Si quis autem obiectionem moveat de Abraham qui perfectus fuit, et aliis iustis antiquis a matrimonio non abstinentibus, patet responsio per hoc quod Augustinus dicit in libro De bono coniugali Continentia non corporis, sed animi virtus est. Virtutes autem animi aliquando in opere manifestantur, aliquando in habitu latent. Quocirca sicut non est impar meritum patientiae in Petro qui passus est, et in Iohanne qui passus non est; sic non impar meritum est continentiae in Iohanne, qui nullas expertus est nuptias, et in Abraham qui filios generavit. Et illius enim caelibatus et illius connubium pro temporum distributione Christo militaverunt. Dicat ergo fidelis continens Ego quidem non sum melior quam Abraham; sed melior est castitas caelibum quam castitas nuptiarum, quarum Abraham unam habuit in usu, ambas in habitu: caste quippe coniugaliter vixit. Esse autem castus sine coniugio potuit, sed tunc non oportuit. Ego vero facilius non utor nuptiis, quibus est usus Abraham, quam sic uterer 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, etiamsi nunc agendum esset. If anyone should object to us the example of Abraham and of other just men of old who were perfect without refraining from matrimony, we will answer them in the words of St. Augustine in the book De bono coniugali: the continence that is a virtue is that of the mind, not of the body. And virtue is sometimes revealed in deeds, and sometimes lies disguised as a habit. The patience of John who did not suffer martyrdom was equal in merit to that of Peter who was slain; and Abraham who fathered sons was equal in continence to the virgin John. The marriage of the one and the celibacy of the other fought, each in their season, for Christ (21.25). Therefore, any one of the faithful who observes continence may say: I am certainly no better than Abraham; but the chastity of celibacy is superior to the chastity of married life. Abraham practised the one actually, the other habitually. For he lived chastely as a husband, and could have lived continently had he been unmarried. The latter state, however, did not befit the time at which he lived. It is easier for me not to marry at all, although Abraham married, than to live such a married life as he lived. Therefore, I am better than they who could not by continence of heart do what I do; but I am not better than they who, on account of the different time at which they lived, did not what I do. Had it been fitting, they in their time would have accomplished far better than I that which I now do; but I, even were it now required, could not do what they achieved. Haec autem Augustini solutio concordat cum eo quod supra dictum est de observantia paupertatis. Tantam enim virtutem perfectionis habebat in mente, ut nec propter temporalium possessionem nec propter usum coniugii mens eius deficeret a perfecta dilectione ad Deum. Si quis tamen eandem mentis virtutem non habens, cum possessione divitiarum et usu coniugii ad perfectionem pervenire contenderet, praesumptuose convinceretur errare Domini consilia parvipendens. This conclusion of St. Augustine agrees with what has already been said about poverty. For Abraham had arrived at such perfection that his heart never wavered in love to God on account either of temporal possessions or of wedded life. But if another man who has not reached this height of virtue strives to attain perfection while retaining riches and engaging in matrimony, he will soon be made aware of his error in presuming to treat our Lord’s words as of small account. Capitulum 10 Chapter 10 De his quibus homo iuvatur ad continentiam servandam Aids in the preservation of chastity Quia igitur per continentiae viam incedere tam arduum est ut, iuxta verbum Domini, non omnes hoc capiant, sed Dei dono habeatur, per hanc viam incedere volentibus sic agere oportet ut ea devitent quibus a prosecutione huius itineris impediri possent. Triplex autem esse impedimentum continentiae apparet: primum quidem ex parte corporis, secundum ex parte animae, tertium ex parte exteriorum personarum vel rerum. Since chastity is so difficult a virtue that, in our Lord’s words, not all men take it, but those only to whom it is given (Matt 19:11), it is necessary for those who desire to live a life of continence, so to conduct themselves as to avoid all that might prove an obstacle in the prosecution of their design. Now there are three principal hindrances to continence. The first arises from the body, the second from the mind, the third from external circumstances, whether they be of persons or of things. Ex parte quidem proprii corporis, quia, sicut Apostolus dicit ad Gal. V, 17, caro concupiscit adversus spiritum; cuius carnis opera ibidem esse dicuntur fornicatio, immunditia, impudicitia et cetera huiusmodi. Haec autem concupiscentia carnis est lex de qua dicit Rom. VII, 23 Video aliam legem in membris meis repugnantem legi mentis meae. Quanto autem caro magis fovetur per ciborum affluentiam et deliciarum mollitiem, tanto huiusmodi concupiscentia magis crescit; unde Ieronymus dicit