do not only pray for the Emperors health but we also swear by it which is a far more sacred form of oath then that which you Gentiles use when you swear by the Emperours Genii and therefore we refuse to swear in that form because we Christians know that they are devils whom you call Genii But yet we swear by the health of the Emperour which is more worth then all the Genii The form of the military oath which Christian Soldiers took even in Constantines time is thus laid down in Vegetius Per Majestatem Imperatoris quae secundum Deum generi humana diligenda est colenda By the Majesty of the Emperour which according to Gods Ordinance humane kinde ought to love and reverence If we would not therefore incurr that guilt of condemning the generation of the righteous that have been in all generations which the man after Gods heart deprecates we must subscribe to this that in such forms of swearing though we name some creature yer we swear not ultimately by that creature but by that God whose creature it is Hence S. Austin Serm. 28. in verb. Apost qui per lapidem jurat si falsum jurat perjurus est non te audit lapis loquentem sed punit Deus falentem He that swears by a stone if he swear falsly is perjured the stone indeed to speak properly does not hear thee speaking but God hears thee forswearing and punisheth thee for thy cousenage as if the stone by which thou swaredst had heard thy words and repercusts them into the ears of God alluding to that of Joshua chap. 24. 27. Behold this stone shall be a witnesse unto us for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us c. But what need I call in humane when we have as plain divine Testimony of this Truth as can be exprest by tongue given in by Christ himself Mat. 23.21 Whoso shall swear by the temple sweareth by it and by him that dwelleth therein and he that shall swear by heaven sweareth by the throne of God and him that sitteth thereon 3. But the Pharisees made so great a difference betwixt these forms of swearing in point of obliging the conscience of him that swore to a persormance of promissory and to speaking the truth in assertory oathes as to teach that swearing in any forme but that which they called Corban or that wherein God was expresly named did not bring him that took it into an obligation of performance This strange doctrine of theirs is fully stated and substantially confuted by our Saviour Mat. 23.16 Wo unto you blinde guides which say whosoever shall swear by the temple it is nothing but he that shall swear by the gold of the temple or by the gift that is on the altar he is a debtor that is obliged to pay his vows By the gold of the temple they did not mean that wherewith the temple was overlaid for that was a part of the temple and as blinde as these guides were they could not be such stark-mad fools as to think swearing by a part was more binding then swearing by the whole but that wherewith the temple-treasury was endowed a part being put for the whole gold for the gold silver and other donatives belonging to the sacred treasury whether they were already brought in thither or laid up by order of the Sanhedrin in other places as for more safety the sacred pole-money or half-shekel which every Israelite paid every year for his soul to the use of the temple was in times of war deposited in some strong hold till a sufficient convoy could be procured to bring into the sacred treasury either whole or in parcels as they had occasion to employ it either in repairing the temple or in buying of sacrifices Joseph Antiq. l. 14. c. 12. or but so much as was devoted to the temple by vow though not yet paid into the collectors hands of which we have a notable instance Mark 7.11 But ye say if a man shall say to his father or mother it is Corban that is to say a gift by whatsoever thou mightest be profited he is free from the duty of relieving his indigent parents and you suffer him no more to do ought for his father or mother that is if a mans parents in their necessity shall ask the honour of maintenance and beg relief of his son if his son shall say Oh father that which thou desirest me to releive thee with is a gift I have consecrated it by vow to the sacred treasury and am obliged to pay it thither and therefore cannot without sacrilegious perjury divert it to thy maintenance Theophrastus as he is quoted by Josephus against Appion l. 1. makes mention of this Oath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Corban or the gift as sacred amongst the Jews and therefore amongst other peregrine forms of swearing forbid by the laws of the Tyrians door-neighbors to the Jews The Pharisees I say taught that Corban the gifts of the temple and gifts upon the altar were so sacred as whosoever did swear by them became thereby a debtor that is was obliged to performance and this was the onely form of oath wherein the name of God was not exprest which they esteemed binding