Ninth Commandment . create Errour in rhe Minds of Men, or to confirm them in it, that they are fpoken on purpofe to convince them of their Err?urs, and to make them appear to he !hameful and ridiculous, and therefore are no Ltes. . . But here we mafi take this Caution, th~t in ufing fuch Figura~tve Speeches we ought fa to circumftantiate them, that the Hearers may eafil~ percetve the Dufr a1.d Scope of our Difcourfes · or at leafi may he alfured rbat we mtend fome other Meaning by them than what' the Words do properly and in themfelves bear ; otherwife, though it may not be a Lie in us, yet it may he an Occafion oftrrour and Mifiake in 2 01 th~~~ondly Every Fal!hood is not a Lie; for though it bath the Matter, H' it may waotthe F~rmand Complement, to mako it fuch: f"or many times Men do fpeakand report rhat which is not troe, wb~cb yet they tbemfelves do hehcve to be .true, ~nd fa are rather deceived than Decetvers; and perhaps a_ re far from any Intenuon ?f r~· , pofing upon the Credulity of others • . Such an one IS not fo much to be accuftd of* Vtr hMJU . Lying as Folly and Ra!huef•.. in reporting thar for Truth, the Certainty of which~:~~~;:: is not clear and evident unto btm. trathr,pr~t~ Thirdly, A Man may fpeak that which is true, and yet be a Liar in fo doing: As in dm ". tbefe Two Cafes. memiaaJUn 1 , When we repon that to be a Ttath, which, although it be fo, yet we believe it ;'~·gid tG boa Fllibood, and report it with an Intent to deceive chafe that hear us. Or, aPud 1 A.· 2 • When wt: report the Figurative Words of another, leaving out tbofe Circum· Gell. ooft. fiances which migbt make rhem appear to be Figurative. And therefOre, Matt h. 26. Ar. 3· J. 60, they are called faife Witneffer, which came in againfi Chrift, and te!lified that 11 • '· 11 ' he faid he was able to dejlroy tbe Temple of God, and to build it in Three Dd)s. In which, though there were many Falfifications of the Words of out Saviour, yet bad they reponed the very Words that be fpake they had nevertbelefs been falfe Wit· ne!fes, hecaufe by their Tellimony they wrefied them to another Scnf• than what Chrilt intended by them; for certainly ho is a Liar who reportS my Words with a futpofe to beget a wrong Conllruaion of them, as much as he who reports me t<> have fpoken what I never faid . Fourthly, It is no Lie to conceal part ofthe Truth wbe-n it is not expedient or nece!fary to be known. Thus, t Sam. x6. 2. God himfelf inftrufls Samuel when be fent him to anoint Davtd Kinz over lfraeJ, that be fbould anfwer, lie came to Sacri· fiee unto the Lord; which was Txuth, and one End of his going into Bethlehem, tho' be had alfo another, which he prudently concealed. · Fifthly, AMan may aft contrary to wltat be before faid , if the Ciicumftances of the Thing be altered, without being guilty of Lying. We have frequent Examples of this in the Scripture. Thus, Gen. 19. •· the Angels tell Lot, That they would not . ct~me inrnbir Ho~tjt, but ~oultf abide in the Street all Night ; yet upon his lmpormnlty and carneft Jotreatles tbey mtnt in with him. And thus St. Peter, with fome Heat and Vebemency of his Humiiity, refufed that Cbri!l !hould walh his Feet, Juhn r 3• 3· Thou jhalt never wajh my Feet' But when he was inftrufted in the Significancy ofthis ConddCentioo of our Saviour, not only permits, but imreats, him to do it. So likewife in all Things of fuch a Nature we may lawfully change our Words upon the change of our Minds; and tlpon the Inducement of fame Circumftances that were not known or confidered by us, we may, without the Imputation of L,ing, do otherwife than we before refolved and declared : But this mutt be heedfully cautioned. Firfl, That the Aaions be not fuch as we are bound to perform by Divine Precept. Nor, Secondly, Such as we have bound our felves unto by the voluntary Obligation of a Vow made unto God. Nor, Thirdly, Such as our not doing them, or doing otherwife than we have promifed lhould he hurtful or prejudicial unto others: For if I have promifed another tha; which is Beneficial unto him, however I may change my Opinion, yet 1 muft not change my Purpofe; but unlefs he will teleafe me, or bath forfeited the Bonefit ofmy Promife, by failing in rhe Conditions of it, l !land engaged to perform what 1 have plighted unto him. And thus you fee what a Lie is, and what is not a Lie: The Sum of all 1 fha ll conrraU inro this Defcription of it. A Lie is a Falfhood, either real, or fuppofed fo by us, fpoken purpofely, and with an Intention to deceire another. And thorefoxe neither Fal!hoods, DOt thought to he fo, nor f"igurative Speeobes, D d a not
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