Venter mero aestuans cito despumat in libidinem; et Prov. XX, 1 Luxuriosa res est vinum; et Iob XL, 16 dicitur de Vehemoth, per quem diabolus significatur, Sub umbra dormit in secreto calami in locis humentibus, quod exponens Gregorius XXXIII Moralium dicit Loca humentia sunt opera voluptuosa. Pes quippe in arida terra non labitur, fixus vero in lubrica vix tenetur; in locis ergo humentibus iter vitae praesentis faciunt qui in hac ad iustitiam recti stare non possunt. The body is an obstacle to continence because, as the Apostle says: the flesh lusts against the Spirit (Gal 5:17); and the works of the flesh are said to be fornication, uncleanness, unchastity, and the like (Gal 5:19). Concupiscence is that law of the flesh of which he says: I see another law in my members fighting against the law of my mind (Rom 7:23). Now the more the flesh is pampered by superabundance of food and by effeminacy of life, the more will its concupiscence increase. For as St. Jerome says: a man heated with wine will quickly give the rein to lust (Epistulae 69). And Proverbs warns us: wine is a luxurious thing (Prov 20:1). And Job tells us that the behemoth, by whom satan is signified, sleeps under the shadow, in the covert of the reed and in moist places (Job 40:16). St. Gregory thus interprets this passage: moist places betoken voluptuous works. We do not slip on dry ground, but we have no sure foothold on slippery soil. Hence those men pursue the journey of this present life in moist places who cannot hold themselves upright in justice (Moral. 33). Oportet igitur continentiae viam assumentibus carnem propriam, abstractis deliciis, vigiliis et ieiuniis et huiusmodi exercitiis castigare. Cuius rei exemplum Apostolus nobis ostendit I Cor. IX, 25 dicens Omnis qui in agone contendit ab omnibus se abstinet; et post modica subdit Castigo corpus meum et in servitutem redigo, ne forte cum aliis praedicaverim, ipse reprobus efficiar. Et quod opere perfecit, verbo docuit; dicit enim ad Rom. XIII, 13–14, cum praemisisset Non in cubilibus et impudicitiis, Et carnis, inquit, curam ne feceritis in desideriis. Recte autem dicit in desideriis, id est ad voluptatem, quia ad necessitatem naturae carni cura est impendenda; unde idem Apostolus dicit ad Eph. V, 29 Nemo carnem suam umquam odio habuit, sed nutrit et fovet eam. He, then, who desires to undertake a life of continence must chastise his flesh by abstention from pleasure and by fasts, vigils, and such like exercises. The Apostle sets before us his own conduct as an example in this respect: every one who strives for mastery refrains himself from all things (1 Cor 9:25); and a little later he adds: I chastise my body and bring it into subjection, lest perhaps when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway (1 Cor 9:27). What the Apostle practised in deed, he taught in word. For after his warning against chambering and impurities, he concludes: make no provision for the desires of the flesh (Rom 13:13–14). He rightly lays stress upon the desires of the flesh, i.e., its desire for pleasure, for it is incumbent on us to make provision for what is necessary for our body, and the Apostle himself says: no man ever hates his own flesh, but he nourishes and cherishes it (Eph 5:29). Ex parte autem animae propositum continentiae impeditur, dum lascivis cogitationibus aliquis immoratur; unde Dominus per prophetam dicit Is. I, 16 Auferte malum cogitationum vestrarum ab oculis meis. Malae enim cogitationes plerumque ad male faciendum inducunt; unde dicitur Mich. II, 1 Vae qui cogitatis inutile, et statim subditur et operamini malum in cubilibus vestris. An obstacle to continence arises also from the mind if we dwell on unchaste thoughts. The Lord says by his prophet: take away the evil of your devices from my eyes (Isa 1:16). For evil thoughts often lead to evil deeds. Hence the prophet Micah says: woe to you who devise that which is unprofitable, and he immediately continues: and work evil in your beds (Mic 2:1). Inter ceteras tamen cogitationes malas magis ad peccandum inclinant cogitationes de delectationibus carnis; cuius ratio etiam secundum philosophorum doctrinam duplex assignari potest. Una quidem quia, cum talis delectatio sit homini connaturalis et a iuventute connutrita, facile in ipsam appetitus fertur cum eam cogitatio proponit; unde Philosophus dicit II Ethicorum quod delectationem diiudicare non possumus de facili quin accipiamus eam. Amongst all evil thoughts, those which most powerfully incline unto sin are thoughts concerning carnal gratification. Philosophers assign two reasons for this fact. First, they say that as concupiscence is innate in man, and grows with him from youth upwards, he is easily carried away by it when his imagination sets it before him. Hence the Philosopher says in Ethics 2 that we cannot easily judge of pleasure unless we enjoy it (2.9, 1109b7). Secunda ratio est quia, ut idem dicit in III Ethicorum, delectabilia in particulari sunt magis voluntaria quam in universali. Manifestum est autem quod per moram