"f'o!Lfamm:l. <;,aCconfc:. li6.,..c.a1. aJ.Sam.a.f. "· f!AnExpojition of Chrifls · ·\ Marrb,5. I V·ll-· to f,e othenvife; as ·when he cakes an oath that i A thing is rruc,which he knov\'CS to be fo.lfc;chat a thing was thus, which he knowc5 W:l"S other– wife. Secondly, Deceitf:t!l fivearing isperiurie, when· a man, either abour things p::H, or tO· come,fwcares comraric to the true knowledge and purpo[e of his OV\'JlC mindc. Exampk of thi:;.-..\'C hauc in the ltotHi!11 Prcifis, who borh defCnd in writing, and praCtifc in aCtion, rh is deccidull f..,.\'Caring: for becing brought before the Magifl:rar<:, and made to fwearc to this de– maund, or fuch like; whetber they [aid Maf{e, or,~e:ve where Map~ tVM foidar Juch ''time? They an(\.\'Cr vpon their oathes, That they did not, nor lz.new not, (though indeede they did} B which is according to their doCtrine, Th.'lt vnto dangerow lnten·ogarwiesamtm?1MJ fram~·a fafe metming vnto hmt.{e~fe, apd [weare to it: as in the former ieHomcc, they fweare they knew not where Matfc was faidc, mcaning,to reueale tt to the Judge. Bur this is flat periurie: for their oath is giuen rhcm to anf,Ncr accor– ding to the meaning of the Magtfhatcs de– maund: and if a 1nanmight b.wfi.lily frame a meaning to himfclfe, in fvvca,ring, hcc might eafily delude all truth, and fo fbouldnotan oath for confirmation , be the·ende of ftnfe; but the brecdc1· thereof, tl1rough furmifc of falfc mea– ning in him that [wearcth. The third kinde of periuric, is Thehreakjng of a bindingoath; as when am~mvpon his oath promifcth to doe a - thing that is lawfull, and doth it not : yet this is not alwaics periuric: as Firil, If God after C the oath raken, make the thing promifcd, im.. poffiblc eo be done: as ifa man ['.\'care to make another his hcirc,of fuch ::md fuch lands; now dwelling by the fca. fide, the fe:1 breakes our, drowncs all his land before he dicth ; Is this man pcriurcll; bccaufc hec performed not his promifc bound with :m oath? no vcrcly; fOr God made the thing impofEble. Secondly, if a man be bound in confctencc to brcakc .his oath : .Thus a Dattidfivearin,'{ rafhf; toJlaie Na– bal,rmdhh}tmtlrc,,_,.,JS yet (hied trom fo doing by Abigals counfcll, and brake his oath, and b ~aue G'cd th,mk§.r .foY it; for indeedc his oath .vvas vnlavvfull, bccing the bond of iniquitie, D and the doing of it had becnc the doubling of hisfinnc. Here it may well be dcmaundcd, whether thofe chat arc fworne to the Statutes and lawes of focictics and incorporations be pcriurcd,if they brcakc the fame? Anf.Thc Scacmes ofin– corporations be of cwo forts; fomc are ofthe foundation o"f focictics, \\ ichout which the in– corpora~ion cannot fb.nd,and thcfc(not beeing againfl: the vvord of God ) cannot be broken vvithout the guilt ofpcrturic; others, are Sta– tutes oncly of omvvard order and dcccnde;as touching apparel!, gdture, and fl1ch like: as in fomc incorporations th~ St:uutcs require, that cucry man therein fhOllld wcarc the round cap: hereunto m:tny ::~re f,,ornc, who alwaies wcare it not;now(thoughl fay not that they arc faUlt- -------- ldfc altogether) yet they arc not pcriurcd; bc– o.ufc thi!> Statue of order, bmdes not a man iimpl)', but either to obedience, or eo pare rhe mulct; which ifa man be content ro paic, he fatisfics rhc Sntmc, and benefits the focictic,as much as i£ he kept rhc Statute. Hauing fi1cwcd \\·hat periurie is, with the kinds thc_rcof.; let vs fee v\'hcrhcr we be free fi·om it. After examination it will appcarc,that mens Hues arc fi.1ll of pcriuric; for where is much fvvc.aring vfually, there cannot but bee much· pcr~urie.: bccaufe they that fv\'Care in their common ralkc, doe forget their oarhcs, as they doe their communication. But fay we arc clcare from periuric, yet arc we in danger of Gods heauic iudgcmcnts, for the breach of our Vow in baptiii:ne; wherein ·we promifc to belccuc in God, and to fcruc him, forfaking the i:vorld, the flefh, and the dcuill: now the breach ofthis vow, is as ill as pcriuric,for thcrforc·may Bapti{me be called a SacYament, be- ~::l:ir~~~;~cr caufc of the oath and vow which a ChrifHan 1uramentn''ll makes to Gpd thcrcin•fot· the word Sacrament di~~bancur properly betol<cncth t'hc oath which a louldier 1 ~~~:.~;.~~5d~:~ makcth to his Captainc for his ·fidditie. The sr.lhr. breaking of Iofua his oach'c vnto the Gibeoniccs, bySmtl, ccaufed j.yeare.rdearth,and ·was c ::l.S:~.m.11., not fatisfied, but with the blood of 7• of Sau!t kjndred. And&Zedekj.u P"'iurie to the Kingof d <z<k·•7• Ba6el, was one cau[e ofrhc Lords fierce wrath '3· 1 S· 16 • againfl: lcrufalcm,& the Princes thereof. Now lhall one mans pcriurie caufc fuch iudgemcnts? and fhall we not thirikc, chat among other finncs this our pcriurie vnto God, in breaking our vow in Baptifmc, bringeth vpon vs Gods heauiewr~rh, by plague, famine, and vnfcafonablc weathcr?Whcrfore let the confidcration hereof pcrfwade vs to repentance, and to a . more confcionablc care ofperfonning ourvow vnto God. IfI. Point. The gricuot1fi1cffc of this finne Grieuoufnes of pcriuric, which·here the Lord (orbids, ofpcriutic. appeares by thcfc three finnes which are contained in it, Firft, the vttcring 1 or maintaining of ~die. Secondly, the calling on God to be a witneffc vnto a lie; wherein men doe, as much as in rhem licth: fer the deuill himfclfe, the father oflics, in the roomc ofGod, and fo greatly robbe him ofhjs honour and maiefiic.T}:lirdly, in pcriurie a man praies for a curfc vpon himfclfc, wifhing God to bee a \\'itndfe of his ipcech, and a ludge ro rcuengc, if he [\.\'Care flOy; fo as herein a man is his ownc vttcr cnemie, &.as much as in him licth, doth call both bodie and foulc to hell. Qf!eft. Scc.ing this Gone of pcriuric is fo great, whether may fuch a man be put to his, oath, as i.; certai.ndythoughr ·will pcriurc him... fclfc,ifhe be pttt to fwcarc? I anfwer,men th3.t pur other<; ro fwearc,are either priuatc~rfons or publicke Magi(hatcs : a priu:lte mai).for his ov\'nc priuace cau{C, may not put fuch a man to his oath; for he !hould hauc greater care of Gods glorie, aud of the orher mans fouic,tlK·n ' -----~ o fl ----~-------------------------
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