THE NEW 
 
 Mode of Swearing 
 
 ill ’ • - vl 1N - . 
 
 SCOTLAND, 
 
 f \ ' ” / 
 
 ( Ta&is et deofuilath ILvangeliis) 
 By Touching and Killing of the Gpfpel$ ? 
 C O N S I D E R’D. 
 
 Where fome Light is occafionally offer’d int$ 
 the Nature of SCANDAL. 
 
 By a Lover of the Truth and Peace. 
 
 Deut. io. 20. Thou Jhalt -—- fzvear hy hit Name, 
 Chap. 12. V. 30, 3 1. Take Head 10 thy [elf —— Thou 
 Jhalt not do fo , unto the LORD thy GOD , &c. 
 
 Exod. 34..14. For the LORD , ivhofe Name is yealou/ } 
 is a jealous GOD . 
 
 Wat. 13. 25. While Men Slept , the Enemy came and fowd 
 ed Tares. 
 
 Signa cum ad Res divinas pertinent , Sacramento, oppel• 
 lantur. A uguft. Ep: 5, ad Marcel. 
 
 Potius ah alio quam a me, potius a me quam a nullo. 
 
 Erin ted in the Tear M D CC XIX* Price Sixpence. 
 

 
 r • t \ 
 
 w J . / 
 
 A 
 
 V 
 
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PREFACE. 
 
 F OR a Book to appear abroad ( fays a 
 Late Author ) without Something like 
 a Preface, is now reputed no. lefs an 
 Incivility, than for a Stranger to intrude into 
 Company, without either Recommendation 
 or Excufe : Yet as the mod Handfom Excufe 
 or Introduction, can never recommend in 
 Converfation, if perfonal Merit be wanting ; 
 So if a Book can’t fpeak for it felf, the Pre- 
 Lice might as well have been filent. ’Tis 
 true this, fince it’s no Book, needed not the 
 Civility of a Preface; yet I’m very fenfible, 
 „ it will need an Apology, That an obfeure 
 Perfon fhou’d venture on a Subject, which 
 was fo proper for the Learned : And which 
 has been fo little, that I know or, cultivated 
 before. To this Objection, which I cou’d 
 not fail to make to my felf, all the Anfwer I 
 have is, That being furpriz’d with this Afr- 
 fuelty in Religion ( which tho’ it came but 
 very lately to the knowledge of many, has 
 been, as I underfUnd fince, of many Years 
 ftandina; among us ) I beifco.v’d fome Hours 
 in examining It by the Scriptures, and by the 
 Doctrine of Reform’d Divines; defigning at 
 Firft my own private Satisfaction only : But 
 
 finding there was more of Guilt, and Dan¬ 
 s' 1 -> £2Ct 
 
Preface. 
 
 ger in it by much, than is generally appre¬ 
 hended; arid That Nothing of this Nature 
 was offer’d from any other Hind ; and That 
 no great Hopes, of feeing it redrefs’d by 
 other Means, remain’d; I came to think it 
 might be of fome Ufe ( if it was but to ex¬ 
 cite others of better Capacities and Oppor¬ 
 tunities, to look more narrowly into the 
 Matter) to fubmit what you have here, to 
 the Judgment of the World. In Cafes of 
 Common Danger, People do not dand upon 
 Ceremony ; But every one offers Help and 
 Affiflance the Bed he can, without waiting 
 upon others. 
 
 , Tis certain, we can’t be too much aware 
 of Inventive Piety , ( as on calls it ). fince it 
 mud ever, be Equally deditute of the Divine 
 Blefling and Acceptance, as it is of a Divine 
 Warrant; And admit it but ever fo little. 
 That Little will be fure to draw more after 
 it; ev’n as.the Needle does its Thread. That 
 Hideous Monder, which now goes by the ■ 
 Name of Popery, was once as fmall an Em- 
 brio as this is : And cou’d Antiquity be. 
 throwly fearcht, it wou’d perhaps be found. 
 That this ( of Touching at lead ) was among, 
 the fird vidble Lineaments ct it. But how¬ 
 ever, That may have been, I’m, dill of the 
 Mind,after all I have thought and heard on 
 the Head, That if we can digeil This, we 
 can’t in Reafon fcruple any other of the Pro¬ 
 duce of that Country it came from. 
 
 Fain 
 
Preface* 
 
 Fain Man is naturally fond of a viflble Ob~ 
 je5fc in Worfhip; And it Satan was on a Deligra 
 to bring Protellants, who have renounc’d l J 
 mages, back to this Way of it; what Ooje&s 
 cou’d be Iefs fufpe&ed and fitter for hisPur- 
 pofe, to be flipt in betwixt GOD and the 
 Worfhipper ( to receive lefs or more of the 
 Worfhip; And whatever falls to be the Crea¬ 
 ture’s Share in this Cafe, he looks on’c, as fo 
 much clear Gain to him felf) than the Elements 
 in the LQRD’s Supper, and the Bible in [wea¬ 
 ring of an Oath ? And to prevent or remove 
 Scruples, he has been wont to teach People to 
 falve the Matter with Didinctions : For pro¬ 
 viding the Creature be there, as an Object 
 having State in the V/orfh ip, he’s content they 
 call it by any Name they pleafe f- But not to 
 
 j Objrchtm quod , 
 
 detain the Reader. 
 
 Two Tilings,he’ilreadi- - , 
 
 !y think ace here infilled 
 
 on more than needed, name- 7 a 
 , , _ c rectum a quo pm- 
 
 /)', the Covenants and Scan- v . 
 
 dal. But as to the Former, P cmv *' 
 
 It can’t be thought flrange, that one who con- 
 fiders, That Scotland's Reformation was be¬ 
 gun, maintain’d, and thro* all the Periods ot 
 this Church, but (ince the Revolution , carri’d 
 on in the Way of Solemn Covenanting ( which 
 Way was ever attended and follow’d with un- 
 conteded Evidences of the Divine Approba¬ 
 tion and Blefiing.) and who believes,That the 
 multiph’d Violations of thefe Covenants, both 
 
Preface. 
 
 ot Old and of Late,are among the chief Caufes 
 oi the LORD’S Wrath and our Miferies; as 
 alfo. That the folid Peace, Profperity and 
 H vpinefs or both Church and Nation Jy bu¬ 
 rr d with ’em ; ft can’t be thought urahge, I 
 fay That o ie who has Gca Views and Sen- 
 t malts, with Re!pe6t to t he Covenants, ftioii’d, 
 a.s he paifes that .Vdy, hop a little at their 
 Grave, to, bemoan their untimely Fall by un- 
 ' natural Hands, and to wifh ’em a Timeous 
 and a Joyful Rdurrection. And fince the Do¬ 
 ctrine o (Scandal, tho’one of the Old proven 
 Weapons againit other Religious Ceremonies 
 of Humane invention, was much worn out 
 of Ken ; I thought it wou’d be no Differvice 
 to That Truth it felf, nor to the Common In- 
 terefi of Religion neither, to revive it, and 
 improve It againft This alfo: Which con- 
 fia’nng the Nature of the Subject, cou’d not, 
 to any Purpofe, be done in leis Room : Since 
 to have done ic Juft ice, This whole Paper 
 wou’d fcarce have been enough, ’Fisa Point 
 oi Divinity, wh.ch will take fome Tho’cs; 
 But, being of fuen conilant and neceflary Ufe 
 in our Chrdtian Waik, it richly delerves ’em. 
 The Argument from Scandal lerves to /how 
 the Inco.lidency of a Practice, with the Good 
 of our Neighbour; as others do /how its in- 
 cojdidency with the Glory ot GOD, more 
 directly. I nave endeavour’d co fee it in full 
 Force againit this Practice, as it us’d to be 
 fee againit other Ceremonies, that were Rigo- 
 
 rouily 
 
Preface. 
 
 roufly impos’d : Bdcaufe; tho’ that be not 
 the Cafe as yer,That which has been may be. 
 And in doing oi this, Pve made no Step ( nor 
 in the Dobtiine of the o her Reafons neither) 
 slide from the Footfieps of the moil Reno.wn’d 
 Divines of the Reformation, that are gone 
 before. For the Reader’s Eafe I have thrown 
 much of it, into the Margin ; that fo he 
 may pafs it, in Cafe he wean’s. 
 
