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are more ftrict in keeping finful oaths, than those which are lawful: the devil putting home that obligation on them as a fnare, and their own corruption fiding with the oath in its matter, maketh it appear ftrongly binding on them.

If it be asked, Wherein it is that an oath bindeth more than a promise doth ?

Anf. An oath bindeth to nothing but what is in the promise, but it bindeth more ftrongly, and fo the fin is greater in breaking an oath than a promife; because not only our truth to men is engaged in the oath, but our reverence and respect to God alfo, and his dreadful name thereby notably taken in vain.

So then, againft this doctrine of oaths faileth perjury or forfwearing, rafh fwearing, indeliberate fwearing, as in complements (as for inftance, if one will fwear he will not drink or go before fuch another perfon) folemn oaths entred into at communions, at baptifm, or in other lawful covenants not performed: Ah! how often are these broken, even in that which we might eafily do? We to carry and keep to God as men could not but quarrel: irreverend fwearing even in what is right; grofly profane fwearing, as by God's Soul, his Wounds, Blood, &c. Uncouth'd, ftrange, newly coin'd and invented oaths, no doubt by fpecial help of the devil's art; curfings, wherein the devil is mentioned, and his aid implored for the execution of mens paffionate and revengeful imprecations; yea, not being fuitably affected with the oaths of others, not admonishing them, nor feeking to recover them, not endeavouring by all requifite care the preventing of them; withholding of inftruction and correction when called for, and not procuring the erection of Schools, &c. may make many guilty of oaths they never heard, when they fall out in perfons whom it became them to teach and admonish, &c.

There are fome things near of kin unto (to fay fo) and of affinity with oaths; as, 1. Adjurations, when we adjure or charge one by the name of God to do or forbear fuch a thing, as Saul bound the people with a curfe, 1. Sam. 14. and Jofua charged Achan, Fofb. 7. and the high prieft Chrift, Matth. 26. and Paul Timothy, 1 Tim. 5. 21. and 6. 13.

Adjurations differ thus from oaths, that by an oath we bind ourselves to do or forbear fomewhat, or to tell truth; by adjurations we bind others, by interpofing the name of God for commanding, charging, perfwading to do or for

be

bear fuch a thing, and implying, if not expreffing, fome threatning or curfe if it be not done or forborn. There are three forts of these in fcripture; 1. When men adjure men. 2. When they adjure devils. 3. When they adjure unreafonable creatures, as ferpents, &c. To each of these a word.

As to the ift, We fay, That men may fometimes adjure other men in matters weighty, fuitable and neceffary to be done, when it is rightly gone about, and not in paffion or for felf-ends, but foberly, gravely, and fingly, for the glory of God immediately or mediately, by another's good being interpofed; fo, many examples confirm, and fo neceffity requireth, that when regard to men doth not fuitably weigh, that fuch a defire be put home to the confcience from refpect to God and his authority, who is witnèfs, and will judge; this fomeway fifteth a man before God, and fo may prove a good means, thro' his bleffing, to make the man serious. Which fort of adjurations may be diftinguished thus;

1. There are proper adjurations or charges authoritatively laid on, in the name of God, or of Jefus Chrift: this is done by magiftrates or minifters in their places; as Paul chargeth Timothy, 1 Tim. 6. 13. and giveth him charge to charge others, v. 17. This being used in serious and weighty matters, and not too frequently, (left the name of God become thereby contemptible) is the most proper and the most weighty charge.

2. There are obteftations, which are ferious and weighty intreaties and befeechings in the name of God,and for Christ's fake, that one may do or forbear fuch a Thing; as when Paul befeecheth the Romans and Philippians by the mercies of God, Rom. 12. Phil. 2. 1, 2. and Abigail interpofeth fe- * rioufly with David. This is moft properly done by inferiors, fubjects, children, &c. to their fuperiors; and hath in it also a more implicite, threatning if fuch a thing be flighted, as in Abigail's words to David, I Sam. 25. is clear.

3. There are atteftations, whereby one is seriously put to it to tell fome truth, or to bear witnefs of fome truth afferted by another; thus Fofbua attefted Achan.'

4. We fay, Thefe have a binding vertue in fome cafes, and cannot without contempt of God (who fo chargeth them, and before whom they are fo attefted) be flighted; and therefore, if it be not properly perjury for a man, either not to speak at all, being attefted, or to speak what is not truth; yet fure it is more than ordinary contempt, and a greater fin, than if

no fuch adjurations, atteftations or obteftations had been used, because the name of the Lord has been interpofed by others: and if fueh atteftations, &c. be lawful, as we have proved them to be in fome cafes, then ought they to have weight, or they are used in vain. We fee our Lord Chrift answered to fuch, Mat. 26. after a while's keeping filence.

And in reference to thefe ye fail, 1. In giving little entertainment unto, and laying little weight upon, the charges and obteftations of minifters, which come unto you by them from this word and gofpel; these charges of minifters are, as if an herald gave a charge in the magiftrate's name, which bindeth as from him, and more than another meffage delivered in other terms. In this then minifters are as heralds, charging you in their Mafter's name, even in the name of the great God, and of Jefus Chrift, the Prince of the kings of

the earth.

2. When one of you putteth not another ferioufly to it, to forbear and abandon fin, or to practife fuch a duty, charging them, or rather obtefting them, as they will answer to God, to do fo; as often in the Canticles we find, I charge you, O daughters of Jerufalem.

