upon the Epiftle of JAME s. VB R..It • . Eff~AHJ-thought all oaths as bad'as perjury,!as-1o[eph114 witneffeth, Jib.2. de Bello Judaico, cap. 7· Jerom chargech the Pelagians with the fame opinion; it bath been alfo objected againft theW~l~enfe~, h6lW truly I know not. The Anabaptlfls have been uncertam m thts point; fometimes they have pr0feO.ed againfi all oaths,at other tim($ exprdfed themfelves as denying only ral.h oaths , as in the confe– rence at Franckfndale ; and thofe ,of that feet amongfi us, feem to have recanted the antient rigour herein ; many modem writers of great note , feem to incline to the abfolute prohibitionofoaths, as unbeft!eming that faith and fimplicity w~ich l.hould be among Chri– fiians; rertainly t here bath been a great abufe of them in our civill Courts, even to the difgrace of our holy profdHon, as being admi– nifired upon every trifling occafion, for a th!_lling matter; and in bu-. finefies of a low concemment. But however oaths in themfelves are lawfull, iftaken in truth, rigte~ufnefs t~~ndjudgment, Ier. 4· 2• that is, withoutfraud, in alawful! matter, and upon tt weighfJ oc– cafion;tbe Apo!Ue faith,,an oath is -.rtfttl cll'7a ...o.,Ett.s,an end offlrife, Heb.6.17, in the Old Teftament, in any doubtfull cafe which could .not be otherwife determined, they were to accqt the oath of•hc Lord, Exod. zz, 1 I, 12; the Com[)landement it fdf alloweth a li. berty, T ho:~ {halt not tak; the name ofthe Lord thJ God in vain, which implyeth a lawfull ufe of Gods name; in the N~wTefta– ment, the Apoftle Paul in weighty matte.rs often fweareth, and ca1leth.God to witndfe~ fee R9m, I· 9• and 9· I. 2 Cor. I .23• God u my record, Phit.- f., 8. z, What oatbs are condemned ? Anfwer , our Saviour and the Apoftlelamesdo only meetw1th that wicked cuUom introducedby thePharifees,That aman might fwear by the creatures,if there were no mention of the name ofGod , or things offered to God , as ap· peareth by confidering Mat. 5'. and Mat. 2 ~. The Nationofthe Jews wereguilty of three things; 1. freqoent fwearing, 2. fwearing by the creatures , 3. breaking thefe oaths as not binding and valid; and thefe fins being rife in the Apofiles days , the prohtbicion of the Text mufi be chitAy applyed to them; fo that [w nDt, nli– ther by Heaven, nor Earth , mufi be meant of their ufuall and accufromed forms, which they had invented toevade the Law;for the Iews, fo they did omlt the great oath of Chi E/oah, thought., Philo in t;p, they were fafe; fo i< Philo faith , that it Was a fin and a vaniiJ ~ '*-' * M rr 'if~7~d. ~ ''ifOIIITHV QA~Y dr~TfiXtiV,prefontly t4 r;m f(J Gqa,or th~ liJ'H vb~t.·Y · ' ·f .ccc 3 -- --- mt~k!r · .j
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