight, and “our land giveth her fruit,”23    Ps. lxxxv. 12 whereby the soldier is fed, who by the help of the Lord wars down sin.

7. Hanc pugnam non experiuntur in semetipsis nisi bellatores virtutum debellatoresque vitiorum: nec expugnat concupiscentiae malum, nisi continentiae bonum. Sunt autem qui legem Dei omnino nescientes, malas concupiscentias nec in hostibus deputant, eisque miserabili caecitate servientes, insuper etiam beatos se putant, satiando eas potius quam domando. Qui vero per legem cognoverunt eas (Per legem enim cognitio peccati [Id. III, 20]; et, Concupiscentiam, inquit, nesciebam, nisi lex diceret, Non concupisces, [Id. VII, 7]), et earum tamen oppugnatione vincuntur, quia sub lege vivunt, qua jubetur quod bonum est, non et datur; non vivunt sub gratia, quae dat per Spiritum sanctum quod per legem jubetur: his ideo subintravit lex, ut in eis abundaret delictum (Id. V, 20). Auxit prohibitio concupiscentiam, eamque fecit invictam; ut accederet praevaricatio, quae sine lege non fuit, etiamsi peccatum fuit . Ubi enim non est lex, nec praevaricatio (Id. IV, 15). Ita lex gratia non juvante, prohibens peccatum, virtus est insuper facta peccati: unde ait Apostolus, Virtus peccati lex (I Cor. XV, 56). Nec mirandum est quod humana infirmitas etiam de lege bona vires malo addidit, dum ad ipsam legem faciendam de suis viribus fidit. Ignorans quippe Dei justitiam, quam dat infirmo, et suam volens constituere, qua caret infirmus, justitiae Dei non est subjectus, reprobus et superbus (Rom. X, 3). Si autem lex factum praevaricatorem, tanquam ad hoc gravius vulneratum ut desideret medicum, tanquam paedagogus perducit ad gratiam; contra suavitatem noxiam 0354 qua vincebat concupiscentia, Dominus dat suavitatem beneficam qua delectet amplius continentia, et terra nostra dat fructum suum (Psal. LXXXIV, 13), quo pascitur miles, qui debellat Deo juvante peccatum.