gratifies no sense, yields no profit, procures no honor: the vain swearer has not the common plea of human infirmity to excuse him.

XIV. Let us consider that, as we ourselves with all our members and powers were chiefly designed and made to glorify our Maker, which is our greatest privilege, so our tongue and speaking faculty were given us to declare our admiration and reverence of him, exhibit our love and gratitude towards him, to profess our trust in him, to celebrate his praises and avow his benefits: wherefore to apply this to any impious discourse, and to profane his holy name, is an unnatural abuse of it, and horrid ingratitude towards him. Likewise a secondary and worthy use of speech is, to promote the good of our neighbor, according to the precept of the Apostle, Eph. iv. 29. but the practice of vain swearing serves to corrupt him, and instil into him a contempt of religion.

XV. Lastly, we should consider two things; first, that our blessed Saviour, who did and suffered so much for us, and who said, if ye love me, keep my commandments, thus positively hath enjoined; But I say unto you, swear not at all: secondly, we should consider well the reason with which St. James enforces the point, and the sting in the close of the text; but above all things, my brethren, swear not ;—lest ye fall into condem

nation.

SERMON XV.

AGAINST RASH AND VAIN SWEARING.

JAMES, CHAP. V.-VERSE 12.

But above all things, my brethren, swear not.

AMONG other precepts of good life (directing the practice of virtue and abstinence from sin) St. James doth insert this about swearing, couched in expression denoting his great earnestness, and apt to excite our special attention. Therein he doth not mean universally to interdict the use of oaths; (for that in some cases is not only lawful, but very expedient, yea needful, and required from us as a duty;) but that swearing which our Lord had expressly prohibited to his disciples, and which thence, questionless, the brethren' to whom St. James did write did well understand themselves obliged to forbear, having learnt so in the first catechisms of Christian institution; that is, needless and heedless swearing in ordinary conversation: a practice then frequented in the world, both among Jews and Gentiles; the which also, to the shame of our age, is now so much in fashion, and with some men in vogue; the invoking God's name, appealing to his testimony, and provoking his judgment, on any slight occasion, in common talk, with vain incogitancy, or profane boldness. From such practice the holy Apostle dehorteth in terms importing his great concernedness, and implying the matter to be of highest importance: for, πρò návrшv, saith he, 'before all things, my brethren, do not swear ;' as if he did apprehend this sin of all other to be one of the most heinous and pernicious. Could he have said more? would he have said so much, if he had not conceived the matter to be of exceeding

weight and consequence? And that it is so I mean now, by God's help, to show you, by proposing some considerations, whereby the heinous wickedness, together with the monstrous folly, of such rash and vain swearing will appear; the which being laid to heart will, I hope, effectually dissuade and deter from it.

I. Let us consider the nature of an oath, and what we do when we adventure to swear.

It is (as it is phrased in the Decalogue, and otherwhere in holy Scripture) an assuming the name of our God,' and applying it to our purpose, to countenance and confirm what

It is an invocation of God as a most faithful witness, concerning the truth of our words, or the sincerity of our meaning.

It is an appeal to God as a most upright Judge, whether we do prevaricate in asserting what we do not believe true, or in promising what we are not firmly resolved to perform.

It is a formal engagement of God to be the Avenger of our trespassing in violation of truth or faith.

It is a binding our souls'+ with a most strict and solemn obligation, to answer before God, and to undergo the issue of his judgment about what we affirm or undertake.

Such an oath is represented to us in holy Scripture.

Whence we may collect that swearing doth require great modesty and composedness of spirit, very serious consideration and solicitous care that we be not rude and saucy with God, ' in taking up his name,' and prostituting it to vile or mean uses; that we do not abuse or debase his authority, by citing it to aver falsehoods or impertinences; that we do not slight his venerable justice, by rashly provoking it against us; that we do not precipitantly throw our souls into most dangerous snares and intricacies.

For, let us reflect and consider: what a presumption is it without due regard and reverence to lay hold on God's name ; with unhallowed breath to vent and toss that great and glo

* Plurima firmantur jurejurando-diis immortalibus interpositis tum judicibus, tum testibus.-Cic. de Leg. ii. p. 326.