 The Reader will eafily fee, That moft o£ 
 the Reafons here adduc’d againft this Uiage, 
 may with equal Advantage be improven a- 
 gainft other Ceremonies of the like Import 
 and Extract And how far, what is advanc’d' 
 on the Head of Idolatry, go againft Knee¬ 
 ling before, and in the Act of receiving,the con- 
 fc<Trated Elements, I leave to the more learn’d 
 and Judicious to conlider of it. 
 
 I make no -Apology for the Rui’nefs and Meannefs 
 of the Performance , which yet I’m not infenfible of: 
 For every one who writes,docs it,no Doubt,as well as he 
 can at the Time ; and if he fails in hio Pcrf. rraance, 
 the bell Excufes he can alledge, will obtain him cut lit* 
 tie Mercy at the Reader's Hands. 
 
 ’TwiJl perhaps be imagin’d, if not faid, This is fome 
 Party Paper or other. But if they’ll take one’s Word on’t, 
 who can beft tell • 1 allure ’em, ’tis not fo: But the Re- 
 fult,l hope,of a confcientious Concern for the Intereft of 
 Religion, & the Purity of Scotland's Reformation ; which 
 fhall, I hope, make the Author very eafe, fay or be¬ 
 lieve otherwife who Will : Since ’tis the Divine A ccep- 
 tance of, and Blefiing upon the lame and defective Per-- 
 formance, which he deiires to be moll concern’d about, 
 and ambitious of. 
 
The Contents . 
 
 The Introduction, # 
 
 YT Here the Scriptural Gejlure in S vj earing is efta- 
 VV bhfh’d: Some .Account given of the Idolatrous 
 JKifi; of Touching and KiJJirg of the Bookj and of other 
 Geftures in Swearing, that have teen in Ufe among 
 Chriftians. 
 
 Reafon Fir ft. 
 
 From Chnjtian liberty. 
 
 Reafon Second, 
 
 From Superflit ion. 
 
 Reafon Third, 
 
 From Symbolizing with Idolaters. 
 
 Reafon Fourth. - . 
 
 From Idolatry : Where feveral Diftmdtions, and Six 
 
 Arguments. j 
 
 Reafon Fifth, f P^g’- 3 6 * 
 
 From the Covenants. 
 
 Reafon Sixth, P a g : 
 
 From Scandal : Where the chief Pleas of Formaliits 
 
 On this Head are anfwer’d. 
 
 Objections anfwex’d. 
 
 Conclusion, 
 
 Pag: 14. 
 Pag: 15. 
 Pag: 19, 
 Pag. 22« 
 
 Pag: 59» 
 Pag: 6 
 
I 
 
 C I.)- 
 
 THE NEW 
 
 Mode of Swearing 
 
 I N 
 
 SCOT LAN D, 
 
 ( Taft is et deofculatis Evangeliis) 
 
 Confider’d. 
 
 introduction. 
 
 HOSO confiders the Zealj 
 our Holy jealous GOD hath 
 to his own Wcrfhip, and. 
 That Divine Inliitution is 
 the great Characfterifbck,by 
 which true Y/orfhip is di~ 
 ftinguifh’d from that which 
 is falfe, cannot but own 5 . 
 That our LORD’S Queftiorv 
 concerning Cefar's, Coin 
 Matth : 22. 20 .* Whefe is: 
 this Image and SuJ-erfcription i doth claim the fir ft 
 place in one’s Enquiry, about any Peice of Worthip- 
 
 a offer’d 
 
offer’d to GOD. And this is the more neceffary a 
 Qiiehion, That in all Ages, Satan has endeavour’d, by 
 Means of Men of corrupt Minds, to palm upon the 
 Church, Inventions of Men in the Worfhip of GOD, in¬ 
 head of Divine Inhibitions, to the defiling and disfigur¬ 
 ing of the holy Ordinances of GOD; and That, the 
 More divine and awful an Ord.nance is, the more ambi¬ 
 tious is the God of this World, to have his own Image 
 ftampt upon fome Part of it. 
 
 That Swearing in Judgment is one of the mod So¬ 
 lemn and Awful Pieces of immediate Worfhip , has been 
 own’d by all civiliz'd Nations , how much foever they 
 have differ’d one from another, in the Manner of it’s 
 Performance. And that fuch who wanted the written 
 Word , did fo differ, is not to be thought firange, ; fince, 
 in walking after their own Imaginations, they cou’d not 
 fail to wax vain, and become Fools in their Manage¬ 
 ment of this, as well as of other Pieces of Divine 
 Worfhip. 
 
 The Grecians in giving of their great Oath, laid their ^ 
 Hand upon the Altar ; facrificing a Boar , a Ram, or a 
 Goat to the God by whom they l'wore : But in more 
 private Cafes, the Swearer laid only bis Hand, on the 
 Hand of the party to whom the Oath was given. Yet 
 their Gods are reprefented by the Poets, as lifting up the 
 Hand in fwearing. 
 
 The Romans fwore by Jupiter or Mars , with a Flint- 
 Stone in their Hand, uttering thefe Words, when they 
 threw the Stone, May I perijh and fall as now this 
 Stone docs, in Cafe of Perfidy : Mod fometimes a 
 Hog, bro’t there of Purpofe, was Jiricken or flain, 
 thefe Words, being added, May Jove JtriJce me, as I now 
 do this Hog, if ike. Whofo wou’d know more of the 
 various Rites us’d by the old Heathens in this Piece of 
 Worfhip, may confult Alexander ah Alexandro, and 
 Have his Curiofity gratified, ev’n unto Loathing. 
 
 But looking into the Church of GOD, we find the 
 rnoft ancient , and the approven Gejlure of Swearing to 
 be, hy lifting up of the Hand towards Heaven ; As is 
 
 plain 
 
plain from Exod: 6 . 8* And 1 will bring you into the 
 Land, faith the LORD, concerning the which I did f wear 
 ( Heb. did lift up my Hand, as may be feen in the 
 Margin ) to give it to Abraham, ( 9 c. Dent: 32. 40. For 
 I lift up my Hand to Heaven, and fay, I live for ever. 
 Neh: 9. I$- Which thou hadji fivorn ( Heb. lifted up 
 thine Hand) to give them. Ezek; 20. 7. In the Day 
 when I ihofe Ifrael, and lifted up mine Hand to the 
 Seed of the Houfe of Jacob, tS*c. W hich Phrafe o: lifting 
 up the Hand, is found no lefs than Seven-times in that 
 Chapter. See alfo Chap-. 36. 7. & 47. 14. The ANGEL 
 alfj, Dan: 12. 7. Held tip his right Hand unto Hea¬ 
 ven and fware, &c. And He who itood upon the Earth 
 and the Sea, Rev: 10. 6 . Lifted up his Hand to Hea¬ 
 ven, and fware by him that hveth for ever and ever. See. 
 And that MEN did fo too, is clear from Gen: 14. 22, 
 23. I have lifted up my Hand to the LORD, the mojl 
 high GOD , That I will not take from thee , See. fays A- 
 braham to the King of Sodom. Ifai: 3. 7 * -bn that Day 
 Jhall he fivear ( Heb: lift up the Hand ) fay mg, I will 
 not be a Healer, See. 
 
