will not pardon thy old ones not passe by thy former transgressions Secondly compare thy great unthankfulness with thy Makers bounty and goodness this may beget in thee a detestation or loathing of thy former sins and lewdnesse whereby thou didst reject Gods commands who if thou servest Him will save thee and obeyedst the Devils suggestions who will for thy service everlastingly torment thee When thou hast attain'd to this the first and best ingredient of Repentance a Detestation of thy former impieties as Cursing Swearing Lying and the like then draw near to the Throne of Grace meekly upon thy bended knees with teares in thine eyes and sorrow in thy heart saying with blind Bartimaeus in the Gospel Mark 10.48 Jesu thou Son of David have mercy on me forgive me all my sins past whereby thy holy name has been dishonour'd thy word ill spoken of and my Neighbour injur'd When thou hast thus made thy approach to God with hearty sorrow for thy sins doubt not but that he will draw near to thee with mercy and forgiveness Jam. 4.8 doubt not of a pardon since Truth itself has made the promise Ezek. 18.27 28. Ezek. 18. When the wicked turneth away from his wickednesse c. Because he considereth and turneth away from all his wickednesse which he hath committed he shall surely live he shall not dye he meanes the death of the Soul which is an eternal separation of it from God the fountain of joy and happiness which in the Word are implyed under the name of life He shall surely live he shall not dye a sweet and gracious promise distrust not Gods performance of it if thou truly repentest Daturus est non fallet quia veritas promisit ask and thou shalt receive Aug. for he that is most true will perform what he has promised because he will not he cannot deceive nor be deceived And thus relying upon his gracious promise of hearing and granting our devout Prayers and Petitions our humble requests for his pardoning and purifying grace in the third place beg earnestly of him the assistance of the same grace which is likewise preventing and strengthning to keep thy tongue from all profanenesse cry with holy David Psal 141 3. Set a watch O Lord before my mouth and keep the door of my lips From which humble request of the Prophet we may collect this that as our lips in that they open and shut are the Souls gate through which our inward thoughts break forth apparel'd in the dresse of outward words so as a gate is for the most part shut our lips should never open but to the glory of God and our Neighbours good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naz. This by the way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is a learned Rabbies glosse on the Text. Now if you demand what kind of watch it is which David desires God to set before his lips the acute Eusebius Emissenus shall answer this Quaere Euseb Homil cont diversa vitia p. 138. and clear this doubt Si cordi statueris adhibere custodiam ori non laborâris imponere disciplinam i.e. set a watch to guard thy heart and there will be no need to fence thy mouth Illud siquidem voce depromitur quod prius in officinâ cordis formatur The heart is as it were the Master of the Mint which first sets a stamp upon thy words which are current if they bear Gods image if they carry in their sound the note or mark of Piety and goodness if otherwise i.e. if they be profane and impious they are not allowed of by God being condemned in the holy Scriptures The Tongue is the Hearts servant Mat. 12.36 37. which like that Centurion saies to the Tongue by a kind of command Speak this and it speaks it Run in the Praises of God and it runneth Swear and it sweareth Say nothing and it is silent The Tongue is but as the hammer in the Clock which strikes not of it self but keeps time and moves according to the motion of the wheels within The VI. Gen. part The method which is to be used in the Cure To cure then the unbridled motion of the Tongue begin with the Heart the which if it be as Davids was fixed upon God Psal 108.1 the tongue will cease to lash out into Cursing and Swearing but will as it followes there in the same verse sing and give praise to God for his manifold mercies and blessings which we have received By the heart as hath been explain'd is to be understood the whole Soul which is fixed and setled upon God when it seriously considers his Almighty wonder-working Power and Greatness who created out of nothing this great Universe consisting of Heaven and Earth by his powerful word and sustaines all things in being by his providence This Meditation is an act of the Intellect and may beget in us an awfull fear of his Majesty which ought to be feared The will is fixed upon God when considering and weighing his many and great benefits we devote our selves wholy to his service submitting our wills to him in all things loving