Temptations – Their Nature Danger and Cure Part 3, Tract · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Of Swearing.
TO say much of swearing needs not, except where custome hath taken away sense. This sin doth rattle the conscience quickly, but where the sinne is by reason of use growne inveterate, there aHos. 4. 2.oath toucheth oath, and almost as many oathes as words; for which prophane vein we should all mourne, for that it makes the land to mourne, and see to it betime lest it bee (almost) too late; for inveterate sinnes are seldome pardoned. But put case a man doe forget himselfe, and doe rip up an oath, yet wee must not thinke too much of the mat…er, but befriend our selves with …ope of pardon, else we shall be apt to sweare, and sweare againe, …hat if wee must goe to hell wee may goe for somewhat. Hope of pardon is the best medicine (next to the blood of Christ) …o cure sinne in the world. It is a sinne so much the greater, because it is without a sensible temptation: they are not baited with pleasure or profit, but they doe sweare because they will sweare; and such shall one day know, that (without repentance) the Lord hath sworne to bee the destruction of swearers. Briefly, I will put off the matter in a few lines.
1 First, wee must not sweare by the creature. Indeed to speak properly we cannot: for it is no oath in it selfe when it is by the creature. For it is the life and forme of an oath to bee by the Creator; but yet it is an oath to us, and we must answer for it, or Christ for us. By the creature we must not sweare.
2 Secondly, wee must see that we doe not sweare very oathes, and we to thinke no such matter when wee have done. Many men have oathes as common in their mouthes as can be, and yet thinke nothing lesse, as [gods mee] is swearing by a figure: [gods lord] is an oath without the forme indeed, but yet there is the matter of an oath expressed and the forme implied: and [as I am a gentleman] is little better. Say those termes bee not very oathes, yet deepe protestations they are by the graunt of all, which is enough to cry downe the common and vaine use of such speeches. This we finde as common as may bee amongst the wisest and best sort of people, to fill their mouth with such speeches as these, [as true as I live, and, as I live it is so, or not so:] [as I live it is thus or thus.] In my opinion this is (to us) no better than plaine swearing. For we finde [as I live] up and downe in the Word as a common forme of an oath, when the Lord is said to sweare: So, as true as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, Num. 14. 21. This was an oath. For speaking of this very place the Phalmist saith, that the Lord did sweare (Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest, Ps. 95. 11.) Thus then by the voyce of the holy Ghost himselfe (surely as I live) is the forme of an oath, and that commonly in the prophesie of Ezechiel, Chap. 18. 3. & 20. 33. & 5. 11. I cannot but marvel that honest minded people, after this hath bin reproved in them & proved to them to be an oath, should yet use it, as they do almost at every third word, & venter the displeasure of God for a foolish phrase. Can one imagine that these (if cause were) would leave their lives for God, when wee cannot perswade them to leave a word or two for the Lords sake? This shewes that it is the Lord who must perswade, and that the Word without his cooperating Spirit will not convince. There is much humor and pride in this. They can say nothing for it, why 'tis good or fit to use such phrases, to out presently with [as I live, as true as I live] onelyonly they have used it long, and now will not leave it, because they will not bee thought to have beene out of the way all this while. Many good people wonder at the Patriarches for their polygamie, what they meant in it; but this sinne of common and triviall swearing is to mee a greater wonder, having lesse temptation in it, and the more use it the more wee should shunne it, and the longer wee have beene in it the more haste wee should make out of it. Had none but Lamech, and such as Lamech, doubled or trebled their wives, polygamie had beene as strange then in the Church as it is now; but when Abraham, Saint Abraham took to him more wives than one, it went for currant, and grew common. Right so, if none but vaine and light persons would sweare such oathes, if [as true as I live, and such like formes of swearing] were heard onelyonly from the mouthes of the sonnes of Belial, such oathes had never beene so rife in the Church: but now when grave and godly people make no bones of such swearing phrases, every one thinkes hee may, and (almost) ought to speake as they speake. To doe as most doe is no answer. Wee are to doe as God doth, and as the word would have us speake and doe. Some thinke to put off all with this, that it is but a ptotestation. But a protestation! Doe wee thinke to cry (but) at a protestation? There is, I confesse, one maine difference betweene a protestation and an oath, that wee may lawfully protest by a creature, but without sinne wee cannot sweare by a creature. But in the matter in hand there is little, if any difference, betwixt protesting and swearing. It is a sinne to sweare frivolously, and so it is to protest frivolously. A vaine protestation comes to as much (for ought I know) as a vaine oath. Whatsoever is more than Yea, yea, commeth of that evill one, saith Chtist, Matth. 5. 37. that is, of the divell; and as it comes of of evill so evill comes of it. Let your Yea bee yea, and your Nay nay, lest you fall into condemnation, saith Saint James, Chap. 5. 12. So that more than yea, or nay comes from the divell, and brings to the divell: and is not a protestation more than yea or nay as well as an oath? My meaning is not, that wee should tye our selves superstitiously to those termes, neither doth it warrant us to sweare by yea, or by nay; but wee must see that wee doe consider before hand what wee say, and that wee know things to be true ere wee affirme them, and say (aye): to bee false, ere we doe deny them, and say (no): and that wee should ordinarily content our selves with bare affirming or denying, gEccl. 9. 2.fearing all oathes, all protestations in ordinary communication. What doe these leave for themselves in greater matters, who will protest thus for every trifle? I would they that can, and doe acquit themselves, and free their mouthes from vaine oathes, would also as much from foolish protestations. Oathes and protestations are couzen germanes, and hee that makes no care of the one, 'tis but a scruple that hee makes of the other. Let us then away with petty oathes, made oathes. Sweare not at all, that is, without cause, and often: Know and acknowledge that these oathes wee now speake of, have a guilt in them above what wee thinke of perhaps; that wee sinne in swearing vainely, and we sinne in swearing thus [as true as I live] because wee sweare by a creature, and that frivolously too. Give it over lest God give us over, be willing to be convinced, be willing to leave thy foolery in speaking, and then wee shall bee quickly convinced, and then there is a pardon ready for our folly herein. And what if we be long used unto it? why 'tis a matter of comfort to us, if wee have the wit and the grace with us to breake off an old and long custome, to cure an inveterate disease. What if all the Countrey doe use it? it is the more for our comfort that wee can stand alone, and walke alone with God.
