Common Places, Part 2 · Chapter 13 · Section 8
VVhether it be lawfull to lie, for preſeruing the life of our neighbour.
38 But there ariſeth a harder doubt; Looke In 2. Sam. 15, 33namelie, whether it be lawfull to make a lie, for the preſeruation of our neighbors life? Auguſtine, Auguſtine.De mendacio ad Conſentium, ſaith; If a man ſhuld be in great perill of death, and the ſame man ſhould alſo knowe, that his ſonne were in extreame danger; who happening to die, thou hauing knowledge thereof, if the father aſke thée; Dooth my ſonne liue? And thou art ſure that he alſo will die, if thou ſhew him that his ſonne is departed, what wouldeſt thou doo in this caſe? Whether thou ſaieſt, he liueth; or whether thou ſaieſt, I cannot tell: thou lieſt. But if ſo be thou anſwer that he is dead, all men will crie out vponupon thée, as though thou haddeſt committed man-ſlaughter; and as though thou, by thy heauie newes, haddeſt béene the occaſion of the death of this father, being ſicke, and lieng at the point of death. Auguſtine granteth that the caſe is hard; neither denieth he, but that (as a man) he ſhould be mooued; and perhaps it might ſo chance, that affections would not ſuffer him to ſpeake that, which is iuſt and right. But at the length he concludeth, that he ought not to lie.
And he addeth moreouer, that if thou knowe, that anie vnchaſt woman loueth thée inordinatelie, which alſo threateneth to kill hir ſelfe; A ſimilitude.yea and will doo it indéed, except thou aſſent to hir wicked luſts, whether herein thou oughteſt to commit anie ſhamefull things againſt chaſtitie? I thinke not. So likewiſe (ſaith he) thou oughteſt not to offend againſt the truth, for ſauing of thy neighbors life. And moreouer, what a windowe ſhould be opened vntounto lieng, if we ſhould determine to doo otherwiſe? For that, which one ſhould thinke to be lawfull in reſpect of life, another would iudge that he may doo the ſame for monie; another for eſtimation, or for defending of lands and poſſeſſions. And ſo it would come to paſſe, that there would be no meaſure nor end of lieng. We may not ſuffer (ſaith Auguſtine) that anie man ſhould kill his owne ſoule for the bodilie life of another man. No, nor that it is lawfull to lie for the ſaluation of anie mans ſoule. Euerie lie (ſaith Iohn) is not of GOD. But we ought not to ſpeake thoſe things, which are not of God.
We muſt not lie no not to ſaue a mans life.39 What if a man were ſought out of murtherers to be killed, and that thou kneweſt that the man lieth there hidden, where thou preſentlie art; and they demand of thée if thou knoweſt whether he be there or no? He anſwereth, that if thou be of a valiant courage, and as becommeth a chriſtian, thou muſt ſaie; Where he is I knowe, but I will not vtter it, doo you what ye will. Notwithſtanding, when the matter commeth to this point, that for the defenſe of anie mans life thou muſt make a lie: knowe thou, that thou oughteſt to commit the matter vntounto God, and that thou haſt no more there to doo. Either thou muſt anſwer, that thou wilt not betraie him, or elſe thou muſt hold thy peace. But by thy ſilence the murtherer will ſuſpect that he is in thy houſe, and then thou ſhalt ſéeme to hauehave giuen an occaſion of his apprehenſion. But in verie déed, thou haſt not giuen it; for thou canſt not lett him to thinke what he will. Wherefore, the matter muſt rather be committed vntounto God, than to make a lie. Howbeit, thou muſt temper thy words with ſingular conſideration; namelie, that thou ſpeake in ſuch ſort, as thou vtter not all, and yet ſpeake not falſelie. For in theſe caſes, I thinke it is not forbidden; naie, I rather thinke it moſt lawfull to ſpeake doubtfullie. And, as touching this queſtion, this is ſufficient.