of things but the infirmity of him with whom I deal may be such, that he can be defended or instructed no other way. But sinners that offend God by choice. must have their choice corrected, and their understandings instructed, or else their evil is not cured, nor their state amended.

3. For it is here very observable, that in intercourses of this nature we are to regard a double duty: the matter of justice, and the rights of charity; that is, that good be done by lawful instruments: for it is certain it is not lawful to abuse a man's understanding, with a purpose to gain him sixpence; it is not fit to do evil for a good end; or to abuse one man, to preserve or do advantage to another. And therefore it is not sufficient that I intend to do good to my neighbour: for I may not therefore tell a lie, and abuse his credulity, because his understanding hath a right as certain as his will hath or as his money; and his right to truth is no more to be cozened and defrauded than his right unto his money. And therefore such artificial intercourses are no ways to be permitted, but to such persons over whose understandings we have power and authority. Plato said it was lawful for kings and governours to dissemble, because there is great necessity for them so to do but it was but crudely said, so nakedly to deliver the doctrine: for in such things which the people cannot understand, and yet ought to obey, there is a liberty to use them as we use children, who are of no other condition or capacities than children; but in all things where they can and ought to choose, because their understanding is only a servant to God, no man hath power to abuse their credulity and reason, to preserve their estates and peace. But because children, and mad people, and diseased are such whose understandings are in minority and under tuition, they are to be governed by

their proper instruments and proportions: To gag ayabır Toyag Ngution BOTH THE axudas, said Proclus; A good turn is to be preferred before a true saying: it is only true to such persons who cannot value truth, and prefer an intellectual before a material interest. It is better for children to have warm clothes than a true proposition, and therefore in all senses they and their like may be so treated: but other persons, who have distinct capacities, have an injury done them by being abused into advantages; and although those advantages make them recompense, yet he that is tied to make a man recompense hath done him injury and committed a sin, by which he was obliged to restitution: and therefore the man ought not to be cozened for his own good.

Δεν με συμπρατίω

4. And now upon the grounds of this discourse, we may more easily determine concerning saving the life of a man by telling a lie in judgment. Austin Tois qinois, anna mexg, said Pericles of Athens, when his friend desired him to swear on his side; I will assist my friend, so far as I may not dishonour God. And to lie in judgment is directly against the being of government, the honour of tribunals, and the commandment of God; and therefore by no accident can be hallowed; it is xx auro qaxr, as Aristotle said of a lie, it is a thing evil in itself; that is, it is evil in the whole kind, ever since it came to be forbidden by God. And therefore all those instances of crafty and delusive answers, which are recorded in Scripture, were extrajudicial, and had not this load upon them, to be deceiving of authority in those things where they had right to command or inquire, and either were before or besides the commandment, not at all against it. And since the law of Moses forbad lying in judgment, only by that law we are to judge of those actions in the Old Testament which were committed after its publication: and because in the sermons

of the prophets, and especially in the New Testament, Christ hath superadded or enlarged the law of ingenuity and hearty simplicity, we are to leave the old Scripture precedents upon the ground of their own permissions, and finish our duty by the rules of our religion; which hath so restrained our words, that they must always be just, and always charitable; and there is no leave given to prevaricate, but to such persons where there can be no obligation, persons that have no right, such with whom no contract can be made, such as children, and fools, and infirm persons, whose faculties are hindered or depraved. I remember that Secundus extremely commends Arria for deluding her husband's fears concerning the death of his beloved boy: she wiped her eyes, and came in confidently, and sat by her husband's bed side; and when she could no longer forbear to weep, her husband's sickness was excuse enough to legitimate that sorrow, or else she could retire; but so long she forbore to confess the boy's death, till Cecinna Patus had so far recovered, that he could go forth to see the boy, and need not fear with sorrow to return. to his disease. It was indeed a great kindness and rare prudence, as their affairs and laws were ordered; but we have better means to cure our sick: our religion can charm the passion, and enable the spirit to entertain and master a sorrow. And when we have such rare supplies out of the store-houses of reason and religion, we have less reason to use these arts and little devices. which are arguments of an infirmity as great as is the charity: and therefore we are to keep ourselves strictly to the foregoing meaLet every man speak the truth to his neighbour, putting away lying, for we are members one of another :* and be as harmless as doves, saith our blessed Saviour

sures.

* Ephes. iv. 25.

in my text: which contain the whole duty concerning the matter of truth and sincerity. In both which places, truth and simplicity are founded upon justice and charity: and therefore wherever a lie is in any sense against justice, and wrongs any man of a thing, his judgment and his reason, his right, or his liberty, it is expressly forbidden in the Christian religion. What cases we can truly suppose to be besides these, the law forbids not, and therefore it is lawful to say that to myself which I believe not, for what innocent purpose I please, and to all those over whose understanding I have, or ought to have right.

These cases are intricate enough, and therefore I shall return plainly to press the doctrine of simplicity, which ought to be so sacred, that a man ought to do nothing indirectly which is not lawful to own: to receive no advantage by the sin of another, which I should account dishonest if the action were my own; for whatsoever disputes may be concerning the lawfulness of pretending craftily in some rare and contingent cases, yet it is on all hands condemned, that my craft should do injury to my brother. I remember that when some greedy and indigent people forged a will of Lucius Minutius Basilius, and joined M. Crassus, and Q. Hortensius in the inheri tance, that their power for their own interest might secure the others' share; they suspecting the thing to be a forgery, yet being not principals and actors in the contrivance, alieni facinoris munusculum non repuliaverunt, refused not to receive a present made them by another's crime; but so they entered upon a moiety of the estate, and the biggest share of the dishonour. We must not be crafty to another's injury so much as by giving countenance to the wrong; for tortoises and the ostrich hatch their eggs with their looks only; and some have designs which a dissembling face, or an acted gesture can produce:

but as a man may commit adultery with his eye, so with the eye also he may tell a lie, and steal with one finger, and do injury collaterally, and yet design it with a direct intuition upon which he looks with his face over his shoulder: and by whatsoever instrument my neighbour may be abused, by the same instrument I sin, if I do design it antecedently, or fall upon it together with something else, or rejoice in it when it is done.

7. One thing more I am to add, that it is not lawful to tell a lie in jest. It was a virtue noted in Aristides and Epaminondas, that they would not lie, w •UV TRISIAIS TIVI TROTO, not in sport. And as Christian simplicity forbids all lying in matter of interest and serious rights: so there is an appendix to this precept, forbidding to lie in mirth; for of every idle word a man shall speak, he shall give account in the day of judgment. And such are the jestings which St. Paul reckens amongst things uncomely. But among these, fables, epilogues, parables, or figures of rhetorick, and any artificial instrument of instruction or innocent pleasure, are not to be reckoned. But he that, without any end of charity or institution, shall tell lies only to become ridiculous in himself, or mock another, hath set something upon his doomsday-book, which must be taken off by water or by fire, that is, by repentance or a judgment.

Nothing is easier than simplicity and ingenuity: it is open and ready without trouble and artificial cares, fit for communities and the proper virtue of men, the necessary appendage of useful speech, without which language were given to men as nails and teeth to lions, for nothing but to do mischief; it is a rare instrument of institution, and a certain token of courage, the companion of goodness and a noble mind, the preserver of friendship, the band of society, the security of merchants, and the blessing of trade; it prevents infinite of quarrels, and appeals to judges,