there should be others who will both pray to and profanely fwear by that God, Jam. iii. 10.

(2.) Swearing by the creatures. The Papists that worship the creatures, no wonder they fwear by them too, as by the holy bread in the facrament, by St Mary. But what have Proteftants to fay for fwearing by them? Yet how frequent are oaths, by our faith, troth, foul, confcience, &.? The mincing of thefe oaths will not make men guiltlefs; yet alas! how few are there that want them, Ha'th, Faith, Ha'd'ye, Fa'd'ye, Mary? This fwearing by creatures is,

[1] Impious idolatry, giving that worship to the creature which is due to God only, Deut. x. 20. Swearing is an invocating of the object we fwear by, to be witness of the truth of what we affirm or deny, and fo to judge and punish us if we fwear falfely; and to whom can this belong but to God? Jer. v. 7.

[2.] The difhonour redounds to God, because these things have a relation to God, Matth. v. 34. 37. The foul is his creature, confcience is his depute, truth his image, &c. Hezekiah broke the brazen ferpent when the people abused it to idolatry. Take heed God break not that foul of thine on the wheel of his wrath.

As for your minced oaths, I pray you confider, (1.) That they are at leaft an appearance of evil, i Theff. v. 22. (2.) That they are furely idle words, Matth. xii. 36. (3.) Are not the most serious Chriftians confcientious in this? Phil. iv. 9. (4.) That they are offenfive to the ferious godly, Matth. xviii. 6. 7. (5.) That they must either be oaths, or they have no fense at all.

2dly, Sinful imprecations or curfings, whereby people pray for fome evil againft themselves or others, whether abfolutely or conditionally. We find the faints conditionally imprecating evil against themfelves, as in the cafe of clearing themselves of what they are wrongoufly loaded with, Pfal. vii. 3. 4. 5. And in this we may imitate them, when in matters VOL. II. 3 X

of weight we are duly called thereto, behaving therein as in the taking of an oath; for in every oath there is an imprecation. Alfo there are examples of the faints imprecating a curse against God's incorrigible enemies, out of pure zeal to the glory of God, which they from the Spirit of prophecy apply to particular perfons, Pfal. cix. 6. &c. But it is a profaning the name of God,

(1.) When people unneceffarily imprecate a curfe on themfelves or others conditionally, if they do not fo or fo, or if it be not truth that they fay, as wishing, confound them, they may be hanged, or never ftir out of the bit, &c. if matters be not fo or fo, when there is no neceffity for it, or edification by it. In that cafe the name of God is profaned; and tho' the name of God be not expreffed, it is ftill abused; for it is God that must be the executor of the finful wish.

(2.) When people ferve their paffions against themfelves or others by their curfes. Thus people fin in their fits of difcontent, wifhing evil to themfelves, and in their fits of paffion and revenge against others, praying, Shame fall, Ill chance, &c. This is the product of a bitter fpirit, highly difhonourable to God, whose name is proftituted to ferve mens hellish paffions.

(3.) When people use them to confirm a lie, or to bind them to fin. Thus people are doubly guilty, and dare the vengeance of heaven, curfing themselves if fuch a thing be true, which yet they know is not true; or binding themfelves to do fome evil, by a curse.

(4) Neither is the matter mended by invocating the devil inftead of God. Much homage gets the devil from fome, who are often found praying to the devil to take themfelves or others. So they mention Foul, Fiend, &c. which are only other names of that wicked spirit.

3dly, Perjury is falfehood confirmed with an oath. is twofold.

(1.) There is perjury opposite to an affertory oath: and that is either when a man fwears a thing to be true which is falfe, or a thing to be falfe which is true. It is oppofite to fwearing in truth, which is fwearing fo as a man's mind agree with his words, and his words with the thing. So that a man is not only perjured when he fwears against his mind and knowledge, as the falfe witneffes against Naboth did; but when he swears against the truth of the thing, tho' not against his mind, being mistaken; for in both cafes God is called to witnefs to a lie; though indeed the former is far more hainous than the latter. And therefore it is that no man can lawṭully fwear what he doubts of; that is to run a dreadful risk.

