LYING ALLOWABLE WITH PAPISTS TO DECEIVE PROTESTANTS: IN A LETTER written by a Minister of the Church of England, to satisfy a Friend who was much staggered at the reading the SPEECHES Of the late TRAYTORS, Who at their DEATH, June 25. 1679. so confidently affirmed their INNOCENCY.  
SIR,  
THat any man, having the use of their Reason, and all the powers of their Soul vigorous and active, should be so hardened, as in the great and last hour of Death to out-face Truth, and with amazing Imprecations proclaim themselves Innocent of any Fact, which by sufficient Evidence and Circumstance hath been proved against them, is a thing so incredible to all sober Christians, that the Protestations and Asseverations of the late Priests in this kind( who suffered as so many Malefactors) have been ready to leave upon the minds of some men, as well as you( even Protestants) such impressions as these; that doubtless they spake Truth at Death, were wrongfully Condemned, died for that of which they were not Guilty; and consequently, that the Kings Evidence who swore against them, are highly perjured, and deeply guilty of their Innocent Blood: For who can imagine they should dare to go before the Great and Eternal Judge of all the World with a lie in their mouths? But if we consider the Principles and Practices of these men, this may seem no wonder at all, for what we call a lie, they count none; or if it be so, yet tell us 'tis both lawful and necessary at some times to lie, and out-face the Truth, even with Oaths: We must believe that every of these men received Plenary Absolution for all their sins, from their Birth to that day upon which they died; upon which Absolution they may affirm themselves as free from, and as Innocent of any Crime laid to their Charge, as the Child unborn, because whatever the Crime is, 'tis forgiven: And supposing they did sin in their Declaration of their Innocency at the place of Execution, which the former Absolution could not reach, yet they might safely do it, having a power to absolve each other just as they were going out of the World, as 'tis believed they did when they laid their Heads together in the Carts; which Absolution sends them perfect Innocents to Heaven, in their Opinion. Moreover, if to rob, spoil, kill Protestants, burn their Cities, &c. if to depose Heretical Princes from their Crowns and Kingdoms, and absolve their Subjects from their Allegiances,( to which by Oaths they stand fast bound) if these be no sins( as in their account they are not) then they may declare themselves Innocent, though never so guilty in our esteem and judgement. Now that such traitorous and bloody designs and undertakings are not only not sinful, but good and lawful, we will bring some of their own Party to justify.— For they tell us, 'tis no sin for Romanists to take from those whom they count heretics all that they have, all they have being by Sentence of Law confiscated: This is concluded by a whole Council; Bona ipsorum( scil. Haeret.) ipso facto applicantur fisco. council. Later. sub Innoc. 2. And Sylvester saith, that all whoever may rob and spoil heretics, and if it cannot be otherwise accomplished, it may be done by force of Arms; his words are, Si aliter feri non potest, manu armata sunt eis omnia bona auferenda. Sylvest. n. 23. q. 3. c. 1. And that we may be sure this is lawful, one of their Popes( who is held Infallible) hath thus determined, that all Prelates and Princes, even Kings and Emperours that are heretics, should be, and should be understood to be deprived of all their benefice, States, Kingdoms, and Empires, without farther Declaration, and uncapable to be restored to them, even by the apostolic See( old Hold-fast) and their Goods, States and Kingdoms shall be understood to be common, and to belong to those catholics who can get them: A Constitution of Pope Paul 4. declares this: And you may see more of this in Hist. Conc. of Tr. lib. 5. p. 409. and in Institut. Cathol. Tit. 45. Sect. 13: so that whatever Misdemeanours or Treasons they act or contrive against the King, or his undoubted Rights, or against his Subjects, being convicted and condemned as Traytors, they may safely deny it, and proclaim themselves innocent; that is, not guilty of Treason( laid to their charge) because they cannot be guilty of any such thing against an Heretical King, or Prince, whose Crowns and. Kingdoms are not his own, but theirs, if they can catch them: Besides, if these men may dally with Oaths, swear, and yet not hold themselves bound by any Oath, if the breach of it may make for their advantage, why should we wonder to hear them deny the Truth, where the confession of it might do them and their Cause some injury: As to that of Oaths, let us hear what their schoolmasters say, Licet jurare cum aequivocatione, D: Tho: Scotus, Paladanus, Gabriel, Sylvester, Soto, and multitudes more of their schoolmasters justify this: But more fully, let us hear what another saith to this point; Qui alio sensu jurat quam alter intelligat, non peccat, modo justam babet causam ita jurandi— justa autem causa utendi his verbis( amphibologicis) est necessitas aut utilitatis corporis, aut honoris, aut verum familiarium— Ex quo sequitur, non esse illicitum uti verbis amphibologicis, addendo restrictionem aliquam in mente retentam, quoties aliquid incommodi, vel injuriae nobis impendet loquendo ad mentem in ●●rrogantis, adest enim justa causa ita loquendi, Bonacin: Tom: 2: disp: 4: quest: 1: pun●t: 12: n: 2, 3, 4: Now should Gavern, Whitebread, and the rest have confessed there was a Plot going on against his Majesties Life and Government, and that they were guilty Actors in it, this would have done great damage to their Party and Religion amongst us; and seeing they may obviate that evil, and make the credulous World believe they are Innocent of all such Principles and Practices, by a single lie, why should we think they should stick at that, when they may swallow