f the Reafon annexed to this Command. 549 a faculty of fpeaking? Was it not God? have prevented this, by making you as many are? (2.) For what end he t for his glory? and will ye ufe it onour? He thereby differenced ill you make yourself like a You, might he not fet laws Reafon annexed to this Command. 547 Gre of God's wrath. milies from the earth; on fire of hell, that threaten to eir chill en do not ruin the C the law of God, but ing has been punished ne Scythians the fwearer's s of his eftate; with the Perwith the Grecians, cutting off the Romans, throwing down á fteep rock. aws of our land are against it, though it is ying fin of our magiftrates, that they are not .. in execution. But God is mocked that way, and it is the fin of people that do not prefs them to their duty, and inform them. 4. It is a fin that has a peculiar contempt of God in it, ftriking moft directly against his honour, Pfal. cxxxix. 20. His name is dreadful, and ital. is that wherein he has difplayed his glorious nature unto men to prostitute and abuse it then, muft needs bear a horrible contempt of God in it. It is a proclaiming of our flighting him, and doing what we can to caufe that no regard be had to him in the world. 5. It is most directly contrary to the great end of all divine revelation. The first petition in the Lord's prayer is, Hallowed be thy name. This fhould be our chief defign in all things; for it is God's own defign, to which all others are fubfervient, whether in nature or grace. And this flies directly in the face of it, and cannot but be a moft hainous fin. 1 6. It has a particular malignity in it, and in a most fpecial manner proceeds from the devil, as it has less to carry to us to it than other fins ordinarily have. (1.) What profit is there in it? The thief gets fomehing for his pains, and the drunkard a belly full: but time lie as a talent of lead on their confciences, which now they think light of; and fhall pierce their hearts as fwords. [3] However lightly men may look on these things, the guilt of them fhall once be wreathed about their necks; and the man fhall fee to read his own fentence of condemnation for them, under which he muft either die or be releafed by the Mediator's fatisfaction and interceffion. They have profaned God's name, and God will have the indignity offered to his honour wiped off, either by the fatisfaction of the finner, or his cautioner whom he muft produce, [4.] If ever the finner be pardoned, as his profaing the holy name fhall ftick to his confcience in a particular manner when once awakened, fo after the pardon it fhall make him go with a bowed down back, as it did Paul, 1 Tim. i. 13. [5.] Laftly, If he be not pardoned, the wrath of God in hell fhall lie upon him, Rom. ii. 5. and it fhall be more feverely punished there than many other fins. The man's fin fhall continue with him through the ages of eternity, while the violence of his torments fhall make him blafpheme for ever. Fourthly, It may be afked, what is the great evil of this fin, that it is fo feverely punithed? 1. It is a fin that is directly against God, his glorious greatnefs and infinite majefty. That name is dreadful which men profane, Mal. i. ult. The angels adore it, the devils tremble at it; and fhould vile worms of the earth profane it at every turn? Sins of the fecond table ftrike directly against men, but this is one of thofe that go out immediately against the Majefty of heaven. And of this fort is the unpardonable fin, which, as I obferved before, belongs to this command, Pfal. Ixxiii. 9. 2. It is a direct violation of the law of God, Swear not at all; Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy Gd in vain. Have you no refpect to the authority of God? Confider, I pray you, (1.) Who gave you a tongue and a faculty of fpeaking? Was it not God? Might not he have prevented this, by making you naturally dumb, as many are? (2.) For what end he gave it. Was it not for his glory? and will ye use it against him to his dishonour? He thereby differenced you from a beast; and will you make yourself like a devil? Now, if he gave it you, might he not fet laws for the use of it to his glory? 3. It is not only a violation of the law of God, but a breach of mens laws. Swearing has been punished by many nations. With the Scythians the fwearer's punishment was the lofs of his eftate; with the Perfians, bondage; with the Grecians, cutting off the ears; with the Romans, throwing down á fteep rock. And the laws of our land are againft it, though it is the crying fin of our magiftrates, that they are not put in execution. But God is mocked that way, and it is the fin of people that do not prefs them to their duty, and inform them. 4. It is a fin that has a peculiar contempt of God in it, ftriking moft directly against his honour, Pfal. cxxxix. 