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mentioned in a literal fenfe, and therefor faid, Lord, here are two fwords; fo Christ answered them in the fame kind of language as before, and faid, it is enough; that is, two fwords were enough, because there would be no use nor place for any. Had Christ's perfon been to have been defended in the ufe of fwords, and by his disciples repelling force with force, then two fwords would have been a great deal too little for them, to have defended themselves and their master against the multitude, who were come with fwords and faves to take him. And when one of thefe fwords had been used, in cutting. off the ear of a fervant of the high-prieft, Christ sharply rebuked him that used it, and condemned the use of it. Matthew xxvi. 52. Put up again thy fword into his place; for all they that take the sword, shall perish with the fword. Chrift here reproved and condemned the use of the sword, and, perhaps, all refiftance of evil, (confonant to what he had before taught his disciples) in the fame kind of language with which murder had been reproved and condemned. Genefis ix. 6.

Whofo fheddeth man's blood, by man fhall bis blood be fhed. All they that take the fword, shall perish with the fword. What I observe

is, that if God's will is changeable, with regard to men's behaviour one to another, as in the inftance above, whilft the natures, relations, and circumftances of men and things continue the fame; then fuch change must be grounded on arbitrary pleasure, and sometimes, not only without, but against reafon; and if that is the cafe in one inftance, then it may be so in any other; and as fuch change may poffibly take place without our having any notice thereof, so it must always be very uncertain what the will of the Lord is.

BUT farther, as fome of Chrift's laws have a peculiarity in them, being different from the laws given by all other law-givers; fo from hence, Chrift's Difciples, or, at leaft, fome of those who pretend to be such, have taken occafion to boast, that christian morals are more excellent and perfect than any other fyftem of morals that hath been exhibited to men; that the morals, or rules of life, given by heathen philofophers and the wifeft of men in all ages, have fallen greatly fhort, in point of excellency and perfection to chriftian morals. Whether this is the cafe, or not, will beft appear by an examination of fome particulars; only it is to be premised

premifed, that fuch rules of life, when complied with, as contribute moft to the publick good, I think, are to be deemed more excellent and perfect, than those which come in competition with them. And, first, let us begin with the precept before-mentioned, viz. the univerfal non-refiftance of evil, put in competition with that equal resistance and retaliation of injuries appointed by Mofes's law, or any other civil conftitution; and then the queftion will be, whether an universal non-resistance of evil, or whether a proper univerfal refiftance and retaliation of it, taking mankind as they are, will contribute most to human happinefs? If the former be the cafe, then it gives it for chriftian morals; but if the latter be the cafe, then it gives it against christian morals; that is, if refiftance and retaliation of injury, when properly administered, will contribute more to the fafety and happiness of mankind, than a total non-refistance of it, then chriftian morals are less excellent and perfect, in this inftance, than thofemorals that stand in competition withthem.

AGAIN, Chrift faith, Matthew v. 33. Ye have heard that it hath been faid by them of old time, or ye may have read, Leviticus xix. 12. Numbers xxx. 2. Thou shalt not forfwear

thyfelf

thyfelf, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine Oaths. Under the difpenfation of Mofes, when a dispute arofe betwixt neighbour and neighbour, and no witness could be brought, to fhew or prove on which fide of the question truth and right lay; then the law directed, that the defendant, or party accufed, fhould vindicate himself by his own teftimony, as no proof could be brought against him; which teftimony was to be given upon oath, and that was to end the ftrife; only it was required and expected, that the person fwearing should not forfwear himself, but should perform to the Lord his oath, the Lord being, in fome fenfe, made a party in the cause. And fometimes, likewife, a perfon voluntarily charged himself, upon oath, to do what otherwise he was not obliged to do; in which case, `tho' antecedent to his oath he was free, yet when he had bound his foul with this bond, then it was required and expected, that he fhould make good his vow, or perform to the Lord his oath; this was the fwearing that was allowed and appointed of old time, or under the difpenfation of Mofes. As to idle and profane fwearing, in common conversation, it is quite out of the question, as no fuch

thing

thing was allowed, or had been appointed, nor indeed does the cafe fuppofe it, or admit it; because all fuch fwearers, of whom it was required and expected they should not forfwear themselves, but perform to the Lord *their oaths, these do not come under the denomination of idle and prophane, but religious fwearers. But then, tho' fuch religious fwearing was allowed, and appointed

by

* An Oath, I apprehend to be this, viz. A Perfon when going to deliver his teftimony, with relation to any thing, action, or fact, whether he be required, or voluntary, in order to obtain credit to that teftimony, he profeffes that he has then upon his mind a fenfe of the prefence of God, as an omnifcient, omnipotent, and a moft righteous being; which fenfe of the divine prefence is fupposed to have fuch a commanding and reftraining influence upon the teftifier, as to engage him to declare nothing more or less than the naked truth; and this circumstance, viz. the testifier profeffing that he has upon his mind a fenfe of God's prefence when he gives his teftimony, is supposed to add weight to that teftimony, and to render it more worthy of credit than without it it would be. And tho', in this cafe, God is a witness to what is teftified, whether it be true, or falfe; yet he is not made, nor conftituted to be fuch, by any declaration, appeal, or act of the teftifier or others, because he muft of neceffity be fuch a witnefs, whether the teftifier will or no, and whether he be declared, be appealed to, be called upon to be fo, or not. The profeffed sense of God's prefence, upon the mind of the teftifier, is fhewn forth, either by fome mode of fpeech, fuch as by God, before God, or as in the prefence of God; or elfe by fome action, or actions deputed for that purpose, such as the laying the hand upon, and kiffing a book, as in courts of juftice among us. This, I apprehend, is what conftitutes an oath or fwearing; and thus far the Deity may be faid to be a party in the cause.

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