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Show 66o "A Treatife of Oaths. 167). this firft Innocency an Oath was not necelfary, fup[aofing that Men ought ~ to return unto it :; 'tbeil to Men that live according to the Siml,')litity of tb~ Gofpel, an Oath is not neceffary, and therefore not Good. Reafon.r for avoid;ng 0 AT H 8, from t1Jt fame Aut!Jor. , Firft, Left by Swearing they fall iryto Perj~ry, for which Caufe S'weaf~ mg is of an ill Report ;~mongft theSamts, as m Ambrofe, PjlJim 18. Secondly, For Reverence of the Name of ~od. . . . TbirdfJ, For the mutu:tl Confidence wh1ch one Cbrifl•an ,f'houlci. h:~.ve of another, which ought to be fo greJt, that every one fhould b~ fure, and not poffible co be deceived in the leaft ~bing, althou~gft he l~ould fpeak in' a fingle Affertion ; :1nd for rhe Authomy of the Sa mrs, wh1ch do it:em to forbid all Oaths to Cbrifiians, :rnd th:n the Truth of die Gofpel recei\•es no Oath, as good and defirable of it felf, feeing every ope is of Evil. Lafi/y, Out of Cajetnn, The Lord perfeE\eth thts Precept of not Forfwearing, by taking away not only Perjury, but the' Occafion of it, and taking away the Care: For, where there is no Sweariog, thtrc is no Nee& of Care of Rendering. . 0 r How Sintere and 'fr6e would the Lord make his Cbrijlianr, that all Affirmations fhoul'd be inclUded in Three Letters only:; aU Denials in other Three, that the Truth fhould be fo familiar to us, as to be included in the Compendium of Three Letters. XC!X. Francifcurde Mendoc_a, O!yjipontnfir1 Dr. Theol; in Eb.renf. Academia, Sacr. lit. Interpres, in 4./ib. Rig. Tom : ~· Spedk, ff!ttb be, of me, f.1c. In the Hebrew it is t-J'!Ii. e. rejlifo; from die Verb illV which not only flgnifieth tofpeak, but atfo to bear Tejlimony, as it is to be feen Ex. 2c. n. 14. Deut.19. n. r5. Iob 16.n. 9· et pnj}idl alibi, and many other Places; as if there were no Difference with the Hebrew1 of _{peaking and reftifying, nor without Caufe; for there ought to be fo much VCracity of Good Men, tfiat their Simple Speech may be accounted fworn, and th.eir private Con~ ference be accounted a publick Teftimony, which was to be accounted the :Fidelity of Cato, who was believed in a Coun .. Cafe even tJn{worn;. which alfo S. Jerom in his Epifile to Ce!antia, inculcates; Let there be, faith he. fo much Love of Truth in thu, that wbatfoever thou fayfl, thou mayft think !O be fworn. The fume Jerom to that of Mat. 5· Swear not, f!fc. Th~ Go.fpel-Trutb, faith he, loth not receive an Oath, fitb every F(Jitb[ul Speub ir for an Oatb. To which Opinion is agreeable the DoE\:rine of Philo Jilex.· in his Book of the Decalogue, It will be mofl profitable, faith he, and mofl_ agreeable to the rational Nature, to llbflain Altogether from Sn:earing; and befo accuflom'd to Truth, thtlt olie'rjingle Word m(JJ have the Force of 111f Oat b. The like relateth Jofepbus, in the fccond Book of the ]ewijb War, cap. 7· De bis Effenis, moft fincere Worfhippers ofTmth (vtricultoribus) The Hebrew F..lders alfo, when they would maKe their' Innocency appear about the Man ki1l'd by an Unknown Perfon, tefrified with an Oath, as the Rabbins, Solomon ancl ltlofes in Lyr(Jn, affirm, Deut. 21. NeVenhelefs, they aro brqught in by the Scripture;, aR'evera-ting it only with· fimple Speech; And 'they jhaU fay, faith he, 011r hands buve not jhed this Blood, 'tOr our E)et Jeen it. Becaufe the fimple and naked Speech of a Wife Man, is equiva· lent to an Oath; which Sr. Bernard vehemently commended in Comite Tbeobaldo, in Epift. 38. to the fame·, .And indeed, faith he, in o!her Princes, if at any Time we take a WOrd of Ligbtnef, or Fa!fencfr, we account it neitTJ6r new nor wonderful: But with Count Theo/Jald, we do not impatient_. ly hear Ita and Ntty, to whom, as it is fa iii, Simply to Jpettk, is to Swear; • and a light Lye is accounted an heavy Perjury; for amohg very many En~ figns of Virtue, which do very much enable your Dignity, and make your Name renowned and famous throughout the World, the Conibncy of Truth is efpecially praifed in you. 3· Certainly God himfelf hath (til~ rundem) fo much to fpeak nakedly, and to fwear by himfelf !JOlily; For that he promifed with an 0Jth an Off-fpring to David, which (hould fie ~D his Throne, is read. no where in the Scti.Eture; And yet iJ.btJer, 2 Kingt ..;. n. "A ·Trea'tife ~r Oa'th~ 3· n. 9· acknowl.edges an Qff.fpring fw D · · n~r, .f:.