cogitationis ad particularia quaeque descendimus, unde per cogitationem diuturnam maxime libido provocatur; et propter hoc Apostolus I ad Cor. VI, 18 dicit Fugite fornicationem, quia, ut Glossa ibidem dicit, cum aliis vitiis potest expectari conflictus; sed hanc fugite, ne approximetis, quia non aliter melius potest vinci. The second reason is that, as the same Philosopher says in Ethics 3, pleasure is more voluntary in particular cases than in general (3.12, 1119a31). It is clear that by dallying with a thought we descend to particulars; hence by daily thoughts we are incited to lust. On this account the Apostle warns us: flee from fornication (1 Cor 6:18); for, as the Gloss says: it is permissible to await a conflict with other vices, but this one must be shunned; for in no other means can it be overcome. Contra igitur huiusmodi continentiae impedimentum multiplex remedium invenitur. Quorum primum et praecipuum est ut mens circa contemplationem divinorum et orationem occupetur; unde Apostolus dicit ad Eph. V, 18–19 Nolite inebriari vino in quo est luxuria; sed impleamini Spiritu sancto, loquentes vobismet ipsis in psalmis et hymnis et canticis spiritualibus, quod ad contemplationem pertinere videtur; cantantes et psallentes in cordibus vestris Domino, quod ad orationem videtur pertinere. Hinc Dominus per prophetam dicit, Is. XLVIII, 9 Laude mea infrenabo te, ne intereas; est enim quoddam frenum animam ab interitu peccati retrahens laus divina. But as there are many obstacles in the way of chastity, there are also many remedies against such obstacles. The first and chief remedy is to keep the mind busied in prayer and in the contemplation of divine things. This lesson is taught where the Apostle says: be not drunk with wine wherein is luxury, but be filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual canticles, which pertain to contemplation, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, whereby prayer is implied (Eph 5:18–19). Hence the Lord says through his prophet: for by my praise I will bridle you, lest you should perish (Isa 48:9). For the divine praise is, as it were, a bridle on the soul, checking it from sin. Secundum remedium est studium Scripturarum, secundum illud Ieronymi ad Rusticum monachum Ama Scripturarum studia, et carnis vitia non amabis. Unde Apostolus cum dixisset Timotheo, I Tim. IV, 12 Exemplum esto fidelium in verbo, in conversatione, in caritate, in fide, in castitate, statim subdit Dum venio, attende lectioni. The second remedy against lust is the study of the Scriptures, as St. Jerome says to the monk Rusticus: love the study of Holy Writ, and you will not love the vices of the flesh (Epistulae 125). And when the Apostle says to Timothy: be an example of the faithful in word, in conversation, in charity, in faith, in chastity, he immediately adds: till I come, attend unto reading (1 Tim 4:12). Tertium remedium est quibuscumque bonis cogitationibus animum occupare; unde Chrysostomus dicit Super Matthaeum quod abscissio membri non ita comprimit tentationes et tranquillitatem facit, ut cogitationis frenum. Unde Apostolus ad Phil. IV, 8 dicit De cetero, fratres, quaecumque sunt vera, quaecumque pudica, quaecumque iusta, quaecumque sancta, quaecumque amabilia, quaecumque bonae famae, si qua virtus, si qua laus disciplinae, haec cogitate. The third preservative against concupiscence is to occupy the mind with good thoughts. St. Chrysostom, in his commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew, says that physical mutilation is not such a curb to temptation and such a source of peace to the mind as is a habit of bridling the thoughts (Homily 62). The Apostle also says: for the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever modest, whatsoever just, whatsoever holy, whatsoever lovely, whatsoever of good fame, if there be any virtue, if any praise of discipline, think on these things (Phil 4:8). Quartum remedium est ut homo ab otio desistens et in corporalibus laboribus se ipsum exerceat; dicitur enim Eccli. XXXIII, 29 Multam malitiam docuit otiositas. Et specialiter otium est vitiorum carnalium incentivum; unde dicitur Ez. XVI, 49 Haec fuit iniquitas Sodomae sororis tuae: superbia, saturitas panis et abundantia et otium ipsius. Et ideo Ieronymus ad Rusticum monachum scribens dicit Fac aliquid operis, ut semper te diabolus inveniat occupatum. The fourth help to chastity is to shun idleness and to engage in bodily toil. We read in the book of Sirach: idleness has taught much evil (Sir 33:29). Idleness is preeminently an incentive to sins of the flesh. Hence Ezechiel says: behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom your sister: pride, fullness of bread, abundance, and idleness (Ezek 16:49). St. Jerome likewise writes in his letter to the monk Rusticus: do some work, so that the devil may always find you employed (Epistulae 125). Quintum remedium adhibetur contra carnis concupiscentiam etiam per aliquas animi perturbationes; unde Ieronymus refert in eadem Epistola quod in quodam coenobio quidam adolescens