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Show A Treatife of Paths. Vi>L, I. {i 'd 'tis to rake God's Name in va~n; and we 16:7')· not, becaufe, ~s weifthavft 31 fi tvcs beipg 110 ways confdous of Jraudulent ~ have no Reafon to d ru our e sw'eu) liur much rather, why £bould we. Bi(b. Gauden· Purpotes: WP,y then.fhould ~e . fcribed ro Solon Tbat a good Mtrn fhould ~fetJ6sp.4t. be impofed 'upon? It ts a S::~ytndga~ Ollt{J; that lr 'ts a Dimin~tioiJ ro bir Cre~ have that Repute, tU not 10 nee not an Evangel~cal Man to fweu, was dit to be put to fwear. It becom;sthat anon : In the meaJl while ple:~fe tCJ a primiuve .Ax,om; bup mae 0 mong you tO exempt JO\l[ Lords in feveremember, you. ~U.VC a ra lCC; an 0Jth, in rheir l.."QfC .(\VOUtbment Upon ral Cafes, platlQg the Value 0 Men of rhofe Titles fhould have fo much their Honour, f~{~ofU1o jha;ght be of equal Force, with a common Man'• Worth, a~ !hat t c~~l f' femto underlbnd Honour, intheSenfeof!bemoit Oat~: Aodtfyoup;11 1'P elacrs· to wit, Virtue, your own Cuft~m gtves Au· anoent and belt 1 0 op 1 akes ou to fay witP, us, That Virtye nted Not thority to our R.~afon, & b · ~fed upon her to uU the Tnab, the only {o;ear, m11cb lifs bave 0{~a~~~fca1ly fpoken or' C/emeqs ~exandrin11s, thar l)fe ofO.~ths. It was . which WJS memo~ably v~nfied by the Jwdges a food Life tf!t%1 a firm 0~1~ tbens forbad the Tendering of Xenocratcs an o Athens, who; ~;~ug ~p.nio; of hit Integrity, whi<:h was three hun· Oath, becau{e OJ t etr flftear me in the Flefl!. . dred Years bef~rd ihnfi cfo Non-conformity to your Cuftom IS, the Fear · I 1-1. Out tbtr ia on fo ld br guilty of RebrUion agoinjl tbe Di/c01Jewe have, left by ' 0'J'P ymg w; ,0" of his ancient holy JVay ofTrl!tP; and con· ries God bath mau,e ~ 0 ou;. (f 'dneJ.r tom and depriving him of thflt Glar;·, fequentlf._of co~fel/m~d u :o e tbH bo;ejl Tefiimony may bring to him find. and the lforld OJ ( at var fn' Fraud. 'tis he only th!'t hath begotten . tbtlll. He has. redeeme.d us ro d we dar~ not put this. Light under a Bufhel, this conlcienuoufnef~.tn VJ' kn or him to have the Honcut of it. We iotreat nf!ither can ~e deny IS 0~. ~urs into Cbrifiian C9nfir/eration. you, take thlS Te~4ernefs M_ fure loft of the Reafpn of rh~ir Primitive Jn- IV. Oaths have tn great teahar awfullnfiuence wbich was and only can ftitutl'ion~ fincefrheyfi~~v:h~~ _ron the contrary, rh'ey are become the fallili· be a rerence. or u ~~ nd h~l to make up a great (bare of the .il-la-11/odt . ar Parr.rof DifcourJe~ a ii h! decline their Compao)', or reprove their Conv~rfanon: an~ thS5"r~ o( ]\r,ce andJqueamifh·(:onfeienced. MM. T~efe Pra£hce,. are to go or a U0t et woUld. be thought Winy 10 Sweanng, Swear wttbour Ffar, or a;e ~urious in their II;Ilpiety J Old o,ubs are. too_ Featlefs, ~hey ~aht .