therefore of all reproches an ingenious man can least brooke this that another to his face should say Thou lyest But if the very heathen people doe so highly esteeme of Truth how much more doth it become vs Christians to loue and embrace it who are his children that is the Truth who are redeemed by him that is the Truth and vnto whom wee are to conforme our selues who are regenerated by the spirit of truth by whome we are to be led into all truth who are sanctified by the word of God which is the truth who are of the truth so many as are of God Therefore nothing lesse becommeth a Christian than lying nothing more than truth Eightly but if no other arguments will preuaile with vs let vs consider on the one side what rewards the Lord hath promised to them that speake the truth and on the other side what â—udgements he hath denounced against lyars To the speakers of truth the Lord hath promised that they shall neuer be remooued that they shall be established for euer that they shall dwel in Gods holy mountaine as before hath beene shewed against lyars the Lord hath threatened fearefull judgements A false witnesse shall not be vnpunished and he that speaketh liesâ— shall not escape For first he is punished with infamie and looseth his credit insomuch that no man will beleeue him when he speaketh the truth For as one sayth What truth can be spoken of a lyar Secondly he is discarded of the godly he that telleth lies sayth Dauid shall not remaine in my sight But these are light punishments in comparison of those that follow for God doth not onely punish lyars but also destroy them Psal. 5. Thou shalt destroy them that speake lies Prou. 19. A false witnesse shall not he vnpunished and he that speaketh lies shall perish For God destroyeth them either with a temporall death as Ananias and Sapphirâ— because they had lied were stricken dead Act. 5. or with eternall for who so euer loue or make lies shall be excluded out of the heauenly Ierusalem and shall haue their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Ninthly and lastly seeing the holy ghost hath reckoned Truth among the markes of Gods children it behoueth vs as we desire to haue any assurance that we belong vnto the Lord or shall dwell with him in the mountaine of his holinesse so to loue and embrace the truth and to detest and abhorre falshood And thus haue we shewed in generall that lying is wicked and detestable and that the truth is to bee loued and embraced of all those who would be held citisens of heauen But here are two questions to be decided of vs. First Whether it be lawfull for a Christian man at any time to lie Secondly Whether he be bound alwayes to professe the truth and how farre forth As touching the former we are to hold a distinction of lics or vntruths for an vntruth is either vnproperly so called or properly that is vnproperly called an vntruth which being true in sence is false onely in shew of words as figuratiue speeches and fabulous parables the lawfulnesse where of is warranted by the vse of speech in the Scriptures for howsoeuer if we respect the sound of the words they seeme to containe some falshood yet if we regard the sence and meaning of the speaker as it is fit we should they expresse the truth either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more significantly or more profitably More significantly as figuratiue speeches especially such as we call Hyperbolae where of there are some examples in the Scriptures As when the holy ghost would signifie a very great or innumerable multitude he vseth to compare it with the sand of the sea And likewise Iohn the Euangelist when he would signifie that Christ our Sauior did work very many or rather innumerable miracles and other acts worthy to be registred he sayth That if euery one of them should be set downe in writing he supposeth that the whole world could not contain the books that should be written And as for fabulous parables they hide not the truth but more profitably lay it foorth that it may be more clearely discerned and more sincerely acknowledged for the truth is more clearely discerned when as by a fit sâ—â—ilitude for such these parables are it is illustrated And it is more sincerely and vnpartially acknowledged when the person of whom it is meant is withdrawne For better doe men comprehend vnder the person of another what is to bee thought of themselues examples hereof see 2. Sam. 12. 1. Mat. 21. 33. 41. Iudg. 9. 7. 2. King 14. 9. and 2. Chron. 25. 18. 19. A lie or vntruth so properly called is such a speech as in sence and meaning at the least is false And such an vntruth is deliuered either for no cause at all as that which is called merum mendacium a meere lie or else for some purpose The meere lie is that which is vttered neither with a desire to hurt nor purpose to helpe any but onely in a vanitie and pleasure taken in lying Which sheweth our notable vanitie and pronenesse to lying that many are delighted therewith for it selfe But this vanitie especially sheweth it selfe in those persons who in all their speeches almost loue to tell of strange and wonderfull things And of this kind of lie there can be no question but that it is vnlawfull The lie which is told for some cause is either to hurt some man or to pleasure him That which