Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A70287
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A copy of a paper sent to John Otway, Justice of the Peace, concerning swearing
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Howgill, Francis, 1618-1669.
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1666
(1666)
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Wing H3155A; ESTC R21667
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6,149
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8
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Judge him but being come to the Image of God against such there is no Law tho they are not without one as I said to God and his Christ. 7. But because the Lord would not suffer Israel to walk according to the Heathen he in love to them gave them a Law sutable to the State they were in before the Seed Christ was manifest and the Covenant was sutable to their state their minds was outward and their Covenant was outward their minds was mutable their Covenant was so and these pertained to a part above the Seed and were shadows of good things to come which ended all in Christ tho not destroyed so the Tabernacle Temple Priests Oblations and Offerings Sabbaths Fasts Feasts Oaths Tythes Circumcision and the like tho they were all real Commands of God in their time and continued unto the time of Reformation that is till the Law ended and the Priesthood Covenant and Hebrews 8. It is granted by us in the Covenant the Jews might Swear and did in Truth and Righteousness and were Commanded so to do to Swear by the true God and reverence his Name and sanctifie it and least they should Swear as the Heathens did by their false Gods and reverence them that are no Gods he Commanded to Swear and fear and reverence his Name that was the living God and I look upon it as the low condescention of God or stooping to them in their state they were in because there was Unbelief in them therefore to end strife they might Swear and it was permitted them even as it was to have a King when their hearts was set upon it so the Lord considering their state the Lord Swore by himself for their sakes and as they Swore by the greatest so he by himself being there was no greater to confirm the Truth of his words because of the weakness of their Faith or rather Unbelief 9. But we do not read of all the Oaths amongst the Jews for some there was that feared an Oath that ever they were imposed under any outward penalties as they have been of late among Christians in name but for all the Scriptures and Examples that have been or can be brought to prove Oaths lawful under that Ministration and Covenant to save all men the labour who would contend for the Jews Swearing we allow the same and assent to them so thus them that will contend and prove Swearing then they shall contend without an Adversary for me or that People I own in Judgment 10. But the great thing that seems to carry all the weight on its back is the Morality of it still among Christians as some plead unto which I answer Was not the Sabbath of the Jews as Moral of that of Oaths or any other Command in the Ten or elsewhere which I have heard some Parish Priests say was Moral and perpetual among Christians and yet they themselves break it by practice the Command reached only to the Seventh day and whoso alters it lets up another thing and then how is it Moral The like Doctrine they teach about Oaths and hath darkned peoples understandings without distinguishing betwixt time and time and Ministration and Ministration but some say Christ came not to destroy the Law Moral but to fulfil it it is granted again some say tho they very far strain the words in the third Commandment we are not only forbidden to take Gods Name in vain but to sanctifie by praying praising and Swearing upon occasion If I grant all these under the Gospel in force in the substance as under the Law I say leave nothing of the shadow or Type or Ceremony as to be standing or binding among Christians as it is not It s granted the substance of all had nothing of force under the Gospel For the Law had a Shadow of good things to come that came by Moses but the Grace the Truth came by Jesus Christ the substance and he is the substance and he living in a Christian speaks and testifies the Truth and there need no other in any Judicature and that was never denied by us but often profered but seldom received Incense was the Ceremony of praying and praising but the substance is lifting up the heart to the Lord from the motion of his Spirit and Praising is making melody in the heart to the Lord. And Circumcision of the heart is the substance of the Circumcision in the Flesh Rom. 2. And Christ the substance of the Passover and Christ is the substance of that Shaddow or Ceremony of Swearing and that which every Christian ought to do is to speak the Truth and to testifie the Truth from the heart and this is the substance and that which is required under the Gospel and this we never refused and this divers learned men hath confessed is the sum read Isa. 45. 23. and compare Rom. 14. 