rho No man hathpower to difpenfe with an oath, 65, bath iu(} authoritie todifpenfe with a lawful oath ? I anfwer, mn hark 7u that howfoeuer the manoffin,the Antichri(fofRome here- thoiry ee in matching himfelfe as equal withGod,arrogateth thisau- pence with thoritie to difpenfewith lawfull oathes, and to free fubic6ls lawfulloch. from their fworne allegiancevnto their lawfull Soueraigns; yet the truth ir,that nomortall man hath this powertodif pcnfewithan oath being lawfull, becaufe the Lord hath by hislawbound vs vato performance ; for he hath charged vs not to take hisname in vaine , and that wcfhould not for- fweare our fclues,and by our periurie pollutehis holy name; Leuit. rg.u, andwhocan countermand that which the Lord hath com- manded? and he hath conioyncd our lawfull promifes with the performanceof them bythe religious bondof anoath; who therefore can look that which God hath bound? who can feparate and putafundcr thofe things which by his word he hath ioyned together? Whereof it plainly followeth,that our Iefuits ,Prieflsand other Papif}s , who hauing formerly taken the oth of allegiance, and fworne to the fupremacy of their lawful! Soueraigne , and afterwards reconcile them- felues to thePope, mainraine his fupremacy,deny their alle- giance to their King, and fo violate their formeroth , truce flingto the Popes difpenlation; are no better then perjured perlons in the fight ofGod andof all his faithful' feruants. Yea, but ifa promife be confirmed with an othbetvveene man and man , may not he vntowhom thepromife is made, andwhom it onely concerneth, releafe the otherofhis pro- mile , and fo free him from his oth ? I anfwer,that noman bath this authority ; for in cuery lawfull promiffory oth, She fweater obligeth himfelfe in a double bond,the one is fromman toman , the other from man to God ; now how- foeuer he to whom thepromife ismade , may free the (wea- rer from all claime andchallengeofthe promifemadevoto him , fofarre forth as it lieth in his owne power; yet he bath no authority to free him from his oth , becaufe that is not only made vnto him,but all() veto God himfelfe, and there- fore he only can difpenfewith it. And hence it is that an oth madebetweene man and man is called notwithilanding the Exod:tz r t oth of the Lord , becaufe thereby the (wearer 'bath infime- K diatly
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