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

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 law of the mind, is not a mingling of two natures caused of contrary principles, but a division of one against itself caused through desert of sin. We were not so in Adam, before that nature, having listened to and followed its deceiver, had despised and offended its Creator: that is, not the former life of man created, but the latter punishment of man condemned. From which condemnation when set free by Grace, through Jesus Christ, being free they contend with their punishment, having received not as yet full salvation, but already a pledge of salvation: but when not set free, they are both guilty by reason of sins, and involved in punishments. But after this life for the guilty there will remain for ever punishment for their crime: for the free there will no more remain for ever either crime or punishment: but the good substances, spirit and flesh, will continue for ever, which God, Who is good, and incapable of change, created good although capable of change. But they will continue having been changed for the better, never from this time to be changed for the worse: all evil being utterly destroyed, both what man hath unjustly done, and what he hath justly suffered. And, these two kinds of evil perishing utterly, whereof the one is of iniquity going before, the other of unhappiness following after, the will of man will be upright without any depravity. There it will be clear and plain to all, what now many of the faithful believe, few understand, that evil is not a substance: but that, as a wound in a body, so in a substance, which hath made itself faulty, it hath begun to exist, when the disease hath commenced, and ceaseth to exist in it, when the healing hath been perfected. Therefore, all evil having arisen from us, and having been destroyed in us, our good also having been increased and perfected unto the height of most happy incorruption and immortality, of what kind shall either of our substances be? forasmuch as now, in this corruption and mortality, when as yet “the corruptible body weigheth down the soul;”73    Wisd. ix. 15 and, what the Apostle saith, “the body is dead by reason of sin;”74    Rom. viii. 10 yet the same himself beareth such witness unto our flesh, that is, to our lowest and earthly part, as to say, what I made mention of a little above, “No one ever hated his own flesh.”75    Eph. v. 29 And to add straightway, “but nourisheth and cherisheth it, as also Christ the Church.”

21. Quod ergo caro concupiscit adversus spiritum, quod non habitat in carne nostra bonum, quod lex in membris nostris repugnat legi mentis, non est duarum naturarum ex contrariis principiis facta commixtio, 0363 sed unius adversus se ipsam propter peccati meritum facta divisio. Non sic fuimus in Adam, antequam natura suo deceptore audito ac secuto, suum contempsisset atque offendisset auctorem: non est ista prior vita creati hominis, sed posterior poena damnati. Ex qua damnatione per Jesum Christum gratia liberati, cum poena sua dimicant liberi, nondum salute plena, sed jam pignore salutis accepto: non liberati autem, et peccatis rei sunt, et suppliciis implicati. Post hanc vero vitam reis manebit in aeternum poena pro culpa; liberis non remanebit in aeternum nec culpa, nec poena: sed permanebunt in aeternum substantiae bonae spiritus et caro; quas Deus bonus et immutabilis bonas, quamvis mutabiles, condidit. Permanebunt autem in melius commutatae, nunquam jam in deterius mutandae; consumpto penitus omni malo, et quod homo fecit injuste, et quod passus est juste. Quibus duobus mali generibus omnino pereuntibus, quorum est unum praecedentis iniquitatis, alterum consequentis infelicitatis, erit hominis sine ulla pravitate voluntas recta. Ibi omnibus erit clarum atque perspicuum, quod nunc a fidelibus multis creditur, a paucis intelligitur, malum non esse substantiam; sed sicut vulnus in corpore, ita in substantia quae se ipsam vitiavit, esse coepisse peste inchoata, atque ibi esse desinere sanitate perfecta. Omni ergo malo exorto a nobis, et perdito in nobis, bono etiam nostro usque ad culmen felicissimae incorruptionis et immortalitatis aucto atque perfecto, qualis erit utraque nostra substantia? Quandoquidem nunc in ista corruptione et mortalitate, cum adhuc corpus corruptibile aggravat animam (Sap. IX, 15), et quod Apostolus dicit, corpus mortuum est propter peccatum (Rom. VIII, 10), tale tamen testimonium perhibet idem ipse carni nostrae, id est parti nostrae infimae atque terrenae, ut dicat quod paulo ante commemoravi, Nemo unquam carnem suam odio habuit; statimque subjungat, sed nutrit eam et fovet, sicut et Christus Ecclesiam?