Augustine of Hippo, on Eccl 3:5

“A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather. A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.”

“As for you, you both have children and live in that end of the world when the time has already come not "to scatter stones but to gather; not to embrace but to refrain embraces." [This is a time] when the apostle cries out, "But this I say, brethren, the time is short; it remains that those who have wives be as if they had none." Surely, if you had sought a second marriage, it would not have been in obedience to a prophecy or a law, or even the desire of the flesh for offspring, but merely a sign of incontinence. You would have followed the advice of the apostle, when, after having said, "It is good for them if they so remain, even as I," he immediately added, "But if they do not have self-control, let them marry, for I prefer them to marry rather than to burn."”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.