Evil. If the righteoufnefs of the Law ought to be fulfilled in us, we ought not to fwear, because we ought to be fo righteous as not to lie. This is evangelical; for as he that conceives not a foul or revengeful Thought, needs not to purge himself of Adultery and Murder; neither is there any reason that man should purge himself of Lying by Swearing, that doth not fo much as countenance an untrue Thought. The language of the fame apostle to the Ephefians farther explains this Evangelical evidence; " But ye "have not fo learned Chrift, if so be that ye have heard "him, and have been taught by him, as the Truth is "in Jefus; that ye put off, concerning the former "converfation, the Old Man, which is corrupt, ac cording to the deceitful lufts; and be renewed in the fpirit of your mind; and that you put on the "New Man, which, after God, is created in righte"ousness and true holinefs: wherefore, putting away "lying, speak every man truth with his neigh"bour" beyond which, there can be no affurance given or defired. And if Chriftians ought never to Lie, it is most certain they need never to Swear; for Swearing is built upon Lying: take away Lying, and there remains no more ground for Swearing; truthspeaking comes in the room thereof. And this not only the Christian doctrine teaches and requires; but Chrift, the bleffed author of it, is ready to work in the hearts of the children of men, would they but come and learn of him, who is meek, lowly, filled with Grace and Truth. And we must needs fay, it is a fhameful thing, and very dishonourable to the Chriftian religion, that those who pretend themselves to be the followers of Chrift, (for so true Chriftians ought to be) fhould fo degenerate from his example and doctrine, as to want and use scaring affeverations, difpenfed with in fome of the weakest times of knowledge, and fuch horrible Imprecations (never known to ancient Jews and Chriftians) to ascertain one another of their Faith and Truth; Ephef. iv. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. Religion Religion must needs have fuffered a great ebb, and Christianity a fearful eclipse, since those brighter ages of its profeffion for bishop Gauden himself, in his Difcourfe of Oaths, confeffes, That the ancient Christians " were so strict and exact, that there was no need of an • Oath among them; yea, they fo kept up the fanctity and credit of their profeffion among unbelievers, that it was fecurity enough, in all cafes, to fay, Chriftianus fum, I am a Christian.' But to fortify what we have hitherto urged, in defence of our judgment and practice; and to the end it may more fully appear, that our tenderness in this great cafe of Oaths, comes not from any four, fullen, or fuperftitious humour, or that we would trouble the world with any new-fangled opinion; we fhall produce the concurrent teftimonies of feveral famous and good men, for above these two thousand years, among Gentiles, Jews, and Chriftians, enough to make an Oecumenical Council: we fhall cite them out of the beft editions we have been able to procure, and as truly and punctually as we can render them digefted in order of time. MEMO MEMORABLE TESTIMONIES AGAINST SWEARING; Collected out of the Writings of GENTILES, JEWS, and CHRISTIANS: Some of which were delivered to the World several Ages before Swear not at all was written by MATTHEW, or spoken by CHRIST. Which makes Swearing, among Christians, fo much the more difallowable. The whole published not only in Favour of our Caufe, but for the Inftruction of the World, and to their juft Honour that faid and writ them, as durable Monuments of their Virtue. I. The Sayings of the Gentiles or Heathens, in Diflike of Oaths. O UR two firft teftimonies shall be the practice of I. Among the Perfians,' faith Diodorus Siculus, giving the right-hand was the token of truth-speaking: he that did it deceitfully, was counted more ⚫ deteftable than if he had fworn.' Which plainly implies, that swearing was detefted among them, as well as that they needed not to fwear, who so much used truthfpeaking. These nations were many hundred years before Christ. Quint. Curt. in Vit. Alex. II. The Scythians, as it is reported by Q. Curtius, in their conference with Alexander, upon occafion of an unexpected fecurity, told him, Think not that the • Scythians confirm their friendship by Oath: they swear by keeping their word.' Which is not only a proof of their difufe of common oaths, but fwearing at all, even in matters of greatest importance. Plutarch, Rom. Quest. 28. III. So religious was Hercules,' faith Plutarch, ' that he never swore but once.' If it was religiously done to fwear but once in a man's life, it had been more religiously done not to fwear at all. How juft and fevere a cenfure is this out of an Heathen's mouth, upon the practice of diffolute Chriftians *? Hefiod, Theogon. p. 88. IV. Hefiod, in his Theogonia, places an oath amongst the brood of contention. An oath,' faith he, greatly hurts men.' Again presently, An oath goes with corrupt judgment;' or an oath flies away together with corrupt judgments; that is, when juftice appears among men, oaths vanish; as his fcope in that place fhews t. Sociad. in Stob. 28. V. It was one part of the doctrine of the Seven Sages, fo famous in Greece, That men ought not to fweart." Stobaus, Serm. 3. VI. Solon, the famous law-giver of Athens, and one of those Seven Sages, exhorteth the people to obferve Honefty more ftrictly than an Oath.' As if he had faid, Honesty is to be preferred before swearing;' as another faying of his imports, A good man should have that repute, as not to need an oath; it is a diminution to his credit to be put to fwear.' Bishop Gaud. of Oaths, p. 41. Lived before Chrift Gideon, Judg. viii. Hofea, Joel, and Amos. days of Jofiah, about 1280 years, being in the days of + Before Chrift 800 years, in the days of Before Chrift 620 years, in the Theognis, Theognis, ver. 660. VII. Theognis, the Greek poet, writing of a perfon fwearing, faith, Neither ought he to fwear this ⚫ or any thing: this thing, (or fwearing itself) shall not be.' What is this lefs than fwear not at all*? Valer. Max. lib. 8. cap. 18. Laert. Hermip. & Orig. contr. Celf. VIII. Pythagoras, a grave and virtuous perfon, being earnestly intreated of the Crotonian fenators for his advice in things relating to the government, did in his oration, among other excellent fentences, with more than ordinary emphafis, lay this down in the nature of a maxim, Let no man atteft God by an Oath, though ⚫ in courts of Judicature; but use to speak fuch things, • as that he may be credited without an oath †.’ H. Grot. on Mat. v. 34. IX. Clineas, a juft Greek, and follower of Pythagoras, out of love to truth, and the respect he bore to his master's doctrine, that enjoined him to fear and shun an Oath, chose to pay three talents,' which amount to about three hundred pounds, rather than take any < Oath:' whofe example Bafilius Magnus upbraided the Chriftians of his time with, that were learning to fwear +. Hierocles Comment. in Carm. Pythag. p. 28. X. Hierocles teftifies, That Pythagoras, in enjoining them to revere an Oath, not only prohibits Forfwearing, but requires them alfo to abftain from Swearing.' And Æfchylus makes a fincere Beckon to a matter, a firm Oath |. Stobaus, Serm. 114. XI. Socrates, that worthy Gentile, and great promoter of virtue among the Athenians, among many excellent fentences delivered this, That good men must Before Chrift 593 years. + Before Chrift 590 years. time of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Before Chrift 422 years, in the • let |