Commentaries, Commentary on Judges · Chapter 3 · Excursus 5
¶Whither it be lawful to lye to preſerue the lyfe of our Neyghbours.
BVt there ariſeth a more hard doubt, namely, whether it be lawfull to lye for to preſerue the life of our neighbour. Auguſtine of a lye to Conſentius ſaith:Auguſtine. If a man ſhould be in verye great daunger of death, & the ſame man alſo ſhould know that his ſonne alſo wer in the like extreme daunger, which happeneth to dye, and thou knoweſt of his death: when the Parent ſhal aſke thee, lyueth my ſonne or no? and thou art ſure that he alſo wil dye, if thou ſhalt tel him that hys ſonne is deceaſed: what wouldeſt thou do in this caſe? whyther thou ſayeſt, he liueth: or whither thou ſaieſt, I cannot tel, thou lyeſt. But if thou ſhall anſwer, that he is dead, al men wyll cry out vponupon thee, as though thou haddeſt cōmitted manſlaughter, and as though by thy heauy newes thou haddeſt bene the occaſiō of the death of this father being ſycke and lying at the poynt of death. Auguſtine graunteth that it is a hard caſe, neither denieth he but that as a man he ſhoulde be moued, & peraduenture it might ſo happen, that affections woulde not ſuffer him to ſpeake that which is iuſt & right. But al the length he concludeth that he ſhould not lye. And he addeth moreouer,A ſimilitude. that if thou knoweſt that any vnchaſte woman loueth thee inordinately, which alſo threateneth to kyl her ſelfe, yea and wil do it in very dede, vnles thou wylt graunt to her wicked luſt, whether therfore thou oughteſt to be entiſed to commit any filthye thing againſt chaſtitye? I think not. So alſo ſaith he, thou oughteſt not for ye ſauing of thy neighbours life to offend againſt the truth. And moreouer what a window ſhuld be made open to lyes, if we ſhoulde otherwiſe iudge of thys. For that which one ſhall thincke to be lawful for life, an other wil iudge that he may do the ſame for money, an other for eſtimation, or for defending of lands & poſſeſſions. And ſo ſhal it come to paſſe that there wil be no meaſure or end of lyes. We maye not ſuffer (ſayth Auguſtine) that any man ſhould kil his own ſoule, for the corporall lyfe of an oother man. Yea and he affirmeth that we muſt not lye for the ſaluation of anye mans ſoule. EueryEvery lye (ſayth Iohn) is not of God: but wee ought not to ſpeake thoſe thinges which are not of God.
What if murtherers ſhould perſecute a man to kil him, & thou knoweſt yt he lyeth ther hiddē wher thou preſently art, & they demaūd of thee if thou knoweſt whither he be there or no? He anſwereth, that if thou be of a valiant courage, & as it becōmeth a Chriſtiā, yu muſt ſay: wher he is I know, but I wil not vtter it, do ye what ye wil. But whē the matter cōmeth to this point, yt for the ſafety of any mans life thou muſt make a lie, know thou that thou oughteſt to cōmit the thing vntounto God, & that thou haſt nothing there more to doo. Either thou muſt anſwer, that thou wilt not betray him, or els thou muſt hold thy peace. But by thy ſilence the murtherer wil ſuſpect that he is in thy houſe, and then thou ſhalt ſeme to hauehave geuen occaſion of his taking. But in verye deede thou haſt not ſo done. For thou canſt not let him to thinke what he wil. Wherfore the matter is rather to be cōmitted vntounto God, than that thou ſhouldeſt make a lye. Howbeit thou muſt very wel weigh with thy ſelf, namely, to ſpeake ſo, that thou ſay not al, and yet ſpeake not falſly. For in theſe caſes I thyncke it is not forbidden, yea I iudge it is moſt lawful to ſpeake doubtfullye. And as touching this queſtion, thys is ſufficient.
As I deny not but that our Ehud manifeſtly lied, ſo wil I alſo ſay that he was ſtirred vp of God ſo to ſpeake. Thoſe wordes vndoubtedly, although they deceiued Eglon, yet without controuerſy they declared that, which was in very deede true, namely the word of God, & that he had a ſecret thing to do with the kyng.