my self have I sworn saith the Lord for because thou hast done this thing c. Psalm 89. 35. Once have I sworn by my Holiness that I will not lie unto David are as if he had said As I am and as I am holy And for these or what other forms of Oaths we find in Scripture whether in more or fewer words they all do invocate God both as Witness and as Judge both to attest and revenge it if we perjure for the Swearers conscience does tell him that if God be called in to witness a lie he will both detect and revenge it All this is in the sense of every Oath So that that form in the close of our publick Oaths So help me God c. hath neither any thing new in it nor any more than is included in the sense of every Oath for execration is implyed and understood wheresoever it is not express'd even in those Elliptical forms of swearing us'd by God himself whether express'd by a bare attestation Ezech. 14. 16. Gen. 22. 16. Psalm 89. 35. or by a bare execration only as Psalm 95. ult according to that of the Learned Casuist Bishop Sanderson de juramento p. 15. Omne juramentum quocunque modo prolatum c. that is Every Oath in what manner soever it is utter'd either expresly or implicitely invocates God both as Witness and as Judge and even a bare attestation Subinfert execrationem as he saith infers an execration as its necessary consequent According to that of Plutarch Every Oath ends in a curse upon Perjury So that those mentioned forms used by St. Paul were as positive Oaths as any other you find in the Bible or any of those that are impos'd upon you by the Laws of the Land Par. I little thought that Oaths under the Gospel could have been so clearly made out Min. I shall confirm you yet by a further instance and it is that of the Angels swearing Rev. 10. 5 6. and we need not fear to imitate any thing that is done in Heaven where nothing but the will of God nothing evil and unholy can be done Our Lord has taught us to pray Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven that is as it is by the Angels whom he has propos'd to us as patterns for our imitation so that an Oath taken in due order can neither be evil in it self nor inconsistent with the heavenly conversation Par. But may not the Angels and we act under different dispensations so that that may be lawful and commanded them which to us may be forbidden Min. That the Angels and we are joyned in the same fraternity and tye of obedience even to the same Scripture is evident from the Angels confession Rev. 2 2. 9. who calls himself our Fellow-servant and of our Brethren the Prophets and of them which keep the sayings of this Book Par. But perhaps by that Book whose sayings he kept he meant no other than the Book of the Revelations Min. Suppose it were so yet that Book was indited by the same spirit that all the rest were so that whatsoever is allow'd in it cannot be contradicted or forbidden in any other Scripture All which serves to make that example of the Angel sufficiently valid to prove swearing lawful under the Gospel Par. But where do you read that St. Paul layed his hand on the Bible and kissed it when he swore as you do I thought you had held these necessary parts of a publick Oath Min. The laying on of the hand and kissing the Book we hold to be no essential parts of an Oath but only decent and comly ceremonies enjoyned by the wisdome of our Governours to make the act more solemn and to excite the Juror to a greater reverence and dread of the Majesty of God and his threatnings denounced in that Book Par. I have now nothing left to object but the forementioned Texts Matth. 5. 34. James 5. 12. whereof if you can give me as clear an account as you have done of my other doubts I shall hereafter be of your udgment and withal thankfulness acknowledge it an happy hour when I met with you but these Texts look so opposite to your design that I cannot as yet acquit my self of all fears of being Antichristian in thinking swearing lawful Min. By the same way of reasoning that the Quakers charge us with Antichristianism by vertue of those Texts I can prove them Antichristian Par. Shew wherein Min. You know that we are commanded by the Apostle to speak evil of no man Tit. 2. 3. The Quakers transgress this command by speaking evil of the Clergy therefore they do fall under the charge of Antichristianism Par. You are to consider in what sense the Apostle forbids us to speak evil of no man You are not to imagine his design in that Text is absolutely to restrain us from giving true characters of evil and unworthy men upon a just occasion then he himself had been faulty in speaking evil of Hymenaeus and Alexander the Copper-smith Besides how should we reprove or how should justice upon the most notorious offenders be administred if their faults may not be spoken of Therefore the words cannot bear a general interpretation but must be taken with a limitation for otherwise a monstrous train of absurdities must attend such an exposition But I do conceive that the words do relate to that horrid custome of reflecting upon the good names and reputations of men in their ordinary converse whereby we may deprive our Neighbour of that which is as dear to him as his life or livelyhood So that 't is speaking evil detractingly untruly or maliciously or without just occasion in our communication which is the thing there prohibited by the Apostle Min. I must confess you have given the true meaning of the Apostles words And I hope you will not abridge me of the liberty which you take your self in freeing the Texts under debate from a wrong construction of them Whereas you say I ought to consider in what sense the Apostle bids us speak evil of no man so let me tell you that you ought to consider too in what sense our Lord saith Swear not at all You are not to suppose that 't is our Lord's design to forbid all manner of Oaths upon what occasion and solemnity soever they may be tendred then as hath already been shewn St. Paul had not only been faulty in making so honourable a mention of an Oath Hebr. 6. 16. but much more faulty in taking an Oath himself and then both he and the Angel Rev. 10. had fall'n under the charge of Antichristianism Therefore according to your phrase the words cannot bear a general interpretation but must be taken with a limitation there being a peculiar and proper sense to which that prohibition is to be restrained Par. I 'm very willing to be informed therefore I beseech you explain these words Swear not at all together with those in James
