Excufes allea4edfor 'tidbitfirearinf,dnfivered. 4 wages of eternal' death , and can no otherwile be expiated and done away, but by the ine(timable price of Chrifls pre- -cious bloud ; or if we doe, let vs afire felucs it (hall not be (mall vnto vs ; for the Ica(t finne in it owne nature is hai. nous and vnpardonablc , fo long as it is willingly commit- ted,and cxcufedor defended. Laftly , they excufe themfelues by alleadging theincre- §,SeEt.7; dulity and fufpition of others , which is fuch, that vnlef c Their excaje theyCweare theycannot becredited andbeleeaed . But vntoanf'ered, this I anfwere, that the bell way to haue our words credi- oe red, isnot to confirme euery thingwee fpeakewithan oth,¿;t,, for fo our othes becomming common and ordinary, will be as little refpecìed as a fimple affirmation ; nay in truth they will deferue, le% credit: for it is to be thought that hee who snaketh no confcience of tranigreflïng one commande- ment,will not make much more confciencc oftranfgrefng another; hee that fticketh not to vfe deierationand vainc (wearing, will not flicke at perjury and forfwcaring; orifhe doe, it is not becaùfe he wanteth anheart todo it,but rather fome ftrong inducement to perfwade him. But the bell way to haueour fpeeches credited,is to accufiomeour tongues to fpeake the truth, and to beofan vpright, iu(},and vnblame- able life and conuerfation; and fo (hall our word be more re- garde(' than anthers eth; for it is not the oth that giueth credit and authority to a man, but aman to his oth ; andif in our whole couríeand carriage we clearely fhew,that we make more confctencc oflying, than anotherofperjury, his oth will not be fo much credited,asour barepromifeoraf fertíon . Whereby it appeareth that ordinaryfwearing isei- ther needletre or be-Adel-1'c. For if a man beof an holyand religious conucrfation,therewill benovfe of it,vnleffe it be in waighty cauces, wherein anoth is lawful) ; becaufe his word will carrywith it fufficient credit : and contrariwifc,if he beknowne to haueaccuftosned himfelfe to lying,ditfem- bling,and falle dealing, his fwearing will not profit him,fec- ing his vnconfcionable falfchood,doth take away all credit and authority fromhisoth. But let itbe fuppofed,thatthoughwe are iuáand faithful, S. Sett.$, G we
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