8. “Honorable,” therefore, “is marriage in all, and the bed undefiled.”21    Heb. xiii. 4. [See R.V.] And this we do not so call a good, as that it is a good in comparison of fornication: otherwise there will be two evils, of which the second is worse: or fornication will also be a good, because adultery is worse: for it is worse to violate the marriage of another, than to cleave unto an harlot: and adultery will be a good, because incest is worse; for it is worse to lie with a mother than with the wife of another: and, until we arrive at those things, which, as the Apostle saith, “it is a shame even to speak of,”22    Eph. v. 12 all will be good in comparison of what are worse. But who can doubt that this is false? Therefore marriage and fornication are not two evils, whereof the second is worse: but marriage and continence are two goods, whereof the second is better, even as this temporal health and sickness are not two evils, whereof the second is worse; but that health and immortality are two goods, whereof the second is better. Also knowledge and vanity are not two evils, whereof vanity is the worse: but knowledge and charity are two goods, whereof charity is the better. For “knowledge shall be destroyed,”23    1 Cor. xiii. 8 saith the Apostle: and yet it is necessary for this time: but “charity shall never fail.” Thus also this mortal begetting, on account of which marriage takes place, shall be destroyed: but freedom from all sexual intercourse is both angelic exercise24    Meditatio here, and continueth for ever. But as the repasts of the Just are better than the fasts of the sacrilegious, so the marriage of the faithful is to be set before the virginity of the impious. However neither in that case is repast preferred to fasting, but righteousness to sacrilege; nor in this, marriage to virginity, but faith to impiety. For for this end the righteous, when need is, take their repast, that, as good masters, they may give to their slaves, i.e., their bodies, what is just and fair: but for this end the sacrilegious fast, that they may serve devils. Thus for this end the faithful are married, that they may be chastely joined unto husbands, but for this end the impious are virgins, that they may commit fornication away from the true God. As, therefore, that was good, which Martha was doing, being engaged in the ministering unto the Saints, but that better, which Mary, her sister, sitting at the feet of the Lord, and hearing His word; thus we praise the good of Susanna25    Hist. of Susanna, 22, 23 in married chastity, but yet we set before her the good of the widow Anna,26    Luke ii. 37 and, much more, of the Virgin Mary.27    Luke i. 27, 28 It was good that they were doing, who of their substance were ministering necessaries unto Christ and His disciples: but better, who left all their substance, that they might be freer to follow the same Lord. But in both these cases of good, whether what these, or whether what Martha and Mary were doing, the better could not be done, unless the other had been passed over or left. Whence we are to understand, that we are not, on this account, to think marriage an evil, because, unless there be abstinence from it, widowed chastity, or virgin purity, cannot be had. For neither on this account was what Martha was doing evil, because, unless her sister abstained from it, she could not do what was better: nor on this account is it evil to receive a just man or a prophet into one’s house, because he, who wills to follow Christ unto perfection, ought not even to have a house, in order to do what is better.

8. Honorabiles ergo nuptiae in omnibus, et thorus immaculatus (Hebr. XIII, 4). Quod non sic dicimus bonum, ut in fornicationis comparatione sit bonum; alioquin duo mala erunt, quorum alterum pejus: aut bonum erit et fornicatio, quia est pejus adulterium; pejus est enim alienum matrimonium violare, quam meretrici adhaerere: et bonum adulterium, quia est pejor incestus; pejus est enim cum matre quam cum aliena uxore concumbere: et donec ad ea perveniatur, quae, sicut Apostolus ait, turpe est etiam dicere (Ephes. V, 12), omnia bona erunt in comparatione pejorum. Hoc autem falsum esse quis dubitet? Non ergo duo mala sunt connubium et fornicatio, quorum alterum pejus; sed duo bona sunt connubium et continentia, quorum alterum est melius. Sicut ista temporalis sanitas et imbecillitas non sunt duo mala, quorum alterum pejus; sed ista sanitas et immortalitas duo bona sunt, quorum alterum melius. Item scientia et vanitas non duo mala sunt, quorum vanitas pejus; sed scientia et charitas duo bona sunt, quorum charitas melius. Namque scientiae destruetur, ait Apostolus; et tamen huic tempori necessaria est: charitas autem nunquam cadet (I Cor. XIII, 8). Sic et mortalis ista generatio, propter quam fiunt nuptiae, destruetur; ab omni autem concubitu immunitas, et hic angelica meditatio est, et permanet in aeternum. Sicut autem jejuniis sacrilegorum meliora sunt prandia justorum; ita nuptiae fidelium virginitati anteponuntur impiarum . Verumtamen neque ibi prandium jejunio, sed justitia sacrilegio; neque hic nuptiae virginitati, sed fides impietati praefertur. Ad hoc enim justi cum opus est prandent, ut tanquam boni domini quod justum et aequum est servis corporibus praebeant: ad hoc autem sacrilegi jejunant, ut daemonibus serviant. Sic ad hoc nubunt fideles, ut maritis pudice copulentur: ad hoc autem sunt virgines impiae, ut a vero Deo fornicentur. Sicut ergo bonum erat quod Martha faciebat, occupata circa ministerium sanctorum, sed melius quod Maria soror ejus sedens ad pedes Domini, et audiens verbum ejus (Luc. X, 39-42): ita bonum Susannae in conjugali castitate laudamus (Dan. XIII); sed tamen ei bonum viduae Annae (Luc. II, 36, 37), ac multo magis Mariae virginis anteponimus 0380 (Luc. I, 27). Bonum erat quod faciebant, quae de substantia sua Christo ac discipulis ejus necessaria ministrabant; sed melius qui omnem suam substantiam dimiserunt, ut expeditiores eumdem Dominum sequerentur. In his autem binis bonis, sive quae isti, sive quae Martha et Maria faciebant, fieri non posset quod melius est, nisi altero praetermisso aut relicto. Unde intelligendum est non ideo malum putandum esse nuptias, quia nisi ab eis abstineatur, non potest haberi vidualis castitas aut virginalis integritas. Neque enim ideo malum erat quod Martha faciebat, quia nisi inde abstineret soror ejus, non faceret quod melius erat: aut ideo malum est suscipere justum aut prophetam in domum suam, quia nec domum habere debet, ut quod melius est faciat, qui vult ad perfectionem Christum sequi.