he teacheth us, that "he that fwears by the Temple, "fwears by it, and by him that dwells therein; and " he that fhall fwear by Heaven, swears by the throne " of God, and by him that fits thereon:" So that he that fwears by the Head, fwears by him that made it; and he that fwears by the Earth, fwears by him that created it; which leaves no room for the objection: For it is as if Chrift fhould have faid, "I not only "command you not to forfwear, but to perform; as "it was faid to them of old time; but I charge you, "Not to fwear at all. I mean, not only that you should not swear by God, and those oaths that the Pharifees account binding; but also that you should not fo much as fwear by those leffer oaths, as they esteem "them, and which they are wont to fwear by; for they "are not lefs, nor more allowable, in that they that "fwear by them, fwear by him that is the Author and "Maker of them: Wherefore, being of the fame "nature with the other, I forbid you to fwear by them, "as well as by thofe oaths that were of old time made, "and ought not to be broken, but performed unto "the Lord; for this is one of my great commandments, "which they must keep that will be my difciples, that "is to fay, Swear not at all." Our third inducement to believe this to have been the intention of our Lord Jefus Chrift, is the concurrent. testimony of the apoftle James, which is not only a repetition of his Mafter's doctrine, but an addition and illuftration, we hope fufficient to determine the present question with every unprejudiced reader; "But above The all things, my brethren," faith he, "fwear not;" which runs parallel with " Swear not at all." negative is as general and forcible. He proceeds, "Neither by Heaven, neither by the Earth:" Words of equal import with the latter part of Chrift's prohibition and, as if he had foreseen the cavils of our fwearing adversaries, he adds, "Neither by any other "oath;" which though as clear as the fun, if yet, for their last shift, they fhould tell us that he only meant any other oath of that kind, not that he prohibited fwearing A a 4 fwearing by the Name of the Lord, it will not do their bufinefs; for that Chrift hath already affured us, "Who"foever swears by Heaven, fwears by Him that fits "thereon ;" and the very next words fhew, that it was not his defign only to prohibit vain, but plainly to exclude all fwearing, "But let your Yea be Yea; and your Nay, Nay, left ye fall into condemnation;" elfe why had he not faid, But you may swear by the Name of God before magiftrates? Why muft " Neither by any other oath," be added after fuch plain prohibition, as, "My brethren, above all things fwear not?" And why muft rea and Nay be fubftituted in the room of an Oath, if it was yet intended by the apostle that Christians might rife higher in their evidence than a bare Affirming or Denying? That is, though their Yea be never fo truly Yea, and their Nay never fo fincerely Nay, or the very Truth of the Matter be spoken, which is the import of the words; yet that they ought to swear. What is this but to contradi&t the natural tendency of the command of Chrift and his apoftles? Which is plainly this; If your Yea be Yea, it is enough; if your Nay be Nay, it is fufficient; for Chriftians ought not to fwear; if they do, they fall into condemnation,' in that they break their mafter's command, who hath told them, that "Whatfoever is more than Yea and "Nay, cometh of Evil," which is the ground of all oaths; for they ought to mean fo fimply and honestly in what they fay, as that they should never need to fwear, in order to tell the truth. Our Fourth and laft confideration, and that which to us feemeth of great moment to clear up our Lord and Saviour's fenfe, and rescue the paffage from the violence of objectors, is this claufe, "For whatsoever is more "than Yea, Yea, and Nay, Nay, cometh of Evil.” This cannot be intended of more words than Yea, Yea, and Nay, Nay, provided they are not of an higher ftrain, but of the fame degree of speech, importing a plain affertion or denial of a thing; for it is not the Number, but the Nature of the words fpoken, that is here prohibited: Nor can it be only understood of perjury; perjury; for every body knows that to be Evil in itself, which is more than that which cometh of, or because of, Evil: therefore it must be understood as well of Swearing, as of Forfwearing, which is not Evil itself, yet cometh of, or by reafon of, Evil in the world. Nor is there any thing more than Yea and Nay befides Perjury, which can be intended, but an Oath; and therefore that was intended. Chrift doth not only prohibit evil itself, but that which is evil by fuperfluity to evangelical fincerity, and that Swearing is (be it of what fort it will) where-ever Yea is Yea, and Nay is Nay. In short, if what is more than Yea and Nay cometh of Evil, then, becaufe any Swearing, as well as Forfwearing, is more than Yea and Nay, it follows, that any Swearing cometh of Evil, and therefore ought to be rejected of Chriftians. Nor will our English translation of Ay fhelter our objectors; for Communication doth not exclude those many cafes that require evidences among men, no, nor any the least actions of man's life; on the contrary, they have a great place in human Communication, which is comprehenfive of the various discourses and tranfactions of a man's life, as 2 Kings ix. 11. 