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

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 perfect not evil, but by having them do not as yet perfect good. The Apostle shows both, that neither is good here perfected, where evil is so lusted after, nor evil here perfected, whereas such lust is not obeyed. The one forsooth he shows, where he says, “To will is present with me, but to perfect good is not;”69    Rom. vii. 18 the other, where he says, “Walk in the Spirit, and perfect not the lusts of the flesh.”70    Gal. v. 16 For neither in the former place doth he say that to do good is not with him, but “to perfect,” nor here doth he say, Have not “lusts of the flesh,” but “perfect not.” Therefore there take place in us evil lusts, when that pleases which is not lawful; but they are not perfected, when evil lusts are restrained by the mind serving the Law of God. And good takes place, when that, which wrongly pleases, takes not place through the good delight prevailing. But the perfection of good is not fulfilled, so long as by the flesh serving the law of sin, evil lust entices, and, although it be restrained, is yet moved. For there would be no need for it to be restrained, were it not moved. There will be at some time also the perfection of good, when the destruction of evil: the one will be highest, the other will be no more. And if we think that this is to be hoped for in this mortal state, we are deceived. For it shall be then, when death shall not be; and it shall be there, where shall be life eternal. For in that world,71    Sæculo and in that kingdom, there shall be highest good, no evil: when there shall be, and where there shall be, highest love of wisdom, no labor of continence. Therefore the flesh is not evil, if it be void of evil, that is, of fault, whereby man was rendered faulty, not made ill, but himself making. For on either part, that is, both soul and body, being made good by the good God, himself made the evil, whereby he was made evil. From the guilt of which evil being already also set free through forgiveness,72    Indulgentiam that he may not think what he hath done to be light, he yet wars with his own fault through continence. But far be it that there be any faults in such as reign in that peace which shall be hereafter; since in this state of war there are lessened daily in such as make progress, not sins only, but the very lusts also, with which, by not consenting, we strive, and by consenting unto which we sin.

20. Sunt ergo in nobis desideria mala, quibus non consentiendo non vivimus male: sunt in nobis concupiscentiae peccatorum, quibus non obediendo non perficimus malum, sed eas habendo nondum perficimus bonum. Utrumque ostendit Apostolus, nec bonum hic perfici, ubi malum sic concupiscitur; nec malum hic perfici, quando tali concupiscentiae non obeditur. Illud quippe ostendit ubi ait, Velle adjacet mihi, perficere autem bonum non (Rom. VII, 18, 25): hoc vero, ubi ait, Spiritu ambulate, et concupiscentias carnis ne perfeceritis. Neque ibi enim dicit non sibi adjacere facere bonum; sed, perficere: neque hic dicit, Concupiscentias carnis ne habueritis; sed, ne perfeceritis. Fiunt itaque in nobis concupiscentiae malae, quando id quod non licet libet: sed non perficiuntur, cum legi Dei mente serviente libidines continentur. Et bonum fit, cum id quod male libet, vincente bona delectatione non fit: sed boni perfectio non impletur, quamdiu legi peccati carne serviente libido illicit, et quamvis contineatur, tamen movetur. Non enim opus esset ut contineretur, nisi moveretur. Erit quandoque etiam perfectio boni, quando consumptio mali: illud summum, hoc erit nullum. Quod si in ista mortalitate sperandum putamus, fallimur. Tunc enim erit, quando mors non erit; et ibi erit, ubi vita aeterna erit. In illo enim saeculo et in illo regno erit bonum summum, malum nullum; quando erit et ubi erit sapientiae amor summus, continentiae labor nullus. Non igitur mala est caro, si malo careat, id est, vitio quo vitiatus est homo, non factus male, sed ipse faciens. Ex utraque enim parte, id est, et anima et corpore a bono Deo factus bonus, ipse fecit malum quo factus est malus. A cujus mali reatu jam etiam solutus per indulgentiam, ne leve existimet esse quod fecit, adhuc cum suo vitio pugnat per continentiam Absit autem ut insint ulla vitia in illa quae futura est pace regnantibus; quandoquidem in isto bello quotidie minuuntur in proficientibus, non peccata solum, sed ipsae quoque concupiscentiae, cum quibus non consentiendo confligitur, et quibus consentiendo peccatur.