THOUGH I doubt not but that it is much more easy to make most Swearers Proselytes than Converts, and a Task of less Difficulty to convince their Judgments, than to reform their Practice; yet that they may not have any colour to father upon Ignorance what is usually the Child of some much guiltier Parent, it will be (possibly) no less useful than necessary, briefly to direct them to those Texts of Scripture, where all those that acknowledge God’s Word, may find the Condemnation of that Vice.
First then, the Third Commandment flatly forbids unnecessary Oaths, in terms that are ratified by these words of our Redeemer, in St. Matthew’s Gospel; Ye have heard what hath been said by (Mat. 5. 33, 34) them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thy self, but shalt perform unto the Lord thy oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne, nor by the earth, &c. And a little under, But1 let your communication be yea, yea; nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. The Sum of which Prohibition is thus repeated by St. James, towards the close of his Catholick Epistle; But above all (James 5. 12) things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath, but let your yea be yea, and your nay nay, lest you fall into condemnation. And suitable to these clear Passages of both Testaments, the Wiseman characters a Sinner by him that sweareth; and paraphraseth (Eccl. 9. 2) a Righteous man by him that feareth an oath. So in Hosea, Swearing has the Van of the most crying and provoking Sins, in that same dismal passage; By swearing, (Hos. 4. 2, 3) and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood: Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. And in another Prophet we find this Threat recorded; And every one that sweareth (Zech. 5. 3) shall be cut off. Which Passages might easily be reinforced with others of the same nature, if I did not think these that are already alledged, abundantly sufficient; where we pay not our Faith to the Number of the Texts, but to the Authority of the Inditer.
But alas! how much more easy is it to make men condemn their Sins, than to persuade them to forsake them? Certainly our Understandings are (usually) much honester than our Wills; it being far easier to reconcile mens Judgments to the Truth, than their Practice to their Judgment. Customary and unnecessary Swearing (for that’s the sole Enemy I undertake) is so confessedly unlawful, that they are ashamed to defend it, that blush not to practice it; and even they renounce it in their Opinions, that most cherish it in their Discourse. But methinks this knowledge of the ill they act, should make them apprehend that Menace of our Saviour, which he threatens, He (Luke 12. 47) that knoweth his master’s will, and doth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes: For stumbles are more pardonable by Night than by day; and the knowledge of what we do, whilst it lends us direction, robs us of excuse; and if it do not impede, it aggravates our faults; since he that does what he condemns, condemns what he does. Upon which score our Blessed Saviour said, That Tyre and Sidon (Matt. 11. 21, 22) should feel a milder Torment at the day of judgment, than those ungrateful Towns Chorazin and Bethsaida, where the light of his Doctrine had shone so clearly, and the Miracles of his Life had been so familiar. And accordingly, we may observe, That the Devils that had no Tempter to their Fall, have found no Pardon for it; but having sinn’d against so clear a light, are hopelesly reserv’d in chains of utter darkness, to endure hideous Torments unto all Eternity.
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Footnotes
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V. 37. ↩