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Show . . . A Treatife if Oath•. VoL. I. btard by il~tm of old Time, tboufhalt not forfww' tby 'Self, but fha!t fkrform unto tbe Lord rhine Oatb.r; but I fay 1(tllo you, }wear not ttl all, ex~ept before a Judge; a1 if Swearing before a Ju1ge under the Law, were not :tn ~ath performable to the Lord 1 and fuch tt felf the Place molt exprefly forbr~s ; orrhus Of old it rxwfaid rboujbolt nor forfweaoby I</f, but ill your ~ea be Yea 'and }OJIT Nay, N~y; that is, peJ1orm to Go~ tby o.ubs m TrUth and Rig11uoufnejs: But 1 (who fay more than W3~ fa1..d of Old) fay tmto JOtl, fwear not at all, but pef/orm thine Oatbs to God .m Truth and RtgbtetJufne(s; The Inconherencc of whic,h maft needs be obnous t.o e:very conflderate. fierfon; yet ic is the only Re3ding..tbat c_an be left upon thofe Interpretauons. We fay, that what God difpmfed With under the Low? he r<folved to r<· tnove under the Gofptl, aMd to Wind. up Things to an lnghe~ Puch ofT~Mh :~:nd RigbuoJtfnifs: from .Adultery m the .AR, t? JidrJitery In thc_Tbought; from Revenge to Sufferanct; frort_11rue Sn:earmg, to nq Sw~anng at all; whereby all abufe of Oaths, and Ptr;u!:y, ~orne to be removed Wlth the 011tbs themfelves, by working 9ut of M::.n ~Heart~ that F~aud _and Falfhood that brought them in, and implanting E.valfif!/tta{ Ytnty,_ m R.oom thereof, which fpeaketh the Troth, the whole Truth, and. ~otlnng but the. Truth to llis Neighbour, and makes a like Matt~r of ·confctenc~ to ttU a L~f, :11 to Foifwtar. And it is known to Almighty God, and W~ mplt hearnly defire ir may be known and believed by you, tbat we ha~e no other End JlOt ln-ducemetlt to this fa general Refufal, we are found.m, throughout the Na· rioCXvi. Bp. Ujhais fo t~nder in this P~int, t~a.t, fer afide hi~ Vitt4icati.on of the W•lden(u, in his Sum •f Cbrij/tnn li</tgton, lie .makes II necelfary to' the raking of an Oath, that it be confidered, Fuft, lf the P~rty ~ de:tl with, (rcn~) doubt of tbt Thing we affirm or deny, tbtr(by makmg _Drftrufl, tbeCaufeojSwearing, and impt;·ing, tbat not Cuftom, ~'!t rea(DJfli(ence, jhould only contin111 SweJring, confequtntly, 'llOl to conlli{Ue wbtre Ddlruft is1Je~~~d1"!," It is to ht wcigbd if tht Party's douP!, wberet/ we fpep8, lit .weighty, and worthy of an Oath, which we fear, 1s 'fel4om ~ho\lght ~po~ Cuftom prevailing eve11 to Trifies, at icell at mofl exuj}ive Vatll Sweanng m Co111mon Converfation. ' . . Thirdly, If the Qpel\ion be weighty, whether, . (fOJd t~r Bjp>o~) the Doubt may be ended f»ith Truly or VeJily; or doulmng 11, \enlr, et1ly, nsCbrifl diJ.foryou, by his &le UJt ought to. for6em·JI,10;uh · Mar. 5· 37· Whert/ortjhollld it Rot, efpuially omong Cbrifliqt~r. Fourthly, Whtt1Jtr there be not }'et any other fit Means to try outthe Matter before we come to an Oath. . d 1 r. This is our Cafe; and we make it our Sober Requefl, ~hat 1t wo,ul P ca1e you to confider this Particular; fordoubtlefs, an ExprJunt, may ''ery eafi.. ly be found, .wirhouc bringiog.-u~ u~der t~e Bondage of an Ootb. ,_ B.; CXVll. ]u. Tnyl<r, Chapbrn rn Ordmary to K. CbaJ·!u I. and .. te ' fhop of Doun and Con11cr~ in his Book c~lled ~lA7'!~.S .A Co:lrjro..fSt,. mom London printed 1673. Serm. of Cbufti:m S1mphcuy, foJ. 2.'8: · hus:b, Our btefred L~rd would not have his I;>ifciples to fwear ot aU, (not m pu • lick judicature) if the NeceOity of the World would per1r1it him to 'bcr~J: cd. lf Cbriflians will live accordin& to the ~eligion, th~ Word .of a 7r!£~al1 were a fufficient Ir.fuument to g~ve TeH:tmony, and ro make Prom1 ed :md to fecure :1 Faith; and upon that Sup_pofition, Oatbs }Yer~ufelefs, a~,1 therefore forbiJJen, becaufe there would be no Neceffit,.r ~o mvoke Gtul Jtlamt in Promifes or Affirmatioos, if Me11 were i11dec:d Cl)r;jiMRt, and there., fore in rh:n Cafe would be a Taking it in vain ,. Bur becaufe Many ar" not and thev thJc are in ¥ Nnme, oftentimes are in nothing elle, it bccame.pe. -;v;{· ~tlche'ir 1(~-:Jmnd. F•dmsi,. Go.l, .Arr s, Du'lll, and the J•d&tsortllc: Land, juA:ices of the Pe.u~, and all other 0/firers /tir•l, bo,•0Cf~yi~}1u~~~~=~~} and People, no Chrifli.ms. (elfe would they fuffer LJc: = enforce 0,11b1 on srr4ngers, but havin& the like Bretbr~~~/;:::;,:~~d.i,'it~1~@~~ cme ]\ld11e _:nd.Juflice of another, impofe;hem ooth idl'ary V£tL. I. A Tr~atife of Oath~; 66 ' t,eif.Hy that Men iliould Swear lo ]Mdgmenr and in ublick C J confider .w.ho it WJs that invented. and made the .Neceffiiy of Oatb~11'~f'&Bdur. _ IO]) . ..... of St~urJI.tt• r, and al~ the .Arti}ites of Hu»Mne Diffid(nce and Di]honefl s~ ·~ Theie Thm~s were .Indeed found out by Men, bur the Neceffiry of rhJ't ' w~s from. h1m that Js the Fat bfF of 1t!i Lyu, from him that hath made ma n~ {mr Promijes, h\l.tl;leyer.keptaey, orifhedid, it was to doabi erltJij. t:hldd to fiatrqr tlle more 1 for fo does the Devil. gg · i ee Jc.ws A111i!J11ityJ. Chap,.- ~1· Page 52.' CopcerniDg the Pytbogort11n1 tne F;{/cm, and concermng th~ Jztjf 4lnn at Jitbens, whjch they would 001 ~i~l~ ~{{:J~~n~n~Z~.r.whar the Scho!Jafl OQ 11ri/lopbano . Lib, l 2• p. 2a6, CXVllJ. Lojii)', ,Bp. Gaudm, in his1Difcourfe for So/enm Swearing fay$ thus much a~a1oft Jt. _ , J, That DJjjimul~tion.r, F!a~ds, ] ealolljitt, &:c. gave rife io Oaths. 1 2. T~at ~he JJ,qctent Chriflums a11d Fat hen, thar they might not be ihpr' of th&-t:'.J!e~~, ~~o would nor r;t~e an Oath 1 rHufed to fwear, raying to ,the Heath(n.s,, Cbn/llllltlltf;mt, I ~m a Ch.riflian ~ to each other Teo Yea Npy ]\{IJ; thereby keepi.n~ ~p the s ,mEJity cind (:redi( of tlteir Pr~effi~n: ' , 3· That ~' Chrifharu, truly fuch, we lho.uld pt~ffi6ly need nQ Sw•oring,· for arr Oat~ lS not (fays he) Jlloral or Preuptrpe, but an EJfp_tdien1 or Reme~ ~~~~ru~ . Loj/f1, That neither a true Chrifrian an4 good Man, bee~ to be comRetled to .iwearl m O~der co the 4wing him iq Troe Telling- Nor is m Meq'4" Swearmg ?f m!Jch .Cr~it \ with more to th:tr Purpoie: What need then I~ ~~~n:: of ~nher's S.wearmg? . The Suhfian~e of~ll whic~ is this; ~atb1 rife wi~h Fr:Jud l Men gro, Wing f"lfe ilnd. 1ealoq,, fweanng, or awmg by Oaths m~o true Evidence be~ ca1,11e :tn Expedient; and during this imbccil and imper~ll: S[ate of Man-. kin.d, Almighty God, that hartt been ever wont to ftoop to Man's Weak· ne ls,, cohdefcendod to yield rhe }cwr thai Cullom, provid~ ,hpc t~ey re: fi;~m d from c~~rnon and ldolarrqus Oaths; ~nd when r)ley wete ta1Ied ~P fwear, they dtd lt by the Name of the t(u~ G(Jd, ther~by manifefting their' ..:l.ckoQ~)edgmen.t pf him; but Fb.rift, who is the 1\eftorer..-of Breachesi the Butldet of \Vall Places, 'he llrrnger back of the Captiviry of his Pepple (where Oaths were firfr wanted and learned) aqd the Settee up of tt\<> ~ngdom of God (which frands in Righteoufnefs) redeems into true Speaking, which fulfils the Low, by taking away Jbe Occafion of an Oath, aqfi', fuc.h as are the true, humble and f.mhful Followers of this worthy Leader,. n~d no Oath to cQmpel therit into Truth1 to whom Truth is naturall qeing freed by it, }o/Jn 8. l~- from Frp•d and F<•!fnift, and confequenrly from Swearing, which rook Occafion by it to emer the World. Now we. profefs our felves irr the Fear of Almighty God, cp be fuch as have rhus lea~ne4 Chrift Jefus, and for the E.t vertnt:e and Holy L9ve, we bear to hi•· Rigbt~ous Comma'ndJllel)t, yre can't rak.ean O'ath in any Cafe. Qbje6'. ''.f1s true, 11nd }QU fay tCeU, Q'at.hS only f"ve till /Tlle-j'pta/iinr COlf#s, t;~nd yoMfny, it it comno you; !Jut bowfhaD.rpe kvoto tbnt? A11jrp. We inrrear you to try Us: No Man em be jufily condemned be" fore Pe be guilty~ nor reputed guilty lo the Sight of Men, till Difcover'd Xou ,will have as eafte a Way to catch us at Lyin-1, as others at ·pa,.. fw~nring, and if you find us fucb, infiitl: tbt faint P1111ijhmtnt for our' Lye, u;hub 1/JtU tnt~BCd for their Perj11ry. Be pleafed to confider. • I. The Rife ofOarhs. H. The Prohibition of Cbrilt. r UJ. The Judgment offo many good Heatb.ens. J IV. The Belief and Prat\ice of fo many Primitive Chtifiiao•, Celcbratea· far hers, Godly Martyrs, and Learned Proreibnts. V. ffhe Caution they ufe, Who in any SenfC' allow of an Oath. VI. 1'hat it js Matter of Faith ; and What is not of Fait,h, is Si.n: And that We can nor a4er.our Minds without Conv#i:i9n1 unlefs we (hould turn Pr " • ;.;J Q q,. q q s potnttr, |
