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Show A Treatife of Oaths. VoL. I. 1675;· tradia the Natural Tendency of the Command of Chri!l and his Apo!lles > ~ Which is plainly this; if your Yea be Yea, tt II MOiiCJ!.; d your Nay t f Nay, it is fiifficient; for Chriflian.r oughr.notttJ[w~ar, ijt!J(y do, rhq fatl into Condemnation, in that they break thetr Mafter s Command, who h:ah. told them, that Wbntfoevtr u tnore t!JIIIt Yc:~. n!ld Nay, cometh of Evil, which is the Ground of all Oaths; for they ought to mean fo fimply and honeftly in what they tJy. Js that they fhould never need to fwear irt ordct to tell the Truth. Our FoJutb nnd lAfl Cimfideration, and that which to us feemeth of greJt Moment to clear up our Lord and Saviour's Senfe, and refcue the Paffage from the Violence of Objectors, is this Cl_aufe, ~or mbatfocver is more than Tea, Yea, and Ntty, Ndy, comet,b of Evt!. T~1s cannot be intended of more Words than Yea, Yea, and 1\ay, Nay, provtded they are not of an .higher Str~in, but of _the fame. D_egree of Speech, imporring a plain Affemon or Demat of a Thmg; for It IS not the Number, but Na. ture of the Words fpoken, that is here prohibited : Nor c:tn it be only underft" ood of Perjury \ for every Body knows that to be Evil in it felf, which is mole th:tn that which comerh of, or becaufe of Evil: Therefore it muft be underftood aS well of Swearing, as of Fotfwearing, Which is not Evil it fetf, yet cometh of, or by Reafon of Evil)n the "":odd. No~ is there 3ny Thing more than Yea and Nay befides Perjury, Wh_tch can be mtended, but an Oath; and thcrcfo.re that was intended: Chuft doth not only prohibit Evil it llif, but that which is Evil by Superfluity to Evangelical Sincerity, .1nd that Swearing is (be it of what Sort it will) where·ever Jloa is Yta, and Nay is Nay. ln fhorr, if what is .More than Tea and Nay, ccmt/b of EiJi!, then·becaufe any Swearing, as well as Forfwe:uing, is mort than Yea and. Nay; it follows, that any Swearing cometh of Evil, and therefore ought to be rejetl.cd of Chriftians. Nor wilt our f:nglifh Trantlation of J..:,.rt {belter our OhjeClors; for Communication doth nOt exclude thofe many Cafes that require Evidences among Men, no, nor any the leaft ACtion of Man's Life; on the contrary, they have a great Place in Human Commu~ nication, which is comprehenfive of the various Difcourfes and TranfaEH:!. ons of a Man's Life, as 2 Kmgs 9· I I. 2 Sam. 3· 17. Epb. 4· 29. Col. 3· S. 1 Cor. 1;. 33· lc i.s a Word of the fame Extent with Convtr/ttti07f, wbich ~kes in all that can happen between Man and Man in this World. Tbuc; tbe Pfalmift, To him tbat orduer~ his ConvtrJation aright, Pfalm )c. 23. So the Apoftle, Lu your Co,zverfatlon be as buomu the Gofpel, Phil. 1. '1-7· Befides ~._,,G- may be rendred Word, as in John i. J. and the Italiml and French Tranfiations have it, Let your ·word be Tea, Yea; Nay, ]\(,y; as much as if Chrift had faid, As I do not only condemn the AB: for Adulrcry, which the Law did, but alfo the Conception of the Mind, and not only Murder, but Revenge likewife ; fo I do not only condemn Forfwearing. which is done to my Hand in the Law of God, but prohibit Sw,arin~ ar izll; for 1 m::ake that to be Unlawful, which the Law doth not call Unhwful: Therefore when your Evidence is called for, Swtar not at aU, but let your 'Vord be l"loa, Tta, and Nay, Nay; that is, Do not fpeak Untruth; for that is Evil: Don't Swear; for that comes of Evil. 'fa conclude; 'People fwe:tr to the End they may fpeak Truth; Chrilt would have Men 'f_- fpeak Truth, to the End they might not fwear; He woulB not have his Fol· lowers upon fuch bafe Referves, bur their Word to carry the Weight of an Oa·th in it; that as others ought not to be guihy of Perjury, Chriftians oug~t not to ~ gui_lry of Lying: For fu~h is the Advance from ftfojn to Chrijf, Jew to Gbnjfzan, that -:IS the Cbrijhan needs nor the Jew's Curb, fo .his Lye is greater than the Jew's Perjury, becaufe his Yea or Nay ought to be of more Value than the other's Oath. X. And lafily; ~ef~d~ rhefi:: Prohibitions, Swearing is forbidden by the very Nature of Chnftlanny, and unwonhy of him that is the Author of it,, who came not to implant fo imperfetl: a Religion, as that which needed Oaths, orfbould. leave Fraud,. the Ground of Swearing, unextirpated; bur -oo promulgate that Gofi . pel whtch tetrievesancient Sincerity, builds up Wafte Places, reftores thofe Breaches Oaths enrred at, :~.nd leads into the Ancient · Holy VoL. I. . . A Treatife .of Oaths: Holy Paths of Integrity they never trod in H . 