Sion why not the captivitie of Ierusalem Iuda Israel Ierusalem Iuda Israel were ledd away Captives no lesse then 〈◊〉 They the greater and more generall why not the Captivitie of them but of 〈◊〉 It should seeme there is more in Sion's then in the rest that choise is made of it â—â—fore the rest Why what was Sion We know it was but a Hill in Ierusalem Psal. 48.2 on the â—â—rth-side Why is that Hill so honoured No reason in the world but this That 〈◊〉 it the Temple was built And so that Sion is much spoke of and much made of it â—onely for the Temple's sake For whose sake it is even for His Church that the LORD loveth the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Iacob Loveth her more and so her captivity goeth neerer Him and her deliverie better pleaseth him Psal. 87.2 then all â—â—cob besides This maketh Sion's captivitie to be mentioned chiefly as chiefly regarded by GOD and to be regarded by His. As we see it was Psal. 137.1 When they satt by the waâ—â—â— of Babylon that which made them weepe was When we remembred thee ô Sion that â—â—eir greatest griefe That their greatest griefe and this their greatest ioy Laetatà 〈◊〉 when newes came not saith the Psalme in domos nostras We shall goe now eveâ—â—one to his owne house but in Domum Domini ibimus Psal. 122.1 We shall goe to the house of the 〈◊〉 we shall appeare before the GOD of GODS in Sion â—ion God loved and fauoured highly yet how deare soever Sion is in His sight for 〈◊〉 sinnes propter peccata populi mei she sometimes is forsaken and afflicted by Him â—â—ough He take not His mercie utterly from her nor suffer His truth quite to faile Psal. 89.33.32 yet 〈◊〉 visiteth her offences with the rodd and her deeper transgressions with scourges and 〈◊〉 the rest with this scourge of Captivitie To be plagued at home in their owne land is but a rodd in comparison Captivitie 〈◊〉 a scourge in respect of it and a sharpe one To be bereft of all we have and of that which they have that have nothing els libertie to be carried into a strange 〈◊〉 to be made bond and thrall to the proud commands of an Enemie Wo is me for 〈◊〉 saith Ieremie And no man shall need but to read his Lamentations only There 〈◊〉 particular to be seene the evill of captivitie how sharpe a scourge it is The 〈◊〉 was made for that end 〈◊〉 of all Captivities none so evill as that of Babell If any other be a scourge that 〈◊〉 In Aegypt their case was more tolerable their soules were free there 〈◊〉 their bodies in Servitude they might serve God yet they were not compelled 〈◊〉 downe before Isis or Osiris Onely the Captivitie of Babell is the captivitie of 〈…〉 lesse then bodies There they must fall downe before the great Idol in the field Dura 〈◊〉 3.1.6 or be throwne into the furnace 〈◊〉 iâ— the worst place that is for Sion to be carried captive to And this is the first degree Sion is afflicted and that with Captivitie with the Captivitie of 〈◊〉 Now to in Convertendo Dominus â— The Lord 's Turning of it Lamen 4.9 They that fell by the sword saitâ— Ieremie were in better case then they that went into captivitie save onely thâ—â— thâ—â— poore hope they had left They might returne againe They might returne and so they did Sion went into Captivitie but her captivitie weâ—t not so farre but it turnes againe It is one of the Songs of Sion Many a time have they afflâ—cted me from my youth up c. Psal. 129.1.2 And againe Many a time have they afflicted me c. 〈◊〉 is many and many times more but yet they have not prevailed against me finally Heere is a proofe of it Though brought to Babell yet not left there though 〈◊〉 into Captivitie yet restored to libertie There may be snares for her but the end is Psal. 124.7 Psal. 116.16 laqueus contritus est there may be bonds but the end dirupisti vincula Thou hast broken my bonds in sunder Sion's captivitie is still turned back But who shall turne it In Convertendo Dominus Cyrus may seeme to have done it But alas Cyrus is â— great Monarch and they a sort of poore Captives Besides he is a Heathen man an Idolater a stranger to them and their Religion no waies like to turne or to be turned Mat. 16.3 Quis revolvet nobis hunc lapidem what engine shall bring this about Dominus the Lord shall For though the hearts of Monarchs be as rivers of many streames Pro. 21.1 yet In manu Domini cor Regis saith a great Monarch in His hand their hearts be Et 〈◊〉 vult convertit and He can turne them as the streames in the South This verse referring to that of Salomon It is the Lord then the great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great Turner