A Treatise Against Lying, Treatise · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Whether any ſorts of Lyes are lawfull.
ANd thus having ſhewed the diverſe §. 1. Though ſome lyes are more ſinnefull▪ than others, yet all ſorts are unlawfull, and againſt the ninth Commandementſorts of lyes, it now followeth that we examine whether any of them at any time or upon any occaſion, bee lawfull and warrantable? And ſurely it cannot be denyed but that there is great difference in the degree of ſinfulneſſe betweene ſome ſorts of lyes and others; and that the guilt of merry and officious lyes is much extenuated by many circumſtances and conſiderations, by their nature, the will and deſire of the ſpeakers, who love and delight not in the lye for it ſelfe, but as they thinke it fitte to further ſome good end; and becauſe their end is not at all to hurt, nor principally to deceive, but to profit or delight their neighbours: Even as contrariwiſe the guilt of pernicious lies is much aggravated, becauſe they are moſt oppoſite to Truth, and thoſe that tell them doe it willingly with love and delight: And finally, becauſe their chiefe aime and end is to deceive, and by deceite to hurt and wrong their neighbours in their goods or good name, life or liberty. But though ſome lyes are lighter and of leſſe guilt than others, yet all in ſome degree are ſinnefull and unlawfull, as being forbidden in the ninth Commandement. For whereas ſome object that they are not condemned by this precept, becauſe it onelyonly forbiddeth ſuch untruths as are againſt our neighbour, whereas officious and merry lyes are not againſt, but for him, and for his good, even for his profit and delight; and offend not againſt charity, which is the ſumme of the Law. To this I anſwere, that all untruth is forbidden in this Commandement, whether it be for or againſt our neighbour; neither doth the Hebrew word Beth uſed here ſignifie only againſt, but alſo toward, or concerning, about or touching our neighbour: neither is hurt onelyonly forbidden, but alſo any falſhood and untruth by any meanes ſignified of, unto, or concerning our neighbour; for the word which is tranſlated bearing witneſſe, as if it were Legally, and before a Judge, ſignifieth in the originall, thou ſhalt not anſwere, which is as much in the Hebrew phraſe as thou ſhalt not ſay or cauſe to be ſaid, as appeareth in divers aProv. 15. 1. Matth. 11. 25. b Joh. 1. 7.places. And the word witneſſe, ſignifieth any manner of ſhewing any thing, and ſo it is taken in other Scriptures. So that the ſenſe of the Commandement, 1 Cor. 15. 15.extends further than the words outwardly portend: Neither doth it onelyonly forbid all falſe, but alſo all vaine and idle ſpeech, as merry lyes for the moſt part are; nor yet only lyes which are againſt our neighbour, but alſo ſuch as are for him, either for his delight as merry lyes, or for his profit and advantage, as thoſe lyes which wee call officious. And therefore, ſeeing all lyes are the tranſgreſſion of the Law, it followeth by the Apoſtle 1 Joh. 3. 4.Iohns definition that they are ſinnes; yea ſeeing every lye is a ſinne againſt a precept of the decalogue, it followeth that even by the opinion of the Schoolemen themſelves, who otherwiſe ſo much extenuate officious and merry lyes, they are mortall ſinnes, ſeeing veniall ſinnes (as they call them) are not committed Contra praecepta decalogi, ſed praeter ea; not againſt the Commandements, but beſides them. Againe, it is a ſinne againſt nature to lye in any kinde; becauſe words naturally are the ſignes and ſignifications of thoſe things which are in the minde; and therefore it is againſt nature to ſpeake or ſignifie any way that which the minde thinketh not. Finally in every lye though never ſo pleaſant or profitable, there is a loſſe of Truth, which is a vertue moſt acceptable unto God, and therefore the impeachment of it cannot be recompenced by our profit or delight.
But let us more particularly examine theſe divers §. 2. That merry Lyes are ſinfull and unlawfull.ſorts of lyes, and conſider how and in what meaſure and degree they are ſinfull and unlawfull. And firſt for pernicious lyes, there is no queſtion made by any, but that they are in a high degree ſinfull, as being againſt Trueth, Juſtice and Charitie, and wholly tend to Gods diſhonor, the hurt of our neighbors, and our own deſtruction and damnation, as I ſhall more fully ſhew hereafter. And therefore paſſing them over I will examine the other kinds. And firſt for merry lyes, it is cōmonly conceived, that if there bee no ſcurrility in them, they may paſſe as tolerable, becauſe they doe no hurt unto our ſelves or neighbours, but delight and recreate both; and they that tell them intend not to deceive their hearers; or but a while, that they may the more delight them. For either they are apparant in themſelves to be but jeſts and lyes by the groſſe abſurdities that are ſeene at the firſt view, or are diſcoverd to be ſo by the geſture and pronunciation. So that they are not much unlike unto Hyperboles or Ironies in reſpect of the outward forme and ſhew, ſaving that they differ in their end and uſe: ſeeing they are uſed to teach and expreſſe the Trueth in a Rhetoricall manner, but theſe onelyonly to delight the hearer. And of this minde Saint Augustine ſeemeth to have beene, Contra mendacium ad Conſentium. lib. 1. cap. 2.who thinketh that they can ſcarcely bee taken for lyes. Jeſts therefore (ſaith hee) are to be excepted which were never thought to be lyes, becauſe they have a moſt evident ſignification, by the pronunciation, or the diſpoſition of him that thus jeſteth; and procede from a minde not willing to deceive, although it uttereth not truthes. And ſurely there is ſaith Peter Martyr, but a litle of a lye in theſe merry tales, ſeeing though they