 Hence it’s evident. That for this Mode of Swearing 
 with the Hand If ted up, we have the Example of GOD, 
 Angels and Men recorded in Scripture, our only Rule 
 of Worth ip. And I fee not how any Prolefiant ( efpe- 
 cially fuch who own the Obligation of Scripture Pie¬ 
 ce lent and Example, with Refpecftto the Table Gefiure 
 in the LORD’S Supper, and the LORD’’s-Day Sabbath ) 
 can refufe, That fuch a Concurrence, and Harmony of 
 Example in all Ages of the Church, amounts to a Rule, 
 and is equivalent to a Divine Infiitution. 
 
 Yet we don’t pretend, This is the only Gefture of 
 Swearing, to be found on facred Record: For fome- 
 times the Hand was put under the Thigh of him to 
 whom the Oath was given. This Abraham requir’d 
 of his Servant Eliezer, Gen’- 24. 2. and Jacob, oi his 
 Son Jofeph. But I find Divines are generally agreed, It 
 was in Token of Homage and Sujechon; intimating an 
 Acknowledgment of that Perfon’s Authority to impofe 
 
 A 2 aa 
 
an Oath upon ’em ; and that as their Hand was under 
 Iris Thigh, fo they were under his Power , and bound 
 tp obey his Command. Others have thought, It was to 
 figmt'y their Faith of the promis’d Seed , then to come 
 out of Abraham and Jacob's Loins. ’Tis alfo the Opi¬ 
 nion of fome, That this Rite, whatever was the Mean¬ 
 ing of it, was previous to, and diftmft from the Oath • 
 wherein the common and ordinary Gefture of lifting up 
 the Hand was ufed notwithftanding : And whofoduly 
 confiders,Grm 47. 2 pj •— 3 1 * may fee fome Ground for 
 • fuch a Cojedure. 
 
 , But, however thefc Things may have been, ’tis oer- 
 tain ( fince the Oath in both Cafes was private, , the Oc¬ 
 casion particular , the Perfons requiring it divinely in-, 
 fpmd , and under an immediate Direction ) it can ne¬ 
 ver be infer’d therefrom. That it's abztrary to us, 
 what Manner of external Rite we our felves ufe, of 
 require others to ufe, in this Peice of Worjhip. The 
 moil that can be made of it, is, That this Gefture is not 
 unlawful , in a private Oath , from an Inferior to a Supe¬ 
 rior ( and may we not add ) upon his Death-bed : For 
 that was the Cafe in both Inilances we have on Record. 
 J ,Tis not to be imagin’d, if, the Occafion and Import of 
 it had not been very particular, that ever Abraham 
 wou’d have call’d his Servant to fvvear after another 
 Manner than he was wont to do himfelf. Now that 
 Abraham lifted up his Hand, when he fwore, was be¬ 
 fore obferved. 
 
 ’Tis in vain for any to alledge, I Chron: 29 24 * -As 
 a third Inftance of putting the Hand under the Thigh, 
 hecaufe’tis there laid. The Princes—— gave the Hand 
 under Solomon the King : Which is render d in our 
 Bibles, ----- Submitted themfelves to Solomon the King. 
 For one may eaftly fee, that , Giving the Hand is diffe¬ 
 rent, both in Phrafs and Senfe, from Putting the Hand 
 under the Thigh . ’Tis evident from the Cujhstn o. 
 Nitions, ev’n unto this Day, as well; as from Scripture , 
 That Giving of.the Hand is a Covenanting Geiiure or 
 Kite . ( For who, but he knows, that when Men ftrike 
 
 Hands 
 
Hands, they're agreed; ’tis a bargain? ) See 2 Chront 
 30 8* Wow be not ftif-necked as your bathers, but yield 
 your ftelves ( Hcb: give the Hand ) unto th 3 LORD* 
 
 Ezek; 17. 18 . Breaking the Covenant, when lo he 
 
 had given his Hand- - Eft Geftus dedentium fe, et 
 
 qua ft vmcitndas Manus pr&bentium, iays Cocci in Voce 
 Nathan. They gave the Hand under Solomon, that is, 
 as Inferiors and Subjects they covenanted Subjection to 
 him as their King. The LXX alio render it, They 
 fubmitted themfelves to Solomon. 
 
 • ’Tis true this Practice of putting the Hand under 
 the Thigh in taking of an Oath, is laid to be fti]] in 
 Ufe, with fome of the Eaftern Nations. And what then? 
 So is Circumcifton too with others. But as lifting up 
 of the Hand, feems in its felf to be, the moil exprtftftve 
 of the Nature of an Oath ; Co ’tis abundantly evident, 
 I think, from what is faid, That ’tis to us the cleareft 
 Pattern of a Swearing Pofture, to be found on Scrip¬ 
 ture Record. 
 
 Lifting up of the Hands in Worfhip, particularly in 
 > Praying, Bleftftng and Swearing, feems to be one of 
 Nature's Inftitutions ; and taught in her School as figni- 
 ficantnot only of Reverence, but Faith, Fervency, De¬ 
 pend nee and Expectation from above : Hence Diffidence 
 and Difpondency are expreft by the hanging down of 
 the Hands. The learned Heidegger fays, Lifting up 
 of the Hand in f weiring imports the Soul's Elevation to¬ 
 wards Heaven, and Appeal to hint who is the Searcher 
 of Hearts, the Wiinefs of Truth , and the Avenger of 
 Perjury. And tho ’1 will not offer any Conjectures 
 of mine, on the Reafon and Import of lifting up of one 
 , Hand only in Swearing ( from which yet there is one 
 Exception Dan : 12. 7. where ’tis faid, The Angel held 
 up his Right Hand and his Left to Heaven, and /ware, 
 dec. j Whereas both are lifted up in Praying and Blef- 
 ff.ng ; I’m fatisfi’d that as Nature, or rather the GOD 
 of Nature, does Nothing in vain ; fo he teaches Nothing 
 in vain, neither. ' - - 
 
 Haying now found and effablifht the Scriptural G& 
 
 fture 
 
fiure in taking of an Oath, let us, in the next Place, 
 fee how far we can trace this unfcriptural Cufiom of 
 laying the Hand upon , and hffing fome folemn 'Thing 
 when one is fwearing. 
 
 The Primitive Chrifiians foon began to take a La¬ 
 titude in this, as well as in other Ordinances: And 
 that not in the external Rites only; but alfo in the 
 more fubflantial Concernments of an Oath. For in the 
 3 d. and 4th. Centuries , we have’em fwearing by the 
 Sacraments , Baptifm and the LORD'S Supper : As fome 
 Nations, in their ordinary Coverfation, Hill do. So did 
 Novatus, for Inftance, who lived about Anno 250. See 
 Eufeb: Hitt: 6. 35. And the Orthodox BiOoops after 
 they found themfelves outwitted by the Tricks of the 
 Arians in the Armenian Council ( holden Anno 359 ). 
 fays Nazianzen , Confiefiati funt Corpus Domini , et 
 quicquid in Fxclejia fanttum efi, fe Hlhil Mali infua 
 Fide , fufpicatos. i. e. They called to vjitnefs the 
 FORD's Body , and all that's Sacred , that they fufpe¬ 
 tted no Corruption in their Faith. And Cyril ( who 
 flourifh’d in the $tb. Century ') fays in his Apology , 
 That V*ttor fwore, Sublatisin Caelum Manibus, per Sa - 
 cramentum, Baptijmum , et veneranda Chrijli Myficria. 
 i. e. With Hands lifted up to Heaven , by the Sacra¬ 
 ment , by Baptifm , and the venerable Myfieries of 
 Chritt. 
 