him without wavering praise him without ceasing for his mercy goodness And lastly the Affections are fixed upon God when they wander not through loose desires of fading earthly vanities but are chiefly taken up and possessed with an holy delight in God and his Saints on Earth and fed with a firme hope of enjoying Gods presence of seeing Him one day face to face in his Celestial Paradise This Hope is not a barren grace but begets in a man a religious Care not to offend God and to abstain from any the least Sin to which his Nature is most prone because it may lead him into other sins and separate him from the love of God and at last procure his everlasting banishment from those joyes which he believes are unspeakable and hopes to enjoy in the glorious presence of the blessed Trinity together with the blessed Angels and company of the elect Saints to all eternity Which most happy and joyful Fellowship rather then he would lose a good Christian if he were put to his disposall would choose to suffer all the most exquisite torments that ever have been invented by the bloody wit of Tyrants nay he would rather sustain for many thousand yeares even Hells paines Let fire and wild beasts racks and strapadoes yea and all the torments of Hell seize upon me and torment me so I may win Christ it is the triumphant saying of Ignatius the martyr recorded by Eusebius This holy martyrs brest burnt with a love of God and a desire of Heavens happinesse That love caus'd him to feare nothing but Gods displeasure which followes upon our sins by means whereof he might be deprived of everlasting joyes and debarr'd from the enjoyment of Gods most glorious presence In a word the soul that hopes to attain Heaven and desires to reign there for ever with God will
before they take hold of us and so get the mastery of our Souls For as wise Princes are wont in the calm of Peace to provide against the storms of Warre so must we in the calmest state of our Souls prepare and provide Antidotes against this inward turbulency of our minds To prevent then the sudden Commotions of this unruly Passion or to allay it when it hath broken the bounds of Reason or Discretion Si passio Domini ad meâ—â—riam revocetur nihil adeo duram quod non aquo animo toleretur Greg. Consider in the first place Christs bitter Death and Passion what or how great pains and torments he hath suffered how much he hath sustained for thee Trace him in thy meditations from the Garden to Golgotha and as Pilate said once out of pity to the Jews Joh. 19.5 Behold the man so say I to thee Behold thy Saviour who was and is God and Man in one Person behold him sweating great drops of Blood in his Agony in the Garden sustaining whippings and scoffings spittings and buffetings in the face and last of all a most shameful and painfull death on the Cross for thee to redeem thee from Hell and to bring thee to Heaven into which it was impossible for thee to climb being clogg'd with the weight and burden of thy many and grievous sins whose pardon he hath purchased by the merit of his death and sufferings When thou hast seriously pondered and considered these things then even when for some distasteful word thou feelest the heat of passion begin to enflame thy blood then bespeak thy self in the words of Saint Basil in his Morals 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What doest thou O Man art thou better then thy Master Hath Christ my Lord suffered such unsufferable pains so many reproches for me and shall I who am a Worm a poor contemptible Creature shall I who am a Cage of Uncleanness a Dunghill of Impurity fret and fume for some conceived spot of disgrace or ignominy thrown upon my name Shall not I suffer this and more for him for the profession of his Truth and glory of his Name for they who profess Christ they that live godly must look to suffer persecution at least that of the Tongue Mitescat savitia mansuescat Iracundia remittaâ—t sibi omnes culpas invicem suas nec exactor sit vindicta qui petitor est veniae Aug. Shall I by seeking revenge for some injury done me snatch the Scepter out of Gods hand or which is worse deny his Providence and Soveraignty as if he did sit still or sleeping in Heaven not regarding what is done here beneath on Earth God is the Lord to whom vengeance belongeth Psal 94.1 and Vengeance is mine Deut. 32.35 I 'le repay it saith the Lord. Meditate often on this and on thy Saviours sufferings the thought whereof will teach or move thee to be gentle and kind to others Eph. 4.32 forgiving them as God for Christs sake hath forgiven thee And thus by this means having gotten the mastery of thy Passion thou wilt have the better command over thy Tongue and free it as from bitterness and clamour and evil-speaking so from blaspheming Gods Name by Cursing and Swearing In the second place that thou mayst