5.

And how wilt thou do this that I say, "Cut him off, and cast him from thee," and so, it may be, amend him? answer me, how thou art going to do it? He wished to persuade thee out of the Law to tell a lie. For he said, "speak." And perhaps he did not dare to say, "speak a lie;" but thus, "speak what the other wishes." Thou sayest, "But it is a lie." And he to excuse it, says, "All men are liars." Then do thou, my brother, say against this, "The mouth that lieth slayeth the soul." ¹ Mark, it is no light thing thou hast heard, "The mouth that lieth slayeth the soul." What can that powerful enemy, who oppresseth me, do to me, that thou pitiest me, and my condition, and wouldest not have me be in this evil case; whereas thou wouldest that I should be evil? What can that powerful man do to me, and what can he oppress? The flesh. He can oppress thy body, thou wilt say: I grant he may oppress it to destruction. ² Still how much more mildly does he deal with me, than I should with myself were I to lie! He kills my flesh; I kill my soul. He in his power and anger slays the body; "the mouth that lieth slayeth the soul." He slays the body; and die it must, though it should not be slain; but the soul which iniquity slayeth not, the truth receiveth for ever. Preserve then what thou canst preserve; and let that perish which must perish sometime or other. Thou hast given an answer then, but thou hast not solved the "All men are liars." Make answer to him to this too, that he may not fancy that he has said anything to persuade to lying, in bringing a testimony out of the Law; so urging thee out of the Law against the Law. For it is written in the Law, "Thou shalt not bear false witness;" ³ and it is written in the Law, "All men are liars." Recur then to that which I just lately suggested, when I defined in words as best I could the "meek" man. He is "meek" to whom in all things that he does well, nothing but God is pleasing, and in all the evils which he suffers, God is not displeasing. Make answer then to him who says, Lie, for it is written, "All men are liars:" I will not lie, for it is written, "The mouth that lieth slayeth the soul." I will not lie, because it is written, "Thou shalt destroy them that speak lying." ⁴ I will not lie, because it is written, "Thou shalt not bear false witness." Though he whom I displease by the truth harass my body with oppressions, I will give ear to my Lord, "Fear not them which kill the body." ⁵