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Show 'i.if T-reatife-oJ Oaths. l67;; Sometimes thou may'ft not receive a Surety to thine. 'y.'hat then ? <~•d I '~ jhaU /ofe (faith he) r»bat is given. I would not fay thiS; but do not thou !Again, .of the en'durethat God be repro:J.cbed. Th~refore he whic~ co~pe~s, h:nh a i}t~,e llid&er of Unavoidable Punifhment than he whtch Sweors. Ltkewtfe he alfo wht•h ~D11Pi:11f fwears when none requires; this aliO is harder, that one fwears for an Half .. s=r· 0 Penny, for a little Commodity, for Vnrighteoufnefs. !\h~ thefe Thin~ ore fo dangerous, when thc:oreare no.PerJUnes; but If P"erJunes are commnted then all Thing• are confounded, 3Ad both he that fwears, and he rh3t foe., ceives an Oath, are the Caufe .. Obje!l. Objctl. Objeft; Obj. Bur there are fome Tbmg1_tbat are ndr known, f~Y. they. .llnfw. But fore-fe~ing the~eThmgs, thou mull do no1hmg ro(hly 1 oat 'if thou (halt do any Thmg negh~;~ently, take the Penalty of the InconveDience in thy own Hand ; Better to fuffer Lofs than otherwife. For, tell me, thou hole!\ a MJn to ~n Oath; What doll thou feek? •Would!\ t'hou him to For· fwear ? But this is extream Folly\ for the Lofs Will turn upon thy own Head : It vrere better to lofe thy Me•ns, than that he fhould be loll; whele· fore thou doft this to thy own Damage, and to God's DifhonoUr ; fuch is Ate Soul o£1 Beollandofa Wicked Man! Obj. But I expeO that be may not FtJrfv.Jenr. .llnfw. Therefore believe him without an Oath alfo. " Obj. Bat there ore many, fay they, who vmbour an Oath 'il11re dtfrtn/4, mho with tm Oath Jonot do it. .llnfw. Thou deceive!\ thy felf, 0 Man ! A Man who hat'h l<:ilrn'd to Stell! and to Wrong a Man, will alfo trample upon an Oath ofttn: llbt if he h•lh 3 Reverence in Swearing, much more in .doing .~ojufily. Obj. "But thou wilt fay, He ft'./[ers tbiS unrosUsitgly. An.fw. Therefore he is worthy of Excufe. But what !hall I fay ofOalhs of the Courts that are left? For there thou canft fay no TuCh Thing; Thr there for Six-Pence both Oaths and Perjuries are made; ..Por, buaufe a Thunder-Bolt doth not come down from .Ahwe, 111td a11 rJ'IJlHtr ate twt &vtr- • An Oath is turned, tbou fiandefl, and Wilt ~ Bind God : Why? Tbot tboo mo/fl tit ~ 8;"t'"' of Hubs mcd Shots for tl .fmall Priu, thou cllllejl him to Wiutifs. Db We 'thelts: c'cur~~.0ur fore think We do not Sm, bec::~ufe they are not P.uni!hed? ThiS is the L10~'s A Pathetical Mercy, not ot1r Deferc. Swear by thy own Ch1ld, fwear by fhy felf; 'ft.y, ~nfurc of So/tt the Offiar ll.up from my Sides : Bot thou art afraid ofihy :SidB; Js Oaths, and GOD more Vile, more Contemptible than thy Head? Say, So fhpy 1 1101 be them. that urc Blind? But Chrift fa fpareth us, that He Forbids tH /()•Steeor evtn '7. ·611f tbnrun Caxm. ot»n Head. Bot we do fo defpife the Glory of God, tbar 1fe is d-iawn eVery where: Ye know not what God is, and with whlt a Mouth he ought (o be invocated. Moreover, when we fpeak of any Virtuous Ma·n, we fa'y1 Wlrjb tby ltloutb, tbot fo tbou mnyfi be bee~fui. But now we vai~ly aillroott~?t Honourable