of the greatest Monarch's hearts that thus turned Cyrus's heart Psal. 118.23 Cyrus being turned his Decree came forth for their returne A Domino factumest istud It was His doing they saw it they noted it and they had beene to be noted of great blindnesse if they had not noted it But note it they did So they beginne one of their Songs Psal. 124.1.2 Nisi quia DEVS and againe they repeate it Nisi quia DEVS If the Lord had not done it it had not beene done But for him they had beene in Babell still Thus much 1 for Sion's captivitie and 2 the Lord 's turning The Lord turned away the Captivitie of Sion So have ye the worke Halleluja for the worke 2. Hallelujâ— For â—he workmanship or manner And againe Halleluja for the Work-manship To escape a Captivitie is enough it skills not now howsoever it is well thankes be to GOD. But it receiveth encrease and is made capable of a higher degree by the Manner and that greatly All captivities are grievous specially that of Babell And all returnes joyfull specially from thence Yet is even that made more joyfull two waies sett higher by these two degrees 1. That it was like a dreame It is ever a signe of a very strange event when men at the seeing ought though they be awake yet think they are not though they doe not dreame yet thinke they are in a dreame 2. That they among the Heathen talked of it It is ever a signe of a famous accident when other men specially other Nations speake and speake magnificè of it So strange as like a dreame 1 Vnlookt for Faecti sumus sicut somniantes We were as it were in a dreame it came so unlook't for For so come dreames we know without looking for Men know not when they go to bedd what they shall dreame of And it is a benefit to have a benefit come like a dreame 〈◊〉 waiting longer for it â— Without labour Then it came
not on His too I finde that neither vnder the Law He liked of their motion what should the Temple doe with Cedar neither vnder the Gospell of theirs what should CHRIST 's head doe with Nardus But that to his praise he is recorded in the Old Testament that said 1. Chron. 17. â— Shall I dwell in my seeled house and the Arke of GOD remaine vnder Gotes-skinns And she in the New that thought not her best ointment too good for CHRIST 's head Surely they in Aegypt had their service of GOD it may be in a barne or in some corner of a house Yet when Moses moved a costly Tabernacle no man was found that once said Our fathers served GOD well enough without one Vtquid perditio haec After that many Iudges and Prophets and righteous men were well when they might worship before the Arke yet when Salomon moved a stately Temple never any was found that would grudge and say Why the Arke is enough I pray GOD we serve God no worse then they that knew nothing but a Tent Vtquid perditio haec Only in the dayes of the Gospell which of all other least should there stepps up Iudas and dareth to say that against CHRIST 's Church that no man durst evâ—r either against Mose's Tent or Salomon's Temple And if CHRIST had taken it well or passed it in silence or said Sinite illum suffer Iuda's motion to taâ—e place we might have had some shew But seeing He saith Molestus est to Iudas Sinite illam Suffer Marie to go forward and not that only but Bonum opus too why should any after Iudas be thought worthy the answering Surely as the Gospell in this duty hath and so ought to exceed the Law So in the Gospell we heere and our Country above all other I will but say with Chrysostome Appende Christum ô homo doe but construe these two words In Me aright Peize and prize Who it is Et sufficit It is CHRIST IESVS Who hath not spared to annoint us with His own blood and our soules with all the comforts and graces of His Holy Spirit If toward us neither blood nor life were too deer on His part shall on ours any Nardus be too deere or any cost too much that is on Him bestowed Perhaps our particular will more move us It is CHRIST that created for us Nard and all other delights whatsoever either for vse and necessitie we have or for fruition and pleasure we enjoy It is He that hath enriched us that we be hable to bestow it by this long prosperitie plenty and peace as no other Kingdome vnder heaven Is there any good mind can thinke that this is an indignitie that He is not worthy hath not deserved and double deserved this and ten times more at our hands An extraordinarie conceipt is entred into the world by a new found glosse to make whatsoever we like not or list not to doe our selves exrtraordinarie and so some deeme of this as extraordinarie and whereof