The E'.,il of Perjtlry. 701 S>ith PaHf.niM, The fraud that it committed by perjury, faUtth Jlpon pofltrity. 6. Perjury and ptrfi· dioufnefi are virtuallyTreafon, RebeL'ion and MHrder ~gainH Kings and MagiUrates, and no more to be flvoured in a Kingdom, by a King thac loveth his life and fafety, than the Plague in a City, or poifon eo the body. 7'riftiffimum & domcftlcum rtgibuJ omnibNr pbtJrmawm, Jiberurum, amic~rum & txercitM perfidid, faith Appian. what fecurity havt! Princes of their Crowns or lives, where 0Jt~s and Covenants feem not obligatory ? There is then nothin& left but fear of punifhment ro refiram the violence of any one that would do them mifchief : And craft or flrtngth will eafil)' break the bonds of fear. He that would diffolve the bond ofOJths, and teach men to make light of perjury, is 110 more to be endured in a Kingd 1rn, than he that openly inviteth the SubjeCts to kill their King, or rife up in rebellion againfi him. If he chat bn:aketh tlu: lcaft of Gods commands, and teacheth men fo to do, fha\1 be ca\\ed, Leaft in the Kingdom of God, then furely he that breaketh the Great M.mb. I· '9· c~mma1uJ.r by the mull odious fi" of Perjury, and ttacheth mtn fo to do, fhould neither be Great, nor any tbi#g, in the Kingdoms of men. 7· Perjury is the: poyfon ofall Societit1 1 ancJ of fritndiliip, and of humane converfc, and tumeth all into a Hate of enmity or hofiility, and teacheth all men to live to 4 gether like foes. He that is not to be believed when he {wttJrttb, is ntver to be believed; And when 0 1 ths and Covenants fignifie nothing, and no man c!ln belie~e another, what are they buc as fo many foes to one another? H_ow can chere be any Relations of Governours and Subjects ? Of Husband and Wife? 0[ Maller and Servants? Or how can there be any trading or commerce, when there is no tm/1? Pe,jury diffolve~h a\\ focieties by loofening all the bonds of affociation; Well might Dionyf. H:.~/ic. l. 3· fay, [ 1he PerfidiouJ are {<~r worfe thaH optn enemie1, and worthy of far greater puniflJ· mf'nt• For a mtJn mtJy mort ea(lly a'lnJid the ambufhmtnts of foes, and repeU t!Jtir affllultJ, than e{ctJpt the perfidioufneft of Ji<ming· ftimdt.] Saith ValeriU< Max. ( 1.9. c. 6.) [ Perjidioufne[s it a hidden and enfi1arint, mifchi(f; who[t ejfe{JutJl force i1 iH lying and deceivi11g : iu fruit conftfteth in fome horrid viDaH) l which iJ ripe tJnd [11re when it btJtb compaffed cruelty with wick.ul bo~tth; bringing os great mifobitf tu manj,Jnd, at fidelity bringerb good a•d fnfery. ] Hethat tcacheth the doCtrine ofPtr· jury and pertidioufnefs, doth bid every man fuift for himfelt~ and truil: no more his friend or neigh. hour, but all take heed ofone another as fo many Serpents or Wild Beafis. Lyons and Bears may better be fuffered to live locle among men, than thofe that teach men to make light of Oaths. 8. Thus alfo it defiroyeth perfmal Love, and teacheth all men to be haterS of each other: Fo~ it can be no better, when men become fuch hateful c:reatures to each other, as not at all to be credited or fociably converfed with. SI· Ptrjury and perfidioufntft do proclaim men deplorate; and fiigmatize them with this character, that they are perfons that will llick at the committing· of no kind of Vil\any in the world, further than their flefhly iritmfl hindereth them : No charity bindeth a man to think that he will make confcience of murder, rebellion, dec:eit, adultery, or any imaginable: wickednefs, who maketh no confciencc of Ptrjury and perfidkufne[t. Such a periOn allowcrh you to judge that if the temptation ferve he will do any thing that the Devil bids him : and that he is virtually a compound of all iniquity, and prepared for every evil work. xo. Lafily;As Perjury doth thus diffolve focieties, and turn mankind into enmiry with each other, fo it would make the mifery uncorable, by making even ptnitents incredible : Who wi\1 believ.e him, even while he profeff<tb to Repent, thu hath fhewed that when he fweamh he is not to be believed? He tbat.dare forfwe., himfdf, dare rye when he prctendeth Rcp<ntance for his Ptrj"'Y• It mufl be fome deedt that are more credible than Wordt and Oatht that mull recover the credit of fuch a mans profeffions. lf Perjury have violated any Relations, it leaveth the breach almofi uncurable, becaufe no profeffions of repentance or future fidelity can be trufled. Thus l have partly fhewed you the Ma\ignity ofPerjury and Covenant-brea~in;,. 9· 3· Direct. 2. Be f1ire that you ma~e no Vuw or Covmant which God hat~ furbidden you to k.!tp. Dirttl. !. 'It is rafh vowing and fwtaring which is the common caufe of Perjury. You !hould at the making of your Vow, have.feen into the bottom of it, and forefeen all the evils tbat might follow it, and the Temptations which were like to drawyou into perjury. He is vinually perjured as foon as he hath {worn, who fweareth to do that which he rnufi not do ; The preventive means are here the bell. 9· '\-• Direct. 3· Be Jure you ta/tt no Oath or Vow which ;•ou are not fincmly rtfilved to per· Dirttl. 3 • form. They that Swear or Vow with a fecret referve, that rather than they will be ruined by keeping it, they w1ll break it, are Habitually and Reputativdy perjured perfons , even before they ltge difiin– break rt : Befides that, they fhcw a bafe hypocritical pxofiigate confcient;e, that can deliberately corn- ll!onem Gromit fo great. a fin. ~~~,0~~t~: Be · •· • • ..J,JJI'oe~~oHv A4xo:. Jlf Ma!tb. 5· 31• Moim P.olUJ ( fuppof~d Dr. Sand roftJ) P)·rlfC,7• J, We :lre u:1dy to mterpret the words toe kindly, efpeci..: ~lly 1f they be ambtguous : and. m hard to 6nd terms fo polirive , bur that tbey m:~y be eluded indeed, or fel!m to Ui w be fo 1f we be difpofed: 2. Some ~re invited to illicite pr6mifes, t]litJ illiciu;. becaufe th=v kno\or them to be invalid. ~· ~ome are frighted into thefe bonds by thruts and loff~, .and remponl concerammts, anJ then they pkafe tl1emfdva tha.c they fwctt by Du– refs: and fo arc difengaged: "t· Some ar; Oath-proof, &c. · 9· S· Dire/.1:. 4· See that aU fiefhly worldly intmft be fully fubdued '' the intereft ofyour foulr, Dire(!. 4• and to the wiU of God. He that at the heart fcts more by his body than his foul , and lovcrh . hiS worldly profperity above God , will lye , or fwear , or forf,ear , or do any thing to fave that carnal intereft which he moft valueth : He that is carnal and worldly at th; heart, is falfe at the heart : The Religion of fuch an Hypocrite wi\1 give place to his temporal
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