How far Swearing by Creatures is a sin. Q. Is it lawful to
lay the hand on the Book and kiss it in taking an Oath?
Q. Is it lawful to give another such an Oath or worse?
When God's name is taken in vain. The Greatness of the
Sin. The Cure.....
Tit. 3. Directions against Lying and Dissembling.
What Truth is. How far we are bound to speak Truth.
Q. 1. Whether to every one that asketh us? Q. 2. Or to
every one that I answer to ? Q. 3. Are we bound ever to
speak the whole Truth? Q. 4. Is all Logical Falsehood a
sin, (that is, to speak disagreeably to the matter.)
Q. 5. Or to speak contrary to our minds? Q. 6. Is it
a sin when we speak not a known untruth, nor with a
purpose to deceive? Q. 7. Or is this a Lie ? Q. 8. Must
our words be ever true in the proper, literal sense?
Q.9. Must I speak in the common sense, or in the hearers
sense? Q. 10. Is it lawful to deceive another by true
words? Q. 11. Doth Lying consist in deceiving, or in
speaking falsely as to the matter, or in speaking contrary
to our minds? What a Lie is. How sin is voluntary. The
intrinsical evil of Lying. The Cure .
Quest. 1. Is often Lying a certain sign of a graceless state?
Where the question is again fully resolved (because it is of
great importance). What sin is mortal, and what is
mortified.
Quest. 2. Is it not contrary to the light of nature to suffer,
e. g. a parent, a king, myself, my country, rather to be des-
troyed than to save them by a harmless lie? The case of
the Midwives in Egypt, and of Rahab opened.
Quest. 3. Is Deceit by Action lawful, which seemeth a Practi-
cal Lie? And how shall we interpret Christ's making as if
he would have gone further, Luke xxiv. 28.; and David's
feigning himself mad; and common stratagems in war; and
doing things purposely to deceive another . .
Quest. 4. Is it lawful to tempt a child or servant to lie, merely