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

4. For which cause our Lord Himself also with His own mouth saith, “Cleanse what are within, and what are without will be clean.”7    Matt. xxiii. 26 And, also, in another place, when He was refuting the foolish speeches of the Jews, in that they spake evil against His disciples, eating with unwashen hands; “Not what entereth into the mouth,” said He, “defileth the man: but what cometh forth out of the mouth, that defileth the man.”8    Matt. xv. 11 Which sentence, if the whole of it be taken of the mouth of the body, is absurd. For neither doth vomit defile him, whom food defileth not. Forsooth food entereth into the mouth, vomit proceedeth forth out of the mouth. But without doubt the former words relate to the mouth of the flesh, where He says, “Not what entereth into the mouth defileth the man,” but the latter words to the mouth of the heart, where He saith, “But what proceedeth forth out of the mouth, this defileth the man.”9    Matt. xv. 17–20 Lastly, when the Apostle Peter sought of Him an explanation of this as of a parable, He answered, “Are ye also yet without understanding? understand ye not, that whatsoever entereth into the mouth, goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?” Here surely we perceive the mouth of the flesh, into which the food enters. But in what He next adds, in order that we might recognize the mouth of the heart, the slowness of our heart would not follow, did not the Truth deign to walk even with the slow. For He saith, “But what things go forth from the mouth, go out of the heart;” as though He should say, When you hear it said “from the mouth,” understand “from the heart.” I say both, but I set forth one by the other. The inner man hath an inner mouth, and this the inner ear discerns: what things go forth from this mouth, go out of the heart, and they defile the man. Then having left the term mouth, which may be understood also of the body, He shows more openly what He is saying. “For from the heart go out,” saith He, “evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies; these are what defile the man.” There is surely no one of those evils, which can be committed also by the members of the body, but that the evil thoughts go before and defile the man, although something hinder the sinful and wicked deeds of the body from following. For if, because power is not given, the hand is free from the murder of a man, is the heart of the murderer forsooth therefore clean from sin? Or if she be chaste, whom one unchaste wishes to commit adultery with, hath he on that account failed to commit adultery with her in his heart? Or if the harlot be not found in the brothel, doth he, who seeks her, on that account fail to commit fornication in his heart? Or if time and place be wanting to one who wishes to hurt his neighbor by a lie, hath he on that account failed already to speak false witness with his inner mouth? Or if any one fearing men, dare not utter aloud blasphemy with tongue of flesh, is he on this account guiltless of this crime, who saith in his heart, “There is no God.”10    Ps. xiv. 1 Thus all the other evil deeds of men, which no motion of the body performs, of which no sense of the body is conscious, have their own secret criminals, who are also polluted by consent alone in thought, that is, by evil words of the inner mouth. Into which he (the Psalmist) fearing lest his heart should fall aside, asks of the Lord that the door of Continence be set around the lips of this mouth, to contain the heart, that it fall not aside into evil words: but contain it, by not suffering thought to proceed to consent: for thus, according to the precept of the Apostle, sin reigneth not in our mortal body, nor do we yield our members as weapons of unrighteousness unto sin.11    Rom. vi. 12, 13 From fulfilling which precept they are surely far removed, who on this account turn not their members to sin, because no power is allowed them; and if this be present, straightway by the motions of their members, as of weapons, they show, who reigneth in them within. Wherefore so far as is in themselves, they yield their members weapons of unrighteousness unto sin; because this is what they wish, which for this reason they yield not, because they are not able.

4. Propter quod etiam ipse ore proprio Dominus ait: Mundate quae intus sunt, et quae foris sunt munda erunt (Matth. XXIII, 26). Itemque alio loco cum Judaeorum stultiloquia refutaret, quia calumniabantur discipulis ejus non lotis manibus manducantibus: Non quod intrat in os, inquit, coinquinat hominem; sed quod procedit ex ore, hoc coinquinat hominem. Quae sententia si tota de ore corporis accipiatur, absurda est. Neque enim quem non coinquinat cibus, coinquinat vomitus. Cibus quippe in os intrat, vomitus ex ore procedit. Sed procul dubio priora verba pertinent ad os carnis, ubi ait, Non quod intrat in os, coinquinat hominem; posteriora vero ad os cordis, ubi ait, sed quod procedit ex ore, hoc coinquinat hominem. Denique cum ab illo apostolus Petrus expositionem velut parabolae hujus exquireret, ille respondit: Adhuc et vos sine intellectu estis? non intelligitis, quia omne quod in os intrat, in ventrem vadit, et in secessum emittitur? Hic certe in quod intrat cibus, os carnis agnoscimus. In his vero quae adjungit, ut agnosceremus os cordis, non sequeretur nostri tarditas cordis, nisi et cum tardis ambulare Veritas dignaretur. Ait enim, Quae autem procedunt de ore, de corde exeunt; tanquam diceret, Cum audis de ore, de corde intellige. Utrumque dico; sed alterum ex altero expono. Habet os interius homo interior, et hoc discernit auris interior: de hoc ore quae procedunt, de corde exeunt, et ea coinquinant hominem. Deinde jam relicto oris nomine, quod potest et de corpore intelligi, apertius quid dicat ostendit: De corde enim exeunt, inquit, cogitationes malae, homicidia, adulteria, fornicationes, furta, falsa testimonia, blasphemiae: haec sunt quae coinquinant hominem (Id. XV, 11-20). Nihil est certe istorum malorum, quae perpetrari etiam membris corporis possunt, quod cogitatio non antecedat mala, et coinquinet hominem, etiamsi aliquid impediat ne subsequantur opera flagitiosa et facinorosa membrorum. Si enim quia potestas non datur , vacat manus ab hominis interfectione, numquid ideo mundum est ab scelere cor homicidae? Aut si rem subripere alienam, non ut quis vult potest, numquid ideo in ipsa voluntate fur non est? Aut si casta est, quam vult adulterare non castus, ideo eam non est in corde moechatus? Aut si meretrix non inveniatur in fornice, ideo qui eam quaerit, non fornicatur in mente? Aut si cupienti per mendacium laedere proximum, tempus vel locus desit, ideo falsum testimonium non ore interiore jam dixit? Aut si quisquam homines timens, non audeat lingua carnis sonare blasphemiam, ideo non est hujus criminis reus, qui dicit in corde suo, Non est Deus (Psal. 0352 XIII, 1)? Ita caetera mala facta hominum, quae nullus agit corporis motus, quae nescit ullus corporis sensus, reos suos occultos habent; quos etiam solus inquinat in cogitatione consensus, id est, oris interioris verbum malignum. In quod timens ille declinari cor suum, ostium continentiae circum labia oris hujus poni poscit a Domino, quod contineat cor, ne declinetur in verba maligna: contineat autem, non sinendo cogitationem procedere in consensionem; sic enim secundum praeceptum apostolicum, non regnat peccatum in nostro mortali corpore, neque exhibemus membra nostra arma iniquitatis peccato (Rom. VI, 12, 13). A quo praecepto implendo utique alieni sunt, qui ob hoc ad peccandum membra non movent, quia potestas nulla permittitur: quae si adsit, protinus ex membrorum velut armorum motibus, quis in eis intus regnet, ostendunt. Proinde quantum in ipsis est, membra sua exhibent arma iniquitatis peccato; quia hoc volunt, quod propterea non exhibent, quia non possunt.