given as due Do they not dissolve or weaken those bonds of civil societies which Christ by his Gospel hath tied streighter than the Law of Nature did Do they not violate Christian Charity by Damning all that are not of their combination To say nothing of their reviling all Ministers of the Gospel Hath this Precept of not Swearing swallowed up the whole Body of their Christian Religion Or shall the observance of it pass current for universal and uniform obedience to the compleat Law of Liberty Jam. 1.25 Is not then something else in the bottome besides the tenderness of the Reputation of Christianity Let this be well thought on But another thing is yet more remarkable Who would not think but that these hot Zealots for Christs Doctrine of the Gospel who suffer such hard things rather than break Christs Commandment did make the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament which Christ and his Apostles have by practice and precept commended to our study for the confirming of our Faith and the regulating our Lives and those of the New Testament superadded to them joyntly to be the Foundation on which we are built up to be that Temple Eph. 2.19 whereof Jesus Christ is the chief corner stone or the compleat Rule of Faith and Manners For indeed without the Scriptures now who can assuredly know what is the good and acceptable and perfect Will of God And how came these Men to be acquainted with this very Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles but by the Scriptures But after all this you will find your self much mistaken if you imagine that these Men make the written Oracles of God their principle of Religion or Rule of Life For the heads of them in several Books set up the Light of God within them for the only infallible Rule and they disparage the Holy Scriptures which they allow to be at the best but a shadow of Gods will Again their dissimulation of what they dare not deny to be the Word and Will of God concerning Swearing together with their impious despising of the same Holy Word is apparently visible in their Sophistical conclusion thus exprest with all the subtilty that the old Serpent could inspire into them So though it viz. Swearing was allowed in the Law viz. of Moses which is opposed by them in the precedent sentence and here to the Gospel Christ and his Apostles forbid it in his Gospel Here is a double fallacy in the first Member of the conclusion They would induce a conceit that as Divorce was by God and Moses permitted to the Jews to pass unpunished Mat. 19.8 Mal. 2.16 for the hardness of their hearts which yet was not approved by God as good in it self and therefore it is regulated by a Law for the security of the Woman which Law doth but permit the divorce but enjoyn the giving a Bill so Swearing was but allowed barely with prescription of forms for Solemnity and not commanded Deut. 6.13 10.12.20 Whereas Swearing by the Name of God was commanded which is devoted by the Fear of God in Scripture as a solemn part of his Holy Worship whereby Man gives God the Glory of his Sovereignity Providence Omnipresence Omniscience Omnipotence Veracity Justice and Equity The Prophets also who reached to the depth of the Law which was * Rom. 7.14 Jer. 4.2 12.16 Spiritual commanded Swearing under the Old Testament and * Esa 19.18 45.23 65.16 foretold in their Evangelical Sermons that way of serving God and Christ under the dispensation of the New Covenant when the Gentiles turn to the Lord mark the words of Esaiah which according to the Hebrew run thus He that blesseth himself in the Earth shall bless himself in God Amen as we render it not amiss but not to the full importance of the word Esa 11.9 the God of Truth and he that Sweareth in the Earth when it shall be full of the Knowledge of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea in the new state of the Church when God calls his Servants by another Name Esa 65 16 17. And what is that new and blessed name but Christians Shall Swear by God Amen Christ himself expounds the word when in his Heavenly Epistle to the Church of Laodicea Apoc. 3.14 he takes to himself that glorious Title Amen The true and faithful witness who is invoked as a Witness and Judge of the Heart in every Oath made by his Name It is not to be omitted that the Oaths which God commanded to be used in judicial proceedings are enjoyned as fit means in their own nature for the discovery of truth Heb. 6.6 and decision of controversies which benefit and effect is common to all Nations in all Ages who are imbrued with an apprehension and fear of God as Judge of the World It is therefore an Imposture of these Wolves in Sheep-skins to attempt the persuasion that Swearing was only allowed and not as expresly commanded in the Law as these Dreamers Dream it to be forbidden in the Gospel Their second piece