27. Therefore at that time, when the Law also, following upon the days of the Patriarchs,77    Deut. xxv. 5, 10 pronounced accursed, whoso raised not up seed in Israel, even he, who could, put it not forth, but yet possessed it. But from the period that the fullness of time hath come,78    Gal. iv. 4 that it should be said, “Whoso can receive, let him receive,”79    Matt. xix. 12 from that period even unto this present, and from henceforth even unto the end, whoso hath, worketh: whoso shall be unwilling to work, let him not falsely say, that he hath. And through this means, they, who corrupt good manners by evil communications,80    1 Cor. xv. 33 with empty and vain craft, say to a Christian man exercising continence, and refusing marriage, What then, are you better than Abraham? But let him not, upon hearing this, be troubled; neither let him dare to say, “Better,” nor let him fall away from his purpose: for the one he saith not truly, the other he doth not rightly. But let him say, I indeed am not better than Abraham, but the chastity of the unmarried is better than the chastity of marriage; whereof Abraham had one in use, both in habit. For he lived chastely in the marriage state: but it was in his power to be chaste without marriage, but at that time it behoved not. But I with more ease use not marriage, which Abraham used, than so use marriage as Abraham used it: and therefore I am better than those, who through incontinence of mind cannot do what I do; not than those, who, on account of difference of time, did not do what I do. For what I now do, they would have done better, if it had been to be done at that time; but what they did, I should not so do, although it were now to be done. Or, if he feels and knows himself to be such, as that, (the virtue of continence being preserved and continued in the habit of his mind, in case he had descended unto the use of marriage from some duty of religion,) he should be such an husband, and such a father, as Abraham was; let him dare to make plain answer to that captious questioner, and to say, I am not indeed better than Abraham, only in this kind of continence, of which he was not void, although it appeared not: but I am such, not having other than he, but doing other. Let him say this plainly: forasmuch as, even if he shall wish to glory, he will not be a fool, for he saith the truth. But if he spare, lest any think of him above what he sees him,81    2 Cor. xii. 6 or hears any thing of him; let him remove from his own person the knot of the question, and let him answer, not concerning the man, but concerning the thing itself, and let him say, Whoso hath so great power is such as Abraham. But it may happen that the virtue of continence is less in his mind, who uses not marriage, which Abraham used: but yet it is greater than in his mind, who on this account held chastity of marriage, in that he could not a greater. Thus also let the unmarried woman, whose thoughts are of the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit,82    1 Cor. vii. 34 when she shall have heard that shameless questioner saying, What, then, are you better than Sara? answer, I am better, but than those, who are void of the virtue of continence, which I believe not of Sara: she therefore together with this virtue did what was suited to that time, from which I am free, that in my body also may appear, what she kept in her mind.

CAPUT XXII.

27. Continentia in antiquis habitu, nunc autem opere tenenda. Jovinianistarum percontatio exploditur. Illo itaque tempore cum et lex, dies Patriarcharum subsequens, maledictum dixit, qui non excitaret semen in Israel (Deut. XXV, 5-10), et qui poterat non promebat, sed tamen habebat. Ex quo autem venit plenitudo temporis (Galat. IV, 4), ut diceretur, Qui potest capere, capiat; ex illo usque adhuc, et deinceps usque in finem, qui habet operatur; qui operari noluerit, non se habere mentiatur. Ac per hoc ab eis qui corrumpunt bonos mores colloquiis malis (I Cor. XV, 33), inani et vana versutia dicitur homini christiano continenti et nuptias recusanti, 0392 Tu ergo melior quam Abraham? Quod ille cum audierit, non perturbetur; nec audeat dicere, Melior, nec a proposito delabatur: illud enim non vere dicit, hoc non recte facit. Sed dicat, Ego quidem non sum melior quam Abraham, sed melior est castitas caelibum quam castitas nuptiarum: quarum Abraham unam habebat in usu, ambas in habitu. Caste quippe conjugaliter vixit: esse autem castus sine conjugio potuit, sed tunc non oportuit. Ego vero facilius non utor nuptiis quibus est usus Abraham, quam sic utar nuptiis quemadmodum est usus Abraham: et ideo melior sum illis qui per animi incontinentiam non possunt quod ego, non illis qui propter temporis differentiam non fecerunt quod ego. Quod enim ego nunc ago, melius illi egissent, si tunc agendum esset: quod autem illi egerunt, sic ego non agerem, et si nunc agendum esset. Aut si talem se iste sentit et novit, ut salva et permanente in habitu animi sui virtute continentiae, si ad usum nuptiarum ex aliquo religionis officio descendisset, talis maritus et talis pater esset, qualis fuit Abraham; audeat plane respondere illi captioso interrogatori, et dicere, Non sum quidem melior quam Abraham, in hoc duntaxat genere continentiae, qua ille non carebat, etsi non apparebat; sed sum talis, non aliud habens, sed aliud agens. Dicat plane ista: quia et si voluerit gloriari, non erit insipiens; veritatem enim dicit. Si autem parcit, ne quis eum existimet super id quod eum videt, aut audit aliquid ex illo (II Cor. XII, 6); auferat a persona sua nodum quaestionis, et non de homine, sed de re ipsa respondeat, et dicat, qui tantum potest, talis est qualis fuit Abraham. Potest autem fieri ut minor sit continentiae virtus in animo ejus qui non utitur nuptiis, quibus est usus Abraham: sed tamen major est , quam in animo ejus qui propterea tenuit conjugii castitatem, quia non potuit ampliorem. Sic et femina innupta, quae cogitat ea quae sunt Domini, ut sit sancta et corpore et spiritu (I Cor. VII, 34), cum audierit impudentem illum percontatorem dicentem, Tu ergo melior quam Sara? respondeat, Ego melior sum, sed iis quae virtute hujus continentiae carent, quod de Sara non credo: fecit ergo illa cum ista virtute quod illi tempori congruebat, a quo ego sum immunis, ut in meo etiam corpore appareat quod illa in animo conservabat.