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Show ,").• 'A hea We of Oa tli.sl.. VoL.]. Sa'x.n Ji\rors were Swcra renenw 1 in th-e filii ll'orlia•IIIIm.S it W3S Sa&i$ tdOis \and in l:nerWrits., Evant,elii.r tafti.t ~nay, the Pri-cft's H3-n'CL11!lSOh. Jlls Breaft (ill Mattbcto Purir) not upon the Book, HoWf¥tr Jew and G<n• tile Superftition and Ceremony, have made cprh~ prefont Farm II( O>rbr, ivhlch the TrueCbh/li;:n~.AfanJlcither,~urrs~ nor wt ,tonceite, '?ught ~G perform 1 n\uch leiS impofe, where 'fetr«rtnefs hy fober Conf~r~hce. .•< pleaded, and equal Cauuon offer'd to tfre L::tW', for rhe lfltet;nryJ ~~ 1tM ititil Nny. . IX. But were we alfo deftitute of this Plea, and the ufual Oat1u tff lfflt Ozaury the Jnofti'hofi:E:nfively form'd, :fnd ~ft Penn'8 thU ever_ ally "·ere, we have both the Example and ~tcepr o[ ollr jy.rd dn_d- S;rvlb»;., }tftt (;!Jrijl to oppofe to any fuch 'PraEhce 1 flir . m ~n rhlt 11\tl~ry delmr~ to tlS by 'rhe Four Evangt!ifl~, we n~ver rdd him \ 1) hi ye . ~ffd_ an.y farther Aif~veration, th:m what m _En,g_lifh, amour'l't~ .to Vtr,.ty, 1f~nlp, or ~~~~ I fay unta you. Thus by hiS Exomple, excm'ng u\; the rhore rtadtt~ to obey his exprefs Prohibition of 5\vearin$• Mat. v. 33, \.;, .,., 36, ~ 70 which runs thus, Again, 'Te have lteard tiNh if h•t bem fa~S by tbt'm of O!.l Trwo, Tbdil jhalt ""·f drfwcar tbj_ :fel[, but.Jbalt 'Pl-}fbrm ·~to the. Urd rhine Oatlf.r · ~ut '1 fay unto )'Ou, Swear not at all; rtt ltb# /Jy HetJVen, for _u 1s God's Throne~ nor by tht Ennb, far it is hiJ !pootflool; hiitber bp }et'llfap Iein, for it is tbe City of tbe Great King; 'neir~r jha'lt tlJDu Sr;edr by r}ty 1/et~d, ht((tiiJe tlJofl canft '11;1 make one /fdlr 'tJJh1tt tir -hlack ; hut \'Jet jozW )f Word he Yea, Yea; Nay, Nay1 Jor r»b11tj0tvcris'mbre1tha11 r1Rft coli-. ~if- . J :He here pro1tibits e .. n the L~er 0aJh1, as tltey thought them that R"' verenced Srblaring by the Name o the Dor-d, lllhich in €ltd Time be fuiler'd, · by Re>fon of the Falfenefs of t eir Heans1 and ~reat 'Pronenefs to !dais; C:\'eh as.Mofes perfnitted them to put away ibtir tt iUu, ·which in tb~.prece· Dent Verfe alfo is difallowed by Chrift, though with ·nte EXception ol fot· 11ication; but Sv•earing withoUt any Excep[ldn: He 1l6rh ·n.ot flft, Sibtat rJot, exc~t bef«.e a Mttgij1f'tlre (though be fays, PMt ntft 4\tny thy 1Wift, fx~e t for the Cnkfl cf ForllittUion) 'but.Sf6e.,.tr"not i1t12'1l: Why, !Jet'itJI.ft it i1 a Evi'/; which Rlafon reatbes the Oatht laken before Mag1itrates, ::~s We I as other OatHs, for Dl(\ruft ~nn Uhfaithfuloef.,lte the Cauf~ of one lts well as the other : Ana th<te is equal Reafon in that Refpeft, that a Malter fhould fwear in pti'V~te tO his S!rv•llt at hi's1lr1tl:l!