The Reviler Rebuked, Treatise · Part 1 · Head 22
(22. Head of their Scripture-contradiction) Concerning Swearing.
Section 50.
THey take up Chriſts words (as I noted) Mat. 5. 34. Swear not at all, (as they do other Scriptures againſt his meaning) to fight againſt all Oaths before a Magiſtrate, in any caſe, upon any occaſion. And now comes forth R. F. *Page 23.and fights with his ſhadow, [Thou ſays, he forbids Oaths onelyonly by Creatures, Heaven, Swearing by Creatures forbidden.Earth, a mans head, &c. The ſame meaning hath James, Chap. 5. 12.
Rep. My words were plain enough to him that hath a minde to underſtand, Firſt (ſaid I, which word [firſt] he leaves out) he forbids oaths by creatures; and I addedMat. 5 34, 35, 36. vindicated. [onelyonly] becauſe the Lord doth onelyonly there, i. e. ver. 34, 35, 36. make exception of Creatures; Heaven, Gods throne; Earth, his footſtool; Jeruſalem, the city of the great King; the Head, becauſe thou canſt not make one hair white or black.
R. F. *Page 24.returns me this non-ſenſe for anſwer; Here thou art a lyar of Chriſt, and his words bear teſtimony, againſt thee, for he doth not forbid ſwearing by Creatures onelyonly, but he forbids ſwearing by all things elſe, whatſoever: for he ſaith, Swear not at all, neither by heaven, nor by earth, &c. And he that ſwears not by heaven, muſt not ſwear by what is contained in it; and he that ſwears not by earth, muſt not ſwear by what is contained in it.
Rep. The reaſon he gives why ſwearing by creatures onelyonly, is not here forbidden, is becauſe the Lord forbids ſwearing by all things elſe; which is a reaſonleſs reaſon, for heaven, and earth, and the creatures contained therein, are all but creatures; and my aſſertion ſtands good, That Chriſts words (in the above-mentioned verſes, 34, 35, 36. of Mat. 5.) do not abſolutely inhibit all oaths before a Magiſtrate, while he forbids onelyonly ſwearing by creatures, heaven and earth, and all creatures therein. I am aware of what FamiliſticalGods eſſence is not mixed with the Creatures. conceits theſe men have of God, and his Eſſence, as mixt with the creatures; and hereupon they may think, that, if creatures are not to be ſworn by at all, at any time, in any caſe; neither may we ſwear by the name of God at all, at any time, in any caſe: But,
1. Although Gods eſſence is where the Creatures eſſence is, yet he is a moſt ſimple un-compounded Being: and though he is in heaven, and in earth, yet he is not contained, bounded, or limited therein.
2. Our Lords ſcope is to wipe and waſh off the duſty Gloſſes of the Scribes and Phariſees, which they had caſt upon the glaſs of the Law, and particularly concerning oaths; for ver. 33. you will finde it had been an old tradition, they might ſwear by any thing, ſo as they did not forſwear themſelves. And again, (by comparing Chap. 5. with 23. 16. &c.) we finde how they diſtinguiſht about oaths, ſome were nothing (they ſaid) or not binding, as to ſwear by the Temple, by the Altar, &c. but to ſwear by the Gold of the Temple, or by the Gift upon the Altar, that was a binding oath; and made the man that ſwore, a debtor; and if he kept not his oath, he was guilty: Now againſt theſe, and ſuch like Gloſſes, Chriſt oppoſeth with a prohibition, I ſay unto you, (who am to be heard and believed before Phariſees) Swear not at all; that is, neither by the Temple, nor by the Gold of it; not by the Altar, nor by the Gift upon the Altar, &c. nor by any creatures whatſoever. And yet while he is clearing out the third Commandment, (which forbids not onelyonly perjury, but all profanations of Gods name) and directing to the right uſe of an oath, he dothSwearing by God commanded. not repeal, null, or make void the firſt Commandment, which requireth ſwearing by God, and unto God alone: For, as it requires prayer to the God we have, ſo an oath is alſo there commanded (upon ſpecial occaſion) it being an appeal to God, or a ſolemn atteſtation and calling of God to witneſs, and judge, about the truth affirmed or denied. And if we have a God, we ſwear our ſelves to him, and are to ſwear by his name, Deut. 6. 13. and 10. 20. Swearing is ſuch a part of worſhip, and ſo eminent, that it is put by a Synecdoche (or figurative ſpeech of the part for the whole) for the whole worſhip of God, Pſalm 63. 11. and Chriſt was far from overthrowing the whole worſhip of God, or any part of it.
