20. Far be it, therefore,
that the Apostle so said, unto such as are married or are about to
marry, “But I spare you,” as if he were unwilling to say what
punishment is due to the married in another life. Far be it that
she, whom Daniel set free from temporal judgment, be cast by Paul
into hell! Far be it that her husband’s bed be unto her
punishment before the judgment seat of Christ, keeping faith to
which she chose, under false charge of adultery, to meet either
danger, or death! To what effect that speech, “It is better for
me to fall into your hands, than to sin in the sight of God:”2058
if
God had
been about, not to set her free because she kept
married chastity,
but to
condemn her because she had
married? And now so often as
married chastity is by
truth of holy Scripture justified against
such as bring calumnies and charges against
marriage, so often is
Susanna by the
Holy Spirit defended against false witnesses, so
often is she set free from a false charge, and with much greater
ado. For then against one
married woman, now against all; then of
hidden and untrue
adultery, now of true and open
marriage, an
accusation is laid. Then one
woman, upon what the
unjust elders
said, now all
husbands and
wives, upon what the
Apostle would not
say, are
accused. It was, forsooth, your condemnation, say they,
that he was
silent on, when he said, “But I spare you.” Who
(saith) this? Surely he, who had said above; “And, if thou shalt
have taken a
wife, thou hast not
sinned; and, if a
virgin shall
have been
married, she sinneth not.”
2059
Why, therefore, wherein he hath
been
silent through modesty, suspect ye a charge against
marriage;
and wherein he hath spoken openly, recognize ye not a
defense of
marriage? What, doth he
condemn by his
silence them whom he
acquitted by his words? Is it not now a milder charge, to charge
Susanna, not with
marriage, but with
adultery itself, than to
charge the
doctrine of the
Apostle with
falsehood? What in so great
peril could we do, were it not as sure and plain that chaste
marriage ought not to be condemned, as it is sure and plain that
holy Scripture cannot lie?
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