curb this unbrided Passion of Anger a Capital sin for that it is as I have shewed the cause of many other sins and most commonly that of Swearing Consider with thy self in private how oft thou hast offended God Psal 19.12 but who can tell how oft he offendeth and how oft he hath pardoned thee This consideration of thy many infirmities this knowledge of thy filthy sins will move thee to a mean esteem of thy self and he that out of a deep apprehension of his sins and a sight or sense of his infirmities has learn'd to contemn himself that man will not be easily provoked by a small injury and contempt from others Thirdly when thou art moved to Anger labour to suppresse this flame that it break not forth suppress it by silence For as fire under green wood if not blown will go out so anger in the breast kept in by the silence of the tongue will waste and spend it self to nothing An example of this we have in David Psal 39. Ps 39.2 He kept silence he kept his mouth as it were with a bridle whilst the ungodly who did provoke him was in his sight He spake nothing but refrain'd his tongue abstaining even from good words ver 3 which was a pain and grief unto him If we speak any thing at all when we are moved to anger by our Persecuting Reviling Enemies let it be in the phrase of our meekest Saviour upon the Cross Father Luke 23.34 forgive them for they know not what they do or in the Language of that Protomartyr Saint Stephen Acts 7.60 Lord lay not this sin to their charge Yet if thou beest a publick person and thy Injury great and notorious Qui illatam sibi sustinet injuriam contumeliam conviciantis nutrit audaciam Vid. Aqui. 2. 2. 72. Qu. then to prevent scandal lest by silence thou givest men an occasion to suspect the integrity of thy Conscience thou mayest vindicate thy Innocency by a just complaint to the Magistrate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil and from the Decree of Justice seek a Redress of thy Injury and in so doing thou committest thy cause unto the Lord in that thou Revengest not thy self but referrest thy cause to the publick Magistrate Gods Minister of Peace whose Office it is to see that they be righted who suffer wrong as also to encourage Vertue to punish Vice and suppress the growth of sin Fourthly and lastly to incite or move thee further to abstain from immoderate Anger let the examples and practise of the * De his ita Nazianzenus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Anticipant fidem moribus i. Justitiâ Temperantiâ indigent tantum Christianorum nomine quod Christum profitentes decet operibus id suis exhibentes Heathen ever run in your thoughts who by the dimme light of nature have gone further in the way of Piety then we Christians who live in the Sun-shine of the Gospel of Peace To repeate the Stories of them renown'd for their patience would be both impertinent and tedious I will commend to your Meditation but one and that of a true Roman I mean Cato who used to say That he could and did forgive all offenders but himself So be thou angry with the Malice but love i. e. wish well to the Person of thy Enemy that has offended thee forgive him by not studying an hasty Revenge of thy Injury and testifie thy hearty forgiveness of it by thy prayers to God to forgive him his sins and to heal him of his malice And thus if thou imitatest God who is good to his very Enemies thou wilt shew thy self to be a genuine Son of thy *
our Colledges Therefore our Active Obedience to the Statutes is principally enjoyned This as I said before is primarily intended and to this in taking of Oaths we are chiefly obliged Secondly The former Thesis may be proved from the nature or quality of most or many of our penal Statutes which require a doubling and trebling of the mulct untill the duty be actually performed Thirdly though there be a disjunction in the words of a penal Statute yet there is none in the Oath For we swear absolutely without a distinction or disjunction to observe and keep to the utmost of our power the Statutes according to their chief intent and purpose and that is an Active Obedience and real performance this is chiefly by and in them intended We promise by Oath to endeavour laying aside all subterfuges to do what the Statutes command and for example sake in terrorem cateris that others may avoid the like offence to suffer willingly in case we faile through any unwilful neglect in the performance of our duty which is commanded Fourthly to maintain that the wilful and constant breach of a Statute and the submitting to the impos'd mulct is a fulfilling of it is in my opinion which I humbly submit to better judgements as absurd as to say that the Reprobate and wicked miscreants in Hell fulfill Gods Law by suffering eternal pains as a punishment for their disobedience Or that a Thief is a good subject for