of juggling is this that by their taking no notice of the practice of all Nations not debauched into direct Atheisme and of the constant practice of Gods best servants who used Oaths for firm binding themselves and others in publick Confederacies and private transactions which were made between Gods servants on both sides and also between the people of Gado on one side and Idolatrous people on the other part of which proceedings the Sacred History of the World before the Law given by Moses Rom. 15.4 2 Tim. 3.15 1 Cor. 10.11 Heb. 10.1 Col. 2.17 yields a full Harvest of Precedents they divert us from looking after those things which as St. Paul says were before written for the instruction conviction reformation teaching and admonition of us upon whom the ends of the World are come Therefore though Jesus Christ brought that Grace and Truth whereof Moses in the Ceremonial Law by Gods wise contrivance gave the Jews a Shadow and that Shadow vanished when the Body of the Son of Righteousness appeared above the Horizon of the Church yet Christ in his Gospel did not diminish any thing of that natural Religion the seeds whereof God had once sown in the Hearts of all Mankind for the keeping up the Faith of his Providence and the fear of his Judgment which are the two Pillars of Justice without which no civil society can firmly subsist I now proceed to animadvert the false Doctrine either insinuated secretly by supposition or expressed openly by profession First It is falsly supposed that the Law of Moses doth not in any part of it concern or oblige us Christians I shall hereafter shew that Christs prohibition of Swearing in familiar Discourse and St. James's restraint of the Tongues outrage in passionate heates is no forbidding of what the Law commands But if the Law of Swearing oblige Christians or be but a precedent to direct them we must observe
AN EXAMINATION Of the CASE of the QUAKERS CONCERNING OATHS Propounded by them A. D. 1673. To the Consideration of the KING And both Houses of Parliament With a Vindication of the Power of the Magistrate to impose Oaths and the Liberty and Duty of all Christians to Swear by God Reverently Humbly Submitted to the Judgment of His Most Sacred Majesty and the Two Houses of Parliament By Charles Gataker Rector of Hoggeston in the County of Bucks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hierocles in Pyth. Carm. Aur. LONDON Printed by T. N. for Thomas Collins at his Shop at the Middle-Temple-Gate in Fleetstreet MDCLXXV ANIMADVERSIONS ON THE CASE OF THE QUAKERS Concerning Oaths and Swearing Propounded by them to the Consideration of the King and both Houses of Parliament A. D. 1673. SECTION I. The Design of this Treatise IT is not mine intention to examine the Truth of many Assertions boldly affirm'd by these Men without any proof or shew of probability but not without an evidence of Pride and Vain-glory nor to inquire into the sincerity and pertinency of all the Examples and Testimonies annexed to their frame of their Case which can only dazle the Eyes or amuse the Minds of vulgar Readers But my design is out of the Love which I owe to Truth and Peace Zech. 8.19 both which can never be so well preserv'd as by the Holy and Wise Gods Ordinances for their security to assert with as much brevity and perspicuity as I can well use the warrantable use of Oaths under the Gospel when Christians do upon a just occasion Swear by the True and Living God in Truth Jer. 4.2 in Judgment and in Righteousness notwithstanding Christs inhibition in his Sermon on the Mount that the Jews then his Auditors should not swear at all by the Creatures nor by God himself Matth. 5. â—â— 37 in ordinary communication and also to defend the Authority of our Lawful Superiors to require an Oath from them who are subject to their Government be it Civil or Ecclesiastical Now because these subverters of Government do invite or rather provoke the whole Nation to consider their Case that they may gain pitty to themselves from the Common People and Protection from the Powers ordain'd of God even in their disorderly ways of singularity wherein they villify Authority and disturb that peace of Conscience with which good Christians do approve themselves to be faithful Subjects both to Christ and his Vicegerents on Earth I shall endeavor to discover not only the defects but also the frauds of these new Casuists in stating of the Question and then proceed to unfold the Nature of an Oath in order to the right stating of the Question in hand viz. Whether an Oath of God or of the Lord as the Holy Ghost speaks be consistent or repugnant with or to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ Eccl. 8.2 Exod. 22. â— And lastly I shall reconcile sober deliberate and reverent swearing unto Christian Religion still proceeding upon those Principles and