5. But whether a lie be at
some times useful, is a much greater and more concerning question.
Whether, as above, it be a lie, when a person has no will to
deceive, or even makes it his business that the person to whom he
says a thing shall not be deceived although he did wish the thing
itself which he uttered to be false, but this on purpose that he
might cause a truth to be believed; whether, again, it be a lie
when a person willingly utters even a truth for the purpose of
deceiving; this may be doubted. But none doubts that it is a lie
when a person willingly utters a falsehood for the purpose of
deceiving: wherefore a false utterance put forth with will to
deceive is manifestly a lie. But whether this alone be a lie, is
another question. Meanwhile, taking this kind of lie, in which all
agree, let us inquire, whether it be sometimes useful to utter a
falsehood with will to deceive. They who think it is, advance
testimonies to their opinion, by alleging the case of Sarah,2303
who, when
she had
laughed, denied to the
Angels that she
laughed: of
Jacob
questioned by his
father, and answering that he was the
elder son
Esau:
2304
likewise
that of the Egyptian midwives, who to
save the Hebrew
infants from
being slain at their
birth, told a
lie, and that with
God’s
approbation and
reward:
2305
and many such like instances they
pick out, of
lies told by persons whom you would not
dare to
blame,
and so must own that it may sometimes be not only not blameworthy,
but even praiseworthy to tell a
lie. They add also a case with
which to urge not only those who are
devoted to the
Divine Books,
but all men and common sense, saying, Suppose a man should take
refuge with thee, who by thy
lie might be
saved from
death,
wouldest thou not tell it? If a
sick man should ask a
question
which it is not expedient that he should know, and might be more
grievously
afflicted even by thy returning him no answer, wilt thou
venture either to tell the
truth to the
destruction of the man’s
life, or rather to hold thy
peace, than by a virtuous and merciful
lie to be serviceable to his weak health? By these and such like
arguments they think they most plentifully prove, that if occasion
of doing good require, we may sometimes tell a lie.
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