I 74 [- How(ure Chrififor– bldsfivc:t- ~~~il~bns &Wa.ldcn– (cs. Et Hicrome, 'I'hcophyl. Chryfofi.ia ~auh.J. c:Betlto10• Si::r.t.SCIIC:nf, biblioth. SanB:.L6.an· not,:6. d r. Cor.,?.. vlnExpojition o{Chrifls ~---·....._ ____ _::_-,-----:-----:-------- ,.rue in his confcicncc: z. rhatGod is a witnes A 1might winnc fame: and fo here, Swcarenot aU, Dot oncly for the: outward adion and fpcech, mull: be rc!lrain~d to the lc,.vHh cuH:om,vvhich but alfo of his particular confcicncc: and_3· was to fwcan: by the name of God in rhc!r eOthat God is an omnipotent Iudgc ofall, and of mon t~lke, and by other creatures, both which him that [~,o\'Crcrh,ablc to iufiific him ifhcfwcar Chrift dorh vttcrlyforbid. truly, or othcn\·iiC to condcnmchim eternally Here fidl we learne that ordinarlc f·,xcarin,.,. if hC fwcarc "faHly. Imprecation, the fecond is vnlawfilll, either by the name of God, or by thing in an oath, is a prayer to God for two other creatures. This is the common finnc of things: Firfl, that God ,,·ould be a ':''itncs with our age in o.l forts and degrccs:fomC fwcarc by him that fwcarcth, to tdlific that he fw~arcth their faith; others by their troth, before God, uucly,:mU according to his confcicncc:foPats! by .the crolfc,of rhc coinc ( hauing money i.n did, Rom. 9· 1., I !freak£ tl,e trnrh in Chrift, I thcu hands,; by the fire that is Gods angel (as · Marrh.5. ~ .. Vfc.r. "-.gain.ftor. <lm:&ne IIYc:t.ring. !ie not : m1 cor.fcience he:lring me~ wirneffe in they vfc .to fpeake) mhcrs by bread, drinke ;. rh~ holj Gl1ojl. Secondly,a man praics,that God. and looKe how many occafions men haue offe-1.,. would become a ludgc to curfe him vvirh cred vnto rhcm, fo many oathes hauc_ they frai ternall wrath, if hccf ...vorc falOy: z.Cor.I. mcdvmo'thcmfclucs. ::.3. I call God for a record vnto mJfotsle: and B Scc.:ondly, here is condemned all minfcd the forme offwearing in chc old time, was the oathcs, as by my f.1y, maskin_s, and _~eamary,· 2 ' f I dd rd c I d I f Minfcd v110g o t lis imprec:uion: Go oc Jo tome an JOt t 1c groun t 1erco was th1s Pop1 Oath by oathu. morealjo, if I doenot thm and thus, z.king.6. M:uic. Thirdly, here arc condemned all groffc 3 I. oa1hcs by the partS of Chrills bodie, as by his We fee what it is to fwcare. Nowvvecomc heart, blood, fides ·, and fuch like. to Jhcw,howfat:fort_hChrifl:forbiddethfwea-. Yet men hauc their cxcufc5 for common ring, in thcfc words, Swcar-enot at all. The Afwcaring, ! firfi-, that they fwcare the truth Jlretencu nabapti{l:s gather hence that al fwearing is forand nothing elfc. But the truth of their Oarh' forlwcuing. bidden, and fo did fomc aHcrctikcs in the pricannot difpenfe with the commandement of I. mitiue Church; yea and b fotr.c of the ancient God, forbiddiJ}g all fwc3ring in ordin:uic eOFathers (that orhcrwife dcferued wdl of the munieatlon. Others ~~at be more fimple fay Church) rhought that the Lord in the old they fwcarc by good things. Burrhat ~ake; Tefiament d1d onely permit fwearing,as he did their finnc the greater: for the goodne{fc of a fomc other things that were euill, v·:hich hee t'olng, cloth aggrauate the offencein the abufe approoued not, and that nowChrifl did qui~~ rhcreo£ Othc.rs fay, that they cannot be berake away the fame. But this opinion !sfalfe & leeued vpon their bare word: Anfo. Bur erronious : for fwc!aring is ~: CdtJ:;mandedas a C Chrift:s cornmandcment mull nOt be broken,to part {'f Gods wodhip: nd. 1 ;i lf Chri{Hhould winne credit to our· fpcechcs; that credit is hcreforbidit, hcfl>QUJ,}bca~ainll himfclfc, dcarc bought, whiehis got by pauning the condemning that which him{clfc approoucd. foulc to the dcuil:God muft be obeyed for.the Againe, the ApofUe Paul vfed it'· as is plaine matter of our communication , though no to be [cent in the mofi of his Epiflles: &. Heb. manwill bclccuevs.Others,as Soldiers& yong 6.16. An o;1.th for crmfirmation, ,;r called the orgallants, vfc to fwcare ro tcA:ifie their courage dmance of God,fw the endingof alljlrif~.Othcrs and gcnrrie; thefc men fhcwc that they loue (as the Papills) fay, that Chrill here fcts down the praife afmea more then thepraife ofGod. a couufcll of p~rfeCHon, not forbidding all But that will be found in the ende but forie rcfwcaring,but rilthcr wifhing th::u men could fo putation, which is ·gained by tranfgreffion ; liue in faith, loue, and truth, that there flJOuid theirg!oriewilbe their}bamc, tmd their enddam· be no vfeofan oath.But this cannot be uuc:for nation, Philip.3. r8. nay, their bafe minds and Chrifis words o.rc not perfwafiuc, bur prohihicowardlindfc arc herein cuident, that they torie, txprcffcly forbidding fwearing.And yet glorie in theirflauiih bondag~vnto fume and we mufr knovv,thatChrHls meaning is not here Sato.n. Thcfe cxcufes will not free rneri from to forbid o.ll [wearing fimply, but all [wearing D the guilt ofcondemnation: at the day ofiudoeafter the le\vifh manner and cufiome; tho.t is,in ment: for common fwearing is a flumcfull~acommon talkc o.nd communication,as is plainc kmg ofGods name in vain;now the lord hath iri the Ia£1: words ofthis anfwer, when he faith faid, that he wtll not holdrhemgreilllu, that talz! Letyour commu;,ication beeyea, yea. For this is a his mlmt in V.'line. Thcfe therefore that haue Rule to 'be obferucd in the interpretation of this way offended, mull betimc repent ofthis Scripture, that thir:gs genertdly fPok.!n, muft impictic, and learne to fcarc the name ofGod, particulari:J bee fJnderftood, accorJi~g to the cirmaking confcicnce of an oath , and let their cumftanctt of rhe prefont r;utter in hand: as communication beJefl, yu, and n~ty , nay, as when Pa11l faith, .1 he hccame all thingJ to all Chrift commandcth, The wicked faCt of leza~ mm, if it flwuld be taken generally,we might bel couering bloodic impictie vnder hypocrifay, that with blafphemcrs he bcqme a hlaffie, "in proclarmi11g_ afaft, when ihce would er.lun;.JI. phcmcr, &c. but that fp~ach mufi be rdlrained haue N>~.both flainc for blafphemic,fhe\''es that 9•'"· to the vfe of things indifferent, in all which he the cufiome ofthofc times was to haue publikc yeelded to the wcakcne!fe of all , that he humiliation tOr fuch finncs, lcafi the wrath of I G o d I 3 ---------·-------------~-- ·-----~. ·"--~-·-·
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