as to all other forms whether by the temple or altar by heaven or earth or any creature in either of them men might bandy them at pleasure without the least regret of conscience or purpose of performing them From this doctrine their Proselites were drawn into an opinion that they might call heaven and all therein save God himself earth and all therein save Corban to bear witnesse of their sincerity in making oath by their names and yet still remain as free from obligation to perform those oaths as if they had not swore at all but onely past their bare word and from this opinion into a custome of larding their common discourse wsth all such oathes as if they had been no more then ornaments of speech then flowers of Rhetorick as if swearing by heaven had not implied swearing by him that dwells therein Jurejurando supplentes orationem Philo Jud. de deca logo quasi non satius esse mutilam relinquere Sceptram non purat est Deos as the Poet speaks of a perjur'd King He did not think that swearing by his scepter was swearing by God who put the scepter into his hand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Apollonius in Philostratus l. 6. censured Socrates He did not think that when he sware by a cock or goose and such creatures he sware by their Creator but did purposedly choose to swear by such things that he might not bring himself under an obligation to keep his oath as he conceived he must have done if he had sworn expresly by God 4. This being the state of the malady the great Physician of souls applys himself to the confutation of the opinion which bred and fed it
THE CASE OF THE QUAKERS RELATING TO OATHS STATED Wherein they are Discover'd To oppose Prophetical To pervert Evangelical To falsifie Ecclesiastical and To contradict their own Doctrine LONDON Printed for Charles Brome at the Sign of the Gun at the West-End of St. Pauls 1696. SECTION I. Christians of the highest rank and greatest Prosiciency way lawfully in some cases confirm the Truth with an Oath Arg. 1. SAint Paul both knew the minde of Christ 2 Cor. 1.23 And served God in the spirit in the Gospel of his Son Rom. 1.9 yet he was so far from pleading that of the Essenns mentioned by Josephus Bell. Jud. lib. 2. c. 7. who profess'd that quicquid dixerint validius esse omni juramento supervacuum esse ipsis jurare their word was stronger then the oath of other men and therefore it was superfluous for them to swear Or that of the Scythians who told Alexander as Quintus Curtius reports that their love of veracity was so eminent as their affirming a thing was in stead of an Oath Or the custome of the Heroick Age wherein as Homer relates the shaking of their Sceptre or shaking by the hand did more oblige men to speak the truth and perform promises then the most sacred Oaths could oblige succeeding degenerate Ages So far I say was S. Paul from pleading such examples or his own exemption from his performance of this office of charity to common humane infirmity which in many cases requires the inter position of an oath in order to the procuring an indubitable perswasion of the truth as he frequently confirms what he asserts in such like forms of sacred oaths as these God is my witnesse Rom. 1.9 I say the truth in Christ I lie not my conscience also bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost Rom. 9.1 I call God for a record upon my soul that c. 2 Cor. 1.23 The God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ knows that I ly not 2 Cor. 11.37 As God is true our word towards you was not yea and nay 2. Cor. 1.18 Before God I ly not Gal. 1.20 God is my record Phil. 1.8 Ye are witnesses and God also 1 Thes 2.10 upon which St. Austin Jura … autem ipse Apostolus in Epistolis suis sio ostendit quomodo accipiendum quod dictum est Non Jurate omnino Augustine de mend cap. 15. for the Apostle himself did swear in his Epistles and thereby demonstrate how that is to be understood where it is said swear not at all That these forms of speech are sacred oaths is manifest from Genesis 31.50.53 where Laban and Jacob are said to swear in these forms of words So God is witnesse betwixt me and thee and the God of Abram the God of Nahor the God of their fathers judge betwixt us and Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaack that is by God whom his father worshipt And to spare the labour of making more quotations from the definition of an oath which in Philo's phrase de legibus particularibus and in the common notion of mankinde is nothing else but a calling of God to witnâ—sse to the truth of what we say From which if eminency of Holinesse would excuse any man it would have excused S. Paul who before the writing of those Epistles had given greater testimony of his sincerity veracity and love to truth then any man living can either in truth or with Christian modesty lay claim to Who can have the face to say That he hath delivered the truth with