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On Exhortation to Chastity

Tertullian

Chapter 10

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter X.—Application of the Subject. Advantages of Widowhood.

Renounce we things carnal, that we may at length bear

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fruits

spiritual

.

Seize

the

opportunity

—

albeit

not

earnestly

desired

,

yet

favourable

—

of

not

having

any

one

to

whom

to

pay

a

debt

,

and

by

whom

to

be

(

yourself

)

repaid

!

You

have

ceased

to

be

a

debtor

.

Happy

man

!

You

have

released

your

debtor

;

sustain

the

loss

.

What

if

you

come

to

feel

that

what

we

have

called

a

loss

is

a

gain

?

For

continence

will

be

a

mean

whereby

you

will

traffic

in

a

mighty

substance

of

sanctity

;

by

parsimony

of

the

flesh

you

will

gain

the

Spirit

.

For

let

us

ponder

over

our

conscience

itself

,

(

to

see

)

how

different

a

man

feels

himself

when

he

chances

to

be

deprived

of

his

wife

.

He

savours

spiritually

.

If

he

is

making

prayer

to

the

Lord

,

he

is

near

heaven

.

If

he

is

bending

over

the

Scriptures

,

he

is

“

wholly

in

them

.

”

If

he

is

singing

a

psalm

,

he

satisfies

himself

.

If

he

is

adjuring

a

demon

,

he

is

confident

in

himself

.

Accordingly

,

the

apostle

added

(

the

recommendation

of

)

a

temporary

abstinence

for

the

sake

of

adding

an

efficacy

to

prayers

,

that

we

might

know

that

what

is

profitable

“

for

a

time

”

should

be

always

practised

by

us

,

that

it

may

be

always

profitable

.

Daily

,

every

moment

,

prayer

is

necessary

to

men

;

of

course

continence

(

is

so

)

too

,

since

prayer

is

necessary

.

Prayer

proceeds

from

conscience

.

If

the

conscience

blush

,

prayer

blushes

.

It

is

the

spirit

which

conducts

prayer

to

God

.

If

the

spirit

be

self

-

accused

of

a

blushing

conscience

,

how

will

it

have

the

hardihood

to

conduct

prayer

to

the

altar

;

seeing

that

,

if

prayer

blush

,

the

holy

minister

(

of

prayer

)

itself

is

suffused

too

?

For

there

is

a

prophetic

utterance

of

the

Old

Testament

:

“

Holy

shall

ye

be

,

because

God

is

holy

;

”

and

again

:

“

With

the

holy

thou

shalt

be

sanctified

;

and

with

the

innocent

man

thou

shalt

be

innocent

;

and

with

the

elect

,

elect

.

”

For

it

is

our

duty

so

to

walk

in

the

Lord’s

discipline

as

is

“

worthy

,

”

not

according

to

the

filthy

concupiscences

of

the

flesh

.

For

so

,

too

,

does

the

apostle

say

,

that

“

to

savour

according

to

the

flesh

is

death

,

but

to

savour

according

to

the

spirit

is

life

eternal

in

Jesus

Christ

our

Lord

.

”

Again

,

through

the

holy

prophetess

Prisca

the

Gospel

is

thus

preached

:

that

“

the

holy

minister

knows

how

to

minister

sanctity

.

”

“

For

purity

,

”

says

she

,

“

is

harmonious

,

and

they

see

visions

;

and

,

turning

their

face

downward

,

they

even

hear

manifest

voices

,

as

salutary

as

they

are

withal

secret

.

”

If

this

dulling

(

of

the

spiritual

faculties

)

,

even

when

the

carnal

nature

is

allowed

room

for

exercise

in

first

marriage

,

averts

the

Holy

Spirit

;

how

much

more

when

it

is

brought

into

play

in

second

marriage

!

Notes

1
Dimisisti, al. amisisti ="you have lost.”
2
Or, “amass”—negotiaberis. See Luke xix. 15.
3
Comp. 1 Tim. iv. 15.
4
Placet sibi.
5
See 1 Cor. vii. 5.
6
i.e., guilty.
7
See Lev. xi. 44, 45; xix. 2; xx. 7, LXX. and Vulg.
8
See Ps. xviii. 25, 26, esp. in Vulg. and LXX., where it is xvii. 26, 27.
9
See Eph. iv. 1; Col. i. 10; 1 Thess. ii. 12.
10
See Rom. viii. 5, 6, esp. in Vulg.
11
A Marcionite prophetess, also called Priscilla.