~irh he, and add theje Thin'g1 to z:n to ~,~'d·~ J:Je Lord doJo to Ab- ~6 3·7. D:p•1d, f~ I Jo wi~h him. And in PJal~~·8 "(/ s ~ . e Lor4 h111hjrvorn to ~ !Jworn zn my Ho!Jnef.;, if I Lye to David .f.:/ od hrmfeli' fauh, Once b(lve JS n.o where found in the Holy Scri tur ' ~- Alfo the Land of Cana11" Wirh an Oath; but God promited ft fimCl ~romtbd lo the. ancient fa_therS to .. lfattc, Gen. 26. to ]atpb, Gen. 28. p y f~t Ma,'Jam,_.Gep. 12, 13, & 17. faah he, the Land for wbub the Lo J .f. ofr~, tn Deut. r. Poffefi, in the Book of Jih;·abam at the endri ;are{/ /;.our Father.r. Philo Alex fore tbeftmplt Promife ;J God in tho~o:W,s t ~ notdnotably1 That ibere~ bath the Force o/ an Oath. :~e aces u caUe an Oa1h, hecazife it C. ]"cohm F.Qer, It is the Part ot a S • • 1 M ' Swear in a Vain Thmg, but alf~ not in an rer~tua ~n, not oniy Not to On M4.t. $: a_re f~ch, are true. Unto true Men it's fi ~ .enoushThtng; for, you which P. 2)r24· hef, If ~he fay, that the Lord hath c ~;~~nt t at a true .MaiJ _gain Be· Nay, 1\ay, In Deny in~: :But if with i~cred tded , Tea. T~a, tn Affirming; alfo he had concerning a fenous arid nee ffi ' uMus and ~vll Men a Speech. for rhe1r Badnefs, that he may gain B~li~{ . ah.tt~, whyWthall one Swea~ rnorefenoufly t~an our Saviour~ Wh Wit t em? .. ho everfpake ver ufcd other Speech than that Ve ? more necefrary Thtngs > Yet he ne~ ther fuch hke, which was~ tru~ Fo;;r(' VMtry, I fay unr~ you, or fome 0 .. Therefore thar now fome Swea ?I a_nner to th~m, that fwore noj. :~nd neceffary Things, which t;;ytotgf~~ ~eltefb co~cerntng fome profitable th~n t? the Perfon: Perhaps :~:lfo there is to De gtven rather to the ~ath' qmred 10 Judgment left he that e a ~ a a~er_wJten an Oath IS re .. .h..e that is called int'o _Tudgnient b:!er~lh It, ,~n; dor tf lt ~e manifeft, that hJ!ar of _htm Tea, or Nay i but if tllat by goo • an true, It ~~ e~ough rq dr~t he IS had', perhaps that's required ~fo~.evid~!' or that It be evident, quued. What then> It i! lawful to Ad. tm w Ich ought not to be re-an Adjuration, but he did not Swear. JUr~ :A~?r th~ Lord made Anfwet to New Law: ;But if any one hem d' ' an JUrations are found in thc-anfWenng Tea or Nay, or l)y gd~c~~~ 01~ anot~er, fpc~~ the '!ruth, ~y one nor the other offendeth. but if he~ ke rflfig requud, nettber tbe ~prs the Offence of 3 Falfe Teffimon tfea a a Jty, he ojfends, and in· Jf by Swearing he had alfo faUen i!;o :~/Gc~incf lp f!nneth lefs than that (being adjured) anfwereth~ Jn Truth doth'm t S erJury: For, as he fwererh in Falfenefs, doth not Forfwear 'but h' ~ot Fw~rW; ~o he tha.t pn~ alfo who hath adjured, is alto ether 'n. 1 e IS a a e .ttnefs: but ,he he hath required that which !as lawgf~[ t/fs; f~r, there IS no doubt but not my Purpofe to contradiet the Ordinancesoo/Jldure. And although it's thts to be more Chriflian both Nor t S u gments, yet lrnay think ?wealr, to be more Spinru;l: But yet, ir t~:Ba1ne4fs'ofne~r=.r to fdmpel ~o It, a though you would have this Sentence of h rn wou _permtt Swearmg, to be applyed to the B r t e ord concernmg 11ot fpoakJUg (for he fpeaks to hts Difc/~1::) ~h'/~o~ and daily Cu!loll_l of If the old Law Whlch the Lord d l .J/ JS very true, efpectaUy jh~ls render to ;be Lord tlune Oarb:c ~~e~, . 'Jou }hair n~t Forfwear, lnlf daily Speech;· but afterwards the r.;rcf asm gi~en h concernmgTc~~mon and was written in the Old Law that t'&e la en. e~ banothf~ hmg, whiclt Mmtghht fht;,_w he hath fulfill~d it, and i~ :Oi ~e {Jlfi!ted 'o~nd 'btltor he, ttl/ ew mews. r ot ers, aS' Cl. Suarez He allirmeth Chri!l d' d S he could not lawfully do he'coutd fi not wear I becaufe th:tt Which Deqtlae'ft jur: · ly fwear, therefore he c~uld not a 0~~. 1J3ply ~o; but he could nor IJwful- Chnft.p{3oJ ~ecafiufe that he himfelf commantd!d .or uc~~nf!l~~ ne~~r fworfie, IS provedU' Ut 1mply to fpeak Yea 11 N . . , or to wear at a 1 .. before for an ExamPle it . 'fi; kay, ;r }/ not, f!ic. therefore ou_g'ht to go .Amen or Tru! Vi . I Is. po en o tm only fometJmes that he faJd of sWearing: 'Y or enry, Whtch WO' have before UJewed to be no Panicle~ |