nulla operis magnitudine flammam poterat carnis extinguere; eum periclitantem pater monasterii hac arte servavit. Imposito cuidam viro gravi ut iurgiis atque conviciis insectaretur hominem, et post irrogatam iniuriam primus veniret ad quaerimonias, vocati testes pro eo loquebantur qui contumeliam fecerat. Solus pater monasterii defensionem suam opponebat, ne abundanti tristitia frater absorberetur. Ita annus ductus est, quo expleto interrogatus adolescens super cogitationibus pristinis respondit: Papae! Vivere me non licet, et fornicari libet? A fifth remedy for concupiscence lies in certain kinds of mental disquietude. St. Jerome relates, in the epistle quoted above, that in a congregation of cenobites there dwelt a young man who could not by means of fasting or any laborious work free himself from temptations of the flesh. The superior of the monastery, seeing that the youth was on the point of yielding, adopted the following means for his relief. He commanded one of the most discreet among the fathers to constantly upbraid the young man, to load him with insults and reproach, and after treating him thus to lodge complaints against him with the superior. Witnesses were called, who all took the senior father’s part. This treatment was continued for a year. At the end of that time the superior questioned the youth about his old train of thought. ‘Father,’ was the reply, ‘I am scarcely permitted to live. How, in such straits, shall I be inclined to sin?’ Ex parte autem exteriorum rerum propositum continentiae impeditur per aspectum et frequentia colloquia mulierum et earum consortia; unde dicitur Eccli. IX, 9 Propter speciem mulieris multi perierunt, et ex hoc concupiscentia quasi ignis exardescit; et postea subditur Colloquium illius quasi ignis exardescit. Et ideo contra hoc est adhibendum remedium quod ibidem dicitur Ne respicias mulierem multivolam, ne forte incidas in laqueos illius; cum saltatrice ne assiduus sis, nec audias illam, ne forte pereas in efficacia illius. Et Eccli. XLII, 12–13 dicitur Omni homini noli intendere in specie, et in medio mulierum noli commorari; de vestimentis enim procedit tinea, et a muliere iniquitas viri. Unde Ieronymus contra Vigilantium scribens dicit quod monachus sciens imbecillitatem suam et vas fragile quod portat, timet offendere ne impingat et corruat atque frangatur; unde et mulierum, et maxime adolescentularum, vitat aspectum, ne eum capiat oculus meretricis, ne forma pulcherrima ad illicitos ducat amplexus. A great obstacle to continence arises from extrinsic circumstances, such as frequent conversation with women. We read in Sirach: many have perished by the beauty of a woman, and hereby lust is enkindled as a fire (Sir 9:9); and then it adds: for her conversation burns as fire (Sir 9:11). And then the following safeguard is proposed against these dangers: do not look upon a woman who has a mind for many, lest you fall into her snares. Do not frequent the company of a dancer, and do not listen to her, lest you perish by the force of her charms (Sir 9:3–4). And it is said: do not gaze on everybody’s beauty; and do not tarry among women. For from garments comes a moth, and from a woman the iniquity of a man (Sir 42:12–13). St. Jerome, in his book against Vigilantius, writes that a monk, knowing his own frailty, and how fragile is the vessel which he carries, will fear to slip or stumble, lest he fall and be broken. Hence he will chiefly avoid gazing at women, and especially at young ones, lest he be caught by the eyes of a harlot, and lest beauty of form lead him on to unlawful embraces. Ex quo patet quod, sicut abbas Moyses dicit in Collationibus Patrum, pro puritate cordis servanda solitudo sectanda est, ac ieiuniorum inediam, vigilias, labores corporis, nuditatem, lectionem, ceterasque virtutes debere nos suscipere noverimus; ut scilicet per illas ab universis passionibus noxiis illaesum parare cor nostrum et conservare possimus, et ad perfectionem caritatis istis gradibus innitendo conscendere. Ob hoc igitur in religionibus sunt huiusmodi opera instituta, non quia in ipsis principaliter consistat perfectio, sed quia his quasi quibusdam instrumentis ad perfectionem pervenitur. Unde post pauca ibidem subditur Igitur ieiunia, vigiliae, meditatio Scripturarum, nuditas ac privatio omnium facultatum, non perfectio sed perfectionis instrumenta sunt; quia non in ipsis consistit disciplinae finis, sed per illa pervenitur ad finem. Abbot Moses, in his conferences to the fathers, says that in order to preserve purity of heart, we ought to seek solitude and to practice fasting, watching, and bodily labor, to wear scant clothing, and to attend to reading, in order by these means to be able to keep our heart uncontaminated by passion and to ascend to a high degree of charity (Conferences 1.7). It is for this reason that such exercises are practiced in the religious life. Perfection does not consist in them, but they are, so to speak, instruments whereby perfection is acquired. Abbot Moses, therefore, continues: fasting, vigils, hunger, meditation