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SERMON XXV.

MATT. V. 33.

Again ye have heard, that it hath been faid by them of old Time, Thou shalt not forfwear thy felf, but fhalt perform unto the Lord thine Oaths. Ver. 34. But I fay unto you, fwear not at all, neither by Heaven, for it is God's Throne, Ver. 35. Nor by the Earth, for it is his Footstool: neither by Jerufalem, for it is the City of the great King.

Ver. 36. Neither shalt thou swear by thy Head, because thou canst not make one Hair white or black.

Ver. 37. But let your Communication be, yea, yea; nay, nay; for whatfoever is more than thefe, cometh of evil.

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The Third Sermon on this Text.'

N two former Difcourfes on. thefe Words, I confidered, first, what was good and commendable in the Doctrine of the Jewish Scribes on the Third Commandment. Secondly, Wherein their Doctrine on this Commandment was faulty or defective. I come now, in the third and last place, to confider our Saviour's Improvements upon this Commandment; and they may be reduced to these four.

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I. In that he condemns all rafh customary Swearing in Conversation.

II. In that he difallows of all Swearing by the Creatures.

III. In that he afferts the Obligation of feveral Oaths, which they made void and elufory.

IV. In that he enjoins fuch a Veracity and Sin'cerity in Conversation, that we may be trusted upon our Word, without an Oath.

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Now in handling of these Points, I fhall posely decline feveral Things, which would not be improper, but that I have had occafion already to mention them in fome of the foregoing Heads on this Subject.

I. I begin with the firft Obfervation concerning our Saviour's Improvements upon this Commandment; namely, that he condemns all rafh cuftomary Swearing in Converfation. This is to be gathered from the four last Verses of the Text that I have read; But I fay unto you, fwear not at all; neither by Heaven, for it is God's Throne, nor by the Earth, for it is his Footflool,neither by Jerufalem, for it is the City of the Great King. Neither halt thou fwear by thy Head, because thou canft not make one Hair white or black. But let your Communication be yea, yea; nay, nay; for whatfoever is more than thefe, cometh of Evil. In fpeaking to which Words, because they are not without a very palpable Difficulty, which has occafioned the judging of all Oaths unlawful by fome Sects of Men, it will be neceffary, firft negatively, to confider what is not, then pofitively, what is prohibited in them.

1. First then negatively, Judicial Oaths are not here prohibited.

2. Nor voluntary Oaths upon grave weighty Occafions, where the Conditions of an Oath, Truth, Judgment, and Righteoufnefs, are obferved.

1. First, I fay, Judicial Oaths, adminiftred by Judges for finding out the Truth, and for deciding of Suits and Controverfies, are not here prohibited. The Quakers, and Anabaptifts, are of another Opinion, concluding, chiefly from this Text, that all forts of Oaths, in all Cafes whatsoever, are prohibited by our Saviour. And I must confefs the Words, if we take them separately by themfelves, without any Confideration of the Scope and Purport of the Discourse, or of the original Phrases, or of the Errors of the Jewish Doctors, which our Saviour is here rectifying, found very much that way. Yet I doubt not, when this Matter is fet in its true Light, it will appear, that in thefe Words our Saviour had no regard to Judicial Oaths at all, and that they were, in no respect, the Subject of this Prohibition. I fhall diftinctly propofe to you the Reasons which convince me of this; fome of which are not ordinarily observed or confidered.

1. One Reason that weighs very much with me, is taken from a general Obfervation, That our Saviour, in this whole Sermon on the Mount, is only teaching the common Duties of Chriftians in their private Capacity, without meddling either with the Duty of Magiftrates or Minifters, or any other particular Station of Men; and therefore it was not his Defign to abridge Judges and Magiftrates of their Power of obliging Men to answer upon Oath, or to exempt Men from their ufual Obedience in thefe Cafes. Now, howfoever ge

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`neral our Saviour's Precepts may feem, we ought not to ftretch them beyond this; for if we do, we fhall go into things that he never defigned, and make mad Work, and vent Doctrines inconfiftent with all Governments, and with our Saviour's and his Apoftles Precepts and Practice elsewhere. For Example, because our Saviour, in this Sermon, has thefe Words, judge not; by which he forbids the rafh Cenfures of Men in their private Capacity; fhall we from thence conclude, that he condemns the Office of publick Judges and Magiftrates, to which we know elsewhere he and his Apostles require all due Submiffion and Obedience? Or because in this Sermon he recommends Peaceablenefs and Peace-making, and a Patience in bearing, and a Readiness in forgiving of Injuries, fhall we conclude from thence, that Princes, and Magiftrates may not execute Justice, or punish Tranfgreffors, or make War upon juft 'Occafions? Or because it is faid, Thou shalt not kill, and refift not Evil, fhall we conclude that the Power of the Sword is taken away even from Magiftrates? So here where our Saviour is guarding private Men against the common Sin of Swearing, which they had been taught they might lawfully use, provided they brought not in the Name of God himself in thofe common Oaths, but fwore by inferiour Things, fuch as Heaven, and Earth, Jerufalem, or the Temple, their Head, or their Life, or the like: No, fays our Saviour, fwear not at all in your common Converfation, neither by God, or any of his Creatures; it is a profane evil Custom, therefore beware of it; God is difhonoured by all fuch Oaths: But ufe your felves to fuch a Veracity in

Speech,

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Speech, that there may be no need of them. The fame Observation will hold of the Love of Enemies; an excellent Doctrine to restrain our private Animofities and Enmities: But if it should be ftretched to the corresponding with the publick Enemies of the Government, and to the fupplying them with all Neceffaries, it would make mad work indeed.

2. Secondly, That it was not our Saviour's Intent to condemn Judicial Oaths, appears to me from hence, because the Words, fwear not at all, do not in their utmoft Extent reach it, if we confider what was the manner of thofe Oaths among the Jews; which was not, as it is with us, by making the Perfon pronounce the Words of an Oath; but by the Magiftrate's adjuring him, that is, commanding him, in the Name of God, to anfwer to the Truth; and his anfwering this Adjuration, though in ever fo plain Words, was among them the witneffing upon Oath. And if either they refused to anfwer upon fuch Adjuration, that is, if they then fuppreffed the Truth by Silence, or if they answered any thing that was falfe, they were reckoned guilty of the Sin of Perjury. Their own Abftinence then from Swearing, according to our Saviour's Precept here, could never fave them from this judicial anfwering to Adjuration, that is, from their Judicial Oaths; and therefore it could be none of our Saviour's Intent here, to prohibit the Ufe of Judicial Oaths.

3. It is highly probable, fince our Saviour inftances here in no Oaths, but those rash and elufory ones, which they used in their Converfation one with another, (for their Judicial Adjurations were all in the Name of God himself) It is highly probable,

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