Tlie Evil of Lying. acafe the world were in if Godcould lye, and were not of undoubted truth: we lhould then he furt .of nothing ; and therefore could have no 'fure iffform.ttion by his ~ord; no fure dir~liion and g\lidance by his precept!; an~ no fureconfoJatioJt in any of his promifel• Therefore that l;Yhtch maketh us fo unlike to the true and holy God, mull needs be odious. , ~·.23• 5· Lying is the Image or rmk.. of the Devil, and Lyars are his Children in a fj>ccial fort: For · Chrifi relleth us that he abode net in the truth, for there iJ 110 truth in bim : w.hen he fpeakJth a lye he . . Jieak,tthof hir own: for heir a lyar, and the fathtr of lt, Joh. 8. 44· The Proud, the Maliciv~f. and' KJng. "· ' the LyarJ, are in a fpecial fort the Children of the Devil ; for thefc rluet: art: in Scripture in a fp:dal t'·OJb 1 .; manner made the Devils fins. Therefore furc ..there is an in~rinfical eVil a:nd odiou10efs in a lye. lr in; 1 fpir1c ~/ was Satan that filled the hearts of Anania< and Saphira to Ly~ to the Holy ,Ghofl, A/1. 5· 3• To change the mou·h,of the 'truthof G~d into a~t, and to m&l<.,t God a ly~r are therefore th~ mofl: odious fins, Rom. I. 2 5• I Joh. all his Pro5· 1 o. becaufc it is a feigning him to be like the Devil: And fl1ould we make our filver like him then ph~h· s by the fame vice? If you love not the D.evils fJ,ll and.jmage.\ love not~ ~ye. . . · . . . . :x, 1 ~0· 1 · §· 24• 6. Lying deftroyeth humane converfe 1 and brmgeth moll: pernJ<;lpUs c?nfufion mtQ t.hc _aff.urs of mankind. If Truth be c:;x:cluded men cannot buy and felt and rude and live together; It would It wu one o£ be [ufficient to detl:roy their rational converfe jf they had no tongues : But much more to have ft~/fe theRoman tonp,ne1: Silence opcneth not the mind at .all : Lying openeth it not when it prttCJJlittb to open it ; and Law_~; t•t a. falfly reprdCmcrh it to bewha.t it is not. And therefore though you fay, th_ar ynur L;•eJ do no [Hch ~~~~~~n~:m. hurt; yet feeing rhis is the nature and tendency of Lying as fuch, it is )Ufi and mcrcif~\ in the di 1ilfe convi-: Righteous God, to banilh aUL)•ing by the llridtdl: La.ws ; As the w/Jule )fature of Se~pent!i IS fo fa.r Clus erit, e. at enmity with the nature of man, that we hare and kiH them though they never d1d hurt us, be- fa~~ :rarp<"to caufe it is in their nature to hurt us : fo God lutiJ jufily and mercifully condemned aU lying, bccaufc deJtctatur. it's n:Hure tendeth to rhe defolation and 1=0nfu£ion of the World t and if any indulgence were given to it, all iniquity and injutli~e would prcfently like an inundation overwhelm us all. 9· 25· 7• Lying tmd<tb t/irellly tope,jury it {elf. lt isthe fame God that forbiddeth them both: And when once the heart is hardc::ned in the one, it is but a ficp further to the other. Cicero could obfcrve that He that ir H[ed to lye, wiU eafily bt perju,.d. A (cared Confcience that tollcratcth one, .will cafily be brought to bear the other. 9· 26. 8. 'thm is a partialiiy in the [,.yar that condemneth himfclf,and the fin in another, Which in himfelf he juftitieth : l'or there is no man that would have another lye to him. As Auftin faith, Hie :turern [I IJave l<.,nOrln m.tny that wozdd dtctive, llut nwer any tb.Jt would be Jeceived.J If it be good why homin~s f2l- • .fhould not all urbm lyt to thee> If it be bad, why wilt thou lye to others? Is not.thy tongue under !""'