[The Age at Which Widows Should Be Chosen.]

I. Choose your “widows not under sixty years of age,”  1  Vid. 1 Tim. v. 9. that in some measure the suspicion of a second marriage may be prevented by their age. But if you admit one younger into the order of widows, and she cannot bear her widowhood in her youth, and marries, she will procure indecent reflections on the glory of the order of the widows, and shall give an account to God; not because she married a second time, but because she has “waxed wanton against Christ,”  2  1 Tim. v. 11. and not kept her promise,  because she did not come and keep her promise with faith and the fear of God.  3  Not in one V. ms. Wherefore such a promise ought not to be rashly made, but with great caution: “for it is better for her not to vow, than to vow and not to pay.”  4  Eccles. v. 5. But if any younger woman, who has lived but a while with her husband, and has lost him by death or some other occasion, and remains by herself, having the gift of widowhood, she will be found to be blessed, and to be like the widow of Sarepta, belonging to Sidon, with whom the holy prophet of God, Elijah,  5  1 Kings xvii. 9. lodged. Such a one may also be compared to “Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser, which departed not from the temple, but continued in supplications and prayers night and day, who was fourscore years old, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity, who glorified the coming of Christ, and gave thanks to the Lord, and spake concerning Him to all those who looked for redemption in Israel.”  6  Luke ii. 36, etc. Such a widow will have a good report, and will be honoured, having both glory with men upon earth, and eternal praise with God in heaven.

[1] Χήρας δὲ καθιστᾶτε μὴ ἔλαττον ἐτῶν ἑξήκοντα, ἵνα τρόπῳ τινὶ τὸ τῆς διγαμίας αὐτῶν ἀνύποπτον βέβαιον ὑμῖν διὰ τῆς ἡλικίας ὑπάρχῃ. Εἰ δὲ νεωτέραν καταστήσητε εἰς τὸ χηρικὸν καὶ μὴ φέρουσα τὴν ἐν νεότητι χηρείαν γαμηθῇ, ἀπρέπειαν ἐμποιήσει τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ χηρικοῦ καὶ λόγον ὑφέξει τῷ Θεῷ, οὐχ ὅτι δευτέρῳ γάμῳ συνήφθη, ἀλλ' ὅτι τὴν ἑαυτῆς ἐπαγγελίαν οὐκ ἐφύλαξεν, καταστρηνιάσασα τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Διὸ χρὴ μὴ προπετῶς ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ ἀσφαλείας: «Κρεῖσσον γάρ ἐστιν αὐτὴν μὴ εὔξασθαι, ἢ εὔξασθαι καὶ μὴ ἀποδοῦναι.» Εἰ δέ τις νεωτέρα ὀλίγον χρόνον σὺν τῷ ἀνδρὶ ποιήσασα καὶ ἀποβαλοῦσα αὐτὸν διὰ τελευτῆς ἢ δι' ἀφορμῆς τινος ἑτέρας, καὶ μείνῃ ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς δῶρον ἔχουσα χηρείας, μακαρία εὑρεθήσεται, ὁμοιωθεῖσα τῇ ἐν Σαρεφθοῖς Σιδωνίᾳ χήρᾳ, πρὸς ἣν ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Θεοῦ προφήτης Ἠλίας ἐπεξενώθη. Ἡ τοιαύτη ἐξομοιωθήσεται Ἄννῃ τῇ θυγατρὶ Φανουὴλ τῇ ἐκ φυλῆς Ἀσήρ, ἣ οὐκ ἀφίστατο τοῦ ἱεροῦ νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν παραμένουσα ταῖς δεήσεσι καὶ ταῖς προσευχαῖς, οὖσα μὲν ἐτῶν ὀγδοήκοντα, ζήσασα δὲ μετὰ ἀνδρὸς ἐκ τῆς παρθενίας αὐτῆς ἔτη ἑπτά, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ δοξάσασα παρουσίαν ἀνθωμολογεῖτο τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ ἐλάλει περὶ αὐτοῦ πᾶσι τοῖς προσδοκῶσιν λύτρωσιν ἐν Ἰσραήλ: ἡ τοιαύτη μαρτύριον λαβοῦσα τιμηθήσεται, κλέος ἔχουσα καὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ παρὰ Θεῷ ἐν οὐρανοῖς τὸν αἰώνιον ἔπαινον.