Rome ruin'd by VVhite Hall, or, The papall crown demolisht

SECT. 5.

1. ONe reason may be taken from the nature of a Lye, the Law of God is truth, and whatsoever differeth from truth, doth transgresse the Law; therefore a Lye, which is a swarving, and declining from the truth, transgresseth the Law, and so consequently is sin.

2. By way of comparison with other sins, why should it be ra∣ther lawfull to lye then to commit Adultery, if it be not lawfull to doe the one, upon any occasion whatsoever, then neither the other also; for by Adultery the body chiefly is corrupted, but by making a lye principally the Soule.

3. Divers speciall cases may be propounded, wherein if lying were in any case to be tollerated, it should seeme to have the most just excuse, but not being allowed in these things, it is law∣full in none, viz.

1. That it is not lawfull to tell a Lye, and commit a lesse evill, to avoyd a greater evill; as if one had rather make a lye, and offer sacrifice to Idols, then to have his body de••iled, which was Origins case; for here the case is this, They which force a man to doe any unlawfull thing, threatning that they will doe worse, doe in a manner say thus; Fac tu male, ne nos faciamus, doe thou evill, to prevent us from doing evill; now whether is it better

to doe evill, or to suffer it to be done by another: this rule there∣fore ought to be held; We ought rather to shun our owne sinning then anothers. Again, it is not in sin as in matters of profit in the world, we call not that a lose, which is lost in hope of a greater gaine, but it is not so here; that it should be no sin that is ad∣mitted, lest a greater be committed.

2. Neither is it lawfull to tell a lye to save a mans life, for he that lyeth slayeth his owne Soule; and a man is not bound to slay his owne Soule, to save anothers temporall life. We must leave our temporall life for anothers eternall life, but to hazard our eternall life, for anothers temporall life, there is no reason. A∣gain, in sins we must more take heed of the commission of any fact of our owne, then the permission of another fact.

3. We are not to lye, for anothers everlasting Salvation; as if one in captivity not perfectly won unto the faith, who is not like to be brought unto the faith, unlesse the Keepers be deceived by some lye, and he delivered out of their hands; for a lye in this case is no more to be devised, then adultery to be committed; for if chastity be not to be violated, much lesse is verity: if then in these speciall cases, a lye is not to be admitted to avoyd a grea∣ter evill, as to save another mans life, to preserve the chastity of the body, nay not to save another mans Soule: then much lesse is it lawfull to make a lye in jeast to shew others sport, or to delight them.

4. If the examples be objected out of the Old Testament, as* 1.1 of Jacobs dissimulation with his Father Isaac, when he got the blessing, of the Midwifes excuse, of Rahabs lye made for the Spies received into her house, these answers are made.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Objections of l••••s in Scrip∣ture answered.