Lastly, take heede wee bridle our tongues in our passion: for then a man is not his owne man. Other affections carry one power of the soule out of the way; but passion overturnes all. Anger (we see) rests not onelyonly in the head, but in the bosomes of fooles, Eccles. 7. 9. Thus we call hangman whom wee know never hang'd any man: whore-son, whose mother wee know to bee very chast: theefe, who to our knowledge did never steale. Dogges in a chafe barke at their owne masters: so we in our passions let our tongues fly at our best friends. To summe and shut up all, wee must see to our lips and words, that they bee …et on fire of heaven. Christ saith, that a man is condemned by his words, (Matt. 12. 37.) as though nothing did returne into the condemnation of a man but his words; and indeed a mans most and worst sinnes be his words. The holy kRom. 3.Ghost is more on the tongue than all the members else, as though a man were almost all tongue alwayes: it is a little member, but a world of iniquity, Jam. 3. Not a City or Country, but a world of iniquity. Rule the tongue and rule all. A man shall eate good by the fruits of his mouth, Prov. 13. 2. He is a perfect man, that can do it: and a Christian should (as all men in all mysteries else doe) desire to be perfect in his faculty; and that he cannot be but by ordering his tongue aright. For the tongue is a very moveable member, which is turn'd up and downe without much labour, or much wearinesse, or any great difficulty. And again, man by his very nature is much given to be speaking: for man is (as before I shewed) a sociable creature, and without entercourse of speech and talke, the society of man with man cannot hold. Man hath his tongue in his head to that end: and David calls his tongue nPsal. 16. 9. 30. 2.his glory: oPs. 57. 8.Awake my glory. They doe ill that say words are but winde: such a winde they are, that without repentance will serve to blow a man to hell. Wee think that our tongues of all members are our owne, Psal. 12. 4. Our eyes, eares, hands, feete are not our owne to use them at our pleasure: but of all our tongues are least of all our owne. There is no one of our members but is unruly: but yet it is not for nothing that the tongue is said to bee an unruly member, Jam. 3. 8. All the members, when they sinne, are set on fire of hell; but none like unto the tongue, none so much, none so often: and therefore we must learne to commit the government of our tongues unto the Lord, that hee would set a doore before our lips, and that hee would keepe the k… and be (as 'twere) the porter to let out words at his pleasure, that our words may be rEccl. 5. 2.but few no more than we can well justifie; that we speake not unprofitably, but to purpose; that our words may bee both food to the weake to nourish the soule, physicke to the sicke in soule to cure the conscience; that hee would put away swearing, lying, and equivocating, which is worse than lying. As Abraham in that he said Sarah was not his wife, did speake doubly: hee did not speake out, and besides his tale he did dissemble. To equivocate is upon the matter to lie & to dissemble too. Plaine dealing (ay though it be in sinning) is a jewel, & double dealing is base: a tongue and a tongue is hatefull to God and man, a monster in grace and nature, and therefore bee beforehand to keepe our tongues from evill, and when we do overlash, speaking foolishly or falsly, lets salve all by confession, and petition, seeking to the God of truth for pardon of our lies, and we shall have our pardon: wee need not doubt of our pardon, sith truth it selfe hath made the promise. Have wee spoken foolishly or falsly, and sinned with our words? Why sHos. 14 2.take unto you words: what words? why words of confession, of humiliation, of petition, and the match is made, peace is concluded betwixt God and us. In the Law they offered a calfe, and there followed attonement, let us offer up the calves of our lips, Hos. 14. 2. the lips made the breach, let our lips make up the breach againe. And (Psal. 85. 8.) God will speake peace to us, alwayes provided that wee returne not againe to the same or the like folly in speaking wee know not or care not what. Be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, Maith. 5. 48. And tJam. 3. 2.perfect wee are not till wee do rule our tongues, but perfect we are when we doe rule our tongues: every other creature in his kinde doth, and wee should labour after perfection. So speake yee as they that must bee judged by the Law of liberty. Iam. 2. 12.
FINIS.