246. - Chap.-3. or tak'ngGads nawe by an Dalb. Corn. 3 terim, before the daycomes, fuch loffes befall me, that ['cannot do that 1 promiféd and intended The firft of there is, perjurium fimplex ch abfolutum. The other per accidens, and not fo badas the former. But ifone havepower to performhis oaths, and for felf refpefls,upon the change oftimes,and circumftances refufe toperform it, as Saul did to the Gibeonites, violating the oathwhich,yofhua and the people of Jfrael had made to them ; this is wicked and odiousto God, as we.fee in the punifhment ofSails pofterity, though the text faith, he did it out of teal for the houfe of Ifrael. Nayto fwearabfalutely to do that which is not inour power, is unlawful ; it is fames 4. 13. afin to takefacie an oath, it is a raft oath andifit be taken, it binds to no more than is in r4. our power, allfuch oaths ought to be with an expreffe or ratitecondition, fi Deus volue- I 5 rit, if GodwìI1, andif we live andbeable, se will do this or that, as St. yames fpeak{ ofbare purpófes, which ought much more to be in oaths. Therefore our care muft be to fwear truly. Ne eloquaris mihinifs.veritatem in xio. as t6. nomine Domini, faith king Ahab to Michaiah. Tell me nothing but that which is true inthename of the Lord. And we muft imitate Saint Paul in the place before a, in 9. t. quoted, I fpeak the truth in Chrift, my confciencebearing me witnefs in the holy Ghoß, we muff fwearfinedolo malo, and not feek to delude an oath by any fini- r, fter praftife. And this for the truth. to judcevent In judgement,in difcretion faith S. ,yerome; that is,deliberately (as interpretersdif. tinguifh) not rafhly : take time , . advife before thou fweareft. Not lightly büt upon great neceffity. Be not rafh with thy mouth, faith the preacher confider that it is a holy thing thou goeft about, and that an oath is not bonumperfe but EcckG 5. r. bánum, quia neceffariur, and that neceffarium extra terminos neceffïtatis, is neither neceffary nor good; asaphyfical potion, which is to be taken only when a man needs it, and not otherwife. Wecannot fay of (wearing, the oftntr a man per- formes it, the better it is, as we may fayofa good alt, butpropter defeáum, when t Sam, 21. 6. creditiailea on the one part , and the knowledge of a mans heart on the other 25. 2 part, we muff not come to fwear, but asDavid did to eat the (hew break, in cafe X1c. 6 `3. ofneceffity.; Therefore neither Davids oath to kill Nabal, norHerods to take yohn Bapofls head, were good, becaufe there was noneceffity in either they were both rafh, befides the unlawfulnefs in thematter. This fwearing onely in cafe of necef- fity, is to fwear in judgement, andis oppofite to fwearing in vain; for it excludes vaniratemfinis, when no end, viz. Gods glory, nor mans benefit do require it, as alto vanitarem cordis, when the heart is light and unconftant, not fixed and fettled. eht. r ìg. 9. 2. Not rafhly but reverently. Holy and reverend is his name. It was Gods charge jer. 22.32. not to pollute hisname,to wit, by rafh.or commonufe thereofwithout fear : forholy Aft. 1o. 15, is.oppofedsò commonorprophane ; and therefore when men fwear out of anger or grief, :'or other heady affection, Gods naine is polluted and prophaned. And Eealef. §. I. in cafeof neceffity a truth is not to be fworrf rafhly, but in fear and reverence. The reafoathe preacher gives in the verfe before named, for God is in heaven, and thou art onearth, therefore be not rafh with thymouth._And therefore goodor- der is takenin the publick taking of an oath before a magiftrate, that neither the rules ofjudgement nor difcretionbe tranfgreffed, in not admitting any under age, or anyperjured perfon to fwear; and that even fwear not but uncovered, and the book. of God, the holy Bible to be toucht or laid before them, with an ad- monition included in the form, becaufeofGods more folemne prefence at an oath taking, and toßir up an lawful deliberation and judgement in what men are to fwear. 3 . In righteoufneffeor Jullice. And this codas for the molt part in the promiffory ln righteoxfnet. oath. r. Firft, it mull be in póffbiliboesr for if it be impoffible, we are not to fwear to it at all. . And therefore Abrahams fervant put a good caution into his oath; oar 24. what if the woman will not come with me? And the-tenor of the Heathens oath was thus , de puibusforampoteroque, whatI rhall know , and be able todo. . 2.. it:mutl be in-/muftis c el:citis too. For thatwhich is unhonell, is unjuft, and therefore not tobe fworn to. And in this cafe the Jews inEzra,put in a caution in tara. to.;. their covenant, let it be done according the law. WhenSaid fought to the witch r sam.28, to. at Endor, he fwore by the Lord thatthe fhould not be punifht, which was difho- neft, and therefore unlawful. Andtherefore the Jews took an unjuft oath againft saint Paul, that they would neither eat nor drink, till they had killed him. if a thing
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