11. and so is Confession of a Truth and testifying the same about any matter be not equivolent with an Oath under the Law. 11. As for Matthew 5. and James 5. we give no glosses upon them but do receive the words as they are the Precepts of Christ and James and we cannot allow all those Glossers who would pervert their words from their jenuine sence which we take clearly to be a limitation from all Swearing whatsoever under the Gospel and not only in Communication but even before all men and at all times not only from vain Oaths and false Swearing and by the Creatures but from all Swearing whatsoever the Scripture is so evident and so clear that its much that any should stumble at the Commands the very stop of the Chapter clears the thing yea even some who have contended against us have been made to confess that the perfection of obedience required under the Gospel was above that the Mosaical Law did exact or teach and from these Scriptures so Dr. Gauden and Vsher the one contended against the Quakers the other for the Waldenses against the Romanists Christ saith of old time it hath been said Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit Adultery Thou shalt not for swear thy self nor by the Creatures and if they were not to Swear by them alone nor the Altar neither Head nor Foot then why now by the Bible or upon a Book seeing that it s made of Creatures But it s said by the Contents of the Book what doth the Book contain more then true words and if the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him I am sure the Book cannot Away with this Imposed Traditional Ceremony But Christ saith Whosoever is angry with his Brother is in danger of Judgment And again Love your Enemies And whoso looks upon a woman and lusteth after her hath committed Adultery But I say Swear not all but let your yea be yea and your nay nay whatsoever is more cometh of Evil So that its evident he speaks of a further perfection of obedience under the Gospel than under the Law For if it be only vain Oaths and false Swearing and by the Creatures that he prohibits then the Law had said as much and he said no more than the Law for these were reproved by the Law but its manifest he required a more exact obedience than under the Law and likewise those things that had been permitted because of the hardness of their hearts he took away and brought them by his Doctrin to that state which was in the beginning before darkness and hardness was And as concerning the Angels Swearing to which of the Angels said he Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee And again I bring forth my first begotten Son and let the Angels worship him and therefore the Ministration of the Son is above the Angels and both Angels and their Ministration are to give way unto Christ and he must be worshipped and no example of either Angels or men ought or can violate the Commands of Christ. 12. It was a Doctrin believed and received among the Primitive Christians not to Swear at all that there was no question made of it tho in the times of Persecution when their Liberties and Lives lay upon it yet they denied to Swear and keep in the first Gospel Doctrin taught and would not violate it A Cloud of Witnesses I might bring to confirm the truth of what I say in that particular but that I intend this only as a Manuscript and no further so I will not be tedious but only take a few Fathers whose Doctrin is generally received Origen saith It behooves not a man who lives according to the Gospel to Swear at all Chrysostome forbids not only Swearing but to Swear at all Jerom The Gospel Truth admits not of an Oath Austin Any man that is a common Swearer no more credit can be given than to a Lyar a thing too much in use in our Age yet none debarred from Swearing in Judicature Jerom upon Mat. 5. and James 5. These are his words It was permitted to the Jews being in wickedness and infancy to offer Sacrifice to God least they should Sacrifice to Idols so they might Swear by God not that it was righ ful so to do but because it was better to Swear by the Lord than by false Gods or Devils but the great Evangelical Sincerity and Truth admits not of an Oath since every True Saying is equivolent thereunto Theophalact Hillary Athanasius Theodoret and Lactantius and others taught much against Swearing without any limitation Polybius observes in the best and purest times and simpler Ages of the World Oaths were never used in Judicature but after Unbelief and Lying increased Oaths increased Justin Martyr saith It was enough security in all Cases to say I am a Christian and if any Oath either for matter or manner was tendred they repeated this as the only satisfaction they could give I am a Christian. Polycarpus and Basilides both Martyrs denied to Swear at all and what is this become such a strange new and dangerous Doctrin amongst us in those days that profess Christianity as that now are reckoned good Members either of Church or State but Swearers But I have done desiring thee to peruse these things over in the same love that I writ them and what ever thou dost hold thy hand from Persecution for assuredly God will bring a rebuke upon the Nation for it and all them that withstand the Lord in his People Farewel Thy True Friend Francis Howgill