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A61835
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A sermon concerning svvearing preached before the King's Maiesty in Christ-Church Oxon, May the 12, 1644 / by W. Strode ...
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Strode, William, 1600 or 1601-1645.
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1644
(1644)
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Wing S5985; ESTC R15297
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17,733
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31
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and Crying sin because it provokes God not secretly and obliquely but openly and directly with loud Prophanation to his Face Then how many great offences are committed in this one yet how often is this committed in one Day by divers Persons in one City It is meerly from Gods Impassibility that he receaves not such hurt by sin as man doth it is therefore his Mercy not our Innocence that suddaine Vengeance doth not follow that we are not swallowed up quick in a moment Lesser faults then This picking of Sticks on the Sabboth touching of the Arke with unwarrantable hands sacrificing with unhallowed fire have been punished with present death so may this be too What meanes St James when he saith Above all things my Brethren Sweare not Above all respect of Creatures or above all things mentioned in his Epistle or above all things contained in that Paragraph of Patience whatsoever he meanes he certainly shewes thereby the heinousnesse of the sin which is growne so common amongst us Yet as great and as common as the sin is it hath lesse Temptation then any other Profit or Pleasure hires or allures men to other Transgressions if one dram of either be found in thy whole Phrasebooke of Swearing Sweare continually What hath bewitch'd who hath bedevil'd you Nemo malus gratis no man does the worke of sin without some wages this elsewhere is a true saying onely in the Swearer it failes which highly aggravates the sinfullnesse the madnesse of this baitelesse bootelesse sin so vainely bent This sore Evill which comes from much Evill is also fruitfull in begetting more Evill for things produce as they are produced Every Bird layes an Egge like that of which she was hatched I can but name those Evills â—â—d so drive to Conclusion It begets publick disrespect of God Familiarity breeds Contempt heedlesse Swearing will make an Oath seeme nothing and God as little It breeds Incredulity amongst men who will beleeve â—hat mans word who makes so light of his Oath Then â—â—er the losse of Credit it produces a desperate Impudence of Lying as carelesse of Truth as hopelesse of Beliefe It gives offence to all Christian Hearers with greatest Incivility Aristotle names two Vices opposite to Vrbanity Swearing and Clownishnesse whereof the first offends in Excesse and is therefore excessively uncivill for it drives the Hearer to this streight either to reprove the Speaker or to suppresse his zeale for God What Company can indure to heare a man I say a man openly slighted whom they all honour then with what patience their onely God how can any that are well affected to the Name of Jesus to which all give Reverence before meat heare it dishonoured in the mid'st of Eating Or why may not then a Pious Christian put off his Hat without Irony to give it honour in the instant of such dishonour I forbeare to shew what ill Example it gives to young Children who understanding but few words can onely beare away those which they heare most frequent And how it hinders the Jewes Conversion when he finds those two sins which he most abhorres so predominant in the Christian Idolatry and Swearing Shall so much Evill of sin escape the Evill of Punishment I will be a swift witnesse saith God against the false Swearers Mal. 3.5 He that hath been so often called to witnesse will come at length with a witnesse indeed Every one that Sweareth shall be cut off Zec. 5.3 God for the abuse of his Name will root out thy Name and destroy thy House so that thy Heire and it shall be turned to one Rubbish For certainty whereof unlesse ye Repent I referre you to that Prophets Flying Roll sees your Phansie nothing the flying roll the length whereof is twenty Cubits and the breadth ten Cubits This is the Curse that goeth forth over the Face of the whole Earth I will bring it forth saith the Lord it shall enter into the house of him that Sweareth false by my Name as the common Swearer is apt to sweare false and it shall remaine in the midst of his house and it shall consume it with the Timber thereof and the Stones thereof and then what shall become of the Family After all this we are not sure that the anger of God will be turned away his hand may be stretched out still for since publick dishonour is done to his Name by common Swearing scarce or not scarce punished how shall he rest satisfied with private Vengeance As the whole Body doth often smart for the Tongue so may a generall Society for some Evill Speakers especially if their Speech sound Treason but if Treason against the King of Kings how great Vengeance may justly be feared by the whole State one prophane Achan indangered a whole Army and because of Swearing the Land mourneth Jer. 23.10 v. Behold