Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	adultery_n	commit_v	wife_n	2,548	5	8.1753	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44801	Oaths no gospel ordinance but prohibited by Christ being in answer to A. Smallwood, D.D. to his book lately published, being a sermon preached at Carlile, 1664, wherein he hath laboured to prove swearing lawful among Christians, his reasons and arguments are weighed and answered, and the Doctrines of Christ vindicated against the conceptions and interpretations of men, who would make it void / by a sufferer for Christ and his doctrine, F.H.	Howgill, Francis, 1618-1669.	1666 (1666)	Wing H3174; ESTC R16291	80,066	92

not yet he is one event to the righteous and the wicked to the good and to the clean and to the unclean to him that sacrificeth and him that sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner as he that sweareth so be that fears an oath and so as above all things swear not is to be taken not only of those oaths which were ever unlawful by heaven and earth but even of those that sometime were lawful under the Law in the type which now when the substance the oath of God is come and the Covenant of Light given to all Nations Isa. 5. 5. Luk. 1. 72 73. who ends all not only vain oaths but all oaths and is the substance of all even to the subsequent neither by any other oath is not only to be taken of such oaths neither by heaven neither by earth which were ever unlawful but even of those sometime lawful even all swearing and all oaths and the servant is not in opposition to his Master but knew the mind of his master Christ and therefore taught like Doctrine and the same but what ever Christ or James had said A. S. would make them if he could to mean as he means to set their plain express words against their mind But so much hath been said by many others who fear the Lord and an oath too and so many demonstrative and weighty things have been offered to the Consciences and publick view of all which A. S. I perceive hath seen some of them though he come not so much as near as to answer them but only asserts his own being a work it seems he was put upon by others to plead for swearing so that something he must say on that behalf and draw that way and to make all things look towards that end and to concur together to justifie them and the lawfulness of oaths under the Gospel and their work who persecutes the servants of Christ for abiding in his Doctrine who speaks the truth and dare not lie nor swear at all I say I shall be the more brief because I know many things is extant by others and of weight which hath not yet been answered nor is by A. S. though here and there a little in his Annotations he carps sometime upon small ground although he hath asserted nothing but that which hath been answered over and over again But I draw on to his last refuge and plea his answer to both the Texts Conjunction That these Propositions says A. S. how universally soever exprest ought not in equity to be extended beyond the intention of the Apostles but be limited according to the subject matter swear not at all says Christ neither by heaven nor by earth c. that is I universally forbid you all those oaths which you were wont to use frequently to wicked purposes and further he says all vain and false oaths by God even by the acknowledgement of the Pharisees were sufficiently forbidden before so there was no need either for Christ or James to speak of them again other places of Scripture must of necessity be thus interpreted 1 Cor. 10. 23. Matthew 15. Luke 2. 1. Mat. 12. Luke 8. 47. how universally soever exposed must be restrained according to the mind of the speaker and so must these words swear not at all Reply It 's freely granted that these two Texts ought not to be extended beyond the intention of the speakers but be limited according to the subject matter as for general terms and universal prohibitions admitting of exception they do so we grant now and then they do and of restrictions but when they do these exceptions and restrictions are usually in one place or other of the same Testament where they are made or at least most manifestly amplified by him that gave out these general prohibitions so are most of these generals and restrictions that A. S. hath instanced 1 Cor. 10. 23. all things are lawful for me to eat that which was sold at the shambles was lawful but that which was sacrificed to Idols v. 12. there he mentions the restriction himself and so Luke 1. 3. It seemed good to me also having perfect understanding of all things from the very first the subject matter whereof he writes the things are exprest and the exceptions in the 2. Chapter and in Mat. 12. 31. All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto Men but the blasphemy against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiven there in the same Verse Christ makes the exception and restriction and Exodus 20. 10. Thou shalt do no manner of work it s abundantly expressed else where in the Law where the Priests service on every Sabbath are appointed them and the exception of dressing what every one was to eat and was expressed and the exception of doing good and of works of mercy in saving the life of Man or beast was to take place ever against the Typical Sabbath I will have mercy and not sacrifice and that of Luke 8. 47. and the Woman that was healed by touching the border of Christs garment she declared unto him before all the people what saith A. S. before all the people of the World or before all the people of the Land no there is none so ignorant as to understand it for Mark. 5. 21. manifest the exception before all the people only that were with him nigh unto the Sea when he returned from the Country of the Gadarens or before all the people of his own City that came out to meet him Mat. 9. 3. Mat. 8. 34. many more I might add to what A. S. hath instanced that Christ uttered many truths in general terms which must admit of exception Luk. 13. 10. all the sinners Christ spoke to about him in the general terms ye shall perish but this was not without exception of such as should repent but that exception was not without expression viz. except ye repent again he said unto his hearers ye cannot enter the Kingdom of God that was not without exceptions nor these exceptions without expressions viz. except ye be converted yea in the verses immediately before this universal prohibition swear not at all Mat. 5. 30 31. Christ says 't was said of old if any put away his wife let him give her a bill of divorce but I say whosoever shall put away his wife causeth her to commit adultery But this admits of an exception and that exception is thus exprest viz. saving for the cause of Fornication but though all this be granted even these and many more universal terms admits of exceptions and restriction yet we cannot grant that these two texts admits of any such exceptions of restrictions as A. S. would interpret them My reason is this because in this general term and universal prohibition swear not at all it cannot in equity be taken and limited in that sense which A. S. puts upon it not with that restriction for that sense would make it short of

