The Young Mans Guide, Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. Of Lying, which is another Vice whereunto Young men are addicted.
VI. ANother Vice whereunto Young men are addicted is Lying, which doth usually accompany swearing; Therefore Hos. 4. 2. we find swearing and lying yoaked together. Common Swearers, I know, do ordinarily twit those who make Conscience of an Oath, that though they will not swear, yet they can lye. But sure we are, that they, who make no Conscience of an Oath, will make less Conscience of a lye: they who make no bones of dishonouring God by taking his name in vain, will make no bones of deceiving their Neighbour by a Lye.
In the opening this Vice, I shall shew you,
1. What a Lye is.
2. What be the kinds and sorts of Lyes.
3. The greatness and heynousness of the sin.
4. Some Motives and Arguments against it.
I. For the first, A Lye is a deceitful expression of ones mind against his mind. Or▪ It is à speaking an untruth wittingly and willingly, with a purpose to deceive.
II. For the sorts or kinds of Lyes, They are commonly three, viz. An Officious. A Sporting. And a Pernicious Lye.
An Officious Lye, is that which is intended to prevent some danger, or procure some good, either to our selves or neighbour. Many of these are mentioned in Scripture, as the Midwives of Aegypts Lye, Exod. 1. 19. Rahabs Lye, Iosh. 2. 4. Michaels Lye, 1 Sam. 19. 14.
A Sporting Lye, or a Lye in jest, is that which is made meerly to make one merry, to pass away time, with the like; such are old Wives tales of Robbin-hood, Fortunatus, and the like.
A Pernicious Lye, is that which is made for some evil, hurtful, and dangerous intent against our Neighbour.
Q. Are all these kind of Lyes sinful?
A. Yea.
1. For the last none can doubt. It's a sin against truth in the general nature of it. And a sin against love and mercy in the end and intent thereof.
2. For the second, namely a Sporting Lye, no great doubt is made; for to say the least of it, besides that it is a sin against truth, it is also an unwarrantable, and an idle mispending of precious time, which ought rather to be redeemed.
3. For the third, namely an Officious Lye, though some make doubt thereof, yet it appears to be sinful, and unlawful.
1. The Scripture maketh no difference or distinction of a Lye when it condemns it: but indefinitly, and generally forbids, and condemns all manner of Lying, therefore the Officious Lye is a sin.
2. That which is committed against God, though it make never so much for man, is sin. But every Lye is committed against him; for in every thing we do, we have to deal with God, and must approve all our actions to him; therefore before him to say any thing with our Tongue, which in our Consciences we know to be otherwise, is to sin against God, who is a God of truth.
3. Men may not Lye for God, much less for a man, Isa. 61. 8. I hate Robbery for Burnt-Offering; and he that hates to be served by Theft, does as much hate to be served by a Lye.
Obj. Many Saints, and holy servants of God have used 'this Officious Lye, as Rebecca, and Iacob, Gen. 27. 18, 19. Abraham, Gen. 20. 2.
A. The best have their sins, and we are to follow their Vertues, and to fear their faults. Their faults were never recorded for our imitation, but for our Caution.
Obj. Yea but God commendeth and rewarded many for their Officious Lye.
A. It is not so. God never commended, nor rewarded any for their Lye; Indeed many did excellent works by this means, (which had yet been better had they not used a Lye) as Rahah, the Aegyptian Midwives, and others. In their works they gave great testimony of their faith, though in their Lye of their frailty. Now it was their faith which God commended, and the things they did, not the manner of doing them, for therein they failed, and God was merciful to them. So much for the several kinds of Lyes.
III. For the third particular, namely The greatness and heinousness of this sin of Lying. Surely of sins that are lightly accounted of in the World, and commonly committed, it's one of the most heinous, which appeareth.
1. In that it is so full of infamy, that such as make no Conscience of any sin, yet cannot endure to be charged with a Lye.
2. It tends to the utter overthrow of humane Society. For what comfortable Society, or commerce can there be, where men regard not what they say? How shall a man know what to look for, or what to trust to, unless men speak the truth one to another? He that uses to Lye, how can he be believed when he speaks truth?
3. Lyars in Scripture are reckoned amongst Murtherers, Idolaters, and other heinous sinners, whose lot and portion, without true and unfeigned Repentance, will be hell-fire to all eternity, Rev. 21. 8. But the Fearful and Unbelivers, and Murtherers, and whore-mongers, and Sorcerers, and Idolaters, and all Lyars, shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.
