of the Apostolic Epistles seem to you to fall hath granted unto the body by nature, this
ON CONTINENCE. 389
For he not only saith, '* Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the Church,"' which is from an higher: but he said also, 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 ?''3 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.''4 Of the flesh what saith the unclean spirit through the Manichean? That it is an evil substance, and not the creation of God, but of anenemy. 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.''5 And alittle after; 'God hath set," saith he, "'the members, each one of them in the body, as He willed.''® Also) a littlevafter; °"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 glori-
'Husbands ought to love their own wives, as their own bodies,'' which is from a lower: because both higher and lower are all good. And yet the woman received not pattern from the body, or flesh, to be so subject to the husband as the flesh to the spirit; but either the Apostle would have understood by consequence, what he omitted to state: or haply because the flesh lusteth against the spirit in the mortal and sick estate of this life, therefore he would not set the woman a pattern of subjection from it. But the men he would for this reason, because, although the spirit lusteth against the flesh, even in this it consults for the good of the flesh: not like as the flesh lusting against the spirit, by such opposition consulteth neither for the good of the spirit, nor for its own. Yet the good spirit would not consult for its good, whether by nourishing and cherishing its nature by forethought, or by resisting its faults by continence,were it not that each substance showeth God to be the Creator of each, even by the seemliness of this its order. What is it, therefore, that with true madness ye both boast. yourselves to be Christians, and with so great perverseness contend against the Christian Scriptures, with eyes closed, or rather put out, asserting both that Christ hath appeared unto mortals in false flesh, and that the Church in the soul pertains to Christ, in the body to the devil, and that the male and fied, all the members rejoice with it.""7 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 !ove 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.''® 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,"' female sex are works of the devil, not of God, and that the flesh is joined unto the spirit, as an evil substance unto a good substance?
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 Manicheean 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."* And Christ Jesus Himself saith, *' Handle and see, that a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me to have.''?. 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
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 Apostle said, °° The Church is subject unto Christ.''° Clearly the Church is subject unto Christ; because the spirit therefore lusteth against the flesh, that on every side the Church may be made subject
41 Cor. xi. 12. Si Cord Xii.112. Juri Cor; Xi. 24,255 20. 9 Eph. v. 24.
3 x Cor. vi. 15. 6 x Cor. xil. 18. 8 Rom. xii. 1.
12 Tim. ii. 8. 2 Luke xxiv. 39.
390 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
healeth all our sicknesses,''® shall have led His Church unto the promised healing of sickness, then in none of its members shall there be any, even the very least spot or wrinkle. Then in no way shall the flesh lust against the spirit, and therefore there shall be no cause why the spirit also lust against the flesh, Then all this conflict shall come to an end, then there shall be the highest concord of both substances; then to such a degree shall no one there be carnal, that even the flesh itself shall be spiritual. What therefore'each one living after Christ doth with his flesh, whereas he both lusts against its evil lust, which he restrains, hereafter to be healed, which he holds, not yet healed; and yet nourisheth and cherisheth its good nature, since **no one ever hated his own flesh,''° this also Christ doth with the Church, so far as it is lawful to compare lesser with greater matters. For He both represses it with rebukes, that it burst not being puffed up with impunity; and raises it up with consolations, that it sink not being weighed down with infirmity. Hence is that of the Apostle, '' For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged; but when we are judged, we are rebuked of the Lord, that we be not condemned with this world.''™ And that in the Psalm, "* After the multitude of my griefs in my heart, Thy consolations have gladdened my soul.''** We are therefore then to hope for perfect soundness of our flesh without any opposition, when there shall be sure security of the Church of Christ without any fear.
to Christ; but the flesh lusteth against the spirit, because not as yet hath the Church received that peace which was promised perfect. And for this reason the Church is made ,subject unto Christ for the pledge of salvation, and the flesh lusteth against the spirit from the weakness of sickness. For neither were those other than members of the Church, unto whom he thus spake, '* Walk in the spirit, and fulfill not the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; for these are opposed the one to the other; that ye do not what we would.'* These things were assuredly spoken unto the Church, which if it were not made subject unto Christ, the spirit would not in it lust against the flesh through continence. By reason of which they were indeed able not to perfect the lusts of the flesh, but through the flesh lusting against the Spirit they were not able to do the things which they would, that is, not even to have the very lusts of the flesh. Lastly, why should we not confess that in spiritual men the Church is subject unto Christ, but in carnal men yet lusteth against Christ? Did not they lust against Christ unto whom it was said, '* Is Christ divided ?'' ? and, "*I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal. I have given unto you milk to drink as unto babes in Christ, not meat, for ye were not as yet able; but not even now are ye able: for ye are still carnal. For whereas there is among you emulation, and strife, are ye not carnal ?''3 Against whom doth emulation and strife lust, but against Christ? For these lusts of the flesh Christ healeth in His own, but loveth in none. Whence the holy Church, so long as it hath such members, is not yet without spot or wrinkle. 'To these are added those other sins also, for which the aaily cry of the whole Church is, ** Forgive us our debts:''4 and, that we should not think spiritual persons exempt from these, not any one soever of carnal persons, nor any one soever of spiritual persons themselves, but he, who lay on the breast of the Lord,s and whom He loved be-
26. Thus much will suffice to have treated on behalf of true Continence against the Manichees deceitfully continent, lest the fruitful and glorious labor of Continence, when it restrains and curbs the lowest part of us, that is, the body, from immoderate and unlawful pleasures, be believed not healthfully to chasten, but hostilely to persecute. Forsooth.the body is indeed different from the hature of the soul, yet is it not alien from the nature of man: for the soul is not made up of body, but yet man is made up of soul and body: and assuredly, whom God frees, He frees the whole man. Whence our Saviour Himself also took upon Him the whole man, having deigned to free in us all that He made. They who hold contrary to this truth, what 'doth it profit them to restrain lusts? if, that fore others, saith, "'If we shall say that we have not sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." But in every sin, more in what is greater, less in what is less, there is an act of lust against righteousness. And of Christ it is written: *' Who was made unto us by God, Wisdom, and Righteousness, and Sanctification, and Redemption.''"? In every sin therefore without doubt there'is an act of lust against Christ. But when He, Who is, they restrain any. What in them can be made clean through Continence, whose such Continence is unclean? and which ought not to be called Continence. Forsooth to hold t Gal. v. 16, 17. 21 Cor. i. 13. 3 1 Cor. iit. x, 2, 3. 4 Matt. vi. 12. 5 John xiii. 23. 61 Johni. 8. 7 x Cor, 1.730.
8 Ps. ciii. 3. 9 Eph. v. 29. 10 1 Cor. x1. 315 3 11 Ps, xciv. rg.