\ice, iltat be will pay hitn his W~ges, as that tlul Servant 'ffiould fwe~r ~" publick. to a Ma· gillrare, that at his Deparr~te hJS Malter wbltld 'not (xt~ him hJS Wages 1 1Joth which Oatbs the Cenailh'y of their WordS, t'heir- -tta being Tt.:t, and fl1Cir Nuy being Nay, makes \'aih :tnd ruperfloous. . . . Obj. We are not unfenfible of the common Ob1d\ion that 'js made agamll \hi~ Allegation df our Maller's Comman<l, 'fb,t bJ,I o~ly Ptohrblted Vatn Oa:1u in Co1iJJ11Tillitation: Hut'if the \\""ords of the 'l'e~t and Conrext be confider'd, every Oath will be proved Vain<~nd Unla>ffNI \ for "Chrill's Prollibition was no[ a meer Repetition of whu was forbldden under the Law, but what the Law allowed, as ..,. Bifhop SJnJciftJh 'well obfef\'trh; /r«"a.r not needful t1Jat Chri{l jhtntlil fdrbid what {J)..r.r j0rbiJtle11·in i1 fdf, or rv.:ts a/· tWJS Un/4wful, which V11in SW!aring nM.r', 11ndis, by Jbt~J'!'itd c_onlm)Jfititfll, Thou {halt not take the Name of the Lord thy Go"d m va1n •; r13ertfotr YJ/Jrift exce,edtd the ProhiiXiio11 of t1Je Lww. And tbt 'whole Cttap\er .. is a "Demon1tr:nion of a more excellent. Righteoufnefs than tl1t1t \-Vhicb euher needed or ufed Oarhs 1 for Chrift brinSs !tdulttry. f~>n ·tl!e All t• tiJe 1hDJtg1JJ; in Lieu of Revenge, he commands Suffering, and Cxtertds Cha· tit)' nor ohly to Friends, but Enemies; fo in the Plate Cohnov«hred; in the "Room of fuch Oaths ..and Vows as ought to be perforrrl'd lllHO the Lord, '11e Introduce~ Tea and Ntty, with a moll: abfoht'te ~wur 'fMt at aU. 'thiS 'Wns ·the Adv~nce he made in his ex,ellent Sermon Upon the Mount; He wound up Things to an higher Pitch of Sanftity thin onder rhe Law, or t"he Childi!l1 Stal:e of the JeWs could 'receive. ~&oilf, faith he •. Te b:rve f.!tnrd cf 0/d -Tlme, t.boll foa/J. 'llot Porjbmrr z.by ftlj, '/.!Jii .fi)ll/r ptr:form unto ·. ·'·. * zbt VoL. I. A T reatife of Qaths, the Lord t!Jine 04/lft . hut I fl. ral. and emphatiC':ll 'p h"b" a! 111110 yoJJ, s~ar nntat all. 3 1 . ever Pcrfons char ufua!J~ IaJuon.as can be found m Holy Scr~p~u~ln, ~~nep the Gofpel, rcll us H is not ~o~ate for rhe Conrinuance of Oach; u d'-'Y· lng by Cre(ltllret, euber hy Hea'u! enera/ ProhlbttJon, hJtt u luzmed to S· n er lS wholly Jnconfiltent wrrh rhe "ScEartb, }'erufa/em or Head, &c. Whl'd appear from thefe Four Confid . ope of che Place, as we (hall rn k well ta.fenous as \'lin Oaths, fue:~t~~'M Fufl, T_he Prohibition reach~ a: ought ro make to God OJll . {; en made, rf they Swore at all a and are accountable for the~'. Th tfi Hrm alone ihould they perform r'he nd ")(. the iirlt prohrbued bv Jefus Ch .It• e/ery allowed 0Jths of Old Trme m, fwea; Thy f e/f, hilt j f(/y. Swe!~ 11;, :t~a; fl,r!l cf Old, .tb~u }halt no/F:~~ r~ze what O.uhs they were to keep of Old brs true, It lS not parrlcula· \ ey w~re not to ForJu:ear rhel»ftlves. d ; ut tn GeneraL Tt:rms. that t ~m t ar would sw.e~r, thar they fh; f3 11 Is cle;u thar God enjoyned w ar can be hence Inferred more ev· d u on y wear by Hu Name. Now fwear thofe Oaths under the Gofpel t ~~t~J tban t~lt Men ought noc ro not to forfwear, bur to perform ' w rc they rnrght fwear, and ou ht ~tmfelf gJves the Explanatlon of"~Ys t~~;olt• ~n the Law. Secondly, Ch~ifi ~. :zo, u, 22 where he teachech us T ords, Chap. 2~. 