on the Scriptures, nakedness, and the privation of all possessions, are not themselves perfection, but they are the instruments of perfection. The end of discipline does not lie in them, but by their means we arrive at the end. Si quis autem obiciat quod absque ieiunio, vigiliis et huiusmodi exercitiis potest homo perfectionem acquirere, praesertim cum de Domino dicatur Matth. XI, 19 Venit Filius hominis manducans et bibens, suique discipuli non ieiunarent quemadmodum discipuli Iohannis et Pharisaei; ad hoc respondetur in Glosa quod Iohannes vinum et siceram non bibit, quia abstinentia indiget cui nulla est potentia naturae. Deus autem, qui peccata potest condonare, cur a peccatoribus manducantibus declinaret, quos ieiunantibus poterat facere fortiores? Discipuli ergo Christi non habebant opus ieiunio, quia praesentia sponsi illis fortitudinem dabat maiorem quam discipuli Iohannis per ieiunium haberent; unde Dominus ibidem dicit Venient dies quando auferetur ab eis sponsus, et tunc ieiunabunt, quod exponens Chrysostomus dicit Ieiunium triste est non naturaliter, sed his qui sunt imbecillius dispositi; his enim qui sapientiam contemplari desiderant, delectabile est; quia ergo discipuli imbecilles erant, non erat tempus tristia introducendi quousque firmarentur: per quod monstratur quod non gulae erat quod fiebat, sed dispensationis cuiusdam. But someone may object that it is possible to acquire perfection without fasting or vigils or the like, for we read: the Son of man came eating and drinking (Matt 11:19), nor did his disciples fast, as did the Pharisees and the followers of St. John. To this argument we find in the Gloss the following answer: John drank no wine nor strong drink, for abstinence increases merit though nature has no power to do so. But why should the Lord, to whom it belongs to forgive sin, turn away from sinners who feast when he is able to make them more righteous than those who fast? The disciples and Christ had no need to fast, for the presence of the Bridegroom gave them more strength than the followers of John gained by fasting. Hence our Lord says: but the days will come when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast (Matt 9:15). St. Chrysostom makes the following comment on these words: fasting is not naturally grievous save to those whose weakness is indisposed to it. They who desire to contemplate heavenly wisdom rejoice in fasting. Now, as when our Lord spoke the words we have just quoted, the disciples were still weak in virtue, it was not the fitting season to bring sadness upon them. It was more meet to wait until they were strengthened in faith. They were dispensed from fasting, not by reason of their gluttony, but by a certain privilege (Homilies on Matthew 30). Quod autem huiusmodi exercitia expediant ad vitanda peccata et perfectionem consequendam, Apostolus expresse ostendit II ad Cor. VI, 3–5 dicens Nemini dantes ullam offensionem, ut non vituperetur ministerium nostrum; sed in omnibus exhibeamus nosmet ipsos in multa patientia, in necessitatibus, in angustiis, in plagis, in carceribus, in seditionibus, in laboribus, in vigiliis, in ieiuniis, in castitate. The Apostle, however, expressly shows how fasting enables men to avoid sin, and to acquire perfection, saying: giving no offense to any man, that our ministry be not blamed, but in all things let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in tribulation, in necessities, in distress, in stripes, in prisons, in seditions, in labors, in watchings, in fastings, in chastity (2 Cor 6:3–5). Capitulum 11 Chapter 11 De tertia perfectionis via quae est per abrenuntiationem propriae voluntatis The third means of perfection which is the renunciation of our own will Non solum autem necessarium est ad perfectionem caritatis consequendam quod homo exteriora abiciat, sed etiam quodammodo se ipsum derelinquat. Dicit enim Dionysius, 4 cap. De divinis nominibus, quod divinus amor est extasim faciens, id est hominem extra se ipsum ponens, non sinens hominem sui ipsius esse, sed eius quod amatur. Cuius rei exemplum in se ipso demonstravit Apostolus dicens ad Gal. II, 20 Vivo ego, iam non ego, vivit vero in me Christus, quasi suam vitam non suam aestimans, sed Christi; quia quod proprium sibi erat contemnens, totus Christo inhaerebat. It is not only necessary for the perfection of charity that a man should sacrifice his exterior possessions; he must also, in a certain sense, relinquish himself. Dionysius says that divine love causes a man to be out of himself, meaning thereby that this love suffers him no longer to belong to himself but to him whom he loves (Div. nom. 4). The Apostle illustrates this state by his own example, saying: I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me (Gal 2:20), as if he did not count his life as his own, but as belonging to Christ, and as if he spurned all that he possessed in order to cleave to him. Hoc etiam in quibusdam esse completum ostendit, cum dicit ad Col. III, 3 Mortui estis, et vita vestra abscondita est cum