Name, wbicb U a 1\~me abOi.Jt et·ery l\1ame, tobub ·iS TVoliiN'fkl ' With wlut Tend erne IS God's Name fbould be u· fed, Chry{oflam"j · ~ldnefs. Hctcfti6cs ourMi.nd. in aU the Earth, which the Droils bear in,( do trembYe at : '() inoft conteirlp.ti .. ble Cullom which hath done that. Lnjtly, if thou (holt inlpofe upon any'a Neceffity of Swearingin tbe Holy Haufe, how horrible an Oath daft thou enjoyn, if thou doft fo? Is it that we abuit that fimply, thi~ not ]o1? Ought nor one even to dread when God is named? Bur eVen 3thong ttie 7er.~s this N:1me was fo Reverend, That it fJJtU written oil tOe fMt'e Dfifhe JJ.tirre, and none might 6~ar rboft Leners of the 1\1ome d{ G(ld, 'but Miyr1Je Higl! Priefi .- And ·,ow alfo we fo bear His Name tendedy. If it w;is npt Lawful fur all to Name God limply, how greac Audaciou!litfs is it to call Him to Witnefs > TeU me now, bow great Mbilhe{s nit ? &boi/J, I JIIJ•rfild uftifie to y ou, amend tbofe Court-04ths. and fluw mr aD. rbofe that lo t!Dt obey. Behold, even in your Pre[ence, 1 wiU co!f1'111and them t hat Ju;e fn hpart f or the A1inijtry, tbe Ho11je of Prayer, and ahonf/h and fh~w, T-b~r it i~nOt Lawful for any to Swear, nor otberwife ntitber. Let him therefore be brought rome, whofoever he be, becaufe rhefe Thin~salfoi>ught to be done •Mark the before us becaufe ye are Children. "' 0 Shame! For it is CQntblion thh r~a~1f:!'i~f ye have ~eed to be inftruited in lOme Thi%S· Dareft not thou .thn ar~ ~n~~ ""'tftl?1tace. . tiatcd, touch the Holy Table~ 13ut that* Js yet worfe,. thou whtch ~rt mm~ ~ VoL. J, A Treatlfe of Oaths. ated, darefi thou touch the Holy Table anJ that wh'ch · · L f 1 'for a11Jl~e Priefis to touch, ihd fo S~ear? But b;i 1t ts .. net ,-:J.w 11 lSJ'i· wouldU not touch the Head o( thy Child ; but touchdf t~~:· ~h":'T;~~~ ~ on~,l)o)f not dread nor Fear? Bring luch tom;, I wiU inlli& a jufr p}: >fh":~P'; 1 llld wah Joy wtlllepd, b;>th aw3y wit/> thiS Commandment ·Ja m ) 011 hJ.' t 1 1f1ffle. rpu Law, NQt to Sw4u a~ all. Wbut Ho e Ss ;her~ t of SJIVtJ~/017, wbtn _}PII Jo (Ontemn and drj}ife alJ rbmgs? Haft rhou I here· f~fC recc1ve~ lerre1s and B~dgcs that thou lhouldit lofC tby Soul? \Vhat fo greJt Thmg haft thou gatoed, aj that whicl'J thou haft loit? Hath he for£~~::\~ T~oft ~'U·lolt both rhy fe fond him: But hath he not Fotfwom 1 Lc ou./b· ~!r.~~o ftaJl drroen /J,m to Jran.fgr~fs the GotnmandnJrnt. tTnexpc III uea,~eJtomtbeSolll: LetusdrivertnowfromthtCo~trt dnJ from all fl1ercb~nt s anJ TrttdefnJen' s Shops. It was a greater Labo.ur t~ us, do nor (J?u. thmk, th:lt l.Yorldly Things arc!" correEl:cd by rhe T ranf. gre~ngs .at JVtne L~~s. But be dot/J 1101 believe, faith he; for I ha\•ealfo hear this of fome, un!~fs I /toe.tr many Oathr they wzlJ not believe tne- · Thou art the Caufe of th.efe things, who fwearefi fo promptly and eafili But 1/tbu v.:ere nor. kut If tt1ere !Ralli/rjl to nil, that t boJ4 wau!djl not fwear: believe me, more Credu WoMid he given to thy very Beck than tho]e u:bo fwear ahJmdance o/Oatbs. Whom therefore do you more'bclieve me that do not fwear, or them that do fwear) ' '*Men neva could pk;td Confcience for not being believed without an Oath ; maar hon·e, to be Creclited without one. >t This was i!