ship, and in the duties of neceffity and mercy p.

CHAP. XXII. Of lawful Oatbs and Vows.

Lawful oath is a part of religious worship a, wherein

eth God to witness what he asserteth or promiseth; and to judge him according to the truth of what he sweareth b.

II. The name of God only is that by which men ought to swear, and therein it is to be used with a holy fear and reverence c: therefore, to swear vainly or rashly by that glorious and dreadful name, or to swear at all by any other thing, is sinful, and to be abhorred d. Yet as, in matters of weight and moment, an oath is warranted by the word of God, under the New Testament, as well as under the Old e; so a lawful oath being

me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.

p Ifa. lviii. 13. (See in letter 0.). Mat. xii. 12. to the 13. verse.

I. a Deut. x. 20. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God: him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.

b Exod. xx. 7. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Lev. xix. 12. And ye shall not swear by my name falfly, neither shalt thou prophane the name of thy God: I am the Lord, 2 Cor. i. 23. Moreover, I call God for a re. cord upon my foul, that to spare you, I came not as yet unto Corinth. 2 Chron. vi. 22. If a man fin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him, to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house; v. 24. Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompenfing his way upon

his own head, and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.

II. c Deut. vi. 13. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

d Exod, xx. 7. (See letter b) Jer. v. 7. How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I fed them to the full, then they committed adultery, and affembled themselves by troops in the harlots houses. Mat. v. 34. But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne. v. 37. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these, cometh of evil. Jam. v. 12. But above all things, my Brethren, swear not neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your Yea, be yea, and your Nay, nay; left ye fall into condemnation.

c Heb. vi. 16. For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath

for

being imposed by lawful authority, in such matters, ought to be taken f.

III. Whosoever taketh an oath, ought duly to confider the weightiness of so solemn an act, and therein to avouch nothing but what he is fully perfuaded is the truth g. Neither may any man bind himself by oath to any thing but what is good and just, and what he believeth so to be, and what he is able and resolved to perform b. Yet it is a fin to refuse an oath touching any thing that is good and just, being impofed by lawful authority i.

IV. An oath is to be taken in the plain and common sense of the words, without equivocation or mental refervation k. It cannot oblige to fin; but in any thing not finful, being taken, it binds to performance, although to a man's own hure / Nor is it to be violated, although made to heretics or infidels m.

The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among the people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to fwell. Neh. v. 12. Then faid they, we will restore them, and will require nothing of them, so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. Exod. xxii. 7. If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and if it be stolen out of the man's house: if the thief be found, let him pay double. v. 8. If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to fee whether he hath put his hand unto his neighbour's goods. v. 9. For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of loft thing, which another challengeth to be his: the cause of both parties shall come before the judges: and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour. v. 10. If a man deliver unto his neighbour an afs, or an ox, or a theep, or any beast to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man feeing ir, v, 11. Then shall the oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods: and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.

IV. k Jer. iv. 2. (See letter g.) Píal. xxiv. 4. He that bath clean hands, and a pure heart, who hath not lift up his foul unto vanity, nor fworn deceitfully.

VA

/ 1 Sam. xxv. 22. So and more alfo do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him, by the morning light, any that pisseth aginst the wall. v.32. And David faid unto Abigail, Blefsed be the Lord God of Ifrael, who sent thee this day to meet me: v. 33. And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou that haft kept me this day from coming to thed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. v. 34. For in very deed, as the Lord God of Ifrael liveth, who hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou had hastned and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal, by the morning light, any that pisseth against the wall. Pfal. xv. 4. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord: He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

m Ezek. xvii. 16 As I live, faith the Lord God, surely in this place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he braks, even with him, in the midst of Babylon he shall die. v. 18. Seeing he despised the oath, by breaking of the covenant, (when lo he had given his hand) and hath done all thefe things, he shall not escape. v. 19. Therefore thus faith the Lord God, As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head. Josm. ix. 18. And the children of Hack

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V. A yow is of the like nature with a promissary oath, and ought to be made with the like religious care, and to be performed with the like faithfulness n.

VI. It is not to be made to any creature, but to God alone o: and that it may be accepted, it is to be made voluntarily, out of ▲faith, and confcience of duty, in way of thankfulness for mercy received, or for the obtaining of what we want; whereby we more strictly bind ourselves to necessary duties, or to other 1. things, fo far and so long as they may fitly conduce thereunto p.

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Imote them not, because the princes of the congregation had fworn unto them by the Lord God of Ifrael: and all the congregation murmured a. gainst the princes. v. 19. But all the princes faid unto all the congrega. tion, We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Ifrael: now therefore we may not touch them. With 2 Sam. xxi. 1. Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the Lord. And the Lord anfwered, It is for Saul and his bloody house, because he flew the

Gibeonites.

V. n Isa, xix. 21. And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall do facrifice and oblation, yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and perform it. Eccl. v. 4. When thou vowest a vow unto God. defer not to pay it: for he hath no pleasure in fools, pay that which thou halt vowed. v. 5. Better it is that thou shouldst not vow, than that thou shouldit vow and not pay. v. 6. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy fleth to fin, neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error; wherefore should cod be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? Pfal. Ixi. 8. So will I fing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.

VII. No

Pfal. Ixvi. 13. I will go into thy house with burnt-offerings: I will pay thee my vows, v. 14. Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken when I was in trouble.

VI. Pfal. Ixxvi. 11. Vowand pay unto the Lord your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared. Jer. xliv, 25. Thus faith the Lord of hosts, the God of Ifrael, faying, Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hands, saying, We will furely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incenfe to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drinkofferings unto her: ye will furely accomplish your vows, and furely perform your vows. v. 26. Therefore, hear ye the word of the Lord, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt, Behold, I have sworn by my great name, faith the Lord, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah, in alt the land of Egypt, faying, The Lord God liveth.

p Deut. xxiii. 21. When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not flack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will furely require it of thee; and it would be fin in thee. v. 22. But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no fin in thee. V. 23. That which is gone

out

VII. No man may vow to do any thing forbidden in the word of God, or what would hinder any duty therein commanded, or which is not in his own power, and for the performance whereof he hath no promife or ability from God q. In which refpects, popish monastical vows of perpetual single life, professed poverty, and regular obedience, are fo far, from being degrees of higher perfection, that they are superstitious and finful snares,