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Show VoL. I. I67>· If therefore he tharfwears hath both Faith aod Trut'h; What TJ]• it thert ~ of a110atb? But if be bath no Faith nor Tnub, w!Jy do we undertake fuc1Jan impiety, tbl! for popr filly Men, and thofc mortal too, we call to witnefs God, that is above Men? For if it be a· bafe Part, to call to witnefs (m EartlJ.. .AII1.m_.fin his Reafon and Dinikeo£ 1 0"'"· 1y King to tbeloweft Judifaturu, as one· t hilt is greater tban both AE!ors and ]Mdges, why do we cite him that is uncreated co created Things, and make God to be defpifed of .J1cn ? Fie! that eKcceds all lniq!'il'f and .Audacio:unr. fs: Wbqt rbctt h ro be done ? No more b11t tbat our Yea beY ea, and our Nay be l'(ay, a11d injhort, that we do not Lye. But if we jhaYftem to [peak Truth, and i11{itatt the true Gad, fame perchance may tb11s contradifl; If an Otltb be forbidden to .Men, and a Man imitatts God in not Swearing~ 1Jow is it tbat GodU rdated in the holy Scriptures to fwear? for be fwo1e to Abraham, tts Mofes witne.ffeth: And it ir written in tbe PJalms, the Lord fwore, and will not repent, f!fc. For t1Jefe Tbmgs fum tQ be repugnant to the formff,and tl}tff thereby t1Jere is permitted to Men a Libarty"ofSwearing. But th.f$ if norfo, n~r can any t1Jink j(l: For God. fweareth _h) none; for bow can he, fceuJg be 11 Lord and Maker of all Tbmgs? But ij any Tbit~g this .nufl bcfaid, that his Word is an Oath. inducing the Hearers by a fUI; Faithfulnefs, that what h,e promifeth and fpeaketh, fhall certainly be effected; fith God fwearerh not as Man; but his Word to us is as an Oath for Verity. lind fp_eding to )Hen, be is fi~id to Jwear: ilnd this a!Jo tbe Saints do utter tifter the .A1anncr of .Men ; that ttl they themjelvu fptaking 'lpoul4 {Hrve Credit to be given ,them, fo liketoife they tbemfelvesfho!'ld Rive '.Arb.url/i• CrcJJt to God : For, d.l a Mans Word confirmetb an Oath, Jo aifo tbofe Things will not have t.hat God fpenket_b, bectrufe of the Firmnefr and lmmut11bility of his WiU, !~e~h(~o~:i. are robe reputed Oaths. Tbe fame alfo, that is there writun, confirmeth properly and 11/.} Sa;ing , fur the Lord hath fworn and will not repent; trs a Thing not tD ftrift~ynken, be retra{ied bj Repenting, but urtainly to be effe8ed, according to the En· ofly m ~way gagement of an Oath. This nljo God dotlJ dulnre in Genefis, Javint.; I ha:1~~~~~· ~ have fw~rn by my felf; but that is not -an Oath ; for be jtDore not by ano-- 7rurb,an~ . the~, whub U proper for ~n. Oath, but by 1Jim[elfwbi'b ,o~taim not the Ejliimmutab• hth nlltfi0/1 of an Oath ; but thu u dopt that the Surenefs of h1s Promife may_ ap:! dthe e~~ft pe:u, and ho.fP c-onjclep~ly tbat ougbt _ro ~~ believed, tJ?hicb is fp'lken. Tb4t 0,,b~ fweet Pfalmtlt u;tll Qtlntfs for me m bu Pfalm, calbng God tD mind, fJJben he j11ith, Where ate thy ancient Mercies, 0 Lord, which thou fwareft to David thy Servant, in (or by) thy Truth? For God fw<nrctb not hy hit Truth; But bec41ifebt, f/lbo is true, Jpeakerb in bi.t Word, tbat to .A!en ir for an Oath unto Belief. So God dotb not fwtar after tbt .i11anntr of Mtn: neither mufl fl)l be induced tbereby to take 06tbt; but Itt 11s fo Jay, andfo Jo, tmdfo approve ourfe!'ues in {11y_ing and doing, that we nted ndt an Oath for the Hearer, and that our Wvrds of tbemfelvet, may l;uzvt tbe Tefiimony of Truth: For, bytbat TVay, we jhall pltrinly imit4te God. - + - J:!.ilary on Mar. 5. '4: XLI. Hilary, a Father, ''ery famous in the Days of Con/1antim, Son to Conflantine (but an Arrian) and which was worfe, a Perfecutor, fo that this Hilary was hanitbed) jn his Commentary on thofe Words in Marthe-. Te have beard that it wtu Jaid to them of Old, Thou jhalt not Forfr.ccar thy fdf, &c. thus exprelfeth_ himfelf, ' The Law fet a Penalty for Perjury, ' that the Confcience of Religion, or Fear of an Oath might reftrain the ' Deceitfulnefs of Minds; for the rude and infolent People made frequent ' Mention of their God by a familiar Courfe of Sweari~: But Faith doth ' remove the Cuftol;fl of an Oath, making the Butineifes of our Life to ~e ' determined ~n Truth~ and laying afide the affe£\ing to deceive; prefcn· ' bing the Simplicity of Speaking and Hearing, that w~at W ttl, Jf a.t; what ' Wa1 not, Wtt1 not\ that th~ Bufinefs ~f Deceiving .might be apparent be' tween It is, and It It Not; and what. is more, is alT of Evil : For what ' is, it is it's Property always, that fo it i1; :tnd what is not, it is it•s Na' ture, that it is not: Therefote to them that li\•e in the Simplicity of the ' Faith, there is no Nud of the Religion (or Superftition) of an Oath; • wirh VoL. I. A Treatife of Oaths: 6 ' with ,.hom always what is It wh . ' 3? 