endeavour to bring their silly and unstable Auditors into a contempt of Holy Scriptures and to justifie their pretences to New Lights and Revelations To proceed then whence learn they that the Word of God is quick and lively Par. Out of the Bible Heb. 4. 12. Min. What out of that Bible which they call a dead Letter Judge then whether these men are acted by the rules of sobriety and reason that call that Book a dead and sensless Letter from whence they fetch their reasons And where is the Religion of these men that take a sentence out of the Word of God to make it prove it self dead and stupid If those places quoted by them contain sense and reason why do they brand that Book with such contemptible characters by calling it dead and sensless But if those places do truly contain no reason in them why are the Quakers so sensless themselves to produce reasons from them Though the Leaves and Letters have no natural life in them is therefore the sense of the Scriptures dead And hath it no rational importance in it And are not the Quakers a company of fine Cheats to take a Bible as some in my presence have done and cry Look at this is this quick and lively as if the life natural and bodily sense were meant by that Scripture which they so wretchedly abuse and prophane Suppose the King puts forth a Proclamation wherein he declares his Royal will and pleasure do you think it fit for every man that heareth it not first proclaimed to slight it and to say it 's a dead Letter Is not this a way to evacuate to the Vulgar all Commands and all Laws that are not given to every one by audible voice Yea and to render every thing insignificant that does not walk and speak Is not this the very immediate way utterly to make void the written Word and Laws of God and to send us streight either to Enthusiasms Dreams and Phantasms or else to oral Traditions c Is there not something of a Fanatical Jesuit here no doubt but these are fine wayes to decoy an illeterate multitude as being very agreeable to them who envy Learning because it is out of their reach and who are more desirous to be led by fancy than by Laws and therefore willing enough to have all Laws of God and Man call'd dead Letters to introduce their own fancies and pretended inspirations But I pray you consider is there no use of Books and Writings If you make void the Holy Scriptures because they are written you do by the same argument make void all Histories Records and all Quakers books also yea by this means you make void your father's Will and all the Deeds by force whereof your self or any man holds his Land and may as reasonably call them dead Letters as you do the Bible But if you think your written Deeds are valid or that your written Bonds do stand in full force and vertue according to the form they run in to empower you to recover your Debts why should not the written Word of God have as much force and be as powerful to the ends for which the Wisdom of God hath design'd it as any Writings you have about you are to establish your temporal Rights or to recover your dues If these have truth force and vertue in them why should you deny that the Holy Scriptures by those heavenly truths those divine promises and threatnings written in them have power and vertue by the grace of God to awaken and quicken the reader or hearer to New life and obedience which is the meaning of its being termed quick and lively Let me further argue with you Do we not understand one anothers minds by Epistles as well as Discourses by words that are written as well as words that are spoken may you not read sense as well as hear it And I appeal to your own conscience whether you may not read as good sense in the visible Letters of the Bible as you can hear either out of the mouth of a Quaker or a Jesuit And I cannot but wonder that you whose judgment I have formerly had a better esteem of should now be transported so far besides your reason and senses Will you call the Ten Commandements written by the finger of God on two Tables of Stone useless and insignificant characters because they were on Stone Can your eyes and reason read no sense in them and whilest you have read the commands and threatnings of God hath your Conscience been so dead as not to find any life and power in them And though you undervalue the Leaves and Letters yet dare you say that you had no reverence for the Word of God when you have heard it from the mouth of your Minister preached with a lively and audible voice Par. I thank you for the pains you have taken with me for now I perceive my mistake and must consess that in this point I have been led into an error for I should be very unreasonable if I should speak any more in behalf of those absurdities which I now see are lodged in it I shall only desire some further reasons from you why Revelations are not still to be expected by us Min. I shall think no pains too much provided you will henceforth use your Reason better than hitherto you have done in the attention you have given to the Quakers and that you will now learn to suspect the teachings of those men whom you begin to see and discover and hereafter have a greater value of the Holy Scriptures that more sure word of Prophecy we being sufficiently assured let the Quakers say what they please that God's Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths But for any new Revelations we need them not the Apostle having declar'd unto us that the Scriptures are able to make us wise unto Salvation thorow faith which is in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 3. 15. To look then for more Revelations or a repetition of the former would be equally an act of impudence and infidelity Par. Why of impudence and infidelity Min. Would it not be an act of infidelity not to believe God when he plainly tells us that the Scriptures themselves are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith c. and to furnish us thorowly to all good works And is it not an act of impudence when God has plainly told us that we have sufficient not to be contented with them but to expect and call for more Par. I confess I begin to have no esteem for these pretenders to new Revelations so far as they are concern'd in that point yet I can hardly be reconcil'd to Learning because it is not to be acquired without study and industry whereas surely it is against that express command and promise given to the Disciples in Mark 13. 11. Take no thought before hand what ye shall speak neither do you premeditate but
