11. But thou who both hast
sons, and livest in that end of the world, wherein now is the time
not of casting stones, but of gathering; not of embracing, but of
abstaining from embracing;2244
when the
Apostle cries out, “But
this I say,
brethren, the time is short; it remains, that both they
who have
wives be as not having;”
2245
assuredly if thou hadst sought a
second
marriage, it would have been no obedience of
prophecy or
law, no
carnal desire even of
family, but a mark of incontinence
alone. For you would have done what the
Apostle says, after he had
said, “It is good for them, if they shall have so continued, even
as I;”
2246
forsooth
he straightway added, “But if they contain not themselves, let
them marry; for I had rather that they marry than be
burned.” For
this he said, in order that the
evil of unbridled desire might not
be carried
headlong into criminal baseness, being taken up by the
honest estate of
marriage. But thanks be to the
Lord, in that thou
hast given
birth to what thou wouldest not be, and the
virginity of
thy
child hath compensated for the loss of thy
virginity. For
Christian doctrine, having
diligent question made of it, makes
answer, that a first
marriage also now at this time is to be
despised, unless incontinence stand in the way. For he, who said,
“If they contain not themselves, let them marry,” could have
said, “If they have not sons, let them marry,” if, when now
after theResurrection and
Preaching of
Christ, there is unto all
nations so great and
abundant supply of sons to be spiritually
begotten, it were any such
duty to
beget sons after the
flesh as it
was in the first times. And, whereas in another place he saith,
“But I will that the younger marry, bear
children, be mothers of
families,”
2247
he
commends with apostolic sobriety and
authority the good of
marriage, but doth not impose the
duty of bearing, as though in
order to obey the
law, even on those who “receive” the good of
continence. Lastly, why he had said this, he unfolds, when he adds
and says, “To give no occasion of speaking
evil to the
adversary;
for already certain have turned back after
Satan:” that by these
words of his we may understand, that those, whom he would have
marry, could have done better to contain than marry; but better to
marry than to go back after
Satan, that is, to fall away from that
excellent purpose of virginal or widowed chastity, by looking back
to things that are behind, and
perish. Wherefore, such as contain
not themselves, let them marry before they make profession of
continence, before they
vow unto
God, what, if they pay not, they
are justly
condemned. Forsooth in another place he saith of such,
“For when they have lived in
delights in
Christ, they wish to
marry: having condemnation, in that they have made of none effect
their first
faith;”
2248
that is, they have turned aside
their will from the purpose of continence unto
marriage. Forsooth
they have made of none effect the
faith, whereby they formerly
vowed what they were
unwilling by
perseverance to
fulfill.
Therefore the good of
marriage is indeed ever a good: but in the
people of
God it was at one time an act of obedience unto the
law;
now it is a remedy for
weakness, but in certain a solace of human
nature. Forsooth to be engaged in the getting of
children, not
after the fashion of
dogs by promiscuous use of
females, but by
honest order of marriage, is not an affection such as we are to
blame in a man; yet this affection itself the Christian mind,
having thoughts of heavenly things, in a more praiseworthy manner
surpasses and overcomes.
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