The Practice of Christian Graces, Partition 4
PARTITION. IV.
HONOUR due to Gods name; Of Sinning against it; Blasphemy; Swearing; Assertory Oaths; Promissery Oaths; Unlawful Oaths; Of Perjury; Of vain Oaths, and the Sin of them, &c.
§. 1. THe last thing wherein we are to express our reverence to him,Honour due to Gods name. is the honouring his name. Now what this honouring of his name is, we shall best understand by considering what are the things by which it is …shonoured, the avoiding of which will be our way of honouring it.
The first is all blasphemies, Sins against it.or speaking any evil thing of God, the highest degree whereof is cursing him, or if we do not speak it with our mouths, Blasphemy.yet if we do it in our hearts, by thinking any unworthy thing of them, it is lookt on by God, who sees the heart, as the vilest dishonour. But there is also a blasphemy of the actions, that is, when men who profess to be the servants of God, live so wickedly, that they bring up an evil report on him, whom they own as their Master and Lord. This blasphemy the Apostle takes notice of, R…m. 2. 24. Where he tells those who protest to be observers of the Law, That by their wicked actions the name of God was blasphemed among the Gentiles. Those Gentiles were moved to think ill of God, as the favour of sin, when they saw those, who called themselves his servants, commit it.
A second way of dishonouring Gods name,Swearing. is by swearing, and that is of two sorts, either by false oaths or else by rash, and light ones. A false oath may also be of two kinds, as first that by which I affirm somewhat, or secondly that by which I promise. The first is when I say such or such a thing was done so or so; and comfirm this saying of mine with an oath, Assertory oaths.if then I know there be not perfect truth in what I say, this is a flat perjury, a down right being forsworn; Nay if I swear to the truth of that, whereof I am only doubtful, though the thing should happen to be true, yet it brings upon me the guilt of perjury. For I swear at a venture, and the thing might for ought I knew be as well false as true, whereas I ought never to swear to any thing, the truth of which I do not certainly know.
2. But besides this sort of oaths, Promissory▪by which I affirm any thing, there is the other sort, that by which I promise somwhat. And that promise may be either to God or Man, when it is to God, we call it a vow, of which I have already spoken, under the head of the Sacraments, I shall now only speak of that to man; & this may become a false oath, either at, or after the time of taking it. At the time of taking, it is false if either I have then no real purpose of making it good or else take it in a sense different from that which I know, he to whom I make the promise understands it; for the use of oaths, being to assure the persons, to whom they are made they must be taken in their sense. But if I were never so sincere at the taking the oath, if afterwards I do not perform it, I am certainly perju…ed.
3. The nature of an oath being then thus binding, Unlawful oaths.it neerly concerns us to look that the matter of our oaths be lawful, for else we run our selves into a woful snare. For Example, suppose I swear to kill a man, if I perform my oath, I am guilty of murder, if I break it, of perjury. And so I am under a necessity of sinning one way or other. But there is nothing puts us under a greater degree of this unhappy necessity, then when we swear two oaths, whereof the one is directly cross and contradictory to the other. For if I swear to give a man my whole estate, and afterwards swear to give all or part of that estate to another, it is certain I must break my oath to one of them, because it is impossible to perform it to both, and so I must be under a necessity of being forsworn. And into this unhappy streight every man brings himself that takes any oath which crosses some other, which he hath formerly taken; which should make all that love either God, or their own souls, resolve never thus miserably to …ntangle themselves, by taking one oath cross and thwarting to another. But it may perhaps here be asked, what a person that hath already brought himself into such a condition shall do? I answer, he must first heartily repent the great sin of taking the unlawful oath, and then stick only to the lawful, which is all that is in his power towards the repairing his fault, and qualifying him for Gods pardon for it.
4. Having said this concerning the kinds of this sin of perjury, God greatly dishonoured by perjury.I shall only add a few words to shew you, how greatly Gods name is dishonoured by it. In all oaths you know, God is solemnly called to witness the truth of which is spoken; now if the thing be false, it is the basest affront, and dishonour that can possibly be done to God. For it is in reason to signifie one of these two things, either that we believe he knows not whether we say true or no. (And that is to make him no G…d, to suppose him to be as deceiveable, and easie to be deluded as one of our ignorant neighbours) or else that he is willing to countenance our lyes; the former robs him of that great attribute of his, his knowing all things, and is surely a great dishonouring of him, it being even amongst men accounted, one of the greatest disgraces to account a man fit to have cheats put upon him; yet even so we deal with God, if we venture to forswear, upon a hope that God discerns it not, But the other is yet worse, for the supposing him willing to countenance our lies, is the making him a party in them; and is not only the making him no God (it being impossible that God should either lie himself or approve it in another) but it is the makeing him like the very Divel. For he it is that is a lyer, and the Father of it, Jo. 8 44. And sure I need not say more to prove that this is the highest degree of dishonouring Gods name.
