Against Lying.

 1. A great deal for me to read hast thou sent, my dearest brother Consentius: a great deal for me to read: to the which while I am preparing an answer

 2. Perceivest thou not how much this reasoning aideth the very persons whom as great game we make ado to catch by our lies? For, as thyself hast shown

 3. Which sentence dishonoreth the holy Martyrs, nay rather taketh away holy martyrdoms altogether. For they would do more justly and wisely, according

 4. Of lies are many sorts, which indeed all, universally, we ought to hate. For there is no lie that is not contrary to truth. For, as light and darkn

 5. Well then, let us set before our eyes a cunning spy as he makes up to the person whom he has already perceived to be a Priscillianist he begins wi

 6. It remains, then, that what the Priscillianists think, according to the nefarious falsity of their heresy, of God, of the soul, of the body, and th

 7. And, what is more miserable, even they, already made as it were our own, cannot find how they may believe us. For if they suspect that even in the

 8. But now observe how more tolerable in comparison with us is the lying of the Priscillianists, when they know that they speak deceitfully: whom by o

 9. When therefore we teach ours to blaspheme God that the Priscillianists may believe them theirs, let us see what evil themselves say when they there

 10. Ever, my brother, in such cases, it behoves with fear to recollect, “Whoso shall deny Me before men, I will deny him before My Father which is in

 11. “But, hidden wolves,” thou wilt say, “clad in sheep’s clothing, and privily and grievously wasting the Lord’s flock, can we no otherwise find out.

 12. “But,” thou wilt say, “we more easily penetrate their concealment if we pretend to be ourselves what they are.” If this were lawful or expedient,

 13. Or haply is it so, that he who plots in this way to find out Priscillianists, denies not Christ, forasmuch as with his mouth he utters what with h

 14. Wherefore, that which is written, “Who speaketh the truth in his heart,” is not so to be taken, as if, truth being retained in the heart, in the m

 &gt 15. And as for that saying of the Apostle, “Putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another,” far b

 16. For there were even in the Apostles’ times some who preached the truth not in truth, that is, not with truthful mind: of whom the Apostle saith th

 17. Wherefore, though there be indeed many ways in which latent heretics may be sought out, without vituperating the catholic faith or praising hereti

 18. It does indeed make very much difference, for what cause, with what end, with what intention a thing be done: but those things which are clearly s

 19. Some man will say, “So then any thief whatever is to be accounted equal with that thief who steals with will of mercy?” Who would say this? But of

 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,

 21. If then to sin, that others may not commit a worse sin, either against us or against any, without doubt we ought not it is to be considered in th

 22. And to holy David indeed it might more justly be said, that he ought not to have been angry no, not with one however ungrateful and rendering evi

 23. But in all our doings, even good men are very greatly embarrassed in the matter of compensative sins so that these are not esteemed to be sins, i

 24. Touching Jacob, however, that which he did at his mother’s bidding, so as to seem to deceive his father, if with diligence and in faith it be atte

 25. Nor have I undertaken that in the present discourse, as it more pertains to thee, who hast laid open the hiding-places of the Priscillianists, so

 26. To show then that some things in the Scriptures which are thought to be lies are not what they are thought, if they be rightly understood, let it

 27. There are some things of this sort even of our Saviour in the Gospel, because the Lord of the Prophets deigned to be Himself also a Prophet. Such

 28. Hence is also that which thou hast mentioned that they speak of, that the Lord Jesus, after He was risen, walked in the way with two disciples an

 29. Because, therefore, lying heretics find not in the books of the New Testament any precedents of lying which are meet to be imitated, they esteem t

 30. But why do these persons think they may imitate Tamar telling a lie, and not think they may imitate Judah committing fornication? For there they h

 31. But he who says that some lies are just, must be judged to say no other than that some sins are just, and therefore some things are just which are

 32. But, as for that which is written, that God did good to the Hebrew midwives, and to Rahab the harlot of Jericho, this was not because they lied, b

 33. It remains then that we understand as concerning those women, whether in Egypt or in Jericho, that for their humanity and mercy they received a re

 34. But some man will say, Would then those midwives and Rahab have done better if they had shown no mercy, by refusing to lie? Nay verily, those Hebr

