The Practical Divinity of the Papists Discovered to be Destructive, Discourse · Chapter 9 · Section 4
Sect. 4. For Oaths or Perjury, I will only inſtance in thoſe which are Fraudulent. Firſt, they determine, that he who (m)Quid ergo ſi quis exterius juret proferendo verba, & tangendo evangelia, intus tamen non habeat jurandi animum? Reſpondetur in illo caſu, non eſſe verum ſed fictum juramentum. Sed nunquid in conſcientia qui ſic jurat, tenebitur adimplere? Reſpondetur minime quidem, &c. Soto de juſt. & jur. l. 8. q. 1. art. 7. p. 262. Graff. deciſ. aur. l. 2. c. 17. n. 5. Ut obligationem inducat neceſſarium eſt, ut ab intentione jurandi procedat, hoc c…rtum est apud omnes. D. Thom. Cajetan, Soto, Covarruvias, Panormatan, Gloſſa in Suar. l. 2. de Jurament. c. 7. n 2. Neceſſarium eſt ut intentio jurandi ſit ſufficienter libera. Communis eſt. Idem ibid. n. 3.takes an Oath, and intends not to ſwear, the Oath binds not, it is no ſin to go againſt it.
(n)Tenet S. Bonaventura quod univerſaliter non obligat juramentum ſi jurans animum ſe obligandi non habuit. Sylveſt. jurament. 4. n. 19. vid. plures ibid. u. 7. & n. 17. Nec qui ſic jurat, peccat. Angelus v. juram. 5. n. 9. & Sylveſt. v. juram. 4. n. 7. Qui jurat cum intentione non ſe obligandi, non obligatur ex vi juramenti. Ita—D. Thom. Bonaventur. Scotus. Gabriel. Richard. Sylveſt. Angelus Medina. Gutierrez. Navar. Gloſs. Felinus. Abbas. Jo. Andr. in Suar. l. 2. de juram. c. 7. n. 9. Hos & alios vid. in Bonacina. Tom. 2. diſp. 4. q. 1. punct. 7. n. 3.Secondly, when a man intends to ſwear, but intends not to be obliged by ſwearing; there he is not obliged, but may lawfully break it, as the antienter Caſuiſts and School-Doctors generally determine.
There is real evidence for the practice of this from the Conclave: for, as their excellent Hiſtorian tells us, (*)Hiſt. of Counc. of Tr. l. 1. p. 71.in the Vacancies of the Sea the Cardinals uſe to compoſe certain capitulations, to reform the Papal Government, which all ſwear to perform, if they be aſſumed to the Popedom; though it appear by all precedent examples, that every one ſweareth with a mind not to keep them, in caſe he ſhall be Pope. For ſo ſoon as he is Elected, he ſaith, h… …ould not bind himſelf, and that he is at liberty by gaining the Papacy. This was remarkably exemplified in Paul 4. who reſolving to break one of the Capitulations he was ſworn to a little before, and ſome of the Cardinals being ready to put him in mind of his Oath, he declared in Conſiſtory, (†)Ibid. l. 5. p. 396.that it is an Article of Faith that the Pope cannot be bound, and much leſs can bind himſelf, that to ſay otherwiſe was a manifeſt Hereſie: and threatned the Inquiſition to any that hold it. It ſeems it is damnable error, deſerving ſomething like a Hell upon Earth, to believe that his Holineſs intends to be honeſt, whatever he ſwear. It's true, every one has not the priviledg of a Pope, to have it counted Haereſie for any to believe that he can be bound to keep any Oaths, or ever to intend it: but all have this liberty by their Doctrine, that they may take Oaths without any intention to keep them; and are not bound to keep them, if they do not intend it.