Christo in Deo. Exhortatur etiam alios ut ad hoc perveniant, cum dicit II ad Cor. V, 15 Pro omnibus mortuus est Christus, ut et qui vivunt iam non sibi vivant, sed ei qui pro ipsis mortuus est. Et ideo, ut habetur Luc. XIV, 26, postquam dixerat Si quis venit ad me, et non odit patrem suum et matrem et uxorem et filios et fratres et sorores, tanquam aliquid maius addens subdit adhuc autem et animam suam, non potest meus esse discipulus. Hoc etiam idem Dominus docet Matth. XVI, 24 dicens Si quis vult post me venire, abneget semet ipsum, et tollat crucem suam et sequatur me. He further shows that this state reaches perfection in certain souls, for he says: for you are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3). Again, he exhorts others to the same sublimity of love when he says: Christ died for all, that they also who live, may not now live to themselves, but unto him who died for them, and rose again (2 Cor 5:15). Therefore, when our Lord had said: if any man comes to me, and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, he added something greater than all these, saying: yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:26). He teaches the same thing when he says: if any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Matt 16:24). Huius autem salubris abnegationis et caritativi odii observatio partim quidem necessaria est ad salutem et omnibus qui salvantur communis, partim autem ad perfectionis pertinet complementum. Ut enim ex supra posita Dionysii auctoritate apparet, de ratione divini amoris est ut amans non sui ipsius remaneat, sed amati; secundum ergo divini amoris gradum necesse est et odium et abnegationem praedictam distingui. This practice of salutary self-renunciation, and charitable self-hatred, is partly necessary for all men in order to obtain salvation, and is partly a point of perfection. As we have already seen from the words of Dionysius quoted above, it is in the nature of divine love that he who loves should belong not to himself but to the one beloved. It is necessary, therefore, that self-renunciation and self-hatred be proportionate to the degree of divine love existing in an individual soul. Est autem necessarium ad salutem ut homo sic Deum diligat ut in eo finem suae intentionis ponat, nihilque admittat quod contrarium divinae dilectioni existat; et ideo consequenter et odium et abnegatio sui ipsius est de necessitate salutis, cum, ut Gregorius dicit in omelia, vitamus quod per vetustatem fuimus, et ad hoc nitimur quod per novitatem vocamur; et sic nosmet ipsos relinquimus et abnegamus. Et sicut in alia omelia dicit Tunc bene animam nostram odimus, cum eius carnalibus desideriis non acquiescimus, cum eius appetitum frangimus et eius voluptatibus reluctamur. Now it is essential to salvation that a man should love God to such a degree as to make him his end and to do nothing which he believes to be opposed to the divine love. Consequently, self-hatred and self-denial are necessary for salvation. Hence, as St. Gregory says in his homily: we relinquish and deny ourselves when we avoid what we were wont, through the old man dwelling in us, to be, and when we strive after that to which, by the new man, we are called. In another homily he likewise says: we hate our own life when we do not condescend to carnal desires, but resist the appetites and pleasures of the flesh. Ad perfectionem vero pertinet ut homo propter intentionem divini amoris etiam ea abiciat quibus licite uti posset, ut per hoc liberius Deo vacet. Secundum hunc ergo modum etiam consequens est ut et odium et abnegatio sui ipsius ad perfectionem pertineat. But in order to attain perfection, we must further, for the love of God, sacrifice what we might lawfully use, in order thus to be more free to devote ourselves to him. It follows, therefore, that self-hatred and self-denial pertain to perfection. Unde ex ipso modo loquendi apparet haec a Domino proposita esse quasi ad perfectionem pertineant. Sicut enim dicit Matth. XIX, 21 Si vis perfectus esse, vade et vende omnia quae habes, non necessitatem imponens, sed voluntati relinquens; ita dicit Si quis vult post me venire, abneget semet ipsum. Quod Chrysostomus exponens dicit Non coactivum facit sermonem; non enim dicit: Si vos volueritis et non volueritis, oportet hoc vos pati. Similiter cum dixisset Si quis venit ad me, et non odit patrem suum, etc., postmodum subdit Quis enim ex vobis volens aedificare turrem, <non> computat sumptus qui necessarii sunt, si habeat ad perficiendum? Quod exponens Gregorius in omelia dicit Quia sublimia praecepta data sunt, protinus comparatio aedificandae sublimitatis adiungitur; et post pauca dicit Istos sumptus dives ille habere non potuit qui, cum praecepta relinquendi omnia audisset, tristis abscessit. Ex quibus patet hoc ad perfectionis consilium secundum aliquem modum pertinere. We see that our Lord speaks of them as if they belonged to it. For just as he says: if you would be perfect, go, sell all that you have and give to the poor (Matt 19:21), but does not lay any necessity