5. But if any yet doubt the hainousness of this sin;The punishments of it. let him but consider what God himself sayes of it in the Third Commandment, where he solemnly professes, he will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain, and sure the adding that to this commandment, and none of the rest, is the marking this out for a most hainous guilt: and if you look into Zac. 5. You will there find the punishment is answerable, even the utter destruction, not only of the man; but his house also. Therefore it concerns all men as they love either their temporal or eternal well-fare, to keep them most strictly from this sin.
But besides this of forswaring, I told you there was another sort of oaths, Vain oaths.by which Gods name is dishonoured, those are the vain and light oaths, such as are so usual in our common discourse; and are expresly forbidden by Christ, Mat. 5. 34. But I say unto you swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is Gods throne, nor by the earth, for it is his foot-stool; where you see we are not allowed to swear even by meer creatures, because of the relation they have to God. How great a wickedness is it then to prophane his holy name by rash and vain oaths, this is a sin that is (by I know not what charm of Sathans) grown into fashion among us, and now its being so, draws d…ily more men into it. But it is to be remembred that when we shall appear before Gods Iudgement seat, to answer for those prophanations of his name; it will be no excuse to say, it was the fashion to do so, it will rather be an increase of our guilt, that we have by our own practice, helped to confirm that wicked custome, which we ought to have beat down, and discountenanced.
6. And sure what ever this prophane age thinks of it,The sin of them. this is a sin of a very high nature. For besides that it is a direct breach of the precept of Christs, it shews first a very mean, and low esteem of God; Every oath we swear is the appealing to God, to judge the truth of what we speak, and therefore being of such greatness, and majesty, it requires that the matter concerning which we thus appeal to him, should be of great weight, and moment, somewhat wherein either his own glory, or some considerable good of man is concerned. But when we swear in common discourse, it is far otherwise, any the tristingest, or lightest thing serves for the matter of an oath, nay often men swear to such vain and foolish things, as a considering person would be ashamed barely to speak. And is it not a great despising of God, to call him solemly to judge in such childish, such wretched matters, God is the great King of the world, now though a King be to be resorted unto in weighty cases, yet sure he would think himself much despised, if he should be called to judge between boyes at their childish games: And God knows many things whereto we frequently swear, are not of greater weight, and therefore are a sign, that we do not rightly esteem of God.
7. Secondly, They lead to perjury.This common swearing is a sin which leads directly to the former of forswearing; for he that by the use of swearing hath made oaths so familiar to him, will be likely to take the dreadfullest oath without much consideration? For how shall he that swears hourly, look upon an oath with any reverence and he that doth not? it is his chance, not his care, that is to be thanked, if he keep from perjury. Nay further, he that swears commonly, is not onelyonly prepared to forswear, when a solemn oath is tendered him, but in all probability does actually forswear himself often in these suddener oaths: for supposing them to come from a man, ere he is aware (which is the best can be said of them) what assurance can any man have, who swears, ere he is aware, that he shall not lye so too? And if he doth both together, he must necessarily be forsworn. But he that observes your comm…n swearers, will be put past doubt, that they are often forsworn. For they usually swear indifferently to things true or false, doubtful or certain. And I doubt not, but if men who are guilty of this sin, would but impartially examine their own practice, their hearts would second me in this observation.
8. Thirdly, This is a sin,No temptation to them. to which there is no temptation, there is nothing either of pleasure, or prefit, got by it. Most other sins offer us somewhat either of the …re, or the other, but this is utterly empty of both. So that in this sin the Devil does not play the M…rchant for our Souls, as in others he does, he doth not so much as cheapen them, but we give them freely into his hands without any thing in exchange. There seems to be but one thing possible for men to hope to gain by it, and that is to be beleeved in what they say when they thus bind it by an oath. But this also they constantly fail of, for there are none so little beleeved, as the common swearers. And good reason, For he that makes no conscience thus to profane Gods name; Why shall any man beleeve, he makes any of lying? Nay, their forwardness to confirm every the slightest thing by an oath, rather gives jealousy, that they have some inward guilt of falseness, for which that oath must be the clo…k. And thus you see in how little stead it stands them, even to this onelyonly purpose, for which they can pretend it useful; and to any other advantage it makes not the lest claim, and therefore is a sin without temptation, and consequently without excuse: for it shewes the greatest contempt, nay unkindness to God, when we will provoke him thus, without any thing to tempt us to it. And therefore though the commonness of this sin have made it pass but for a small one, yet it is very far from being so, either in it self, or in Gods account.
