Page:Chelčický, Molnar - The Net of Faith.djvu/134

 sent fiery serpents on the magicians,[479] the justice of Peter in punishing Ananias and Sapphira,[480] the justice of Paul who humbled Elymas the magician,[481] and he adds, “If your own brother, or friend, or wife should dare to defile truth, let your hand fall upon them and shed their blood.” So much for Jerome. The old saints have certainly gathered enough food for the sword so that it would not starve! [ All these arguments are false, and mean only to confuse the issues and to justify violence. ]

CHAPTER 70

THE ARGUMENTS OF AEGIDIUS CARLERII (CONTINUED)

St. Gregory says, “the commandment ‘you shall not kill’ forbids anyone to kill a man, but not to hand over to death a man condemned by the law.” For he who exercises public authority and punishes the evil-doers by virtue of the law is not a transgressor of the commandment “you shall not kill.”  And Saint Augustine, speaking of the City of God, says:

When a soldier kills a man while serving under the state authority, he is not guilty of murder. On the contrary, if he refuses to obey the order to kill, he is guilty of insubordination.[482]

He wallows in blood saying this. So, the soldier is obeying the law when he mercilessly murders people, but is a transgressor of the law if he should show mercy! This is what he says, he who is supposedly filled of the Holy Spirit! And again he says, that the House of David could not have had peace, had it not extinguished Absalom…

Master Aegidius used these as well as many other arguments in order to justify the right to spill blood by the secular authority. He quoted the Church Fathers, some of whom I have mentioned here, to show how much Christendom has been stained by blood through these learned Doctors… With their interpretations they are making God as having two mouths, with one saying “you shall not kill,” and with the other, “you shall kill.”

Who, then, can tell what God wants, when there are two ways, contrary to each other? (In doing this) men turn away from God.