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Show A Treatife of Oaths. Vox:. l. Chrifiiln Religion, that thofe who pretend themfelves to be the Follo~·ers' of Chrifr, for fo True ChrHlians ought co be, lbo_nld fo degene_r~uc fro_m his Example and Do8:rine, as to wan~ and ufe fcuemg: Aifeveranons, dif~enced with in fame of the weakeft T1mes of Knowled_se, and fuch hornble Imprecations (never known to ancient Je.ws and Chrijtianr) to afcenain one another of their Faith and Truth: Rellgton mull needs have fuftered a great Ebb, and Chriftianity a fearful Eclip~e fin~e t~ofe brighter Ages of it's Profeffion: For Bifhop G11uden himfelf, ~n h1s DLfcourfe of Olths, confeffes, That the ancient Chri}Nans were fo flrrEl and ex a{/, tbtlt tbere was no need ~fan Omb among them; yea, rbey fo kept up t?Je Sallllity o.nd Credit of tbe1r Profef]ion among Unbelieven, .t~at 11 wtlf Security enough, tn all Cafes, to fay, Chriftianus fum, I a"J a Cbriftum. But to fonifie what we have hicherto urged, in Defence of our Judgment and PraCtice; and to the End it may more fully appe:u, thlt our Tender· nefs in this great Ctfe of 0Jths, comes not from any Sour, ~ullen, or Su .. perfthious Humour, or that we would uouble the Wor~d Wt~h any New· fangled Opinion, we {hall produce the concurrent Te1hmomes of feveral Famous and Good Men, for above thefe Two Thoufaod Years, among Gentiler Jews and Chriftians, enough to make an OuMmenical Council; we fhall cic~ them out of the heft Editions we have been able to procure, :md as uuly and punEtually as we can render them, digefted in Order of Time. 'Memorable TESTIMONIES againfl Swearing, colle<'lerl out of thi: Writings of Gentiles, Jews and Chril!ians; fome of whi<h wer< deliver'd to the World feveral .Ages before Swear nQt at all was writ by Matthew, or fpoken byChrijt; rvhi'h ,akes Swearing, among Chrijlians, fo mu,h the more Difalloroable. TIJe whole Publijh'd not only in Flruour of our Cauf~, but for the biflruOion of the World, and to their ]aft Honour that faid and writthtlll, as durable .Jl1onuments of their Virtue. 1 1. The Sayings of the Gentiles or Heathens, in Dijlike of Oaths. ' 0 11r Two firfl Te ftimonies jhtlll be the Pradice of Two great People, the* Perfians and Scythians. DioJorm Sicu/us, Lib. 16. •There Nati· I. AMong the Perfians, .faith Diodorus Siculus~ giving tb.e ,Ri~br Hand ons were ma· tMs the Token of Trutb-jpeaking: He that did 11 Dcceilj~tl!y, fOal ~ea~un~:re ~ounted more Deteflflble than if he had Sworn. Which plainly implies, that Chrift. Swearing was detefied among them,as well as that they needed nor to Swe3r, who fo much ufcd Truth·fpeaking. • f.t.JJint. Curt. in vir. Alex. II. The Scythians, as h is reponed by ~- Cur tim, in their Conference with Alexander, upon occafion of an unexpetl:ed Security, told him, Tbid nor tba~ the Scythian~ con.ftrm their Friendjhip by Oath:· T~ey Swtttr by/ueping rbelJ' Wotd. Whtch IS not only a Proof of then D1fufe of Common Oaths, but Swearing at all, even in Matters of greateft ImpOrtance. Plutorcb Rom. Qucft. 28. Lived before 111. So Religious tDM Hercules, faith Pli1tarch, tbat lJe never fn'ore but ~;~~'\~~ut once. If it was Religioufly done to Swear but once in a Man's Life, it had being in th~' been more Rcligioufiy done not to Swear at aU. How iuft and fevere a Cen .. DaysofGid,. fure is this out of an Heathen's Mouth, upon the Pra8:ice of DHfolute Hefiod Theogon. p. 811. on, 'iud!· I. Chriftians? :ReforeChrift IV. Hejiod, in hisTheogonia, places an Oath amon~ft the Brood of Con· tention, An Oath, faith he, greatly hurts Men, Agam prefently, Jln OaJb goes wit1J corrupt Judgmenu; or an Oath flies away together with corrupt Soo Years. in the D~ysof Hofr4, 'tod andAmor. · Judgments, V<».IL ".d. T.reatife::of Oaths.. .; ~~ 3 Jil<l!l,m~nts, that ·!s.t ' when Ju!lice appe:us among 'Men QatL -n. • JMJ&ope 111 that Ylttce fh:J"WS. ' J•S Viflhu, ~::~ !67§· Sodad, ln Stoh. •11. . ' ~ ,·. v.irw:son~,'Pirtoftheboarine oftlteSevnr Sa,!'ts i'o R:Jmoas. ~ ;_ Th(J{ Men ou~o,r nQ! tp Sv:ear. ' tn rr~~' . Stobteiu, Serm. ;, .