those who believe in Christ and are righteous by faith. Therefore,
as virginity is impure in the godless, so in the godly marriage is
pure on account of the Word of God and faith.

Again, if purity is properly opposed to concupiscence, it signifies
purity of heart, i.e., mortified concupiscence, because the Law does
not prohibit marriage, but concupiscence, adultery, fornication.
Therefore celibacy is not purity. For there may be greater purity of
heart in a married man, as in Abraham or Jacob, than in most of those
who are even truly continent [who even, according to bodily purity,
really maintain their chastity].

Lastly, if they understand that celibacy is purity in the sense that
it merits justification more than does marriage, we most emphatically
contradict it. For we are justified neither on account of virginity
nor on account of marriage, but freely for Christ's sake, when we
believe that for His sake God is propitious to us. Here perhaps they
will exclaim that, according to the manner of Jovinian, marriage is
made equal to virginity. But, on account of such clamors we shall
not reject the truth concerning the righteousness of faith, which we
have explained above. Nevertheless we do not make virginity and
marriage equal. For just as one gift surpasses another, as prophecy
surpasses eloquence, the science of military affairs surpasses
agriculture, and eloquence surpasses architecture, so virginity is a
more excellent gift than marriage. And nevertheless, just as an
orator is not more righteous before God because of his eloquence than
an architect because of his skill in architecture, so a virgin does
not merit justification by virginity more than a married person
merits it by conjugal duties but each one ought faithfully to serve
in his own gift, and to believe that for Christ's sake he receives