= ~orne tion 1\'~0 aim oft j)lift Oatbr with their Fajhtom' J.u11 for IV.len on. r. ~J~ . ~vOnrbs 'Jre comrqonly adminifu:ed and .ta.ken. wit~ ~ax, th·e mo., .. JU •eta d Dev~tion (~0 fay nothing of the Perjuries, th~t fo httle Reverel{,ct anD fign are ~fo f.requen,tly commi~ted) that w~ cant through Ignorance or e D; ravit . tl'at is in the World! How low u MIJJI b~t c'J,o~t,bO ;be ~rtat Rul o!Dfe! Well may the. Prophet's Complaint fallen rom r e nmll~~d mourned becauJ~ of Oaths, with great Sadnefs be ours •. for/! ev/r b And what more effeU,ual Remedy, can any Peo.ple we fayli u, t .rfi :~e· notorious Abufe and evil Confequence of SwearurgJ pro-go e agam . l for thofe that dare not Ly(, need not Swedr i ali t~~nT;utb·f~takmf:c~;r&ience of Lying, do not I!IUdJ fear an Ot~tb, at leait tfJlY tuat ma e no yc • t klng it This only Reafon, were we their Canfdence.r are vr;ry cra;z.~ mw a,l4 be ·a ftroo Djffwafive. from Saufl· d~ftitu£e 0!~1~~t~~o11~~~~~~s;, a~~ our Profeffio~, greatly concern.ed tJ rzng; or fa /fJ!Je an Age that there is a ,People who :lfe fa far fro~ ~~~tn an rl P:tove to . h t h' y dare not fwenr the Truth, but who.e ell,, auf f].,/(; ~:~r:~g~ 3~ai~fte other Men's Oaths~ and. that ~ith 3: free Oftel oft ab. · d ble Punifbmenr in Cafe of Mifcarruge. Expedients may 3J fujla~mng 011y RUT Hanly thall have the Honour a£ conquering Fflljhoo ' a whtle, but II b ) 0 tb and Virtue will .an~r.mu :j ~ejte~i~~at'lya~nd"erftood (bows the. Ufelefnefs ·v. The Om1ttpi:J~'{~~ :sa go..,~d Argument ngoip/f St~tarinA! For what ofadn.Oahth, an~ that ~an's being awed into true Etidence by tuch {\Sor.t ~! nc;_e ts t ere o Atte auo VaL. r. A Treatife ofOaths: 6lj Atteltations a:nd Irtrprecations as make up the common Form of Oatbr. 1or; who. knows God to be alwayt pre[l1Jt to refide a.nd prefide in his Soul., ac~ ~ C?rdwg to that ne}'l a~d Everlalhng Covenant which he hath made, that Jus Peopl~ fhould h? h1s Temple·, that he wp11/d dwell in them, a1td wqlk i~t Afb 1t. ~if. tbe,.. Dtd the Chtldren of Men know the Power; Glory and Majclly qf God, Whom the Apoftle preacht nigh to the Ath~niant, ,'and declared to the Epbefiant to he Father of aU, a6ove all, rhro11gb aU, 1nJ in rbe!JJ all, ther& would be no Oaths, and bur_ few Words-, and thofe uttered with Reverence !phe~ 4• 6' and Truth. · · VI. We do not find that O.rbr anfwer this Part of the End for which they a~e impofed, viz. To con~ince .tbofe for wbofe Sake tl·ey ;re ralun, of tb(Wet~btandTrurb of a MansTe}ltmony, Oy Force of God's Witnefs joyn'd tbtrewuh l For they don't behold God's concurrins Witnefs by fuch a11 Af~ ftfiance or Avenge of that Parry, as the Truth or blfbood of his Teftimo~ ny deferveth ; for the Judgments of God are fecret, and r:uely fa publick· ly fee!J to Meo, perhaps once in an Age, that he fhould gtve any Memora~ ble D1fcovery of his good Will ot Difpleafure. in fuch a Cafe; b~t when e· ver he doth It, tt IS not at Man's Appointment: And it is an evident Sigrr that God :Ipproveth not of that Sort of 1nvocarion becaufe he doth nor: ~nfwer them that invoke him, according to their Wifh; as peither did he tn theol~Law and Cuftom of Combating, appeat on his Side, that had the bet~er Tule or Caufe,. as. he promifed in the Law of ]etdoN}ict, that their Numb.