(2.) There is a perjury opposite to a promiffory oath; and that is either when a man promifeth something upon oath which he has no mind to perform, even when he takes the oath; or though he minded to perform it when he took the oath, yet afterwards changes his mind, and does it not, when he both ought and can do it. Only remember, that the breaking of an unlawful oath, fo far as it is unlawful, is not perjury. It is a fin indeed to take fuch an oath; but it is no fin, but duty to break it. And the cafe is the fame in vows, 1 Sam. xxv, 22. 32. 33. The fin of perjury is dreadful. For,

[1.] It is a moft folemn affronting of an omniscient and just God, and is near akin to Atheism. It is a calling of God to be witnefs to a lie; it is a playing with infinite juftice, a daring of heaven's vengeance, while men devote their fouls to deftruction wilfully; because in every oath men invocate God to judge them according to the truth or falsehood of what they fwear.

[2.] It is moft provoking in the fight of God, a fin which God's anger fmokes against in a peculiar manner, Zech. v. 4. Mal, iii. 5. This feems to be engraven especially on the confciences of men ; fo that this fin amongst the Heathen was reckoned moit

atrocious, and even men that otherwise have little religion will yet tremble at the thoughts of perjury.

[3] It is a fin that defervedly makes men infamous, fo that their teftimony is not afterwards to be regarded among them: for what refpect can they have to truth that will fwear falfely? It looses the bond of human fociety; for if an oath cannot bind men, the world would have no fecurity of one an other. And therefore fuch deferve to be hiffed out from among others, as the plagues of human fociety.

4thly, Blafphemy, which is a wronging of the majefty of God by fpeeches tending to his reproach. This fin is the most atrocious of all fins; and of this kind is the unpardonable fin. As among men it is a great fault not to believe the word of a faithful prince; yet greater to rebel against him; greater yet to reproach him, difgrace him, speak of and ufe him contumelioufly. Men may be guilty of blafphemy against God two ways.

(1.) As they partake with others in their blafphemies. And this we may do feveral ways; particularly, 1.) When we give no teftimony against the blasphemy of others. The custom of the Jews was to rend their cloaths at the hearing of blafphemy. And they muft needs have a ftout heart that can hear it without one way or another manifefting their abhorrence of it.) Much more when men fhew any approbation or fatisfaction with it, as fmiling or laughing at it, when they hear how freely hellifh mouths vent their reproachful fpeeches against God. 3.) When by our deeds we give occafion to wicked men to blafpheme, Rom. ii. 24. Thus particularly, (1. Oppreffors and perfecutors are guilty of blafphemy, Acts xxvi. 11. (2. Profeffors of religion by their fcandalous walk, 2 Sam. xii. 14. (3. Inferiors by their undutifulness to their fuperiors; as fubjects, Pet. ii. 13. 14. 15-i wives, Tit. ii. 5. ;.and fervants, 1 Tim. vi. 1.

(2.) As they themselves are formally the blafphemers. And fo there are two ways that men blafpheme.

[1.] There is a blafpheming of God mediately, when though men do not exprefsly speak against God himself, yet with the fword of the tongue they thrust at him, through the fides of his word, way, people, ordinances, works, &c. 1 Tim. vi. 1. Tit. ii. 5. 2 Pet. ii. 2. 1 Cor. iv. 13. Mark iii. 29. 30. Such blafphemies are very frequent amongst mockers and malicious enemies of the way of God, as when religion is called madness, fanaticism, folly, &c. the Spirit's affiftance in prayer, heat of the brain, &c.

[2.] There is a blafpheming against God immediately, when God is directly and immediately attacked with the blafphemous tongue. And that is,

1.) When men detract from God what truly bẹlongs to him, and makes for his glory, If. xxxvi. 20. in the cafe of railing Rabfhakeh. Such blafphemy, fome fay, is uttered by the French tyrant, with refpect to the bringing in of the pretender on us, That heaven itself cannot ftop his project.

2.) When men afcribe to God that which agrees not to him, but tends to his reproach. So did the Pharifees of old blafpheme Chrift, Mark iii, 30. So do bitter fpirits blafpheme God, faying, He is unjust, cruel, &c. So did thefe blafpheme, when they faid, Every one that doth evil, is good in the fight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgement? Mal. ii. 17. And many are guilty with them.

3,) When men infolently rife against God, belching out bitter, virulent, and reproachful fpeeches againft him. So did Pharaoh, Exod. v. 2. Who is the Lord, that I fhould obey his voice? I know not the Lord. So did he mentioned 2 Kings vi. 33. Behold, this evil is of the Lord, what should I wait for the Lord any longer? Thus Job's wife advised him to blafpheme, Curfe God and die, faid fhe. And fo many in their bitterness rifing against God under afflictions, are apt to blafpheme.

4.) When men afcribe that to the creature which is due to God alone. So the Jews fuppofing Chrift to