\ vr. Solon, th't1 (amout La.-w~giver: of ·A:th6P.;, ao..d Ol'je . of thofe Srwn Sng~1, ~*hcrrtqr~ ·Qte. People.t.q obferve Hoper· mprtrifl'l._ rban an (),.1i1 rAs tf ·hF .h,ad. {Ji,d, . .Jionefly u tq be preferred ef()re weanilg, O}S a he~ Saymg of ~h~slm~p~ts~ ;tfgood lf1,mjlioJ/ld lJ1z e that ~ltte. as hot i}{eed' (In Oa.lh; If,., .~ Dqmmlflon to hi$'Credlt to he'ptJt to fiwar, <Sialop ddud. er Oaths, p. ~ 1. ·~ '11Jcognis, veY. 6lio. Before Chrill- 62o Years, in ~ the D;~.ys of Joj.rb. · ··.-! c ,_ 1 '\:'II. Tl_;cognis, the Greek Poet, writing of a Perfon fwearing fai;h Before Chrift 1\flrber OJt~br[:~e •ro J.wear,tl~is or any Thi11g :. This 'Fbin&;t o.r Sv.•earin" '(ir ielf)' ... ~93 Years. jhnlJ not be. 'What IS th1s lefs than fwear not at all~ 6 J. -' . 1 Valer. Max. lib. 8. cap. t8. Laerr. Jf~'rhtip. & Orig. contr. Ce!f. ' ~ ~ • ~ vn~. Pj•thntOTll1, a gra\'f ::rnd \•irtuous Perfon, beirig ~~rne1ll irlrreiit d BC!fore ChriR o~ the C,-rctt,o~J~n Sena!ors, for his Ad\•ice ffiiTbings rela't'iog td the Gove11~;. s9o Years. me'~, dtd m H1sOratron, aMOng oth'er E1iCt!lterit Sentences witifl Otert'h There Three ordmary Emphafis, by this down in the Nat'Dte df :i M<1~im i:: t.Al.t!n ~~e{~~n~fi~v~d T,t~/1 God /Jy an Oatb, thollgh i.w Cou~/.s YJ[ P,di~at11re; burufe ~0 fpe~~jJI:~ of Jtrrmiab 11111gs., tfl tbat he '11tay be cn.d11ed r»ItboMt an Oat b. . ,r and Ettkitl. ' H. Orot. on Mat. ~· 34• . , IX. Clinem, l Juft Gree~,8nd Fo1lowerbf!l)ot1Ja£ordf,'oUt oflo\!i! to 'ifrht~ Before Chrift nnd Refpea: he-bote to 'hls MaA:er'sDoltrJne; thu injo.y-netl him to feat ahd ~6o Ye-ars. fhun an Oach, cbofe to pay Thr:e Talents, ~hich amount to about Three:Hun-dre~ und, ralb~r .than tttk~ tm>; Oath: Whof~Example Bafiti111 J11agnm u • bra\ the Chuftw.ns df hts ytme "":~~ that were }darning to fWcH-0: p . . H~rodes. Comment. 1n Gdrn. Pyth11g. p. 28. X. Huroc!es teftifies, Thpt :PYthlgoris, iit enjoy'nitig 'tb(m to rever i n fo 11 Oarb, ~ot only probibJts Forfwearing, bur requires tbei!T ll{fo to abflnhz ,.~a': .:2 Yea~s.r~! Swcarzng. ,, I the Time or .And JF.jhilns makes a fincere Beckon to a Matter, a firm 0Jth. :1::!/fUUI, Sroba:us, Setm, .. tl4• "'I. t 4- XI. Soc~ntu, that worthy Gentile, and gteJt Promoter of Viftue amon' Before Chrilt tb.~ Atbc1!!ans, a,.mong many Excellent ;5cnrences delivered this, That 00~ 422 Years. Men mJJfllet the Wfrld fie, •hoto tbdt their .M,nw'en or Dealings ,;,.e,_~ore in the D;~.ys than an Oath. Wh~ch both pro~·es, that he :faw a more Excellent Rig'bte- of H'g.c'i amt oufn.efs than Sweanng, Truth H felf, and believed it attainable; for I~ :Z...dwittb. mamfefily exhorts good Men to that 'lntfgrity, which is o. greener C3 utian )than an Oath. 11c: was put to Ileoth fer te!lifying againlt the Heathen dols, acknowledgmg one only ·God. P!ur. in Lacon. >\popb. · Xlf: .~fanile~,. the great Spartan G. pta in; thought an O:~th of fo' Jfrrle !kf1.1~ Chrifr Yalue, tn comp3._nfon of. Trurh, that he beftowed this comempruous S.!J- 400 Years. 1ng Upon 'Swe~rmg, CIJ,~drcn .are _to he deceived witb Toys, and tiltm airh 0111/u. Implymg, that Swct:nty IS a greater-Security th:ln an Oath. Jfocr. ad Demon. ' JVXIIJ. l[ocrates, a Greek Oratdr, in his Ora~~on to DMtoniau advHe~ Bd"oreChrilt\ 'tt.~t to ta'ke an 01111} for Montj M111fers. Atfo he teaches That 'good .(J1~ ¥114 r.~::.rs· J'N00 themfelves t1l0re credible /han an 04tb. ' : T li\'~lin·t~~ Plat. de teg. 12; Day.~ of lll1· Ji XI.V . . Plato (call'd Divine) forbids S\feJt!ng in folemn Cafes, Tb.1t none ~;~~~e Chritt , r»rar btmf~lf; ,tb.at nont. rrguir&" 1111tOarb Ofit''!tber. He fpe~ks there; JlPlV J61 Yew. RbJda· |