THE HISTORY O F Publick and Solemn STATE OATHS. CONTAINING. All thofe that have been Taken by ང་ LONDON: Printed for A. Bettefworth, at the Red Lyon, in [Price One Shilling. THE HISTORY OF Publick and Solemn State Oaths. E NGAGEMENTS under the Obligation of an Oath, are as Ancient as Mankind. Religion, which came into the World with our Firft Father, Adam, was immediately thought to be the strongest Bond, to fecure the Performance of Promifes; and yet fatal Experience has fufficiently made appear, that the moft Sacred Ties, are not of fufficient Strength to bind deprav'd Nature, or reftrain vile Men from breaking through their Duty. It is common to exclaim against Perjur'd Perfons, and to admire, that they fhould prefume to call God to witness to a Falfehood, or to violate thofe Vows they have made to him; and yet there feems to be little to be amaz'd at, if we confider, that Confcience ought to Rule all our Actions, and make us fhun all that is Evil in itself, without the additional Tye of an Oath: And if we are fo Wicked, as not to regard Truth A 2 and and Juftice, for their own Sake, there is little likelihood, that Oaths or Imprecations fhould have any Power over us. Self-love is the Root of our greateft Evils; our Intereft or Satisfaction, generally outweigh our proportion of Duty; and we eafily fpy the leaft Offences in others, and never fail to magnify them, when at the fame Time, we either do not fee our own grofs Enormities; or, at beft, they feem with us, but trivial Human Frailties. Thus he who has notoriously Violated the moft Solemn Vows and Oaths, is frequently the moft violent in expofing another, who, perhaps, is nothing near fo Guilty, in that Particular, as himself. The Unchriftian Custom of common Swearing in Difcourfe, upon every trivial Occafion, or rather upon no Occafion at all, is fo univerfal, that it cannot but ftrike all, who have any value for Religion, with Horror. How many Daily Perjuries, muft they of Course be Guilty of, who take Pride in, or at least give way to, that moft fhameful Practice How can they have any regard to an Oath, who are difcharging whole Vollies of them the whole Day? This is a Subject copious enough of itself, and not pertinent to the Business in Hand, which only relates to Publick and Solemn Oaths; however, fince we have touch'd upon that Topick, it will not, perhaps, be ungrateful to fet down, what Oaths feveral Kings of England have been obferv'd to let fall, by way of Difcourfe, when either they were Provok'd, or Affirm'd any Thing in a more than ufual pofitive Manner: Tho' thefe were not Solemn Oaths, they may deferve to be taken Notice of, as being the Frailties of fuch Publick and Great Perfons, as Monarchs. The Renown'd King William the Conqueror, was us'd to Swear, By God's Refurrection, and his Brightnefs. King William Rufus, By St. Luke's Face. King Henry Henry I. By our Lord's Death. King John, By the This by the Bye; To return to our Purpose, it may properly be faid, that God himself has feve ral Times Sworn to the Performance of his Promifes, as we fee in Holy Writ, Gen. xxii. 16. By myself, I have Sworn, faith the Lord; for becaufe thou haft done this Thing, and haft not withheld thy Son, thy only Son. That in Bleffing, I will bless thee, and in Multiplying, I will multiply thy Seed, &c. Thus God fwore to Abraham, promifing him future Bleffings, for having offer'd to Sacrifice his only Son. Numb. xxxii. 10. When the Reubenites and Gadites fu'd for an Inheritance on the other Side of Fordan, Mofes, to deter then from oppofing God's Commands, puts them in mind, how God had punish'd the Ifraelites, for their Difobedience in the Defert; and among other Things, tells them, And the Lord's Anger was kindled at the fame Time, and he fware, faying, Surely none of the Men, that came up out of Egypt, from Twenty Years old and upwards, Jhall fee the Land, &c. Again, Deut. i. 34. Mofes, Rehearfing the Story of God's Promife, faith, And the Lord heard the Voice of your Words, and was wroth, and fware, faying, furely there shall not one of thefe Men, of this evil Generation, fee that good Land, which Ifware to give unto your Fathers. Ifa. xiv. 24. The Lord of Hofts bath fworn, Saying, Surely as I have thought, fo fhall it come pafs, &c. Jer. xxii. 5. But if ye will not hear thefe Words, I swear by myfelf, faith the Lord, that this Houfe fhall become a Defolation. Amos iv. 2. The Lord God hath sworn, by bis Holinefs, that lo, the Days fhall come upon you that he will take you away, &c. Amos vi. 8. The Lord God |