Maxims which are avowed by all who are indeed the Disciples of Christ taught of God by his holy Spirit and Word which in Religion deriv'd from Heaven by Revelation are never to be severed since the holy Scriptures are by Gods gracious providence employed and by his Blessing are sufficient to make us wise unto Salvation And in this undertaking I do earnestly beseech the only wise God who is the Father of Lights and free-flowing Fountain of Wisdom to direct and assist me in the lighting of my Candle at his written Word and in drawing the Waters of Life out of that never failing Well of Salvation SECT II. The Pretence of the Quakers THis late upstart Generation raised up by the Lord as they boast and we will acknowledge it to be true in some sense Exod. 9. â—6 as God says he raised up Pharoah first to be a Destroyer and then to be Destroyed complains that for 20 or 30 years last past under the various Revolutions of Government although they have been of a peaceable behaviour They say nothing of their refractory disobedience to Authority in what hand soever have been a suffering People only for refusal of Oaths whereas they cannot swear at all their Consciences not allowing them to do so because of the express command of Christ and out of obedience to the Doctrine of the Apostles They alleadge Mat. 5.33 34. Jam 5.12 from whence they conclude that though Swearing were allowed in the Law yet Christ and his Apostles forbid it in his Gospel They dare and do appeal to God the searcher of Hearts pray mark how near this comes to an Oath wherein every Swearer doth as St. Paul did 2 Cor. 1.23 call God to Record upon his Soul that their refusing to swear is with respect to the Reputation of Christianity and the Evangelical dispensation of Truth and Righteousness which exceed that of the Law and the solemn Oaths thereof and to the express Prohibition in the Case This is the summe of their Case and the ground of their Request to be eased of the heavy burden and to be deliver'd of the Snare of Oaths SECT III. An Examination of this Pretence for Refusal of Oaths I Shall not now make inquiry whether all the Imprisonments and Sufferings of Quakers have been only for their refusing of Oaths exacted of them by Magistrates But my business is to examine whether their pretence of Conscience be allowable in this Case to exempt them from being prest to Swear or to secure them from the guilt of disobedience in their obstinate refusal of all Oaths whatsoever Here first I must lay open two things in this Discourse to wit the foul Hypocrisie and the false Doctrine of these Quakers in the ground-work of their perverseness It is a matter of much consequence to the right understanding of this serpentine breed to compare their professions here of respect to the Honor of Christianity of obedience to Christs command and the Doctrine of the Apostles with their known Principles and Practises and to see whether there be an uniformity in them and these Men bear an equal regard to all the Precepts of Christ Psal 119.6 and his Apostles as David had a respect to all Gods Commandments For partiality in keeping one command with a nice scrupulosity but breaking others with licentiousness is a certain token of insincerity and a pretence of Zeal for one part of the Rule of Religion when all the Rule beside is rejected can be taken for no other than divelish dissimulation Now let the Conversation of the Quakers in relation to other parts of Christianity be a little looked into and you will quickly see how little value credit or obedience they defer to the precepts of Christ and his Apostles Do they not cast aside the Ordinances of Christ and his Apostles for Worship and Government Do they not avowedly refuse to give honor Rom. 13.7 to whom honor is commanded to be
that our Saviour said plainly and severely that except your Righteousness exceed beyond that of the Scribes and Pharisees Math. 5.20 ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven that is ye cannot be Subjects of the Kingdom of the Messiah which now ye long to see Mark that Christ spake then to the Jews who were carried away with a reverence and esteem of the Scribes and Pharisees who partly enervated partly made void the Law of Moses by their new Traditions and false Interpretations Christ recovers the Law of Moses as it was expounded by the Prophets who preferred a Spiritual Obedience and sincere Righteousness and charitable Mercy before Sacrifices from noval corruptions and recommends it explain'd by himself to them who delighted to be counted the Disciples of Moses He propounds no superabundant Righteousness beyond the Law which cannot be exceeded in a tittle For there is nothing imaginable in the way of Righteousness as it imports a conformity of Man's Will unto God's Will beyond the loving of God with all the Heart