it had been no more president for Christians then eating the Passeover and though he sometimes urge that such oaths as were commanded under the Law are not forbidden by that text Mat. 5. 38. because it was spoken sometime before his death and the Ministration of the first Covenant was not ended till his death and therefore he concludes that all oaths would not be forbidden by Christ in this text for saith he Christ did not forbid what the Law commanded but though this prohibition was given out before his death yet with reference to the Gospel times after his death It is evident by the texts before it and behind it viz. of divorce and of deportment towards injurious ones and enemies so in this of oaths Christ prohibites and condemnes not only those gross abuses of those things that they had a dispensation for under the Law and that by divine indulgency which abuses crept in by the Pharisaical false glosses too much loosing the meaning of Gods Law by Moses by their depraved examples or popular customes but Christ condemned and prohibited those very things which in regard of the hardness of their hearts distrust and wicked cruelties God himself in that very Letter of the Law indulged them in and gave them both a dispensation and a precept for in the Law for the Law said of old time before the false gloss of the Scribes and Pharisees came in some things so as it was not said from the beginning when Man was in innocency and was mercyful as his Heavenly Father was mercyful and the Law said Deut. 24. 12. whosoever shall put away his wife let him give her a bill of divorcement and then she may go and be another mans wife but I say who so putting away his wife causeth her to commit adultery and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery Mat. 5. 32. So that not only the corrupt glosses and irregular practices of the misinformed Jewes is forbidden but even that which the Law not only permitted and allowed and dispensed with but commanded is forbidden and another thing injoyned and in cause of injury as he hath done so shall it be done unto him ye have heard it hath been said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth this was the Law Exo. 21. 44. Levit. 24. 20. Dent. 19. 20. and this was commanded But Christ saith I say unto you that ye resist not evil whosoever shall smite thee on the one cheek turn the other also and if a man sue thee at law and take away thy coat let him have thy cloak also and whosoever shall compell thee to go a mile go with him twain Mat. 5. 39 40 41. So here is not only a further thing but even another thing commanded by Christ. Further the Law said Exod. 20. 14. thou shalt not commit adultery but Christ the wisdom of God saith Mat. 5. 28. whosoever looketh upon a Woman and lusteth after her hath committed adultery with her in his heart again yee have heard that it hath been said that thou love thy neighbour and hate thy enemy though A. S. say that is not found in the Law but a corrupt gloss of the Pharisees I say that is found which amounts to as much as hath been shewed for the Jewes that was of the Law might and did spoyle their enemies the Gentiles and Canaanites Egiptians and Amalekites and had a command so to doe kill them root them out and yet to help his enemies Oxe or Asse under a burthen if he were belonging to a Jew that personally hated him and not an Amalekite one of the cursed race but this is a ridle to many But I say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you Mat. 5. 44. and the Apostle exhorted give no offence to Jew or Greek so that his Doctrine went beyond the Law put up pass by forgive forbeat again you have heard it hath been said of old time where Exod. 20. 7. Deut. 5. 11. Numb 30. 2. Mat. 5. 33. thou shalt not forswear thy self but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oathes but I say unto you Swear not at all neither by Heaven for it is Gods Throne nor by the Earth for it is his Foot-stoole neither by Jerusalem for it is the City of the great King neither shalt thou swear by thy head because thou cannot make one hair white or black but let your communication be yea yea and nay nay for whatsoever is more then these cometh of evil It s most evident that Christ prohibits somewhat more here then was forbiden under the Law yea what ever Oathes were lawful under the Law therefore it must be all swearing at all or else none at all either all such swearing as was used lawfully and allowed as a Type for a time in the Law Oathes made lawfully and acceptably to God or else nothing more at all then what was forbiden in the Law for all false swearing and forswearing and all swearing by Creatures or breaking of solemn Oathes made as unto God was forbiden in and by the Law therefore swearing it self is forbiden or nothing but saith A. S. the grand objection falls of it self which is either all kind of swearing is forbiden or else Christ forbids nothing which was not forbiden before which is utterly improbable saith he and he grants that God had formerly prohibited all false and vain Oaths and all swearing by Creatures saith he which I grant to be true then how is the grand objection fallen for is not Heaven Earth Jerusalem the head Creatures and this is the most that A. S. and divers others affirms that it is only Oaths by Creatures such as before mentioned that Christ only prohibits and vain Oaths and swearing by Creatures A. S. sayes Christ reckons among sinful Oaths then if so as they are indeed had not the Law forbiden this before in general tearms wherein all Creatures are included therefore the reason stands still in force and the objection that either Christ forbad all swearing or else he forbids nothing but what the Law had forbiden before It s manifest it stands still in force for Christ forbad even those Oathes the Law required and all vain swearing and swearing by Creatures and all swearing whatsoever Mat. 5. Ye have heard it hath been said by them of old time not of late by the Scribes and Pharisees only puting their false glosses on the Law as A S intimates Pareus and others in his Annotations and hence conjectures that by them of old time is only meant the Scribes and Pharisees and not Moses and the Law and of old time must be meant a good while ago or not very long as Commentators understand it less then twenty years and thus he twists and twines to make the true sense of Christs words void its evident by them of old time is Moses time