20. His name is dreadful, and it is that wherein he has difplayed his glorious nature unto men to prostitute and abuse it then, muft needs bear a horrible contempt of God in it. It is a proclaiming of our flighting him, and doing what we can to caufe that no regard be had to him in the world. 5. It is moft directly contrary to the great end of all divine revelation. The first petition in the Lord's prayer is, Hallowed be thy name. This fhould be our chief defign in all things; for it is God's own design, to which all others are fubfervient, whether in nature or grace. And this flies directly in the face of it, and cannot but be a moft hainous fin. 6. It has a particular malignity in it, and in a most fpecial manner proceeds from the devil, as it has less to carry to us to it than other fins ordinarily have. (1.) What profit is there in it? The thief gets fomehing for his pains, and the drunkard a belly full: but what gets the fwearer? Other finners ferve the devil for pay; but swearers are volunteers, that get no reward. What fruit does it bring you, but the abhorrence of serious perfons, and the fearful judgements of God?i (2.) What pleasure is in it? The unclean perfon gets no profit, but a fordid pleasure by his fin. But which of your fenfes does fwearing gratify? If people were minded to give up themselves to all manner of fenfuality, yet there is fo little that can be ftrained from this fin, that unless they be refolved to do the devil a pleasure, they might forbear this fin. Love to that fin then must be a love to it for itself, a pure devilish love, without the smallest profpect of pleasure or profit by it. And if men will thus court their own damnation, it is pity they be balked of the lowest place in hell, and the highest room among the fervants of the devil, who will ferve him juft becaufe they will ferve him. (3.) Can any fay it is the fin of his conftitution? We have heard of a covetous, envious, luftful, paffionate, c. conftitution, but of a fwearing conftitution never. Is any man born with it? does the conflitution of our bodies incline us to it? In many other fins the body drags the foul; but here the foul, contrary to all God's commands, makes the body its fave, and turns up the tongue against the heavens. 7. Common fwearers and curfers will be found to be men either of confciences already feared, or next door to it. And I would fay, (1.) Knew ye ever a tender exercised Christian an ordinary fwearer? I believe ye will find it as hard to find a faint a common fwearer as a common drunkard or whoremonger. It is hard to fay it is a spot of God's children. (2.) It hath been known, that very wicked and loose men who have given up themselves to fenfuality and voluptuousness, have had a dreadful horror of profane fwearing; the little natural confcience that was left them ftartling at the profanation of that dreadful name. (3.) It is fel dom found that those do reform. Many are very extravagant otherwife in their youth, that afterwards take up themselves; but oft-times fwearing grows grayheaded with men. (4.) Is it not often feen come to that, they never know till the oath be belched out; yea, fome will fwear, and not know they are fwearing; nay they will fwear that they are not fwearing. Whence can this proceed but from a feared confcience? 8. Swearing looks like hell upon earth. I faid before that there is no advantage by fwearing: but now I must fay, that they will have this advantage, that their works will go with them to the bottomlefs pit. The whoremonger will not get his whores there, nor the drunkard his cups, nor the covetous man his money; but the fwearer and curfer will ftill drive on his old trade, and that with improvement, through all eternity. I had once the unhappiness to hear a great fwearer, who had often been reproved and admonished, fay, he would curfe and fwear in hell through all eternity. I thought it might be a prophecy. But why fhould men take the trade of the damned over their head on earth? will not an eternity be long enough to give people their fill of profaning and blafpheming the name of God, and curfing? Why need they begin fo foon? there is time enough afterwards. I know nothing on earth fo like a damned foul in hell, as a curfer or fwearer, under bodily pains and defpair. And fome have been seen to die as they lived, curfing and fwearing out their dying breath, to the aftonishment of beholders. And if fuch men fhould happen to leave the world in the rage of a fever, as many do die raving, it will be a wonder if they die not therein. I fhall conclude all with a very fhort word of im provement. 1. How can thefe lands efcape a ftroke that have fo much of this guilt to anfwer for? Can we think that God will hold nations guiltlefs, that have come under |