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The Second Part of the Sermon of Swearing.

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YOU have been taught in the first part of this Sermon againft fwearing and perjury, what great danger it is to ufe the name of God in vain; and that all kind of fwearing is not unlawful, neither against God's commandment; and that there be three things required in a lawful cath. First, that it be made for the maintenance of the truth: fecondly, that it be made with judgment, not rafhly and unadvifedly: thirdly, for the zeal and love of juftice. Ye heard alfo what commodities come of lawful caths, and what danger cometh of rafh and unlawful oaths. Now, as concerning the rest of the fame matter, you fhall underftand, that as well they ufe the name of God in vain, that by an oath make unlawful promifes of good and honeft things, and perform them not, as they which do promife evil and unlawful things, and do perform the fame. Of fuch men that regard not their godly Lawful promises bound by an oath, but wittingly and wilfully oaths and break them, we do read in holy Scripture two notable promis punishments. Firft, Joshua and the people of Ifrael made better rea league and faithful promife of perpetual amity and garded. friendthip with the Gibeonites: notwithstanding after- Joh. ix. wards, in the days of wicked Saul, many of thefe Gibeonites were murdered, contrary to the faid faithful promife made: wherewith Almighty God was fore difpleased, that he fent an univerfal hunger upon the whole country, which continued by the fpace of three years: and God would not withdraw his punishment, until the faid offence was revenged by the death of feven fons, or next kinfmen of king Saul. And whereas Zedechias, 2 Kings king of Jerufalem, had promifed fidelity to the king of xxiv. Chaldea; afterward, when Zedechias, contrary to his oath ***. and allegiance, did rebel against king Nebuchodonofor; this heathen king, by God's permiflion and fufferance, invading the land of Jewry, and befieging the city of Jerufalem, compelled the faid king Zedechias to flec, and in fleeing took him prifoner, flew his fons before his face, and put out both his eyes; and binding him with chains, led him prifoner miferably into Babylon.

xxv.

Thus doth God fhew plainly how much he abhorreth Unlawful breakers of honeft promifes bound by an oath made in his oaths and name. And of them that make wicked promifes by an promites eath, and will perform the fame, we have example in the be kept.

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Scriptures, chiefly of Herod, of the wicked Jews, and of Matth. xiv. Jephtha. Herod promiled by an oath unto the damfel

which danced before him, to give unto her whatfoever fhe would ak; when he was inftructed before of her wicked mother, to ask the head of St. John Baptift. Herod as he took a wicked oath, fo he more wickedly performed the fame, and cruelly flew the most holy Prophet. Acts xxiii. Likewife did the malicious Jews make an oath, curfing themselves if they did either eat or drink, until they had flain Judges xi. St. Paul. And Jephtha, when God had given to him victory of the children of Ammon, promifed (of a foolish devotion) unto God, to offer for a facrifice unto him, that perfon which of his own houfe fhould first meet with him after his return home. By force of which fond and unadvifed oath, he did flay his own and only daughter, which came out of his house with mirth and joy to welcome him home. Thus the promife which he made (moft foolifhly) to God, against God's everlafting will, and the law of nature, mofi cruelly be performed; fo committing against God a double offence. Therefore, whofoever maketh any promife, binding himfelf thereunto by an oath, let him forefee that the thing which he promifeth be good and honeft, and not against the commandment of God, and that it be in his own power to perform it justly and fuch good promifes muft all men keep evermore affuredly. But if a man at any time thall, either of igno-rance, or of malice, promife and fwear to do any thing which is either against the law of Almighty God, or not in his power to perform, let him take it for an unlawful and ungodly oath.

Againft perjury.

Now fomething to fpeak of perjury, to the intent you fhould know how great and grievous an offence against God this wilful perjury is, I will fhew you what it is to An oath be- take an oath before a judge upon a book. First, when fore a judge. they, laying their hands upon the Gofpel book, do fwear truly to inquire, and to make a true prefentment of things wherewith they be charged, and not to let from faying the truth, and doing truly, for favour, love, dread, or malice of any perfon, as God may help them, and the holy contents of that book; they muft confider, that in that book is contained God's everlafting truth, his mott holy and eternal word, whereby we have forgiveness of our fins, and be made inheritors of heaven, to live for ever with God's angels and faints, in joy and gladnefs. In the Gofpel book is contained alfo God's terrible threats to obftinate finners, that will not amend their lives, nor be->

