..p6 Wether the Manner of S1oearing impofed in England be LaiiJfitl ? Qg_efi. ~· S it lawful to lay ha11ds on tht boolz a11.d kJfs it in [wearing M i.s done i 11 E 11 gland? Rc[p. To take an Oath as tmpofed m England wnh laying the hand o.n the Bible and kif– fing it, is not unlawful. . Proved,. That which is not forbidden by God is Lawful (before God) But fo tp take an Oath 15 110t forbtdden by God---Therefore, &c. The mmor wtll be proved fufficiently by difproving all the pretenCes of a prohibition. Tbe major n<edeth no P,roof. ' 2·. 1 lf it be .forbiddettir, is ~ithe~, I': A; an ACt in Wodhip not 1 com»!auded, and fo w:ili~w~rfhip, 2. Or as afignificant. q~~emony m ~orili}P npt commanded, 3• Or as an uncommanded (igniticant Cere– mony, which had~ m Jt felf fame forb1ddcn matter or manner. , But it is not forbidden in any ofthefe refpcel;s: Therefore·not at all. .. .. ' I. Not as an ACt not commanded jn wor£hip : F~r a quatci1m ad om?te valet conftqHentia ~· Then -all Acts in worfhipnot commanded woufd be unlawful, which is falfc: For, I• The ACb ufed in fNear, ing, ,Gen. _24· 2· , Q.""' 14. 22. Apoc. 10•. 5· were not <;ommanded and yet lawful: of wh~ch more anon. 2. God Ju,th not commanded what '\Tune to ling a Pfalrn in, what divifion to make of tht Bible into Chapters and vcrfes, 'Vhether to ufe a written or a printed Bible, what words, what method what par,ticltlar text to choofc, what tranflation to ufe, with many fuch like. ' I I. Not as a fign.ificant Ceremony not commanded: for then all fuch thould be forbidden, which is not true. for, r. Abrahamr fwearing by lifting up the hand (and fo the Angels Apoc. 10 .) and Abr:~IJamJ fervant by putrjng his hand under the thigh, were figllificant Ceremonies : And he that will fay they were commanded muH prove it: The contrary may wetl by us be fuppofed, r. Becaufe 110 (ud) Law is notified in Sc1'ipture, and here 110n apparcre and non e.ffe are equal, becaufe of the per– fettion of Gods Laws. l· Btcaufe it is mentioned, as Par.eTM and other commentators note, as fome accufi:omed rite, .ind fo dependeth 1 not on any puticUlar precept to Abraham alone as a Prophet. 3· Becaule it is nor one but feveral forts of [wearing Rites that arc mentioned, Lifting up the hand and plltting it unqe~ the thigh. , . . ' ' 2· -t\lmofi all Chrifiians take fomc Unc~:n11manded fignificant Ceremony in fwearing to be lawful. The Ceremony mentioned by Par~Ut ibid. as u[ed in the Palatinate is filCh, of lifijng up three fingers, Hodie ucu juramlt!, digiti! trib1u dcxtre jUb[atiJ, invoc.antc1 vindicem S. 1r~nitatem. The Englilh An~ notations tell 'you that the cuHoms of counuys arel very various in this point, yet mofi agt"ee in addi11g fome outward attdlarion of ACtion or geilure to ~ords in taking of an Oath to make it better remem.bred and more regarde?, than baro-words ef·affirmation, promifC or imprc.cation. And Jofe– plm<(Cited by GrotiM) tells us tt was then the cufiom among the Jews to fwear by thiS Cmmony ofput– ting the hand under the thigh (whether in token o( fubjcd:ion, or becaufe it was the place of I he fword the inllrumcnr of rc.venge as Grotiu-! and others, or in expectation of the promifed feed as the fathers thought.) And the cafe of ] o[eph1adjuration thews it. Vid. Pcrer. in Gen. 'f· & 2 4 • 3· An Action of another part of the Body is no more forbidden to exprefs the mind by, than of the tongue. God never faid, you fhall no way exprefs your minds in things facred or ci\l'il, bur by the Tongue. A change ofthe Countenance may exprefs it ; a frown or a pleafed look. ( Index a.ni– mi Vu/nu.) Pa11l did lift up the banJ to the Jews when he would fpeak for himfclf: Chrifi made as if he would have gone further, Luk.: 24. Words are no~ natural figns, but invented and arbitr.1ry in particulars, though the Power of fpeaking words fo invented and LeamuJ be natural. If it be lawfUl to ufe fignificant word1, 110t comm~ndcd in worthip,. it is lawful to ufe J!gnificant Af:iiom (under due regulation.) Therefore all the antJem Churches, wuhout one coptradtChr that ever I read of, did ufe many fuch. Though Augufli•te Ep. ad Januar. fadly complaineth that then they were grown to an oppreffiv~ number; yet he never fpeaketh againH the thing it felf. To fiand up at the Creed is a ligni, ficant exprdfion ofconfent, which not only all the Chur~hes elfe, but the old Non·conforrnills never fcrupled, uor do the prefent as far as I can learn : Whether to fit, fiand, or. kneel, at finging Pfalms, is left at liberty. To put off the hatt is a fignificant ceremony or aCt in worChip, not commanded in it felf, nor ufed of old for the fame lignilication as now: And where the covering of the head doth fig– nifie Reverence, it is better than to be bare. In one country cultom makcth fianding up, in anochtr fitting and hanging down the head, in. another kne~ling, in another profirati0~1 lw be the fign of reve– rence,which accordingly may be ufed m Gods ferv1ce. When covenants between God and rhe people are renewed, confent may lawfully be expreffed either by fianding up or by holding up tlte hand ( by which fuffrages in things facrcd were ufed to be given) or by liibfcribing, or by voice. for God hath commanded us the cxpreffing of confent, reverence, &c. But lef[ the word gcfiure or cxprelling ~gn•to liberty. He that atlirmeth that God bath left no other fignification ofour minds in facred things to our liberty, but tyed us to word1 alone, mull prove what he faith ( which he mull do ag~inft Scripture, againfi nature, and againfi all the judgement and cufiom of all Chrifis Churches and of the world.) I I I. If layiQg the hand on the Book and Killing it be unlawful for any fpecial matter or manner forbidden more th'an other fignificant acts, it is for !ome of the rcafom named by you ; whtch now I will anfwer. I. Object.
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