Of Lyirrg. ~eH. 2• Is it not conttary to the ~~~ght of N.mtrt, to foffer. e•. g. a P~rent, a KiHg, my Self) my ~eft. 2· Ccmntry ratber to be dejlroyrd, than to fave them by a harmlrfllte ? Anf~• No: BecaufC, 1. Particular good mull give place to common. And ifonce a Lie may pafs An[A-'• for Lawful in cafes where it {Cemeth to be good, it will overthrow humane convcrfc, a1td debJuch mans nature and •rke world. 2 • And if one tvil may be made a means for good,it will lnfer that other may be fo too, and fo will confound good and evil, and leave vitious .manTo take all for good which he thinks will do good. That is not to be called a barmlefJ Lie, which is fimply evil, being againfi the Law of God, ag1infr the order of nature,the ufe o£ humane faculties, and the interdl and converfe of the fociJb!c world. 3 • The mor of 'the objectorS chiefly confifteth in thinking that nothing is funher. hurtful and mo– rally evil than as it doth hurt to. fome me? m corp~ral rcfpeds. Wh~reas th;a IS ev1J, whiCh iS againfl the univer[al R~lc of Rc~:b~ude~ agamfi the wtll of God, and agamfi the na_t~re and perfecti– on of the agent; mucn more 1f 1t alia tend to the hurc of othet mens fouls, by g1vmg them an example of finning. . . . . 4 • And, though theremay fome11mes be fome_ humane probab,ltty of fuch a thmg, yet there is_no certainty, that ever 1t w1ll fo fall out, that a L1c Otall f~ve the Ltf~ of hmg,. Parer.t or your fclves. For God can open the eyes of that enemy whom you thmk to blmd by a he 1 and caufe him ro know all the truth and fo take away that Lite, which you thought thus to have faved. 5 . And there ar:1awful means enough to fave your lives when ir is befi for you ro fave them. Tha[ is, Obey God, and trufi him wirh your lives, an.d he c;an fave them without a lie if ic be bell; And if it be not, it lhould nor be defircd. 6. And ifmen did not erronioufly over-value Life,they would not think that a Lie were necelfuy for ir.when it is not nect.Jfary to Live, it is not ncceffary to Lie fur Life. But thus one fin brings on anothet: when carnal men over-value Life it [elf, and fet more by it than by the fruition of God in the Glory of Heaven, they mu{\ needs then over-value any means which feemeth necelfary to preferve it. See J ob r3.7, 8,9. 10. Prov. •3· '7· Rom. 6. •S· & 3· 7• 8,9. Pfol. S· 7· H•f. 4· 2· Job. 8. H· Rev. 21·27· &22·15· Co/·3·9· I_]oh.z.zi. . , .. ?·Yet as to the degree pf evtl m the fin I eafily grant(w1th Attguftme Encbmd.)thlt.MNitum imcreft quo animo & de quibuf q"iflJut mentiftur: Non enim ita pecc,u qui confulentii, q11om:do iUe qui noceudi vulR.ntate mentitur: nee tanwm nocet qui viatQrtm mentiendo i11 adverfltm ittr miuit, quantum Hqui viam 'lJit.e mtndacio faUente depravat. , · Object. Are not the Midwivts _rewarded by God for foving the Ifr.e/itijh children by a lie l _ bbjtit. Anfrv. I need not fay Wtth Auftm, 1he faf.J w!H rewarded, •nd the L,e p:lrdoned; for there IS no fuch An[w. thing as a lie found in them. Who can doubt but that God could tirengthen rhc lfraelitilh women to be delivered without the Midwives: And who can doubt but when the Midwives· had made known the Kings murderous command, that the worn~n would delay to fend for the Midwives till (by the help of each odlCl) the childr;n were fecured? Which yet is impmed,-ro the Midwives, be· caufe rhey confederated with th~m, an~ delaid to that end. So that her~· a diiTembling and concealing part of the truth, but here ts no he that can be proved. , Object. But Heb. 11· 31· & Jam 2• Rahab iJ [aid to bt jlqlificd by faith and"'""'' whe;z fh< [.wed Obje/J. tbe SpitJ by a lie. An[w. 1. It is uncertain whether it was a lie, or only an ~quivocation, and whether her wordS AN[JI'• were not true of fome mher men that had been her guefis. But fuppofe them a He (as is mofi like) the Scripture no more juflifieth her lie than her having been an harlot. It is her belieVing in the God of lfrael, whofe works {he mentioned that fhe is commended for, together wich the fav~n~ of the Spies with the hazard of her own life. And it is ilo wonder if fuch a woman in Jericho hadnor )'et lcerned the linfulnefs of fuch a lie as that. Object. But •t ltaj! it could be •• mortal fin, becaufo, Heb. 11. 3t. & J•m. 2. foy jhe ,.,. Objea. juftified. An[w.lt was no mortal fin in her (that is, a fin ~hich proveth one in a fi.ate of death,) becau[e it .ilnfw. had not tho[e ev1ls that make fin monal: But a he m one that doth 1t knowmgly, for want of fuch a predominancie of th~ authority and Love of God in die foul, as fhould prevail againfi: the contrary motives, habitually, 15 a mortal fin, ofan ungodly pcrfon. It is pernicious faHhood and foul dclufion in thofeTeachers, that make poor finners think that it is the frnallnefs ofthe outward act or hurt of fin alone, that will prove it to be, as rh.cy call it, Venial, or mortified, and not mortal. (Eel\. 3• lJ deceit by AGiion L•wful, which feemctb a Pra/Jical lie l And bow fhaU rr>t interprei ""'11 , Cbrijl1 maijng"' if I" would have gon• f•rther, Luk. 24· 28. and Davids feigning himfelf mad, and oc' . r common ftratagtmJ in war, and doing thingJ purpoftly to dw:ive aNJther. Anfw_· z, I have ~efore pro~ed that aU Deceiving ano~~er is not a fin, but fame may be aduty: As An[w. aPhyhc1on may dece1ve a Patient to get down a medu;me, to favc: hili life, fo he do it not by a lie. 2. Chrifili feeming to go farther was no other, than a lawful. concealment or diffimulation of his purpoCe, to oc,afton their importunity: For OU diffimulation is not evil, though lying be. And the. fame may be faid of lawful !\ratagems as fuch. 3· Davids cafe was not finful as it was mcer diffimulatim to deceive othersfbr his efcape. But whe~ thet it was not a finfuldifiruft of God, and • difiimulation by too unmanly a way 1am not able to fay unlefs I had known more of the circumUances. ) ,
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