 35. Since these things are so, because it were too long to treat thoroughly of all that in that “Pound” of Dictinius are set down as precedents of lyi

 36. But for that we are men and among men do live, and I confess that I am not yet in the number of them whom compensative sins embarrass not, it oft

 37. Add to this, (and here is cause to cry out more piteously,) that, if once we grant it to have been right for the saving of that sick man’s life to

 38. But infirmity pleadeth its part, and with favor of the crowds proclaims itself to have a cause invincible. Where it contradicts, and says, “What w

 39. But, some man will say, “Strong meat is for them that are perfect.” For in many things a relaxation by way of indulgence is allowed to infirmity,

 40. But sometimes a peril to eternal salvation itself is put forth against us which peril, they cry out, we by telling a lie, if otherwise it cannot

 41. Either then we are to eschew lies by right doing, or to confess them by repenting: but not, while they unhappily abound in our living, to make the

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.”25    Gen. xix. 8 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.”26    Ezek. xviii. 4

CAPUT IX.

20. Peccata compensativa nec ipsa admittenda esse. Factum Loth offerentis filias suas constupratoribus Sodomitis. Exemplum Loth timore tunc perturbati non imitandum. Nec exemplum David prae ira jurantis. Quid David, quidve ipsi Loth faciendum fuerat. Loth a peccato defendi quomodo vix possit. Facta a sanctis non omnia in mores transferenda. Verum, quod fatendum est, ita humanos animos quaedam compensativa peccata perturbant, ut etiam putentur debere laudari, ac potius recte facta dicantur. Quis enim dubitet esse grande peccatum, si pater filias suas prostituat fornicationibus impiorum? Et tamen exstitit causa qua hoc vir justus debere se facere existimaret, quando Sodomitae nefario libidinis impetu hospitibus ejus irruebant. Ait enim: Sunt mihi duae filiae quae non cognoverunt virum: producam illas ad vos, et utimini eis quomodo placuerit vobis; tantum in viros istos ne faciatis iniquum, propterea quia intraverunt sub tectum tignorum meorum (Gen. XIX, 8). Quid hic dicemus? Nonne ita illud scelus quod Sodomitae hospitibus illius viri justi facere conabantur horremus, ut quidquid fieret ne hoc fieret, arbitremur fuisse faciendum? Movet etiam maxime persona facientis, quae merito justitiae liberabatur a Sodomis: ut quoniam minus malum est feminas quam viros perpeti stuprum, etiam hoc ad justitiam justi illius pertinuisse dicatur, quod in filiabus hoc maluit fieri quam in hospitibus suis; non tantum id volens animo, verum et offerens verbo, et si illi assensi fuissent impleturus et facto. Sed si hanc peccatis aperuerimus viam, ut committamus minora ne alii majora committant; lato limite, imo nullo limite, sed convulsis et remotis omnibus terminis infinito spatio cuncta intrabunt atque regnabunt. Quando enim fuerit definitum peccandum esse homini minus, ne alius peccet amplius; profecto et furtis nostris stupra cavebuntur aliena, et incesta stupris; et si qua impietas visa fuerit etiam pejor incestis, incesta quoque facienda dicentur a nobis, si eo modo agi potuerint, ut illa impietas non 0531 committatur ab aliis: et in singulis quibusque generibus peccatorum, et furta pro furtis, et stupra pro stupris, et incesta pro incestis, et sacrilegia pro sacrilegiis facienda putabuntur: nostra pro alienis, non solum minora pro majoribus, verum etiam si ad ipsa summa et pessima veniatur, pauciora pro pluribus; si se ita rerum verset incursus, ut aliter alii non se abstineant a peccatis, nisi minus aliquanto, sed tamen peccantibus nobis; ita ut omnino ubi dixerit inimicus qui habuerit hujusmodi potestatem , Nisi tu sceleratus fueris, ego sceleratior ero, aut nisi tu hoc scelus feceris, ego talia plura faciam; scelus nobis videamur admittere, si velimus ab scelere temperare. Hoc sapere quid est, nisi desipere, vel potius insanire? A mea quippe iniquitate, non ab aliena, sive in me, sive in alios perpetrata, mihi est cavenda damnatio. Anima enim quae peccaverit, ipsa morietur (Ezech. XVIII, 4).