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made to some fuperior and almighty Being, which thoroughly knows our confciences, and can and will reward our falfhood. But,

3. ALL fuch expreffions alfo are forbid, as do covertly, and with some disguise, abbreviation, of the like, imply an oath, however qualified and foften'd, as, God knows, faith, egad, and others, which the wit, shall I say, or the folly of mankind, has contrived to evade a fcandalous and barefaced prophaneness? All these, and every usage of this kind, are but as so many trifling methods to deceive our felves. Oaths they still are, and will without doubt be charged upon us accordingly at the day of judgment, being forbid, not only in this paragraph of our Saviour's fermon, but in other places of the holy Scripture, as in that of St. James's Epistle, * Above all 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; left ye fall into condemnation. And thus much for the fin of fwearing. Beside which we are forbid,

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II. ALL using of the name of God, or Chrift, or Jesus, Lord or Saviour, in our ordinary difcourse, without a due and fuitable reverence, and a juft occafion. For as such a reverence to the name of God is the very reason and foundation of our Saviour's precept against fwearing here, the fame reason equally affecting such a loose and careless mention of it, as I am now defcribing, this also muft be supposed to be equally forbidden thereby. 'Tis undoubtedly taking the name of God in vain, and therefore falls within the very letter of the prohibition in the third commandment. If it be used in curfing, there is not only prophaneness, but a defpe= rate malice too, to encrease the guilt; and it is justly accounted horrible to all religious minds. But suppose it be not uttered in a curse, the prophaneness still is visible, whether it be by way of exclamation, admiration, or expletive; as, good God! O my God! O Jesu! O Lord! and many the like expreffions too frequently used; as if those venerable names were fit only to fill up a period, and to give an air of boldness and impudence to our conversation. Nor is the cafe at all mended, when those names are used in a way of rash and unconfideried: prayer; as, God bless us, God be merciful, God Save you, Lord have mercy upon us, &c. which very often occur in some mens coffimon difcourse, when there is no due feriousness attends it, and probably no thought at all of what is then defired by fuch a prayer. And fometimes it comes in so unSeasonably and improperly, having no coherence at all with the rest of the difcourse, that it is downright nonfenfe, as well as impiety. Let those (if there be any fuch) that use this, and yet have that regard to religion which they pretend, confider, that their being good words, and good wishes depends more upon their fincerity and devotion in uttering them, than upon the mechanism of fyllables and a sentence; and that all the goodness that can be in the expreffion it felf, will never atone for the trifling manner of using it: but it will still be taking of God's name in vain, while we treat it with fo little folemnity, and throw up our addresses to him at fuch an impertinent and thoughtless rate. I will but just name a third thing naturally included in the prohibition, viz.

* Jam. v. 12.

rate

III. ALL beedless, unattentive, and irreverent taking even of lawful oaths imposed by authority. These oaths, and of these especially such as are by way of qualification for an office, or obligation to discharge discharge it well, are for the most part look'd upon as mere formalities in law, and so the religion of them is loft; and those that take them are gazing about the while, or thinking of other matters, with no more devotion and concern, than if they were hearing some idle story, or repeating an ordinary discourse. And the cafe is not much better, in this regard, with oaths of evidence; those that take them are apt to consider them no farther than as solemn promises to speak the truth, not doing it with that awful folemnity that becomes an appeal to the great God, in what they say. But such a behaviour is plainly taking the name of God in vain, because they mention him, and appeal to him, without any consideration to whom they are speaking, and perform what is in the very nature of it a folemn act of worship and religion, without that ferious sense of God, that ought to fill their minds, and without that reverence to his name, which is the foundation of the third commandment.

CHAP.

237

CHAP.

XIV.

Of FORGIVING of INJURIES.

MATTH. V. 38, 39, 40, 41, 42.

Te have heard that it hath been faid, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

And if any man will fue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke alfo.

And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou away.

R

ETALIATION of evil being one of the permissions indulged the Jews, in their politick laws, because of the hardness of their hearts, lest if they were not allowed this liberty, under stated rules, and by the sentence of the magiftrate, they should in revenging themselves exceed all bounds

and

and measures; our Saviour takes occasion from hence to lay down, in this paragraph, the duty of the injured party, or sufferer, (as he had before under confideration of the fixth commandment that of the aggreffor) forbidding here all manner of private revenge, or returning evil for evil; as tho he had faid,

"THE judicial law, it's true, allows of a requi" tal of like for like, that he who deprives his " brother of a member, forfeit one of his own; " as an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. "But I charge you all, whosoever will be my " difciples, that ye prefume not to give your " selves the ill-natured fatisfaction of rendring evil " for evil, either in a publick or a private way: " but that rather than revenge one injury, ye " fuffer two. If any man strike you, ftrike him " not again by way of resentment or retaliation. "And rather than take the advantage, which even "the laws do give you, for profecuting upon " wrongs of small concern, or impofitions of no

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great confequence, fhew your adversary how lit"tle his malice or his violence moves you, by be"ing forwarder to bear, than he is to inflict, and " ready to do more to gratify him, than he requires. " If by contentious suits he extort from you what " is really your own, and what ye can really bear "the loss of; let him take that, or more, rather "than conteft it farther with him: And if he will

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force you against your own convenience to go " with him one mile, go with him another, rather than paffionately difpute your liberty in so small " a matter. Say not this tameness is like to en

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courage him to farther and greater injuries; that " is more than ye are fure of: Meekness and com" placency are the best means to foften an enemy; " but though he should be fo difingenuous, that ye have reason to fear the contrary, truft that to " the

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