514 Chap.& Of Real Lyes by Simulation. Cocrt, yacob might truly fay to his Father lfaáë, that he was his eldefl fon,inone fence,vie, becaufe he bought his brothers birthright,thoughotherwife he were not.So our Saviour expounds that Prophetic of Malachy concerning Elias, Paying, that E_ Matth.tt.t4, lice was then come, meaning not Elias in his own perfon, but one in the power and fpirit of Elias. 4. When the thing is changed in circumllances, a man may go contrary to Gen. 19, 2. what he raid, and yet not be guilty of an untruth ; the Angels faid to Lot, they John 13.8. would not come in, but would lodge in theflreets : S. Peter (aid,Chritlhould nor reajb bú Coraa6,17 feet, and S. Paul promifed tacome to Corinth : and yet the Angels came and lodg_ ed in Lots houfe; Peter fuffered Chrift to walls his feet,and S.Paul didnot come; yet none of them were guiRy of a lye, becaufe the circumflances were changed. The Angels hadnot come in,if Lot hadnot importuned them,S. peter wouldnot have had his feet wattled , if he had not been better informed ; and Paul would have gone toCorinth ifSatan had not hindred him. All thefe fpeeches were to be underftood rebusfitflanti6us ; but not if there were an alteration in the circumfiances whichoften change moral actions ; befides that, thepromifes of a good man inmoral matters ought to be conditional. In thefecafes both the elder Church andtheft Schoolmen have refolved, there is nothing againft the truth. Meadacinm Having fpoken of mendaciumdidi, a lye in words, we are now to proceed to mendacieemfatli,a lye in our actions ; for as S. Augufline faith Nonrefert setrum lye in our ute ditto mentiatur, aut atlo it is all one to lye in our adtions,and in our words. anions. g s. truth is nothing elfe but an evennefs, or an equality,r.Between the thing in its nature,and the imagination we have of it in our heart,and ifthey be even, then there is veritas mentie, 2. Between the conceit we have in our minds, and the exprefïìonof it by our words or deeds. If the tongue and heart agree,then there is veritas oris,truth in our fpeech; and if our actions agree with both,then there is veritasfafli, truth in our actions : for that Fatlà,deeds or farts may be figns, as well as words, appears by that of our Saviour, when he faith, that men Matth.y.zo. .ulall be known by theirfruits, that is, by the actions , as figns of what is in their Matth. 12.38. hearts : and by that queftion of the Pharifees, who demandedofhim af:gn, that is, tome aft to teflifie his greatnefs and power as alto for that, as good is done to edification, andhurt to give offence bywords or precepts ; fo good or evil is done by fa& or example : for which caufe Godbath takenorder, that both by our deeds, and byour words, the truth fhould be confirmed; and that there of (sim&laticn. Ihouldnot beSimulato, dilfimulation, which is the vice wehere fpeak of, when men make thew by their actions of what theyare not. For if the Fatlum, the fad or deed, be nett commenfurate, or equal to the thought and heart, this is fimulation. Yetas we laid before, a man may conceal fome part of the truth inwords,and is not bound to utter all he knows ; fo here in his actions, he is not bound to fig nifieor declare all his mind,but that onlywhich without fincannot be kept clofe. ¡oG8 s. God himfelf was the Author of an ambuflament to 764:14, when he made Phew of flying before the men of Ai : So Chrift made as ifhe would bavegonefurther, in Lake Luke sot. 24,28. and did purpofe fo tohave done, if their intreaty had not flayed him,as Ga1.4.20, appears in the next Verse. So S. Paul wiffaed, That be were with the Galatians,ba- vinghis voicechanged, (that fo they might not know him) to the end that he might fee and try them the better. Here falls in, as a principal part of this fimulation or counterfeiting, the fin of Hypocrifie, which is an outward refemblance of Holinefs and Religion, when conii;cap: there is none in the heart ; but becaufe we have fpoken of this before ,we (hall pretermit it here. CHAP. L
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