A Treatise Against Lying, Treatise · Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
Objections in defence of officious Lyes, propounded and anſwered.
ANd thus have I fully prooved that §. 1. The objection, that officious lyes are not againſt charity anſwered.no lyes though never ſo officious to God or men, may bee lawfully uſed; the which being clearely underſtood and well weighed, it will bee eaſie to anſwere all objections which are uſually made by the Authors of them; whether they be grounded on ſeeming reaſons, or on the examples of the faithfull who have ſometimes uſed them. Concerning the former; It is firſt objected, that theſe officious lyes are lawfull, becauſe they are not againſt charity which is the end and ſumme of the Law; but they advance our neighbours good, at which we ſhould aime in all our words and actions, and doe not offend againſt humane ſocieties, but rather preſerve them, ſeeing thereby men are kept ſafe and freed from dangers. So the Apoſtle ſaith, that the end of the Commandement is Charity: 1 Tim. 1. 5. Rom. 13. 8. Matth. 22. 37.and hee that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law. I anſwere, If wee take Charity in a generall ſenſe, it is the ſumme of the whole Law, as our Saviour maketh it, and includeth both all duties towards God required in the firſt Table, and towards our neighbours commanded in the ſecond; in both which we are injoyned that our love ſhould bee in truth. For firſt, God requireth that wee ſhould John 4. 24. Pſal. 51. 17.worſhip him in ſpirit and in truth, and in all his Service Hee requireth Truth in the inward partes, without Pſal. 17. 1. Jer. 3. 10. Eſay. 29. 13.which all religious duties are odious unto him; for hee abhorreth ſuch prayers as are made with fained lippes; and if there be a diſtance betweene our tongues and our hearts when wee draw nigh unto him, our prayers will be rejected and reproved. So alſo our love towards our neighbours, muſt bee joyned with Truth; for Charity rejoyceth in the Truth, as the Apoſtle teacheth us, even as 1 Cor. 13. 6.the Truth rejoyceth in Charity, and therefore as we muſt ſpeake the Truth in Love, ſo wee muſt love in the Truth, ſeeing neither are ſincere and right, if either of them be divided from the other. And if our Charity bee racked by importunity of our neighbours to ſpeake a lye in their behalfe, wee muſt ſay with the Apoſtle, that wee can doe nothing 2 Cor. 13. 8.againſt the Truth, but for the Truth. For though carnall love may thus ſtretch it ſelfe beyond the bounds of Truth and Juſtice, yet Chriſtian Charity will never goe alone, but delights in the company of theſe and all other vertues. And even the Heathen themſelves, who had no other guide but the light of nature, limitted their love and friendſhip with their Piety and Truth; and therefore, though they would goe farre with their friends in the way of amity, yet no further than would ſtand with Piety; to which that proverbe tended, uſque foreign.ad aras, your friend in what I lawfully may, but yet no further than the Altar. And that other, Plato is my friend, and Socrates my friend alſo, but foreign. Ariſtot.Truth is a greater friend than both. And the Philoſopher ſaith, that it is a pious thing even among friends, to honor and eſteeme highly of the Truth, beſides Chriſtian charity requireth not that wee ſhould hurt our ſelves to helpe another, or to deſtroy our owne ſoules, by wilfull ſinning, that wee may preſerve our neighbours body or ſtate from deſtruction. For it is ſaid, that the Lord will destroy Pſal. 5. 6.them that ſpeake leaſings.
Secondly, it is objected that it is a good and §. 2. The objection of doing good by lyes anſwered.commendable thing to doe good, to preſerve life, and deliver from danger; but this is done by an officious lye. I anſwere, it is good and commendable to doe good by good and lawfull meanes, and to compaſſe our laudable ends by ſuch meanes as are lawfull and commendable; but it is not ſo, if we uſe ſinnefull meanes, though our ends be never ſo excellent; for wee may not doe any evill, that good Rom. 3. 8.may come thereof. Now lyes in all kindes are evill, becauſe they are contrary to the truth, and forbidden by Gods Law, as before I have ſhewed. Neither is any lye (as Saint Augustine ſaith) to be reputed Enchirid. ad Laurentium. cap. 22.no ſinne, becauſe by lying wee may ſometimes profit another; for ſo wee may doe alſo by ſtealing, if a poore man to whom what wee ſteale is openly given, doe feele the profit of it, and the rich man from whom wee ſecretly take it doe not feele the diſprofit of it. And yet for all this no man will ſay that theft is no ſinne. Yea ſo we may profit by committing adultery; if a woman out of deſperate luſt will dye unleſſe wee conſent unto her, ſeeing though ſhe have played the harlot, yet if ſhee live, ſhee may repent of it; and yet no man will ſay that we doe not ſinne if wee commit upon theſe tearmes ſuch an act of filthineſſe. Now if Chaſtity doth deſervedly ſo much pleaſe us, wherein I pray you hath truth offended us, that we may not for another mans profit violate that by committing adultery, and yet may violate this by telling of lyes?