Thirdly, to elude an Oath, and deceive thoſe who give it, or are concerned in it, by aequivocation, or other artifice of words; yea, or by mental Reſervation, is no ſin: and that in (o)Si judex juramentum exigens talis (competens) non fuerit, vel eſto quod ſit competens, interrogat tamen contra juris ordinem, vel eſt alius homo privatus, qui per metum aut importunitatem juramentum extorquet, tunc jurare poterit quod ſecundum ſuam mentem eſt verum, falſum autem ſecundum mentem alterius, cui exhibit juramentum. Sicuti feciſſe B. Franciſcum ferunt, qui rogatus qua perrexiſſet quidam bomicida, reſpondit, non tranſiſſe illac, intelligens, per illas manicas—Cum Adriano qui ſic inique interrogatur, poteſt optime reſpondere, quod neſcit, intelligendo, non eo modo ſe ſcire, quo illud dicere teneatur. Navar. cap. 12. n. 8.many caſes. As when a man has no mind to ſwear, and thinks he is not bound to do it; when he is drawn to it by force, or induced by fear, or brought to it by importunity; or when the Judge is incompetent (as they count all that are Hereticks or Excommunicate: and that have not lawful juriſdiction); or if the Judges are competent, yet when (*)Vid Navar. c 18. n. 57.they proceed not juridically. In theſe and other caſes; either (*)Qui alio ſenſu ju at quam alter intelligat, non peccat, modo juſtam habeat cauſam ita jurandi—juſta autem cauſa utendi his verbis (amphibologicis) eſt neceſſitas aut utilitas corporis, aut honoris, aut rerum familiarium—Ex quo ſequitur, non eſſe illicitum uti verbis amphibologicis, addendo reſtrictionem aliquam in mente retentam, quoties aliquid incommodi, vel injuriae nobis impendet loquendo ad mentem interrogantis, adeſt en…m juſta cauſa ita loquendi. Bonacin. Tom. 2. diſp. 4. queſt. 1. punct. 12. n. 2. 3, 4. Ejuſmodi autem aequivocationibus uti, addito etiam juramento abſ que cauſa, non eſt peccatum mortale, modo ne id fiat in fraudem tertij, aut in judicio, dum judex juridice interrogat. Ibid. vid. Dian. v. aequivoc. Videtur eſſe communis ſententia juramentum ſimulatum, id eſt, cum juſta & prudenti amphibologia factum, non obligare. D. Tho. Cajetan. Soto. Abbas. Tabiena. Covarruv…as. Navar. in Suar. l. 2. de juram. cap. 8. n. 2. Juramentum autem doloſum cum injuſtitia obligare—ſed tantum ſecundum proprium ſenſum. Scotus, Bonavent. Richard. Gabriel. Sylveſt. Angelus. Antoninus. ibid. n. 5.for avoiding harm, or inconvenience; or when it may be for their advantage in any reſpect, they think it lawful to uſe theſe methods of deceit in ſwearing. Indeed the reaſon they give to juſtifie the practice …n theſe caſes, will make it as lawful in any other: for they ſay what is ſo ſworn is true, in their own ſenſe, though not in the ſenſe of the hearers; and ſo they will have it in ſtrictneſs to be neither Lie nor Perjury, nor any mortal ſin, even when there is no honeſt, nor reaſonable occaſion, for ſwearing or promiſing, in this fraudulent manner.
And that you may perceive the Jeſuits are not the prime Maſters of theſe Arts; I ſhall inſtance in other Authors, who were either before them, or not addicted to the Society.
