34. For what is written in
another place, “Wish not to use every lie;”2358
| 2358 Ecclus. vii. 13 μὴ θέλε
ψεύδεσθαι πᾶν
Ψεῦδος, noli velle mentiri
omne mendacium. “Use not to make any manner of lie,” E.V.
“Every” is used for “any.” |
they say is not of force for this,
that a person is not to use any
lie. Therefore, when one man shall
say, that according to this
testimony of Scripture we must to that
degree hold every sort and
kind of
lie in detestation, that even if
a man wish to
lie, yea, though he
lie not, the very wish is to be
condemned; and to this sense interpreteth, that it is not said, Do
not use every
lie, but, “Do not wish to use every
lie;” that
one must not
dare not only to tell, but not even to wish to tell,
any
lie whatever: saith another man, “Nay, in that it saith, Do
not wish to use every
lie, it willeth that from the mouth of the
heart we exterminate and estrange
lying: so that while from some
lies we must
abstain with the mouth of the body, as are those
chiefly which pertain to
doctrine of
religion; from some, we are
not to
abstain with the mouth of the body, if reason of avoiding a
greater
evil require; but with the mouth of the
heart we must
abstain utterly from every
lie.” Where it behoveth to be
understood what is said, “Do not wish:” namely, the will itself
is taken as it were the mouth of the
heart, so that it concerneth
not the mouth of the
heart when in shunning a greater
evil we
lie
unwillingly. There is also a third sense in which thou mayest so
take this word, “not every,” that, except some
lies, it giveth
thee leave to
lie. Like as if he should say, wish not to believe
every man: he would not mean to advise that none should be
believed; but that not all, some however, should be believed. And
that which follows, “For assiduity thereof will not
profit for
good,” sounds as if, not
lying, but assiduous
lying, that is, the
custom and
love of
lying, should seem to be that which he would
prohibit. To which that person will assuredly slide down,
2359
who either
shall think that every
lie may be boldly used (for so he will
shun
not that even which is
committed in the
doctrine of
piety and
religion; than which what more abominably
wicked thing canst thou
easily find, not among all
lies, but among all
sins?) or to some
lie (no matter how easy, how
harmless,) shall accommodate the
inclination of the will; so as to
lie, not unwillingly for the sake
of escaping a greater
evil, but willingly and with liking. So,
seeing there be three things which may be understood in this
sentence, either “Every
lie, not only tell thou not, but do not
even wish to tell:” or, “Do not wish, but even unwillingly tell
a
lie when aught worse is to be
avoided:” or, “Not every,” to
wit, that except some
lies, the
rest are admitted: one of these is
found to make for those who hold that one is never to
lie, two for
those who think that sometimes one may tell a
lie. But yet
what follows, “For assiduity thereof will not
profit to good,”
I know not whether it can
countenance the first sentence of these
three; except haply so, that while it is a
precept for the
perfect
not only not to
lie, but not even to wish; assiduity of
lying is
not permitted even to beginners. As if, namely, on laying down the
rule at no time whatever not merely to
lie but so much as to have a
wish to
lie, and this being gainsaid by examples, in regard that
there are some
lies which have been even approved by great
authority, it should be rejoined that those indeed are
lies of
beginners, which have, in regard of this
life, some
kind of
duty of
mercy; and yet to that degree is every
lie evil, and by
perfect and
spiritual minds in every way to be eschewed, that not even
beginners are permitted to have assiduous
custom thereof. For we
have already spoken concerning the Egyptian midwives, that it is in
respect of the
promise of growth and proficiency to better things
that they while
lying are spoken of with approval: because it is
some step towards
loving the true and
eternal saving of the
soul,
when a person doth mercifully for the saving of any man’s albeit
mortal life even tell a lie.
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