 As for the Book-Oath , how early foever it might be 
 in Ufe, Fm fure, it can’t pretend to a more venerable 
 Antiquity , than many other of Antichritt's Corruptions 
 do. For Rome was not all bu.lt in one Day : And that 
 JVLyfiery of Iniquity was already working , even in the 
 Apoille's Time, 2 Theff: 2. 7. I Job: 4. 3. We need 
 not fearch for the Rife of Swearing on the Gofpels in 
 particular, beyond the Time of Pope Damafus , towards 
 the End of the 4 th> Century , who made the fuperfti- 
 tious Diftinclion betwixt the Gofpels ana Epifiles ; or 
 the Time of his SuccefTor, Pope Anafiafius , who bro’t 
 in Standing at Reading of the Gofpels , about the Be¬ 
 ginning of the 5 th . Century . 
 
 The 
 
The Account of this, which we meet with in fuflin e 
 Novel; 124. Cap. j. If it is not the firft, yet it items 
 to be the fureft and molt authentick. There ’tis pro¬ 
 vided by the Imperial Law, That Chriftians fhould 
 fwear in Judgment, Tangentes fur a Evangelia. i. e„ 
 Touching the holy G of pels : With this Claufe at the 
 End of their Oath, Ita me LETS adjuvet , et hu fntfa 
 Evangelia. i. e. So may GOD-, and thofe holy Uojjels 
 help me. Thefe Novels were publifh’d Anno 535. or 
 thereabout. 
 
 But before this Cuftom of Touching them was intro* 
 duc’d, laying their Hand upon their Brecf, or lifting 
 it up, or ftrt aching it forth, they fware with the Go- 
 fpels open before ’em: ( which, ’tis likely, they 
 borrow’d from the Jews, who, in their latter Days, 
 were wont to fwear with the Law open before 'em,hold- 
 ding a Pbylatlery in their Hand in Place of it ) After¬ 
 wards they ventur’d to Touch them, and at length they 
 proceeded to Kifs them. ’Tis not to be queftion’d, 
 but thefe Things were at firft: defgn’d only for the 
 greater Solemnity of the Worfbip : But hence we may 
 learn the Genius and Tendency of Superjlition , which 
 qnce admitted in the leaft Degree, fpreads like Leaven , 
 or a Leprofy. 
 
 Corruptions in Worfhip oftimes creeping in unawares, 
 ’tis hard to condefcend on the precife Time, when the 
 KiJJing-part of the Oath was firft introduc’d. But it is 
 not thought to have been in Ufe, before the Time of 
 Pope Nicholas the Fir ft, in the pth. Century ; who in 
 his Anfwer to the Bulgarians, decree’d it lawful, To 
 fwear by Creatures fet apart unto, or having Place in 
 the Worfhip of GOD, Livinis Cultibus deputatas. 
 
 Kijfwg, however, in religious Worfhip, as expre '{five 
 of Adoration, feems to have been as old as falfe Wor- 
 Jhip it felf: For that it was a known and common 
 Gefure of Idolaters,m their worfhipping of th tSun and 
 Moon , ev’n in thofe early Times when fob liv’d, is e- 
 vident from f ob 3 1. 27. If I beheld the Sun , — or the 
 Moon , — and my Mouth hath hjfed my Hand. And 
 
 that 
 
( * < n . 
 
 that it was a Piece of Baals Worfhip, appears frcm 
 I Kings 19. I&. — And every Mouth which hath not 
 faffed him. ’Twas a Part alfo oi the Calf-Worfhip , Hf: 
 X3. 2. 'they fay — Let iWw thatfacrifice fafs the 
 Calves. And the fewtfb Loftors tell us, That they 
 who offer’d their Children to Moled:, were to kifs the 
 
 Idol. . , , _ . , 
 
 That Killing, when ’tis fituate in religious Worlhipr, 
 
 is expreflive of Adoration, appears likewife from Pfal: 
 2. 12. Kifs ye the Son, See. And by the Way , fome 
 do gather from this Expieflion, tho’ metaphorical; 
 That kiting being a natural Exprefftcn of Adoration, 
 if the Object of divine Worlhip was manifehed, fo as to. 
 be acceflible after that Manner ; ( as when the glorious 
 SON of GOD appear’d on Earth tabernacling in our 
 Nature, as the Word, job: i. 14 imports. See tufa. 7. 
 33, 45. ^ it becomes falfe W r orfhip in its Application to 
 undue Objetfs only. And if it befo, then Druftits need¬ 
 ed not to haye been afraid to underhand tnis Text of 
 Adoration, leh the Holy Ghoh fhou’d be thought to 
 allude to the Cuhom of Idolaters. 
 
 The learned D. Owen thinks, That Kiffing being 
 the moh fimple and plain Way of Adoration, by it the 
 Error of Man’s Heart in the Point of Worfhip, fir ft dis¬ 
 cover’d it felf : And tho’ Abundance of other religi¬ 
 ous Ceremonies, and fuperhitious Practices, were after¬ 
 wards gradually introduc'd, this of Rijfing never 
 went out of Fafhion. In ea prrnuni fe expreffit Cordis 
 Error , alia Religionis C&rcm dni<e, fenjitn introduPhs. 
 
 Au ft a m immenfum Superflitione, dur avit tamtn per 
 omnia antique. IgnorantiA Secula ftmplex ilia Adoratie » 
 Theologum. Lib. 3 - Gap. 4 - $• 2. So ’tis evident, 
 That hithereto it has been hill in life, in all Ages, and 
 
 among all Nations, as a Piece of that religious Worfhip, 
 they pay’d their Idols and falfe Gods. And what a; 
 large Room it has in the AntichriJHan Worfhip ; we’ll 
 have Occailon to difeourfe afterwards. 
 
 How Ancient alfo and confiderable this Way of W r or- 
 Chip was among the Romans , might be fhown from 
 
- ( 9 3 , • {■': 
 
 the Etimology of the Words, Oro , to pray ; and Adcro , 
 to worfbip, which, in the Judgment of the beft Criticks 
 and Lexicographers, are deriv’d from Of Oris , the 
 Mouth : Adorare being as much with ’em, as Ori cdmo- 
 vert i. e. To put ( the Hand viz. ) to one’s Mouth. 
 Omnino iamen its acctao qui Verb urn Oro, a Nomine Os 
 Oris factum volunt , quia in adcrando Next ram La- 
 iris feu Ori , Capite inclinato admcvtlant. 1. e. Pm inlire- 
 ly of their Mind , who derive Oro from Os Oris ; for in 
 Worjhippmg they bowed their Heads , and put their right 
 Hand to thetr Mouth. Cami : DM: on the Word Ado- 
 ro. Of the fame Mind is Holyoke , — Re&ius cx ad et 
 Os, quia in adorando dexiram Mdnutn Lcibris feu Ori,' 
 See. And accordingly he fays, Adoro f gnifies to wor¬ 
 ship by putting the Hand to the Mouth , or faffing the 
 PrAng worjhipped ; as well as to befetch or pray. —- 
 hide eil qued adorare non Vcce fit. fid Cejlu, ut patet 
 ex ylppuleio, See. i. e. Adoration is not done ly Wcrd ? 
 lutGeJlure. See his DiSlicn. on the Word: So Little-, 
 ton, Our celleus Inflit : Pag: 544.- Limiorch , Erafmus , 
 Grot ms, Jurieu, Hoornbeek. Owen alfo in the forecited 
 Place, defines Adoration, Per Mantis ad Os Adduftid- 
 nem religiofa Salutatio . i. e. A religious Salutation ly 
 puttmg the Hand to the Mouth- 
 
 The fame might be fhown, of the Greek W r ord, orpp- 
 (SKVVico, to worfbip, which is deriv’d from kv<x, or xvia) 
 to ktfs. See Schrev. Lexic. Luc . DM: N. T Leighs 
 Crit. Sac: furieu: Or it: Hzjl: Vol. 2 . Part: 4. Pag : 64 
 Cured: Limiorch. 
 
