Chapter 40.—When the Truth Must Be Spoken, When Kept Back.

Therefore let the truth be spoken, especially when any question impels us to declare it; and let them receive it who are able, lest, perchance, while we are silent on account of those who cannot receive it, they be not only defrauded of the truth but be taken captive by falsehood, who are able to receive the truth whereby falsehood may be avoided. For it is easy, nay, and it is useful, that some truth should be kept back because of those who are incapable of apprehending it. For whence is that word of our Lord: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now”?100    John xvi. 12. And that of the apostle: “I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal: as if unto babes in Christ I have given you to drink milk, and not meat, for hitherto ye were not able, neither yet indeed now are ye able”?101    1 Cor. iii. 1. Although, in a certain manner of speaking, it might happen that what is said should be both milk to infants and meat for grown-up persons. As “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,”102    John i. 1. what Christian can keep it back? Who can receive it? Or what in sound doctrine can be found more comprehensive? And yet this is not kept back either from infants or from grown-up people, nor is it hidden from infants by those who are mature. But the reason of keeping back the truth is one, the necessity of speaking the truth is another. It would be a tedious business to inquire into or to put down all the reasons for keeping back the truth; of which, nevertheless, there is this one,—lest we should make those who do not understand worse, while wishing to make those who do understand more learned; although these latter do not become more learned when we withhold any such thing on the one hand, but also do not become worse. When, however, a truth is of such a nature that he who cannot receive it is made worse by our speaking it, and he who can receive it is made worse by our silence concerning it, what do we think is to be done? Must we not speak the truth, that he who can receive it may receive it, rather than keep silence, so that not only neither may receive it, but that even he who is more intelligent should himself be made worse? For if he should hear and receive it, by his means also many might learn. For in proportion as he is more capable of learning, he is the more fitted for teaching others. The enemy of grace presses on and urges in all ways to make us believe that grace is given according to our deservings, and thus grace is no more grace; and are we unwilling to say what we can say by the testimony of Scripture? Do we fear, forsooth, to offend by our speaking him who is not able to receive the truth? and are we not afraid lest by our silence he who can receive the truth may be involved in falsehood?

40. Dicatur ergo verum, maxime ubi aliqua quaestio ut dicatur impellit; et capiant qui possunt: ne forte cum tacetur propter eos qui capere non possunt, non solum veritate fraudentur, verum etiam falsitate capiantur, qui verum capere, quo caveatur falsitas, possunt. Facile est enim, imo et utile, ut taceatur aliquod verum propter incapaces. Nam unde est illud Domini, Adhuc multa habeo vobis dicere, sed non potestis illa portare modo (Joan. XVI, 12)? et illud Apostoli, Non potui vobis loqui quasi spiritualibus, sed quasi carnalibus: quasi parvulis in Christo lac vobis potum dedi, non escam; nondum enim poteratis, sed nec adhuc quidem potestis (I Cor. III, 1, 2)? Quamvis modo quodam dicendi fieri possit, ut id quod dicitur, et parvulis lac, et grandibus esca sit. Sicut, In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum (Joan. I, 1), quis christianus tacere potest? quis capere? aut quid in doctrina sana potest inveniri grandius? Quod tamen et parvulis non tacetur et grandibus, nec parvulis occultatur a grandibus . Sed alia est ratio verum tacendi, alia verum dicendi necessitas. Causas verum tacendi longum est omnes quaerere vel inserere: quarum tamen est et haec una, ne pejores 1018 faciamus eos qui non intelligunt, dum volumus eos qui intelligunt facere doctiores; qui nobis aliquid tale tacentibus doctiores quidem non fiunt, sed nec pejores fiunt Cum autem res vera ita se habet, ut fiat pejor nobis ean dicentibus, ille qui capere non potest; nobis autem tacentibus, ille qui potest: quid putamus esse faciendum? Nonne potius est dicendum verum, ut qui potest capere capiat; quam tacendum, ut non solum id ambo non capiant, verum etiam qui est intelligentior, ipse sit pejor? Qui si audiret et caperet, per illum etiam plures discerent. Quo enim est capacior ut discat, eo magis est idoneus ut alios doceat. Instat inimicus gratiae, atque urget modis omnibus, ut credatur secundum merita nostra dari, ac sic gratia jam non sit gratia (Rom. XI, 6): et nos nolumus dicere, quod teste Scriptura possumus dicere? timemus enim videlicet, ne loquentibus nobis offendatur, qui veritatem non potest capere; et non timemus, ne tacentibus nobis, qui veritatem potest capere, falsitate capiatur?