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20. But, what must be
confessed, to human minds certain compensative sins do cause such
embarrassment, that they are even thought meet to be praised, and
rather to be called right deeds. For who can doubt it to be a great
sin, if a father prostitute his own daughters to the fornications
of the impious? And yet hath there arisen a case in which a just
man thought it his duty to do this, when the Sodomites with
nefarious onset of lust were rushing upon his guests. For he said,
“I have two daughters which have not known man; I will bring them
out to you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto
these men do ye no wrong, for that they have come under covering of
my roof.”2408
What shall
we say here? Do we not so abhor the wickedness which the Sodomites
were attempting to do to the guests of the just man, that, whatever
were done so this were not done, he should deem right to be done?
Very much also moveth us the person of the doer, which by merit of
righteousness was obtaining deliverance from Sodom, to say that,
since it is a less evil for women to suffer lewdness than for men,
it even pertained to the righteousness of that just man, that to
his daughters he chose this rather to be done, than to his guests;
not only willing this in his mind, but also offering it in word,
and, if they should assent, ready to fulfill it in deed. But then,
if we shall open this way to sins, that we are to commit less sins,
in order that others may not commit greater; by a broad boundary,
nay rather, with no boundary at all, but with a tearing up and
removing of all bounds, in infinite space, will all sins enter in
and reign. For, when it shall be defined, that a man is to sin
less, that another may not sin more; then, of course, by our
committing thefts shall other men’s committing of lewdness be
guarded against, and incest by lewdness; and if any impiety shall
seem even worse than incest, even incest shall be pronounced meet
to be done by us, if in such wise it can be wrought that that
impiety be not committed by others: and in each several kind of
sins, both thefts for thefts, and lewdness for lewdness, and incest
for incest, shall be accounted meet to be done: our own sins for
other men’s, not only less for greater, but even if it come to
the very highest and worst, fewer for more; if the stress of
affairs so turns, that otherwise other men would not abstain from
sin unless by our sinning, somewhat less indeed, but still sinning;
so that in every case where an enemy who shall have power of this
sort shall say, “Unless thou be wicked, I will be more wicked, or
unless thou do this wickedness, I will do more such,” we must
seem to admit wickedness in ourselves, if we wish to refrain
(others) from wickedness. To be wise in this sort, what is it but
to lose one’s wits, or rather, to be downright mad? Mine own
iniquity, not another’s, whether perpetrated upon me or upon
others, is that from which I must beware of damnation. For “the
soul that sinneth, it shall die.”2409
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