lieve the truth of God's holy word; and the everlafting pain prepared in hell for idolaters, hypocrites, for falfe and vain fwearers, for perjured men, for falfe witnefs bearers, for falfe condemners of innocent and guiltlefs men, and for them which for favour hide the crimes of evil-doers, that they fhould not be punithed. So that whofoever wilfully forfwear themfelves upon Chrift's holy Evangely, they utterly forfake God's mercy, goodnets, and truth, the merits of our Saviour Chrift's nativity, life, paffion, death, refurrection, and afcenfion; they refuse the forgiveness of fins, proniifed to all penitent finners; the joys of heaven, the company with angels and faints for ever: all which benefits and comforts are promifed unto true Chriftian perfons in the Gofpel. And they, fo being forfworn upon the Gofpel, do betake themfelves to theDevil's fervice, the mafter of all lies, falfehood, deceit, and perjury, provoking the great indignation and curte of God against them in this life, and the terrible wrath and judgment of our Saviour Chrift, at the great day of the laft judgment, when he fhall juftly judge both the quick and the dead, according to their works. For whofoever forfaketh the truth, for love or difpleasure of any man, or for lucre and profit to himself, doth forfake Chrift, and with Judas betray him. And although fuch perjured Though men's falfehood be now kept fecret, yet it fhall be opened perjury do at the last day, when the fecrets of all men's hearts fhall efcape here be manifeft to all the world: and then the truth fhall ap- unpunithpear, and accufe them; and their own confcience, with ed, it shall all the bleffed company of heaven, fhall bear witnefs truly not do fo against them and Chrift, the righteous judge, fhall then justly condemn them to everlasting fhame and death. This fin of perjury Almighty God, by the Prophet Malachy, doth threaten to punish fore; faying unto the Jews, I will Malac, iii. come to you in judgment, and I will be a fwift witness and a fbarp judge upon forcerers, adulterers, and perjured perfons. Which thing to the Prophet Zachary God declareth in a vifion; wherein the Prophet faw a book flying, which was twenty cubits long, and ten cubits broad; God faying then unto him, This is the curfe that shall go forth upon the face of the earth, for falfehood, falfe fwearing, and perjury: and this curfe fhall enter into the boufe of the falfe man, and into the boufe of the perjured man, and it ball remain in the midst of his boufe, confume him, and the timber and ftones of bis boufe. Thus you fee, how much God doth hate perjury, and what punishment God hath prepared for falfe fwearers and perjured perfons.

Thus

unipied and

ever.

Thus you have heard how and in what causes it is lawful for a Chriftian man to fwear: ye have heard what properties and conditions a lawful oath must have, and alfo how fuch lawful oaths are both godly and neceffary to be obferved: ye have heard, that it is not lawful to fwear vainly, that is, other ways than in fuch causes, and after fuch fort, as is declared. And finally, ye have heard how damnable a thing it is, either to forfwear ourselves, or to keep an unlawful and an unadvised oath. Wherefore let us earneftly call for grace, that, all vain fwearing and perjury fet apart, we may only ufe fuch oaths as be lawful and godly, and that we may truly without all fraud keep the fame, according to God's will and pleafure. To whom, with the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, be all honour and glory. Amen.

A SER

A

SERMON,

How dangerous a thing it is to fall from God.

F our going from God, the Wife Man faith, that pride was the firft beginning: for by it man's heart was turned from God his maker. For pride, faith he, is Eccl. x. the fountain of all fin: he that hath it fhall be full of curfings, and at the end it fhall overthrow him. And as by pride and fin we go from God, fo fhall God and all goodness with him go from us. And the Prophet Hofea doth plainly affirm, that they which go away fill from God Hofea v. by vicious living, and yet would go about to pacify bim otherwife by facrifice, and entertain him thereby, they labour in vain. For, notwithstanding all their facrifice, yet he goeth ftill away from them. Forfomuch, faith the Prophet, as they do not apply their minds to return to God, although they go about with whole flocks and herds to feek the Lord, yet they fhall not find him; for he is gone away from them. But as touching our turning to God, or from God, you fhall underftand that it may be done. divers ways. Sometimes directly by idolatry, as Ifrael and Judah then did: fometimes men go from God by lack of faith, and miftrufiing of God; whereof Ifaiah fpeaketh on this wife, Woe to them that go down into E- Ifa. xxxi. gypt to feck for help, trufting in borfes, and having confidence in the number of chariots, and puiffance or power of borjemen. They bave no confidence in the boly God of Ifrael, nor jeek for the Lord. But what followeth? The Lord fhall let his band fall upon them, and down fhall come both the belper and be that is bolpen; they shall be dejiroyed all together. Sometimes men go from God by the neglecting of his

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