Volume II, Treatise II, Chapter XI

Against Lying

‘‘ ABOVE all things,” says the wise man, “speak truth.”—(Kccl. xxxvii. 20.) Methinks there should be no need to recommend this to religious, since truth carries a sufficient recommendation along with it. Even in the world, lying is considered so degrading a vice, that you cannot affront or dishonour a man more than.by upbraiding him with a lie. Judge then how great a crime it must be in a religious, whose reputation is much more easily tarnished in religion, than that of a secular is in the world. Hence we infer, that it is exceedingly base and shameful in a religious to tell a lie; and consequently that he ought never to be guilty of it, though it were even to conceal or excuse his faults. He that will tell a’lie to save his credit, to cover his frailties, is far from being a humble mortified man. By our rule we are to seek humiliations, and to embrace all occasions of mortifying ourselves; yet, when we lie, we not only do not embrace these occasions, but in order to fly them we commit sin. This surely is to keep at a distance from the perfection we have embraced. Divines teach, that it is not lawful to tell a lie to save the world; and will you tell one to prevent the discovery of a small fault, and to save yourself from the confusion of amoment? There are seven things which God hates, and a “lying tongue is one of them.” (Proverbs 6:17)

Another mode of telling a lie, which does not argue so determined a will, is, when in relating any thing, we make additions to it. These additions, whatsoever they are, deviate from truth, which, being one and indivisible, admits not of increase or diminution. This, however, is a fault very frequently committed by persons,

= who naturally fond of enhancing the value of the things they speak of, are very apt to exaggerate; and hence in this particular, we cannot be too much on our guard.

St. Bonaventure adds, that religious in particular ought never use exaggerating terms, as being entirely foreign to religious gravity and modesty. The reason is, that those extravagant expressions raising things above not only what they are, but even above what they can be, their falsehood is plain to every one, and consequently whoever uses these expressions will quickly forfeit all his credit. St. Ignatius very rarely used any words in the superlative degree; because frequently things were thereby exaggerated and made greater than in reality they were; but he always contented himself to relate things simply as they were, without any © amplification at all, and his modesty was such, that he never would boldly affirm, even what he knew for certain.

It is an admirable lesson, which St. Bernard and many other saints teach us. “Never,” says he, “be pertinacious or obstinate in what you affirm or deny; but whether you be for the negative or affirmative, still modestly seem to doubt.”—(In form. hon. vit.) Wherefore express yourself thus: if I am not deceived, it is so; I believe it is so; or methinks I have heard somebody say so. This way of speaking is prudent, modest, obliging, and proper, both for a Christian and a religious, who ought not to be too confident of themselves, nor judge too favourably of their own opinion. Holy men that are truly humble, are still wont to mistrust themselves, and therefore speak always after this manner. It is related of a great saint, when asked what o’clock it was, that he never answered exactly, it is eight o’clock, it is nine o’clock; but it is about eight, about nine. On being asked, why he answered in that manner, he said, it was to avoid telling a lie; which he did, whether the clock had struck or not. And this is another reason why it is both prudent and religious to leave place for an apparent doubt in your answers, and never to press them too home; as by this means, be the matter as it will, we shall not offend against truth. But if we be very positive in affirming that to be true which, as often happens, afterwards proves false, we are not only confounded, but sometimes give scandal to the person we spoke to, as soon as he has discovered the falsity. I speak here of things which we look upon as certain. For should we boldly affirm the truth of what we are not fully certain, and which appears to us doubtful, we should tell a lie, though the thing were as we affirmed it to be; at least we should evidently expose ourselves to the danger of telling one, which is almost the same thing.

St. Bonaventure goes farther, and says, that “in our words we should be candid and sincere;” for we are not only bound to speak truth, but we must also practise candour and sincerity. Religious probity and simplicity ought to be a stranger to equivocations and words of double meaning, which St. Austin pronounces to be lies, “There are some people,” says he, “who are unwilling to tell a lie, and yet are unwilling to tell the truth; and will, with this view, make use of such equivocations, as induce you to believe one thing, whilst they mean another.”—-(De util. cred.) I own indeed, that in some cases of importance, it is certainly lawful to make use of equivocations, in order to conceal something necessary to be concealed. But in ordinary conversation, this is never lawful—it shows a duplicity directly contrary to that candour, which a Christian as well as religious ought to practise, and which even the social duties require of us. For it is very certain that the fidelity which should subsist between man and man, receives as deep a wound from this manner of speaking, as it does from evident falsehood; and were it once permitted in the world, we might bid adieu to all integrity and sincerity. Hence if a man is given to this fault, though he be very honest in other things, yet no one would trust him, nor without fear and trembling hold any commerce with him. Solomon says, ‘he that speaks sophistically is to be hated,” (Ecclesiasticus 37:28) meaning one that dissembles, equivocates, or uses ambiguous terms, because he is looked upon as a faithless and deceitful man. Let us then carefully avoid all language of this sort; and let us never leave it in the power of any one, to say of us, what is said of so many others; 2. ¢. that though we do not tell lies, yet we know not what it is to tell the truth.

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