 Th.e Way and xManner of Idolaters in faluting their 
 Gods with the Kifs, was not always the fame. When 
 their lids were acceffible, they hided ’em immediutly: 
 But When they worfhipped the heavenly Bodies, or 
 when their Idols were fet up on high, in the hicft fa- 
 cred Place of their Temples, above the Altars ; and fo' 
 were inacceffibfe to Vulgar Worfhippers■ they hretched 
 forth the Right Hand, and bringing it back to their 
 Mouth , kifi'd it before, and in Honour of’em : Which 
 is reckon’d to’ve been the inoft ancient Way of Alo- 
 
 B ring 
 
( 10 ) 
 
 ring. In Deorum enim Salutatione eminut ftantes , Ma- 
 num porrigebant, eamque flatim ad Os fuum relatam J'ua- 
 ZHaoamur, fays Curcell: in the fore-cited Place. aind 
 Nltnu-ius Felix in his Oil amt is tells us, That G&cilrws 
 cfpymg the Image of Sera pis, Manum Gri admovtns 
 Ojculum Laliis prejjlt. i. e. He put bis Hand to bis 
 Mouth , and Jmach?d it. 
 
 A'terward? they got into a Cuftom of Wheeling a- 
 bout their Bodies, when they kifs’d their Hand : In 
 adorando Lex tram ad Ojculum referimus , totumqne Cor - 
 pus ctrcumqgimus ; Pi in: Lib: 28 * Cap: 2. which. 
 larch tells us, was one of Nutria's Inftitutions. The Im¬ 
 port of it, according tofome, was to denote that Circle 
 or Orbit, which the Sun, their chief Ido], deferib’d in 
 his Motion ; But Ozven thinks, That fince this Cuftom 
 was introduc’d after the building of Temples , which al¬ 
 ways fronting towards the Baft, oblig’d the Idolaters 
 to worfhio their Idols, and bow towards the Wefl; 
 they wheel'd about their Bodies towards the Eajl or 
 Sun-Rifing ; to intimate. That unto the Sun their Wor- 
 fhip was ultimately diretifed. • Some again drew only 
 their Xiips into the Form of a Kifs: While others, after 
 they liad kiffed their Hand, threw the Kijfes towards 
 the Idol. 
 
 Whether by this Kifs, as fome think, the Idolater 
 acknowledg’d his having, and holding Life and Breath 
 from thofe their Idol Gods , I (hall not determine . But 
 Divines generally agree, That the religious Kifs is fig- 
 fiificant of fuperlative LoVe, Reverence and Subjection. 
 
 ’Twas with this Sort of Kifs, Caligula, Diode flan 
 and TAaximinius junior, ambitious oi Divinity, wou’d 
 have their Feet kifs’d: And after them the Roman An - 
 fichrih copies. For tho’ People generally take the 
 Killing of the Pope's Feet, to be no more than a Civil 
 Compliment to the vile Beojl ■ ’twas originally intend¬ 
 ed, and is llill taken for religious Adoraiion; as is evi¬ 
 dent from Lib.: Cerem: Sell: 3. Cap: 3. Where ’tis 
 ordain’d, jjuod omne s Mortales cujufeunque ftnt Dignz - 
 t&is et Preeminently cum primum in Corf pedum Ponti- 
 
ficzf veniunt, ter deheant ante ilium Genu feltere, et Pe¬ 
 des ejus ofculari, in Honorem Jefu,cujus Vices gent: 
 i. e. T 'hat all Mortals whatever be their Dignity or Pre- 
 heminence, when firft they come into the Pope’s Prefence, 
 1 {0W the Knee thrice before him, end faff Jits Feet in Ho- 
 hour of JESUS, tvhefe Vicegerent he is. But, as one 
 (ays, How wdu’dthat Myflzcal Beaft tike it, to have 
 the Honour he reckons due to himfelf, thus transferr'd 
 to him thro’ the Perfon of his own Legate : : This 
 ferves for a Piece of a Commentary on that Text, 2 
 Thejf. 2 4. He exalts himfelf above all that is called 
 God, or is worjhipfed : And as God he fits in the 'Terri¬ 
 ble of GOD,Jbeviing hirdfelf that he is GCD. 
 
 •But that Kifs which Samuel fainted Saul with, I 
 Sam: 10. I. after he had anointed him King, was in 
 Token of Homage and Subjection : Is it not , fays he, 
 lecauft the LORD bath anointed thee Captain over hs 
 Inheritance ? Thus we find, in Plutarch, the Souldiers 
 killing Cato's Hands; and in Jujlin, Alexander's Soul¬ 
 diers killing his Right Hand, when he lay adying: 
 And with us ftill, the King's Hand is Ilfs'd in Token 
 of Subjection and Dependence, as well as of AJfe&icn. 
 
 I make no Doubt, but if one skil’d in critical and 
 ancient Learning , was handling this Subject, he might 
 takeOccalion to oblige the World with many curious 
 and entertaining Things, anent the all edg’d Difference 
 between Bcjiuni, Ofculum and Suavium ; the different 
 Import of killing the M.outh, the Hand, the Knees and 
 the Feet , killing the Pavement, the Purple, and other 
 Enfgns o Royal Majefly among the Remans ; the fe¬ 
 ver a l Sorts, of Kiffes that have been, or are in''Ufe a- 
 1 ihong Men. as the Kifs of Urbanity, of Propinquity, of 
 Reconciliation, of Charity ; the Lofciuious and the Trea¬ 
 cherous K fs, the Kifs of Homage, and ev’n anent the 
 Idolatrous Kifs, behdes the few Pints that are of¬ 
 fer’d here : But leaving thefe to the Curious, and luch 
 as have Time and Opportunity for ’em, my Delign is, 
 by the Help of Scripture Light, only to enquire into, 
 and as it appears to me, lay open the Guilt and Danger 
 
 £ 2 ' of 
 
( 12 ) 
 
 of this Innovation in the' Worflhip of GOD, which is 
 crept in'upon us unawares. [< 
 
 Thai; new Mode of 5 wearing,I mean, which is got in¬ 
 to fom e Courts and other Places whereMen are call’d to 
 give their Oath, in this Nation-. Where the Swearer is 
 requir’d to lay and hold his Hand on the open Bible , 
 particularly the Gofpels , or at lead the New Teft anient, 
 while the Oath is a reading to him ; and then he is 
 required to kifs the Book-, when the Reading is over. 
 .And this is his Oath : So that both his Protnife to de¬ 
 clare the Truth, and his Appeal to GOD as Witnefs and 
 Avenger, are made by the Geftures of totiching and 
 faffing of the Book ; For he’s not requir’d by the Law 
 or Cudom of England ( by which this comes to have 
 Place here ) to utter the Words of his Oath , tho’ per^ 
 haps he may be allow’d to d o it, if he has a Mind: 
 Nor is there any Appeal to GOD in the Words of the 
 Oath; as will be obferved afterwards. Which Corrup-' 
 tion has till of late Tears been a Stranger in this Church, 
 hnce the Days of her 'Reformation from Popery : 
 When it with the red of the Wnorijh Geftures, Trinkets' 
 and Attire were thrown forth, never to be reciev’d in 
 again. 
 
