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De Pudicitia

XII.

[1] Itaque isti qui alium Paracletum in apostolis et per apostolos receperunt, quem nec in prophetis propriis agnitum iam nec in apostolis possident, age nunc uel de apostolico instrumento doceant maculas carnis post baptisma respersae paenitentia dilui posse. [2] Nos in apostolis quoque ueteris legis forma soluta cernimus moechiae quanta sit demonstrationem, ne forte lenior existimetur in nouitate disciplinarum quam in uetustate. [3] Cum primum intonuit euangelium et uetera concussit, ut de legis retinendae necessitate disceptaretur, primum hanc regulam de auctoritate Spiritus sancti apostoli emittunt ad eos qui iam ex nationibus allegi coeperant. [4] Visum est, inquiunt, Spiritui sancto et nobis nullum amplius uobis adicere pondus quam eorum a quibus necesse est abstineri, a sacrificiis et a fornicationibus et sanguine. A quibus obseruando recte agetis uetante uos Spiritu sancto. [5] Sufficit et hic seruatum esse moechiae et fornicationi locum honoris sui inter idololatriam et homicidium. Interdictum enim sanguinis multo magis humani intellegemus. [6] Porro qualia uideri uolunt apostoli crimina, quae sola in obseruatione de lege pristina excerpunt, quae sola necessario abstinenda praescribunt? Non quod alia permittant, sed quod haec sola praeponant utique non remissibilia, qui ethnicorum causa cetera legis onera remissibilia fecerunt. [7] Cur ergo ceruicem nostram a tanto iugo excusant, nisi ut illi compendia ista disciplinae semper imponant? Cur tot uincula indulgent, nisi ut perpetuo ad necessariora constringant? [8] Soluerunt a pluribus, ut nocentioribus obseruandis obligaremur. Compensatione res acta est. Lucrati sumus multa, ut aliqua praestemus. Compensatio autem reuocabilis non est, nisi denique reuocabitur iteratione moechiae utique et sanguinis et idololatriae. [9] Tota enim iam lex sumetur, si ueniae condicio soluetur. Sed non leuiter nobiscum pactus est Spiritus sanctus, etiam ultro pactus, quo magis honorandus. Sponsionem eius nemo dissoluet nisi ingratus. Iam nec recipiet quae dimisit nec dimittet quae retinuit. [10] Nouissimi testamenti semper indemutabilis status est, et utique recitatio decreti consiliumque illud cum saeculo desinet. Satis denegauit ueniam eorum, quorum custodiam elegit, uindicauit quae non proinde concessit. [11] Hinc est, quod neque idololatriae neque sanguini pax ab ecclesiis redditur. De qua finitione sua apostolos excidisse, puto, non licet credere ; aut si credere quidam possunt, debebunt probare.

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On Modesty

Chapter XII.--Of the Verdict of the Apostles, Assembled in Council, Upon the Subject of Adultery.

Accordingly, these who have received "another Paraclete" in and through the apostles,--(a Paraclete) whom, not recognising Him even in His special prophets, they no longer possess in the apostles either;--come, now, let them, even from the apostolic instrument, teach us the possibility that the stains of a flesh which after baptism has been repolluted, can by repentance be washed away. Do we not, in the apostles also, recognise the form of the Old Law with regard to the demonstration of adultery, how great (a crime) it is; lest perchance it be esteemed more trivial in the new stage of disciplines than in the old? When first the Gospel thundered and shook the old system to its base, when dispute was being held on the question of retaining or not the Law; this is the first rule which the apostles, on the authority of the Holy Spirit, send out to those who were already beginning to be gathered to their side out of the nations: "It has seemed (good)," say they, "to the Holy Spirit and to us to cast upon you no ampler weight than (that) of those (things) from which it is necessary that abstinence be observed; from sacrifices, and from fornications, and from blood: ¹ by abstaining from which ye act rightly, the Holy Spirit carrying you." Sufficient it is, that in this place withal there has been preserved to adultery and fornication the post of their own honour between idolatry and murder: for the interdict upon "blood" we shall understand to be (an interdict) much more upon human blood. Well, then, in what light do the apostles will those crimes to appear which alone they select, in the way of careful guarding against, from the pristine Law? which alone they prescribe as necessarily to be abstained from? Not that they permit others; but that these alone they put in the foremost rank, of course as not remissible; (they,) who, for the heathens' sake, made the other burdens of the law remissible. Why, then, do they release our neck from so heavy a yoke, except to place forever upon those (necks) these compendia of discipline? Why do they indulgently relax so many bonds, except that they may wholly bind us in perpetuity to such as are more necessary? They loosed us from the more numerous, that we might be bound up to abstinence from the more noxious. The matter has been settled by compensation: we have gained much, in order that we may render somewhat. But the compensation is not revocable; if, that is, it will be revoked by iteration--(iteration) of adultery, of course, and blood and idolatry: for it will follow that the (burden of) the whole law will be incurred, if the condition of pardon shall be violated. But it is not lightly that the Holy Spirit has come to an agreement with us--coming to this agreement even without our asking; whence He is the more to be honoured. His engagement none but an ungrateful man will dissolve. In that event, He will neither accept back what He has discarded, nor discard what He has retained. Of the latest Testament the condition is ever immutable; and, of course the public recitation of that decree, ² and the counsel embodied therein, will cease (only) with the world. ³ He has definitely enough refused pardon to those crimes the careful avoidance whereof He selectively enjoined; He has claimed whatever He has not inferentially conceded. Hence it is that there is no restoration of peace granted by the Churches to "idolatry" or to "blood." From which final decision of theirs that the apostles should have departed, is (I think) not lawful to believe; or else, if some find it possible to believe so, they will be bound to prove it.