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ART. the world must be dissolved, if so extravagant a conceit XXXVIII. should be entertained. Both the rich and the poor have rules given them, and there are virtues suitable to each state of life. The rich ought to be sober and thankful, modest and humble, bountiful and charitable, out of the abundance that God has given them, and not to set their hearts upon uncertain riches, but to trust in the living God, and to make the best use of them that they can. The poor ought to be patient and industrious, to submit to the providence of God, and to study to make sure of a better portion in another state, than God has thought fit to give them in this world.

It will be much easier to persuade the world of the truth of the first part of this Article, than to bring them up to the practice of the second branch of it. We see what particular care God took of the poor in the old dispensation, and what variety of provision was made for them; all which must certainly be carried as much higher among Christians, as the laws of love and charity are raised to a higher degree in the Gospel. Christ represents the essay, that he gives of the day of judgment, in this article of charity, and expresses it in the most emphatical words possible; as if what is given to the poor were to be reckoned for as if it had been given personally to Christ himself: and in a great variety of other passages this matter is so oft insisted on, that no man can resist it who reads them, and acknowledges the authority of the New Testament.

It is not possible to fix a determined quota, as was done under the Law, in which every family had their peculiar allotment, which had a certain charge specified in the Law, that was laid upon it. But under the Gospel, as men may be under greater inequalities of fortune than they could have been under the old dispensation; so that vast variety of men's circumstances makes that such proportions as would be intolerable burdens upon some, would be too light and disproportioned to the wealth of others. Those words of our Saviour come pretty near the Luke xxi.4. marking out every man's measure. These have of their abundance cast into the offerings of God; but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. Abundance is superfluity in the Greek, which imports that which is over Prov. xxx. and above the food that is convenient; that which one can well spare and lay aside. Now, by our Saviour's design, it plainly appears, that this is a low degree of charity, when men give only out of this; though, God knows, it is far beyond what is done by the greater part of Christians. Whereas that which is so peculiarly acceptable to God is

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XXXVIII.

when men give out of their penury, that is, out of what is ART. necessary to them; when they are ready, especially upon great and crying occasions, even to pinch nature, and straiten themselves within what upon other occasions they may allow themselves; that so they may distribute to the necessities of others, who are more pinched, and are in great extremities. By this every man ought to judge himself, as knowing that he must give a most particular account to God, of that which God hath reserved to himself, and ordered the distribution of it to the poor, out of all that abundance with which he has blessed some far beyond others.

ARTICLE XXXIX.

Of a Christian Man's Oath.

As we confess that vain and rash Swearing is forbidden Christian Men by our Lord Jesus Christ, and James his Apostle; so we judge that Christian Religion doth not prohibit, but that a Yan map swear when the Magistrate requireth, in a Cause of Faith and Charity, so it be done according to the Prophet's teaching, in Justice, Judgment, and Truth.

AN oath is an appeal to God, either upon a testimony

that is given, or a promise that is made, confirming the truth of the one, and the fidelity of the other. It is an appeal to God, who knows all things, and will judge all men: so it is an act that acknowledges both his omniscience, and his being the governor of this world, who will judge all at the last day according to their deeds, and must be supposed to have a more immediate regard to such acts, in which men made him a party. An appeal, truly made, is a committing the matter to God: a false one is an act of open defiance, which must either suppose a denial of his knowing all things, or a belief that he has forsaken the earth, and has no regard to the actions of mortals: or, finally, it is a bold venturing on the justice and wrath of God, for the serving some present end, or the gaining of some present advantage: and which of these soever gives a man that brutal confidence of adventuring on a false oath, we must conclude it to be a very crying sin; which must be expiated with a very severe repentance, or will bring down very terrible judgments on those who are guilty of it.

Thus, if we consider the matter upon the principles of natural religion, an oath is an act of worship and homage done to God; and is a very powerful mean for preserving the justice and order of the world. All decisions in justice must be founded upon evidence; two must be believed rather than one; therefore the more terror that is struck into the minds of men, either when they give their testimony, or when they bind themselves by promises, and the deeper that this goes, it will both oblige them to the greater caution in what they say, and to the greater strictness in what they promise. Since therefore truth and fidelity are so necessary to the security and commerce of the world,

and since an appeal to God is the greatest mean that can ART. be thought on to bind men to an exactness and strictness XXXIX. in every thing with which that appeal is joined; therefore the use of an oath is fully justified upon the principles of natural religion. This has spread itself so universally through the world, and began so early, that it may well be reckoned a branch of the law and light of nature.