3. The ſenſe of the prohibition, Swear not at all, is given forth, Mat. 5. ver. 37. But let your communication be yea, yea; nay, nay. Communication *foreign. Mat. 5 37. cleared.there, is as much as ordidinary ſpeech; from whence I granted, that not onelyonly ſwearing by creatures, is forbidden, but all kinde of oaths in ordinary communication, (as, by God, or, by the Lord) and it was the furtheſt (I ſaid) that I finde one of the Quakers *A few words by J Nayler, pag. 16.ſeems at leaſt to carry the ſenſe, Art thou come to yea and nay, in thy common occaſions?
Yet R. F. apprehends the Apoſtle James his words, Chap. James 5 12. vindicated.5. 12. are expreſs againſt all kinde of ſwearing at any time, becauſe he ſaith, Swear not at all.
Rep. The words of the Apoſtle are ſtrictly thus; But above all things, my brethren, ſwear not; neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath; but let your yea, be yea; and your nay, nay: the latter wordsGod not to be ſworn by in ordinary ſpeech. explaining the ſcope and ſenſe of the former. His ſcope is, particularly, to ſuppreſs expreſſions of impatiency under afflictions and perſecutions, which from ver. 7, to 14. he was dealing with, and having commended Jobs patience, ver. 11. he addeth, ver. 12. Swear not, &c. that is, in your afflictions, under ſenſe of pain, trouble, or torture; beware of vain and raſh ſwearing (as at all times, ſo) when you think your ſelves provoked to it by the ſmart of afflictions: Beware of ſwearing by any oath, directly by God, or indirectly by creatures, in the greateſt provocations; and much more avoid it, when you are not provoked: barely, we are to affirm, or deny, according to truth, at ſome extraordinary ſeaſons, and always in ordinary courſe.
4. Of lawful oaths, there are two ſorts; Aſſertory, andTwo ſorts of lawful oaths Promiſſory.
1. Aſſertory, when the truth of a thing is ſolemnly affirmed1. Aſſertory. or denyed, by invocation of God alone for a witneſs and a judge, in ſuch a caſe, and at ſuch a time, as a ControverſieHeb. 6. 16. vindicated. cannot be ended without it. Heb. 6. 16. where the Apoſtle doth not ſo bring a compariſon from the men of the world, to whom, an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all ſtrife, as to ſhut out Saints from being men in the world, or diſoblige them from their common humanity; but by alluding to the uſe of an oath, for ſuch a lawful end, among men, he gives a hint of one of the hinges or ſinews of Humane ſociety, which Saints have not been wont to throw off, or cut aſunder: but upon weighty occaſions, they have aſſerted and confirmed the truth of their ſpeech by an oath. Such is that of Paul to the Romans, Chap. 1. 9. God is my witneſs, &c. And to the Corinthians, 2 Cor. 1. 23. Moreover, I call God for a record, &c. And to the Philippians, Chap. 1. 8. For God is my record, &c. And to the Galatians, Chap. 1. 20. The things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lye not. And to the Theſſalonians, 1 Theſ. 2. 5. God is witneſs. In all theſe forms of ſpeech, there is the former part of an oath expreſt, calling God to witneſs, the other part is implyed, appealing to him as a Judge.
2. A Promiſſory oath, is when the truth of the hearts2. Promiſſory. intention, and of the lips expreſſion, to do a kindeneſs, or keep promiſe, is ſolemnly confirmed by atteſtation of God, and appeal to him alone: ſuch was that of Abrahams ſervant to his maſter, Gen. 24. 3, 9. Of David to Saul, 1 Sam. 24. 22. and to Bathſheba, 1 Kings 1. 29. Hence no warrant, for vain and raſh ſwearing by the Lord, can be collected; as for any to take up theſe forms of ſpeech ordinarily, [Before God] or, [As God ſhall judge me,] but ſufficient grounds for uſing of an oath in the ſame judgement, truth, and righteouſneſs, that the Saints of old and new Teſtament have ſanctified Gods name by.
5. Mixt oaths, by God and Creatures, are forbidden, forMixt oaths forbidden. the Lord threatneth to ſtretch out his hand in judgement againſt them that ſwear by the Lord, and that ſwear by Malcham, Zeph. 1. 5. i. e. joyned God and idols (Milchom, or Moloch, the abomination of the Ammonites) together: But God hath promiſed to eſtabliſh this part of his true and pure worſhip, to ſwear by him alone, and that in truth upon the earth. Iſaiah 65. 16. He who bleſſeth himſelf, ſhall bleſs himſelf in the God of truth; and he that ſweareth in the earth, ſhall ſwear by the God of truth.