'all their Words and Deeds;rci~ Tru:t ••nor~ !J Not: And by thefe bo~h 16 '!yfuffin 11s nottol'llalieOatbstDGodhb Ntctth~r~y .Heaven]Godnoton- ~ 'be/J iTt the Simplicity o/l.Vord d0 ecau e 4 I eTrurhofGodUrobe 'jlition of old Difo/Jedience, &:c. an eed; lit alfo Clmdemnnb the Super- • Suarez de Juram. 1. r. c. I. 2. XLII. The next Teftimony we !ball itch . · Reafons, and the Senfe we take our M 8 , pupon I~ Confirmation of our This if ha afforded us out of the A{loftolical Infti~t:r s rec~ft In, Swear not at alJ, is dem.:,r t t reporred by Suarez, in hts Book de Juram~onn~ :1~1 e~to Clem~n.r Roman111, fhocld hne bath commanded, that r»e Should Not S tu, ur after (fazth Clemens) been lirft, be ... that our Word foould be more Cred.ble t wear, no, 't~t by the Trne God; hut f:~=~~~·e /iv'cJ Indication of the Apoftolical noa:ine tai trn ~tb II fel[. Which is ~plain but we ~;~:· of Oaths, in that Senfe wherein theywo tave1 en the Jbfolute Proh1hition not wining co ought not to Swear no not b ere on y reputed Lawful I for ifMen begin our other Oath as his foll~wing Wo:Sse n~:ue f~d, ~ben confeqnently by no !~~i~S~i~'~ the fVord ~~ aChriflian ./hould be mor C 0J\~ 1 'f. mfly, but e:x~refs, viz. That ciOn· how~:' He that in the Law E/lablijhcd 10 ~ re 1 e t and' Oath If ftlf. Again, ititi~anancV in,s, commanded a!Jo, Not to Sweat atw;{j~ we • an forbad F,alf~ Swear- f.nJ.~~i~~n.g. Ortbodoxographo, p. If. . • LlUIL There is a Traa, call'd Tb, G .r. .t • ' " 15 reputed fpurious, but that makes noth?JPel OJ, Nicodemus: We know it .Author, and not the Matter; for tho ~ng:rJS1Jnfi: us l that difputes the 'Book, certain it is that fuch a Book ug .uo cmr" .never wrote fuch a Chrifiianity, as then recei\•ed In thwa~l wntt_e~ w~.tch is io Favour ·of 1 adjure Jflu_ by the Health of Ca:far ~b t a~b ,t;t :rl,· dat6h is m.ilde to fily; They anfwer'd, We hflVe 11 Law N ' a eJe mgr .t at yoN fay, &.c. ever wrote it, this Benefit com~th :~ t: Swear, becaufe tt is a Sin. Who-that Time, thought an 0Jth a Sin. ~0 ~ ~rgumenr, that the Chriftians at gaye that Anfwer, knew it to be the I);b~innot 'd ~e ~.ubted. but~~ that .tor he was therein ro reprefent them. e an ra tee of Chrdhans ; Bajilill5 Magnu.r on Pfalm ' 1 XLV. Ba./il, called the Great ano h Ch · 4' f in the fame Time of Valenr the Pet er . ampt?n o the like Fame; and' Socrat. Eet fulfercd lmprifonment and c l rhftcut_mg Arrttrn Empuor, by whom he Hift.Jib.4• 'Scbo!ttflicur) on the 14th Pftr~~c wirhe~~nt~gs (fe~ t~ir Praifes in Socrdtes cap. 2Io Jecetvetb not bH Neighbour; fo B(lji/ harh rr eat ~t ' ~ tbht tr:oearttb, trnd • Here he feemeth to allow an 0Jth t p , fi fr upon Jt t e e Words: is altogether forbidden. Bntl fay ¥•~o\ er S Man, whic~ in the Gofpel What fhall we fay th~n ? 011' wet11' not at a · th~P.~=vCry firre .the Lord, as well in the Old as in the New Law bath feits of Sin~n ~n~auon of Command~~g ; for defiring to anticipate ihe Ef .. the firfi Be~innin{eA~~~~h:ld t~;'[!\~~~cJlbo':~~~,e:::n~o~~i:n~~uity at :~~ ~~t~~~t!nf~l~~~j~~ t~~f~o~~~~~w !}'~O~ ~~;~/'ago•it/fi~ to take away II 0 fi f P . o a ent to an ath; but the Lord S a cca on ° . erJury, and wiUing to prevent the Dan ers of pjea1er~, !akes awbay Sweanng aliDgetber: For he names an Oath in g m:my aces t e tmmuta le and firm ConflJncy of ariy Thing or Pur ofe /have {:};:;, ~·~llo""J-f.'f;-n Pf:'fipofed to d""~ rh• Jndgmenu if thy Righff· b h h L at flHir.n, Ill/ wza not repent. Not that D4Vi4 nou~ .t t b ord for a Witnefs of his Sayings, and to get Belief to hia blou tJn~, 1:) that he confirmed the Grace of his Profeffion by an immuta· fie an rm ecrc.e; fo atf~. h~ fOUld have faid here, that is, He tbot inr«arfb, "nd d~ce1vetb not bu Ne,:hbollr, that it may ::~gree with the S~y· g o our SaVIour, let yo11r Word he Teo, Ted ; }..Tity. Nay. To Things M m m m that .. |