£'[~:r7~~. Nowic·~raid Ffrl)f) t Jn )f)~ Tr1.de tt~iJbout tm0<~1b. Obj /Jut, fays he, .Tbou art n Pr~~ce 11nJ a Bijhop . Arifw What then, 1f I fhall thew rhee, that it is not this qnly) Anf"fer Objefi. me m Truth now: If I .had fworn always, and at every Sea(on, 'Vhat Pri~ wl~dge woullld my Pnnclpahty hlve ? No, thou feeft that it 1S not for thiS ar gatne thcu then, tell me now) Paul huoger"d. and do thou chute · rlther to hunger tha~ to tranfgrefs any of God's Com'mandments: Wh !~~~ucr:'fuf_ ahrt rhhou fa UnbehcvJns) Shalt ~hou chufe to do and to fuffer 311 thtngr tam the Pet at t ou mayil not twear, and thall not he Reward thee? But he feed~ nalty. Datly Forfwearcrs and Grelt Swearers, "and w111 he give thee up to famlffi OurDollrinc becaufe thou hearkeneft to htm > Let all Men know, Tbat nOlle ,.,.1 Swea; rude an Axti.~ a/ are nf ~~H c;ongrrg(tflon , and hereby we may be affured, and by rbis ~~~:Y Cb1l: ;:,1gn ~e dlfbnguzlhed fcorn the Greeks and from aU Men :md not only by fl. ' the. faith (oJ Chrijlzan P~o/effion.J. Let us ha\•e th1s Ma1k from Heavenly Thmgs, that we may flnne wah H every where, as the King's Flock. \V'e are now known by the Mouth and rhe Tongue, as the Barb11rians, and they that know to fpeak Greek i for we are d1fcerned from the Barbartans by the ~ongue. T ell me now, How Jre Parrots ~mown) Is it not that they fpeak ltke Men ) And we o!fo ma_.r be lmiJwn, if we j);eok /JM tbe Apojliu, and /peak as the Angels · For 1f any one fay, Swem, let him hear, that Chrift hath commanded, Even nottDSroeor- This•fu.fJiceth to bring 1n all Vtrtue. lt u a CCI tam Gate of Godlmeft, a Way brmgzn,g on unto tb8 Love ofWifdom (or Phtlo.fopl>y.) It ."a certom Exercift (or ]tlofiery.) Let us tuep thife Tbzngs, that we atta1~ botk prejuu and [ut11re Good Things, by the Grace of our L ord J.eJ.ur Chrifl, w11h whom, to the Fa1ber, witb tbt Holy Spirit, be Glory, Domm1on, tmJ Honour, now, a11d for ever and ever. Amen. Thefe Precepts.were bccaufe of the ]er:oijh Depravation. but thofe perfe. a ones, to d~fp1fe and.relinqu:ifh Riches, ftand Manfu)Jy: lay down rhy Ltfe for P~eachtng' defp1fe all ~rtbly Tbiqs, have.nothing to dowirh t~isprefent Ltfe; do Good. to them thlt u.njuftly afHid:: thee ; if thQu be de~ fra~ded, blefs thou s 1f any llaf\4er thee, bonpur thou him; be o\•er all Thmgs: Ir w~s fit to hear thefe .an.d fuch like Things ; but now we dif. courf~ concerntng 31;1 Oath. And lt 1s eve\l as.. if when a Man (hould come to Phtlofophy, he !hould draw him away from thofe his Teachers, and make him fpell with Letters and Syllables. Confider now, what a Confuiron it would be for a Man that hath a w~ighty Scrip, and a Staff, and a Gown, ,to go to the Grammar~Scho"Of wuh Boys, and to learn the fame Things thll.t they do; would it not be a M:a~ter of much Laqghter? but more frofll you 1 for there is not fo great a' D1flerence betwixt Philofophy a·nd the Elements of Speech, as between t~e Nnnn2 ]twijh· |