no example is to be made No ancient Writer is of that minde Luk. 11.37 but that for us it was written and that Vade tu fac similiter may be written upon her box But be it so Why may not I wish on our parts Let us be extraordinarie For GOD hath not dealt ordinarily with us of this land He hath not beene to us a wildernesse or a barren land but hath even our enemies being Iudges been extraordinarie in His goodnesse toward us all And sure in us ordinarie common thankfullnesse is not enough Shall I sett my selfe to recount His benefits An easy matter to find entrance but when then should I make an end In one I will abbridge them all We spake of ointment Verily CHRIST hath annointed over us and given us a most Gracious Soveraigne by whose happy and blessed reigne we long have and longer may we He grant enioyed both the inward and outward annointing the inward the holy and heavenly comfort of GOD 's truth Psal. 45.7 and true oyle of gladnesse the outward of earthly plenty and delight which Nard or any rich confection may affoord and in a word whatsoever happinesse can fall to any Nation vnder heaven From the holy oyle of whose annointing as the dew of Hermon on Sion Psal. 133.2 and as Aaron's ointment upon the skirts of his clothing there daily droppeth upon this whole Realme pure Nard or if any thing els be more precious whether in these earthly or in those heavenly blessings I speake no more then we all feele This is that one I spake of and in this one is all Even the Lord 's Annointed Whom I make no question but the Lora hath and will more and more blesse for that Her Highnesse hath said as Himselfe said Sinite illam And blessed be GOD that hath putt into her heart so to say to like well of Vtquid perditio but to have it so applied I doubt not but this Heroicall vertue among many others shall make her Scepter long to flourish shall make her remembrance to be in blessing to all posteritie and shall be among other her reioycing in the day of the Lord and an everlasting crowne of glory upon Her head This is that ointment I spake of that it selfe alone may make us all confesse we have received from Christ extraordinarie mercie and are therefor to returne more then ordinarie duty Psal. 147.20 Non taliter fecit omni Nay non taliter fecit ulli populo He hath not dealt so with every Nay not so with any people as with us and therefore not any people to deale so thankfully with Him againe This if it were extraordinarie Howbeit if Antiquitie may be admitted Iudge this as a good worke is to be ordinarie with us Since every thing done in this kinde to Christ's Church only upon a thankfull regard is with them reckoned a dramme of Marie Magdalen's ointment At least if we will not come so farre as operata est we doe yet thus farre favour it as to yield to Sinite illam Seeing Marie Magdalen that gave it paid for it and it never came out of our purse And now this question being thus dilated it is every mans duty saith Theophylact to set downe cujus partis sit whose part he will take whose mind he wil be of Whither with Iudas Perditio est or with CHRIST Bonum opus est whither Potuit vendi or Sinite illam But I trust we will stand to CHRIST'S judgement and rather take part with Him for Marie Magdalen then with Iudas against her that we may be with Marie Magdalen that are of her mind which at the houre of death we all shall desire The entrance I make III. The Dâ—ctâ—â—nâ— 1. That Good wâ—rkâ—s are malâ—gnâ—d From this unhappy conjunction of Marie's good worke and Iuda's evill speech this first consideration offereth it selfe nothing pleasant but wholesome and requisite to be called to mind of all that
entreaty without which our love and commandement-keeping would not carry it They are not sufficient to weigh it downe pondere meriti it must come rogatu Christi or not at all Then not to leane on them Christ it is and His intercesâ—ion we take to Not you shall love and keepe my Commandements and then my Father shall be bound but and then Christ shall pray and the Father will give if Christ pray and not otherwise But a doubt heere ariseth May we love Christ or keepe His Commandements before we have the Holy Ghost without whom first had it is certaine we can do neither How shall we love Christ 1. Cor. 12. â— 1. Ioh. 4.2 or keepe His Commandements that we may receive they Holy Ghost when unlesse we first receive we can neither love Him nor keepe them nay not so much as say 2. Cor. 3.5 IESVS is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost Nay not so much as thinke that or any other thought that