stealing and then for submitting to the condemning power of the Law by suffering death upon a Gibbet The truth therefore of my fore-named Thesis being built or grounded upon these four Reasons will I hope appear unquestionable to the judicious To conclude because it is a dangerous and fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God into the hands of his incensed Justice and because the concomitant of a strict obedience is a quiet Conscience that we may escape the wrath of an angry Deity and enjoy that blessing of all blessings viZ. Peace of Conscience which surpasses all the riches in the world and passeth all understanding as is implied in our Churches Liturgical Benediction let me in the name and fear of God exhort all Academicks to weigh with their most serious thoughts these two particulars of great moment and consequence conducing to the preservation of that blessed peace First let them consider that they have promised de futuro sub juramento to keep such and such Statutes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pythag. in aur Carm. to perform such and such duties which are intimated in several Scripts or Papers read to several Graduates to which they oblige themselves under a Curse Sicut me Deus adjuvet c. which is the close of the Oath implies as much Secondly out of a great love and tenderness to their Soules peace I heartily advise them to consider what they then at the taking of their degrees assert de praeterito and that too sub juramento They assert that they have performed all duties required before the taking of their Degrees which if they have done in Tanto though not in Toto to the utmost of their power and ability faithfully though not fully for which defect they have a gracious dispensation from the Vniversity they then fall not under the heavy weight of Perjury For the guilt of which in respect of our Promissory and Assertory Oaths which have been I fear too much neglected and slighted for this the two Sister-Vniversities have been in their mourning weeds Destruction and Desolation having entred into our Walls which by Gods wonderful mercy and providence in restoring our most gracious King unto us are repaied with the restauration of Learning and Gods publick Service And for dallying with these Oaths many a poor Soul hath I am perswaded many a year after the violating of them been tortured upon the rack of a wounded Conscience However the Oaths themselves are not to be condemned for this as some have formerly out of the Pulpit fondly declared discovering herein an Anabaptistical Spirit but rather the Jurers careless negligence who wilfully and contemptuously slighting our Statutes seldom or never prove good Christians and Subjects but live and die with perplexed Spirits and in a Schismaticall disobedience ever rebelling against the Lawes and Constitutions of their Superiours The Lord keep us all in Love and Vnity in Peace and Concord in Obedience to our most Religious King and the Churches Laws and let us ever be mindfull of our Oaths Vows and Promises So shall we be at peace with God and have peace in our selves the peace of a quiet Conscience which brings Heaven down into the Soul and is as Hugo calls it Hortus deliciarum Lib. de Anima a Garden of delightful pleasures the only Paradise A SYNOPSIS OR Summe of what is contained in the former Treatise Comprizing these ten Heads or Generals 1. AN Introduction wherein is shewed the ground of our Saviours Pohibition Swear not The ground of it was the Pharisees corrupting of the third Commandment with their false Gloss 2. An explication of the Prohibition Swear not i. e. not Falsly Rashly Vnjustly And therein a Demonstration when how and in what cases we may swear wherein is contained a brief confutation of the Anabaptists 3. A Refutation of the Papists gross assertion maintaining it lawful to Sweare by the Creature this drawn from the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at all Swear not at all Herein likewise is discovered both the Original and Absurdity of their Opinion 4. Reasons of the Prohibition Swear not which are three because to swear in the fore-named manner is 1. Injurious to God and that because it implies a contempt of his Person Precept 2. Hurtful to our selves 3. Scandalous to our Neighbours 5. A Preparative to the Cure or Remedy of this great sin of Swearing It consists in Repentance or an hearty Sorrow for it and other sins past by which the Conscience is defiled 6. The method to be used in the Cure of it we must begin with the heart and herein is explained what is meant by the Heart and how it may be cured 7. The Cure it self or Remedies against Swearing which are ten 1. The fear of God Herein is shewed what it is and by what means ingendred in the heart chiefly by reading of Gods Judgements denounced in his Word against Swearers 2. A Resolution or firm purpose by the assistance of Gods grace not to swear for certain dayes This resolution to be obtained and strengthned by Prayer Fasting and Almes to the poor 3. The consideration of the great indignity is done to Almighty God when we rashly and frequently take his name in vain 4. The consideration of the brute Beasts whose gratitude to their owners and benefactors upbraids mans disobedience to his Makers Laws and his unthankfulness to God for his manifold benefits 5. The consideration of what God requires onely of us for his blessings it is Honour and Praise
