32. Therefore the good of
marriage throughout all nations and all men stands in the occasion
of begetting, and faith of chastity: but, so far as pertains unto
the People of God, also in the sanctity of the Sacrament, by reason
of which it is unlawful for one who leaves her husband, even when
she has been put away, to be married to another, so long as her
husband lives, no not even for the sake of bearing children: and,
whereas this is the alone cause, wherefore marriage takes place,
not even where that very thing, wherefore it takes place, follows
not, is the marriage bond loosed, save by the death of the husband
or wife. In like manner as if there take place an ordination of
clergy in order to form a congregation of people, although the
congregation of people follow not, yet there remains in the
ordained persons the Sacrament of Ordination; and if, for any
fault, any be removed from his office, he will not be without the
Sacrament of the Lord once for all set upon him, albeit continuing
unto condemnation. Therefore that marriage takes place for the sake
of begetting children, the Apostle is a witness thus, “I will,”
says he, “that the younger women be married.” And, as though it
were said to him, For what purpose? straightway he added, “to
have children, to be mothers of families.” But unto the faith of
chastity pertains that saying, “The wife hath not power of her
own body, but the husband: likewise also the husband hath not power
of his own body, but the wife.”2019
But unto the sanctity of the
Sacrament that saying, “The
wife not to depart from her
husband,
but, in case she shall have departed, to remain
unmarried, or to be
reconciled to her
husband: and let not the
husband put away his
wife.”
2020
All these
are goods, on account of which
marriage is a good;
offspring,
faith, sacrament. But now, at this time, not to
seek offspring
after the
flesh, and by this means to maintain a certain perpetual
freedom from every such
work, and to be made subject after a
spiritual manner unto one
Husband Christ, is assuredly better and
holier;
provided, that is, men so use that
freedom, as it is
written, so as to have their thoughts of the things of the
Lord,
how to please the
Lord; that is, that Continence
2021
at all times do take thought, that
obedience fall not short in any matter: and this
virtue, as the
root-
virtue, and (as it is wont to be called) the
womb, and clearly
universal, the holy fathers of old
exercised in
deed; but that
Continence they
possessed in
habit of
mind. Who assuredly, through
that obedience, whereby they were just and holy, and ever prepared
unto every good
work, even if they were bidden to abstain from all
sexual intercourse, would perform it. For how much more easily
could they, at the bidding or exhortation of God,
not use sexual intercourse, who, as an act of obedience, could slay
the child, for the begetting of which alone they used the ministry
of sexual intercourse?
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