is good How saith He then Keepe and I will give when He must give or we cannot keepe This scruple will soone be removed by Habenti dabitur A promise may be made tam habenti quà m non habenti Matt. 13.12 as well to him that hath a thing alredy as to him that hath it not at all To him that hath it already in a lower or lesse may be promised to have it in a more ample measure or more high degree then yet he hath or to him that hath it in one kind that he may have it in some other To all save Christ the 〈◊〉 given in measure Where there is measure there are degrees Ioh. 3.34 where there be degreeâ— of more and lesse the more may well be promised to him that hath the lesse To him that hath it in the degree of warme breath it may well be promised in tongues of fire To him that hath it as the first fruits which is but an handfull it may well be promised as in the whole sheaf which filleth the bosome But that which is more agreeable to this Text heer we consider the Spirit as S. Peter multi fermeâ—â— 1. Pet 4.10 the Spirit in his graceâ— or the graces of the Spirit as of many kinds Of many kinds for our wants and defects are many Not to go out of the Chapter In the very next words He is called the Spirit of truth and that is one kinde of grace to cure us of error In the XXVI verse after the Spirit of holinesse which is His common name which serveth to reduce us from a morall honest life to a holy and wherein the power of Religion doth appeare And heere He is termed the Comforter and that is against heavinesse and trouble of minde To him that hath Him as the Spirit of truth which is one grace he may bâ— promised as the Spirit of Holinesse or comfort which is another It is well knowen many partake Him as the Spirit of truth in knowledge which may well be promised them for sure yet they have him not as the Sanctifying Spirit And both these waies may He be had of some who yet are subject to the Apostle's disease heere heavy and cast downe and no cheerefull-spirit within them So they were not cleane destitute of the Spirit at this promise making but had Him and so well might love Him and in some sort keepe His commandements and yet remaine capable of the promise of a Comforter for all that So that Christ may proceed to His Prayer that His Father would send them the Comforter Where we beginne with matter of faith For 3. CHRIST 's Intâ—rcâ—ssion we have heere the Article offered to us and set downe in the three Persons 1 Ego 2 Ille and 3 Alium 1 I 2 He and 3 Another 1 I will pray the Father that is Christ the Sonne 2 And He shall give it that is the Father His Person is named 3 Alium another third Person besides that is Paracletum the HOLY-GHOST 1 One praying 2 the other prayed to 3 the third prayed for 1 Filius orans 2 Pater donans 3 Spiritus consolans The Sonne praying the Father granting the Spirit comforting A plaine distinction And Christ's prayer setts us to seeke His other nature For heere He intreats as inferior to His Father in state of man But in the twentie sixt verse as aequall to His Father in the nature of GOD joines in giving with like authoritie Rogabo as Man Dabo as GOD. Finding the Father giving heere and the Sonne giving there we have the proceeding of the Holy Ghost from both quem mittet Pater whom the Father shall send in the twentie sixt of this quem ego mittam whom I will send in the twentie sixt of the next Called therefore the Spirit of the Father Mat. 10.20 and againe called the Spirit of the Sonne Gal. 4.6 the Spirit of both as sent and proceeding from both And last the aequalitie of the Holy Ghost For sending and procuring He must send and procure them one aequall to Himselfe as good every way or els they had changed for the worse and so pray Him to let him prayer alone they were better as they were they shall be at a losse CHRIST will pray and if He prâ—y great likely-hood there is He will speed 4. His Father 's giving He that is sued to is easy to entreate He is a Father and He that doth sue is gratious to prevaile He is a Sonne Patera Filio-rogatus great odds the suit is halfe obtained yer begunne Specially His suit being not faint or cold but earnest and instant as it was He sued by word and it was clamore valido Heb. 5.7 with strong crying in an high key lachrymis and he added teares saith the Apostle and they have their voice And yet staid not there but His blood speakes too cries higher and speakes better things then the blood of Abel And the effect of His prayer 12.24 Luk. 23.34 was not onely Pater condona Father forgive them but Pater dona Father give them