16, 17 I8 {.;wears by u, a»d hy btm thtrt dwells 'Th hat he thJ j"UJtars by tbe Te'mple • eaven,.fwearsbytbeThroneofG d jretn; an he That jhJUfrCietlrb; he that (wears by the Head fi o • o~ hy hn»that jiu rbueoJt . So that fwears by rhe Earth iwears b'v h~ears y htrn t~at mJde it; and he that for the ObjeCl:ion, fot it IS as rf C~ri~~h cri~ted 1t; which leaves no Room you 110/to ]orfwet~r, 6Nz to perform ?U h{t7 fatd, 1 not cnly commMtl but I charge you, Not to Swear at; Uas n was atd to them of Old Ttme ; not fwear by God and tboJe 0 th a . I mean, not only that you ./hon/4 alfo rbat/olljhouid not fo mucb s that the Pharifees accoJtnt bzndzng. hut zbem, nn whTCh zhey are fJJOill to ~tfwe;r by Jhofe lc.ffer Ot~tb.r as theyeflum allowable, rn that they that fwear ;t'a'b ~;/.or they are not lift, nor more and Maker cf them; u:bercfore be :>' t .~m, Jwear by him tbat u the Author [orb1d you TO fwear by them a.r ~'7f 0i /he Jame Natuu wuh The oTher 1 made, and o11gbt not 10 he b;ok.en eh n.r ~jbife Oatbt that were of Old Tz;»e Ofle of my great C,()JIJmandment.r :.Vb d, ~ef/omld U11fo the Lord; /or tbu u czples, that is to fay, Srcear n~t a!~. o:{ fbt keep that wz/1 be.my Dif· to have been the Intemron of our Lord J fi T d lndl!cement to believe this many of the Apofile JanJtJ, which js no~: Chnfi, ts r.h7 concurrent TeftiDoEl: nne, bu[ an Addnion and Ill 11: • ly 3 Repetmo.n of h1s Mafier)s the ptefent Queftion with every un~/~tdon~d w~ hope fuffictent to determine my Bretbren, (fauh he) fwenr nor e1b· 1h eader; But above 11ll Thmg1 , 40. The Neg.:mve is as general ~ ~\1 ~c .runs parallel with Swrar not at HeJven. neuber by The Earth. Wo ~ rrctble. He proceeds, Netther bJ ?f Cbn(t's Prohibnion; and ~s rf ~e\~d ~quaJ Import with the latter Part lng Adverfanesl he adds, ]\7ellher b an o ore een the Ca.vlls of our Swear"" as the Sun, rf yer for their !aft Shifi"rh!y ~h"l~att \ whtch rho ugh as clear any other Oath of that Kind not that ou . te us, that he only meant oftbe Lord, it Wlll not do tbdr B fi ,re ~rohtbned Swearmg by the Name red us, Whofoever fwears b He u me s; or that Chnft hath already aJfuthe very next Words fhow ~hat j~';· fwenr~ bb btm thor jir.r thereon; and but pl:unly ro exclude all 'swearing a~ not irs efign only to prohrbit vam, Ray, 1\ay, left ye fallznto Condemn~trO::: ~"{c/ouh Tea, be Tea ; an_d JOM1' X )OJJmayfwearhyTheNameo[God}!·r. '.M e/lw Y had he not foud, BMr /;y n1ty other 041 h, be added after fuc~~e n. agt ra~e.z Why muft 1\'rztber .Above all Tbmgt Swear 1IOt l And wh plaft P~ohtbltlo~, as. My Brnhren.,. the Room of an Oath if it w .Y mu 1ea and J..•ay be fubfhruted in ans might rrfe higher'in theira£~~ Intended by the Apofile, thlf Chnfti .. That Js, thou h thetr Yea b ence than a bare .Affinmng or Denyrn;:? ctrely ]\fly. 0~ the very Tr:chev;.r ~o ~~tv Tea, and thetr Nay_ ne\'er to finport of the Words yet [hat Tho t eh arc;,r he fpoken, .wh1ch IS the Im1o ' lJOlJe, ttn,wear. Whacl$thls ba.ttoco.n.- K k k k • ttaditr |