on us to do so, leaving it to our own will, so he likewise says: if any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Matt 16:24). St. Chrysostom thus explains these words: Christ does not make his saying compulsory; he does not say, ‘whether you like it or not, you must bear these things’ (Homilies on Matthew 54). In the same manner, when he says: if any man will come after me and hate not his father (Luke 14:26), he immediately asks: which of you having a mind to build a tower does not first sit down and reckon the charges that are necessary, whether he have enough to finish it? (Luke 14:28). St. Gregory in his homily thus expounds these words: the precepts which Christ gives are sublime, and therefore the comparison between them and the building of a high tower shortly follows them. And he says again: that young man who went away sad when he heard the counsel to leave all things could not have had enough to finish his tower (Hom. in evangelia 2.37). We may thus understand that these words of our Lord refer, in a certain manner, to a counsel of perfection. Hoc autem consilium perfectissime martyres impleverunt, de quibus Augustinus dicit in Sermone de martyribus quod nulli tantum impendunt, quantum qui se ipsos impendunt. Martyres ergo sunt qui vitam praesentem propter Christum quodammodo odio habuerunt, abnegantes se ipsos; quia, ut Chrysostomus dicit Super Mattheum, qui negat alium, vel fratrem vel famulum vel quemcumque, etsi flagellatum viderit et quaecumque patientem, non assistit, non adiuvat; ita vult corpori nostro nos non ignoscere, ut etsi flagellaverint vel quodcumque aliud fecerint, corpori non parcamus. Et ne aestimes quod usque ad verba tantum et contumelias oportet abnegare se ipsum, ostendit quod oportet abnegare se ipsum usque ad mortem etiam turpissimam, scilicet crucis; unde sequitur Et tollat crucem suam. The martyrs carried out this counsel of perfection most perfectly. Of them St. Augustine says in his Sermon on the Martyrs that none sacrifice so much as those who sacrifice themselves. The martyrs of Christ, denying themselves, in a certain manner hated their lives for the love of Christ. Again, as St. Chrysostom says on the Gospel of St. Matthew: he who denies another, be it his brother, or his servant, or whomsoever it may be, will not assist him if he sees him suffering from the scourge or any other torture. And we, in like manner, ought to have so little regard for our body, that if men should scourge or in any other way maltreat us, we ought not to spare ourselves (Homily 55). Our Lord would not have us to think that we are to deny ourselves only so far as to endure insults and hard words. He shows us that we are to deny ourselves unto death, even unto the shameful death of the cross. For he says: let him take up his cross and follow me (Matt 16:24). Hoc autem perfectissimum ideo diximus, quia martyres illud propter Deum contemnunt, scilicet propriam vitam, propter quam omnia temporalia quaeruntur, et cuius conservatio, etiam cum omnium aliorum amissione, omnibus aliis praefertur. Magis enim homo vult et divitias perdere et amicos, adhuc autem corporis infirmitati succumbere et in servitutem redigi, quam vita privari; unde hoc beneficium victis a victoribus praestatur, ut vitae parcentes conservent servituti subiectos. Unde Satan ad Dominum dixit, ut legitur Iob II, 4 Pellem pro pelle, et cuncta quae habet homo dabit pro anima sua, id est pro corporali vita servanda. We therefore say that the martyrs did a most perfect work, for they renounced, for the love of God, life itself, which others hold so dear, that for its sake they are content to part with all temporal goods and are willing to purchase it by any sacrifice whatsoever. For a man will prefer to lose friends and wealth and to suffer sickness or even slavery rather than to be deprived of life. Conquerors will grant to their defeated foes the privilege of life in order that they may keep them subject to them in slavery. Hence satan said to the Lord: skin for skin, and all that a man has he will give for his life (Job 2:4), i.e., to preserve his body. Inter alia vero quanto aliquid magis naturaliter amatur, tanto perfectius contemnitur propter Christum. Nihil autem est homini amabilius libertate propriae voluntatis; per hanc enim homo est et aliorum dominus, per hanc aliis uti vel frui potest, per hanc etiam suis actibus dominatur. Unde sicut homo dimittens divitias vel personas coniunctas, eas abnegat; ita deserens propriae voluntatis arbitrium, per quod ipse sui dominus est, se ipsum abnegare invenitur. Nihilque est quod homo naturali affectu magis refugiat quam servitutem; unde et nihil posset homo pro alio amplius impendere, post hoc quod se ipsum in mortem pro eo traderet, quam quod se servituti eius subiugaret. Unde, ut dicitur Tob. IX, 2, Tobias iunior dixit ad Angelum Si me ipsum tradam tibi servum, non ero condignus providentiae tuae. Now the more dearly a thing is loved according to nature, the more perfect it is to despise it for the sake of Christ. Nothing is dearer