greater demonstration of the spirit and of power in words which the Holy Ghost teacheth 1 Cor. 2.4.13 That he hath by manifestation of the truth commended himself to every mans conscience in the sight of God 2 Cor. 4.2 more then this chosen vessel did which of them that tell us we may take their word and spare their oath dares vie with him in the perills pains hardships labours losses which he sustain'd for the truths sake If then S. Paul notwithstanding Christs prohibition and that he could pleade more for mens taking his bare yea and nay then any man now living can pleade did yet frequently confirm his sayings with an oath what more then Essaan then Scythiâ—â— then Luciferian pride possesseth those monsters of men who have the impudence to pleade their own eminency in grace as that which exempts them from calling God for a record against their soul when the considerableness of the thing requires it From exhibiting to the divine Majesty that part of incommunicable honour due to his sacred and dreadfull name Away with that smoakie pride out of Gods house let it not be so much as named amongst Saints whosâ— character is humility Arg. 2. Without the interposition of an oath 't is impossible iâ— many câ—sâ—â— that Justice can be administred according to the rule of the Gospell To instance in one for all Exod. 22.10 11. If a man deliver unto his neighbour an oxe or ass or sheep to keep and it die or be hurt or driven away no man seeing it then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both that he hath not put his hand to his neighbours goods and the owner of it shall accept thereof and he shall not make it good It is the righteous Gods will that Justice be administred in this and the like cases now under the Gospell as well as formerly under the law but in such like cases it cannot be determined according to the Evangelical rule who shall bear the losse without the interposition of an oath For if the mans bare word be taken for the proof of his innocency the controversy will be decided by one onely witnesse directly against Christs precept Mat. 18.16 That in tho much of two or three witnesses every word may be establisht And therefore the guiltlesse party in such cases as this where no man but himself is privy to his innocency must in vindication thereof take iâ— God to witness with him that so the matter may be decided by two witnesses at least to wit by him that makes oath and by God whom he calls to witnesse with him Breifly we must either make Christ by this prohibition swear not to patronize such injustice under the Gospell as God would not patronize under the law or proceed to the determination of controversies contrary to Christs rule or else put an end to such like strife by the interposure of an oath And therefore swearing in such cases is so far from being a sin as it is a necessary duty not to be neglected without manifest injustice to the preventing whereof and the doing of right betwixt man and man nothing is more contributary then Evangelicall grace so far is sanctity from exempting its possessors from the discharge of those offices of charity which they owe to themselves and their neighbour in such cases Arg. 3. That which the spirit of Christ in the old Testament-Prophets 1 Peter 1.11 did commend as that which should be
the practise of the choise servants of God in the Christian Church called from amongst the Gentiles after his rejection of the Jewes may lawfully be done by the holiest Christian But the spirit of Christ in the old Testament-Prophets did command swearing by the God of truth as that which was to be the practise of Gods elect servants in the Christian Church after his rejection of the Jewes and choosing the Gentiles Therefore the holiest Christian may lawfully swear by the God of truth The major is undeniable the Assumption I prove from Isaiah 65.15 And ye shall leave your name for a curse to my chosen that is The people that I shall choose from amongst the gentiles shall use your name the name of a Jew in execrations when they have a minde to denounce a curse they shall do it in this or the like form the Lord make thee like a Jew whom he hath cast off and mâ—de a vagabond upon earth parallel to that Jeremy 29.22 of them shall be taken up a curse that is the form of a curse by all the captivity of Judah saying the Lord make the like Ahab and Zedekiah two false prophets whom the king of Babylon rosted in the fire For the Lord God shall slay thee and call his servants by another name that is God will dissolve the Judaick Church Common-wealth so that his people shall no longer be discriminated from the rest of the world by the name Jew but by another new name that which was given at Antioch where the disciples were first called Christian by which name ever since the people of the God of Abram have been called and differenc't from all other people upon the face of the earth