rather imprecation was what I tremble to name The Devill take me The Devill when he was asleep took him in earnest and threw him out of a window by which disaster though he was not slain yet by the bruises and breaking of his bones in that fall he was so scared and affrighted with horrour and fear that he ever afterwards abstain'd from that horrid kind of imprecation 2. A certain Priest in Ruthnerwald wished if Luthers Doctrine against the Masse and Purgatory c. were true that a Thunderbolt might destroy him after 3. dayes a tempest with Lightning and Thunder so terrified him that he ran to the Church for Sanctuary and at his forc'd devotion was struck down flat to the ground who recovering and led homewards by a friend a flash of lightning burnt him to death so that his body was as black as hell it self I heartily wish that all those who have oft a God damn me in their hellish mouths would think of this fearful Judgement and fear lest God as he may in Justice do take them at their word or whilst that dreadful Curse is utter'd by their impure Tongues and causing the Earth to open its mouth throw them quick and alive into Hell to be tormented which is to be damn'd in those everlasting flames 3. That famous storie of Sir Gervase Elwais must not be omitted in this black Register who suffer'd on Tower-hill for having an hand in the death of Sir Thomas Overbury Before he suffered he was a picture of a true humble penitent and acknowledg'd with teares the just hand of God upon him for his rash and unpreserved vow which a great loss at Cards once occasion'd at which time he being very much troubled clapping his hand upon his brest vowed seriously and wished that if ever he played again he might be hang'd and now being upon the ladder he said to the glory of God God in Justice hath made me keep my imprecation and to pay my vow which I once utter'd with my tongue by this just though violent death And so wished all to take warning by his sad example to forbear and to be afraid of self-cursing and swearing and to abstain from that which is the usual cause of cursing and blaspheming viz. Gaming 3. Examples of Judgments upon Blasphemers 1. In the Year 1645. one W. Knot of Dalston in Cumberland being a common noted Swearer when he was servant to an Alderman of York fell into a Lead full of boyling liquor by which he within a few dayes after dyed By this means his foul Tongue which was set on fire of Hell Jam. 3.6 was washed in scalding water and felt a punishment fitted and proportioned to it Blessed was his punishment if that wretches Soul was thereby cleansed 2. One Hudson of the forenamed Town in Cumberland who was a notorious Swearer was struck dumb to his dying day and though he lived many years yet could speak nothing but swear by God and with this Blasphemy in his mouth he rendred his impure Soul I fear to the Devil and not to God 3. I received this Narrative from a Gentleman of the late E. of Oxford of a Dutch Merchant who in the year 1648. going to Loretto in a Wagon with four or five passengers more of whom the Reporter was one did swear and blaspheme in that horrid manner that he was a great offence to all the company who rebuked him for it though to no purpose for he proceeded still in his swearing upon every light occasion till at length whilest they were in their passage there brake into tne Wagon a black thing without any form or shape which was the Devil in a dark Cloud who by Gods command and appointment stopped the Blasphemers throat at which time he cried out as well as he could speak and called upon his master the Devil and said withall Oh he will choak me c. Upon this all the Gentlemen being in darknesse for there was a black stinking Mist in the Wagon drew their swords and leaped out of it and immediately looking into it they found him dead and his face with his whole body as black as a Cole at which sight they were all much terrified And I hope that all Blasphemers who shall peruse this and the fore-named stories will learn by them to forsake and abhor swearing lest the same or worser Judgments fall upon them Ex aliorum vulneribus medicamenta nostris faciamus Aug. Let us from other mens sores and sufferings make a Plaister to heal our own wounds FINIS