that mind that is carnal and therefore is not subject to the Law of Christ according to Rom. 8 7. But all who mind the things of the Spirit they do the Will of God and so knows Christs Doctrine to be his that sent him when he said Swear not at all And that there was a time when God was purely worshipped and truly served before any Oath was And that there was a time when Israel was commanded to fear the Lord and serve him and swear by his Name by which it is evident That swearing was no essential part of the Worship of God in Spirit and Truth and therefore was but temporary And that there was a time when Israel was to seek the place which the Lord should chase to put his Name there viz. Ierusalem and thither they were to come and bring their burnt Offerings Deut. 12.5 6 7. Ioh. 4.20 And there was and is a time that neither in the Mountain nor yet at Ierusalem they should worship the Father Ioh. 4.21 And there was a time that the condition of the Heir should not differ from a Servant c. And there was an appointed time when he should be Lord of all and receive the adoption of a Son Gal. 4.1 to 6. But the Well is deep and whilst People have or at the least make use of nothing to draw the Water with but what they have and receive from man by man and of man they will receive little refreshment or satisfaction in these things before-mentioned Nevertheless when they in their hearts shall turn to the Lord the Vail shall be done away for where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Light and it is the Light that God hath commanded to shine in mens hearts for to give unto them the knowledge of the things that are of his Spirit which the Natural man understands not nor can the Wisdom which is from below find out And now I come to A.S. his twelfth Argument or last Reason which was and is Arg. 12. The general practise of Christendom who could not all be so ignorant as to misunderstand the meaning of these words Swear not at all Or so wicked as not only rashly but advisedly to act against them Answ. It is written Thou shalt not follow a Multitude to do evil And also That when King Herod heard that the Holy Child Iesus was born he was troubled and all Ierusalem with him and gathering together all the Chief Priests and Scribes of the People he asked of them Where Christ should be born And they said at Bethlem c. Mat. 2.1 c. And yet the Chief Priests and Elders of the People were so wicked that they assembled together and consulted how they might take Iesus by subtilty and kill him Mat. 26.3 4. concerning whom the Apostle Acts 3.17 bore witness That they did what they did unto him ignorantly because they knew him not and therefore exhorted them to repentance So that it may be possible That all those in Christendom mentioned by A. S. to own swearing as men might in this case of swearing be ignorant the time of ignorance being winked at And therefore this Reason given by A.S. to prove that Christ did not forbid all swearing when he had said Swear not at all is neither sound nor satisfactory especially the Scriptures following well considered Ioh. 5.34 36. 8.43 Mat. 11.25 to which many others might be added And yet my belief is That the Lord in no Age hath left himself without witness concerning the truth and extent of the Command of Christ aforesaid although born by Babes and poor Fishermen or other persons unlearned in the many languages and therefore little esteemed of the world though highly esteemed of God but by the world hated and their testimony rejected as erronious And yet greater was he that was in them than he that was in the World and so they had the greater witness for if the witness of men be great the witness of God is greater which every one that believeth hath in himself 1 Ioh. 5.9 10. And he that keepeth the commands of Christ he dwelleth in Christ and Christ in him according to 1 Ioh. 3.23 24. And I also believe concerning many of them who have affirmed as their judgment the lawfulness of some swearing under the Gospel That if they had lived in these our dayes wherein the Lord God out of the riches of his Love and the abundance of his Light which he hath commanded to shine out of darkness after the long night of Apostacy in the hearts of the heirs of his Righteousness for to give unto them the knowledge of his Glory and of the true witness-bearing in the face of Jesus Christ as it was before any Oath or Swearing was that they would have come to have seen and also to have acknowledged as many in these dayes blessed be the Name of the Lord for his unspeakable gift have done their mistakes in the case of swearing and by confessing their sins and acknowledging their mistakes have given glory to the Lord and conformed their judgments practises to the command of Christ Swear not at all And with Solomon have born their testimony That in making many Books there is no end and in reading of them much wearisomness to the flesh And that the end of all is to learn to fear the Lord and keep his Commandments which is the whole duty of man Eccles. 