24& Chap. 3. of ta1;,ing Gods naine by nn o,tlh, Com. 3, magna neceifitate compulfur, cum videamnifificfaciam, mihi non credt, b ei qua cre- deret magnum, & ei qui non crederet incommodxnt, &c. and then he adds hay per- penfaratione, & confideratione libratá, cum magno timore & reverentta coram Deodico, c9' novaChrifltìs quadhoceft - in animo meo; for my own part Year not, except compelled bynecefiity, as when I fee, that 1 diaYlnit otherwifebe believed, and that it will be profitable tohim thatbelievesine, and prejudicialif I be not believed, up- on this reafon and confideration duely weighed, with great fear and reverence,I ufe this form, I fpeak beforeGod, or Chrift knows that I fpeak from my heart. And after he faith, podmaim eft,eft,eft, quod ampluis eft, Prater eft, non eft pp-antis, fed non credentis, for my own part I would never fay, but yea, yea; nay, nay; what ever is more,isnot fromme,bát from the incredulityof him to whom I fwear. 3. The third rule for expofitionof the Law. viz. that it is fpiritual, takes place in an ealm 24.4. oath. The Pfalmift faith of agood man, non juratus eft dolofe proximo fuo, he hath not fworn deceitfully tohis Neighbour. We muft not fay with him, ruravi lingua, erelm ,S, 2. martens injuratamgero, I fwear with my tongue, but myheart nevermeant it; Gods naine mutt not be ufed in guile, but we mpít fpeak the truth front the heart : the Heathen raw that this lawwas fpiritual,, and that the heart muft go alongwith the tongue i forAs Ifidore faith truly, God will toe and underhand the oath, not ac- cording to thedeceitful intentions of him that fwears, but according to his mind to whom he fwears; non ut our qui jaraverit,fedut is cut juratus eft ; this will beGods rule in expoundingouroaths, whatfoever other rules we follow. The fourth rule, is concerning themeans to keepus from unlawful (wearing. r. We mull obftare pri cipiis,beware of the finddegrees of this fin; for exfaci- themeans a- Mate nafcitur confuetudo, i ex confuetudine perjurium, ex perjurio blafphemia; out ga'nft vain of this facility and eafinefs toiwear, a cuftom is bred, out of cuftom perjury, out Paving* of perjury blafphemy : whenMen make no fcrupleof lying, or fpeaking untruths, Zit, conrr.men- they come bydegrees to perjury by (wearing untruths, and after that toblafphemy, daainm. a fin fo horrible that in Heaven it wants a name, and-therefore the Scripture expref-. fes it 11- Berech,biefling, as in rob z. where Yobs wife faith, Bl'efs God anddye, that is,blafpheme; or as we render it, curfs God and dye: And if any can go higher, they come to that fearful fin, the finagainfl the Holy Ghoft, thereforewe X Maul). muft take heed to the firft beginnings of thisfin. Thefe are the chains and links of an oath, and St. Chryfoftome faith, non efl'qui frequenter jurar, quits aliquando non per- juror, there is none that fwears often, but is .perjur'd fometimes: and with him agrees Philo, exfrequenti jurejurisndoperjurium nafi-itur. z. Again, as he there faith, we mud beware of fuch affeveratións, which, though they be not perfeEt oaths, yet are the way to oaths, as tofay, per fi'deni meam, per falurcmmeam, bymy faith, orby my falvatíon,'or the like : for he that fwears by eitherof thefe, binds either to that he fwears to; and this amounts -toan execration, Dt veíx .4P t which.is.apart of anoath, as was Chewed before ; for as St. Augief ine faith, when A man faith, perfidemmeam, by my faith, dbligarft perfidemfuamDee, andcam dicit quifque per meam falutem,falutem foamDea obltgat ; he that faith, by my faith, Or falvation binds or pawns his faith or falvation unto God.- If that be not true he fwears to, he defires to be deprived of his faith orfalvation, and God. if he pleafe (in the very article of time he makes this execration ) may confirm it. Our Savi- our taught us, that in our ordinary conterfe, we fhoulaufe yea and nay : and there- fore we are to go no further, 3. In the next place, we mull difpoffefs our fouls of impatience and anger; as alfo of vainglory. Anger is a principal parlion which makes men fubje h and prone to fwearing. The fameFather faith, the firft fin is anger, and the fecond fwearing, if a man be of an angry fpirit, he is feldome free fromvain fwearing,for in an angrymans mouth nothing is foready as an oath. Nay, it is (as one faith) ïncen -i- Xie, oO ad De- vim adblafphemandum when a man is in fury (as anger is a short roach-lea ) he macriád. fpares none, not fo much as God himfelf ; dam irafeitar infanire creditxr, faith St. 4. 26. rename, Therefore follow the Ap3f1les counfel, Be an r but fin not that is, watch. )amea i i9 over thispafíion, that , it break not out into. fwearingAnd St rames, Be flow to wrath, for it will caufe thee to offend this precept. aroma calls it, q. Vain glory is another difordered paffion of the mind, as Si: "r By it a man isviolently carried away with a vaindcfire,to haveevery word he fpeabks
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