3. In your overly, rafh, and flight way of ufing obteftations and grave intreaties, merely or moftly for the fashion, or by way of complement, or in petty and trivial things; as when ye fay, For God's fake, for God's bleffing do this or that, only as a cuftomary by-word: This is no doubt more than an ordinary taking of God's name in vain in common difcourfe, because ye take on you to bind others in the name of God, not confidering what ye are doing; and in a matter not neceffary, and of no weight, expofing the name of the Lord to contempt, and thereby tempting others to care but little for it. This is a moft horrid and crying fin amongst our ordinary beggers, whereof others alfo are guilty, who are not fuitably affected with it, and do not in their places feriously endeavour to have it mended. As alfo, this is, when we defire one another lightly and irreverendly to do fuch and fuch a little thing in the name of God, as to fit down or rife up, in God's name, &c. which things are, alas, too too frequent.

2dly, For adjuring of devils, it is two ways lawful, and two ways not.

1. It is lawful to command devils in the name of God by

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Com. 5. thofe who are called to it, and are gifted to caft them out. 2. It is lawful for any by prayer to God, and the exercise of faith on him, to endeavour to repel and refift them, and to beg that he would rebuke them; as thus, The Lord rebuke thee, Satan: This way, we neither command the devil, nor pray to him, but pray unto the Lord to command him.

Again, it is unlawful, 1. When one adjureth him, who is not called to it; as thofe fons of Sceva did, Alts 19. 13, 14, This certainly being a peculiar and extraordinary gift, as thofe of prophefying, foretelling of things to come, fpeaking with tongues, and healing of the fick with a word, were, ought not without fpecial warrant to be ufurped more than they.

2. It is unlawful, when it is done by exhorting or obtefting of, or praying unto the devil himself, and intreating him as we do God; which way implieth, (1.) Friendship with him, when we intreat him as a friend. (2.) Prayer or worship to him, who is not the object of it. (3.) An obligation on us to him, when he yieldeth to obey; and he will not fail, if by any means he can, to put that complement or obligation on us: and fo necromancers, witches, exorcifts, &c. may caft out devils by collufion (tho' poffibly not in a way fo explicite) whereby the devil gaineth his point upon fuch, as effectually, as if there were a moft exprefly formed covenant betwixt him and them; and this the Pharifees falfly and blafphemouf ly charged on our bleffed Lord, Mat. 12. as if by Beelzebub, that is, by collufion with the prince of devils, he had caft out devils. There are no doubt many fins commited this way, while fome take on them confidently to command the devil, as if, with an Avoid Satan, they would put him into honds; and others feek health from devils or witches, (especially when it is fuppofed to come from them) and intreat them to do fuch and fuch things: All which are breaches of this part of the third commandment.

3dly, What is faid of adjuring devils, may be faid proportionally of adjuring unreafonable creatures, which is the fame ways lawful and unlawful: Charming alfo, and naming the Lord's name over diseases, as if fome fpecial worth and efficacy were in fome words, is unlawful, and condemned by this command.

It followeth now that we fay fomething to vows, which are bonds, whereby a man bindeth himself (and fo they differ

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137 from adjurations) to God only as party, and that in things belonging to God, willingly and upon deliberation. (And fo they differ from promiffory oaths, wherein we bind ourfelves to others, and in matters which are not of themselves religious.)

Under vows we comprehend, 1. Sacraments. 2 Covenants, folemnly engaged into before others. 3. Particular vows to God. 4. Promifes and engagements, whether inward, in the heart only; or alfo outwardly expreffed to, or before the Lord. For tho' these have not always God's name formally and exprefly interpofed in them; yet he being party,and they being made to him, he cannot be but fingularly looked at, as party, witness and judge in the making and performing of them: Therefore do we comprehend all, even purposes, expreffed in prayer to him, as being of the fame kind, tho' not of the like degree.

We mind not here to meddle with fpeculative debates about vows, but hold us only at what concerneth practice; and fay, (1.) That fuch promises to God, and engagements, being rightly made and taken on, or rightly gone about, are not only lawful, but fometimes neceffarily called for; as appeareth, 1. From the command, which is to vow, as well as to perform, Pfal. 76. 11. 2. From examples of faints in all ages; David faith, Pfal. 119. when his frame is moft tender, v. 57. I bave faid I would keep thy words. And thereafter, v. 106. I have fworn, and will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments. For faying, and fwearing to God, are near the fame; and who fincerely fay in fecret, may in fome cafes alfo articulately fwear. 3. From the end of vows, which is to bind us to fomething the more ftraitly, and to evidence our greater defire and willingness to be fo bound: And therefore they being midfes for that end, when the end is in a fpecial manner called for, and may in all probability be the better obtained by the use of this mean, then is it called for alfo, and cannot be omitted. 4. From the Lord's gracious accepting of fuck engagements and vows, and approving of them. 5. From the feveral promifes and prophecies of them, as commendable and good fervice, from men to God, under the gofpel, Ifa. 19. 18. and 21. Fer. 50. 4, 5. Isa. 44. 5:

So then, I fay, 1. In fome cafes, to wit, when it glorifieth God, and edifieth others, or is profitable to ourfelves: But, if it thwart with any of thefe, there is a failing; or when

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