 ’Tis confed, That beddes this, there have been or are 
 in Ufe among Chridians, feveral other Geftures in taking 
 of an Oath; inch as holding up of Three Fingers, name¬ 
 ly the Thumb, the Fir ft. and the Middle ones, in To¬ 
 ken of their Belief and Confeffion of the glorious Tri¬ 
 nity : Others hold up Two only, with an Eye to 
 the Two didintft Natures in the Perfon of Chrifl : 
 Both which Cudoms are dill in Ufe with fome Coun¬ 
 tries abroad. Others have been in Ufe to fwear on 
 their Kn:es, in Token of Invocation ; and fome fv/ore 
 with their Hind upon them Breaft, in Teftimony of a 
 good Confcience. All which let us fee. That when once' 
 Men have left the Word as their Rule, there's no more 
 fwe Fwtingl or ’em. IF Man’s Invention once gives it 
 felf the Loofe, in the Matters of GOD, it fcarce ever 
 has done; and by affecting to be wife above what 
 
is written, We quickly Show our felves Fools. But tho’ 
 all of thefe be near a Kin to Will-worjhip ; yet, I hum¬ 
 bly conceive, none of ’em is of fuch dangerous Coh- 
 fequenoe, as this under Consideration : For in the firft 
 two of’em, the Scriptural Gefiure of holding up the 
 Hand is hill retain’d ; tho’ with fome very unneceffiry 
 and officious Improvements on it. .And the reft are Ge¬ 
 stures futahle enough in other Parts of Divine W or Ship, 
 tho’ not fo proper in this. 
 
 The Reverend and Ingenuous Mr. Mather in his Hi- 
 ftory of New England , informs us, That that Churchy 
 Suffer’d Perfecution in the Reign of K. Janies 1th. for 
 their Nonconformity, to the Law in this Point : That 
 Atkanafm.s ( in the 4 th. Century ) wou d life no Rite in- 
 Swearing, but that of Lifting up the Hand ; and that 
 Qhryfoftom ( who died not till after the Beginning of 
 the 5;/;. Century ) was againff any Book Oath; tho’, 
 the Killing of the Book was not then introduc’d: 
 That Parens , Rivet and Vcetius , thefe learned Profef- 
 ♦ fors of Divinity, condemn’d it as unlawful : That D. 
 Goodwin and Mr. Philip Nye ( the lafl of whom was 
 one of the Commijfioners from the Wejlminjler Affanh 
 lly , to the General Affemhly of this Church , in the Year 
 1643, when the Solemn Heague was made ) reckon’d, 
 it the zeoril of all the Englifh Ceremonies . 
 
 Mr. Burroughs was of the fame Mind : A nd what, 
 D. Owns Sentiments of it wire, may be gather’d from 
 what he has faid upon Adoranon by Kiffing. Thefe, 
 Things, ,’tis hop’d, may procure an unprejudic’d Hear¬ 
 ting, and an impartial Consideration of the Reafons 
 here offer’d againff this Pralike ; Which are as, 
 follows. , , 
 
 reason 
 
( 14 ) 
 
 REASON FIRST. 
 
 T O require one to fwear after this Manner, is, ’tis 
 humbly conceiv’d, A manifeji InvaftOn on 
 Cnrifhm Liberty ; and to do it, being required, 
 is, An evident , but a mojl unwarrantable Surrender cf 
 it. Freedom from Doflrines and Commandments of 
 Men, m Matters of Faith or Worfhip , is a muff valua¬ 
 ble Branch of our Chriftian Liberty : For there is one 
 Lawgiver, who is able to five and to dejlroy, Jam: 4. 
 12. Wny then are ye fubje£l to Ordinances, after the 
 Commandments and Do el; ims. of Men, Coloff: 2. 20, 
 22. Te are bought with a Price , be not ye the Servants of 
 Men , 1 Cor: 7. 23. Namely, in thefe Things, where¬ 
 in you are the LORD’S free Men. Ver: 22. Stand 
 fajl therefore in the Liberty wherewith Chnjl hath made 
 a -you free, and be not again intangled, — Gal: 5: I. 
 
 ? Things of an indifferent Nature, in the Worfhip of 
 GOD, can never be juft Matter of humane Determina¬ 
 tion : Since what is indifferent as to Pratffice, in one 
 Cafe, may by Realon of new Circumflances, become 
 utterly unlawful in another. Far lefs can any Authority 
 on Earth, militate and enjoin new Jignijkant Ceremo¬ 
 nies in the Worfhip of GOD ; Such as the Religious 
 Touching and Kiffmg of a Booh, in taking of an Oath, 
 certainty are. By what Right can any Power on Earth, 
 require us to do thefe Things in Divine Worfhip, con¬ 
 cerning which the LORD has not given us the lead 
 Notice of his Approbation, in his Word ? Does not it 
 afford us a perfect Platform, both of Ordinances, and 
 pf the Manner of their Performance? Are the Scriptures 
 an infurEci nt Rule, cr are the Ordinances of GOD im- 
 Berfebt, and to be iinproven by Man’s Additions ? 
 
 Where has JESUS CHRIST clothed Governors ei¬ 
 ther 
 
ther in Church or State, with a Power to en act new 
 Pieces of external Wo>Jhip '1 If Men may inflitute Sym¬ 
 bolical Rites , doubtlefs they may appoint Symbolical 
 'Things too. But is it to be imagin’d, GOD woud 
 break the Yoke of his own Ceremonial Law, that Men 
 might make a new one, to gall the Necks and Con- 
 fciences of the Difciples ? Since our LORD juitified his 
 Difciples in their Nonconformity to fuch a feemingly in¬ 
 nocent Ceremony, as the Wafbing of Hands before 
 IAeat,Matth: IS- ( becaufe impos’d, and that fomewhat 
 cf Religion was plac’d in it, tho’ it was not annex’d to 
 any Ordinance of Worfhip ) Doubtlefs, a confcientious 
 .Noncompliance with fuch an linpofition and .Addition 
 to his Worihip, as this is, will be approven of him j 
 tho’ accounted of Men, defpicable Weaknefs. 
 
 REASON SECOND. 
 
 I T is, I humbly conceive, a fuperJUtious Way of 
 Swearing \ And if fo, none but will own, it’s un¬ 
 warrantable. Now that it is a Piece of Superilition, 
 feems evident: For, 
 
 iff. Here is offer’d unto GOD, A Piece of external 
 Worfhip , of Marts deviftng. Here is an Att of Wor¬ 
 fhip exprefs’d and perform’d, by an uninjlituted , and 
 in Scripture, our only Rule of Worfhip, unprecedent¬ 
 ed Means : Which therefore muft be Will-Worjhip ; 
 and this our LORD has fold us, Matth: 15- 9* is 
 Worfhip. That Command which forbids us to make 
 unto our felves an Image or the Hikenefs of any 
 Thing for Religious life,* forbids us alfo, to forge 
 Rites or Gejiures of Worfhip out of our own Brain. 
 It appears like a Piece of 'voluntary Humility , which, 
 in Religion, is dangerous, and in home Cafes damnable. 
 Col: 2.12. 
 
