are quoted by Grotius in his Comment upon thefe words. But then it is to be confider'd, 1. That there were but fome few of them of this Opinion, and that against the current Doctrine of the greatest part of the Primitive Christians: and, 2. Against the known allowed Practice amongst them; for we all along find there were many Christians in the Armies of the Heathen Emperors, and they could not have ferved under them without taking the Military Oath, which they did not use to fcruple, fo they were not put to fwear by any of their Genii, or Heathen Deities, or Fortune, or the like. Their 3: great Argument against taking of Oaths was drawn from the invincible Faith and Truth of Chriftians, who upon no confideration whatever could either be forc'd or won to affirm what they knew to be false, or promise what they never intended to perform: and this they were fo remarkable for, that they thought it a diminution or scandalous Affront offer'd to 'em to be put to their Oaths; they always had fuch a regard to their Words, and it was fo facred a thing at all times to speak Truth, that they would not be fo much diftrusted or difparaged as to have the Security of an Oath required of them; the conftant Tenour of their Lives they thought did bear a greater Testimony to what the Chriftians affirmed, and render it more credible than the Oaths of any other Men could what they witnessed. But But now because in latter days fome Sectaries both here and elsewhere, have from these words, Swear not at all, pleaded against the Lawfulness of taking any Oaths, tho thereto required by the Magistrate, tho it be an Oath of Allegiance to their Prince, or when they give Teftimony in a publick Caufe; I fhall briefly and plainly make out to you that this Prohibition of our Saviour must admit of fome Exceptions, and be reftrained only to vain and rash Oaths in our ordinary Discourse which I fhall do by defiring you to confider, : (1.) That in other general Prohibitions it is acknowledged by all that we must make the fame or like Exceptions. Thus, tho our Saviour hath faid a little before these words in this Sermon on the Mount, ver. 21. Thou shalt not kill, and who foever shall kill shall be in danger of the Judgment; yet we all grant that this must be confined to private Perfons, that this forbids not the Magiftrate's inflicting capital. Punishments: and then that as to private Perfons, it is meant only of killing innocent Men; but that ftill it is lawful for us in the Prefervation of our own Lives to kill thofe who unjustly affault us: these Cases must be referv'd. So here, Swear not at all, that is, not of your own Motion, without any neceffary or fufficient Cause. But this doth not infringe the Right which Magiftrates have to impofe Oaths on their Subjects, and to require the utmost and greatest Security for their Fidelity and Obedience; this doth not forbid fwearing when 0 3 when it is requifite for the determining of important Controverfies, or Diftribution of Juftice; when it is for the publick Good, that our Testimony fhould be credited and made more valid by the Solemnity of an Oath. And that fuch Exceptions as these must be allowed from this general Rule, will appear, (2.) If we confider the pofitive Command that is opposed to this Prohibition, Swear not at all, but let your Communication be yea, yea; nay, nay; for what foever is more than thefe, cometh of Evil. Let your Communication, i. e. your Speech, your ordinary familiar Discourse, be yea, yea; nay, nay: which was a proverbial way of expreffing an honeft Man, whom you may believe and truft. Juftorum etiam eft etiam, & non eorum eft non: His Tea was Tea, and his No was No. His Promifes and Performances did exactly and conftantly agree: without any more ado you may give credit to, and rely upon whatever he fays. Whatever is more than thefe, cometh of Evil, i. e. whatsoever is more than bare affirming or denying any thing (that is, ftill in our Communica tion, in our ordinary Talk and Difcourfe) is from Evil; from Mens fo commonly breaking of Promises and speaking of Falfities; from whence that leud Cuftom of adding Oaths proceeds, because they cannot be believed without them. Now therefore fince our Saviour is here directing us how to govern our common Difcourfe and Converfation together, the Prohibition alfo in the beginning must be reftrained to the fame matter, and fo the full fenfe fenfe of the Words feems to me to be this; In your Communication, familiari Sermone, in your common Talk ufe no Swearing, not fo much as by any Creature; but let it fuffice barely to affirm or deny, and be always fo true to your Words, that nothing farther need be defired or expected from you: all other Confirmation in fuch ordinary Affairs is practifed only by fuch as are used to lye and diffemble, and intend to impofe upon others. (3.) That our Saviour did not here forbid all Swearing, whatever caufe there might be for it, as a thing in it felf unlawful, we are fully fatisfy'd from the Example of St. Paul, who certainly understood his Master's Mind in this Particular. Now it is a very unreasonable thing to imagine, that he fhould fo often fwear, and that by the Name of God too; that fuch his Oaths fhould be recorded in the Scriptures; and that there fhould not be the least Intimati. on of his finning in fo doing, if all Swearing was utterly prohibited by his Lord and Master. I fhall propound two or three eminent Instances to fhew, that in serious and great Matters of mighty Concernment, he made no fcruple of adding the Confirmation of an Oath. Gal.1. 20. Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lye not. He bears witness to the Truth of his Writings by an express Oath; Rom. 1. 9. For God is my Witness, whom I Serve, that without ceafing I make mention of you always in my Prayers. It was of great moment that in the beginning of his Epistle he 0 4 fhould fhould perfuade thofe, to whom he did addrefs himfelf, of his Good-will toward them. How well therefore he did with them, he calls God to witnefs; which is the formal Effence of an Oath. Thus again, to name no more, 2 Cor. 11. 31. The God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who is blessed for evermore, knoweth that Ilye not: which is a plain Appeal to God's Teftimony. So that when the Glory of God and the publick Good was engaged, he thought it not unlawful to invoke God's Holy Name, and to call his Majefty for a Witness of his Truth, or the Avenger of his Falfhood. Thus our bleffed Saviour himself, when he stood before the High-Prieft of the Jews, did not refufe to answer upon Oath: Mat. 26.63. The High-Prieft faid unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Chrift, the Son of God, which amongst the Jews was the Form of giving an Oath; to which our Saviour anfwered, Thou haft faid; that is, upon my Oath it is as thou fayest. Nay, to make all fure, that there is no Evil in Swearing, when it is done gravely and feriously, and upon an important Occafion that requires it; we find that God himself hath been pleased to give us his Oath. Tho it were impoffible for him to lye, yet that we might have strong Confolation and full Affurance, to shew the Heirs of the Promife the Immmutability of his Counfel, he confirmed it by an Oath; and when he could not fwear by a greater, he fwore by himself: Heb. 6. 13. And therefore it must be very abfurd to deny a mongst |
