3794. Because they had been spoken to earlier about wife-sharing and about wicked and abominable adultery, to the effect that these had destroyed the inner restraint called conscience, they tried by every means to make them out as lawful, and so far as they were able, they practiced them in secret - and to be sure, making indifferent acts out as matters of conscience [cf. Matt. 23:24] and then condoning abominable adulteries as lawful, and not matters binding the conscience. Sometimes they even brought in the fact that these were their wives, whom they could deal with, and also that it was by agreement, and that marriages are also entered into by agreement. But I was inspired to point out that the principal bond of conscience is that of marriage, and that not only is the propagation of the human race the primary nursery of earthly and thence heavenly societies, but also, that from it all relationships derive their beginning.
3794. Because they were before spoken with respecting their communion of wives, and their detestable and abominable adultery, they tried by every means to make it out to be lawful, and as far as they could, in their concealed way, they did it, and that also which was indifferent they made a matter of conscience, that thus they might excuse their abominable adulteries, sometimes insinuating that they were wives, and that they could thus [properly] dispose of them; and then again [professing] that it was a compact, and that marriages are contracted by compact. But it was given to insinuate that the primary bond of conscience is that of marriage, as not only is the propagation of the human race the principal seminary of terrestrial societies, and thence of celestial, but also that thence all consociations derive their origin; but also it is sufficiently apparent that conjugial love is the principle of all loves and thence of consociations,
3794. Quia iis prius dictum, de uxorum communione, et nefando ac abominando adulterio, et quod sic solverint vinculum internum, seu conscientiam, tentabant omnia, ut ea licita facerent, et quantum in occulto poterant, faciebant, etenim quod indifferens erat, id conscientiae facerent, ut sic adulteria abominabilia sic excusarent, quod licita, nec obligarent conscientiam, insinuantes aliquoties etiam quod essent eorum uxores, et quod sic possent disponere de iis, tum quod pactum, et quod eo pacto etiam contrahantur conjugia, sed insinuare datum, quod primarium vinculum conscientiae sit conjugii, non solum quod propagatio generis humani sit primarium seminarium societatum terrestrium et inde coelestium, sed etiam, quod inde ducant suum principium omnes consociationes; quod amor