Saint Augustine his enchiridion to Laurence, or, The chiefe and principall heads of all Christian religion a most profitable booke to all those which desire to haue a most compendious briefe of Augustines doctrine, out of Augustine himselfe, when he was old, being repurged, by the old manuscript, of many faults and vnusuall wordes, wherewith it formerly flowed.

CHAP. 18.

Albeit it is not the part of an ho∣nest and godly man to lie; yet in lies, one is greater than another in respect of the minde and in∣tention: and so also in respect of the matters about which we doe lie, one is more dangerous and pernicious than another.

BVt now out of this matter there riseth a most intricate and darke question, whereof we did write a great booke, at such time as we were necessarily in∣forced to answer, Whether 〈◊〉〈◊〉 were the part of a iust man, to lie or dissemble at any time. Truely, I am of opinion, that any kind of lie is a sinne. Wherein, notwith∣standing there is a great altera∣tion of the case, in respect of the quality of the minde, and also of the causes moouing any man to lie. For, he doth not commit so great a sinne, which lieth in ad∣uising

or directing another mā, as he which lieth with an intent to doe hurt thereby. As for ex∣ample, that mā doth not so much hurt, which setteth a trauailer in∣to a wrong way by lying, as hee which corrupteth the way of mans life, by deceiuing him with vntruths. And againe, no man is to bee held a liar, who affirmeth a falshood, taking it for a trueth; because, in as much as in him is, he hath no meaning to deceiue, but is rather deceiued himselfe. Hee is not therefore to bee con∣demned for a liar, but to be cen∣sured either for temerity & rash∣nes, who inconsiderately belee∣uing vntruthes, entertaineth thē for truthes: But rather on the cō∣trarie, that man, as much as in him is, doth he indeede, who af∣firmeth that to be true, which he thinketh in his conscience to be false. For, as touching his minde and inward motion; because his tongue declareth not that which his heart thinketh, hee saith not

the trueth, although in exami∣nation, it fall out to be true which he affirmeth. Neither is he by a∣ny meanes to be freed from the guilt of a lie, which with his mouth ignorantly vttereth a truth, and yet wittingly lieth in his heart. Setting apart there∣fore things themselues, by occa∣sion whereof, any thing is auou∣ched, and onely setting before our eies the intention of the speaker, that man is better of the two, which through want of knowledge and capacitie, affir∣meth an vntrueth, because hee taketh it for a veritie; than hee which contrary to his consci∣ence, carrieth a minde to lie and deceiue, although indeede hee cannot truely iudge of that to be truth which hee affirmeth. For, the first of these 2. hath not one thing in his heart, and another in his mouth: But the second (no doubt) howsoeuer it bee false or true which hee saith,

yet hath hee, notwithstanding, one thing shut vp in his breast, and another thing in his tongue, which euill is a propertie inci∣dent to the liar. And now to come to the consideration of things which be held and main∣tained, there is as great a diffe∣rence in the matter wherein any man is deceiued, or doth lie: al∣beit, that to bee deceiued is a lesse euill than to lie, weighing therein, the intention of the in∣ward man, yet is it much more tolerable, in matters out of the compasse of religion, to lie and dissemble, than to bee deceiued and misled in those things, with∣out the beleefe and knowledge whereof, God cannot bee wor∣shipped: as in many particulari∣ties it may more cleerely bee found out by him that will seeke after the truth. Which to de∣monstrate by some examples, let vs see what difference there is betweene him, who in lying, reporteth that a man is liuing,

who is dead; and another, who beeing deceiued, beleeueth that Christ after many ages to come, shall suffer a second death. In which two things, is it not with∣out all comparison, a lesser mat∣ter in that sort to be a liar, than in this sort to be deceiued? and it is a lesse euill, to induce any man to that error, than by any man to be induced into this.