the Holy Spirit to teach sanctifie and comfort them Chap. XVII XVII This was his prayer and his prayer prevailed as good as His word He was His Father should send He said and His Father did send and the HOLY GHOST came witnesse this day 5 Giving the Comforter And came in that sort He undertooke even in that kind whereof they had most need most welcome to them as their case then stood under the terme of Paracletus a Comforter If we aske Why under that terme To shew the peculiar end for which He was sent agreeable to the want of their private estate to whom He was sent If they had been perplexed He would have prayed for the Spirit of truth If in any pollution of sinne for the sanctifying Spirit But they were as Orphans cast downe and comfortlesse Tristitia implevit cor eorum their hearts full of heavinesse no time
Cornelius heere was and I would we so were 2 The other that when all is done all is but accepting though Except He could to our feare and workes both and so is not bound but accept He will though of his grace and goodnesse and as it followes immediately the next verse for His word's sake which he sent preaching peace by Iesus who is Lord over all The last Whereunto accepted and that as appeareth in the XLVII verse was to the Sacrament and by it to the remission of sinnes and to the receiving the Holy Ghost in a more ample measure Opus dici the proper of this Day OF a truth I perceive He that saith Of a truth I perceive now in effect as it were saith before he did not so For I perceive now I. A Point newly perceived Comperi Matt 16.18 Luk. 22.32 Ioh. 21.16 is the speech of one that is come to perceiving of that which before he perceived not On this we pitch first That so great an Apostle for all Tu es Petrus and Rogavi 〈◊〉 and Pasce oves meas doth ingenuously confesse that now he had found that 〈…〉 now he had not For since the beginning of the Chapter he had not So that all 〈◊〉 comperi's were not yet come in By like his chaire was not yet made or he had not yet taken handsell of it But how it comes to passe after at Rome I know not at Caesarea Chap. 11.2 we see it was not so And they that in the next Chapter called him corâm to answer this Sermon sure they seeme as then not to have beene fully perswaded that Saint Peter could perceive all things and not misse in any IOB though in miserie yet in scorne saith to some in his time Indeed you you are the onely men Iob. 12.2 you perceive all Moses did not so There was a case wherein he was nesciens quid de eo facere deberet Num. 15 34. Moses knew not what he should doe Num. 15. There was a case whereof Elisha was feigne to say Et Dominus non nunciavit mihi GOD had not shewed it him 2. Reg. 4. But 2. King 4.27 when GOD did might not Moses and he both have said as Peter doth heere Of a truth before I did not but now I do perceive Yea but this is Old Testament Ioh. 11.49 And was it not so in the New There Caiphas he saith Tush you perceive nothing He perceived all But Cephas he saith he perceived not all For heere he now saith he perceiveth something and all his comperi's came not at once So saith Peter and so Paul 1. Cor. 13.9 All our knowledge is in part and so is all our prophesying too and putts himselfe in the number Of a truth then we perceive Saint Peter comes nothing neere his Successor that would be He perceives all that is to be perceived at once can have nothing added to his knowledge from the first instant he is sett downe in cathedrâ can have no new comperi his comperi's come in all together getts Caiphas's knowledge by sitting in Cephas's chaire They beginne to scorne this themselves now and pray him to get a good Generall Councill about him and he shall perceive things never the worse But it is not this onely they differ in In something beside For Peter tooke Cornelius up from the ground Verse 26. His Successor let Cornelius's Lord and Master ly still hardly Not a Captaine of Caesarea he but even Caesar himselfe Of a truth we may perceive nothing like Cephas in this neither The woman at the well-side said the Messias when He comes He will tell us all Yet when He came Ioh. 4.25 Ioh. 13.7 Ioh. 16.12 He told them not all at once Even to Tu es Petrus He said Tu nescis modò scies autem posthaec and of those Posthaec's this heere was one As they should be hable to beare for all they were not then hable And as it should be for them Act. 1.7 for it was not for them to know all Not the times and seasons and such other things as the Father had put in his owne power I speake it for this that even some that are farre enough from