.. A6 Ofthe LA,VFULNios.n ~ --------~--------------------- l N ot of thing:im.. . poJ!ibt•• the. Terizple, and before the Altar (I ~g.8.31.) and in theprefence of the Prtefl CD.wt.n. 8-) uncowre~ (Numbers. 5· 18.) fo tookerheir Oath: all thefe fervmg tO fime upthetr reverence, that what they· did they m· h d · . J ~ • > 1<1 t oe 111JU :;,ernent. , · " ~herefo;e,they ire i:o be condemned, th_at pafoMately fweare,Ecc/;;, 1 ; (whtch P.afston alwayes bereaveth men, of judgement:) either in anger 1Ja)Jid; which hce repented of, 1 Samue/25 H· Or in de(ire,as Saul whi~ proved ~rejudicia} to him~ndhis pedple, 1 Samnelt4. 2~!. And th;y, that as nor. of any palsto~,foWithout all ~annerofrefpeCI:,to avowany idle, fond phanfie of thetr owne, even as It Were lllat~r, powre out the N~~t~~e ofGoo. And they yet more, i:hat not ottly unadvifedly fometimes,burcontinu~ ally (as it were by a cufiome) make it an Interjection of jit:ing, for all their ~peeches, a~d c~rtnot utter one f:ncencewithout it: yea, which thereby come to adtabettcc:i ptif!io of fwearmg; that Oathes runne from them and they feele them not. ' But,above all, th~y that are come i:o that pitch, that even in contempt they fweare; and wtllfweare,and the ratherbecaufethey bee ro}d flfit: '.fhefe perfons theChurcl> of Gon hathfo detdled, th.mhryaree~com. inunicate without fentence of any Iudgeor Canon, and Chrifiian people forbidden to have any fellowfhip With them. . I11 Iufliti~. As the Matter of the Oath is tobe true and il>e~hty; ancl theManner, lllith duead1>ice and judgement : fo i~ it to bee taken alto, toa good andjufl end. And ofthis there is tobehad cbiefe regard, forthat di. vers times, both falfe and rafh Oathes are not hurtfull fa veto the fwearer ondy. But thefe tend alway to fome tnifcliiefe, befide the finne of the fwearil'!g· . An O~tb is of the nature of a'Bond,and bindeth a man to doethat, he fweareth : Now, it is finne enough, to doe evill of it felfe; but to bi1id himfelfe to doe evill,and to make theName ofGoo the Bond,.hat is finne out of mea(ure fir:.full. Go i::i hath ordained, not onely for trut.hand right, His Name fhould beufed : toabufe it, to uphold falfhood, and to enforce men to evill dealing, is to changeaSanEt:. arie, and make itabro– thel-houje. Thefe weecall [gtronum Juramenta; fuch Oatl>es, as theel!es and fuch kinde of perfons take one of another .: For, they doe notonely joyne hand in hand (as Salomon telleth us, Pro1>erbs t6. 5.) but doe even alfo by Oath binde thetnfelves to mifchiefe. Nebemiah 6. 18. Tobial> the fpcciall hinderer of theTemple, had many in luda hisj111orne~ tnen, . That an OatI> tnaybelnjuflice,It is required thatit be ofa thing pof!t/Jle. No man ever required anOath, to an lmpo[Sihilitie ~pparent : So Ab~aham's [er1Ja11t faith Genejis 24. Wl>at if I cannot pofttbly get any ma1den to comewith n~ee ? Abraham'sanfwer is, then he foa/l befree fr_!"!. £q~ oath : - · · -----·-- ·-· ·---- · · -·- ·-- - -- So r
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=