mending the fruit of unmarried men and not so- to understand, as though a faithful
ON THE GOOD OF WIDOWHOOD.
speak of leave, not of command.'' Also, when he says, '' The woman is bound, so _long as her husband lives: but, in case her 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;''5 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 husband shall have died, she is set free: let
_ her be married to whom she will, only in the
Lord: but she shall be more blessed, if she shall have so continued, according to my counsel;''* he shows sufficiently that a faithful woman is blessed in the Lord, even'. when she marries a second time after the death of her husband, but that a widow is more blessed in the same Lord; that is, to speak not only in the words, but by instances also, of the Scriptures, that Ruth is blessed, but that Anna is more blessed.
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,
6. Wherefore this in the first place you ought to know, that by the good, which you have chosen, second marriages are not condemned, but are set in lower honor, For, even as the good of holy virginity, which thy daughter hath chosen, doth not condemn thy one marriage; so neither doth thy widowhood the second marriage of any. For hence, specially, the heresies of the Cataphryges and of the Novatians swelled, which Tertullian also, inflated with cheeks full of sound not of wisdom, whilst with railing tooth he attacks? second marriages, as though unlawif 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," °® 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." 7
ful, which the Apostle with sober mind allows 3 to be altogether lawful. From this soundness of doctrine let no man's reasoning, be he unlearned, or be he learned, move thee; nor do thou so extol thy own good, as to
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 charge as evil that of another's which is not evil; but do thou rejoice so much the more of thy own good, the more thou seest, that, by it, not only are evils shunned, but some goods too surpassed. For adultery and fornication are evils. But from these unlawful things she is very far removed, who hath bound herself by liberty of vow, and, not by 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 hpgped 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." ® command of law, but by counsel of charity, hath brought to pass that even things lawful should not be lawful to her. And marriage chastity is a good, but widowed continence is a better good. Therefore this better good is honored by the submission of that other, not that other condemned by the praise of this that is better.
8. Whence, also, what the Apostle Paul said of the unmarried woman, "* that she may be holy both in body and spirit;''® we are not soto understand, as though a faithful woman being married and chaste, and according to the Scriptures subject unto her husband, be not holy in body, but only in spirit.
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''* 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,
For it cannot come to pass, that when the spirit is sanctified, the body also be not holy, of which the sanctified spirit maketh use: but, that we seem not to any to argue rather than
6 x Cor. vii. 38. 9 x Cor. vil. 34. 5 x Cor. vii. 8. 7 ver. 40. 8 x Pet. iii. 5-7. [See R.V.]
body and spirit, the self-same thy spirit, which ruleth the body, may neither extol with insolence, nor distinguish with lack of knowledge.
to prove this by divine saying; since the Apostle Peter, making mention of Sarah, saith only '' holy women," and saith not, °° and in
1o. Nor, because I called Ruth blessed, Anna more blessed, in that the former married twice, the latter, being soon widowed of her one husband, so lived long, do you straightway also think that you are better than Ruth. Forsooth different in the times of the Prophets was the dispensation of holy females, whom obedience, not lust, forced to marry, for the propagation of the people of God,' that in them Prophets of Christ might be sent beforehand; whereas the People itself also, by those things which in figure happened among them, whether in the case of those who knew, or in the case of those who knew not those things, was nothing else than a Prophet of Christ, of whom should be born the Flesh also of Christ. In order therefore for the propagation of that people, he was accounted accursed by sentence of the Law, whoso raised not up seed in Israel. Whence also holy women were kindled, not by lust of sensual intercourse, but by piety of bearing; so that we most rightly believe of them that they would not have sought sensual intercourse, in case a family could have come by any other means. And to the husbands was allowed the use of several wives living; and that the cause of this was not lust of the flesh, but forethought of begetting, is shown by the fact, that, as it was lawful for holy men to have several wives living, it was not likewise lawful for holy women to have intercourse with several husbands living; in that they would be by so much the baser, by how much the more they sought what would not add to their fruitfulness. Wherefore holy Ruth, not having seed such as at that time was necessary in Israel, on the death of her husband sought another of whom to have it. Therefore than this one twice married, Anna once married a widow was on this account more blessed, in that she attained also to be a prophetess of Christ; concerning whom we are to believe, that, although she had no sons, (which indeed Scripture by keeping silence hath left uncertain,) yet, had she by that Spirit foreseen that Christ would immediately come of a virgin, by Which she was enabled to recognize Him even as a child: whence, with good reason, even without sons, (that is, assuming she had none,) she refused a second marriage: in that she knew that now was the time wherein Christ were better served, not by duty of bearing, but by zeal of containing: not by fruitfulness of married womb, but by chastity body;" let us consider that saying of the same Paul, where forbidding fornication he saith, *"* Know ye not, that your bodies are members of Christ? Taking, therefore, members of Christ, shall I make them members of an harlot? Far be it.'"'"* Therefore let any one dare to say that the members of Christ are not holy; or let him not dare to separate from the members of Christ the bodies of the faithful that are married. Whence, also, a little after he saith, ** Your body is the temple within you of the Holy Spirit, Whom ye have from God; and ye are not your own; for ye have been bought with a great price.''? He saith that the body of the faithful is both members of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit, wherein assuredly the faithful of both sexes are understood. 'There therefore are married women, there unmarried women also; but distinct in their deserts, and as members preferred to members, whilst yet neither are separated from the body. Whereas, therefore, he saith, speaking of an unmarried woman, *"that she may be holy both in body and spirit,'' he would have understood a fuller sanctification both in body and in spirit, and hath not deprived the body of married women of all sanctification.
g. Learn, therefore, that thy good, yea, rather, remember what thou hast learned, that thy good is more praised, because there is another good than which this is better, than if this could not on any other condition be a good, unless that were an evil, or altogether were not. The eyes have great honor in the body, but they would have less, if they were alone, and there were not other members of less honor. In heaven itself the sun by its light surpasses, not chides, thee moon; and star from star differs in glory, not is at variance through pride. Therefore, '* God made all things, and, lo, very good;''¢ not only ''good," but also ''very;'' for no other reason, than because *'all." For of each several work throughout it was also said,
God saw that itis good."" But, when ''all'"' were named, ''very'' was added; and it was said, '*God saw all things which He made, and, lo, very good.'' For certain several things were better than other several, but all together better than any several. Therefore, may the sound doctrine of Christ make thee in His Body sound through His Grace, that, what thou hast better than others in t x Cor. vi. 15. [See R.V.] 3 1 Cor, xv. 41, 21 Cor. vi. 19, 20. 4 Gen. i. 31,
5-1) Corsi 6 Deut. xxv. 5-10.