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

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 wrestles against the spirit. This whole are we: and the flesh itself, which on the departure of the soul dies, the lowest part of us is not put away as what we are to flee from, but is laid aside as what we are to receive again, and, after having received it, never again to leave. But “there is sown an animal body, there shall rise again a spiritual body.”64    1 Cor. xv. 44 Then from that time the flesh will not lust after any thing against the spirit, when as itself also shall be called spiritual, forasmuch as not only without any opposition, but also without any need of bodily aliment, it shall be for ever made subject unto the spirit, to be quickened by Christ. Therefore these two things, which are now opposed the one to the other within us, since we exist in both, let us pray and endeavor that they may agree. For we ought not to think the one of them an enemy, but the fault, whereby the flesh lusteth against the spirit: and this, when healed, will itself cease to exist, and either substance will be safe, and no strife between either. Let us hear the Apostle; “I know,” saith he, “that there dwelleth not in me, that is, in my flesh, any good.”65    Rom. vii. 18 This certainly he saith; that the fault of the flesh, in a good thing, is not good; and, when this shall have ceased to exist, it will be flesh, but it will not be now corrupted or faulty66    Vitiata vel vitiosa flesh. And yet that this pertains to our nature the same teacher shows, by saying, first, “I know that there dwelleth not in me,” in order to expound which, he added, “that is, in my flesh, any good.” Therefore he saith that his flesh is himself. It is not then itself that is our enemy: and when its faults are resisted, itself is loved, because itself is cared for; “For no one ever hated his own flesh,”67    Eph. v. 29 as the Apostle himself saith. And in another place he saith, “So then I myself with the mind serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the Law of sin.” Let them hear that have ears. “So then I myself;” I with the mind, I with the flesh, but “with the mind I serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”68    Rom. vii. 25 How “with the flesh the law of sin?” was it at all by consenting unto fleshly lust? Far be it! but by having there motions of desires which he would not have, and yet had. But, by not consenting to them, with the mind he served the Law of God, and kept his members from becoming weapons of sins.

CAPUT VIII.

19. Caro adversus spiritum concupiscit, non quia inimica natura, sed quia vitiata. Carnis concupiscentias ex vitio esse, easque hic minui quidem posse, non penitus auferri nisi in altera vita. Concupiscentia carnis hic poena peccati, carne sanata in beatis non erit. Caro enim nihil nisi per animam concupiscit; sed concupiscere caro adversus spiritum dicitur, quando anima carnali concupiscentia spiritui reluctatur. Totum hoc nos sumus: et caro ipsa quae discedente anima moritur, nostra pars infima, non fugienda dimittitur, sed recipienda deponitur, nec recepta ulterius relinquetur. Seminatur autem corpus animale, resurget corpus spirituale (I Cor. XV, 44). Tunc jam caro nihil concupiscet adversus spiritum, quando et ipsa spiritualis vocabitur, quoniam spiritui non solum sine ulla repugnantia, verum etiam sine ulla corporalis alimenti indigentia in aeternum vivificanda subdetur. Haec igitur duo, quae nunc invicem adversantur in nobis, quoniam in utroque nos sumus, ut concordent oremus et agamus. Non enim alterum eorum putare debemus inimicum, sed vitium quo caro concupiscit adversus spiritum: quod sanatum, nec ipsum erit, et substantia utraque salva erit, et inter utramque nulla pugna erit. Audiamus Apostolum: Scio, inquit, quia non habitat in me, hoc est in carne mea, bonum. Hoc utique ait, quia vitium carnis in re bona non est bonum: quod cum esse destiterit, caro erit, sed jam vitiata vel vitiosa non erit. Quam tamen ad nostram pertinere naturam, idem doctor ostendit, prius dicendo, Scio quia non habitat in me: quod ut exponeret, addidit, hoc est in carne mea, bonum. Se itaque dicit esse carnem suam. Non ergo ipsa est inimica nostra: et quando ejus vitiis resistitur, ipsa amatur, 0362 quia ipsa curatur. Nemo enim unquam carnem suam odio habuit (Ephes. V, 29); sicut ipse Apostolus dicit. Et alio loco ait: Igitur ipse ego mente servio legi Dei, carne autem legi peccati. Audiant qui aures habent: Igitur ipse ego; ego mente, ego carne; sed mente servio legi Dei, carne autem legi peccati. Quomodo carne legi peccati? numquid concupiscentiae consentiendo carnali? Absit: sed motus desideriorum illic habendo, quos habere nolebat, et tamen habebat. Sed eis non consentiendo mente serviebat legi Dei, et tenebat membra, ne fierent arma peccati.