~· 2t, Thtgh fhould rqt, and thetr Belly fwell, f5c. "· VII. We look UtJ:On it to be no lefs than a prefurnptuous Tempting of God, tQ_fJJIIIIfiOif hmz a1 4lVitnifs, hor orily 'to our Terrene, but trivial Bufinefres; f~~h as we fhould doubtlefS account it an high lndignity, ,al~ ways to fohc1te an Earth![ Ptir;tce to give his Attend<~tn~~ about. \Vhat I Make God, the great God o Heaven and Earth, our Caution in wol'1dly Controverfies, as if W"e would bind him to obtain our own Ends? It is to make t~o bold with him, and to c_ury an u.ndue Diibnce in our Minds_, ro~ wards htm th~t made us j An Irreverence we can by no Means away wirh, and upon WbJcb. Cb,yfopom is rnoft fharp, as will be feen anon. Betides it is yainand infolent to think, that a Man when he pleafeth, can m:~ke the Great God of Heave (I, a \Vitnefs or Judge in any Marter, to appeu by fome fignal Approbation or Judgment, to help or forfake him, as the Truth or Falfnefs of his Oath requires, when he faJth, So belp me Gott,. Vlll. Befides whrt we have ltithcno urged in Defence-of our feh•es a~ gainft the Subtlance of the O•tb, we juftly except again{\ the Form o( it (w.hich further adds to it's Unhwfuloefs, and confequently ro our Vindica• tion) as by the Contents- nnd Kiffing ,of rile Boolq Swearing by a Sign, being FeR:. ad t~p. Heatheni!h or Jewi{h. For the Rqman1 held 3 Sco:1e, and faid, If I deceive Poltb.l.]. c. Wittingly, then let Diefpiter cofl me out of my Goods-, tU I this Stone.' The 2S· Altx· ab 'Heroe.r fwore by lifting up of the Scepter: C~tfar 1Wore by his Head, his ~':rx·t;.~·~~~ Houfe, that is, devoted them to the Wrath of God, if he Wittingly de- J. S· Ep. ,, ceived, E!fc. The Manner of the Jews is from Gen. xiv. 22. that Abraham Arift . .1 ~ol. lift up his Hand t(l God, ON, lf, &c. putting the lftmd under the Thigb; on the to. PltJ!1 Head; £affing betwixt Beafls divided, as God did to A.brabam;&c. See more j:,~·,~ 64• n., in Lapi . So~boc. in ilnti~. v. 270. Scoliajl. 8 •ptijl. Han fen. of poffing tbrDNgh . Fire, Swcanng hy tb.t Rtgbt Hand, &:c. Tit.e Ufe of So belp me God, we find from the L1w of the illmaim, of King Clotharim: The laymg on of the three Fingers above the Book, is ro figni· 1indrnbro. fie the Trinity; the Thumb and the little Hnger under the Book, are to cap.]. S 7• fignifie the Damnation of Body and So11l, if they forfwear, So helpmtGoJ. · Further, be pleafed to confider thar tbe Englijh Cufi:om bas very much overgone Englijh Law in this Bufinefs of Oaths; tb.ey were anciently but folemn AtteUations, .ds tbc Lord liveth, &.c. which are now impiov'd to Imprecations, So belp me Gad find the Contents- of rbis BooR; though it was fo of old at Combat, but that concerns not our Cafe. For the Kiffing of rhe Book, that is alfo Novel; indeed after they rofe from folemn Attcftarions to lmprecatioas, the Law required ~ Sight and Touch of the Book; the .K ~ k k SoXOf1 |
