| OCR Text |
Show Euf!!.'Ec:cl. HJf\:.Iib.+o flpol'jo 'A Treatire of Oatlif. olmaji~ that thy bore Wordj/!o/1 IJave tl!e For/1 ond Virwe of an 0Rth. It u huom! a Prov(rb, :That to f'tJJtar Weli and Ho..liiJ,, is a fecond. Virtue; for be tbatfutt:aretb, hJ-ufpe8edof Lying and Perjury. It is, ,!dubhe, moflpro· fitable and agretffble to tbc renfonabk Nature, . to nb(larn llltogeJber jro1/l Sroeoring. WfJotfoever a godly Jl1anJpe.alu, let tt:gofnr an Oat b. The \Vifdom and Moderation of this wo~tby Perfon, refieEl:s juft Blame upoA tbofe that Pillage their Neighbours, becaufe they ~.nfcientioufly Refufe an O~tb: But that Men, 1Y.ho pretend to beth~ D1f~1ples of Jefus Chrift, {hould commit thefe Cruelnes, aggravates the1~ E\'IIS, amJ., doubtlefs their Guilt. How can they ever ho~e t? look theu Lord Wi(h Comfort in the Face; who fo feverely treat rhe1r Fellow Scr\!ants? Cerr:tinly Jews :tnd Heathens will one Day rife up in J pdgment againft fuch CbriJlianr .. for their Unnatural Carriage towards their Brethren; This is not to IO\'e Enemies, but injure Friends. Jews aad lip11rhem are l,lecome Names of Reproach; yet to the Rebuke of Cbri/iinns, as they cJll themfelves they not only difcern'd the Rife and Ground of Oaths, bur the Evil of ufirJti. them, even while they were Tolerated ; ·and_ both avoided them, and exhorted others to that Integrity which had no need of them. Thefe Teftimonies, though they are of Weight with us, and we hope they will have a due Imprefs upon the Minds of many of our Readers; yet becaufe nothing produced om of Jeuu and Gentile~ may ·ad\•ance our Caufe with (orne, or render it ever the more acceptable, we !hall next be· take our felves to the more Cbrijlian Ages of the World, for Approbation of our Judgment, who, we are fure, will kinqly cntertalA us, their Libera .. lity being Extraordinary to our Caufe; and from whom we fha11 never want Votes for Swear not at aU, while their Works are in the World; May our Superiors joyn theirs with them, :lnd we have Reafon to belit:ve, that our Deliverance from rhe Yoak of Oaths, will be the happy Jll'ue of this necelfary Addrefs. Ill. TESTIMONIES from Cbrijlian.r, both Fat ben, 'J)ollor.r, Confeffirs and Martyr.r, in Diilike of .All Swearing. Po!ycarpu!. XXXI. The lir!l Tefiimony recorded again!\ Swearing, after the Apofiles Times, was that of Po'l!nrpuJ, who bad lived with the .Apoil:'les, 3Tid was faid to have been Dtfciple to John, not the leaft of the Apoftles; for at his Death, when the Governour bid him Swear, Defie Chrifl, f!fe. he faid, Jlourfcorc and Six Tears bnve I ferved him, yet both be ntvtr offended me in any Thing. The Proconjr~l frill urged and faid, Stcror by tbt Fortune of Ca:far; to whom PolycarJ>II! anfwercd~ Jf tht~u require fl. this Vainglory, that Iprouft the Fortune of Coefar,. tU t15ou fayfl,feigning thou knorrtjl not who I am, bear freely, I AM A CHRISTIAN. This Good Man began his Fourfcore and Sixth Year, about Twenty Years after Jat~~es wrote ilbove aU Things, my Brethren, Swear Not ; and feveral YeJrs before Jobn the Apollle deceafed, for he is called his Difciple. See his Hi!loty and Commendation in EM[cbim. • We know it is objeiled by fome, That he refufed to Swear only· bechufe he could not fwear by that Oath, which is a Guefs and Jtb Confutation of what we alledge: But if that had been Folycarp'ys's Reafon, why did he not rather f~Y'. The Law of God forbids Swearing by ldols? 'Tis certain, the lirfi Chrifl~anr would not Swear, but thought Polycarpm'!,s Anfwer Secu· rity enough co them that demanded their Oath : He refuf~d all Oaths as a Cbriflian; thctefore faying, he was a Cbriflian, was Reafon fufficient why he would not take that Oath. Jli]iin Afortyr, A pol. 1. pro Cbriftianis, ad Jinton. Pium. oper. p. 63. . XXXU. It was fom~ ':fime b~fore hi~ Suffering, that ]uflin M1tr~yr, w~o IS the firft we find wrmog of It, pubhOn an AptJlogy for the Cbrijlian.s m the Ye.Jr 150. as himf~U f~ith1 and a fecond af1etthat, wh.erein )le telll . ~ . u~ VoJ.. I. A. T..r~iti: 1 ,9;1{~>· iJS, afrer the Doiltin~ of Jli; Mallet T(J,t . • P~1 .iLL, but alw<~pfpc~~ ~beTrurf!. Ji~ rh· .!'