Soul Vnderstanding Matt. 22.37.40 and Strength and the loving of our Neighbor as our self on which two Commandments all the Law and the Prophets do depend These Christ came neither to make void nor to improve by any new Precept of Righteousness The Righteousness of God by Faith which is now fully and clearly revealed in the Gospel Rom. 1.17 3.21 22. is another thing far different from the inherent and active Righteousness which Christ in his Sermon so earnestly recommends to his new-come Auditors The conceit that Christ made up the defects of the Law and laid a yoke of more exact Righteousness upon Christians than Moses laid upon the Jews yet Papists say we may take up or refuse at pleasure because all these pretended additions which we may find as easily in the Old Testament as in the New are not Commandments but Counsels hath bred many pernicious errors and practises in the Church The Popish way of taking Christs additional Ordinances as they conceive for Counsels leading to a state of Perfection above common Christians hath begot the Doctrine of Works of Supererogation of Merit of Monkery and all the Superstitions and Frauds depending upon them The Phanatick way of false expounding Christs interpretations of the Old Law for New Precepts obliging all Christians hath put Anabaptists and others upon the conceit that the use of the Sword in the Magistrates hand and in the Soldiers and also Swearing is altogether inconsistent with Christianity But let it be considered whether it is likely that Christ would engage his raw Disciples to break the Law of Moses and in a refractory manner to disobey their Magistrates by refusal of Oaths which might be exacted of them almost every day Certainly if his Doctrine had been such and any number of his Disciples had been obedient to his new Law his adversaries who took much pain to little purpose in suborning witnesses against Christ might with ease have found ground enough of accusation and plenty of Witnesses who heard and practised his Doctrine or in their Courts saw it observed if Christs words had been taken at that time in the same sense as the Quakers do now to have overwhelmed our Saviour with the charge of abrogating Moses's Law Lastly is it imaginable that Christ our Blessed Lord and Master would so prevaricate as not to observe and practise what he taught and preached to his Disciples But our Blessed Saviour whom these Seducers affirm to have forbidden Swearing in a Court at the Command of a Magistrate and to have made this abstinence from Oaths a degree of Perfection above the Righteousness of the Law did himself at the great Council at Hierusalem after long and strange silence give an answer to the High Priest being required to speak upon his Oath and he submitted to the High Priest's adjuration by confessing himself to be Christ The High Priest as if he would use a Spiritual Rack to extort a confession from his silent Prisoner said I adjure thee by the living God Mat. 24 63. that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ the Son of God The form of the Oath is pronounced by the Judge himself with the Matter inquired for Our Saviour's answer of assent is a taking of the Oath Thus Christ did and that he taught the contrary is contrary to Reason and to the sense of our Saviours Sermons who therein secures the Law of Moses to a Tittle and excludes from Heaven Matt. 5 17 18 19 any one that teaches the breach of the least Commandment in the Law Surely if his Auditors had then understood their new Master to have abrogated all the Precepts of Moses concerning Oaths in Judicature especially they would have accused him of contradicting himself and of disparaging Moses and of vilifying the Law of God and in that humor would have deserted him But it is evident that our Saviours Doctrine had a powerful Influence upon them another way Matt. 7 28 29. to raise their Wonder and Reverence of his Authority above that of the Scribes and Pharisees But the knotty question is not yet untied For it is said by many If our Saviour did not fill up as they expound 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Defects or the Shortness of the Law in points of Righteousness why doth he oppose his sayings to what was said of old in the Law and settle a new Rule of Righteousness Here lies the difficulty which I pray God direct me to clear First I say that the common exposition of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by fulfilling as the Evangelist uses it Matt. 3.15 when he relates our Blessed Saviours Speech wherewith he satisfied John the Baptist concerning Baptizing his Master Thus it becometh us to fulfil all Righteousness is very pertinent and apposite to the former member of the Sentence as much as 't is agreeable to the Truth For Christ that came to destroy the works of the Devil 1 Joh. 