S. AURELII AUGUSTINI HIPPONENSIS EPISCOPI DE SANCTA VIRGINITATE LIBER UNUS .

 CAPUT PRIMUM.

 CAPUT II.

 CAPUT III.

 CAPUT IV.

 CAPUT V.

 CAPUT VI.

 CAPUT VII.

 CAPUT VIII.

 CAPUT IX.

 10. Nam ne illo quidem debent continentium meritis se conferre conjugia, quod ex eis virgines procreantur: hoc enim non conjugii bonum est, sed natura

 CAPUT XI.

 12. Habeant conjugia bonum suum, non quia filios procreant, sed quia honeste, quia licite, quia pudice, quia socialiter, procreant, et procreatos pari

 13. Unde mirabiliter desipiunt, qui putant hujus continentiae bonum non esse necessarium propter regnum coelorum, sed propter praesens saeculum quod

 CAPUT XIV.

 CAPUT XV.

 CAPUT XVI.

 CAPUT XVII.

 CAPUT XVIII.

 CAPUT XIX.

 20. Absit ergo ut ita dixerit Apostolus nuptis sive nupturis, Ego autem vobis parco tanquam noluerit dicere quae poena conjugatis in futuro saeculo d

 CAPUT XXI.

 CAPUT XXII.

 CAPUT XXIII.

 CAPUT XXIV.

 CAPUT XXV.

 CAPUT XXVI.

 CAPUT XXVII.

 CAPUT XXVIII.

 CAPUT XXIX.

 CAPUT XXX.

 CAPUT XXXI.

 CAPUT XXXII.

 CAPUT XXXIII.

 34. Curiosas et verbosas malas innuptas Paulus apostolus notat, et hoc vitium venire dicit ex otio. Simul autem, inquit, et otiosae discunt circumire

 CAPUT XXXV.

 CAPUT XXXVI.

 37. Sed respice agmina virginum, puerorum puellarumque sanctarum: in Ecclesia tua eruditum est hoc genus illic tibi a maternis uberibus pullulavit, i

 38. Non ego te, anima pie pudica, quae appetitum carnalem nec usque ad concessum conjugium relaxasti, quae decessurum corpus nec successori propagando

 CAPUT XXXVIII.

 CAPUT XXXIX.

 41. Justis miscentur casuri, ut ex horum casu timor augeatur. Justus non putet modicum sibi dimissum, ut modicum diligat. Dimissum deputet quidquid ma

 CAPUT XLI.

 43. De ipsa etiam continentia nonne apertissime dictum est: Et cum scirem quia nemo potest esse continens nisi Deus det, et hoc ipsum erat sapientiae,

 CAPUT XLIII.

 CAPUT XLIV.

 46. Hoc autem tam magnum est, ut eum fructum centenum quidam intelligant . Perhibet enim praeclarissimum testimonium ecclesiastica auctoritas, in qua

 47. Sed ut dicere coeperam, sive centenus fructus sit Deo devota virginitas, sive alio aliquo modo, vel quem commemoravimus, vel quem non commemoravim

 CAPUT XLVIII.

 CAPUT XLIX.

 50. Sed rursus, ne per occasionem hujus sententiae quisquam cum mortifera securitate peccaret, seque trahendum permitteret, tanquam mox delendis facil

 51. Sed non contendo cum eis qui asserunt hominem posse in hac vita sine ullo peccato vivere: non contendo, non contradico. Fortassis enim ex nostra m

 CAPUT LI.

 CAPUT LII.

 CAPUT LIII.

 CAPUT LIV.

 56. Bene quod interiorem vestram pulchritudinem quaerit, ubi vobis dedit potestatem filias Dei fieri (Joan. I, 12): non quaerit a vobis pulchram carne

 CAPUT LVI.

7. I have said this, lest haply married fruitfulness dare to vie with virgin chastity, and to set forth Mary herself, and to say unto the virgins of God, She had in her flesh two things worthy of honor, virginity and fruitfulness; inasmuch as she both continued a virgin, and bore: this happiness, since we could not both have the whole, we have divided, that ye be virgins, we be mothers: for what is wanting to you in children, let your virginity, that hath been preserved, be a consolation: for us, let the gain of children make up for our lost virginity. This speech of faithful women married, unto holy virgins, would any how be to be endured, if they gave birth to Christians in the flesh; that in this alone, save virginity, the fruitfulness of Mary in the flesh should be more excellent, that she gave birth to the Head Himself of these members, but they to the members of That Head: but now, although by this speech there vie such as on this one account wed and have intercourse with husbands, that they may have sons, and have no other thought of their sons, than to gain them for Christ, and do this so soon as they can: yet are not Christians born of their flesh, but made so afterwards: the Church giving them birth, through this, that in a spiritual manner she is the mother of the members of Christ, of Whom also after a spiritual manner she is the virgin. And unto this holy birth mothers also who have not borne in the flesh Christians, are workers together, that they may become what they know that they could not give birth to in the flesh: yet are they workers together through this, wherein themselves also are virgins and mothers12    It has been proposed to omit “que,” making the sense, “wherein the virgins themselves also are mothers of Christ,” but the sense is good as it stands. of Christ, that is to say, in “faith which worketh through love.”13    Gal. v. 6

CAPUT VII.

7. Virginitati nulla fecunditas conjugalis comparanda. Hoc dixi, ne forte audeat fecunditas conjugalis cum virginali integritate contendere, atque ipsam Mariam proponere, ac virginibus Dei dicere: Illa in corpore duas res habuit honorandas, virginitatem et fecunditatem, quia et integra permansit et peperit: hanc felicitatem quoniam totam utraeque habere non potuimus, partitae sumus, ut vos sitis virgines, nos simus matres; vobis quod defit in prole, consoletur servata virginitas, nobis prolis lucro 0400 amissa compensetur integritas. Haec vox fidelium conjugatarum ad sacras virgines utcumque ferenda esset, si christianos corpore parerent; ut hoc solo esset Mariae fecunditas carnis excepta virginitate praestantior, quod illa ipsum caput horum membrorum, hae autem membra illius capitis procrearent: nunc vero etiamsi tales hac voce contendant, quae ob hoc tantum viris junguntur atque miscentur, ut filios habeant, nihilque aliud de filiis cogitant, nisi ut eos Christo lucrentur, atque id mox ut potuerint faciunt; non tamen christiani ex earum carne nascuntur, sed postea fiunt, Ecclesia pariente per hoc quod membrorum Christi spiritualiter mater est, cujus etiam spiritualiter virgo est. Cui sancto partui cooperantur et matres, quae non christianos corpore pepererunt, ut fiant quod se corpore parere non potuisse noverunt: per hoc tamen cooperantur, ubi et ipsae virgines matresque Christi sunt , in fide scilicet quae per dilectionem operatur (Galat. V, 6).