27. Therefore at that time,
when the Law also, following upon the days of the Patriarchs,2010
pronounced
accursed, whoso
raised not up
seed in
Israel, even he, who could,
put it not forth, but yet
possessed it. But from the period that
the fullness of time hath come,
2011
that it should be said, “Whoso
can receive, let him receive,”
2012
from that period even unto this
present, and from henceforth even unto the end, whoso hath,
worketh: whoso shall be
unwilling to
work, let him not falsely say,
that he hath. And through this means, they, who
corrupt good
manners by
evil communications,
2013
with empty and
vain craft, say to
a
Christian man exercising continence, and refusing
marriage, What
then, are you better than
Abraham? But let him not, upon hearing
this, be
troubled; neither let him
dare to say, “Better,” nor
let him fall away from his purpose: for the one he saith not truly,
the other he doth not rightly. But let him say, I indeed am not
better than
Abraham, but the chastity of the
unmarried is better
than the chastity of
marriage; whereof
Abraham had one in use, both
in
habit. For he lived chastely in the
marriage state: but it was
in his
power to be
chaste without
marriage, but at that time it
behoved not. But I with more ease use not
marriage, which
Abraham used, than so use
marriage as
Abraham used it: and
therefore I am better than those, who through incontinence of
mind
cannot do what I do; not than those, who, on account of difference
of time, did not do what I do. For what I now do, they would have
done better, if it had been to be done at that time; but what they
did, I should not so do, although it were now to be done. Or, if he
feels and knows himself to be such, as that, (the
virtue of
continence being
preserved and continued in the
habit of his
mind,
in case he had descended unto the use of
marriage from some
duty of
religion,) he should be such an
husband, and such a
father, as
Abraham was; let him
dare to make plain answer to that captious
questioner, and to say, I am not indeed better than
Abraham, only
in this
kind of continence, of which he was not
void, although it
appeared not: but I am such, not having other than he, but doing
other. Let him say this plainly: forasmuch as, even if he shall
wish to
glory, he will not be a
fool, for he saith the
truth. But
if he spare, lest any think of him above what he sees him,
2014
or hears
any thing of him; let him remove from his own person the knot of
the
question, and let him answer, not concerning the man, but
concerning the thing itself, and let him say, Whoso hath so great
power is such as
Abraham. But it may happen that the
virtue of
continence is less in his
mind, who uses not
marriage, which
Abraham used: but yet it is greater than in his
mind, who on this
account held chastity of
marriage, in that he could not a greater.
Thus also let the
unmarried woman, whose thoughts are of the things
of the
Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit,
2015
when she
shall have heard that shameless questioner saying, What, then, are
you better than Sara? answer, I am better, but than those, who are
void of the virtue of continence, which I believe not of Sara: she
therefore together with this virtue did what was suited to that
time, from which I am free, that in my body also may appear, what
she kept in her mind.
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