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regard his Word; fo that this one Vice tends to the utter Diffolution of Human Society.

Mal.

(3.) As no Sin has a worfe Influence on all Parts of our Duty, whether to God or Man, fo there is no Sin more exprefly forbidden, or more grievously threatned in the Law of God. It is obferved, that Idolatry and Perjury are the only two Sins to which an exprefs Threatning is annexed in the Decalogue. And particularly it is obferved, that Perjury is threatned with the Deftruction, not only of the Man's Perfon, but of his House and Family; nay, brings great Calamities on whole Countries, as by these Texts may apppear; iii. 9. I will come near to you in Judgment, and be a fwift Witness against the Swearer. And Zech. v. 4. Speaking of the Curfe that goeth over the whole Earth; God, fays he, will bring it forth, and it shall enter into the House of him that fweareth falfly by the Name of God, and fhall remain in the Midst of his Houfe, and fhall confume it: which is interpreted, by good Commentators, that the Judgment of God, for this Sin, undermines Eftates and Families to the utter Ruin of them. And elsewhere it is faid, that because of Oaths the Land mourns. And in the New Teftament, to keep us from all approach to this Sin of Perjury, our Saviour utterly forbids all Oaths in our common Communication or Converfation.

IV. And thus now I am come to the fourth and laft Thing I propofed to confider on this Head, namely, What falves us from Perjury, though we cannot always perform our Oaths. VOL. II. Y

And

[SERM. And this Confideration belongs only to promiffory Oaths, which befides the fincere Intention at prefent, require a future Care and Endeavour to perform. But yet, notwithstanding our beft Care and Endeavour, fometimes it may not be in our Power, by any lawful Means, to bring it to pafs; and fometimes, if it were in our Power, the Circumstances may be fo altered, that it is not fit to execute what we have promised, if we would. I fhall, out of the best Cafuifts, lay down fome Rules for this Matter, and fo have done.

1. First, They who are under the Command of a lawful Superiour, cannot execute an Oath or a Vow, in any thing to which his Consent is required, if he exprefly diffents from it; and the Reafon is plain, because by no Oath of ours we may injure another; as it would be a plain injuring him, if, not being at our own Disposal, we fhould take upon us to dispose of ourselves as free Perfons. In the 30th chap. of the Book of Numbers, there is a Cafe put of a Maid's Vow. while fhe is in her Father's Houfe, and of a Wife's Vow; and it puts it exprefly in the Power of the Father of the Maid, and the Hufband of the Wife, to null thofe Vows. And, by a Parity of Reafon, all our Oaths and Vows must be understood to be meant with this tacit Limitation, as far as it is in my Power: For my Oath gives me no new Power which I had not before, nor deprives my Superiour of any Power he had over me before I fwore.

2. When the Matter, or Subftance of the Thing, fails, about which the Oath was given, then the Oath it. felf is no longer binding, e. g

If

If a Man, at his Entry upon any Office of Truft, should take his Oath that he will faithfully difcharge that Office, there is no doubt, when he comes to be turned out of that Office, or when he lawfully refigns it, he is likewise free from the Obligation of that Oath. So a Soldier that takes the Military Oath to any Prince or Commonwealth that employs him, when Peace is made, and he comes to be difbanded, he is likewife free from that Oath.

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3. When we give our Oath to another, and promife him fomething for his Benefit, if he pleases to forgive that Obligation in whole or in part, no doubt we are then abfolved from our Oath, or fuch a part of it, provided no Harm be done to any other. But this holds only in fuch Oaths and Promifes, where no Sin or Scandal will follow upon the Diffolution of them. For if it be a Sin to diffolve them, it is not the Confent of the Party with whom we contracted, that will make it lawful; as in the Cafe of Marriage, which God has given us leave to contract, but not to diffolve, even by the Confent of Parties.

4. If the Oath we take to another, be either exprefly, or in it's own Nature, conditional; that is, with a Proviso that something be done of his part; then, upon his failing as to his part of the Condition, we are likewife abfolved from

ours.

But it is otherwife where both Parties abfolutely promife one another, and not conditionally, for there the Failing of oné, doth not abfolve the other.

5. Lastly, Whatever we promife, even upon. Oath, must be understood with a Provifo that it

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[SERM. be both poffible and lawful for us, and that no unforeseen thing happen, which may make our obferving our Oath an Evil, or uncomely, difhoneft Action: For Example, if I swear to make fuch a Man my Heir, but find afterwards that he is in a Plot against my Life; if a Man fwears to marry fuch a Woman, and afterwards the proves with Child by another Man; for if there be nothing of Fraud of his fide who breaks his Oath, but all the Fault is from such Variation of the Circumftances as never fell under the real Defign and Intention, but perhaps contrary to the real Defign and Intention, it is no Perjury.

But it is needless to infift further in reckoning up fuch Cafes. The best way to avoid Perjury in all Cafes, is first to abstain from all rafh cuftomary Oaths of our own. Secondly, To be very grave and deliberate in what we affirm or promife upon Oath, at the Command of our Superiours. Thirdly, To take Oaths in the plain genuine Senfe of the Words. Fourthly, To endeavour fincerely and honeftly, in our several Stations, to keep them, but not to think our felves obliged to flee to unlawful Means, or to raise Rebellions, or make any Difturbance in Governments upon that account. Lastly, When we are in Places of Power, to be tender of other Peoples Confciences, that we may have no hand in driving them to Perjury. So much for the first thing I observed in the Words, What was good in the Opinion of the Jewish Doctors, in their Interpretation of the Third Commandment, namely, that they condemned Perjury. As for the other two, wherein they were faulty, and what further Improvements our Saviour makes on this Subject, I must

refer

refer them to fome other Opportunity. God of his Mercy keep us in the fear of his Name, and direct us to all Truth, for his dear Son Jesus Chrift's fake. To whom, &c.

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