privately for their souls' health: all these manners of swearing, for causes necessary and honest, be lawful. But when men do swear of custom, in reasoping, buying, and selling, or other daily communication, (as many be common and great swearers) such kind of swearing is ungodly, unlawful, and forbidden by the commandment of God: for such swearing is nothing else but taking of God's holy name in vain. And here is to be noted, that lawful swearing is not forbidden, but commanded by Almighty God; for we have examples of Christ and godly men, in holy Scripture, that did swear themselves, and required oaths of others likewise; and God's commandment is, Thou shalt dread thy Lord God, and shalt swear by his name. And Almighty God by his prophet David saith, All men shall be praised that swear by him.

Thus did our Saviour Christ swear divers times, saying, Verily, verily and St. Paul sweareth thus, I call God to witness: and Abraham, waxing old, required an oath of his servant, that he should procure a wife for his son Isaac, which should come of his own kindred: and the servant did swear that he would perform his master's will. Abraham also being required, did swear unto Abimelech, the king of Geraris, that he should not hurt him, nor his posterity; and likewise did Abimelech swear unto Abraham. And David did swear to be and continue a faithful friend to Jonathan, and Jonathan did swear to become a faithful friend unto David.

Also God once commanded, that if a thing were laid to pledge to any man, or left with him to keep, if the same thing were stolen, or lost, that the keeper thereof should be sworn before judges, that he did not convey it away, nor used any deceit in causing

Deut. vi. Psal. Ixiii. John iii. 2 Cor. i. Gen. xxi. xxiv.
Jer. iv.

Heb. v*,

the same to be conveyed away, by his consent or knowledge. And St. Paul saith, That in all matters of controversy between two persons, whereas one saith, yea, and the other, nay, so as no due proof can be had of the truth, the end of every such controversy must be an oath ministered by a judge. And moreover, God, by the prophet Jeremiah saith, Thou shalt swear, the Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, in righteousness. So that whosoever sweareth when he is required of a judge, let him be sure, in his conscience, that his oath have three conditions, and he shall never need to be afraid of perjury.

First, he that sweareth may swear truly, that is, he must (setting apart all favour and affection to the parties) have the truth only before his eyes, and for love thereof, say and speak that which he knoweth to be truth, and no further. The second is, he that taketh an oath, must do it with judgment, not rashly and unadvisedly, but soberly, considering what an oath is. The third is, he that sweareth, must swear in righteousness: that is, for the very zeal and love which he beareth to the defence of innocency, to the maintenance of the truth, and of the righteousness of the matter or cause: all profit, disprofit, all love and favour unto the person, for friendship or kindred laid apart. Thus an oath, if it have with it these three conditions, is a part of God's glory, which we are bound by his commandments to give unto him. For he willeth that we shall swear only by his name, not that he hath pleasure in oaths, but like as he commanded the Jews to offer sacrifices unto him, not for any delight that he had in them, but to keep the Jews from committing idolatry: so he, commmanding us to swear by his holy name, doth not teach us that he delighteth

Isaiah xlii.

in swearing, but he thereby forbiddeth all men to give his glory to any creature in heaven, earth, or water. Hitherto you see, that oaths lawful are commanded of God, used of patriarchs and prophets, of Christ himself, and of his apostle Paul. Therefore christian people must think lawful oaths, both godly and necessary. For by lawful promise and covenants confirmed by oaths, princes and their countries are confirmed in common tranquillity and peace. By holy promises with calling the name of God to witness, we be made lively members of Christ, when we profess his religion receiving the sacrament of baptism. By like holy promise the sacrament of matrimony knitteth man and wife in perpetual love, that they desire not to be separated for any displeasure or adversity that shall after happen. By lawful oaths, which kings, princes, judges and magistrates do swear, common laws are kept inviolate, justice is indifferently ministered, harmless persons, fatherless children, widows and poor men, are defended from murderers, oppressors, and thieves, that they suffer no wrong, nor take any harm. By lawful oaths, mutual society, amity, and good order is kept continually, in all commonalties, as boroughs, cities, towns, and villages. And by lawful oaths malefactors are searched out, wrong doers are punished, and they which sustain wrong, are restored to their right. Therefore lawful swearing cannot be evil, which bringeth unto us so many godly, good, and necessary commodities. Wherefore when Christ so earnestly forbad swearing, it may not be understood, as though he did forbid all manner of oaths; but he forbideth all vain swearing and forswearing, both by God, and by his creatures, as the common use of swearing in buying, selling and in our daily communication, to the intent every christian man's word, should be as well regarded in such matters, as if he should confirm his com

munication with an oath. For every christian man's word, saith St. Hierom, should be so true, that it should be regarded as an oath. And Chrysostom witnessing the same, saith it is not convenient to swear: for what need we to swear, when it is not lawful for one of us to make a lie unto another? Peradventure some will say I am compelled to swear, or else men that do commune with me, or do buy and sell with me, will not believe me. To this answereth St. Chrysostom, that he that thus saith, sheweth himself to be an unjust and a deceitful person. For if he were a trusty man, and his deeds taken to agree with his words, he should not need to swear at all. For he that useth truth and plainness in his bargaining and communication, he shall have no need by such vain swearing, to bring himself in credence with his neighbours, nor will his neighbours mistrust his sayings. And if his credence be so much lost indeed, that he thinketh no man will believe him without he swear, then he may well think his credence is clean gone. For truth it is, as Theophylactus writeth, that no man is less trusted, than he that useth much to swear. And Almighty God, by the wise man saith, that man which sweareth much shall be full of sin, and the scourge of God shall not depart from his house.

But here some men will say, for excusing of their many oaths in their daily talk; Why should I not swear when I swear truly? To such men it may be said, that though they swear truly, yet in swearing often unadvisedly, for trifles, without necessity, and when they should not swear, they be not without fault, but do take God's most holy uame in vain. Much more ungodly and unwise men are they, that abuse God's most holy name, not only in buying and selling of small things daily in all places, but also in eating, drinking, playing, communing and reasoning. As if none of

these things might be done, except in doing of them the most holy name of God be commonly used and abused, vainly and unreverently talked of, sworn by, and forsworn, to the breaking of God's commandment, and procurement of his indignation.

The practice of vain, wanton, and unauthorised swearing in common discourse is reprehended by our blessed Redeemer, in Matt. v. 34, xxiii, 16. And though the Jews made a distinction between swearing by the name of God, and swearing by inferior objects of veneration, such as, the heavens, the earth, Jerusalem, or their own head; he tells them that on' account of the relation which these things bear to the Supreme Being, to swear by any of them is in effect and substance to swear by him: therefore, "swear not at all," neither directly by God, nor indirectly by any thing related to him.

t

The Second Part of the Sermon against Swearing.

YOU have been taught in the first part of this Sermon against swearing and perjury, what great danger it is to use the name of God in vain; and that all kind of swearing is not unlawful, neither against God's commandment; and that there be three things required in a lawful oath. First, that it be made for the maintenance of the truth: secondly, that it to be made with judgment, not rashly and unadvisedly: thirdly, for the zeal and love of justice. Ye heard also what commodities come of lawful oaths, and what danger cometh of rash and unlawful oaths. Now as concerning the rest of the same matter, you shall understand, that as well they use the name of God in vain, that by an oath make unlawful promises of good and honest things, and perform them not, as they which do promise evil and unlawful things, and NO. 3.

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