is told to hurt any body it is called mendacium perniciosum a pernicious or hurtfull lie neither can there be any controuersie but that this is wicked and diuellish The lie which is told to pleasure any is either mendacium iocosum the merry lie or officiosum the lie for aduantage And of these two sorts is all the controuersie For there are which thinke these lies either to be no sinnes at all or else not mortall sinnes because they seeme to them not to breake that commaundement wherein lies are forbidden For these lies say they are not spoken against our neighbor but rather for him namely either to delight him as the jeasting lie or to helpe him as the officious lie I answere that the ninth commaundement whereof they speake is generally to be vnderstood for first vnder false testimonie we are to vnderstand all false speech concerning our neighbour and not onely false speech but also all vaine talke For the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth both As also the other word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is vsed in the third commaundement And in the fift of Deuteronomie where the law is repeated Moses in the ninth commaundement in stead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 putteth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that wee may vnderstand not onely false speech to be forbidden but also that which
vnfaithfull shall be excluded but so many as beleeue shall enter into that rest And as Iosua who also is called Iesus brought the Israelites into that rest so Christ the true Iesus and Sauiour of his people bringeth all those that beleeue in him into this eternall rest For he not onely died that hee might purchase by his bloud this rest for vs and ascended into heauen to prepare eternall mansions for vs but also when wee are to leaue this earthly Tabernacle of our bodies he sendeth his holy Angels to conuey our soules into the bosome of Abraham and to place them in this mountaine of God By that which hath beene said wee see what difference there is betwixt the Church militant on earth and triumphant in heauen For this is a Tabernacle of warre that a mountaine of peace In this we sojourne for a time as pilgrims from God or as the Apostle speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that being remooued from the bodie we dwell with God or as the same Apostle speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here is trouble there is ease here is the valley of teares there is the kingdom of happines glory here is the combat and fight there is quiet perpetual rest here we are in our way there in our countrey Hitherto we haue spoken of the parts of this questiō seuerally now we are in a word to intreat of thē ioyntly together For both parts are to be vnderstood of one the same party or subiect out of which cōiunctiō we gather two things the first that those which shall dwell in the holy mountain do first sojourne in Gods Tabernacle the second that those which do here sojourne in the Tabernacle of God shal also rest in the mountain of his holines The former serueth for our instruction teaching vs that none shal be mēbers of the Church triumphant but those which haue bin mēbers of the Church militāt none shal be heires of heauē but those that haue bin pilgrims on earth All men desire to rest in the holy mountain of God but how few behaue thēselues as pilgrims in his Tabernacle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Basil such men are geason all desire with Balaam to die the death of the righteous but few do care to lead the life of the iust all desire glory but few do care for grace al are desirous of the end which is saluatiō but few are careful of the subordinat means The latter serueth for our consolation assuring vs that all the true mēbers of the Church militant shall be members of the Church triumphant that all the children of God as all the faithfull are be also heires of eternall life that those which are obedient subiects in the kingdome of grace shall be inheritors of the kingdome of glory that those who are pilgrimes on earth shall be citisens of heauen For this is the priuiledge of a true Christian noted in the end of the Psalme that being once in the state of grace he shall neuer be vtterly remoued Herein therefore the faithfull may solace themselues that although they are despised and abused in the world yet they are heires of eternall life and citizens of the kingdome of heauen And so much of the parts of the question now we are to consider of the party to whom it is propounded For as touching this most weightie question the Psalmist consulteth with the Lord the collector of his Church and the giuer of eternall life And there may two reasons be giuen why in this question he appealeth vnto the Lord. First because in determining this question we are not to stand to the iudgement of men but of God onely For mens iudgement whether they deliuer their opinion concerning others is very vncertaine or touching themselues it is many times deceitfull For as touching themselues how many are there especially in the Church of Rome who boast of the name of the Church and in comparison of themselues contemne all others as heretiques or schismatiques because they presume that they are in the Catholique Church