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Of the Discipline and Advantage of Chastity

Pseudo-Cyprian

Section 4

About this work

Author: Pseudo-Cyprian

4. But chastity maintains the first rank in virgins

‹ Section 3 Section 5 ›

,

the

second

in

those

who

are

continent

,

the

third

in

the

case

of

wedlock

.

Yet

in

all

it

is

glorious

,

with

all

its

degrees

.

For

even

to

maintain

the

marriage

-

faith

is

a

matter

of

praise

in

the

midst

of

so

many

bodily

strifes

;

and

to

have

determined

on

a

limit

in

marriage

defined

by

continency

is

more

virtuous

still

,

because

herein

even

lawful

things

are

refused

.

Assuredly

to

have

guarded

one’s

purity

from

the

womb

,

and

to

have

kept

oneself

an

infant

even

to

old

age

throughout

the

whole

of

life

,

is

certainly

the

part

of

an

admirable

virtue

;

only

that

if

never

to

have

known

the

body’s

seductive

capacities

is

the

greater

blessedness

,

to

have

overcome

them

when

once

known

is

the

greater

virtue

;

yet

still

in

such

a

sort

that

virtue

comes

of

God’s

gift

,

although

it

manifests

itself

to

men

in

their

members

.

Notes

4
[Holy men have generally recognised this rule as ennobling the estate of matrimony. See Jeremy Taylor, Holy Living, cap. ii. sec. 3.]