Rome yet with their new perspective they thinke they perceive all GOD 's secret decrees the number and order of them cleerely are indeed too bold and two busy with them Luther said well That every one of us hath by nature a Pope in his belly and thinkes he perceives great matters Even they that beleeve it not of Rome are easily brought to beleeve it of themselves And out they come with their Comperi's and with great confidence propound them But Comperi is one thing In veritate comperi another Comperi they may say and that may be doubted of but in veritate comperi that is it We may take up the Text a point further In veritate comperi will beare two senses 1 One I perceive that I did not before 2 The other I perceive that the contrarie whereof I did conceive before Not to perceive is but to be ignorant But Saint Peter in this had not onely beene ignorant but had positively held the quite contrarie ad oppositum Quod non ex omni gente at any hand At the fourteenth verse before for the Iewish meats we see he contests with GOD Not I Lord No heathenish meat I never eate any and at the twentie eight No lesse unlawfull to eate with heathen men Ignorance is but privative this is positive and so an error An error in the great Mysterie of Godlinesse a part whereof was preached unto the Gentiles that they also had their part in CHRIST And this is not this error alone The Apostles and Brethren seeme to have beene in the same they convented him for this new Comperi and he was seigne to answer for it That for the time generall it was this error and for ought we know Saint Stephen that was stoned before this departed the world in the opinion of In una not omni gente for then sure this truth was not perceived not received publiquely Then is not every error repugnant to GOD 's election Why every error more then 〈◊〉 sinne GOD is hable to pardon and not to impute error in opinion Pro. 14.22 Levit. 5 1◠1. Cor. 1.30 as well as 〈◊〉 practise and Nonne errant omnes qui operantur malum saith Salomon Doe not all 〈◊〉 that doe evill yes sure Did not the High Priest offer as well for the errors as for the transgressions of the people And is not CHRIST made to us by GOD Wisedome against the one as well as Righteousnesse against the other It was Saint Peter's case heere This onely we are looke to that with Saint Peter we be not wilfull if there come a cleer comperi but as ready ro relent in the one as to repent of the other That when we be shewed our error we open our eyes to perceive
erre in their imaginations no lesse and that even against the same places First against Orabo spiritu 1. Cor. 14.15 in the same verse by finding fault with a sett Liturgie which they call stinted prayers and giving themselves to imagine prayers at the same instant whereby it is plaine they so occupie their minds with devising still what to say next their spirit is unfruictfull Mat. 23.14 no lesse then the other's understanding And both these 1 the understanding of the minde 2 and the affection of the spirit are there necessarily required And again that instead of Rosaries and a number of prayers they bring in the Pharise's imagination of long prayers that is a prayer as long as a whole Rosarie And this they take to be a great part of holynesse but indeed it is nothing but the former superstition drawen in backward In which who so markes them shall find they committ both faults that of the Pharisee in taedious length procuring many times nauseam spiritus a dangerous passion and the other of the Heathen in fond repetitions tautologies inconsequences and all the absurdities that may fall into such manner of speech Saint Cyprian faith It was ever in Christ's Church counted an absurd thing which some count their glorie ventilari preces inconditis vocibus The absurditie whereof would better appeare if seeing under prayers heere Psalmes and spirituall songs are conteined both being parts of invocation they would have no stinted Psalmes but conceive their songs too upon the present out of the spirit and so sing them For to say truth ther is no more reason for the one then for the other But GOD's Church hath ever had as a forme of doctrine both of faith in the Creed and of life in the Decalogue so of prayer too Which from Acts 13.2 the Fathers in all ages have called a Liturgie or service of GOD. These are of many imaginations some set up and magnified by some and by others adored and worshipped under the names of the 1 Apostle's Doctrine 2 Governement 3 Sacraments and 4 Prayers Saint Stephen telleth us out of the fift of Amos that if