S. AURELII AUGUSTINI HIPPONENSIS EPISCOPI CONTRA MENDACIUM AD CONSENTIUM LIBER UNUS .

 CAPUT PRIMUM.

 CAPUT II.

 3. Quae sententia sanctos martyres exhonorat, imo vero aufert sancta omnino martyria. Justius enim sapientiusque facerent, secundum istos, si persecut

 CAPUT III.

 5. Ecce constituamus ante oculos callidum exploratorem accedere ad eum quem Priscillianistam esse praesenserit et Dictinii episcopi , vel cogniti vit

 6. Remanet igitur, ut quod sentiunt Priscillianistae secundum haeresis suae nefariam falsitatem, de Deo, de anima, de corpore, et de caeteris rebus, n

 CAPUT IV.

 CAPUT V.

 9. Cum igitur blasphemare Deum doceamus nostros, ut eos Priscillianistae credant suos videamus quid mali dicant ipsi, quando propterea mentiuntur, ut

 CAPUT VI.

 11. Sed occultos lupos, inquies, indutos pellibus ovium et dominicum gregem latenter graviterque vastantes, aliter invenire non possumus. Unde ergo in

 12. Sed multo facilius, inquies, eorum latibula penetramus, si quod sunt nos esse mentiamur. Hoc si liceret aut expediret, potuit Christus praecipere

 13. An forte qui eo modo Priscillianistas invenire molitur, ideo non negat Christum, quia ore depromit quod corde non credit? Quasi vero (quod et paul

 14. Quapropter illud quod scriptum est, Qui loquitur veritatem in corde suo non sic accipiendum est, quasi retenta in corde veritate, loquendum sit i

 15. Et illud quod Apostolus ait, Deponentes mendacium, loquimini veritatem unusquisque cum proximo suo, quia sumus invicem membra (Ephes. IV, 25) abs

 16. Fuerunt enim etiam temporibus Apostolorum, qui veritatem non veritate , id est, non veraci animo praedicarent: quos dicit Apostolus Christum annun

 17. Quocirca multis quidem modis possunt latentes haeretici vestigari, nec catholica fide vituperata, nec haeretica impietate laudata.

 18. Interest quidem plurimum, qua causa, quo fine, qua intentione quid fiat: sed ea quae constat esse peccata, nullo bonae causae obtentu, nullo quasi

 CAPUT VIII.

 CAPUT IX.

 21. Si ergo peccare, ne gravius vel in nos vel in quoslibet alii peccent, procul dubio non debemus considerandum est in eo quod fecit Loth, utrum exe

 22. Et sancto quidem David justius dici potuit quod nec irasci debuit, quamvis ingrato et reddenti mala pro bonis sed etsi ut homini ira subrepsit, n

 CAPUT X.

 24. Jacob autem quod matre fecit auctore, ut patrem fallere videretur, si diligenter et fideliter attendatur, non est mendacium, sed mysterium. Quae s

 CAPUT XI.

 CAPUT XII.

 CAPUT XIII.

 28. Hinc est etiam illud quod commemorasti eos dicere, Dominum Jesum, posteaquam resurrexit, ambulasse in itinere cum duobus discipulis et propinquan

 CAPUT XIV.

 30. Cur autem isti imitandam sibi Thamar existimant mentientem, et imitandum Judam non existimant fornicantem (Gen. XXXVIII, 14-18)? Ibi enim utrumque

 CAPUT XV.

 32. Sed quod scriptum est bene Deum fecisse cum Hebraeis obstetricibus (Exod. I, 17-20), et cum Raab Jerichuntina meretrice (Josue II et VI, 25), non

 33. Restat itaque ut intelligamus illis mulieribus, vel in Aegypto, vel in Jericho, pro humanitate et misericordia redditam fuisse mercedem utique tem

 CAPUT XVII.

 35. Quae cum ita sint, quoniam nimis longum est omnia pertractare, quae in illa Libra Dictinii sunt posita velut imitanda exempla mentiendi: ad hanc r

 CAPUT XVIII.

 37. Huc accedit, ubi miserabilius ejulandum est, quod si concesserimus pro salute illius aegri de vita filii ejus fuisse mentiendum, ita paulatim minu

 CAPUT XIX.

 39. Sed perfectorum est, ait aliquis, solidus cibus 0546

 CAPUT XX.

 CAPUT XXI.

