7. I have said this, lest
haply married fruitfulness dare to vie with virgin chastity, and to
set forth Mary herself, and to say unto the virgins of God, She had
in her flesh two things worthy of honor, virginity and
fruitfulness; inasmuch as she both continued a virgin, and bore:
this happiness, since we could not both have the whole, we have
divided, that ye be virgins, we be mothers: for what is wanting to
you in children, let your virginity, that hath been preserved, be a
consolation: for us, let the gain of children make up for our lost
virginity. This speech of faithful women married, unto holy
virgins, would any how be to be endured, if they gave birth to
Christians in the flesh; that in this alone, save virginity, the
fruitfulness of Mary in the flesh should be more excellent, that
she gave birth to the Head Himself of these members, but they to
the members of That Head: but now, although by this speech there
vie such as on this one account wed and have intercourse with
husbands, that they may have sons, and have no other thought of
their sons, than to gain them for Christ, and do this so soon as
they can: yet are not Christians born of their flesh, but made so
afterwards: the Church giving them birth, through this, that in a
spiritual manner she is the mother of the members of Christ, of
Whom also after a spiritual manner she is the virgin. And unto this
holy birth mothers also who have not borne in the flesh Christians,
are workers together, that they may become what they know that they
could not give birth to in the flesh: yet are they workers together
through this, wherein themselves also are virgins and mothers2036
| 2036 It has been proposed to omit
“que,” making the sense, “wherein the virgins
themselves also are mothers of Christ,” but the sense is good as
it stands. |
of Christ,
that is to say, in “faith which worketh through love.”
2037
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