ART. rity to do it; and that such actions, as their lifting up XXXIX. their hand to heaven, or their laying it on a Bible, as im 14, 15. porting their fenfe of the terrors contained in that book, were like to make a deeper impreffion on them, than barely the judge's charging them with the oath or curfe; it feems to be within the compafs of human authority, to change the rites and manner of this oath, and to put it in fuch a method as might probably work moft on the minds of those who were to take it. The inftitution in general is plain, and the making of fuch alterations feems to be clearly in the power of any ftate, or fociety of men. In the New Teftament we find St. Paul profecuting a Heb. vi. 13, difcourfe concerning the oath, which God fware to Abraham, who, not having a greater to fwear by, fwore by bimfelf; and to inforce the importance of that, it is added, an oath for confirmation (that is, for the affirming or affuring of any thing) is the end of all controverfy. Which plainly fhews us what notion the author of that Epiftle had of an oath; he did not confider it as an impiety or profanation of the name of God. Ver. 16. Rev.x. 5,5. In St. John's vifions an angel is reprefented as lifting up bis band, and fearing by him that liveth for ever and ever: and the Apoftles, even in their Epiftles, that are acknowledged to be writ by divine infpiration, do frequently apRom. i. 9. peal to God in these words, God is witness; which contain Gal. i. 20. the whole effence of an oath. Once St. Paul carries the 2 Cor. i. 23. expreffion to a form of imprecation, when he calls God to record upon (or againft) bis foul. Thefe feem to be authorities beyond exception, juftifying the use of an oath upon a great occafion, or before a competent authority; according to that prophecy quoted in the Article, which is thought to relate to the times of the Jer. iv. 2. Meffias: And thou fbalt fwear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations ball bless themfelves in bim, and in bim fhall they glory. These laft words feem evidently to relate to the days of the Meffiah: fo here an oath religiously taken is reprefented as a part of that worship, which all nations fhall offer up to God under the new difpenfation. Againft all this the great objection is, that when Chrift is correcting the gloffes that the Pharifees put upon the law, whereas they only taught that men bould not forfwear themselves, but perform their oaths unto the Lord; our Saviour fays, Swear not at all; neither by the 34, 35, 36, heaven, nor the earth, nor by Jerufalem, nor by the bead; but let your communication be yea, yea, and nay, nay; for whatfoever is more than thefe, cometh of evil. And St. Matth. v. 37. James, James, fpeaking of the enduring afflictions, and of the ART. patience of Job, adds, But above all things, my brethren, XXXIX. fwear not; neither by the heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath; but let your yea be yea, and James v. 12. your nay nay, left ye fall into condemnation. It must be confeffed that these words feem to be fo exprefs and pofitive, that great regard is to be had to a fcruple that is founded on an authority that feems to be fo full. But according to what was formerly observed of the manner of the judiciary oaths among the Jews, these words cannot belong to them. Thofe oaths were bound upon the party by the authority of the judge; in which he was paffive, and fo could not help his being put under an oath: whereas our Saviour's words relate only to those oaths which a man took voluntarily on himself, but not to those under which he was bound, according to the law of God. If our Saviour had intended to have forbidden all judiciary oaths, he must have annulled that part of the authority of magiftrates and parents, and have forbid them to put others under oaths. The word communication, that comes afterwards, feems to be a key to our Saviour's words, to fhew that they ought only to be applied to their communication or commerce; to thofe difcourfes that pafs among men, in which it is but too cuftomary to give oaths a very large fhare. Or fince the words that went before, concerning the performing of vows, feem to limit the difcourfe to them, the meaning of fwear not at all, may be this; be not ready, as the Jews were, to make vows on all occafions, to devote themselves or others: inftead of those, he requires them to use a greater fimplicity in their communication. And St. James's words may be alfo very fitly applied to this, fince men in their afflictions are apt to make very indifcreet vows, without confidering whether they either can, or probably will pay them; as if they would pretend by fuch profufe vows to overcome or corrupt God. This fenfe will well agree both to our Saviour's words and to St. James's; and it seems most reasonable to believe that this is their true fenfe, for it agrees with every thing elfe; whereas, if we understand them in that ftrict fenfe of condemning all oaths, we cannot tell what to make of thofe oaths which occur in feveral paffages of St. Paul's Epiftles and least of all, what to fay to our Saviour's own anfwering upon oath, when adjured. Therefore all rash and vain fwearing, all fwearing in the communication or intercourse of mankind, is certainly condemned, as well as all imprecatory vows. But fince we have fo great authorities from 542 AN EXPOSITION OF THE XXXIX ARTICLES. ART from the Scriptures in both Teftaments for other oaths; XXXIX and fince that agrees fo evidently with the principles of natural religion, we may conclude with the Article, that a man may fwear when the magiftrate requireth it. It is added, in a cause of faith and charity; for certainly, in trilling matters, fuch reverence is due to the holy name of God, that fwearing ought to be avoided: but when it is neceffary, it ought to be fet about with those regards that are due to the great God, who is appealed to. A gravity of deportment, and an exactnefs of weighing the truth of what we fay, are highly neceffary here: certainly, our words ought to be few, and our hearts full of the apprehenfions of the majesty of that God, with whom we have to do, before whom we ftand, and to whom we appeal, who knows all things, and will bring every work to judgment, with every fecret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. |