obseruing the rites of their Church and beleeuing as their Church beleeueth when as in truth they are members of Antichrist and nothing lesse than the true members of the Catholicke and inuisible Church of Christ. And therefore no maruell if many who liue in the face of the true Church do falsly iudge themselues to be sound members of the same Neither are we to stand to mens iudgement concerning others For the iudgement of the vngodly is corrupt and of the godly vncertaine The wicked iudge the true members of the Church indeed to be the scum of the world and off-scouring of all things them they hate contemne persecute excommunicate either as impious or as hereticall euen as our Sauiour Christ hath foretold They shall excommunicate you yea the time shall come that whosoeuer killeth you will thinke that he doth God good seruice The world doth loue her owne but hateth those which are Christs as our Sauiour sayth the world hateth them because they are not of the world euen as I am not of the world And againe if the world hateth you know that it hated me first if you were of the world assuredly the world would loue her owne But now because you are not of the world but I haue chosen you out of the world therefore the world doth hate you But the iudgement also of the godly concerning others is vncertaine For there is a twofold iudgement the judgement of Charitie Certaintie By the iudgement of Charitie◠the faithfull judge euery professed member of the visible Church when they speake of the particular persons to be a member of the inuisible elected called justified sanctified howbeit they know in generall that many are in the Church which be not of it and that many be called but few are chosen The judgement of Certaintie appertaineth only to God who onely is the searcher of the heart As the Prophet Ieremie sayth The heart is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things who can know it I the Lord search the heart and trie the reines that I may giue to euery man according to his wayes and according to the fruit of his workes Seeing therefore wee are to stand to the judgement of God and not of men let vs labour to approoue our selues not to men but to the Lord who trieth the heart Secondly the Prophet deuolueth this question to Gods judgement that we may vnderstand the answere which ensueth to be without exception as being the aunswere not of man but of God who best knoweth who are his who also in the end of the world shall separate the sheepe from the goates Whe◠〈…〉 let no man deceiue himselfe any longer either 〈…〉 title of the Church or with a faire shew of an outward profession c. but let him know this for a certaine truth as it were from the Oracle
the true members of the Church which shall remaine shall not speake lies neither shall a deceitfull tongue bee found in their mouth And Prou. 13. A righteous man hateth lying words but a wicked man is so addicted vnto lying that he stinketh as it were and is confounded And whereas it is said in the end of the Psalme He that doth these things shall neuer be remooued The same is testified by Salomon Pro. 12. The lip of truth meaning thereby the man which speaketh the truth shall be established for euer And whereas in the beginning of the Psalme it is promised that he shal rest in the mountaine of Gods holinesse the same we read performed Apoc. 14. where it is said of those 144000 in whose mouth was found no guile that they were redeemed from among men being the first fruits vnto God and the lambe But it will be obiected that euery man is a lyar according to that of the Apostle Let God be true and euery man a lyar If therefore none shall dwell in the holy mountaine of God but such as are speakers of the truth who then shall be saued I answere that no man indeed vpon the earth may be said to be so perfectly true but that sometimes he faileth of infirmitie so farre hath the father of lies the diuell infected vs with his falshood But that if we aspire and contend towards that perfection embracing and louing the truth detesting and abhorring lies and haue a setled purpose and vnfained resolution to obserue the truth in all things so farre as God shall enable vs assuredly howsoeuer we may sometimes faile of infirmitie as Sara once did and Peter also through feare notwithstanding our infirmities being pardoned through and for the perfect obedience of Christ and our leasings couered with his veritie who is the truth the Lord will accept of vs in his fonne as those which speake the truth in their heart because the true desire and purpose of our heart is alwayes to obserue the truth For we must distinguish betwixt those who hating falshood doe sometimes though seldome fall thereinto and those which haue got a custome and habit of lying and are delighted with vntruth for the former may be verified of the faithfull but the latter cannot The vse which we are to make of this doctrine is this That seeing the truth of our speech is a matter of so great weight and consequence as that the holy ghost in this place hath set it downe as one of the marks of Gods children we are to be stirred vp to embrace the truth and to abhorre lies And to this purpose let vs in the first place consider that whereas the facultie of speech is of so great vse in our life as that