Book of Common Prayer

Of marriage, virginity, and widowhood.

7 As for the things you wrote to me about: it is good for a man not to touch a woman. ² Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his wife, and let every woman have her husband. ³ Let the man give due affection to his wife; likewise also the wife to the man. ⁴ The wife does not have right over her own body, but the husband, and likewise the husband does not have right over his own body, but the wife. ⁵ Do not withdraw yourselves one from another, unless it be with consent for a time to give yourselves to fasting and prayer. And afterward, come again to the same thing, lest Satan tempt you through your lack of self control.

⁶ This I say by way of concession, and not of commandment. ⁷ For I would that all men were as I myself am. But every one has his own gift from God – one of this kind, another of that. ⁸ I say to the unmarried men and widows that it is good for them if they remain just as I do. ⁹ But if they cannot abstain, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn.

³⁵ And the same day, when evening was come, he said to them, Let us pass over to the other side. ³⁶ And they left the people and took him just as he was in the boat. And there were also with him other boats. ³⁷ And there arose a great storm of wind, and it dashed the waves into the boat so that it was full. ³⁸ And he was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke him and said to him, Teacher, do you not care if we perish?

³⁹ And he rose up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Peace, and be still! And the wind allayed, and there followed a great calm. ⁴⁰ And he said to them, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? ⁴¹ And they feared exceedingly and said to one another, What manner of man is this? For both wind and sea obey him.