For aequivocations, or other ſlight of words in ſwearing, they are juſtified by (*)Licet jurare cum aequivocatione. D. Tho. Scotus, Paludanus, Richard. Major. Adrian. Navar. Covarruvias. Sylveſt. Gloſs. Ibid. l. 3. cap. 9.multitudes of their Writers, viz. Sairus after Aquinas, and their Gloſſe, Paludanus, Gabriel, Johannes Major, Adrian, Hen. Gandavenſis, Angelus, Sylveſter, Soto, &c. The inſtances which Soto gives, may ſerve for a taſt; as for example (p)Si injurius ille nequam ſic rogaret, juras mihi tantam numerare pecuniam? & alter reſponderet, ſic uro (abſ que j.) non eſſet peccatum mortale, ſed ſimplex mendacium: quia forte tunc nihil ureret. Soto. ibid. p. 263.when one inſtead of ſaying I ſwear, uſes a word which ſignifies another thing: but ſo pronounces it as the difference is not diſcerned. Or if the (q)Item ſi Dei nomen lingua illa qua ſit juratio, diverſum quo que aliud habuiſſet ſignificatum, liceret illud intelligendo, dicere teſtis mihi eſt Deus, quamvis alter Deum coeli intelligeret. ibid.word GOD in the language wherein the Oath is taken, may ſignifie ſome other thing; he that ſwears may mean ſomething elſe by it, when he that gives the Oath, underſtands the God of Heaven. (r)Aut ſi altero interrogante, juras mihi numerare pecuniam? alter reſponderet, tibi juro numerare, non eſſet ſenſus, numerare tibi, hoc eſt ſolvere aut tradere, ſed tibi juro apud me pecuniam recenſere, quandoquidem numerare utrum que ſignificat.Or if the Oath be formed in this order, I ſwear to you to pay ſo much Mony, he that ſwears may mean not to pay him, but ſome other: when he to whom the Oath is made, underſtands it, intended for himſelf. Such an (s)Quare tale juramentum eſſet verum, juſtum & prudens quoniam tunc ſimulatio (quoniam abſ que falſitate fieret) utilis eſſet.Oath ſayes Soto is true, juſt, prudent, becauſe then ſimulation is profitable; having ſaid before (t)Quando vero vi illata petitur, licitum eſt eafraude petentem deludere. Ibid. Similis eſt aequivocatio quam in verbo eſt ponit Gloſſa in cap. neque. 2. 2. q. 2. & quam in nomine ſororis notavit Gloſſa in c. ult 2. 2. q. 2.that it is lawful, with ſuch fraud to deceive one who forces him to ſwear, ſince he who puts him to ſwear, hath no right to do it; and theſe forementioned, are the very ſame inſtances which Sanchez (u)Opp. Mar. l. 3. c. 2. n. 37.uſes; by which we ſee, the Jeſuit was not the inventor hereof, but learn'd them of a Dominican.
Of mental-reſervations juſtified by their chief (*)Navar, Sylveſt, Angelus, Lud. Lopez. Tabien. Armilla, &c. And among thoſe who ſeem to diſlike it. Soto fatetur licitum eſſe alicui jurare, ſe neſcire quod revelare non potest, aut non tenetur; ſubintelligendo, neſcio ut tibi dicam—quando judex non poteſt legitime interrogare de occultis recte illi reſponderi, non feci, ſubintelligendo publice, &c. Et ita etiam conceſſit aperte Cajetan. & Adrian. in Suar. ibid. cap. 10. n. art. 3.Authors, who were no Jeſuits, inſtances might be given in abundance; for example, if (a)Sylveſt. ſum. v. jurament. 3. n. 2. Navar. cap. 12. n. 18. quia id injuſte agit, poteſt illa jurare, quod ſecundum ſuam intentionem verum eſt, falſum autem juxta mariti mentem & Angelus. v. juram. 4. n. 1. Nam cum talis inique a tali confeſſionem exigat, poterit jurare ſecundum ſuam intentionem, quod verum eſt: licet ſecundum intellectum audientis ſic falſum, ſecundum Rodo. quem ſequitur Aſtenſis:a man will have his Wife ſwear, that ſhe is not an Adultereſs, though ſhe be guilty, ſhe may deny it with an Oath, and ſwear what is falſe in his ſenſe, if it be true in her own, by the addition of ſome ſecret reſerve. (b)Si maligno ſenſu intendebat facere, quod jurabat, licet non in ſenſu ejus, cui jurabat: ut quia juravit dare centum, ſubaudiendo in animo ſuo, ſi debuero: tunc non peccat: quia non tenetur jurare ſecundum intentionem ejus, cum non ſit ſuus judex: ſed utitur ſimulatione licita, quae licet: ut in c. utilem 2. 