without it wee should seeme to liue like beasts notwithstanding all this vse of our speech dependeth vpon the truth thereof For take away truth from the speech of men and it were better men should bee dumbe than able to speake Of truth therefore there is great necessitie not onely in religion for without the knowledge of the truth wee cannot attaine to saluation but also in our whole life Lying contrariwise peruerteth the vse of speech and maketh it not onely vnprofitable but hurtfull also it taketh away faith from among men and in a manner dissolueth humane societies which without mutuall contracts and negotiations wherein truth doth rule cannot be maintained c. Secondly whereas God is truth and the authour of all truth and contrariwise the diuell is a lyar and the father of lies let vs consider whose image it behooueth vs to represent for his children we are whose image we do bear the wit the children of God if we be speakers of the truth the children of the diuell if we be lyars Thirdly as there be two fathers of those which speake truly God and of lyars the diuell so there are two kingdomes whereunto all appertaine the kingdome of light and the kingdome of darkenesse The language or dialect of the former is truth of the latter lying If therefore thou wouldest know to whether kingdome thou doest appertaine thou mayest know by thy language Fourthly by the profession of the truth as our brother is profited so is Gods glory aduaunced but by lying wee sinne not onely against our neighbour but also against God Fiftly for those causes Truth in the Scripture is commended vnto vs and commaunded but vntruth is forbidden and condemned Wherefore saith the Apostle cast off lying and speake euery man the truth vnto his neighbour for we are members one of another Where the Apostle vseth two reasons first because we are renewed in the holinesse and righteousnesse of truth according to the image of God that we may be true as he is true Secondly because we are members of the same body and therefore ought to maintain truth among our selues But especially in the ninth commaundement is truth commanded and all falshood forbidden But it may be you desire testimonies of either seuerally As of truth commaunded Zachar. 8. These are the things that you shall doe Speake yee euery man the truth vnto his neighbour execute iudgement truly and vprightly in your gates And againe Therefore loue the truth and peâ—ce Of falshood forbidden Exod. 23. Thou shalt keepe thee farre â— verbo mendacâ— from a lying word Leu. 19. Ye shall not steale nor deale falsely nor lie one vnto another Where theft and lying as they vse to goe together so are they joyned as companions and hard it is to say whether is the worse sinne A lie sayth a wise man is a wicked shame in a man yet is it oft in the moâ—th of the vnwise A theefe is better than a man that is accuâ—tomed to lie but they both shall haue deâ—truction to heritage The conditions of lyars are vnhonest and their shame is euer with them And hereunto let vs adde that prohibition of the Apostle Col. 3. Lie not one to another hauing put off the old man with his practises and put on the new c. Sixtly as God doth loue the truth as being himselfe not onely true but truth it selfe so he abhorreth lying as one of the things which he especially hateth Seuenthly And hereunto accordeth the judgement also of all ingenious men euen among the heathen and others who commend truth as a most excellent vertue as a most sacred possession as the Sunne in the world as that one thing wherein men may become most like vnto God Wherefore Pythagoras being demaunded What that was in doing whereof men might especially be like vnto God answered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If they speake the truth And therefore another sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is alwaies best to speake the truth Contrariwise they condemne lying as a most foule and shamefull vice and vnworthy an honestman To lie sayth one is a base thing but truth is noble And
the lesse if it be his owne than the greater if it be anothers For although manslaughter be a more grieuous sinne than theft yet it is worse to steale than to be killed Secondly he thatlyeth that he may not be forced to whordome or some other sinne to auoid an vncertaine sin he runneth into a certaine Thirdly neither may they be sayd to commit sinne vpon whom whordome is enforced against their will for they do but receiue wrong whereas the others which enforce them do commit the sin Neither is whordome which is enforced vpon another against their will in respect of the sufferer a corruption but a vexation For the mind remaining vncorrupt the body is not corrupted Who therefore seeth not whether a man ought rather to auoid the permission and suffering of another mans sinne which he cannot hinder or the doing of his owne 4. But what if by my lie I may further the saluation of my brother may I not lye in that case as for exāple of an hereticke to make a true Christian and to reclaime a heathen man from paganisme to Christianitie Neither may we lie in this case as Augustine proueth at large for when as the Priscillianists who were a pernicious sect of heretiks did so cloke their heresie that they could hardly be discouered diuerse professors