to any man than the freedom of his will, whereby he is lord of others, can use what he pleases, can enjoy what he wills, and is master of his own actions. Therefore, just as a person who relinquishes his wealth and leaves those to whom he is bound by natural ties, denies these things and persons; so he who renounces his own will, which makes him his own master, does truly deny himself. Nothing is so repugnant to human nature as slavery; and therefore there is no greater sacrifice, except that of life, which one man can make for another than to give himself up to bondage for the sake of that other. Hence the younger Tobias said to the angel: if I should give myself to be your servant, I should not make a worthy return for your care (Tob 9:2). Huius autem voluntatis libertatem aliqui sibi propter Deum particulariter adimunt, dum quodcumque particulare votum emittunt de quocumque faciendo vel non faciendo. Per votum enim necessitas quaedam voventi imponitur, ut id de cetero non liceat quod prius licebat, sed quadam necessitate constringitur ad reddendum quod vovit; unde in Psalmo dicitur Reddam tibi vota mea, quae distinxerunt labia mea; et Eccl. V, 3 dicitur Si quid vovisti Deo, ne moreris reddere; displicet enim ei infidelis et stulta promissio. Some men deprive themselves for the love of God of some particular use of their free will, binding themselves by vow to do or not to do some specific thing. A vow imposes a certain obligation on him that makes it, so that for the future he is not at liberty to do or not to do what was formerly permissible to him, for he is bound to accomplish his vow. Thus we read in the Psalm: I will pay you my vows which my lips have uttered (Ps 65:13–14), and again: if you have vowed anything to God, defer not to pay it; for an unfaithful and foolish promise displeases him (Eccl 5:3). Aliqui vero libertati propriae voluntatis totaliter abrenuntiant, se propter Deum aliis subicientes per obedientiae votum. Cuius quidem obedientiae exemplum praecipuum in Christo habemus, de quo Apostolus dicit Rom. V, 19 Sicut per inobedientiam unius hominis peccatores constituti sunt multi, ita et per unius hominis obedientiam iusti constituentur multi; quam quidem obedientiam Apostolus manifestat ad Phil. II, 8 dicens Humiliavit semet ipsum, factus obediens usque ad mortem. Others there are, however, who make a complete sacrifice of their own will for the love of God, submitting themselves to another by the vow of obedience, of which virtue Christ has given us a sublime example. For as the Apostle says: as by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners, so also by the obedience of one many shall be made just (Rom 5:19); which obedience the Apostle shows, saying: he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death (Phil 2:8). Haec autem obedientia in abrenuntiatione propriae voluntatis consistit, unde ipse dicebat Matth. XXVI, 39 Mi pater, si possibile est, transeat a me calix iste; verumtamen non sicut ego volo, sed sicut tu vis; et Ioh. VI, 38 dicit Descendi de caelo, non ut faciam voluntatem meam, sed voluntatem eius qui misit me, in quo nobis dedit exemplum: ut sicut ipse suam voluntatem humanam abnegabat supponendo eam divinae, ita et nos nostram voluntatem Deo totaliter supponamus, et hominibus qui nobis praeponuntur tanquam Dei ministri. Unde Apostolus dicit ad Hebr. ult. Obedite praepositis vestris et subiacete eis. Now this obedience consists in the renunciation of our own will. Hence our Lord said: Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me; nevertheless not as I will but as you will (Matt 26:39). Again he said: I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me (John 6:38). By these words he shows us that, as he renounced his own will, submitting it to the divine will, so we ought wholly to subject our will to God and to those whom he has set over us as his ministers. Hence the Apostle says: obey your prelates and be subject to them (Heb 13:17). Capitulum 12 Chapter 12 Quod tres praedictae perfectionis viae proprie ad statum religionis pertinent These three means of perfection belong peculiarly to the religious state Secundum autem triplicem viam perfectionis assignatam, in religionibus triplex commune votum invenitur: scilicet votum paupertatis, continentiae et obedientiae usque ad mortem. Per votum paupertatis primam perfectionis viam religiosi assumunt, omni proprietati abrenuntiantes; per votum autem continentiae aggrediuntur viam secundam, matrimonio perpetue abrenuntiantes; per votum autem obedientiae manifeste viam tertiam assumunt, voluntatem propriam abnegando. We find the three ways to perfection in religious life embodied in the three vows of perpetual poverty, chastity, and obedience. Religious follow the first road to perfection by the vow of poverty, whereby they renounce all property. By the vow of chastity, whereby they renounce marriage, they enter on the second road to perfection. They set forth on the third road to perfection by the vow of obedience, whereby they sacrifice their own will.