speaking of the enduring afflictions, and of the patience ART. of Job, adds, But above all things, my brethren, swear XXXIX. not; neither by the heaven, neither by the earth, neither

by any other oath; but let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. It must be confessed that these words seem to be so express and positive, that great regard is to be had to a scruple that is founded on an authority that seems to be so full. But according to what was formerly observed of the manner of the judiciary oaths among the Jews, these words cannot belong to them. Those oaths were bound upon the party by the authority of the judge; in which he was passive, and so could not help his being put under an oath : whereas our Saviour's words relate only to those 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 magistrates and parents, and have forbid them to put others under oaths. The word communication, that comes afterwards, seems to be a key to our Saviour's words, to shew that they ought only to be applied to their communication or commerce; to those discourses that pass among men, in which it is but too customary to give oaths a very large share. Or since the words that went before, concerning the performing of vows, seem to limit the discourse to them, the meaning of swear not at all, may be this; be not ready, as the Jews were, to make vows on all occasions, to devote themselves or others: instead of those, he requires them to use a greater simplicity in their communication. And St. James's words may be also very fitly applied to this, since men in their afflictions are apt to make very indiscreet vows, without considering whether they either can, or probably will pay them; as if they would pretend by such profuse vows to overcome or corrupt God.

James v.12.

This sense will well agree both to our Saviour's words and to St. James's; and it seems most reasonable to believe that this is their true sense, for it agrees with every thing else; whereas, if we understand them in that strict sense of condemning all oaths, we cannot tell what to make of those oaths which occur in several passages of St. Paul's Epistles and least of all, what to say to our Saviour's own answering upon oath, when adjured. Therefore all rash and vain swearing, all swearing in the communication or intercourse of mankind, is certainly condemned, as well as all imprecatory vows. But since we have so great autho

ART. rities from the Scriptures in both Testaments for other XXXIX. oaths; and since that agrees so evidently with the prin

ciples of natural religion, we may conclude with the Article, that a man may swear when the magistrate requireth it. It is added, in a cause of faith and charity; for certainly, in trifling matters, such reverence is due to the holy name of God, that swearing ought to be avoided : but when it is necessary, it ought to be set 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 say, are highly necessary here: certainly, our words ought to be few, and our hearts full of the apprehensions of the majesty of that God, with whom we have to do, before whom we stand, and to whom we appeal, who knows all things, and will bring every work to judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

INDEX.

INDEX.

A.

ABRAHAM, the possibility of a tradition from Adam to

him, 96. The occasion and design of a revelation to him,
ibid.

Absolute decrees. See Decrees.

Absolution, in what sense it ought to be pronounced, 367. The bad
effects of the hasty absolutions of the Church of Rome, 380. As
used in the Church of England, is only declaratory, 381. This
agreeable to the practice of the primitive Church, ibid. A pray-
er used in the Church of Rome after absolution, 382. This does
not mend it, ibid. When this practice was introduced, ibid.
Abstinence. See Fasting.

Action, whether God is the first and immediate cause of every ac-
tion, 42. What it is that denominates an action good or bad,
181. Distinction between those that are universally binding on
all, and such as bind only some sort of men, 186. The judg-
ments to be made of them from appearances, 187.

Acts of the Apostles, when and by whom wrote, 78.
Acts, no successive acts in God, 34.

Adam, wherein the image of God, in which he was created, con-
sisted, 150, 151. Whether the death he was threatened with was
only natural, 147, 151. Whether by covenant he was consti-
tuted to represent all his posterity, 154. Of the propagation of
his sin, 155. See Original Sin.
Adoration, God only the proper object of it, 62. What it is, ibid.
Christ proposed in the New Testament as the object of it, ibid.
Ought not to be given to any creature, 63. See Host.
Adultery, on the part of the wife, dissolves marriage, 389. This
agreeable both to the law of nature and the Gospel, ibid. And
to the practice of the primitive Church, ibid. The contrary doc-
trine of a modern date, 390.

Agobard, Bishop of Lyons, wrote with great vehemence against the
worship of images, 317.

Ahab, his feigned humiliation rewarded, 181.

Air, greatly improved by the industry of man, 40.

Almaric.expressly denied the corporal presence, 459. Is condemn-
ed by the Lateran Council, and his body raised and burnt on that
account, ibid.

Almsgiving, a main part of charity, 380. See Charity.

Altar, but one in a church among the primitive Christians, 482.
Ambassador, his extensive power, 369.

Nn