( 16 ) 
 
 idly. Swearing with the Hand on the Gofpels, is 
 grounded upon',and deriv’d from the Vopifh Opinion of 
 the Gofpels their being more Divine , and therefore 
 mure to be reverenc’d than other Scriptures: Hence 
 in the Church of Rome , and That of England , they 
 mud Jfand when the Goffels are read ; whereas they 
 may fit at the reading of the Eptjlles. But fure, this 
 is a making of a Difference, which GOD has not made,- 
 and a laying of Weight where the LORD has laid no 
 Weight; which in Matters of Religion is Superd/tion. 
 What Divine Warrant is there for this Opinion, or the 
 Practice founded thereupon ? All Scripture is 'given by' 
 Jnfpiranon of GOD, 2 Tim: 3 - l6- -^nd in Refpedi of 
 Infptralion ( which is the Formal Ground rendring the 
 whole Word Divine and Sacred ) no conhdering Per- 
 foh, can refufe the Doctrinal and Prophetical Books to 
 be fully as Sacred as the Hiftorical ones are. 
 
 idly. All the Charatters of fupetftiiious Ceremonies 
 agree unto thefe , as iff. They’re of Hainan? Inven¬ 
 tion and Inftitutioa. idly. They’re of ordain’d Sig¬ 
 nification ( for tho’ the real and true Signification of 
 Kijfing in Worfhip be Natural, as\we’il fee. afterwards 
 yet their Senfe of it in Swearing is ordain’d ) whereby 
 thjey ’re diiiinguifh’d from Ceremonies of natural Signi¬ 
 fication. 3dly. They’re of Myjlicid Signification, be-, 
 ing ufed to exprefs Religion and declare fpiritual 
 Things, and may be called Moral Ceremonies. 4.tlily.. 
 They’re appropriated unto Religion, and to this Ordi¬ 
 nance of Worlhip in particular ,• and fo are religious 
 Ceremonies: Whereby they ’re difiinguifh’d ffom meefi 
 circumflantial Ceremonies of Decency and Order • 
 which are common to Things Sacred and Civil, and 
 are us'd out of GOD’s Service, as well as in it. 
 Now thefe are what Reformed Divines give as Chara¬ 
 cters of the Ceremonies, in the Church of Rome and 
 England, whole proper Name is Super flit ions : And if 
 laying the Hand upon and Kijfing of the Book, in the 
 Cafe under Consideration, are not of the Number, the 
 Reader is left to be Judge. Dec abfpue SuperJlinone 
 
 cum 
 
am fuper Crucifixum aat Ccaicem Exangelii Ligifht 
 impofitis juratur ; ut fit in Papatu , fays the learn’d 
 Pareus onGen: 24. 2. Where we fee he puts Touching 
 of ttie Gofipe(t on the fame Foot with ' Touching of a 
 Crucifix, 1.1 Point of Supeijliticn-, and indeed they be¬ 
 ing equally without ^ arrant, both mult be unaccep¬ 
 table. ’ . 
 
 j^thly. I wouM gladly know how any one will be 
 able to jujUjie his condemning of CroJJwg in Baptifm, 
 Kneedng before the cenfecraied Elements, Standing at 
 the Golpels, Bowing at the Name yefius , (5c. on the 
 Account of Superflit ion : If at the fame Time he ab- 
 folves this Ufage of Touching and Kifling the Look 
 in Sweating, from all fuch Guilt and Defilement. Tne 
 1 earn’d Dr. Sanderfon , 1 find, reckon’d this beyond his 
 Comprehenfion : For he tells us, That tho’ he had of¬ 
 ten and ferioufly thought with himfelf, arid inquired of 
 at others , yet cou’d he never come at a fatisfying Rea- 
 fon, why fuch Rites, {hou’d be allowable in taking of 
 an Oath, and at the fame Time unlawful in other Farts 
 v of publick Worfhip. -— Cur non ift* out a yuromento 
 ut.fuperftitiifa Additamenta atnoveri debeant , out in 
 reliquo DEI Cultu. ut utilia Pie tat is Suhftdia , ret inert 
 pofiint ? jdjii poteB cepere , capiat : Ego qutdcm note 
 ir.telligo. De yuramento Prodeff: 5' i)- at 
 Clofe. This, as apply’d to Touching, Kiffng and all 
 other Rites in Swearing, that are of . humane Original, 
 feems unanfwerable : Tho’ with Refpeft to that of 
 lifting up the Hand, the Cafe, is quite different; fince 
 ’tis both a Natural Ceremony ( which People are led in¬ 
 to quodam Nature duftu, u e. By a certain InfinG of 
 Nature; as ne himfelf feems to own in the preceeding 
 Section ) and fo abundantly authoriz'd and recom¬ 
 mended to us from Scripture : Where, as our Author 
 obferves, the Phrafe of lifting up the Hand , is fre¬ 
 quently put for the A eft of Swearing it felf. But to 
 proceed. 
 
 ’Tis here worthy of our Confederation, That fnce 
 Religious Ceremonies are Inftrummts y which the ElO- 
 
 C ' ~ * hi 
 
( *8 ) 
 
 Iff GHOST is to work with ; they mull be of his 
 own, and nor of our chufing : Such Tools as GOD 
 has not iingl’d out, and fandtifi’d by his own Word of 
 lnjlitution, we’re not to expert has Concurrence with, 
 nor has BlefTing upon. Hence the Will-Worfhip of un- 
 inflituted Ceremonies, however goodly and pr< mifmg 
 like, hath been fo far from proving ferviceable to the 
 Intereft of Religion; that, in all Ages of the Church, 
 it has been hurtful to it. 
 
 David's making Ufe of a Cart to carry the Ark, 
 ( which feme take to have been the Philiffines their new 
 Cart, that It had been fentback upon, a long Time be¬ 
 fore ) feems to have been one of the chief Caufes of 
 the LORD’S Anger, when he fmote Uzzah, i Chron; 
 13. 7. .And therefore when they fought the LORD af¬ 
 ter the due Order , they threw away the Cart, and car¬ 
 ry'd the Ark by the Staves thereof , on the Shoulders of 
 the Levates, according to the Word cf the JLOKD, as 
 Mofes had commanded 'em-, Chap: 15. 13,— 15. .And 
 one wou’d think thefe Ceremonies of laying the Hand , 
 (fTc. to be not tanlike to a new Carl, for this Part of 
 GOD’s Worfhip; whach ought to be other wife born up 
 and convey’d. 
 
 ’Tis an old Principle with us, That all religious 
 Worfhip, wfveh GOD has not commanded, is forbidden; 
 and that ftgnificant Ceremonies , introduc’d by Men into 
 the Worfhap of GOD, are Parts of the Worfhap. But 
 of them he does, and will fay, Who hath required thefe 
 Things at your Hands, I commanded'em not, neither 
 came it into my Mind. 
 
 The Stones of GOD’s Altar mull not be poli/hed by- 
 Man's Skill ; tho’ the doing of it wou’d make ’em 
 much more fightiy. Remarkable, to this Purpofe, 
 is that Text, Exod, 2o. 25. — For if thou lift up thy 
 Tool upon it, thou hafi polluted it. 
 
 EE A* 
 
( 19 ) 
 
 
 i'Kn* 
 
 REASON THIRD. 
 