occasion and by that means of the true scope of them how much more difficult must they needs be to us at this distance especially to such as are wholly strangers to all those things aforemention'd that are so necessary to the making any dark Scriptures intelligible Par. This I cannot deny but then I would gladly know how to reconcile this with such passages in the Bible which contrary wise call the Gospel a Light and bid us walk in the Light Min. You are greatly mistaken in supposing that I affirm all the Scriptures hâ—…rd to be understood I only say as St. Peter sayes that some passages are so for so run the words in which are some things hard c. Par. Are then the necessary points of Religion in them hard to be understood Min. No they are not for whatsoever is necessary to salvation either to be believed or to be done are in some place or other in holy Scripture fitted to the most vulgar capacity and shallowest understanding as for example the history of Christs birth death resurrection and ascension is as necessary to be believed so plain to be understood though yet it hath been perverted by the mis-interpretation of the Quakers and some Hereticks and from plain History turn'd into meer Allegory Then the duties of the first and second Table of the Law and the Love of God and our Neighbour all the Evangelical Precepts and the Essentials of Religion are in the Gospel made such easie Doctrines that he that runs may read them being fitted to the capacity of the most unlearned And this reminds us of our duty of thankfulness to our great Law-giver in that he hath made those Doctrines most plain which are most necessary to be believed and those things least necessary which are most difficult As for example it is not necessary to salvation to be knowing in all the Circumstances of the Levitical Rites nor in all the Genealogies of the Scripture nor in all the Apocalyptical Prophesies and therefore the obscurity of them need not dismay us Par. Certainly God would never have sent his Messengers to deliver those things to the world which he did not indispensibly require every one to understand Min. I hope to convince you of this mistake and to assist your apprehension by this plain comparison Suppose a King makes a great Feast for his Subjects he prepares meats for all constitutions and different dishes for different stomachs that among all this variety every person should feed upon that which is most agreeable to his constitution just such preparations hath God made for the Church in holy Scriptures where are Vyands for all pallats For the strong there is strong meat and mysteries to exercise the greatest Wits and the most improved Understandings Heb. 5. 14. And as for those whose understanding is either clouded by an unhappy constitution or was never well open'd and improv'd by education to such there is not wanting what is necessary even milk for babes many passages especially those of the greatest concern being written in such a plain and familiar style that the weakest and most illiterate of which number a greatest part of the members of the Church are shall never be able to excuse the neglect of them the Omniscient Author of the Scriptures herein graciously condescending to the shallowest capacities to let them see that they were not forgotten nor overlook't by him who says All Souls are his Ezek. 18. 4. The Scriptures being ordinarily compared to such a River wherein the Elephant may swim and the Lamb may wade But when illiterate people who commonly see no further than the outward appearance of things will venture to be guides and will be rashly passing judgment upon that which is above their understandings according to that character given of such men 1 Tim. 1. 7. Desiring to be teachers of the Law understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm and do leave the plain easie paths and confidently falling upon points too high for them no wonder if such wrest and pervert the Scriptures Par. I remember that was the second particular that the Scriptures have been wrested How do you make that good Min. This is matter of fact and known to all that are acquainted either with men or Books for we all too sadly know that there is not that opinion in Religion be it never so wild and absurd but challengeth authority from the Scriptures Though truth be the same yet every sect lays claim to it and though the Scripture be the fountain of truth yet is it by some rendred the very sink of errours Go to all the wild Sects yea Heresies in the world those of the Arrians Socinians Antinomians Ranters as well as this of the Quakers all these will with equal confidence challenge an authority from the Word of God The fault here is not in the Scriptures but in them that do abuse and wrest them to their own conceptions to make them speak their own sense as for instance Suppose a man that is troubled with a Vertigo in his head should tell you that he is confident the earth turns round 't is not the earth but a disturbed brain that is the cause of this mis-apprehension So every Fanatick will tell you that he 's confident he has the Scripture on his side in the behalf of his opinion where is now the fault in the Scripture or in the whim in his pate The Scriptures are in no fault for any irregularities in the conceptions of such men The fault is in their byass'd affections and their want of steady principles and defect both of wit and grace but the true sense of Scripture words continues one and the same though mens erroneous conceptions and interpretations of them should still abound and vary to the worlds end Par. But how then happens this strange variety in the interpretation of Scripture Min. By taking the words thereof to put what construction they please upon them while they mistake their true scope and meaning for it is not the Letter but the Sense that is the Word of God And 't is not only Quakers and other Separatists that have the words of Seripture but the Devil also as you will find Matth. 4. 6. when he tempted our Saviour He replyes there with a Text of Scripture But the Devil and these wanting the sense and design take the shell and leave the kernel It was St. Augustines saying That Hereticks and Schismaticks steal the words of Christ intimating that they may use his Name his Word and his Ordinances but then 't is only as Thieves and Robbers use their stoln goods to which they have no right nor property Par. Give me now leave to remind you of your third particular viz. the causes there exprest why the Scriptures are thus wrested Min. I am ready to gratifie your desires and begin with the first cause namely the want of learning which is derided by Hubberthorn and censur'd by those