Thirdly, it is objected, that an officious lye commeth not under the definition of a lye, ſeeing he §. 3. The objection that an officious lye commeth not under the definition of a lye, anſwered.that uſeth it hath no love to lying nor delight in it, neither is it his minde or deſire to deceive or hurt, but to doe good and benefit his neighbour. I anſwere, that it is a lye to ſpeake an untruth contrary to that which we know and conceive in our mind, whether we love and will it with delight, or diſlike and loath it; or whether it deceiue and hurt our neighbour, or delight and benefit him. For though we doe not abſolutely will it, yet wee doe conditionally and accidentally, that we may attain unto our end. And though wee doe not deceive our neighbour to the hurt of his perſon, or the hinderance of his eſtate, yet wee deceive him by miſleading his minde and miſinforming his judgement, cauſing him to fall into errour, and to imbrace falſehood in the ſtead of truth. Beſides truth it ſelfe is violated, whilſt it is diſ-throned, and untruth which is oppoſite unto it, is ſet up in its place. But hereby wee doe moſt of all deceive and hurt our ſelves, whileſt by ſinning to benefit our neighbour in his corporall and temporall eſtate, wee indanger our ſoules to everlaſting perdition. And whereas it may be objected, that it is no ſinne nor breach of Gods Law, which onelyonly forbiddeth ſuch untruths as are againſt, & not for the good of our neighbours: to this I have before fully anſwered, and therefore need not here to inſiſt further on it.
Finally, it is objected that wee have many examples §. 4. The objection taken from examples of the faithfull in the Scriptures, anſwered.of the faithfull in the Scriptures, who upon ſeverall occaſions have uſed officious lyes to free themſelves and others out of great and imminent dangers. To which I firſt generally anſwere, that theſe examples are recorded, but not approoved, or if in ſome reſpects allowed or commended, yet not for their lyes, but for their love of juſtice and mercy, their aime at Gods glory or their owne and others good; their pious affections to vertue and goodneſſe, and their readineſſe to advance religious and honeſt actions. Neither are their lyes propounded as patternes and precedents for our imitation, but as examples of humane frailty, that they may ſerve as Sea markes to make us ſhunne theſe rockes, when by like tempeſts of tentation we are in danger to fall upon them. For howſoever they were Gods great worthies, and had attained to a great meaſure of grace and goodnes, yet they were but in part ſanctified, having ſtill infirmities and corruptiōs in part remaining in them, as it were little ſpots and blemiſhes in beautifull bodies. And therefore wee muſt live, not by examples, but by precepts, or at leaſt imitate them only ſo far as they follow the rule of Gods word, and make them our patternes in their vertuous actions, and not in their frailties and aberrations; according to that of the 1 Cor. 11. 1.Apoſtle; be ye followers of me, even as I alſo am of Chriſt.
But let us deſcend to ſome particulars. And firſt §. 5. The example of Abraham, objected.the example of Abraham is objected, who called Sarah his ſiſter to preſerve his life from danger. But I have ſhewed before that this was Abrahams infirmity through feare of death, and wee muſt follow Abrahams example in his faith, and not in his frailties and failings. Againe, the example of Abraham is objected ſaying to his yong men: Abide you here with the Aſſe, and I and the lad will goe yonder Gen. 22. 5.and worſhip, and come againe to you, whereas it was his reſolution to ſacrifice his ſonne. To which I anſwere with Saint Augustine, that Abraham was a Prophet, and might ſpeake this as a Propheticall prediction, not directed with his owne reaſon, but by the inſtinct and motion of the Spirit, who knew what would be the iſſue of his action: or he might ſpeake this out of the confidence of his faith, perſwading himſelfe that though he ſacrificed and killed his ſon, yet God was able to reſtore him againe to life, and would aſſuredly doe it as being both gracious, and alſo true in that ſpeciall promiſe, that he would give him Iſaac, and that in his ſeede all the Nations of the earth ſhould be bleſſed. And to this I rather incline, becauſe I have my warrant from the words of the Apoſtle, who ſaith, that Abraham Heb. 11. 17, 18, 19.by faith when he was tried offered up Iſaac, and hee that had received the promiſe offered up his onelyonly begotten ſonne, of whom it was ſaid, that in Iſaac ſhall thy ſeede be called: accounting that God was able to raiſe him up even from the dead, from whence alſo he received him in a figure.