That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall blesse himself in the God of truth and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth The sum of this whole Paragraph is breifly this You Jewes boast of your priviledges of my electing you out of all Nations to be my peculiar people and you please your selves with these conceits that if I cast you off I shall have none to worship me in the whole world I shall break my promise made to Abraham But know ye that Abraham hath another seed then carnal Jews and when I cast you off I will take the spirituall seed of Abraham his children by faith to be my people who shall be known from others by the name Christian by these I will be secured not as I am now by you in a corner of the world Judaea but in the earth for the uttermost parts of the earth shall be my possession and whosoever through the wide world under the Christian name shall call upon the name of the true God shall blesse themselves in his name and swear by him as the God of truth as that God who by choosing gentile-beleevers to be his people keeps faith with Abraham See Calvin S. Jerom iâ— locum Oecolampadii hypomnemata c. Arg. 4. That which the spirit of Christ that was in the prophets foretold should be done in the time of the Gospel by the Lords people as an evidence of their conversion unto the Lord may lawfully be done by Christians But the spirit of Christ which was in the prophets foretold that in the time of the Gospel the Lords people should swear by his name as an evidence of their conversion unto the Lord. Therefore a Christian may lawfully swear by the Lords Name The major is beyond all possibility of doubt if it be considered how it is limited for I do not say that whatsoever the prophets foretold should come to passe may lawfully be done for I know they foretold the treason of Judas the Jewes rejecting of Christ c. but that whatsoever they foretold should be done as a signe of grace as an evidence of their conversion that do it may be done without sin For sin cannot be an evidence of grace works of darknesse cannot demonstrate him that does them to be a childe of light The truth of the minor is clear from Jsaiah 45.23 I have sworn by my self the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousnesse and shall not return shall never be repeal'd that unto me every knee shall bow every tongue shall swear From which Text that I may manifest the indubitable truth of each branch of my assumption Let it be observed 1. That this prophesie is to receive its accomplishment in gospel-times For God speaks here to the ends of the earth bids them look to him and be saved promiseth salvation to the Gentiles calleth the dispersed of the nations to come near and sweareth that every knee shall bow unto him Now the ends of the earth the nations dispersed did not look to God were not brought nigh till Gospel-times till then not the gentile world but onely the Jewish people did bow the knee and swear to the God of Israel to the Lord Jehovah Before the coming of Christ and the gentiles embracing the Gospel they were without God aliens and strangers to the common-wealth of Israel and the Covenants of promise afar off c. Ephes 2.11 c. 2. That swearing to the Lord is here prophesied of as that divine service and homage by the performing whereof gentile-converts were to declare their owning of and conversion to the true God St. Paul quotes this very Text to prove that all men Gentiles as well as Jewes owe service to Christ Rom. 14.9 10. He is Lord of all that is all nations are to do him homage for it is written As I live saith the Lord every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God It were blasphemy against the Holy Ghost to say that thâ— Apostle perverts the prophets words but he knowing the minde of the Lord in this text renders that word in the prophet every tongue shall swear which denotes an eminent act of saving confession by a word which comprehends the whole service of God thereby implying that swearing by the Lord is one part of divine worship and so eminent a part of confession to God as it virtually contains all other acts of such confession and that we confesse our beleif in and subjection to the true God as well by swearing by his name as by any other act of divine worship we perform to him Breifly the plain sense of the prophet as S. Paul expounds this text is this That as the Gentiles till Christ that light that lightens the gentiles served dumb idols confessing them to be Gods by bowing the knee by swearing to them so after Christs calling the gentiles to the Obedience of the true God man should turn from idols acknowledge the living God to be what his names and attributes import infinitely knowing just powerful c. by transferring unto him those divine honours of bowing the knee and swearing which before their conversion they confer'd upon false Gods 3. That God himself swears by himself then