12.12 13. And now having born my testimony for the Lord concerning Oaths and Swearing according to that in my Conscience and the Scriptures of Truth and that not in a way of opposing the Son of God against his Father nor the Scriptures of the New Testament against the Old nor by making any Text of Scripture contradictory in it self But in and by such a way as they are established in unity one with another Neither with a contending or opposing spirit against any Law or Ordinance of man that ought to be submitted unto for the Lords sake But in the spirit of love and meekness for the clearing my Conscience before the Lord and his People in yielding a Reason wherefore I and some others may not take any Oath or Swear at all although we should be required thereunto by a lawful Magistrate I have peace causing rather in this case to fall into the hands of men and by submission unto their punishment which hitherto blessed be God I and some others have found not according to the rigour of the Law but with some moderation thereby testifying my practice to be according to my judgment against all resistance of the powers which God hath set over me and that not for fear of wrath but for Conscience sake to God who is able not only to destroy my body but to cast both soul and body into Hell fire Assuredly beleeving that whilest I have a respect unto all the Commands of Christ Jesus I shall never be ashamed And if in this matter concerning Swearing any should yet remain otherwise minded and seem to be contentious about words and forms I say we have no such custome in the Churches of Christ. For where glory is given to God on high there is peace on Earth and good will to all men on Earth below And all who wait in the Light of God as it shineth in their hearts 〈◊〉 in due time shall have the same Truth revealed unto them 〈◊〉 which I have herein born my Testimony And I and others 〈…〉 o walk in that whereunto we through the Grace of God are come That so we may not be ashamed of our Testimony for the Lord though born through much suffering THE END
A TRUE TESTIMONY CONCERNING Oaths Swearing c. AS ALSO An Answer to the subject matter contained in Twelve Arguments or Reasons laid down in a Sermon preached at Carliste Aug. 17. 1664. by Allan Smalwood D.D. as he stiles himself to prove That our Saviour did not forbad all Swearing Wherein is fully cleared The Command of Christ and his Apostle Iames Swear not at all Matth. 5.34 Iam. 5.12 from the corrupt glosses limited sence and meanings of the said A. S. in his said Sermon and in his Reply to F.H. his Book called Oaths no Gospel Ordinance c. And also The unsatisfactoriness and unsoundness of the aforesaid Arguments fully discovered and the Command of Christ Swear not at all manifested to be an universal prohibition of all Oaths and Swearing whatsoever to his Disciples Written in the year 1668. By Ger. Benson Psal. 89.49 50. Remember O Lord the rebuke thy servants have wherewith thine enemies have blasphemed thee and slandered the footsteps of thiâ—â— Anointed London Printed in the Year 1669. To the READER READER VVHat I have written in this little Treatise not being after man neither by me received of man nor from man I have therefore made no use of the inticing words of mans wisdom neither of any mans testimony for the confirming the same but as the testimony therein born is for God the truth of his sayings not for man I have made use of no other witness than the Scriptures of truth which proceeded from the spirit that beareth witness because the spirit is truth and being so can neither deceive nor be deceived which spirit being of God is greater than man and so knoweth more For the things therein treated of are matters of faith therefore stands not in the wisdom of words or of men but in the power of God who shuts no man can open opens no man can shut Neither indeed is fallen man especially a swearer a competent witness in this controversie about swearing no man being a competent witness in his own cause Read then without prejudice own with understanding or answer in the ground without contending about words to no profit For the Kingdom of God consisteth not in words but in power neither in meat drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost A true TESTIMONY concerning Oathes and Swearing c. IN the day that Almighty God created Man before man was in his Image and according to his own likeness created he him male and female created he them and having finished the works of Creation he looked upon all that he had made and lo it was very good And having also made the Man of the Dust of the Earth He planted a Garden Eastward in Eden where he put the Man whom he had made And that Man might learn Obedience the Lord commanded him saying Thou shalt eat freely of every Tree of the Garden but of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death Now in that day there was no strife or controversie for what the Lord commanded it was done as it 's written Psal. 33.9 