willingly ſpeake that which is not true, yet the falſity is eaſily diſcerned and cannot deceive the hearer. But whether theſe merry tales or lyes ought to bee uſed by perfect men or ſtrict Chriſtians, S. Augustine doubteth in Chap. 3.that place, though he cleareth it in another, where he ſaith, that hee lyeth, who hath one thing in his minde, and uttereth another thing by his words or any other ſignification; the which the merry lyar alwayes doth. And though hee doth not deceive or hurt, this doth not cleare his tales from being lyes, but onelyonly ſheweth that they are not lyes of the worſt kinde, or ſuch as are pernicious, ſeeing he lyeth who doth ſpeake willingly otherwiſe than he thinketh. And as he ſpeaketh in another Contra mendacium ad Conſentium. lib. 1. cap. 11.place, Thoſe lyes are not to bee admitted, which although they doe not hurt another, yet they doe not profit any, and doe hurt themſelves with lyes gratis and for nothing; who properly Duo ſunt genera mendaciorum in quibus non magna culpa eſt, ſed tamen non ſunt ſine culpâ: cum aut jocamur, aut ut proximis proſimus mentimur. There are two ſorts of Lyes in which is no great fault, and yet they are not without fault, when we jest or lye to profit our neig…rs. Aug. in Pſal. 5. Tom. 8. Col. 27. Matth. 12. 36.are to bee called lyars. For there is this difference betweene one that telleth a lye and a lyar. For he telleth a lye who lyeth unwillingly; but a lyar loveth to lye, and hath a minde that delighteth in lying. And though ſuch lyes hurt not the hearer, yet they greatly hurt the lyars themſelves, becauſe in ſo lying they forſake the truth and delight in falſity, and chooſe rather to pleaſe men than to ſpeake the Truth. Againe theſe merry lyes are not onelyonly in their falſity oppoſite to Trueth, but are alſo vaine and idle ſpeeches; and our Saviour telleth us, that Wee must give an account at the day of judgement of every idle word. Yea Epaminondas though an Heathen, ſhall at this day riſe up in judgement againſt merry lyars, who was ſo ſtrict and ſevere in embracing Trueth, that hee would not allow a lye to bee ſpoken ſo much as by way of jeſt. Furthermore, if it bee unlawfull to tell officious lyes though they tend to our owne and others benefit, as wee ſhall ſhew hereafter, how much leſſe theſe merry lyes, which tend onelyonly to carnall delight? For if (as wee ought to bee) wee were ſpiritually minded, why ſhould wee rather take pleaſure to heare or ſpeake lyes, than to ſpeake and heare the Trueth? Moreover the Apoſtle requireth that We ſpeake the Trueth one to another, and put away lying, and that our ſpeech be alwayes with grace, ſeaſoned with Epheſ. 4. 25.ſalt, and tending to the uſe of edifying, that it may minister Col. 4. 6. Epheſ. 4. 29.grace to the hearers. Finally, if they were condemned who made the hearts of Kings and Princes glad with their lyes, who in reſpect of their great Hoſ. 7. 3.cares and ſerious ſtudies about their weighty affaires may bee allowed an over-meaſure of pleaſure and delight, how much more are they unlawfull, if they bee uſed to ordinary perſons, who ſtand in neede of ſuch meanes to glad and cheere their hearts?
Secondly, it may bee demanded whether it bee §. 3. Whether officious Lyes bee unlawfull.altogether unlawfull to tell officious lyes, ſeeing theſe in divers reſpects may ſeeme both juſtifiable and commendable; for he that telleth them hath no will ſimply to lye, but to doe good, nor delighteth in lying, but only as it conduceth to this end; neither hath hee any deſire to deceive or hurt his neighbour, but mainly aimeth at this end, that hee may benefit him by delivering him from ſome dangers, or free him from ſome great evill, which hee is not able to effect by any other meanes. To which I anſwere, that if it be a ſinne to lye, (as before I have ſhewed and ſhall more fully proove hereafter) becauſe it is oppoſite to truth, a vertue which is in high eſteeme with the God of Truth, and a direct breach of his Commandement, then it is unlawfull to lye out of a deſire to produce the greateſt good. For every ſinne is an offence againſt Gods infinite Majeſty, and therefore deſerveth an infinite and endleſſe puniſhment both in ſoule and Rom. 6. 23.body; from which we cannot be freed by all Men and Angels, ſeeing nothing can ſatisfie Gods Juſtice for it, but a price of an infinite value, which no finite creature could pay, but onelyonly the LORD JESUS CHRIST, God and Man, whoſe death and ſufferings were an All-ſufficient price for our redemption, in reſpect of the Dignity of the Perſon that thus ſuffered. Againe, if it bee a ſinne to lye, then we ought not voluntary to commit it for the effecting of the greateſt good, ſeeing the Scripture teacheth us, that wee may not doe evill that Rom. 3. 8.good may come thereof. And they alſo teach us that all lyes without exception or diſtinction are odious and abominable unto God, and that hee will destroy them that ſpeake leaſings. And what good Prov. 12. 22. & 6. 17, 19. Pſal. 5. 6.can any lyes procure that being put into the ballance, can countervaile all theſe evills? Finally, when wee lye out of hope to effect thereby any good, the ſinne committed is our owne, but the iſſue and effect is not in our power; for iſſues and future events are onelyonly in Gods hand, and therefore wee doe not know whether upon the ſinne committed the good will follow; yea rather wee have juſt cauſe to feare the contrary: for how can wee expect Gods bleſſing upon the uſe of the meanes which hee hath curſed? Eſpecially ſeeing in truſting unto our owne ſinnefull inventions, we diſtruſt his Power and Providence, as though he were not ſufficient without the helpe of our lye to effect our good ends and deſires, in freeing any from imminent evills, or preſerving them in the moſt deſperate dangers.