3.8.6.5 and to take away sin which is the breach of the Law by his Holy Life and Doctrine and by his expiatory Sacrifice might truly and fitly say he came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfil them And to reject this Sense of Christs words without manifesting the incongruity of it is an injurious dealing with Scripture On the other side the expounding of it Filling up or Supplying is supposed to be true before it is proved whereas it is not so agreeable to the opposition set between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Certainly Filling up by Addition is not so directly opposite to the destruction of the Law and Prophets as Fulfilling them is which strengthens their Authority and Credit But let these Men who are so earnest for Christs improvement of the Law by addition of more excellent Precepts of exact Purity and heroick Patience shew how he hath supplied the defects of the Prophets
since Moses David Solomon and the Prophets have in several places given the same Rules of Purity Peace Patience c. and the Apostles have enforced their exhortations to these Christian Vertues by testimonies taken out of the Old Testament as any one that is indifferently versed in the Apostolical Epistles will find Secondly this pretended filling up of the Law makes the new Doctrine of Christ indeed to be the inserting a piece of a new and unwrought Cloth into an old Garment Matt. 9. â—6 which agrees not with it but makes the rent worse For if the superstructure which these expositors build upon their fancied foundation be true Christ came to destroy the Law of Moses and the Prophets as unsufficient for Christians and for the Jews too at that time by requiring a Righteousness more accurate then they did For if Christ forbad all Oaths even those which Moses commanded it unavoidably follows that the great Prophet Christ untaught what Moses and the Prophets injoyned and he dissolved their building which is a strange way of perfecting and Christ for his part strongly disavows to have been the intent of his coming Matt. 9. â—2 The rub that lies in my way is Christs prohibition of Divorces except in case of Adultery and the reduction of God's Ordinance of Marriage to its primitive Unity Purity and Indissolubility Matt. 16. â—â— c. as our Saviour more largely elsewhere handles the case It is besides my present purpose to enter upon another question besides that of Oaths I shall only say that our Blessed Saviour intended a reformation of the Jewish Nation corrupt by custom and the restitution of Marriage throughout all Christendom to its Integrity and Dignity and to prefer God's Primitive Ordinance before a political Law attempered by a wise and a Gracious Law-giver to the humour of an ill-natured people And yet here is nothing new or more perfect than what was delivered in the Law and the Prophets For Christ proves his Doctrine of Marriage out of Moses Matt. 19. â— The severe Law of Retaliation which God made that he might by terror prevent the first injury and not that he might encourage the last of Revenge is no more repealed by Christ than by Solomon Prov. 20.22 and 24.29 But it sounds harshly when a Man says This Law is filled up by Christ when he disswades the use of the Law By the way take notice that many Political Laws were wisely contrived and provided by God for the Jewish People as fit remedies of many evils emergent by the naughty disposition of a froward Generation which Provisions were left to the liberty of the offended Party to make use of Now Christs prudential admonitions of the Jews not to fly to those Remedies are no abrogations of those Laws But I have said enough of Christs preserving reverence and enjoyning obedience to that original Rule of Righteousness given to Mankind which was antienter than the Law given in Mount Sinah and is set down and explain'd in the Law and in the Prophets which compleat the Body of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament which God hath thought expedient to preserve for the benefit of his Church Universal of all Nations Finally to solve the whole objection the Adversaries and their Doctrine against which Christ bends his Discourse are to be enquired for and discovered Christ before he delivered his own Sense and Saying premises this to his present Auditors Ye have heard that it was said to or by them of old time c. Mal. 5.21.27.23 ver 38.43 ver 31. Or Ye have heard that it hath been said c. Or barely It hath been said Now that which was said to them of old time viz. to the Ancestors of the Jews that either heard God himself or Moses and the Prophets which is recited and interpreted by our Saviour is either some words of the Decalogue viz. the 6.7 and 3 Commandments or else some Precepts in the Law as those concerning Divorce Retaliation Love and Hatred but of whom did