For he spake and it was done he commanded and it stood fast And God was all in all and over all the Law-giver Judge and King And as then there was no sin in the World which God had made so neither was there any controversie or strife betwixt Man and his Maker or amongst the Creatures of God neither was there any Oath or Swearing nor any other outward or visible Sign Shadow Type or Figure in or by which the Lord was to be worshipped nor any need thereof for the Lord God who is the substance of all was all in all and over all God blessed for ever who was worshipped not in words but in deeds not with Oaths and Swearing neither in set Forms Shadows Signs or Figures but in Spirit and Truth in Love and true Obedience which was and is better than Sacrifice or the fat of Rams And in that day the Law of the Spirit which is Eternal and nor Moral was the rule and guide of Man in his Worship and Service of God with whom Man in his Spirit had unity and fellowship in the Light Life and Truth that is eternal and unchangeable And as it was in the beginning even so it is and shall be in the day of restauration of all things by Jesus Christ who is and was and is to come the Almighty Alpha and Omega the first and the last the true and faithful Witness the Author of all true witness-bearing But Man being in honour continued not for the Serpent being more subtile than any Beast of the field deceived the Woman with his limitted sence and meaning which he then gave to the positive Word and Command of God even as the spirit that now ruleth in all the Chileren of disobedience with his limitted sense and commodious interpretations as they are called of the Scriptures of Truth doth deceive the simple that lends an ear unto him and thereby brought her then as that spirit doth people now into the transgression of the Word and Command of God unto which no man ought to add any thing neither to diminish ought therefrom Deut. 4.2 Rev. 22. 18 19. And the Woman having eaten of that which in its self was good and therefore not intrinsically evil mark that gave unto her Husband with her and he did eate who having eaten contrary to the Word and Command of God sin entered into the world and the world into mans heart and death by sin the first ground or cause of unbelief And now in that day the Candle of the wicked being put out Death and Darkness passed over the Life and Truth of God in Man so that the Word and Truth of God the ground of true witness-bearing which was and is Eternal not Moral was hid from their eyes who had sinned And now Man being deprived of the Glory of God and ignorant of his Righteousness went after his own Inventions so that as it is written Death reigned from Adam until Moses Rom. 5.14 And now in that day the Lord had a Controversie with Man by reason of his sin and Man in his sin was in unbelief of the Word and Truth of God the ground of true witness-bearing Insomuch as that in process of time when Men began to be multiplied upon Earth the wickedness of Men waxed great so that they went into strife and contention one against another until blood touched blood And in this estate of Man Abimelech King of Gerar who was in the unbelief of the Word and Power of God and observing that God was with Abram he was afraid as it is written The workers of Iniquity are afraid where no fear or cause thereof is Psal. 53.4 5. and having a controversie against Abram concerning Sarah Gen. 20.9 said unto Abram Swear unto me here by God
fully supply where it is received Nay there is much more surety to our Neighbour by true witness-bearing than by swearing because a true witness will not lye The fourth Argument is thus formed Arg. 4. That interpretation of our Saviours words Swear not at all which renders the following words vain and impertinent is false c. Answ. That Christ intended what he said I hope no Christian will deny And that those words Swear not at all were spoken by Christ and are in themselves a prohibition of all swearing whatsoever is evident And that they were spoken by Christ not by way of compliance with what had been said before to them of old time but in the contrary thereof is apparent by the words But I say unto you Swear not at all Which words if they signifie nothing but what was before said Then should they not only be to no purpose but hurtful by making the case of swearing more dark and questionable than it was before under the Law which for any man to affirm were a great injury to Christ Jesus the Wisdom of God And therefore Christ having spoken all those words But I say unto you Swear not at all neither by Heaven c. And that in the contrary of what was said before as the word but and the words not at all do import It is manifest that Christ did in that command Swear not at all forbid somewhat that was not forbidden by the Law And consequently all swearing whatsoever whether by the Lord or by the Creatures And that Christ added neither by Heaven the Earth Jerusalem the Head they being the chiefest of the visible Creatures all