2 Sam. iii. 17. Eph. iv. 29. Col. iii. 8. 1 Cor. xv. 33. It is a word of the fame extent with Converfation, which takes in all that can happen between man and man in this world. Thus the Pfalmift, "To him that ordereth "his converfation aright," Pfalm 1. 23. So the apostle, "Let your Converfation be as becomes the Gospel.' Phil. i. 27. Besides, Ay may be rendered Word, as in John i. 1. and the Italian and French translations have it, "Let your Word be Yea, Yea;.Nay, Nay;" as much as if Chrift had faid, As I do not only condemn the Act of Adultery, which the Law did, but alfo the Conception of the Mind, and not only 'Murder, but Revenge likewife; fo I do not only 'condemn Forfwearing, which is done to my hand in 'the Law of God, but prohibit Swearing at all; for I 'make that to be Unlawful, which the Law doth not call Unlawful: therefore when your evidence is called • for, for, Swear not at all, but let your word be rea, Yea, 'a nd Nay, Nay; that is, Do not speak Untruth; for that is Evil: Do not Swear; for that comes of Evil.' To conclude; people fwear, to the end they may speak Truth; Chrift would have men fpeak Truth, to the end they might not fwear; he would not have his followers upon fuch base referves, but their Word to carry the weight of an Oath in it; that as others ought not to be guilty of Perjury, Chriftians ought not to be guilty of Lying: for fuch is the advance from Moses to Chrift, Jew to Christian, that as the Christian needs not the Jew's curb, fo his Lie is greater than the Jew's Perjury, because his Yea or Nay ought to be of more value than the other's Oath. X. And lastly; befides thefe prohibitions, fwearing is forbidden by the very nature of Chriftianity, and unworthy of him that is the author of it; who came not to implant fo imperfect a religion, as that which needed oaths, or fhould leave fraud, the ground of fwearing, unextirpated; but to promulgate that Gospel which retrieves ancient fincerity, builds up wafte places, reftores those breaches oaths entered at, and leads into the ancient holy paths of integrity they never trod in. He is that powerful Lord, who cureth the diseases of them that come unto him, and the Myftical Serpent exalted, that relieves all that believingly look up to him his office is to make an end of Sin, that made way for Swearing, and introduce that everlasting righteoufnefs which never needs it; the religion he taught, is no less than Regeneration and Perfection, fuch veracity as hath not the leaft wavering; fincerity throughout, that it might not only exceed the righteousness of the Swearing Jews, but that law which permitted it till the times of Reftitution, which he brought to the degenerated world, who faid, "Swear not at all:" For the Law, that permitted Oaths, was given by Mofes; but Grace and Truth, that ends them, came by Jefus • Chrift, who therefore prohibits them.' And not only is this Gospel of Chrift, or the Holy Religion he taught, of fo pure and excellent a nature, but those who who will be his difciples, are obliged to obey it; infomuch that he himself hath faid, "If "If ye love me, keep my Commandments; and if ye keep my Com"mandments, ye fhall abide in my Love." Again, "Ye are my Friends, if ye do whatfoever I command you: If any man will come after me, let him deny " himself, and take up his Cross, and follow me: for "I fay unto you, that except your righteousness shall "exceed the righteoufnefs of the Scribes and Pharifees, "ye fhall in no cafe enter the kingdom of heaven: "be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which " is in Heaven is perfect." Thefe are the weighty fayings of our bleffed Lord and Saviour Jefus Christ; and certainly, he who breaks not the leaft commandment, who can fuffer rather than revenge, love enemies, and be perfect as his heavenly Father is perfect, is above the obligation of an Oath unto truth-fpeaking. His difciples preached not another Gospel than their Mafter's, who prayed, "that those who believed, "might be fanctified throughout, in body, foul, and "fpirit," which is a perfect removal of the ground of fwearing: And they were exhorted to "prefs after the "mark of the prize of this high and holy calling, until "they should all come unto a Perfect Man, unto the mea"fure of the ftature of the fulness of Chrift Jefus: for " even hereunto," faith Peter, "were we called; be cause Chrift alfo fuffered for us, leaving us an ex"ample," that ye fhould follow his fteps, "who "did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth." And faith John, "As he is, fo are we in this world 3." If no Guile be found in our mouths, then no Oaths; for they came becaufe of guile: and if we ought to refemble him in this world, then must our communication be Yea, Yea, and Nay, Nay; that is, we must live the Life of Truth, and fpeak the Words of Truth, which ought to be of greater force than Oaths, that come of ↑ John xiv. 15. 48. Mat. v. 19. j Pet. ii. 21, 22. and xv. 10, 14. Mat. xvi. 24. Mat. v. 20, Eph. iv. 13. |