that people hear it without doubt of the Scribes and Pharisees Matt. 23.13 and 16. whose form of Righteousness Christ taxes for defectiveness and whom elsewhere he sharply reproves for Blind Guides yet active and cunning Seducers and of whose sower but spreading Leaven of false Doctrine he warns his Disciples to beware But did they hear all that God said to them of old time and nothing else Did these popular Rabbies preach the word of God intirely and sincerely without addition mutilation corruption and adulterating by vain traditions of Men and by fraudulent glosses No such matter this is confessed and without controversy that those soothing Preachers insisted on the Letter of the Law and to gratify the corrupt affections of their Clients and Scholars who looked on them as bearing the Keys of Knowledge and uncontroulable interpreters of the Law and rewarded them accordingly perswaded them that an external obedience or abstinence from Adultery Murder Perjury was a full satisfaction to the Law and this patch of innocency was an entire raiment of Righteousness Further They gave all the indulgence to the Peoples passions of Lust and Revenge which the politick Law did not reach at to punish In the mean time they neglected all the Sermons of the Prophets who were by their Office Interpreters of the Law and Preachers of Repentance and did constantly require the cleaness of the Heart Truth in the inward Man and Regularity in their Affections Now our Saviour Christ reflects upon the Impostors and their corrupt comments upon the Law of God when he expounds the several Commandments He makes no distinction of Perfections as W. Brute misconceived as if there were one perfection of the Men of the Old Testament and another of Christian Men. A sincere endeavour to be Holy and Merciful as God our Heavenly Father is and shews himself to be our pattern is the Perfection common to both Jew and Gentile that follow after the Righteousness of God's prescription That which W. Brute and these Quakers that follow him call The perfection of the Antient Jews Not to forswear themselves is but the partial clipt and counterfeit Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees expounding the 3 Commandment by halfes Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain that is said they Thou shalt no swear falsly nor break thy Oath whereas they never counted rash and vain Oaths to be a breach of this Commandment worthy their reproval And that which they call the perfection of Christian Men not to swear at all is indeed a corruption of Religion by depriving God of his Honour and Worship and a great Defect introduced into the publick Institutions of Justice by debarring Christian States of a very serviceable Ordinance of God The reason of mine Assertion is this As Christ in expounding the sixth and seventh Commandment the force of which he extends to the restraint of the Eye Heart and
exacted by a lawful Superior is a good Work done in the Name of the Lord as I have abundantly proved already Therefore some Swearing is not only consistent with Christianity but also required by the Gospel It remains only for me to show for the direction and satisfaction of Christians in several cases of a more private concernment that Oaths taken or given without the interposition of the Magistrates Authority either upon a single persons own Motion of Spirit impelled thereto by weighty considerations or out of compliance with a Neighbour are not repugnant but agreeable to the Rules of the Gospel Here I shall for brevities sake produce but one argument which hath Light and Strength enough to prove my conclusion and may lead the Reader to frame more by proportion out of the Gospel if he please for the fuller Conviction of the Adversary to stop his Mouth with number if weight will not bear down his reason The Gospel doth always allow 1 Cor. 10.21 1 Pet. 4.11 Rom. 15.2.3 1 Cor. 10.24 Phil. 2.4 and as the importance of the matter requires commands Christians to do whatsoever doth directly and by the nature of the act it self tend to the Glory of God which ought to be the aim which we intend in all our deliberate actions and in like manner to perform freely whatsoever really conduces to the good peace and welfare of our Neighbor whom we are bound to love as our selves by the Law and Gospel But the due Swearing in many things that concern our selves or for the satisfaction of our Brother or for a mutual engagement to do what is agreeable to Piety Justice and Charity doth bring Glory to the Name of God and procures the good of our selves and others And therefore is not by the Gospel wholly banished out of the conversation of Christians The Assumption is manifestly true For it is apparent to sence and reason that when a Christian calls God to witness regard judge and revenge falshood upon the