We find this was practised by the Patriarchs: Abimelech reckoned that he was safe, if he could persuade Abraham Gen. xxi. to swear to him by God, that he would not deal falsely 23. with him; and Abraham consented so to swear. Either xxvi. 28. the same Abimelech, or another of that name, desired that an oath might be between Isaac and him; and they sware one to another. Jacob did also swear to Laban. Thus we xxxi. 53. find the Patriarchs practising this before the Mosaical Law. Under that Law we find many covenants sealed by an oath; and that was a sacred bond, as appears from the story of the Gibeonites. There was also a special constitution in the Jewish religion, by which one in authority might put others under an oath, and adjure them either to do somewhat, or to declare some truth. The law was, that when any soul (i. e. man) sinned, and heard the voice of Lev. v. J. swearing (adjuration), and was a witness whether he hath seen it, or known it, if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity; that is, he shall be guilty of perjury. So the form then was, the judge or the parent did adjure all persons to declare their knowledge of any particular. They charged this upon them with an oath or curse, and all persons were then bound by that oath to tell the truth. So Micah came and confessed, upon his mother's adjura- Judg. xv.ii. tion, that he had the eleven hundred shekels, for which 2. be heard her put all under a curse; and upon that she blessed him. Saul, when he was pursuing the Philistines, 1 Sam. xiv. put the people under a curse, if they should eat any food 24, 28, 44. till night; and this was thought to be so obligatory, that the violation of it was capital, and Jonathan was put in hazard of his life upon it. Thus the High Priest put our Mat. xxvi. Saviour under the oath of cursing, when he required him 63, 64. to tell, whether he was the Messias or not? Upon which our Saviour was, according to that law, upon his oath; and though he had continued silent till then, as long as it was free to him to speak or not, at his pleasure; yet then he was bound to speak, and so he did speak, and owned himself to be what he truly was.

This was the form of that constitution: but if, by practice, it were found that men's pronouncing the words of the oath themselves, when required by a person in autho

ART. rity to do it; and that such actions, as their lifting up XXXIX. their hand to heaven, or their laying it on a Bible, as im

porting their sense of the terrors contained in that book, were like to make a deeper impression on them, than barely the judge's charging them with the oath or curse; it seems to be within the compass of human authority, to change the rites and manner of this oath, and to put it in such a method as might probably work most on the minds of those who were to take it. The institution in general is plain, and the making of such alterations seems to be clearly in the power of any state, or society of men.

In the New Testament we find St. Paul prosecuting a Heb. vi. 13, discourse concerning the oath, which God sware to Abra14, 15. ham, who, not having a greater to swear by, swore by himself; and to inforce the importance of that, it is added, an oath for confirmation (that is, for the affirming or assuring of any thing) is the end of all controversy. Which plainly shews us what notion the author of that Epistle had of an oath; he did not consider it as an impiety or profanation of the name of God.

Ver. 16.

Rev.x. 5, 6.

In St. John's visions an angel is represented as lifting up his hand, and swearing by him that liveth for ever and ever : and the Apostles, even in their Epistles, that are acknowledged to be writ by divine inspiration, do frequently appeal to God in these words, God is witness; which contain Gal. i. 20. the whole essence of an oath. Once St. Paul carries the 2 Cor. i. 23. expression to a form of imprecation, when he calls God to record upon (or against) his soul.

Rom. i. 9.

These seem to be authorities beyond exception, justifying the use of an oath upon a great occasion, or before a competent authority; according to that prophecy quoted in the Article, which is thought to relate to the times of Jer. iv. 2. the Messias: And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. These last words seem evidently to relate to the days of the Messiah: so here an oath religiously taken is represented as a part of that worship, which all nations shall offer up to God under the new dispensation.

Against all this the great objection is, that when Christ is correcting the glosses that the Pharisees put upon the law, whereas they only taught that men should not forswear themselves, but perform their oaths unto the Lord; our Saviour says, Swear not at all; neither by the heaven, 34, 35, 36, nor the earth, nor by Jerusalem, nor by the head; but let your communication be yea, yea, and nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these, cometh of evil. And St. James,

Matth. v.

37.

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