Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 32 – Section 33
§ 32.
NEither let any ſwearer bleſſe himſelf in his heart, Swearing the moſt in excuſable ſinne.with promiſes of impunity; for of all other ſinnes in the world, this is the moſt inexcuſable.
If I ſtep aſide to round the drunkard in his eare about ſwearing; pardon it, perhaps what is loſt in the Hundred, will bee got in the ſhiere.
Firſt, Of which two reaſons.I ſay of all other ſinnes, this is the moſt inexcuſeable, becauſe, it is an evill, from which, of all evills, wee have moſt power of abſtinence. As let him that is neverſo much accuſtomed to ſwearing, (admit hee hath habituated errors into manners) be in place where he is afraid to offend, or ſure to pay twelve pence for every oath; he can wholly forbeare, or if he doe chance to forget himſelfe once or twice; yet he will not ſweare one oath for an hundred, which he would doe, in other company, and where it would coſt him nothing. Now the eaſier the thing commanded is, the greater guilt in the breach of it; and the lighter the injunction, the heavier the tranſgreſſion, ſaith Saint Auguſtine.
Or ſuppoſe thou pretendeſt thou haſt beene ſo long accuſtomed to it, that thou canſt not leave it; yet this is but a witleſſe, graceleſſe, and ſhameleſſe excuſe. For firſt, cuſtome of ſinne is the very heigth of ſinne: and nothing more aggravates it.
Secondly, will a thiefe or murtherer at the Barre alledge for his excuſe and defence, that it hath beene his uſe and cuſtome of a long time? or if hee doe, will not the judge ſo much the rather ſend him to the Gallowes?
Secondly, becauſe it is a ſin, to which of all other ſinnes wee have the feweſt temptations: for whereas other ſins have commonly ſome ſenſible profit to midwife them into the world; as the Uſurer finds an increaſe of wealth, who deſires to live with leſſe faith, and more ſecurity; or pleaſure, as the Adulterer finds his ſtoln bread of Sathans ſeaſoning and providing far ſweeter, then what God hath given him of his owne; or credit, as the Hypocrite findes, who, like that Romane Woolfe, talkes of Religion, when hee meanes policy, and playes the foule devill, under the ſhape of an Angel of light, and may be reſembled to an ugly Toade in an Ivory box, or a painted pot full of deadly poyſon. Theſe and many other ſinners, which I could name, have ſome inducement to provoke them, ſome reaſons to alledge; (indeed they are all taken out of the Divels Lectures) but the ſwearer hath nothing to provoke him, nor nothing to ſay, but that he loves this ſin, becauſe it is a ſin, and becauſe God forbids it; which is moſt fearefull and damnable, and (as a man would thinke) ſhould make it unpardonable; I am ſure, this makes it inexcuſable. For what haſt thou to ſay for thy ſelfe? this ſinne is neither pleaſing, nor profitable, nor laudable, but hath a more pure corruption and venome in it, then any of his fellowes, and muſt needs iſſue from meere malice, and contempt of God; for all thou canſt expect by it, is, the ſuſpition of a common lyer, by being a common ſwearer.
Yea, thou canſt but procure this fruit by thy ſwearing, that thou ſhalt vex others, and they ſhall hate thee: which thews that thou delighteſt in evill, meerely becauſe it is evill; as ſinne is more ſtirred up and irritated by the Law; yea, inhibition inciteth, and reſtraint inviteth a deſperate wicked wretch, and his nature moſt deſireth what is forbidden. As it fared with Eve, and that Gentleman in Venice, who while it was left to his owne free choyce, in ninety yeares together never went forth of the Citie; but being hereupon confined, and that upon paine of death, was obſerved a while after to ride much abroad. Sinne, ſaith the Apoſtle, tooke occaſion by the commandement, Romans 7.11. as if mans nature delighted in this or that evill ſo much the more, becauſe the Law forbids them. Yea, moſt finde it here in, as in matters of bookes, which being once called in, and forbidden, become more ſaleable and publike. The Dictates of the law being to ſinfull luſts in mans heart, as water to quicke lime, a meanes to inkindle them, and make them boyle the more fiercely.