+ Num. xxx. 2. Πᾶς ὅρκος εἰς κατάραν τελευτῷ τῆς ἐπιορκίας.-Plut. in Capit. Rom. p. 491.

rious, that most holy, that reverend, that fearful and ter rible name of the Lord our God, the great Creator, the mighty Sovereign, the dreadful Judge of all the world; that name which all heaven with profoundest submission doth adore, which the angelical powers, the brightest and purest seraphim, without hiding their faces,' and reverential horror, cannot utter or hear; the very thought whereof should strike awe through our hearts, the mention whereof would make any sober man to tremble: πūs уàρ ойк åгоπov,' for how,' saith St. Chrysostom,* is it not absurd that a servant should not dare to call his master by name, or bluntly and ordinarily to mention him; yet that we slightly and contemptuously should in our mouth toss about the Lord of angels?'

'How is it not absurd, if we have a garment better than the rest, that we forbear to use it continually; but in the most slight and common way do wear the name of God?'

How grievous indecency is it, at every turn to summon our Maker, and call down Almighty God from heaven to attend our leisure, to vouch our idle prattle, to second our giddy passions, to concern his truth, his justice, his power in our trivial affairs?

What a wildness is it to dally with that judgment on which the eternal doom of all creatures dependeth, at which ‹ the pillars of heaven are astonished,' which hurled down legions of angels from the top of heaven and happiness into the bottomless dungeon; the which, as grievous sinners, of all things we have most reason to dread ; and about which no sober man can otherwise think than did that great king, the holy psalmist, who said, My flesh trembleth for thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments?'

How prodigious a madness is it, without any constraint or needful cause to incur so horrible danger, to rush on a curse; to defy that vengeance, the least touch or breath whereof can dash us to nothing, or thrust us down into extreme and endless woe?

Who can express the wretchedness of that folly which so entangleth us with inextricable knots, and inchaineth our souls so rashly with desperate obligations?

* Chrys. 'Avdp. Š. p. 514.

Wherefore he that would but a little mind what he doeth when he dareth to swear, what it is to meddle with the adorable name, the venerable testimony, the formidable judgment, the terrible vengeance of the divine Majesty, into what a case he putteth himself, how extreme hazard he runneth thereby, would assuredly have little heart to swear, without greatest reason and most urgent need: hardly without trembling would he undertake the most necessary and solemn oath; much cause would he see oéßeσðaι öρкov, to adore, to fear an oath : which to do the divine preacher maketh the character of a good man; 'As,' saith he, is the good, so is the sinner, and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.'

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In fine, even a heathen philosopher, considering the nature of an oath, did conclude the unlawfulness thereof in such cases. For, seeing,' saith he, an oath doth call God for witness, and proposeth him for umpire and voucher of the things it saith; therefore to induce God so on occasion of human affairs, or, which is all one, on small and slight accounts, doth imply con tempt of him: wherefore we ought wholly to shun swearing, except on occasions of highest necessity.'*

II. We may consider that swearing (agreeably to its nature, or natural aptitude and tendency) is represented in holy Scripture as a special part of religious worship, or devotion toward God; in the due performance whereof we do avow him for the true God and Governor of the world: we piously do acknowlege his principal attributes and special prerogatives; (his omnipresence and omniscience, extending itself to our most inward thoughts, our secretest purposes, our closest retirements; his watchful providence over all our actions, affairs, and concerns; his faithful goodness in favoring truth and protecting right; his exact justice, in patronising sincerity, and chastising perfidiousness;) his being supreme Lord over all persons, and Judge paramount in all causes; his readiness in our need, on our humble imploration and reference, to undertake the arbitration of matters controverted, and the care of administering justice, for

* Ο γὰρ ὅρκος μάρτυρα τὸν Θεὸν καλεῖ, καὶ μεσίτην αὐτὸν καὶ ἐγγυητὴν ἐφ ̓ οἷς λέγει προϊσχεται. τὸ γοῦν ἐπὶ ἀνθρωπίνοις πράγμασι (ταυτὸν δὲ εἰπεῖν μικροῖς καὶ εὐτελέσι) τὸν Θεὸν παράγειν, καταφρόνησίν τινα πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑπογράφει· διὸ Xph Tapaιteîolai тdν öρkov, &c.—Simpl. in Epict. cap. xliv.