!' /!'"" i\01'S{I:E.iR .JT t6]!· ,,~ndcd, , sr~E..d.R p..-oT ·AT .tif:1~; ~ Au; k,a[ ;~,,. XE I ST, bat/J ,rllls COJ!Z· ~· .i\AT, .N4) ~ an_,d wku 4• tnorc tb<~JA tbefe- ir ~~ F'-2··· A be ~~4- fl~~~ JOJ!n Martytdom <n Eufeb""· foon after f~/ycarpm. · ;:rlh See 41l . Pr,ufe am> ,,[,!.lib. i< lEuftb. Ecc!. Milt. lib ~ c t~ .1. ' "P· ''· X){XIff. ' Undet the fame r;; 6 ( · · · · ' 'rt.tr~, of Fifteen Year.s o( Age"'J'eJ ~/a~~ Erifehj~!} __ fulfeted !!lfo Po~ 'bmer tdrments; l'fie-Tormenr~rs R ' r~n lila, a vlr~th, wit:h•!nlf'kind ·cJ' which I~Y conllantlfRefufl:d. , now and f~n urgtng.Jheln 1to Sweal'j E.,/eb. ib;d. lib. 6, qp. 4• XXXIV. And in the' pext Empc ·, R . . thority, amonglt the <\oft bein a rors etgn. J3,wlu/u, a Soldier of Au· :~nd by her convinced o( .~he Tfu.t~P1~1 ~hd·ft0 le~~ Pofiramitna t? Execution~ to Swnr; Hut he affirme-d lainl ~ rl ' WJ!:i J. rer a whtle required • • (faid h.<-) 1 am 11 Chrifiiaf:.' p He Jid :o~f:.1ttJt lau:{lrl fOr !Jim tO SCDt!tlr.; JP,. Oath,~ but upon Swcadng at {Ill 1T,h, H"fi? the t1nf:awfulnefs ppon that would have him fwear upon fo~e Q· lfi ory_only ays., Hb_C¢fnpJ11ioi1s w~at; His Anfwer was, Jr is UnlqrDfi /~a 100 or8 qther~ not me,ntioni_ng hy (fatth he) I 11111. 11 Cbrijlian. The C 11 t~or me to. ny.;r; and why) becaufc Oaths; therefore not .rhei~ Oaths.o_n equence IS pain, Chrifllm~} took pf XXXV Tm. Ago!. pro C/,;.ifli,m~< ad veri. gen., cap. J2. ' In the f<lme Emperor's Reign Jiv d]: 0' . ed Man, who wrote a \Cry notable A 1 e crt# /IJ/1, a_ftnct and learn- TertuUian he anfwers :he ObjeChoits -of the lielf!hpo og~ for the Cbrifl,aor, wherein li'M, L••.Jer; Weli-Wlfhers to the ltmpero1, !;, .r.c'!• W_ olatq~fed them of nor being .J(nuuct,tu.• SaC!ifice nnd Swear by the GcJtii;J"~tFo;;:; Fnends, m that t.hey re(pfed to ~~o;J;;fa/Jt. begm With this beca.urc it is urged {y v:fband Hrlllt~ of the Emperor (we '"''· seeh'n Sr.uar, tP nor by ibe Ge»uq of the C fars {;me bgaiJI us) f:ttth ht; We do L1fe-. u mor. Auguft then all Genml.r or Peii G' (J ·ol or for tbe,,. Safcry, -wlHcfJ to Jhe jidgmtnt of. Gad Ut th$ Empqqr/ wbo h' ~0~~ U.'C reverently /oo~ 11p'un~ and roe know thor to he rn tbem wiJ(Cb dod /'"Jd them over.r/;tt Atz11o111; nuU (0 hcf.ife (that God fave it;) Ho f: 1 WI .r, m rvbat God tbtlh, tbat !« - id juramento habemus; i And I]Jtlf :4' 30:C~;n; J :~]umus~ et pro magno fDt: b,n;e ~njlfod of a great Oarb. namely JJ(j $ rl"(Jf Oa:IJ, OJ tbitt J(;g.-Jdasadds; Thing that was defired the Subhanc f' 011n r ·It'( 'Jl»g '" C:rfar. The l·allllfpru P;tbagoJettn.S f:ud was ~all reafonabie ° C the QJth '· th:!t 0Jrh whtch the pltun?J, rim .Mmd not to tranfgr~Js rbe L,,wof God '!:l.ture~.;;YtZ. tt{t~!I_Rifobmonpf ~t!~rr: had Rcfpefr to 1 Tb<Jt Oat b. wb,cb a lu) Jlftch T(rtulban flt~h here lh'y afur rke,~• C!emenr A!eXtlndrrnth fpcaketh In lik 011 {-.Wt,lrttb by Ius Dteds~ as mannum~r. 'We doStcntice for the Heaith of the/E~ner clt:tllum f:~ys, to Setipu!a, nrt~tload : pleafes, by pure Prayer t fo f:~ys he, 1 Her~e~~ d~Lif~hat Way thtlr God sqp. c. r, 2; 1 of the Emperor, by wrOm!! bu Hett!tb. anJ I d k ,._ear by the Health .Apol. c.J))• Emperor; for I commenJ b,m to God ~ O 0 wor_ ;or tbe llttlltb cf tbt of tli1s Doaor ttnal and 1 ' t~env,fe, tf we taketh~ Words *Idoolfer Scultctll$ notes. and ~hfcurepr~fel yb who 'fl the Wrtttng is dtfficul~, as ~entice ~Y' Scope of the PI;ce, and accu'fe him a a~~t~b~ fY.s, _w_e fh~Jl iflbotft, crofs the ra-yer, c. 3C! t)rs of his Ttme not only of Sr:or b nmttJVe ,'Jn rt~nr and i}1t~r- , Empe,or; neah;r of which do w:'~:f; r:~d Shcri1~dng for tbe HttJ/tb of tbe ed tO do, bad rhey, doubtlefs we fhould h t' eyh r ~nor fo much :lS offer .. Favour fhown them on that Cond fc· fi J\e eJrd o fome Releafe or to contrtrdltl himfelf (which Sc. ~~~~n ton: ~elides we fhaH a
