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Orthodox Doctrine (Summary of Christian Divinity)
Metropolitan Platon of Moscow, tr. Pinkerton, 1814
11. Part 3, Section 11: The Seventh Commandment
In the seventh commandment, under the general name adultery, is forbidden every sinful fleshly lust; and therefore it enjoins upon us, that we shall either spend our lives in honourable matrimony, or in holy and virgin celibacy.
When God created man, he made them male and female, to multiply the human race, and for their mutual help and comfort in life. Therefore the happiness of society requires, that the man and wife should love and respect each other, that they should preserve their bed undefiled, and not break the holy laws of matrimony. For such transgressions, exclusive of shame, dishonour, and remorse of conscience, cause great confusion and disorder in the world, and infect society like the worst of plagues.
Who transgress against this commandment?
This holy commandment is broken, First, by adulterers, fornicators, polygamists, incestuous persons, and those who indulge in the various other unlawful fleshly lusts. Secondly, By all those who encourage sinful sensual gratification, and who promote the shameful sins of adultery and whoredom. Among incentives to these sins are the following: Drunkenness, idleness, wantonness, impure language, improper jests, shameful gesticulations, shameful modes of dress and of adorning the body, lascivious scenes and spectacles, lewd dancing, obscene songs, books, &c. But the lustful look itself, and the internal improper emotions, are condemned in the gospel. “Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Matth. v. 28.
In order to avoid the above sins, we ought to keep in remembrance the important advice of the apostle, 1 Cor. vi. 18, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Therefore the purity of the Christian’s calling requires, that we should spend our lives in purity and chastity; either in honourable and irreproachable matrimony, or in virgin celibacy. For the blessed Paul denominates “marriage honourable, and the bed which is undefiled.” Heb. xiii. 4. But virgin celibacy he regards as superior to that. For thus he writes, 1 Cor. vii. 38. “He that giveth his virgin in marriage doth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doth better.” And our Lord confirmeth the same thing; Matth. xix. 12, “And there are eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake.”