wealth may be lefs hurt and offended. And if we thus direct our life by Chriftian love and charity, then Christ doth promise and affure us, that he loveth us, that we be the children of our heavenly Father, reconciled to his favour, very members of Chrift; and that, after this short time of this prefent and mortal life, we fhall have with him everlasting life in his everlasting kingdom of heaven. Therefore to him, with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

A SER

A

SERMON

AGAINST

Swearing and Perjury.

ALMIGHTY God, to the intent his most holy name

caufes it is

fhould be had in honour, and evermore be magnified of the people, commandeth that no man should take his name vainly in his mouth, threatening punishment unto him that unreverently abufeth it by fwearing, forfwearing, and blafphemy. To the intent therefore that How and this commandment may be the better known and kept, it in what fhall be declared unto you, both how it is lawful for lawful to Chriftian people to fwear, and also what peril and danger swear it is vainly to fwear, or to be forfworn. First, when judges require oaths of the people for declaration or opening of the truth, or for execution of justice, this manner of fwearing is lawful. Alfo when men make faithful promifes, with calling to witnefs of the name of God, to keep covenants, honeft promises, ftatutes, laws, and good cuftoms, as Chriftian princes do in their conclufions of peace, for confervation of commonwealths; and private perfons promise their fidelity in matrimony, or one to another in honefty and true friendship: and all men when they do fwear to keep common laws, and local statutes, and good customs, for due order to be had and continued among men; when fubjects do fwear to be true and faithful to their king and fovereign lord; and when judges, magiftrates, and officers fwear truly to execute their of fices; and when a man would affirm the truth to the setting forth God's glory, (for the falvation of the people) in open preaching of the Gofpel, or in giving of good coun

fel

fel privately for their fouls' health: all thefe manners of fwearing, for caufes neceffary and honeft, be lawful. But when men do fwear of cuftoin, in reafoning, buying, and felling, or other daily communications, (as many be common and great fwearers) fuch kind of fwearing is ungodly, unlawful, and forbidden by the commandment of God: for fuch fwearing is nothing elfe but taking of God's holy name in vain. And here is to be noted, that lawful fwearing is not forbidden, but commanded by Almighty God: for we have examples of Chrift and godly men, in holy Scripture, that did fwear themfelves, and required oaths of others likewife; and God's commandment is, Thou shalt dread thy Lord God, and fhalt fwear by And Almighty God by his Prophet David Pfal. lxiii. faith, All men fhall be praised that fear by him.

Deut. vi.

John iii. 2 Cor. i.

Gen. xxi.

bis name.

Thus did our Saviour Chrift fwear divers times, faying, Verily, verily and St. Paul fweareth thus, I call God to witness and Abraham, waxing old, required an oath of Gen. xxiv. his fervant, that he fhould procure a wife for his fon Ifaac, 'which fhould come of his own kindred: and the fervant did fwear that he would perform his master's will. Abraham alfo, being required, did fwear unto Abimelech the king of Geraris, that he fhould not hurt him, nor his pofterity; and likewife did Abimelech fwear unto Abraham. And David did fwear to be and continue a faithful friend to Jonathan; and Jonathan did fwear to become a faithful friend unto David.

Heb. vi.

Jer. iv.

What con

Allo God once commanded, that if a thing were laid to pledge to any man, or left with him to keep, if the fame thing were ftolen, or loft, that the keeper thereof fhould be fworn before judges, that he did not convey it away, nor ufed any deceit in caufing the fame to be conveyed away, by his confent or knowledge. And St. Paul faith, That in all matters of controverfy between two perfons, whereas one faith yea, and the other nay, fo as no due proof can be had of the truth, the end of every fuch controverfy must be an oath miniftered by a judge. And, moreover, God by the Prophet Jeremy faith, Thou fhalt fwear, the Lord liveth in truth, in judgment, in righteufnels. So that whofoever fweareth when he is required of a judge, let him be fure in his confcience that his oath have three conditions, and he shall never need to be afraid of perjury.