1. The heinousness of Lying appeareth, in that it is a sin against knowledge and Conscience. It cannot be committed ignorantly, but against knowledge, and consequently against Conscience, if it be not past feeling.
5. The heinousness of this sin appears in that it is ordinarily an aggravation of other sins It is often made use of as a covering for sin. When men are faulty, a Lie must be contrived to conceal the matter. Thy Servant went no whither, said Gehazi, when he had been taking a Bribe. Let his Leprosie speak what advantage his Lye got him.
Dare to be true, nothing can need a Lye.
A Fault that needs it most, grows two thereby.
Herbert's Divine Poem.
O Young men, I appeal to your Consciences, whether you have not many wayes made your selves guilty of this most heinous, and odious sin of Lying, but especially in your buying, selling, and trading. Have you not oft-times said in selling your commodities, It is good, yea very good, and no better to be had for money, when you know it is naught? Have you not often said, That such a commodity stood you in so much, when as indeed it cost you far less? and that you were offered such and such a price for the same, when as in truth it was not so?
Motives or Arguments against the sin of Lying.
1. It is as expresly against the letter of the Law as any other sin. Read Lev. 19. 11. Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsly, neither lye one to another. And Col: 3. 9. Lye not one to another.
2. Lying is a mark of the Devils Children, Joh. 8. 44. Ye are of your Father the Devil—he abode not in the truth, because there is not truth in him. When he speaketh a lye, he speaketh of his own, for he is a Lyar and the Father of it. God is a God of truth, and his Children are Children that will not Lye, Isa. 63. 8. Satan is said, Act. 5. 3. To fill the heart to Lye. Why hath Satan filled thine heart to Lye to the Holy Ghost?
Speak Lyar, when thou speakest a Lye, whose Language is this? 'tis the Devils Mother-tongue: whenever thou hast a Lye in thy mouth, 'tis a sign the Devil is in thine heart. But whose Child art thou the while? none of Gods, he is the God of truth: 'tis sure thou art the Devils Child, for he is a Lyar, and the Father of it. O Friend, is it nothing to be the Devils Child? and to have thine own tongue proclaiming it? It will not be long, if thou use this trade, ere thou be carryed down to thy Fathers house, the place of Lyars, Rev. 21. 8.
3. Consider the reward of a Lyar even among men, which is not to be believed, when he speaks the truth. Common experience sheweth, that one being once found in a Lye, is hardly after believed, but is scorned as a man of no credit.
4. As this sin is hateful in it self unto God, so it makes the practisers thereof to be odious and abominable unto him. Prov. 6. 16. These things doth the Lord hate, yea, they are abomination unto him, A proud look, a lying tongue, &c. Though God hates and abhors all sin, yet some are more abominable unto him than others, amongst which Lying is one. And Prov. 12. 22. Lying lips are abomination to the Lord.
O Young men, how should the consideration of these things effectually prevail with you to keep a strict watch over your selves, that you break not forth into this sin of Lying, but as the Apostle exhorteth, Eph. 4. 25. Putting away lying speak every man truth with his Neighbour.
Obj. Some object, and say, There is no living, or at least, no thriving, without lying. To tye our selves alwayes to speak the truth, must needs be a great hinderance to our profit.
A. That profit thou gettest by Lying, will be little profitable unto thee. For thereby thou sellest thy Soul unto the Devil; and that is a miserable bargain, where the Soul is given in to boot for some trifling gain, which cannot be ransomed with the whole world. Men commonly think, that that gain is sweet, and comes easily in, that is gotten by lying: But alas, what sweetness or comfort can there be in that gain, that brings Gods Curse with it? Will thy gain (if it were the gaining of the whole World) be able to countervail the loss of Gods favour, and thine own Salvation?
O Young Man, think on these things: And whatever thy Trade be, have nothing to do with the Trade of Lying. Now that thou art setting up thy Trade, let not Lying, (which hath a great stock going in almost every Trade) have any thing in thine. Resolve to be true and honest; content thy self with righteous gains. But if thou wilt yet be a Lyar, never henceforth count that God, but the Devil is thy Father: and know, that though thou lye unto men, yet God will not lye unto thee: he that is true in his promises, will be true in his threatnings. God hath said, Lyars shall be shut out of his Kingdom, and shut up in the lake of fire: God will not lye unto thee. If this be thy practice, Hell will be thy place, and thy portion, as sure as God is true.