2. q. 2. Sylveſt. ibid. 4. n. 7. Navar. c. 12. n. 14. Ne que peccaret jurando, ne que etiam non implendo amplius quam ipſe intellexit; quoniam non tenetur aliquis jurare ſecundum intentionem illius qui perperam ipſum ad jurandum cogit.If a man ſwear to give another a Hundred Crowns, with this inward reſerve, If he owe it him: he ſins not, though he ſwears falſe, in the ſenſe of him, who is to have the money. (c)Aquinas & Jo Major. in Navar. c 12. n. 9. Sylveſt. ibid. 3. n. 2. Angelus. Sum. v. juram 4. n. 1. Quum quis ex juramento exigit ab aliquo quod ipſe non poteſt ſine peccato implere: poteſt habere intentionem, cum jurat illud facere ſcil. Quantum poterit ſine peccato. Sic & Sylveſter. Sic ſecundum Rich. de St. Victore obſtetrices non peccaſſent, licet non reſpondiſsent ad intentionem Pharaonis, quia non fuit ei data Authoritas ad aliquid agendum contra Deum. Secundum Innocent. in c. veniens de curia. in juramento determinato ſuper aliquo ſingulari, ſic interpretatur in foro animae, ſecundum intentionem jurantis. Angel. ibid.A Woman who becauſe of ſome ſecret impediment will not live with her Husband, and is Excommunicated for it, ſhe at the point of death, that ſhe may be abſolved; being put to ſwear, that if ſhe recover, ſhe will live with him, may ſwear it abſolutely in ſhew, with this conditional reſerve, If ſhe may do it without ſin; yet if ſhe do it not, ſhe is not forſworn. So Sylveſter and Navar, according to the determination of Aquinas, and Jo. Major. He (d)Sylveſt. v. juram. 3. n. 2. Navar. c. 12. n. 19. Bonacin. ubi ſupra.that in the time of Peſtilence comes to a Town, where the Officers, before they admit him, will have him ſwear, that he came from no infected place; though it be not true, he may ſwear it, if he think himſelf have got no infection. If (e)An qui jurat ſe non habere rem aliquam ab alio petitam, ut ab ea danda vel accommodanda ſe excuſet, peccet? reſponderi enim debet, piccare ſi mens ejus verbis conſonat: ſed non, ſi non tenetur ad dandam vel accommodandam, ne que reſpondendum juxta mentem petentis, & ea mente juret, quod non habant illam, ad eam illi dandam aut accommodandam. Navar. c. 12. n. 18. Bonacin. ibid. Idem. c. 8. n. 19. Lopez. cap. 37. p. 211.you have not a mind, or are not bound to give or lend any thing in your poſſeſſion, which another deſires; you may lawfully ſwear that you have it not, with this inward reſerve, That you have it not, to give or lend. (f)And this they maintain not only in this caſe, but as to all ſins confeſſed. Quod ſi judex inſtat vel exigit juramentum a ſacerdote, an per confeſſionem ſciat aliquid de tali facto? Dico quod ſecundum S. Thom. & omnes doctores. Sacerdos ſi ab eo quaeratur de aliquo abſente, an aliquid ſciat, quod audivit in confeſſione: jurare poteſt ſe neſcire illud: quia non ſcit illud in quantum homo, &c. Sylveſt. v. confeſs. 3. n. 6. Sic Angelus. v. confeſs. 8. n. 4. ſecundum Scotum & Richardum, &c. Graff. l. r. c. 23. n. 2. For the Seal of Confeſſion muſt not be violated; no, not to ſecure the ſoul of the poenitent, or the life of a King, or a whole Commonwealth from temporal or ſpiritual deſtruction. Vid. ibid. n. 4. & 20. auctores contra unum Altiſiodorenſem in Suarez. tom. 4. diſp. 33. Sect. 1.If a man threaten to kill a Confeſſor, if he will not tell him, whether his Wife hath confeſſed her Adultery to him; though ſhe have confeſſed it to him, yet the Prieſt may abſolutely ſay, and ſwear, that ſhe has not; with this reſerve, So that he ſhould be bound to tell it. (g)Quamvis juret ſe dicturum, quod ſcit, vere reſpondere poteſt ſe illa neſcire abſ que perjurij metu, intelligendo intra ſe, illud ſe non ita ſcire ut detegere teneatur. Navar. c. 18. n. 61. vid. cap. 17. n. 116.He that is examined upon Oath, concerning crimes that he knows, and ſwears to declare all he knows; may concerning ſome that are not known to others, though they be to him; ſwear without Perjury, that he knows them not, with this ſecret reſerve, He knows not to diſcover them.
