Dire{/. Jl, Pfa/.JJ9·+ Dire{!. I3· Wl;at a1z Oatb is, and what aLawful O.tth, which they are likefi to oppofe; that you may lhame and Hop the mouths of fuch gainfayers:--;;:– muHbedone by tl" word of tht fPirit, which i1 the "'"d of God, Ephcf. 6. 17. Therefore be well a:~ quamted With the Scnpture, and wnh parttcular plam TexrsJor each particular ufe ; By them the of ,G,d M comphat, tbroughly fttrnijhed to every goad worJt, 2 Tim. 3· 17 . man 9· 49· Direct. u. Contin:t!l!)rralk M' ia t!Jt prcfiuce of God and M multr bH Govern~m a;ul L:m', a_nd nf tbnfe that are paf!in;{ 011 to J:tdgcmem. Ask your felves whatever you fay. 1 , Whe,her it be ht for God <o hear? >· Wherh<r it bcagreeableco his holy Law? 3· Wheiher it be fuch fpeech as you would hear of at the day of judgement? If it be fpmh uumeet tor th'e hearing of a grave and reverend man, wrll you fpeak tt before God> wtll you fpcak wantonly or filthily or foolilhly or rnaliciou11y., whc:~ God forbiddct~ it, and when he is prc:fent and heareth every wo~d, and whc~ you mttfi certamly g1ve account to h1m of all? 9· 50· DireCT. 12· Pra~ every morning to God fur pr~Jervat~oll from the finr of {peech that y 9 u are lyable to that day. Corm':" the cuttody of your tongues to htm; Not fo as to think your fclves dilC charged o(n, but fo as to Implore and trull hts grace. Pray as D.Jvid, Pfal. 141. 3, +· Set Ill watch 0 Lr,rd before my mouth ; ·J?.!ep the door of my lips; tncline not my beJrt to any evil thing ) and that th! words of )'Oll)' mouth a}fd tbt mtditalio»J of your beart, may be acceptable to bim• . 9· 51. _DiHct. 13. h1.zk!_ it p3r~ n[ your continual war~ to watcb yourtongttt!/. Careiefnefs and neg~ hgence wtll not leive turn m lo d1fficult a work of government. James telleth you that to tame and rule the tor.gttt is h;uder th::m to tame and m/e wildbeafir and birdr and ferpmtJ ; and as the ruling of~ horfe by the bridle, and of a Ship thar,s driven by fitrce windJ ; and that the tongue is an tmr1tly evil; a11d that bt that offrndttb not in word i1 aprrfiCl man, andable aifo to bridle the rrhole burly, Jam.~· Make it therefore your jtudy and worJt; and n-.stcb it continually. Dire[/. 14• 9· 5:l· D irect. 14. CaU your tMgner J.zily to account ; and ark.. yoHr fclvu, what evil yoN b:lvt JPo"-!n and wh~t go,dyou have omimd nmy day: •nd be. lmmbled bejOre God in tht ptnitent confiffion of tbe jiH rPh1ch yuH dtfcovtr, and renew your refuluuon f or a jirt{ler watch for the time to come~ If your fervanr be every day faulty, and never hear of it, he will take it as no fault, and be little careful to amend: Nay you will remember your very Ox of his fault when he goeth out of the Fur– row by a prick or tlroke, and yourHorfe when he is faulty, by a fpur or rod: And do you think if you let your fclvCJ, even your tonguer, be faulty every day and never tell them of it, or call rhem to account} that they arc ever like to be reformed, and not grow carelefs and accufiomed to the fin? Your .tirfi care mufi be for prevcming the fin, and doing the duty ; fay in~ as Dilvid, Pfalm 39• 1> 2, 3 • I [aid I wiU tal(! herd to my way! that I offend not with my tongue: I wrU keep my mouth mtb a bridle rrhile the wic~d i< before nu·: I "'"'dumb with jilence, I brld my peace. ---Pfalm 35· 28. My tongm jhaU jpta~ of thy righteoufittfi and of thy praifc aU the day long. Pfal ·71· 24• Pfal. 119. 172. My tl'ltgue jhaU [ptok.of thy word. Pfalm 45· 1o My tongue u M the pmof a ready J>7ittr. But your next care mull: be to upent of the faults which you commir, and to judge yout fdves for them and reDireCl. 15· form : Remembring that tbtre H not a word in your tonguu, but it H altogether /tnolPit to God. Pfalm I 39· 4· 9. 53· D1rec~t. I 5· Mak,e 11[c of afaithful monitor or rrpr~vtr. We are apt through c_uftom and par– tiality to overlook the faulrs ?f o~tr own fpeech ~ A frJend IS here exceedmg ufc:ful: Dehre_your ~ricnd therefore to warch over you m this ; And amend what he telleth you of: And be not fo tooli{h as to ~ake part with your fault againfi your fritnd. Tit. 2. Special 1Jire8ions a:t,ainft propbane Jwearing, and ujing Gads name unre~ wrent!J and in _)Jain. ., .._ 9· 1· !. TO [wear is an affirming or denying of a thing with an appeal to fome othtr thit~t; or per' WhltanOath [on M a witnefs of the truth or aven~er of the umruth, whoir not produciblt M 'f?itneji is. or Judge in humane caurtr. An affirmation or negation is the nutter of an oatb: The De 6 . puuliar appeUatWn is the form : lr is not every appeal or atteHation that maketh an &: ~~- 1·0~ ~· oath. To appeal to fuch a ~itnefl as is credibleand may be produced in the Court; from aparti::tl i;:- cridib/ewitneji, is no oath. To appeal from an incompttcnt Judge or an inf~rior Court, to a compettvt Judge or higher Court, is no fwearh1g. To fay, [I ta}<__e the Ki~tg for my witnefJ, or I apJealtQ the King, J is not to [wear by the King : But to fay, [I ts~e God to witnrfr, or I apptal to G•d M the Jrtdge of the truth of R>hat I f•y J is to [wear by God. Butt~ appeal to God as a righreous Judge again!!. rhc injufiice or cruelty of mtn, without relation to h1s atujling or judgiHg any affirmatitm or negt~t:~ tion of our own, is no {wearing by him, lxeaufe there wanteth the MtJtter of an O.z:h. An 0Jtb Js an appeal to fome fupernatural or higher and more terrible power, than that of the Court or perlo? we (wear to, eo make our teliimony the more credible, when other evidences of certainty or credibility are wanting. So that a legal ujl_i11wny or appeal are not [wearing. . _ Wh:.t's al:aw- §. 2. SweariNg is either•j,ljt and l.swful, or finfitl and abufive. To a jHft. and larP/Hl oath t.t JS necef– ful Oath. fary, J. That it be God alone 11ltimattly that we fwear by : Becanfe no wuncfs and avengmg Judge above humane Coum can be appealed to but God : And therefore to fwear by any creature proper– ly
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=