Secondly, the example of the Egyptian midwives §. 6. The example of the Egyptian Midwives objected and anſwered.is objected, who by an officious ly preſerved the yong children of the Iſraelites from that bloody ſlaughter intended and commanded by Pharaoh. To which I anſwere, firſt, that it doth not manifeſtly appeare that they lyed, and where things or ſpeeches are doubtfull, charity will have us to take them in the beſt ſenſe. It may bee that the Iſraelitiſh women having ſpeciall ſtrength and aſſiſtance from God, that they might eſcape the Kings inhumane decree, concerning the death of their children, were delivered in their travell before the Midwives comming, having alſo ſome helpe one of another; a thing to bee beleeved without any great difficulty by the Iriſh-women, and thoſe that converſe with them and know their manners, who have experience of their eaſie labour, quicke diſpatch, and ſpeedy recovery. And it is likely that in their caſe they would put themſelves to the uttermoſt of their ſtrength, though it were with ſome danger, to preſerve their Children. Neither is it improbable that the Egyptian Midwives out of their mercifull diſpoſition, faith and feare of God, did them all the favour that they could, by giving them ſecret notice of their comming, that they might have time to prevent the miſchiefe by hiding their Children, and when they came, by making a ſleight or no ſearch. But though it were granted that they lyed in their excuſe to Pharaoh, yet this will prove nothing, becauſe they are no precedents or patternes for us to immitate in their lying, ſeeing they might doe it through feare and infirmity. And whereas it may bee objected that their faith is commended and their worke rewarded by God; for it is ſaid, that Exod. 1. 20. 21.God dealt well with the Midwives, becauſe they feared God more than the King, and built them houſes. To this I anſwere, that their mercy, faith, and feare of God was acceptable, approved and rewarded, but not their lye; and therefore graciouſly looking upon the better part rather than the worſe, God pardoned and paſſed by their infirmity and fayling, and in his grace and mercy rewarded their faith and obedience. Even as hee is ſaid to have approved and proſpered divers of the good Kings of Judah, becauſe their hearts were upright in the maine points and parts of his Service, though they tooke not away the high places; not becauſe hee approoved their want of zeale, in purging the Church throughly from ſuperſtition, but becauſe delighting in their integrity hee paſſed by, and pardoned their failings and infirmities.
Much like unto this is the example of Rahab, §. 7. The example of Rahab objected and anſwered.hiding the Iſraelitiſh ſpies, and telling her Cittizens that they were departed. The which ſome would charitably excuſe, as though it were no lye, becauſe keping an Inne, ſome other of her gueſts might depart in the Evening, of whom ſhe might truly ſay, that they were gone. And I would willingly be as charitable as they, if there were any probability of truth. But it is not likely that the Citizens in ſuch a weighty buſineſſe, would make ſuch a ſleight inquiry, but that ſhee might eaſily underſtand after whom they inquired. Yea, it is manifeſt that ſhee knew thoſe whom ſhee had hid were the Men, or elſe to what purpoſe did ſhee hide them? And therefore, for her to ſay that they were departed, not meaning them after whom they inquired, but ſome other who in her owne knowledge were not the Men; what was it, but to equivocate and lye, ſeeing ſhee ſpoke not as the thing was, nor in that ſenſe as they asked, nor yet as ſhe deſired that they ſhould underſtand her; and that to this purpoſe, that ſhee might deceive and delude them. But what of all this? Is Rahabs example a priviledge againſt plaine precepts, and a fit patterne for us to immitate, who lately was an Harlot, an Innekeeper, having ſmall knowledge as yet of Gods Will, and now but a new convert, under a ſtrong tentation, and in a great conflict betweene feare and faith? Yea, but the Apoſtle Heb. 11. 31.commendeth her faith in this act, by which ſhee was preſerved from periſhing with the reſt. I anſwere, that ſhee was ſaved by her faith, and not by her lye; and becauſe beleeving Gods wonders done for the Iſraelites, and his Word revealed and expounded unto her by her Gueſts, ſhee had received them, concealed, diſmiſſed them, and preſerved their lives, with the hazzard of her owne; and not becauſe ſhee had in the manner of doing it, followed her owne device, which feare and not faith ſuggeſted, ſeeing ſhee had no warrant for it, out of GODS Word.