to enter into this Reft, which, as you fee; is a Reft fo extremely worth our labouring for.

And Thou, O bleffed God, who haft prepared for them that love Thee, fuch good Things as pafs Man's Understanding; pour into our Hearts fuch Love towards Thee, that we, loving Thee above all Things, may obtain thy gracious Promifes, which exceed all that we can defire: To whom &c;

SER

SERMON XVI.

PREACHED

October the 5th, 1690.

JAMES V. 12.

But above all Things, my Brethren,
Swear not.

HAVE chofen thefe Words of
St. James for my Argument,
which are as exactly levelled
against the Sin of profane
Swearing, as Words can be;

Sure,

Above all Things (faith he), my Brethren,
Swear not. Sure, that must not be a little
Thing, concerning which fuch Words as
these are used to diffuade us from it.
an Apostle of Chrift, that was. infpired by
the Holy Ghoft, would not have faid,
Above all things, have a care of fuch a
Sin, unless that Sin had been of a more
than ordinary Malignity; nay, unless it
had been a Sin of the moft heinous Na-
ture: And yet it is no other Sin than
Swear-

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Swearing, that Sin which is fo common, and which is generally thought fo small a Matter among all Sorts of People, that is here forbid in fo earneft and fo folemn a Manner.

But before I come to that I mainly defign for my Text, it is fit I fhould give you fome Explication of it, and vindicate it from fuch falfe Gloffes, as fome among us are wont to put upon it. You know there is a Sect of Men in our Days, that hold all Swearing utterly unlawful; and, agreeably to their Principles, they refuse to give their Promise, or their Testimony, upon Oath, in all Cases whatfoever, though never fo much by Law required to it. The great Thing they urge for this Principle, is this Text of St. James I have now read unto you, and the other Text of our Saviour, in the vth of St, Matthew. Our Saviour there faith, Verse the 34th, Swear not at all; neither by Heaven, for it is God's Throne; nor by the Earth, for it is his Footstool; and so on: but let your Conversation be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for what foever is more than thefe, cometh of Evil. St. James here faith, Above all Things, my Brethren, Swear not; neither by Heaven, nor by the Earth, nor by any other Oath: but let your Yea be Yea; and your Nay; Nay, left you fall into Condemnation. How (fay they) can Words be invented, that fhall more effectually forbid all Sorts of

Oaths

Oaths whatfoever, and in what Cafes foever, than these Words do? And fuitably thereunto, several of the primitive Fathers, fay they, have utterly condemned the whole Practice of Oaths among Chriftians.

I must confefs, this that they urge, doth, at the first Sight, feem very plaufible, and would really ftumble an honeft-minded Man, that looks no farther than the bare Sound of Words. I hope, therefore, I shall not mis-spend either my Time, or my Labour, if I endeavour to give a plain Account of this Matter.

Two Things therefore I propofe to do upon this Text:

Firft; To explain the Meaning of this Prohibition of Swearing; and to fhew, That neither Chrift, nor his Apoftles, did intend hereby to forbid the Use of Oaths in all Cafes, but only in fome.

Secondly; To reprove, from hence, that extravagant, ungodly Practice (too much in Use among us), of Swearing in our ordinary Converfation; which, indeed, is the only Thing here forbidden.

I begin with the First of these Points (which will be fufficient for your Entertainment at this Time), To give an Account of thofe Prohibitions about Swearing: And to fhew, That they were never defigned to be extended to all Swearing whatsoever, but only to Swearing in fome Cafes.

VOL. IV.

A a

And

And here I have three Things to offer! Firft; The Words themselves do not require fuch a general Sense.

Secondly; The Practice both of our Lord and his Apostles, do evidently fhew, that no fuch Senfe was intended by them: To which I fhall add, in the

Third Place, Some other Confiderations, which do farther clear this Matter.

I am now to prove against the Quakers, that all Swearing is not unlawful, nor çan it be concluded from thefe Texts. Now, in order to this, let us confider these Texts:

And I first begin with our Saviour's Law, in the vth Chapter of St. Matthew, which indeed is the Original from whence St. James copies I fay unto you (faith our Saviour), Swear not at all. It is a general and uncontested Rule, in the interpreting of Scripture, and all other Writings, that the Scope of the Author, and the Subject-Matter of his Difcourse, is to fix and limit the Sense of all his Propofitions; fo that tho' a Propofition be feemingly univerfal, yet it is to be extended no farther than the Subject-Matter that then is treated about. Thus, for Inftance, these two Propofitions, Take no Thought for your Lives; Be careful for nothing; are as general and univerfal as Words can make them: But yet it is certain, all Care and Thoughtfulness is not here forbid, but only that

which