since Punishment followeth in that wherein we offend Voluntary Swearing is now turned to a Compulsive Forswearing to a blind Covenant against knowne Religion and Duty against Conscience and Publick Safety quite contrary to former Oathes of Allegiance and Supremacy uncapable of keeping Faith on either side without Faith-breaking as farre from Truth and Righteousnesse as from all liberty and use of Judgement and therefore as I have formerly shewed in generall neither Obligatory to God nor man not through Excuse of Rashnesse weaknesse Ignorance Compulsion not through benefit of Equivocation mentall Reservation private Construction inward Gainsaying for none can be bettered by his fault but through the monstrous Irregularity and horrid viciousnesse of it selfe null by Nature advantagious to none but Satan no way usefull to any End but meerly to destruction of Soules by taking it or accidentally to a Crowne of Martyrdome by refusing it They that being unequall to so high a pitch of Sanctity have submitted themselves to take it I inquire not through what deficience are howsoever no more bound to keep it then Peter was bound to deny his Master for ever because he had once denied him with an Oath Indeed it obliges them to that which the Imposer least desires to Peter like Teares of Repentance to abundance of bitter sorrow according to the great absurdity of the Crime admitted and particularly to this kind of amendment never to sweare againe without urgent necessity in a just Cause least all the Evill which God hath threatned be powred out upon them and on all guilty Families and for their sakes on the whole State You have heard how Swearing comes not onely from some Evill Infirmities but from the Devill and from abundance of Evill Vices how Evill it is in it selfe how much Evill it produces and with what Evill it shall be punished Now for Conclusion Aquinas hath likened an Oath to the Sacrament for Sacramentum signifies both I wish we tooke the one more seldome and the other more often the likenesse consists in this that both are intended for our good but being illhandled they become Engines of Destruction See the words of S. Paul concerning the Sacrament Cor. 1.11.27 Whosoever shall eate this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord but let a man examine himselfe and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh Damnation to himselfe not discerning the Lords Body The same will serve for an Oath Whosoever shall take this Name in Vaine shall be guilty of the Majesty of the Lord but let a man examine himselfe and the Cause and so let him take this Name for he that taketh it in Vaine or unworthily pronounceth his owne Damnation not discerning the Majesty and Presence of the Lord The Apostle for his part had good successe for by writing these words he quite rooted out a grievous Sin never heard of since namely Feasting at the time of Communion in the Church Swearing at the time of merriment in the house is much like it how hath holinesse been mixt with madnesse in both Grant me then O Lord the like successe by applying the same words that the Custome of Swearing be never more prevalent amongst us Grant it ô mighty Lord that through Reverence of thy Name we may grow up to Feare of thy greatnesse and through Feare of thy greatnesse we may proceed to Love of thy goodnesse and then through Love of Thee we may come to Joy and Rest in Thee through Jesus Christ our Lord To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour Praise and Glory now and for evermore Amen FINIS Jerom in Matth. 5. Ar 1. met Josep. lib. 18. Dem {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} * Lev. 19.12 Deut. 6.13 Num. 30.2 Ber de Pertâ—rio Câ—j in Thom. 2 a 2 ae Q. 89. Ar. 5. Phil de Decalogo Cap. 5. Thom. 2 a. 2 ae Q. 89. Ar. 2. Deut. 23.9 Ar Eth I. 4. c. 8. 2d 2d Q. 89 Ar 2.
Obligatory Law shewes the first and Conscience tells us concerning the second that one Sinne cannot oblige us to commit another nor a sinne in word to second it with a sinne in worke for sinne ought to be broken off as soone as possibly it may Wherefore David without scruple blesseth God and Abigail for staying him in the prosecution of a rash and bloody Oath 1. Sam. 25. cap. To whom should an injust Oath oblige us to God or to Man whether it were taken Rashly in Error or Passion whether it were taken violently by Coaction or willingly with Deliberation or mixtly betwixt Will and Force for Deliverance out of present trouble yet if the Matter or End be unrighteous or impedient to Charity certainly it obliges not to God because it was contrary to Gods will which ought to take place of our owne upon second and better Thoughts Much lesse can it oblige to Man especially when it is impos'd Fraudulently or Compulsively or without just Authority because the Imposer deserves to be deceiv'd and to beare the Imputation of that perjury which he obtruded on others I grant that since every Oath is of a binding Nature it cannot but some way bind the Person in himselfe either with a True Intention or with Guilt of Perjurd collusion For the Reverence due to Gods Name requires Truth of Intention but when the Matter is unrighteous Gods word forbids Execution and when by Satans device Gods Name is set up against Gods Word and Truth against Rigteousnesse no wonder