0bjeffions agailifl the Englifh manner of Swearing anfwereJ. 1. Objc<'.l. It favcurtth of thP Rcmijh Juperjlitisn. Anfrv. ,·, Nor at all : Prove that if y~u c;a~" 2 , Supni\ition is the feigning of things to be PleaGng or_Dif~leafing to God which are not, and ufing or difufing them accordingly: whatever be the EtymoiOj\IC o! the word ( Superjlrtum CJ<Itm, or fo– pra Statutum, &c. ) it is certain that the common uf~ ot Jt a~on~ Hea~hens (as PluJar~_at large, ) and Chriiiians was, for an erroneous undtle fear of God, thmkmg th1s or that was di{plea(inf{ or pltafint. to hi_m, to be: done or to be avoided ~hi~~ was not ~o, b~t was .t!le _conceit of a_frighrncd mirlaking mmd. Therefore to fay that God 1S drfpleafed wuh thrs figm~catron of the mmd, whc11 it is not fo, nor can be proved, is fupcrfiition. And this is not the folicary infiance, of Satans inno· ducing fuperfiition under prettnfe of avoiding fupnllition. 3· The fenfe of the Law is to be judged 0 f by the Law, and by the notorious doctrine and profdlion of the Law-makers and of the Land ': which here renounceth the flfperfiitious ufe of ir. But 1confefs 1 was more afraid that the Papitts had too much derogated from the Scripture, than given too much to it. And they profefs that they fwear not by a creawre; Vid. Pcrer. ubi [ttp. in Gen. 24· 2· Object. But p.,r.£ur, &c. in Gen. 24• 2· f4ith, Non abJiJue {Nperftitione fit cum {uptr crucifixum llUI codictm Evangelii digi1U imp4itil j_uratu~,. ut fit in !'apatH• Anfw· J, B~t that fame Act whic& in Papatu is fuperfiiciou"s becaufe of lupe~fiat~P,US conceus and ends, .Js not fo m all others that have no:1c (uch. . 2 • It is no new thing to be qu1ck maccufing our adverfancs: But Par~tiH addeth not afylbble Qf proot'; And if he had it mull have been fuch, as roucht not us, or dfc: invalid. O}>jcct. Some good mm have fcrupled it. Anfw. I · Ten thouland to one fuch, have not fcruplcd it. 2 • They are not our Gods nor Law. 3· The Q!akers and the old Anabaptifis (and they fay Origen) fcrupled yea condemned all fwearing, or all impofed Oaths. And if we avoid all as fin which lame good men have fcrupled, we !hall make fuperfiition a great par< of our Religion : And when on the fame grounds we have but praClifed all as Duty, which fome good men have taken for Dury, we fhall quite out-go the Papills. He that readeth Btda, Bonifa<e, and abundance fuch pious writers will foon fee, that Godly or Ftnratical Religious perfon> dreams, vifions, flrict opinions , confident a!fertions, and credulous believing one another, with the hope of improving fuc;h things againll: P.agans and Jews, for Chrifiianity, brought in almofi all the Legends and fuperflitions of the P•pil!s•. 1 I. Objett. 2• ~r Common-Lqw Commiffitmt, that ?,.ive authority to tx•mine per{ons, direll it to be Objtl1• J.ne fuper facratr>enta fua per fanch Dei evangelia fideliter prefianda : An6 in tht form of Adminijlrationi in Ecclt[Uljlical i#oUrfl the·wordt are Ad fanCb Dei Evangelia rite & legirimr jurati : JYIJetber tbtfe formt do not i11jfr tlw in thtir jirji J<fe, ( •t Ita]!,) ptrfonr tithtr fw•rt by the Evangelijlt er offtnded·in th., mo,Je of [wearing : And o11r Common-Law <oUt it a Corporal Oath, from touching tbt Boo~(, An[w. 1 • To know the fenf~ of our prefent Law it is not neceffiuy that we know the fenfe of the Anfw' lid\ ufers of the form. for the Law i, not now tilt Kings Law th" firfi made it : (He bath no Law that bath no Government,) but the Kings Law that now Reignetb, and beareth hi1 fenfe. •· To jufiifie our obediente to a Law, .it is not neceffary that we prove every phrafc in that Law to be tidy cxprdfed. 3· But examine it well, and try whether it be not alfo fit and laudable. 1 • There are three things conjoyned in the Oaths in qucflion; J, A 11]1imoliy af[trtary or a promife. 2· An Oatb; 3. An Imprtcation• The Ajfertory TejlimonJ here is the firj! thing intendtd; and the Oath and Imprecation arc but as a mtam to make that Tej!imony or Promife valid. 2· Tht publifhed Doctrine of England, in the 39· Anicles, the book of Ordination &c. is, that the Holy Scriptures contain all things necclfary to Salvation, as being Gods Law or Rule of our ·Fai1h and Lift• All our Duty tci God is there commanded: All the ptomi{el on which we hope are there containe.d ; All the punifh. meuts which tb~ perjured or any jinntr mafi f<el and !hould [tar, arc there threatned. Therefore 3• The Laying on tlie hand and Kij]ing the book, is an At/ion diretl!y related to the Imprecation , and not tu the Oath, but only by confcquence, as the Imprecation is fubfervient to the Oath, as the Oath is to the Affhtion. So that this is the plain puaphrafc of the whole [Ido believe tb't God tht Rrtler of aU tbt world, iHhe Judge of [tcrets which art above mans judgemtnt, tht fiarcher of htt~rtJ~ and the hate!' and avenger ofperjury, according to tbii hi1 holy word by wbich he governtth Uf: And tl1 thi1 God I appeal ilf to tht tr11tq of thi< my teflimony, confeming my [elf, to kfe aU tbe ••mfit of hi1 promifu to the jujl, and to bear aU tilt f«nijhmtntl htrt threatntd to •he Ptrjttrtd, if I /i(. J .. And what could be fard mar~ htly, •· To own the Protcflant q~nne that tbe Scripture .is Gods perfect word: that the ev1l to be feared, and the go<l'd to be hope<! fQI', ~ Jill ·there contained, and iS all the fulfilling o( that word; 2. And to put the nwrd in its due fu~or.dination io .God. And our or, ilinary form of {wearing !heweth this [Sohelp 10H God, ~nd the Coxttntt of thil Boo~] Whethet you will <all this [fn·taring upon or by tht Gofpel J at call it [!I ccfporal Oath J Qr a fPiritual OatiJ i1 only de nomine and is nothing td the mattrr rhus truly defcribed. Sacraxmitum ftgnifietE the Olt~ it felf, and Ad fqn/1a evangelia is a fit phrafe: or if fuper facrameni/1 fJguifie the tviri Sacraments of the Gofp:l, it can ~an no more than [ A1 otit that by. tb~ rtct~tion of tht S•cra'!'tHI dctb pr•ftfi to htlieve rh11 Gojptl to be true, I de rtllott>tct the btntjitl of •t, if I I" : ] hod m thrs fen.li: it hath bedi fllme mens cullom to receive the Sacrament when they would foletJmly fwear. Ill. dbjccf. Some.Jeem 10 cbjrU ~gainfl. kJJft~g tb; 'Bonl(, ;, ha.vi~g ti;, g;eater appar.nce of giving Ob'eii: too much to tt, or puttmg fome adoration on tt ; a11d beca~t{e tbu Certmany of kjging i1 IJild tq be of later 1 da11 rh•n laying on t/Jt hand; Hhh i
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