If one promiſe to another, or contract with a Woman outwardly, without an intention of promiſing; and is demanded of a Judge upon Oath, whether he promiſed or contracted: he may plainly deny it, becauſe he may have this ſenſe, I promiſed not with a promiſe obligeing me, and he has juſt cauſe ſo to anſwer, becauſe ſince he cannot otherwiſe prove his want of intention, he will be condemned to pay what he owes not, or to cohabit with her, whom he truly contracted not (*)So Navar. in cap. humanae aures. 2. 2. q. 5. q. 1. & 2. alledging for this Doctrine. Aquinas. Scotus. Paludanus. Richard. Major. Adrian. and others, vid. Suar. l. 3. de Juram. cap. 9. n. 5.. A witneſs, either when he is not interrogated juridically, or when he has good occaſion not to bear witneſs in judgment, as if he fear great damage to himſelf thereby; may anſwer, that he knows not, or ſaw it not, or the like, with a mental Reſervation (*)Bonacin. Tom. 2. diſp. 4. q. 1. punct. 12. Clavis Regia. Navar. & alij. ibid.. He that out of neceſſity, or for any profit, offers himſelf to ſwear of his own accord, may therein uſe ſuch fallacy (*)Idem. ibid.. He that hath good occaſion to hide his goods, leſt they ſhould be ſeized by his creditors, being for his livelihood, and to keep him from beggery; may ſwear that he has not hid any, underſtanding not any that he could not hide, or any that he is bound to diſcover. The ſame may the witneſſes ſwear for him (viz. That he hid none) knowing that he hid them lawfully (*)Idem. ibid. & alij.. Such fallacious Oaths may be uſed alſo in Contracts and Bargaining. Thoſe who cannot otherwiſe get a juſt price of the buyer, may ſwear, in a ſenſe that he perceives not, that the Commodity coſt them ſo much (*)Idem. ibid. Sayrus. Rebellus & alij..
Here are a few inſtances, but they have rules (ſome of them are premiſed) which Licence it in caſes innumerable: ſo that it may be a common practice, and they may uſe it, upon any occaſion which they think reaſonable.
Theſe things conſidered, with others Authorized among them. I cannot deviſe what courſe can be taken to bind thoſe who follow their doctrine; or to get from them the leaſt ſecurity by an Oath. They have declared, that if you put an Oath upon them, which they think, ought not to be impoſed, they may lawfully deceive you if they can, and put a cheat upon you, even in a Solemn Oath. Contrive then what Oath you will for your ſecurity, they will take it, ſo far as you can judge, as much as any man in the world takes an Oath; yet if they did not intend to Swear (which none can tell but themſelves) by taking this Oath; they have not Sworn, they are not obliged. Or if they had a mind to ſwear, as well as to make you think ſo, yet if they did not intend to oblige themſelves thereby, their Conſcience by their principles is free, the Oath does not touch them; or if they have a mind to be obliged by that Oath, yet need they not bind themſelves to that, it was deſigned for; but to quite another thing: for they may ſwear in a ſenſe, vaſtly diſtant from what you intend or imagine; and thus they are taught to do: and it is practicable, either by the flye and undiſcerned change of one letter in a word, as they may pronounce it, which will turn the ſenſe as far from yours, as burning is from ſwearing, which is plain in a former inſtance. Or elſe by the ambiguouſneſs of ſome word in the Oath, affording another ſenſe than you are aware of; they may fix upon that, and leave yours to your ſelf, and ſo bind themſelves to nothing you are concerned for, when you think you have them faſt bound to all. Or if ſuch care be taken, that in the Oath there be no ambiguous terms, which may give them the advantage to delude you by a ſenſe forraign to your intendment; yet, do what you can, they may put forth a ſenſe upon it by a mental reſtriction; for thereby adding ſomething reſerved in their mind to what is expreſſed in the Oath; the ſenſe is quite changed, and the thing they ſwear is nothing at all, of what you would have ſworn.
