OCR Text |
Show 'A 'rte!ttife of Oaths. r6]~. Norby Heaven, for it is the Throne of God, f!!c: ' ~ Lefltbeyjhouidrbink, that h<forb<td tofw<nr byGodonfJ, in.fnying,By God, be adds alfo other *ind of Oatbs, h] which then the jews did fr.rear /tJr. bt tbat ft»earnb by tbtft Thiflgr, Jwurttb nQain _-by God, wbojiflr thef; '17nntt, a"d rulettbtm; for they b11ve tbifeThrngs tn Honour for him, and not for t!Jemfe/vt.r; for be Jtritb ·by the Pr~p/Je_t, Heave~ is my Throne, and Earth is my Foot-ft'ool; the Propbtt mantj~/1mg /Jy thu, tbtJt God. jillub aJJ. 7 bingt, Do !lOt 1 till Heaven and E:mh ? David a!fo faith, The City oft/;< Great King. Neither by thy Head. Therefore tbou {hou/Jefl not !wear the meanelt Oath, i fny even by rby c.wn Bead, !ejltbouprocted to greater, or by ~ny other ~anner; for tbe Creizture i.r alfo tbe Po_Qe~n ~~God; lind agam, t/J~ Oath u maJe by God, tobo bath it (the Creature) tn hu Power l for, rrlthougb II (the Head)be made thine yn it is not thy Work, w.~ic"b is manifefl from this, Tbat thou canfl tlot mdl one Htzlr O.'lJitr or black. But let ¥our Words be Yea Yea, and Nay Nay, f!!c: l.tt yo11r Speech be when',Je affirm, Yea, and wben ye deny, Nay; _and ufl Dn/y tbefe for, or in }lead o Oat1u to Confirmation, and no other than Yea and Nay, UJbiJt are adjoyned befide.r tbtfe, be 'aUetb an Oath. Queit. B11t if afl Oath be fl[ tbt Devil, bow did the old Law permit it? .A-nJw. Becaufe the Saci-ific~of living Creatures were alfo of Evil, and The1 all a- by the Deceit ofldols, yet the L:1w permitted them, becnuft of the lf-J'nfir greem the mity of the Hebrews: For; whereas they wera: Gluttons, and Smell·Feaft., R~ron grur. they loved the Sacrifices of Idols; and whereas alfo they were unbelieving; fer~~~ the aths they alfo loved an Oath: And that they l'hould not afterwatds either Satri• ~w viz. the fice to Idols, or fwear by Idols. the Law permitted them to facri6ce and ] ew;IYe•t- to fwear, and if there were anyThing elfe of that 1dnd, they transferred all ntfr. unto God. Now it was come to pafs, tha r in procefs of Time, he would cut of£ rhefe Things alfo, by a more fublime Law, to be brought in; be .. caufe it ~s--good for Infants to be fuckled; but for Men it is v~ry unfit: There we allow this to then'l that li\le after the Manner of Infants; but we with·draw Qr prohibit them thlt ate manly from it. - Queft. What tben ir to bt done, if any reguire an Oath, ye11, compelt~ Sf«ar'? '1- Jlhfw. Let the Fear of God be more forcible than this Compul6on orNe· teffig; and chufe radrer to fuffer all Things!.! ban to tranfgrefs the Cam~ man¢, firh in every Precept, Force and violent vanger will often meet with thee : And unlefs thou efteemeft the Command of God every where more forcible, all Thin~ will depa-rt from thee. void and unperformed. In the following !'alrages, the Lord faith, Tbe Kingdom of Heavenfuffemb Vioienu, and rbe Via/tnt taA.e it by Force. LXXVIU. Oecumeni11s, a famous Greelc Writer, a'hout An111. 1070. writes en Jam. 5. 12. thus, But fome will fay, if any be forced to fwtar, t»bat is to be done} We fay, that the Fear of God fhall be ftronger than the Force ofh\m, that compels. But fome may doubt, How it ,omuropafs1 that tJrace .doth not command tbir,_ tU Jid tbt old Uw, affording Prmft to him rhr dtdf<Mar by th< Na~nr oft be Lord I We fay, The old Law leadingtbe Jews Jtot tofweor by Devils, a.pp·ointed to Jmear by God, as it commanded tl1em to f:tcrifice, drawing them from the Sacrifice of Idols or Devils: But. when. it ~ad fufficie_mly taught them, to have a religious Refpef.l: tO God, then tt rejetted ~a~nfices a~ u·n~rofitable, feeking not a Sacrifice by Beafts, But a. broken Spnlt; th:tt ts :t fweet whoie -aumt·Sacrifice, enfb.med by r~eFueofLove. That ye fall not into Hypocrifie (fa fame Copies have it, for rhe ~ords i!!Grel'k are fometimes alike) Hyppcrifie, he faith, or Con· demnanon,. wh1clt follo~s them that fwear without {paring, and through -the Cuftoms ofOllths, are carried out to fotfwear. The Word H)'pocrijie fignifies thus much, tbat wbicb being one Thing appear, another How theri Rllerh he into Hypocrifie, that fWcaret'h? .Anjwtr. When h~ that is be., tV'cd for the Oath's S9.ke to be trueJ and yet tranfgrefii.on following,,\~~ Tbefc WcOe~r 111akt Mtn to jrtJ~trr, ngainfl CbrijJ'&Um1111111tl.r11t J .And Cbrifi"s Members all to teat, on rooJ 41 be rDtU 1Jetll yrut i Sucb Laws th6-} 111t1ke by common AJ[tnt, uch one It 1broWetb a1 a BalJ, 'n"" the P.ot bt fuD fotnt; . but rotr Fit!JhooJ foul it befol. |