in attaching far greater importance to those declarations which are definitely, from the point of view of his time, novel than to those which do but echo the current notions of the schools.
If we are disposed to hesitate as to the legitimacy of thus distinguishing between apostolic pronouncements, and attaching superior importance to those which succeed in commending themselves to our own perceptions of spiritual fitness, we may remember that St. Paul himself bids us thus distinguish, and, specifically with reference to his discussion of sexual questions, makes his appeal to the Christian conscience.
"Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: but I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. I think therefore that this is good by reason of the present distress, namely, that it is good for a man to be as he is."[1]
In these words there is disclosed another determining factor of Apostolic morality. "The present distress" is an allusion to the
- ↑ 1 Corinthians vii. 25, 26.
