ven, or their laying it on a Bible, as importing their sense of AR t. the terrors contained in that book, were like to make a deeper XXXIX. impreffion on them, than barely the judges charging them with the oath or curfe, it seems to be within the compafs of human authority, to change the rites and manner of this oath, and to put it in fuch a method as might probably work most on the minds of those who were to take it. The inftitution in general is plain, and the making of fuch alterations feems to be clearly in the power of any ftate, or fociety of men.

In the New Teftament we find St. Paul profecuting a difcourse concerning the oath, which God fware to Abraham, Heb. vi. 13, who not having a greater to fwear by, fwore by himself; and to 14, 15. inforce the importance of that, it is added, an oath for con- Ver. 16. firmation (that is, for the affirming or affuring of any thing) is the end of all controverfy. Which plainly fhews us what notion the author of that epiftle had of an oath; he did not confider it as an impiety or profanation of the name of God.

In St. John's vifions an angel is represented, as lifting up Rev. x. 6. his hand, and fwearing by him that liveth for ever and ever: and the Apostles, even in their epiftles, that are acknowledged Rom, i. 9. to be writ by divine infpiration, do frequently appeal to God Gal. i, 20. in thefe words, God is witnefs; which contain the whole effence of an oath. Once St. Paul carries the expreffion to a 2 Cor. i. 23. form of imprecation, when he calls God to record upon (or againft) his foul.

Thefe feem to be authorities beyond exception, juftifying the use of an oath upon a great occafion, or before a competent authority; according to that prophecy quoted in the Article, which is thought to relate to the times of the Meffias: And thou fhalt fwear, the Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, Jer. iv. 2. and in righteoufnefs; and the nations fhall bless themselves in him, and in him fhall they glory. Thefe laft words feem evidently to relate to the days of the Meffiah: fo here an oath religiously taken, is reprefented as a part of that worship, which all nations fhall offer up to God under the new difpenfa

tion.

Against all this, the great objection is, that when Chrift is correcting the gloffes that the Pharifees put upon the law, whereas they only taught that men fhould not forfwear themfelves, but perform their oaths unto the Lord; our Saviour fays, "Swear not at all; neither by the heaven, nor the earth, nor by Matth. v. Jerufalem, nor by the head; but let your communication be yea, 34, 35, 36, yea, and nay, nay; for whatfoever is more than thefe, cometh of 37. evil. And St. James, fpeaking of the enduring afflictions, and

of the patience of Job, adds, But above all things, my bre- James v. 12. thren,

Kk 4

504

AN EXPOSITION OF

*

ART. thren, fwear not; neither by the heaven, neither by the earth, XXXIX. neither by any other oath, but let your yea be, yea, and your nay nay, left ye fall into condemnation. It must be confeffed that these words feem to be fo exprefs and pofitive, that great regard is to be had to a fcruple that is founded on an authority that feems to be fo full. But according to what was formerly obferved of the manner of the judiciary oaths among the Jews, these words cannot belong to them. Thofe oaths were bound upon the party by the authority of the judge; in which he was paffive, and fo could not help his being put under an oath; whereas our Saviour's words relate only to thofe oaths which a man took voluntarily on himself, but not to those under which he was bound, according to the law of God. If our Saviour had intended to have forbidden all judiciary oaths, he must have annulled that part of the authority of magiftrates and *parents, and have forbid them, to put others under oaths. The word communication, that comes afterwards, feems to be a key to our Saviour's words, to fhew that they ought only to be applied to their communication or commerce; to those difcourses that pass among men, in which it is but too customary to give oaths a very large fhare. Or fince the words that went before, concerning the performing of vows, seem to limit the difcourfe to them, the meaning of wear not, at all, may be this; be not ready, as the Jews were, to make vows on all occafions, to devote themfelves or others: inftead of those, he requires them to ufe a greater fimplicity in their communication. And St. James's words may be alfo very fitly applied to this, fince men in their afflictions are apt to make very indifcreet vows, without confidering whether they either can, or probably will pay them; as if they would pretend by fuch profufe vows to overcome or corrupt God..

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This fenfe will well agree both to our Saviour's words and to St. James's; and it feems most reasonable to believe that this is their true fenfe, for it agrees with every thing else; whereas, if we understand them in that ftrict fenfe of condemning all oaths, we cannot tell what to make of those oaths which occur in feveral paffages of St. Paul's epiftles: and leaft of all, what to fay to our Saviour's own answering upon oath, when adjured. Therefore all rash and vain swearing, all fwearing in the communication or intercourfe of mankind, is certainly condemned, as well as all imprecatory, vows... But fince we have fo great authorities from the Scriptures in both Teftaments for other oaths; and fince that agrees fo evidently with the principles of natural religion, we may conclude with the Article, that a man may fwear when the magiftrate requireth it. It is added, in a caufe of faith and charity; for,

certainly,

certainly, in trifling matters, fuch reverence is due to the holy ART.
name of God, that fwearing ought to be avoided: but, when XXXIX.
it is neceffary, it ought to be fet about with those regards that
are due to the great God, who is appealed to. A gravity of
deportment, and an exactness of weighing the truth of what
we fay, are highly neceffary here: certainly, our words ought
to be few, and our hearts full of the apprehenfions of the ma-
jefty of that God, with whom we have to do, before whom
we ftand, and to whom we appeal, who knows all things, and
will bring every work to judgment, with every fecret thing,
whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

INDE X.

A

A.

BRAHAM, the poffibility of a tradition from Adam to
him, 90. The occafion and defign of a revelation to him,
ibid.

Abfolute decrees. See Decrees.

Abfolution, in what fenfe it ought to be pronounced, 343. The bad
effects of the hafty abfolutions of the Church of Rome, 355. As
ufed in the Church of England, is only declaratory, 356. This
agreeable to the practice of the primitive Church, ibid. A prayer
ufed in the Church of Rome after absolution, 357. This does
not mend it, ibid. When this practice was introduced, ibid.
Abftinence. See Fafting.

Action, whether God is the first and immediate cause of every action,
40. What it is that denominates an action good or bad, 169.
Diftinction between thofe that are universally binding on all, and
fuch as bind only fome fort of men, 174. The judgments to be
ma le of them from appearances, 175.

Acts of Apoftles, when and by whom wrote, 74.
Acts, no fucceffive acts in God, 32.

Adam, wherein the image of God, in which he was created, con-
fifted, 139, 140. Whether the death he was threatened with was
only natural, 137, 141. Whether by covenant he was conftituted
to reprefent all his pofterity, 143. Of the propagation of his fin,
144. See Original Sin.

Adoration, God only the proper object of it, 58. What it is, ibid.
Chrift propofed in the New Teftament as the object of it, 59.
Ought not to be given to any creature, ibid. See Hoft.
Adultery, on the part of the wife, diffolves marriage, 363. This
agreeable both to the law of nature and the Gofpel, ibid. And
to the practice of the primitive Church, 364. The contrary doc-
trine of a modern date, ibid.

Agobard, Bishop of Lions, wrote with great vehemence against the
worship of images, 296.

Ahab, his feigned humiliation rewarded, 169.

Air, greatly improved by the industry of man, 38.

Almaric exprefsly denied the corporal prefence, 429. Is condemned
by the Lateran Council, and his body raised and burnt on that
account, ibid.

Almfgiving, a main part of charity, 355. See Charity.

Altar, but one in a church among the primitive Christians, 449.
Ambaffador, his extenfive power, 345.

Ambrofe,