Head and Soul of perjur'd persons he sets forth the Glory of God as much as Jacob and Laban or Jonathan and David or any of the former days before or under the Law did And common experience teaches us what satisfaction and benefit we mutually give and receive by an Oath reverently taken The conclusion therefore naturally flows from the premises and abides firm as built upon a Rock that Christianity hath not made the Third Commandment a mere insignificant or useless Cypher to us by forbidding Oaths which leaves no place for the honouring of Gods Name that way and stops up the passage against Piety and Impiety both together I confess that a great measure of Christian Prudence is requisite in the private use of Oaths above what is needful in Oaths administred by authority For our submission to the wisdom of the State enjoyned us by God absolves us from much of the trouble and care about the sufficient weight in the ground of the Oath whereas now the whole burden of the Oath with all the circumstances to qualifie and legitimate the same lies upon the discretion of the private Christian who ought to have a full assurance in his own Mind Rom. 14. â—5 of the warrantableness of the action Therefore the sparing use of private Oaths is safe commendable and comfortable For according to St. 1 Cor. 6.12 10.23 Pauls golden rule All things that are lawful for us are not always expedient neither do they always edifie And Christs precept of abstinence from Swearing in ordinary discourse doth in a manner restrain his Warrant concerning Oaths to matters not only serious but also weighty which need such an inforcement of belief or engagement Being now arrived at this conclusion I will imitate my Adversaries a little and quote the Testimony of a Heathen who was beholden to the Gospel for his refined Morality but a profest Enemy to Christ Hierocles one of the †By the way we may observe that it was a cunning Stratagem of Satan in that age that he might yet support his sinking Kingdom to revive and set up the Pythagorcan and Platonick Philosophy the Morality whereof they improved not without borrowing Light from the Christian Religion But the Devils design was by Philosophy to baffle Faith and to discountenance Christianity as being at the best but useless which could do no more to advance Vertue than Paganism it self This is evident by the Writings of Porphyrie Jamblichus Hierocles and the like Platonick School at Alexandria in his accurrate Coment on the Golden Verses of Phythagoras explicating that Precept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reverence an Oath discourses thus as I shall render his sence faithfully without transcribing the Greek He calls an humane Oath the Image of Gods Oath whereby God establisheth the immutable Law and order of the Vniverse the helper of humane affairs and Procurator of constancy and truth which reduces the versatile free will into order and affixedness both in words and deeds The Reverence of an Oath is the keeping of what is Sworn to as much as in us lies without violation which by a voluntary necessity trimmes them that reverence an Oath to the constancy and truth of a Divine Habit or Constitution None but they who are possest with political Virtues can swear aright * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word of the Law Maâ— 5.33 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naughtiness or vitiousness is the Mother of false or for-swearing How is it possible that a covetous voluptuous or cowardly person should ever do other then put off the reverence of an Oath and when ever he imagins that some advantage may be reaped by Perjury barter away Divine Goods for those which are mortal and fading Now the best course of care to preserve the reverence of an Oath is not to use it frequently nor at adventure nor upon light occurrents nor for the filling up of talk nor for the giving credit to a relation but as far as it is possible to reserve the use of it for things that are equally necessary and precious and them only when their Security appears not any other way to be procured but by the truth issuing from an Oath And then our Oaths will gain credit when our whole conversation bears harmony with it to show that in humane matters nothing is more precious with us than Truth whether we be unsworn or swear Now this precept charges us not onely to Swear aright but also to abstain from Oaths For so we shall alwayes swear aright if we do not * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 does not alwayâ— signifie the Abuse of a thing but sometimes the full use oâ— a thing to the utmost of ouâ— power and liberty So St. Pauâ— who never had thoughts of abusing his power in the Gospel resolved to deny himself bâ— not using his full power of lâ—ving upon the Gospel 1 Coâ— 9 18. And the transitoriness