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

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 the utterly mad Manichæan of the Flesh of Christ? That it was not true, but false. What saith the blessed Apostle to this? “Remember that Christ Jesus rose again from the dead of the seed of David, according to my Gospel.”84    2 Tim. ii. 8 And Christ Jesus Himself saith, “Handle and see, that a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me to have.”85    Luke xxiv. 39 How is there truth in their doctrine, which asserts that in the Flesh of Christ there was falsehood? How was there in Christ no evil, in Whom was so great a lie? Because forsooth to men over-clean true flesh is an evil, and false flesh instead of true is not an evil: it is an evil, true flesh of one born of the seed of David, and it is no evil, false tongue of one saying, “Handle, and see, that a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me to have.” Of the Church what saith the deceiver of men with deadly error? That on the side of souls it pertains unto Christ, on the side of bodies unto the devil? What to this saith the Teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth? “Know ye not,” saith he, “that your bodies are members of Christ?”86    1 Cor. vi. 15 Of the sex of male and female what saith the son of perdition? That either sex is not of God, but of the devil. What to this saith the Vessel of Election? “As,” saith he, “the woman from out the man, so also the man through the woman: but all things of God.”87    1 Cor. xi. 12 Of the flesh what saith the unclean spirit through the Manichæan? That it is an evil substance, and not the creation of God, but of an enemy. What to this saith the Holy Spirit through Paul? “For as the body is one,” saith he, “and hath many members, but all the members of the body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”88    1 Cor. xii. 12 And a little after; “God hath set,” saith he, “the members, each one of them in the body, as He willed.”89    1 Cor. xii. 18 Also a little after; “God,” saith he, “hath tempered the body, giving greater honor unto that to which it was wanting, that there should be no schisms in the body, but that the members have the self-same care one for another: and whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it: or one member be glorified, all the members rejoice with it.”90    1 Cor. xii. 24, 25, 26 How is the flesh evil, when the souls themselves are admonished to imitate the peace of its members? How is it the creation of the enemy, when the souls themselves, which rule the bodies, take pattern from the members of the body, not to have schisms of enmities among themselves, in order that, what God hath granted unto the body by nature, this themselves also may love to have by grace? With good cause, writing to the Romans, “I beseech you,” saith he, “brethren, by the mercy of God, that ye present your bodies a sacrifice, living, holy, pleasing to God.”91    Rom. xii. 1 Without reason we contend that darkness is not light, nor light darkness, if we present a sacrifice, living, holy, pleasing to God, of the bodies of the “nation of darkness.”

CAPUT X.

24. Manichaeorum haeresis negat fuisse in Christo carnem veram. Dicit animas ad Christum, corpora ad diabolum pertinere, et sexum utrumque esse ex diabolo. Si parum vobis videntur respondere quae de apostolicis commemoravimus Litteris, audite adhuc alia, si aures habetis. Quid de carne Christi dicit insanissimus Manichaeus? Quod non fuerit vera, sed falsa. Quid ad hoc dicit beatus Apostolus? Memor esto Christum Jesum surrexisse a mortuis ex semine David, secundum evangelium meum (II Tim. II, 8). Et ipse Christus Jesus, Palpate, inquit, et videte, quia spiritus carnem et ossa non habet, sicut me videtis habere (Luc. XXIV, 39). Quomodo est in eorum doctrina veritas, quae praedicat quod in carne Christi erat falsitas? Quomodo in Christo non erat ullum malum, in quo erat tam grande mendacium. Quia videlicet hominibus nimium mundis malum est caro vera, et non est malum falsa pro vera: malum est caro vera nascentis ex David semine, et non est malum lingua falsa dicentis, Palpate, et videte quia spiritus ossa et carnem non habet, sicut me videtis habere! De Ecclesia quid dicit deceptor hominum in mortifero errore? Quod ex parte animarum pertineat ad Christum, ex parte corporum ad diabolum. Quid ad haec dicit Doctor Gentium in fide et veritate? Nescitis, inquit, quia corpora vestra membra sunt Christi (I Cor. VI, 15)? De sexu masculi et feminae quid dicit filius perditionis? Quod uterque sexus non ex Deo sit, sed ex diabolo. Quid ad haec dicit Vas electionis? Sicut, inquit, mulier ex viro, ita et vir per mulierem; omnia autem ex Deo (Id. XI, 12). De carne quid dicit per Manichaeum spiritus immundus? Quod sit mala substantia, nec Dei, sed inimici creatura. Quid ad haec dicit per Paulum Spiritus sanctus? Sicut enim corpus unum est, inquit, et membra habet multa, omnia autem membra corporis cum sint multa, unum est corpus; ita et Christus. Et paulo post: Posuit, inquit, Deus membra, singulum quodqueeorum in corpore, prout voluit. Item paulo post: Deus, inquit, temperavit corpus, ei cui deerat majorem honorem dans, ut non essent scissurae in corpore, sed idem ipsum ut pro invicem sollicita sint membra: et sive patitur unum membrum, compatiuntur omnia membra; sive glorificatur unum membrum, congaudent omnia membra (Id. XII, 12-26). Quomodo est mala caro, quando ipsae animae pacem membrorum 0366 ejus ut imitentur, monentur? Quomodo est inimici creatura, quando ipsae animae quae corpora regunt, ut inter se inimicitiarum scissuras non habeant, exemplum de membris corporis sumunt, ut quod praestitit Deus corpori per naturam, ament et ipsae hoc habere per gratiam? Merito ad Romanos cum scriberet, Obsecro, inquit, vos, fratres, per misericordiam Dei, ut exhibeatis corpora vestra hostiam vivam, sanctam, Deo placentem (Rom. XII, 1). Sine causa non tenebras lucem, et lucem tenebras esse contendimus, si hostiam vivam, sanctam, Deo placentem de gentis tenebrarum corporibus exhibemus.