3. Which sentence dishonoreth the holy Martyrs, nay rather taketh away holy martyrdoms altogether. For they would do more justly and wisely, according to these men, not to confess to their persecutors that they were Christians, and by confessing make them murderers: but rather by telling a lie, and denying what they were, should both themselves keep safe the convenience of the flesh and purpose of the heart, and not allow those to accomplish the wickedness which they had conceived in their mind. For they were not their neighbors in the Christian faith, that with them it should be their duty to speak the truth in their mouth which they spake in their heart; but moreover enemies of Truth itself. For if Jehu (whom it seems they do prudently to single out unto themselves to look unto as an example of lying) falsely gave himself out for a servant of Baal, that he might slay Baal’s servants: how much more justly, according to their perversity, might, in time of persecution, the servants of Christ falsely give themselves out, for servants of demons, that the servants of demons might not slay servants of Christ; and sacrifice to idols that men might not be killed, if Jehu sacrificed to Baal that he might kill men? For what harm would it do them, according to the egregious doctrine of these speakers of lies, if they should lyingly pretend a worship of the Devil in the body, when the worship of God was preserved in the heart? But not so have the Martyrs understood the Apostle, the true, the holy Martyrs. They saw and held that which is written, “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation;”6    Rom. x. 10 and, “In their mouth was found no lie:”7    Rev. xiv. 5 ψεῦδος, Griesbach; δόλος, text rec.; guile, E.V. and so they departed irreproachable, to that place where to be tempted by liars any further they will not fear; because they will not have liars any more in their heavenly assemblies, either for strangers or neighbors. As for that Jehu, by an impious lie and a sacrilegious sacrifice making inquisition for impious and sacrilegious men for to kill them, they would not imitate him, no, not though the Scripture had said nothing concerning him, what manner of man he was. But, seeing it is written that he had not his heart right with God;8    2 Kings x. 31 what profited it him, that for some obedience which, concerning the utter destruction of the house of Ahab, he exhibited for the lust of his own domination. he received some amount of transitory wages in a temporal kingdom? Let, rather, the truth-telling sentence of the Martyrs be thine to defend: to this I exhort thee, my brother, that thou mayst be against liars, not a teacher of lying, but an asserter of truth. For, I pray thee, attend diligently to what I say, that thou mayest find how needful to be shunned is that which, with laudable zeal indeed towards impious men, that they may be caught and corrected, or avoided, but yet too incautiously, is thought fit to be taught.

3. Quae sententia sanctos martyres exhonorat, imo vero aufert sancta omnino martyria. Justius enim sapientiusque facerent, secundum istos, si persecutoribus suis non se confiterentur esse christianos, nec eos sua confessione facerent homicidas: sed potius mentiendo et negando quod erant, et ipsi salvum haberent carnis commodum cordisque propositum, et illos conceptum animo scelus implere non sinerent. Non enim proximi eorum erant in fide christiana, ut cum eis deberent loqui veritatem in ore suo, quam loquebantur in corde suo; sed ipsius veritatis insuper inimici. Si enim Jehu, quem sibi inter caeteros ad exemplum mentiendi prudenter videntur intueri, servum Baalis se esse mentitus est, ut servos ejus occideret: quanto justius secundum istorum perversitatem, tempore persecutionis servos daemonum se mentirentur servi Christi, ne servi daemonum servos occiderent Christi; et sacrificarent idolis ne interficerentur homines, si sacrificavit ille Baali ut interficeret homines? Quid enim eis obesset, secundum egregiam doctrinam mendaciloquorum, si diaboli cultum mentirentur in corpore, quando Dei cultus servabatur in corde? Sed non sic intellexerunt Apostolum martyres veri, martyres sancti. Viderunt quippe tenueruntque quod scriptum est, Corde creditur ad justitiam, ore confessio fit ad salutem (Rom. X, 10); et, In ore eorum non est inventum mendacium (Apoc. XIV, 5): ac sic irreprehensibiles abierunt, ubi tentari a mendacibus ulterius non cavebunt; quia mendaces amplius in suis coelestibus coetibus vel alienos vel proximos non habebunt. Illum vero Jehu mendacio impio et sacrificio sacrilego occidendos impios et sacrilegos inquirentem non imitarentur, nec si de illo qualis fuisset eadem Scriptura tacuisset. Cum vero scriptum sit eum rectum cor non habuisse cum Deo; quid ei profuit, quod pro nonnulla obedientia, quam de domo Achab omnino delenda, pro cupiditate suae dominationis exhibuit, aliquantam mercedem transitoriam regni temporalis accepit (IV Reg. X)? Ad sententiam potius veridicam martyrum defendendam te, frater, exhortor, ut sis adversus mendaces, non mendacii doctor, sed veritatis assertor. Nam diligentius, obsecro, attende quod dico, ut invenias quam sit cavendum, quod zelo quidem laudabili adversus impios, ut possint comprehendi et corrigi vel vitari, sed tamen incautius docendum putatur.