the other creatures being the lesser or inferiour are included the greater comprehending the less so that the words following and precedent are all significant and useful For being the words of Christ not any of them are to be rejected but all and every word established And therefore it were more beseeming Christians to give all diligence to observe the Law and Command of Christ then to invent and frame Arguments against his words which are in themselves plain and have no ambiguity in them and being so according to the rule when in words there is no ambiguity there no Exposition is to be made against the words expressed For in doubtful speech we utter not a doubtful sence but only that which we mean Therefore he which speaketh one thing and meaneth another neither doth he utter that which the word signifieth because he meaneth not so neither that which he meaneth because he speaketh it not Which for any man to affirm of the words of Christ Swear not at all were as before is said a great injury to Christ the Wisdom of God and to the Spirit of Truth from which the Scriptures of Truth were given forth All which words of Christ being in themselves prohibitions of Swearing and no exceptions as the words of Christ in the case of Divorcement were where it 's said Except for the cause of Fornication do the more confirm and illustrate the extent of the Command And being the words of Christ the Wisdom of God they are neither vain nor impertinent No more than those words in the fourth Commandment In it thou shalt do no manner of work nor thy Son c. All which were included in those general words before-going Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy Or the enumerating all those words written in the Tables of Stone which were all briefly comprehended in those few words Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart ' And thy Neighbour as thy self And yet the Wisdom of God which is wiser than men knowing whereof we as men have need spoke all those words in the Law And where the Law-giver hath made no exception he to whom the Law is given ought not And so I conclude That the Law of Christ Swear not at all is perfect and a full prohibition of all swearing unto his Disciples and being perfect no man ought to add any thing thereunto or diminish any thing from it And so I proceed to the fifth Argument Arg. 5. Nothing that of it self is not intrinsically evil is forbidden by Christ and that is proved by induction But Swearing is not of it self intrinsically evil And therefore Christ did not forbid it Answ. The thing in Dispute is not Whether Christ did ever forbid any thing that was not of it self evil But whether Christ hath forbidden all Swearing Which that Christ hath forbidden all swearing his own words which are the interpreters of the heart do prove And one single testimony of the Scriptures of Truth is of more strength than a thousand surmises or meer humane witnesses And therefore Swearing being forbidden by Christ Mat. 5.34 it is the duty of Christians to apply themselves to yield obedience to his Command and not to frame Arguments to evade the same or to ask a Reason wherefore he so did And yet we read That God commanded Circumcision and Sacrifices which in themselves are not evil and yet forbidden in the New Covenant And we also read That God forbad Adam to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which Tree and its Fruit of themselves were not intrinsically evil And the use of several other Creatures under the Law was forbidden the People of Israel And what God the Father did forbid it was by his Word And Christ the Word and Power of God he forbid his Disciples to go into the way of the Gentiles and not to enter into any of the Cities of the Samaritans Mat. 10.5 And he charged his Disciples they should tell the Vision to no man until c. Mat. 17. 9. And that they should call no man Master upon the Earth Mat. 23. 9. None of which of themselves were intrinsically evil But that which concerns us as Christians and so under the Law of Christ is not so much to enquire whether or no such a thing be good in or of it self But whether or no it be good for us to practice yea or nay For as said the Apostle What is not of Faith is Sin And therefore that is good for Christians to do which the Lord requires of them But to proceed to the sixth Argument the force whereof is this Arg. 6. Either Christ forbad not the taking of an Oath upon just occasion or else St. Paul though assisted by the Holy Ghost understood not the Text. Or If he understood it he acted against it and that not rashly but upon deliberation Because in his Epistle he calls God to witness which is a formal Oath Answ. That the Apostle Paul did know the mind of Christ in that Precept Swear not at all is believed But that he acted contrary contrary thereto when he said God is my witness or called God to witness is denied For as he knew Christ had forbidden all swearing he also knew that Christ was the true and faithful Witness the first and the last