9. Let all therefore,Necessity of abstaining from them. who are not yet fallen into the custome of this sin, be most careful never to yield to the least beginnings of it, and for those who are so miserable, as to be already …s…ared in it, let them immediately, as they tender their Souls, get out of it. And let no man plead the hardness of leaving an old custome, as an excuse for his continuing in it, but rather the longer he hath been in it, so much the more haste let him make out of it, as thinking it too too much, that he hath so long gone on in so great a sin. And if the length of the cust…me have increased the difficulty of leaving it, that is in all reason to make him set immediately to the casting it off, left that difficulty at last grow to an impossibility, and the harder he finds it at the present, so much the more diligent and watchful he must be in the use of all those means, Means for it.which may tend to the overcoming that sinful habit, some few of those means it will not be amiss here to mention.
10. First let him possess his mind fully of the hainousness of the sin,Sence of the guilt and danger and not to measure it onelyonly according to the common rate of the world. And when he is fully perswaded of the guilt, then let him add to that, the consideration of the danger, as that it puts him out of Gods favour at the present, and will, if he continue in it, cast him into Hell for ever. And sure if this were but throughly laid to heart, it would restrain this sin; For I would ask a man, that pretends impossibility of leaving the custome, whether if he were sure he should be hanged the next oath he swore, the fear of it would not keep him from swearing? I can scarce beleeve any man in his wits so little Master of himself, but it would. And then surely damning is so much worse then hanging, that in all reason the fear of that ought to be a much greater restraint. The doubt is, men do either not heartily believe that this sin will damn them, or if they do, they look on it, as a thing a great way off and so are not much moved with it; but both these are very unreasonable. For the first, it is certain, that every one that continues wilfully in any sin, is so long in a state of damnation, and therefore this being so continued in, must certainly put a man in that condition. For the second, It is very possible, he may be deceived in thinking it so far off, for how knows any man that he shal not be struck dead with an oath in his mouth, or if he were sure not to be so, yet eternal damnation is surely to be dreaded above all things, be it at what distance soever.
11. A second means is to be exactly true in all thou speakest,Truth in speaking. that all men may believe thee on thy bare word, and then thou wilt never have occasion to confirm it by an oath, to make it more credible, which is the onelyonly colour, or reason can at any time be pretended for swearing.
12. Thirdly, Forsaking the occasions.Observe what it is that most betrayes thee to this sin, whether drink, or anger, or the company and example of others, or what ever else, and then if ever thou mean to forsake the sin, forsake those occasions of it.
13. Fourthly, Endeavour to possess thy heart with a continual remembrance of God, Reverence of God.and if that once grow into a custome with thee, it will quickly turn out that contrary one of profaning. Use and accustome thy self therefore to this reverence of God; and particularly to such a respect to his name, as if it be possible, never to mention It without some lifting up of thy heart to him; Even in thy ordinary discourse, when ever thou takest his Name in to thy mouth, let it be an occasion of raising up thy thoughts to him. But by no means permit thy self to use it in idle bywords, or the like. If thou doest accustome thy self to pay this reverence to the bare mention of his name, it will be an excellent fence against the prophaning it in oaths.
14. A fifth means is a diligent and constant watch over thy self,Watchfulness. that thou thus offend not with thy tongue, without which all the former will come to nothing. And the last means is prayer, Prayer.which must be added to all thy endeavours, therefore pray earnestly, that God will enable thee, to overcome this wicked custom; say with the Psalmist, Set a watch O Lord over my mouth and keep the door of my lips; and if thou doest sincerely set thy self to the use of means for it, thou mayest be assured, God will not be wanting in his assistance. I have been the longer on this, because it is so reigning a sin: God in his mercy give all that are guilty of it a true sight of the hainousness of it.
15. By these several waies of dishonouring Gods Name you may understand,What it is to honour Gods Name. what is the duty of honouring it, viz. A strict abstaining from every one of these, and that abstinence founded on an awful respect, and reverence to that sacred Name, which is Great, Wonderful, and Holy, Psal. 99. 3. I have now past through the several branches of that great duty of honouring of God.