we doe thus make to our selves Tabernacles and figures to worship them our punishment shal be to be carryed away beyond Babylon Acts 7.43 And good reason for these idle phansies are not from Christ's Church from Sion but from Babylon they came and if we delight in them thither shall we be caâ—ryed And sâ—re we are in a good way thitherward for of Babel Saint Augustine faith Civitas illa confusionis indifferent habuit Philosophos interje diversa adversa sentientes In GOD's citie it was never so there was ever correction for Coyners 18. de Civit. Dei But in Babel the Citie of confusion every Philosopher might set up as now every Sect-master may broach any imagination that taketh him in the head without punishment For in Babel it is reckoned but an indifferent matter Sure the Prophets tell us that if Babylon's confusion goe thus before the captivitie of Babylon is not farr behinde From which Almightie GOD deliver us and make us carefull as to continue the Apostle's doctrine c So neither to engrave nor to bow downe and worship any of these imaginations Amen One of the Sermons upon the III. COMMANDEMENT PREACHED IN THE PARISH Church of S t. GILES Cripplegate Iun. XI AN. DOM. MDXCII IEREM CHAP. IV. VER II. Et jurabis vivit DOMINVS in veritate in judicio in justitia And thou shalt sweare the LORD liveth in truth in judgement and in righteousnesse OF this Commandement there are two maine Propositions 1 Thou shalt take the Name of GOD Els it should have beene thou shalt not take it at all 2. Thou shalt take it orderly and not in vaine Of the first thou shalt take it to those ends and uses to which GOD lendeth it Of which one is Thou shalt sweare by it which is limited by two waies First by what The Lord liveth Secondly how In truth iudgement iustice As in the former Commaundements so in this there be two Extremes 1. The one of the Anabaptists which hold all swearing unlawful contrarie to the first Thou shalt sweare 2. The other of the licentious Christian which holds at least in practise A man may sweare how and in what sort he lift By Creatures c Contrarie to The Lord liveth c Falsly rashly lewdly Contrarie to In truth iudgement iustice I. Thou shalt sweare That it is lawfull to sweare it appeareth by the Law Deut. 6.13 By the Prophets Ieremie heere Esai Chap. 45. Ver. 23. more earnestly I have sworne by My Selfe the word is gone out of My mouth and shall not returne That every knee shall bow to Me every tongue shall sweare by Me. David Psal. 63. ult Laudabuntur omnes qui iurant per Eum. By the practise of the Saints not only under Moses but under the Law of Nature Abraham sweareth Gen. 21.24 Isaac sweareth Gen 26.31 Iacob sweareth Gen. 31.33 Now our Saviour Christ came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets in those things wherin they agree with the Law of Nature Therefore not to take away an oath Whereas they object first That it standeth not with Christian profession but was tolerated as an unperfect thing under the Law We answere It cannot be reckoned an imperfection to sweare For that not onely Abraham the patterne of humane perfection both sware himselfe Gen. 21.24 and put his servant to an oath Gen. 24.3 But even the Angels neerer then we to perfection sware both under the Law Dan. 12.7 and under the Gospell Apoc. 10.6 And not onely they but even God himselfe in whom are all perfections Gen. 22.16 and Psal. 110.4 So that it cannot be imagined an imperfection Besides the holy Apostles the most perfect Christians have in urgent causes done the like 2. Corinth 1.23 I call God for a record against mine owne soule and 1. Cor. 15.31 By our reioicing which I have in Christ Iesus our Lord which place cannot be avoided having in the Greeke the word Nη never used but in an oath onely Whereas secondly they object our Saviour's saying I say unto you sweare not at all The Auncient Writers answere that our Saviour Christ in the very same place not reproving the other part Reddes autem Domino iuramenta tua meant not to take all oathes away But must be understood according to the Pharisee's erroneous glosse of this Commandement which he entended to overthrow by opposing to dictum est antiquis Ego autem dico Which was of two sorts 1. For first it seemeth they understood it of periurie alone So that if a man forsware not himselfe he might sweare any oath And so Christ reproveth not onely false but all rash and unadvised swearing 2. Secondly it seemeth they had this conceipt So a man sware not by the great Name of God all was well He might sweare by any creaâ—ure at his pleasure and