But know this thou ſwearer, that he is bottomleſly ill, who loves vice becauſe it is vice; he is a deſperate, prodigious, damnable wretch, and full of the venome of the ſerpent, that will (rather then not dye) anger God of ſet purpoſe, and without profit procure his owne deſtruction: which is thy caſe, if thou uſeſt his Name, to make up idle places of a hollow or unfilled ſentence, or to vent and utter with ſome more grace and force thy choller and malice. Yea, this proves thee worſe then an Oxe led to the ſlaughter, for hereby thou becommeſt thine owne executioner.
Alaſſe! thou art not of thy ſelfe worthy to ſerve, or to name him; how then dareſt thou to make him, and his Name to ſerve thee, thy prophane diſcourſe, and thy raſh, and untempered anger?
§ 33.
AGain, That of all other the ſwearer ſhal be ſure of plagues.ſupopſe the Miniſter tels them that Swearing and Curſing is the language only of hell, and no where frequent but amongſt the damned ſpirits, (which ſhewes them to be the Divels beſt ſchollers upon earth, and of his higheſt form, with whom the language of Hell is ſo familiar, that blaſphemy is become their mother tongue) and that they ſpeake not a word of our country language, the language of Canaan, that they are ſo hardened in evill that they are paſt grace, and paſt feeling, that the ſwearer and blaſphemer is like a mad dog, which flieth in his maſters face that keepes him.
That as roaring and drinking is the horſe way to Hell, whoreing and cheating the footway, ſo ſwearing and blaſpheming followes Corah, Dathan, and Abyram.
That it is a ſure rule, and an undoubted ſigne, if any man doe ſweare and curſe ordinarily, that he never truly feared God, as it cannot be that the true feare of God, and ordinary ſwearing, ſhould dwell together in one man; yea, dead are they while they live, if they live in this ſinne.
That Sathan ſtands ever at the ſwearers elbow, to take notice, reckon up, and ſet on his ſcore, every oath he ſweareth, and keepes them upon record againſt the great day of reckoning; at which time he will ſet them all in order before him, and lay them to his charge, and that then every oath ſhall prove as a daggers point ſtabbing his ſoule to the heart; and as ſo many weights, preſſng him downe to Hell.
And ſhall further tell them, that ſwearing is cloathed with death, Eccluſ. 23.12. and that the ſwearer wounds his owne ſoule, worſe then the Baalites wounded their owne bodies; that he which uſeth much ſwearing ſhall be filled with wickedneſſe, and that the plague ſhall never goe from his houſe, yea, his houſe ſhall be full of plagues, Eccluſ. 23.11. that the curſe of God ſhall enter into the houſe of the ſwearer, and ſhall remaine in the midſt of it, and ſhall conſume it, with the timber thereof, and the ſtones thereof, untill the owner be deſtroyed, Zach. 5.2.3.4. that God himſelfe will be a ſwift witneſſe againſt ſwearers, Mall. 3.5.
That the Almighty hath ſpoken it (and that in thunder and lightning) how hee will not hold them guiltleſſe, which take his name in vaine, and that ſuch mighty ſinners as they bee, ſhall be mightily puniſhed. And goe on in this manner to ſhew them the heynouſneſſe of their ſinne, and grievouſneſſe of their puniſhment, it is to no purpoſe; for they will anſwer all, yea confute what ever hee can ſay, with this ſhort ſentence, God is mercifull: yea, though the ſwearer hath made his ſoule Hell fire hot with oathes and blaſphemies, yet hee preſumes, that one ſhort prayer for mercy at the laſt gaſpe ſhall coole him: they will not believe, that are ordained to periſh.
Yea, the Divell and ſinne ſo infatuates and beſots them, that they thinke to be ſaved by the ſame Wounds and Blood which they ſweare by, and ſo often ſweare away; that Heaven will meete them at their laſt hower, when all their life long they have galloped in the beaten roade toward Hell, not conſidering, that the Devill being alwayes a lyer, labours to perſwade the Godly, that their eſtate is damnable; and the wicked, to believe without once queſtioning, that they are in favour with God: ſo they ſpend their dayes in mirth, ſaith Iob, and ſuddenly they goe downe into Hell. Iob. 21.13.