Yea, or if they ſwear, that they will obſerve the contents of your Oath, according to the plain and natural meaning of the words, without any equivocating or mental reſtriction; yet at the ſame time they may mean, without any mental reſtriction, that they will tell you of; and ſo delude you with a mental reſervation, when they are ſwearing againſt it: nor is this an imaginary ſuppoſition of a thing that they never practis'd; for thus their Prieſts and others have taken the Oath of Allegiance, and by this art eluded it; (*)Quando quis inique interrogat excludendo omnem aequivocationem, poſſe interrogatum uti aequivocatione, apponendo aliquam particulam in mente, &c. Idem dic de teſte. Bonacina. Tom. 2. diſp. 4. q. 1. punct. 12. & ibi plur…s. Quoties gravis cauſa occurrit, obquam licet uti verbis ambignis, vel mentali reſtrictione, ejuſmode uſum eſſe licitum, etſi interrogans urgeat, ut ſine amphibologia, aut reſtrictione loquaris. Pet. a S. Joſeph. de 2 precept. art. 1.and ſo they are inſtructed, and may do ſtill, and defeat any Oath that can be deviſed. Yea, by their doctrine they may do it lawfully, and without ſin; for in all this jugling, they teach, that they do not ſwear falſe, but by the artifice ſpecified, it's true in their own ſenſe, though not in theirs who give the Oath. Indeed this is a cheat (where God is called to witneſs) nor do they deny it: But they ſay ſuch deceit is lawful, as in many other caſes ſo, always when the Judge is incompetent: And that is our caſe in England, we have none from the Throne to the loweſt Bench, that, in their account, have any juriſdiction (h)Judex haereticus aut ſchiſmaticus amittit omnem juriſdictionem. Vid. Conc. Lateran. ſub Innocent. 3. in Crab. Supra.; we have none that have power to put an Oath upon them; they may chooſe whether they will ſwear or no, or whether they will cheat them all in ſwearing. No Oath which can be given them, can oblige them, but in their own ſenſe, how diſtant ſoever from the true ſenſe of the Oath, or of the Impoſer of it. This our Roman Catholicks were aſſured of long ſince, by (i)Juramentum exactum a judice non competente (quales nunc omnes ſunt in Anglia) in juriſdictione Eccleſiaſtica, non obligat niſi ſecundum intentionem jurantis in Abb. de mendacio. p. 40.inſtructions ſent them from Rome in Queen Elizabeths time. So that they need make no Conſcience (if they will follow the beſt Guides of their Conſciences) to practiſe all their contrivance upon us in Oaths: (much more in promiſes, contracts, &c.) even ſuch as the light of Nature has ever condemned in the world, as not only impious in point of Religion, but deſtructive to human ſociety, and thoſe which tend to ſubvert the main grounds and foundations of it. We can never oblige them by Oath at any time, but when they pleaſe, nor any further than they liſt: we can never tell when they ſwear, though they take Oaths, nor when they are obliged, though they ſwear: we cannot poſſibly know when we may be ſure of them. When we think them faſt, by all the rules that men of Conſcience and common Honeſty procede by; yet they can juggle themſelves looſe by the Roman rules, at pleaſure, and make ſport with God and man, even in Oaths where God himſelf is a Witneſs, and the greateſt of men concerned as Parties.