of the truth faining themselues to be Priscillianists denied the true faith that they might insinuat themselues into the company of the Priscillianists that so they might be discouered and reclaimed to the profession of the truth This fact of theirs Augustine condemneth Neither doubteth he to affirme that the professors of the truth that they might discouer the heretickes did lie more perniciously or at lest more dangerously than the heretickes did lie in couering their heresie from them And againe farre be it from a Christian saith he that he should deny and blaspheme Christ to the end that he might make another man a Christian Et percando quarrat inueniendum quemsi tale doceat perdat inuentum And by casting away himselfe seeke to find another whom being found be shall also if he teach him such doctrine cast away For if this once be granted That it is lawful to lie for thy neighbours good yea for his saluation all faith will be abolished for thou shalt not bee able to say any thing wherein he may not thinke that thou doest lye for his good And that it is not lawfull to lie for the saluation of men hereby it is euident Because we may not lie for Gods cause Iob. 13 For whosoeuer will lye for God he shall be found guilty of false witnesse against God And thus it appeareth that we may lye for no cause 1. And that we may abide firme and resolute in this truth let vs first hold this as a firme principle in Diuinity We may not do cuill that good may come thereof For those that say we may their damnation is just But to lye is to doe euill as hath bene proued therefore we may not lye that good may come thereof Yea but say they actions are to be esteemed according to their end Therefore to lye to a good end is good That is true in things which be in their owne nature indifferent but lying is in it owne nature euill and vnjust 2. We are to consider that we are not to lye for our owne life or safety otherwise Peter had not offended when being in feare of his life he lied saying that he knew not Christ and therefore we are not to lye for the life or safety of another 3. Euery lie is pernicious if not to the neighbour yet to the speaker For euery lie is cōtrary to the vertue of truth and therfore is a lye contrary to the law therfore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sinne or transgression of the law and euery transgression of the law maketh vs subject to the cursse of the law Therefore the lye which in respect of the neighbor is officious in respect of the speaker is pernicious Therefore no lie is lawfull What then will you say is the truth alwayes to be professed 2. That is the other question Whereunto I answer That the truth is neuer to be denied that an vntruth is neuer to be affirmed and yet notwithstanding the truth is not alwayes to be professed For the profession of the truth is sometimes necessary sometimes free and in our owne choice sometimes vnseasonable Necessary when as the consideration of Gods glorie our neighbors good or our owne duty requireth it at our hands As first in causes spirituall when a man is called to an account of his faith and religion for then the Christian Apologie and constant profession of the faith is necessary 1. Pet. 3. 15 Be ready alwayes to giue an answer to euery man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you For as with the heart we beleeue vnto righteousnesse so with the mouth we confesse vnto saluation He that confesseth me saith Christ before men him will I confesse also before my father which is in heauen But whosoeuer shall deny me before men him will I also deny before my father which is in heauen In causes ciuile as in the place of judgement when as a man is lawfully called as a witnesse to testifie the truth For then as we are forbidden to beare false witnesse so are we commanded to beare witnesse to the truth The profession of the truth is vnseasonable when as there being no necessity of vttering it in respect either of Gods glory our neighbors good or our owne duty it is joyned with our own or our neighbours danger or harme for then the truth may yea must be concealed either in whole or in part It is free and in our owne choice when it is neither necessary nor vnseasonable for then we may either professe it or conceale it And herein as in all other Christs action must be our instruction For whē as he was conuented before the Priests and Pharisies whom he perceiued to offend of prepenced malice he would answer nothing to their demands lest he should seeme to cast holy things before dogs or pearles before swine which would not onely trample the truth vnder their feet but also persecute the professor thereof But before Pontius Pilat he is said to haue witnessed a good confession For not onely he confessed himselfe to be the King of the Iewes but also made this profession For this cause am I borne and for this cause came I into the world that I should beare witnesse vnto the truth c. Againe when the Priests questioned with him concerning his doctrine he sendeth them to his hearers For it was against all equity that he should accuse himselfe But when the high Priests adjured him that he should plainely tell whether he was the sonne of God or not then although the profession of the truth were ioyned with manifest danger