. & fallun~ the fame Law as th~irs? Dofi thou like it in thy Children ~nd in thy Scrv.ants ? If not, it Chould feem ~~;; (~;~re;~~ much worfe to thee m thy felf, as thou art moft concerned m thy own act1ons. rnemiendo fallunt, qu2ni cum mentiemibus credcndo f~llunrur. U!que ~eo t:~men u tiotulisnatura refugit (allit2tcm, & qu!ntum potcll dnitJ.t errorem, ta fillli ·nolinr, cti:am quicunque:l.mam faliere. Atlg,~. E!f(bjrjd. c. l1· ~· 27. 9-.,Judgt what /y.ing if by tl>y own defir< and <xpef.iation to be btlitvtd : Wouldll thou not have Jll<n btlitvt thee, whether thou fpeak truth or not? I know thou would!I : For the Lyar lo[cth hU tnd if he be ~nown to lye, and be not believed:. And is it a reafonabk·dtjirt or expellatiOn in thea .to have men tobelieve a Lye? If thou would!\ be believed, fpeak that whic\l is to be believed. ~· 28. 10.. Lyilzg maketh theetobeal"'aY' incredible, and fo to Be ufelds or dangerous to others : For he tha.t w1lllye cloth leave men uncertain whether ever he fpeak ~ruth, unle\S there be better Evidmce of it, than his credibility. As Arij!otle faith, [A Ly"" gw th~ by Lying that no body will believe him whtn he fPeak.f tbc t•uth.] How \hall I know that he fpcaketh true to day who lycd yellerday? n.nlefs open Repentance ~cc?ver his credibility. Truth will defend').t ~elf, ap~ cre.dit him that owneth tt a.t laft : But faljhood IS mdefenfible, and wdl flume ItS Patrons; ~.urh Petrarcb. eXcel1ently, AI Trru? if in~mortt~l, fo a fiaion ~nd fyt tndu~tth uo~ long: Diffimbled .matttrJ art lJilickJ.y Pttr~r ''1/ ~· ·.f opmed: Mthe hazrtb.ztucombed and {et ~tth great dihgenct If rttjjlcd witiJ a lm/e . blt~Jl ofwind :de'tiJt.jQ.U. and the pajm that M laid on tht fact with a dtal of labom U wajJCd off with a little [,:peat : the cr~Jtyrft lyt. camzot j1a~td b;fore thetmtb ; but il tra?fpartnt to him that ~etrly look._tth i~to it ; every_ tbmg that u covtrcd u foon mtcot1ertd : jht~dow1pajs away; aHd tht nauve coluur of tbmgi remt~ineth ; It iJ a greJt l.JboHr to k..ttpbidden lu~tg. Noman ct~n long livt u1u!er tr'3ter : be muft n~ttV co't fortb, and ]hew the f a:e 'tfhiciJ he concealtd. At the farth<tl God in the day of judgement will.lay , open all. ~· 29• Direct. 2· If y•u r.ould a•aid lying tab$ bud of guilt. Unclean hodie! need a cover; Diref.i. ,;; and arc moll aflllmed to be feen. Faultineji caufeth Lying ; and Lying intrcafeth.the fault. When s_.,pe deJ;n– rnen have done that whiCh they arc afratd or aChamed to make knOWil, they think there is a nectfiiry quentJb~s of ufing their nrt to keep it fecrer. But wit and crg{t is no good Cubfiitute for bomjly : {Uch ~~;~~~en.: patches.make the r~nt mu~h worfe. But becaufe the corrupted heart of man will l:i'e thus working tiri. cidr. and fiy1~g tO decettful fh1fts, prevent the cauft and oc"fion of your lying. Commit not the fault that nttdra !Jic. Avoiding it is much better than Billing il, if you were furc 10 keep it ntverJ:o clo[c; (\s indeedyou are not : for commonly truth will come to light. It isthc bdl w:iy in the World to avoid !J!ing, to be innoce~t; a11d dq n91hing which doth fear the light : trutl) and honefiy do not blufh, nor defire to be h1d. · Childrenand S<ruanll are much addicted to Ji)is crime: ~h~n thdr folly, or wantonnefs, or appetites, or llothfulnefs, or carelefnefs hath made them faulty, they pre~ I 11 2 tentlf
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