Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)

Now on the other side, very notable learned men have thought, that Augustine was somewhat too stubbornly set against lying. And therefore some there are, which going as it were betwixt both do say, that they (whose examples I alleged even now) were not altogether without all sin, and yet they suppose that their fault in those lies, was a very small sin. I would wish those, which will allow themselves to lye officiously, to take heed to themselves, least by following their own affections more than enough, they do at last take that for an officious lye, which is in deed a pernicious lye. For the last and worst kind of lye is a pernicious lye. And that proceedeth of a corrupt mind, and tendeth to the damage of thy neighbour, which hath deserved no hurt at thy hand. This kind of lye is every where cried out upon throughout the Scriptures: and the fault thereof increaseth according to the quantity of the mischief that it doth. For divines and ecclesiastical preachers do lye of all other most perniciously, while with lies & corrupt doctrine they kill the souls of men, & make the bodies and goods of silly seduced people, both subject to the curse of God, and in danger of a thousand perils more. And hereunto belongeth hypocrisy also, which the Lord Jesus doth in the Gospel wonderfully taunt and bait exceedingly. Now hypocrisy doeth show it self, not only and so much in crafty and deceitful words, as also and far more, in the whole conversation of our lives, as when we make semblance, or else dissemble such things as are not, by that means lying to God, and beguiling our neighbour.

Now on the other side, verie notable learned men haue thought, that Augustine was somewhat too stubbornely set against lying. And therefore some there are, which going as it were betwixte both doe say, that they (whose examples I alledged euē nowe) were not altogether without all sinne, and yet they suppose that their fault in those lyes, was a very smal sinne. I would wish those, which will allowe themselues to lye officiously, to take héede to themselues, least by following their owne affections more than enough, they do at last take that for an officious lye, which is in déede a pernicious lye. For the last and worst kind of lye is a pernicious lye. And that procéedeth of a corrupt minde, and tendeth to the damage of thy neighbour, which hath deserued no hurt at thy hand. This kind of lye is euery where cryed out vppon thoroughout the Scriptures: and the fault thereof increaseth according to the quantitie of the mischiefe that it doth. For diuines and ecclesiasticall preachers do lye of all other most perniciously, while with lyes & corrupt doctrine they kill the soules of men, & make the bodies and goods of sillie seduced people, both subiect to the curse of God, and in daunger of a thousand perils more. And hereunto belongeth hypocrisie also, which the Lord Iesus doth in the Gospel wōderfully taunt and bayt excéedingly. Now hypocrisie doeth shewe it selfe, not onely and so much in craftie and deceitfull words, as also and farre more, in the whole cōuersation of our liues, as when we make semblaunce, or else dissemble such thinges as are not, by that meanes lying to God, and beguiling oure neighbour.