Oaths whatsoever, and in what Cases soever, than these Words do? And suitably thereunto, several of the primitive Fathers, say they, have utterly condemned the whole Practice of Oaths among Christians.

I must confess, this that they urge doth, at the first Sight, seem very plaufible, and would really stumble an honeft-minded Man that looks no further than the bare Sound of Words. I hope, therefore, I shall not mispend either my Time or my Labour, if I endeavour to give a plain Account of this Matter.

Two Things, therefore, I propose to do upon this Text:

First, to explain the Meaning of this Pro hibition of Swearing, and to shew, that neither Chrift, nor his Apostles, did intend hereby to forbid the Ufe of Oaths in all Cases, but only in some.

Secondly, To reprove from hence that extravagant, ungodly Practice (too much in Use among us) of Swearing in our ordinary Conversation; which, indeed, is the only Thing here forbidden.

I begin with the first of these Points (which will be sufficient for your Enter tainment at this Time) to give an Ac count of those Prohibitions about Swearing, and to shew that they were never designed to be extended to all Swearing whatsoever, but only to Swearing in some

Cafes.

VOL. IV.

And here I have three Things to offer. First, The Words themselves do not require such a general Senfe.

Secondly, the Practice, both of our Lord and his Apostles, do evidently shew that no such Sense was intended by them; To which I shall add, in the

Third Place, Some other Considerations, which do farther clear this Matter.

I am now to prove against the Quakers, that all Swearing is not unlawful, nor can it be concluded from these Texts. Now, in order to this, let us confider these Texts.

And I first begin with our Saviour's Law, in the 5th Chapter of St. Matthew, which, indeed, is the Original from whence St. James copies. I say unto you (faith our Saviour) Swear not at all. It is a general and uncontested Rule in the interpreting of Scripture, and all other Writings, that the Scope of the Author, and the subject Matter of his Discourse, is to fix and limit the Sense of all his Propositions; so that though a Proposition be seemingly universal, yet it is to be extended no farther than the subject Matter that then is treated about. Thus for Instance, these two Propositions, Take no Thoughts for your Lives; be Careful for nothing; are as general and universal as Words can make them; but yet it is certain, certain, all Care and Thoughtfulness is not here forbid, but only that which is spent about Food or Raiment, and suchlike Wordly Things, because that is the subject Matter of our Saviour's Discourse in these Texts. If therefore it doth appear, that when our Saviour faith, in this Place, Swear not at all, the subject Matter of his Difcourse is not all Oaths whatfoever, but only Oaths of one Sort; that is to say, voluntary Oaths, and such kind of voluntary Oaths too, as were cuftomarily sworn in common Conversation; I say, if this do appear, then certainly his forbidding of all Swearing, is not to be extended to all Oaths whatsoever, but is to be limited to such Oaths as thefe.

Premising this, I come now to give an Account of the Passage. You are to know that the Jews, in our Saviour's Days, were generally faulty, as to this Business of Oaths, in two respects.

First of all, They accounted no Swearing directly unlawful, but False-swearing.

If a Man did but Swear that which was true, or made good that which he Swore he would do, they accounted him no Transgressor of the Commandment, though he often made Ufe of Oaths where he needed not. For the Commandment, as they understood it, was only against Perjury. The Commandment was, Thou Shalt

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shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain. That is, as Moses himself interprets it, Lev. xix. Thou shalt not Swear by my Name falfely: Or, as our Saviour here expresseth it, Thou shalt not Forfwear thy felf, but fhalt perform thy Oaths unto the Lord. For undoubtedly it is the Third Commandment that our Saviour here hath reference to.

Secondly, They had another odd Notion about Swearing: They would Swear frequently by the Creatures; as by the Heavens, by the Earth, by Jerufalem, and the like; and this they accounted no Swearing at all; that is, they did not account it Perjury, if such Oaths were false, or were not performed. Thus one of their own Authors, " If any, faith he, "Swear by the Heaven, or by the Earth,

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or by the Sun, or the like, although the "Mind of the Swearer be under those "Words, to Swear by him that created them, yet this is not an Oath”. These, I fay, were their generally received Principles about Swearing, as doth yet appear by their Books. Saviour, who came to give a perfect Law of Holiness and Religion to Mankind, feeing of what mischievous Confequences these Notions and Practices were, how much the Name of God was brought into Contempt, and the Religion of an Oath was profaned by them, takes Care in this

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Sermon on the Mount, to give his Disciples better Instructions about these Things; and as he had just before been improving the fixth Commandment about Murder, and the Seventh about Adultery, to higher Instances of Duty than the Letter of those Commandments required, fo he now comes to do the fame with the third Commandment about Swearing.

And thus he begins his Discourse upon this Argument, in the 33d Verse of this 5th Chapter of St. Matthew. Again ye have heard, faith he, that it hath been Said by them of old Time, Thou shalt not Forswear thy self, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine Oaths: (There is the Letter of the third Commandment.) But I fay unto you, Swear not at all, neither by Heaven, for it is God's Throne; nor by the Earth, for it is his Foot-ftool; neither by Jerufalem, for it is the City of the great King. Neither Shalt thou Swear by thine Head, because thou canst not make one Hair white or Black. But let your Communication be yea, yea, nay, nay, for whatsoever is more than these, cometh of Evil. Two Things our Saviour here improves as to this Commandment. First, whereas the Letter of it did only forbid False-Swearing (at least the Jews then generally thought so, and upon that Account were not scrupulous of Swearing in their ordinary Conversation, so long as they Swore but truly,) he now commands that Aa 3

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