9. Wherefore neither are we to
believe that their fruitfulness of the flesh, who at this time seek
in marriage nothing else save children, to make over unto Christ,
can be set against the loss of virginity. Forsooth, in former
times, unto Christ about to come after the flesh, the race itself
of the flesh was needful, in a certain large and prophetic nation:
but now, when from out every race of men, and from out all nations,
members of Christ may be gathered unto the People of God, and City
of the kingdom of heaven, whoso can receive sacred virginity, let
him receive it; and let her only, who contains not, be married.2038
For what,
if any
rich woman were to expend much
money on this good
work, and
to
buy, from out different
nations,
slaves to make
Christians, will
she not
provide for the giving
birth to members of
Christ in a
manner more
rich, and more numerous, than by any, how great soever,
fruitfulness of the
womb? And yet she will not therefore
dare to
compare her
money to the offering
2039
of holy
virginity. But if for the
sake of making such as shall be
born Christians, fruitfulness of
the
flesh shall with just reason be set against the loss of
chastity, this matter will be more
fruitful, if
virginity be lost
at a great
price of
money, whereby many more
children may be
purchased to be made
Christians, than could be
born from the
womb,
however
fruitful, of a single person. But, if it be extreme
folly
to say this, let the
faithful women that are
married possess their
own good, of which we have treated, so
far as seemed fit, in
another volume; and let them more highly honor, even as they are
most rightly used to do, in the sacred virgins, their better good,
of which we are treating in our present discourse.
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