Welchman on Article XXXIX: Of a Christian man's Oath

That only vain and rash Oaths are unlawful, is evident from hence, because Christ himself being adjured, or called upon to answer pon Oath, before the High- Priest’s Judg- ment-seat, refuted not to do it, Math. xxvi. 63, 64. See also Jer. iv. 2. to which the last Sentence of this Article refers: And thou shalt favear, the Lord liveib, in Truth, in Judgment, and in Rightecujness. And therefore it is only that vain and rash Swearing, which is meant in Matih. v. 34. But I say unto you, Swear not at all. And in James v. 12. But above all Things, my Brethren, swear not.

See Clement of Alexandria, The Chriitian indeed re- Strom. I. 7. & ligiously observes an Oath, but he is not subject to swear, 6 as being seldom prevail’d upon to swear at all.” And Tertullian. But God also is represented in Scripture as Ade. Mar- swearing. Do you therefore tax him with Perjury, or cn, l. 2. « with vain Swearing ?” We see then, that in Tertullian’s © 26. Judgment, only Perjury and vain Swearing, are to be ac- counted sinful, :

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Norzs on the XXXIX Articles

And agreeable to the Sentiments of these two Fathers are the words of St. Augustine, which contain a great deal of pour Advice, © Avoid Swearing as much as you can. & For it is better not to swear even to what is true, than © to accustom one’s self to Swearing, by which Men often & fall into Perjury, and arc always in Danger of so doing. « Butthere are some Persons, who, as far as I can perceive & by their Talk, are entirely ignorant of what an Oath is. „ For they imagine that they do not swear, when they &« use such expressions as these : God knoweth; or, God es « my Witness ; or, I call God for a Record upon my Soul, c Because, as they alledge in these cafes, they don’t say, & By God, and because such Expressions as I just now men- & tioned, are found in the Writings of St, Paul. But even

de such Words as they confess to be Swearing, are found te there too, For thus the Apollle faith, I protest by your & Rejotcing which I have in Christ Fesus our Lord, I die & daily. In the original Greek, This Sentence is manifestly tc express’d in the Form of an Oath, This Jobserve, that c no one may imagine that the Words, By your Rejoiting, & are like these, By my coming again te you and the like, in te which we say By a Thing without (wearing, But we must not therefore trifle with Oaths, because St. Paul, a Man ec of unshaken Veracity, swore in his Epistles. For, as I said before, it is much safer for Us, not to swear at all c and, as our Lord advises us, to let our Communication be Ja, yea, Nay, nay: Not because it is a Sin to swear & to what is true, but because it is a most grievous Sin to swear falfly, which that Man is most likely to he guilty * of, who is accustomed to s wear.“ oy

See also Hammond’s Pract. Cat. B. II. Sea. 8. Nowell Cat. p. 20, 21. Homily against Swearing, Part I. San-

derson de Oblig. Juram. Prælect. I,

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