Verse 26
This is good for the present distress - There was no period in the heathen times when the Church was not under persecutions and afflictions; on some occasions these were more oppressive than at others.
The word αναγκη signifies, necessity, distress, tribulation, and calamity; as it does in Luke 21:23 ; 2 Corinthians 6:4 ; 2 Corinthians 12:10 . In such times, when the people of God had no certain dwelling-place, when they were lying at the mercy of their enemies without any protection from the state - the state itself often among the persecutors - he who had a family to care for, would find himself in very embarrassed circumstances, as it would be much more easy to provide for his personal safety than to have the care of a wife and children. On this account it was much better for unmarried persons to continue for the present in their celibacy.
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