Page:Christian Marriage.djvu/101

 times more numerous than the females. In view of the entire situation he may conclude that the vehement exaltation of virginity by the Christian Church was an indispensable means of establishing in the minds of men the notion of chastity.

These are reasonable and clearly relevant reflections when the question under consideration is the genesis of the doctrine of Christian marriage, but they are not available for those exponents of Christianity who attribute binding force to the precedents and enactments of the undivided Church. Only by distinguishing clearly between the Christian religion and the society, through which it has found expression in human life, can we admit the excuses of history for the errors of the Church. It will be worth while to quote the carefully balanced language of Mr. Lecky on this subject:

"But the services rendered by the ascetics in imprinting on the minds of men a profound and enduring conviction of the importance of chastity, though extremely great, were seriously counterbalanced by their noxious influence upon marriage. Two or three beauti-