48. What now shall I say
concerning the very carefulness and watchfulness against sin?
“Who shall boast that he hath a chaste heart? or who shall boast
that he is clean from sin?”2200
Holy
virginity is indeed inviolate
from the mother’s
womb; but “no one,” saith he, “is
clean
in Thy sight, not even the
infant whose
life is of one day upon the
earth.”
2201
There is
kept also in
faith inviolate a certain virginal chastity, whereby
the
Church is joined as a
chaste virgin unto One
Husband: but That
One
Husband hath taught, not only the
faithful who are
virgin in
mind and body, but all
Christians altogether, from
spiritual even
unto
carnal, from
Apostles even unto the last penitents, as though
from the height of
heaven even unto the bounds of it,
2202
to
pray,
and in the prayer itself hath
admonished them to say, “And
forgive us our
debts, even as we also
forgive our
debtors:”
2203
where, by
this which we
seek, He shews what also we should remember that we
are. For neither on behalf of those
debts, which for our whole past
life we
trust have been
forgiven unto us in
Baptism through His
peace, hath He charged us to
pray, saying, “And
forgive us our
debts, even as we also
forgive our
debtors:” otherwise this were
a prayer which Catechumens rather ought to
pray up to the time of
Baptism; but whereas it is what
baptized persons
pray,
rulers and
people,
pastors and
flocks; it is sufficiently shown that in this
life, the whole of which is a trial, no one ought to boast himself
as though free from all sins.
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