Oaths, and swear what they please for their Commodity, and to avoid injury, and yet be justified as Innocent Persons by their Heads and Guides: And 'tis as much to be admired, that so knowing a Jesuit as Gavern was, should affirm the Papists allowed not the deposing of Kings, Absolution from Oaths, &c. as that he was Innocent of the Fact or Crime for which he died: For whether he spake truth in the latter, I am not able to say; but that the former is false, every one that is at all red in their own Schoolmen and Doctors can testify; and if he made no Conscience to lie in the one( as we are sure he doth) I can see no reason to think he did in the other, especially since we are  told that mendacium si alium non habet maculam quam falsitatis, non est mortal,( Patet, saith the Author) quia non est contra Religionem( Romanam) Soto: l: 5: q: 7: art: 4: p: 168: And to vanquish all wonder of these mens justifying themselves, and to show that a lie will never choke a Popish Priest, it is a standing Precept among all their Doctors, that a Priest being asked by a Judge, whether he knows such a thing by Confession? he may answer no, though he doth know it, and the revealing of it be necessary to save a Prince or a Nation from ruin: Take it in their own words;— Certum est obligationem hujus praecepti tantam esse, ut in nulla Casu,& propter nullam finem, etiam pro tuenda tota repub. ab ingenti malo temporali aut spirituali, violare illud liceat: Sic ait Durand: Scotus, Palud. mayor: Capriol: Gabriel, Alensis, Adrian, Cajetan, Lodsman in Suar: Tom: 34: disp: 33: Sect: 1: n: 2: Et sic doce●t omnes Theologi contra unum Altisiod: Here is not only a permission, but a strong Precept and Injunction for Priests to deny the Truth, to elude Authority by Equivocation, blaspheming God, lying and swearing in open Court, though it be to the temporal or spiritual ruin of the whole republic, and they shall be justified in it by all their rare Saints, and learned Doctors; and if in open Court, why not at place of Execution? where a free and ingenuous Confession might have caused the apprehension of many more Priests and Confederates, and utterly obstructed their farther Progress in altering the Government of the Kingdom, and have given such a Blow to Popery, as it should never have been able to have held up its Head again in this Nation, or so weakened it, that all future endeavours to bring it in, must have proved abortive. And is this to be expected from them at any time in Life or Death, who come hither with full Commissions, and fixed Resolutions, to promote it, and hazard their lives to accomplish their ends? No, they must rather stifle the Truth, and like Romes Champions, out-brave Death and judgement, and sacrifice Soul and Body to the Churches Interest, than do so great service for heretics, as to prevent their ruin, either Temporal or Spiritual, by a cowardly confession of Truth at last. As a sincere Christian would( and ought to) die rather than betray the Truth and Church of Christ into the Enemies hands; so these Heroes of Rome will rather suffer a thousand Deaths, than disclose the Popes designs against such Dogs, Wolves, Serpents, as we( heretics) are glorying as much in their sufferings, as any true Martyr of Christ can; and for this their Fidelity and Magnanimity in the Cause, even to Death, shall be Sainted and canonised by their Holy Father: In my Opinion it would be much more strange, to hear any Priest or Papist confess himself guilty of any evil against Protestants, than to deny it; since they do not look upon us equally worthy to live with bruit Beasts, most worthy of the greatest destruction, and a laudable work in them to hasten it upon us: Could we see one of them really converted to Protestantism, and the true Religion, we might expect a discovery at death of the Popish designs: But so long as they declare they die Romanists, 'tis mighty folly once to dream of any Confession from them in favour of us, or by which our Church may reap the least benefit or safety; for this were in one moment to tumble down, what for many years they have been rearing up, and had rather than their lives should be carried on to perfection; viz. to bring this Kingdom once more to the Pope's Lure, that once more that monstrous Beast of Rome might ride us: And do you think, now he is gotten so high, that one lift more had thrown him into the Saddle, they will, by a Confession of his and their own villainy, pull the good old man back? no, They honour him and hate us too much to do any such thing: Therefore however those men behaved themselves, or whatever they affirmed or denied at death, let us not be so over-credulous as to think their Brethren( those Wolves that yet remain amongst us) are a Company of innocent Lambs, and have no designs against us; who doubtless Glory in the confidence and faithfulness of those that are gone before, and are carrying on a most cruel and horrid design and Plot against us, against our Gracious King,( whom God preserve) his Government both in Church and State, and against the lives of his Protestant Subjects: And yet should any of them hereafter be brought to the like condign punishment for their Murderous and traitorous Projects and Proceedings( as we hope they will if they go on) you shall find they will declare themselves as innocent and guiltless as any of the former; for such is their Zeal for the Cause, and confidence in his Holiness,: that they had rather die with the Pope's Pardon, than live with his Majesty's.  
Mendacium si non habet aliam maculam quam falsitatis, non est mortal peccatum.  Soto. 
Potest quis dum moritur, habere voluntatem permanendi in p●ccato veniali,  Bellarm. de purgat. l. 1. c. 7. p. 1359. 
Potest quis mori in complacentia peccati,  ib. 1370.& salvari. Sylvest. sum. v. contritio. n. 3. 
With them a simplo lie is a venial sin, and they say a man may resolve to continue in venial sin till death, and yet be saved.   
FINIS.