R. F. makes other inferences; If a man muſt not ſwear at all, then he muſt not ſwear by a Book, or any other thing.
Rep. Had he reaſoned from Chriſts and the Apoſtles words [Swear not at all] in their true meaning; If a man muſt not ſwear by Creatures at all, then he muſt not ſwear by a Book, or any created being, he had complied with the truth; but to reaſon, and make inferences to no purpoſe, is to loſe time, and conſume pen and paper in vain. If it may gain him, or any of his Sect, to the love of truth and peace, I ſhall nakedly preſent my thoughts and deſires: AsSwearing by a Book unlawful. I had nothing before of Swearing by a Book one way or other, ſo never did I ſay, that a Book was lawful to be ſworn by; but I heartily wiſh ſuch a ſtumbling-block were every where in the Land, taken away by the Magiſtrates, for much profanation of Gods name hath been occaſioned thereby. I remember William Thorp *See Fox, Acts and Monuments, vol. 1. p. 701 col. 2.(one of J. Wickliffs followers) in conference with a Popiſh Archbiſhop, was in the right when he bare witneſs againſt ſwearing by a Book: And ſo was the Maſter of Divinity, of whom he tells the ſtory, who ſaid to the Lawyer, "It is not lawful either to give or to take any ſuch charge upon a Book; for every Book is nothing elſe but diverſe Creatures of which it is made; therefore to ſwear upon a Book, is to ſwear by Creatures, and this ſwearing is ever unlawful. This in effect will be found in Chryſoſtom, as his judgement, blaming Book-oaths, and them that bring forth Books to ſwear upon. The aforeſaid William Thorp *Page 702. as above.(though he was ready to ſwear as God commanded it, yet) refuſed ſo much as to lay his hand upon the Book, ſeeing to touch a Book in that caſe, is to ſwear by it. If R. F. and his fellowsSwearing upon a Book ſuperſtitious. would be as rational and Chriſtian-like as William Thorp, when they come before a Magiſtrate, to deny the Superſtition, and minde the Inſtitution; refuſe not the oath, but the oath by, or upon a Book, they might well be born with.
But R. F. concludeth, (after he hath talkt of my Selfconfutings, and manifeſt Contradictions, but proved nothing) *Page 24.We take Chriſts words according to his minde, and ſo deny oaths, and abide in his Doctrine.
Rep. Whether it were Chriſts minde and Doctrine, abſolutely to deny the uſe of an Oath, may appear (by what hath been ſaid) to the contrary; no part of the moral Law Chriſt came to deſtroy; to ſwear by Gods name, nature, or being, was and is a part of the indiſpenſable Law of God, that is to be obeyed and fulfilled in a Goſpel-way of worſhip, fear, love, and thankfulneſs. James Nayler (of whom I had once ſome better thoughts) in a ſheet of his *All v. in Janglers p. 8., tells his Novices, In the old Covenant ſwearing in truth was an ordinance of God: And the Apoſtle who was come into the new Covenant, and did witneſs the oath of God fulfilled, ſaid, Above all things, my brethren, ſwear not any oath whatſoever, leſt ye fall into temptation. The place in the Apoſtle James James 5. 12. vindicated.hath been cleared already, and the conſideration of his reaſon, doth further vindicate the prohibition from theſe mens opinions: Leſt ye fall into temptation; as if he ſhould ſay, Swear by any, but by God, or ſwear by God, raſhly, paſſionately, in a ſtrait and extremity, and ye will fall into temptation: from ſwearing ye may be tempted to curſe God, and yet further blaſpheme him; and from ſwearing by Creatures, ye may be tempted openly to worſhip them, and run from the true God to plain idols and idolatry; and from preſumption, ye may be tempted to deſpair; therefore patiently endure, do not paſſionately rap out oaths. But as to J. Naylers diſtinction of the time, when an oath was lawful, when not; I muſt ſend him to Section 17. to let him know, that the old Covenant and the new, was the ſame for ſubſtance; even the ſame Covenant of grace, which obligeth now as then, by way of love and thankfulneſs, to ſwear by the Lords name: and if we live under a clearer and larger adminiſtration of the Goſpel-covenant, wherein God hath fulfilled his oath, that he made to Abraham, Iſaac, and Jacob, by ſending his Son; and that he made to his Son, to conſecrate him a high Prieſt for ever; we ſhould reckon our ſelves more obliged to ſwear our ſelves to the Lord for ever, then thoſe that lived under the old Teſtament. To conclude,
They that will not expound Scripture by Scripture, and compare the Precepts and examples for Swearing, with the Prohibition againſt it, fall into Scripture-contradiction:
But neither R. F. nor J. Nayler (with others) will expound Scripture by Scripture, nor compare Precept, &c. for Swearing, with the Prohibition againſt it;
And therefore, R. F. and J. Nayler, with many others, are fallen into Scripture-contradiction.