7. But whereas the Apostle,
when commending the fruit of unmarried men and women, in that they
have thought of the things of the Lord, how to please God, added
and saith, “But this I say for your profit, not to cast a snare
on you,”2232
that is,
not to force you; “but in order to that which is
honorable;” we
ought not, because he saith that the good of the
unmarried is
honorable, therefore to think that the
bond of
marriage is base;
otherwise we shall
condemn first marriages also, which neither
Cataphryges, nor Novatians, nor their most
learned upholder
Tertullian
dared to call base. But as, when he says, “But I say
unto the
unmarried and
widows, that it is good for them if they
shall have so continued;”
2233
assuredly he set down “good”
for “better,” since every thing, which, when compared with a
good, is called better, this also without doubt is a good; for what
else is it that it is so called better,
save that it is more good?
and yet we do not on this account suppose him by consequence to
have thought that it was an
evil, in case they
married, in that he
said, “it is good for them, if they shall have so continued;”
so also, when he says, “but in order to that which is
honest,”
he hath not shown that
marriage is base, but that which was
honester than (another thing also)
honest, he hath commended by the
name of
honest in general. Because what is honester,
save what is
more
honest? But what is more
honest is certainly
honest. Forsooth
he plainly showed that this is better than that other that is good,
where he says, “Whoso giveth to marry, doeth well; but whoso
giveth not to marry, doeth better.”
2234
And this more
blessed than that
other that is
blessed, where he saith, “But she shall be more
blessed, if she shall have so continued.”
2235
As, therefore, there is than good
a better, and than
blessed a more
blessed, so is there than
honest
an honester, which he chose to call
honest. For
far be it that that
be base, of which the
Apostle Peter speaking saith, “
Husbands,
unto your
wives, as unto the weaker and subject
vessel, give
honor,
as unto co-heirs of
grace;” and addressing the
wives, he
exhorts
them, by the pattern of
Sarah, to be subject unto their
husbands;
“For so,” saith he, “certain holy
women, who hoped in
God,
adorned themselves, obeying their own
husbands; even as
Sarah
obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters ye are made,
well-doing, and not fearing any disturbance.”
2236
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
