oduced by Christ Who said (Matt. 19:12): "There
are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs, for the kingdom of
heaven," and then added: "He that can take, let him take it." And
lest anyone should be deprived of the hope of attaining perfection,
he admitted to the state of perfection those even who were married.
Now the husbands could not without committing an injustice forsake
their wives, whereas men could without injustice renounce riches.
Wherefore Peter whom He found married, He severed not from his wife,
while "He withheld from marriage John who wished to marry" [*Prolog.
in Joan. among the supposititious works of St. Jerome].

Reply Obj. 2: As Augustine says (De Bono Conjug. xxii), "the chastity
of celibacy is better than the chastity of marriage, one of which
Abraham had in use, both of them in habit. For he lived chastely, and
he might have been chaste without marrying, but it was not requisite
then." Nevertheless if the patriarchs of old had perfection of mind
together with wealth and marriage, which is a mark of the greatness
of their virtue, this is no reason why any weaker person should
presume to have such great virtue that he can attain to perfection
though rich and married; as neither does a man unarmed presume to
attack his enemy, because Samson slew many foes with the jaw-bone of
an ass. For those fathers, had it been seasonable to observe
continence and poverty, would have been most careful to observe them.

Reply Obj. 3: Such ways of living as admit of the use of marriage are
not the religious life simply and absolutely speaking, but in a
restricted sense, in so far as they have a certain share in those
things that belong to the religious state.
_______________________

FIFTH ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 186, Art. 5]

Whether Obedience Belongs to Religious Perfection?

Objection 1: It would seem that obedience does not belong to
religious perfection. For those things seemingly belong to religious
perfection, which are works of supererogation and are not binding
upon all. But all are bound to obey their superiors, according to the
saying of the Apostle (Heb. 13:17), "Obey your prelates, and be
subject to them." Therefore it would seem that obedience does not
belong to religious perfection.

Obj. 2: Further, obedience would seem to belong properly to those who
have to be guided by the sense of others, and such persons are
lacking in discernment. Now the Apostle says (Heb. 5:14) that "strong
meat is for