6l t wh1ch curerh the D1feafes of them that co~ e 15h_that powerful Lord I6 Serpent exalred, that relieves all that believi e ~n~o ktm, and the Mylhcai ~ fice 1s to make an End of Sm that made W ng Y 00 up to htm. H1sOf4 !hat Evcrlaihng Rlghteou(Oef~ which never n::l~~ s~~anng, and Introduce JS no lcf.., than Re.generar10n and Perlea10n fi h ~ e Religwn he taught leait Wavering; Sincerity throu.ghour tha;. uc . hracity as hath nor th; Jttghteoufnefs of the Swtarzng ]CWf bur tha~t rug t hnot only exceed t.he the Ttmes of Re(htutlon, WhiCh h; brought to a~ w nch, permitted It nil who fa1d, Swctzr not ar alJ; for the Larv that p t ed egenerated World, Mofes; bur Grtlte lind Tnllh that tnd tl elmtftC Oath$, Wd.t gzven by therefore prohzbzts rbtm. And' not only 1~ tbi~a ~''T f{ ]ej11.r Cbrijl, who ,ReltgtO:n he taught, of fo pure ::and excell 0 pe ° Chnfi; or the Holy be hts D1fciples, are obl1ged to obey Ir c~~f~ J.'la~reh; bur th?fe who Will fud, Jj ye love me, R.up my Commandm/ 1 mu~ t at he h1mfelf hath 111ents, ye jhalJ t~btdt r!l ~'!!Love Again j{' an }f ye kup my Comn~and-ever 1 command you. lj any Man wtO. ' c ~'/.my nends, if ye do fDbarJo-- John 14. lSi and take up bu (b;ifs, dnd jollow me: F:~e aJrer me, let htm deny lmnfelf, RtghreoujRefs foal/ exceed the RrghuoufnelJa;JuJ.to you, rbat except }QJO and I$,10,14-( )e jhall In no Cafe tnlt'r !he Kingdom oj Heav I 'J~ Scnbes a'Jid Pb(/rifu;, Mat. t6. 2-j; t;J&Il (tl your F(/rber which IS tn Heaven u Ptr;~· r{erctheufor~ F~r/eO, Mat. S· 2~ Saymgs of our B!effed Lord and Savwur Jcf t Ch lt e e are the weighry _.g, who breaks not the leaft Commandment wh us rz ; and cenamly, he vengc, Love Encm1u and he perfe!l it,~ 'Jt can Suffer tatber than Rt- Ver. t 9• above the ObbtatJon tif all Garb unto T::th.ffic /dvent.Ft{fr. H ptr/ell, il not a nor her Gofpel tHan thel[ Mafter's whop 11 ~~~· ThIS h) Clples preach'd 1111t,hi h' Jttnflijied throiJghout' m Body' So /. ra~ s' ' at t o[e W~O bduveJ, t The!:. ... 2!~ Removal of the Ground of S.wearin . 'a 11 ' an '}unt, Which 1s a perfe8: p 1 the Mark of tht Pnce of tbu H,t,h !d l£.~ t~e)J: were exhorted to prefs after hli. 3• 14- unto a PcrfiU Man, unto tbt Meafure df 0[ S. mg, untJl th1y fhou!d aU come ]tfll.r: For efJtn hettllnto (faith Peter) ~::r/ature ;~the Fulnef.r o}'Chrifl fu./fere~ for 115, !erzving 11s an EKamplt, that 1/fo;a,: t ;ua;t;~ Chrifl a!fq ~~~ ~·.':!, dtd no Szn, ne11ber WtU Gudt found tn hu Alourb 11 A d fi'·u h uJ.r Su:ps, who 22. u, fo art we tn tbu World. If no Gtllle be fou d n llt ohn, ..d.r lie 'John •. 17i Oaths-;- for they came becaufe of Guile. And If lO our hMourhJ, then No in this Wortd, rhen' muft our Commum~auon hew~ ou~ c tor: ~Tble him that ts, we muft ltve the Life of Truth and li ~a, hca, 311 {, J.lay3 whtch ought to be of greater Force rhan Oaths ;~~r c~~ ~of:ds.f j{uthh, R1ghteoufnefs of the Law ought to be fulfilled e 0 .. VI· t e fwear, becaufe we ought to be fo Righteous as no/~0 °L'y:e T~gh~ nEt t.o gehcal i for as he that conceives not a foul or re\'e f: iT Is IS van· not to purge hlmfelf of Adultery and Murder. N . hngc. u h houghr, needs that Man fbould purge h1mfelf of Lymg by· Sw~~tn~~ tst~a~rd~~~ Reaf~n much as counrenanc~ an untrue Thought. , not 0 • The L3nguage 6f the fame Apo!lle to the E 1 ji f: this Evangelical Evidence, But yt have not fo !e!,.,~~:/:Jbr :J.rth{r explains ye have hca1d hun, and havt been ta11gbt by hnn, 111 the T:~;h is{: b~ ~:~ Epbef. 4· iof That yt put off, cdnctrmng the formtr ConvtrJatton tht Old .hi ~fb ·' 2r, 22, 3J, Corrupt, accordmg ID the dtcell/ul L11jl.r, and b/ renewd, 111 a;be S1~ jt ;j u, 2S"' your A1.md; and tbtlt you put ~n tbe l\tw A1an, wh1cb, after God, u ~1cauJ. m, Rtt.hrco#JnrJs ttnd trut Holtnifs Wbertfore, puttmg away Lyin fi eak e\ery Man Truth wttb hu l\t1gbbour: Beyond which, there can ~'nd' Af.. furan_ce g1ven or deJired. And lf Chrilhans ought rrever to Lye it 15 moft certain t~ey need never to Swear ; for Swearing is built upon Lfmg. take ~way _Lymg, and. there remains no more Ground for Swe:mng, Truth-peakt_ ng comes 1n the room thereof: And this nor only rhe Ctrrifti:m Dofinne reach_es and requires; but Chn1t, the bleffed Aurhor of It, is ready to work m [be Hearrs of the Children of Men would they but come ~ned learn of him, who ts Meek, Lowly, fiJicl wnh 'Grace :tnd Truth . .And muit need$ fay, It 19" 2 f"hameful Th1ng, ;md very Diihonoura ble to rhe · Chriftialf |