Firft, he that fweareth may fwear truly; that is, he ditions an muft (fetting apart all favour and affection to the parties) oath ought have the truth only before his eyes, and, for love thereof,

to have.

fay

Scripture to

fay and speak that which he knoweth to be truth, and no further. The fecond is, he that taketh an oath, must do The fecond. it with judgment; not rafhly and unadvifedly, but foberly, confidering what an oath is. The third is, he that The third. fweareth, muft fwear in righteoufnefs; that is, for the very zeal and love which he beareth to the defence of innocency, to the maintenance of the truth, and of the righteousness of the matter or caufe: all profit, difprofit, all love and favour unto the perfon for friendship or kindred laid apart. Thus an oath (if it have with it thefe Why we be three conditions) is a part of God's glory, which we are willed in bound by his commandments to give unto him: for he fwear by willeth that we shall fwear only by his name; not that he the name hath pleasure in oaths; but like as he commanded the of God... Jews to offer facrifice unto him, not for any delight that he had in them, but to keep the Jews from committing idolatry; fo, he commanding us to fwear by his holy name, doth not teach us that he delighteth in fwearing, but he thereby forbiddeth all men to give his glory to any creature in heaven, earth, or water. Hitherto you Ifaiah xlii. fee, that oaths lawful are commanded of God, used of patriarchs and prophets, of Chrift himself, and of his Apofile Paul. Therefore Chriftian people muft think lawful oaths both godly and neceffary. For by lawful promife Commodiand covenants, confirmed by oaths, princes and their ties had by countries are confirmed in common tranquillity and peace. made and By holy promifes, with calling the name of God to wit- obferved. nefs, we be made lively members of Chrift, when we profefs his religion receiving the facrament of baptifm. By like holy promife the facrament of matrimony knitteth man and wife in perpetual love, that they defire not to be feparated for any difpleasure or adversity that fhall after happen. By lawful oaths, which kings, princes, judges, and magiftrates do fwear, common laws are kept inviolate, juftice is indifferently miniftered, harmless perfons, fatherlefs children, widows and poor men, are defended from murderers, oppreffors, and thieves, that they fuffer no wrong, nor take any harm. By lawful oaths, mutual fociety, amity, and good order is kept continually in all commonalties, as boroughs, cities, towns, and villages: and by lawful oaths malefactors are fearched out, wrong doers are punished, and they which fuftain wrong are reftored to their right: therefore lawful fwearing cannot be evil, which bringeth unto us fo many godly, good, and neceffary commodities. Wherefore when Chrift fo Vain fwearearnestly forbad fwearing, it may not be understood as ing is for

lawful oaths

though bidden.

tion.

though he did forbid all manner of oaths: but he forbiddeth all vain fwearing and forfwearing both by God, and by his creatures, as the common ufe of fwearing in buying, felling, and in our daily communication, to the intent every Chriftian man's word fhould be as well regarded in fuch matters, as if he fhould confirm his communication with an oath : for every Chriftian man's word, faith St. Hierom, fhould be fo true, that it fhould be regarded as an oath. And Chryfoftom witneffing the fame, faith, It is not convenient to fwear: for what need we to fwear, when it is not lawful for one of us to make a lie An objec unto another? Peradventure fome will fay, I am compelled to fwear, or elfe men that do commune with me, An anfwer. or do buy and fell with me, will not believe me. To this anfwereth St. Chryfoftom, that he that thus faith, fheweth himfelf to be an unjust and a deceitful perfon: for if he were a trusty man, and his deeds taken to agree with his words, he fhould not need to fwear at all: for he that ufeth truth and plainness in his bargaining and communication, he fhall have no need, by fuch vain fwearing, to bring himself in credence with his neighbours, nor will his neighbours miftruft his fayings. And if his credence be fo much loft indeed, that he thinketh no man will believe him without he fwear, then he may well think his credence is clean gone: for truth it is, as Theophylactus writeth, that no man is lefs trufted, than he that useth much to fwear: and Almighty God by the Wife Man Eccl.xxxiii. faith, That man which fweareth much shall be full of fin, and the Scourge of God fhall not depart from his house.

Another

But here fome men will fay, for excufing of their many objection. oaths in their daily talk, Why fhould I not fwear, when An anfwer. I fwear truly? To fuch men it may be faid, that though they fwear truly, yet, in fwearing often, unadvifedly, for trifles, without neceflity, and when they fhould not fwear, they be not without fault; but do take God's most holy name in vain. Much more ungodly and unwife men are they, that abufe God's moft holy name, not only in buying and felling of fmall things daily in all places; but alfo in eating, drinking, playing, communing, and reafoning as if none of thefe things might be done, except in doing of them the most holy name of God be commonly used and abufed, vainly and unreverently talked of, fworn by, and forfworn, to the breaking of God's commandment, and procurement of his indignation.

The