if intention and execution agree not for as Truth carries the one so the other is to be swayed by Righteousnesse In this absur'd opposition which ought to be prevented by not Swearing the Swearer is so intangled that which way soever he turne he is actually Perjur'd by Swearing either what he intends not or what he ought not to performe but to falsifie though he intended And therefore since in this Case Juramentum ligat non obligat since the unlawfull Oath binds the Conscience with Guilt of a bad Promise though truly made but not to more guilt of wicked Performance it remaines that the Oath past be recalled by Repentance hearty Repentance for shrinking under Gods Triall for taking his Sacred Name in Vaine and incurring a Denyall of him before Men Now at length since a firme Oath must be joyntly held up with these holy Conditions appointed by God it selfe so upheld must needs be Holy If rightly taken 't is a peice of Religious worship and not without faire ground from other Scripture Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God and serve him and Sweare by his Name Deut. 6.13 there Swearing is commanded and plac'd as the next Neighbour to divine Service For to give God the better to end all Strife at the sound of his Name as duely ascribing to him all Power Knowledge and Truth is to yeeld him Honour and Reverence For verily a Man sweareth by the Greater Heb. 6.16 per quem veneratur aut diligit by whom he honours or loves saith St Jerome an Oath saith Aristotle is most Honourable as being a Token of divinity therefore C. Caligula ambitious of divine worship publish'd an Edict throughout his Empire that Men should accustome to sweare by his Name likewise when Demosthenes swore by them that ventured their lives at Marathon {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as if the men â—ould be Saincted for that Expedition he stir'd up the â—â—â—its of his Citizens more with that one word then with his whole Oration besides So then an Oath apâ—â—ares to be the badge of Reverence God hath not onely allow'd and commanded an Oath â—n Generall but expresly and carefully injoyn'd it in many â—articular Cases As in case of Theft Ex. 22.11 When â—â—â—ds intrusted miscarry an oath of the Lord shall be beâ—â—me them that he hath not put his hands to his Neighâ—â—ors goods In case of Murder Deut. 21.6 v. When a â—â—n is slaine all the Elders of the City next to the slaine shall â—â—sh their Hands over the Heifer and they shall Testifie and â—â—â— Our Hands have not shed this Blood neither have our eyes seen it be mercifull ô Lord In case of Adultery Num. 19. If the Spirit of Jealousie come upon a Man the Priest will charge the Woman with an Oath According to the â—â—tent of these Instances are the Oathes of Supremacy â—llegiance the Oath ex officio in spirituall Courts and the Oathes in Temporall usually administer'd for the â—â—rance of Fidelity and Truth Likewise all sacred Conâ—acts betwixt God and us are tied with this Knot Bapâ—â—sme Confirmation Marriage Consecration Orders Vowes are all celebrated either with an Oath or with â—â—t which is Equivalent the Name of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost I could bring a Jury of Exâ—mples for godly Swearing Abraham swore his servant in 24. S. Paul in divers Epistles the Angell by him 〈◊〉 lives for ever Rev. 10. God himselfe to Abraham â—â— 22. By my selfe I have sworne saith the Lord If â—â—â—re be any force in Examples these above all others are most prevalent It is Remarkeable that none are absolutely averse from all Swearing but the reputed Enemies of Obedience Despisers of Order Friends to Lying and Hypocrisie who having now gotten some power into their hands are become the greatest Exacters of Swearing Whereby it is the more evident that Judiciall Swearing is of necessary use The chiefest Objection against all Oathes is drawne from the words before my Text ye have heard it said Thou shalt not for sweare but shalt performe or render to the Lord thine Oathes but I say unto you Sweare not at all neither by Heaven for it is Gods Throne nor by that which followes To answer this the Scope of the Context must be exactly weighed The Jewes by Pharisaicall Tradition or wicked practice understood the places of * Scripture summ'd up by our Saviour to be first a Prohibition of Swearing falsly by Gods Name onely secondly an allowance of Swearing by Gods Name Truely False Swearing by the name of Creatures they did not esteeme Perjury True Swearing by the Name of God though needlesse they did not esteeme unlawfull whereas the same Scripture which forbids to sweare by his Name Falsly forbids also to Prophane his Name Lev. 19.12 v. according to the sense of the third Commandement Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in Vaine for Vaine includes both False and needlesse and againe the same Scripture which allows Swearing by his great Name interdicts the Name of others Deut. 6 13.v Thou shalt sweare by his Name and ye shall not goe after other Gods Wherefore that corrupt Interpretation Christ clearly purges and in one word perfects the Law Sweare not at all As he that speakes not at all cannot Lye so he that sweares not at all cannot Forsweare nor offend in the manner saith S. Bernard So then with one blow Christ cuts of foure Obliquities not