 T His Way of Swearing, can’t be deny’d, is a Sym¬ 
 bol ztng with Idolaters in the religious Hites of 
 their own Deviftng : Which Reformed Divines 
 have hitherto taken for a good Argument, againft un¬ 
 in ftitu ted Ceremonies. Becaufe the LORD has molt ex- 
 oreflv and peremptorily forbidden all fuch Symbolizing ; 
 both in the Old and New Tc(lament, Dent : 12 . BO, 31 - 
 ?ake Heed unto thy fdf, --- That thou enquire not after 
 their Gods., faying. How did thefe Nations ferve their 
 Gods ? evenfo will I do hkeways. thou Jhalt not do fo 
 unto the LORD thy GOD. 2 Cor: 6 15 , --- 17 * 
 Communion hath Right with Darhnefs ? Wfcyf « 
 hath Chrift with Belial? What Agreement hath the'tem¬ 
 ple 0 f god with Idols ? Wherefore crone out from among 
 them and be ye feparate, faith the LORD, and touch 
 not the unclean thing ; roa* I will receive you. See 
 
 likewife ie'y: l 2 ’ 3 -f u ^ e 2%. Rev, I 4 ; 9 * . 
 
 The LORD will have his People em m all 
 
 Things, which they dijhnguifh themfelves by, and 
 which they make Badges of their Religion. Yea, ev n 
 in Words and Gejlures, his People muft be unlike ’em : 
 If Idolaters worfhip towards the Eafi, Ifrael mint wor¬ 
 ship towards the Weil, EzeJe: g. i6- And they mult 
 not call him Baali, Hof. 2. 16. ( tho’ a Name of good 
 and proper Signification, and which the LORD had 
 taken to himfelf before ) after that Name had been 
 defil’d by an Emphatical Ufe in an Idolatrous Service. 
 
 Now that in thefe Rites of Swearing, we fymbolize 
 with Idolatrous Pafijtr, is evident; in that, 1 hey were 
 deriv’d from ’em, and are Hill in Ufe among ’em. This 
 Mode of fwearing is one of the Relidts of their falfe 
 Worfhip • which has never been purg’d out of lome 
 * C 2 
 
Protefiant Churches: Tho’ I nev’r bear’d of any 
 Who receiv’d it in again, after it had been once aban¬ 
 don’d. Who does not know. That 'Religious KilTwg 
 runs thro’ the whole of thePopifb Worjhip i T hey [ay 
 the Hand upon and kifs the Book, and fometimes the 
 Rchtts of Martyrs, in Swearing : They kifs Cruci¬ 
 fixes, Images, Altars, and efpecially they kil's the Go- 
 J~f.cls. Tiiat tins lad is a very foleinn and nice Piece of 
 the Mafs Worihip, one may latisfie himfelf, by look- 
 ing in to the Ordo Celebrationis, at the Beginning of the 
 Roman Mijjal. Celcbrans ojculatur Evangelium ter. 
 eum Bittum in ejus Principle : Nifi celebnt pro Befun- 
 Ihs, —vel coram fummo Pontijice, aut Cardinali, Pa¬ 
 triarchs, Archiepifcopo vel Epifcopo, cui Liber et Tex- 
 tus Evangehi portatur per cum ofculandus, tTc. i. e. 
 
 I-ie who lays Mafs, after he has read the Gofpel, mult 
 4 kifs it, at the Place where he began to read : Except 
 4 he fays Mafs for the Dead, or before the Pope, a Car- 
 4 dinal, Patriarch, Archbifhop or Bifhop, to whom the 
 4 Book and Text o* the Gofpel mult be bro’t tore 
 4 kijjed. 
 
 When People conform themfelves unto AnticbriSl, 
 and copy after him in his peculiar Rites of Wcifbip; 
 Tuey, in fo far, have Communion with him ; and put 
 a fpecial Honour on him and his Members; riving ’em, 
 in fome Senfe the Right Hand of Fellonf hip, And'fhall 
 we alfo, tacitely put Refpetf upon the Man cf Sin , 
 and do Honour to the Son oi Perdition •? ’Tis more, I 
 conceive, than he expected of us. Shall we feem to 
 over-look, or think meanly of the Pattern fhewed in 
 the Mount ? . Or fha 11 we, in any Cafe, borrow the 
 Pattern of GOD s Altar from Rome, as Ahaz did from 
 Bum feus ? Tell it not in Gath, o’c. 
 
 The Reli&s, Badges and Monuments of Idolatry and 
 Super hit! on, ^ould be defac’d and raz’d in Detection 
 and Abhorrence of thefe Diihonours and Indignities 
 have been done the LORD, by Means of’em : And 
 became they are Monitory alfo, preferving and embal¬ 
 ming the Memory of the curled Idols, and falfe Wor¬ 
 ship 
 
( ?I ) 
 
 fhip ; -which ought to be bury’d in Darknefs and Eter¬ 
 nal Oblivion. They are likewife Infeilious , and entice 
 People back to the groiler Ills, infeniibly : And there¬ 
 fore the LORD knowing this, and the Byas of our 
 Matures that Way; will have the very Prints and Ve- 
 jitges of ’em taken out of his Peoples Mouths and Me¬ 
 mories : Left a Back-Door ihou’d be left open for the 
 unclean Spirit's Re-entry. 
 
 • The Jews might not fow their Ground with Divers 
 Sorts of Seed, nor round their Beards, nor make Prints 
 in their Fie lit ; Eecaufe their Heathen Neighbours did 
 fo : And will the LORD allow us to fprinkle diverfe 
 Sorts of Rites and Ceremonies, into his own Worfhip; 
 and to disfigure it with Modes and Gejlures , which 
 have Nothing to recommend ’em to us, if it is not. 
 That they were, or are practis’d in the Synagogue of 
 Satan ? But whofo partakes with Babylon in her Sms, 
 mu ft alfo partake in her Plagues. 
 
 ’Tis chiidith to alledge, That, at this Rate, we 
 mu ft abandon the Scriptures , the Sacraments , C'J'c. be- 
 caufe they have been abus’d by Idolaters. For the 
 Command of not Symbolizing, with Idolaters, extends 
 not to Things, that are Neceljary in Religion, as having 
 GOD’s, or ev’n Nature's Inftitution: Such Tilings 
 can’t be fo defil’d by any Abide, as to render the 
 \Jfe of'em unlawful. But this can be no. Skreen to 
 Things not necejjlry , that have been us’d in an Idola¬ 
 trous or Superftitious Service. 
 
 As for the common Blind and Pretence of Decency 
 and Order: We can't underhand, how it can be de¬ 
 cent for Men to inftitute nezv Things in GuD’s Wor- 
 
 «J> 
 
 fhip : A nd far lefs how, any fhou’d learn Order from 
 Babel , or Decency from the Great Where , the Mother 
 of Abominations . and Harlots. 
 
 This Reafcn is di.tincft enough from t’other : For 
 who knows not that a Thing may be fuperflitious , 
 tho’ therein we don’t fymbclizs with Idolaters 
 
 REA, 
 
f 22 ) 
 
 REASON FOURTH. 
 
 H Ow much foever it may furprize, I can’t help 
 thinking. This Way of Swearing to be Idola¬ 
 trous. ’Tis indeed a heavy Charge, and needs 
 to be well inftrucffed.Therefore to prepare the Way,and 
 That what i’ve to offer on this Head, may be the more 
 plain and convincing ; 1 muff crave Leave to difinguifh 
 thefe Things following. 
 
 I si. We muft difinguifh betwixt Killing ( and fo 
 of Kneeling, t*fc )ina State of Civility, and Killing 
 in a State of Religion. No Body, 1 believe, apprehends 
 the Holy Rtfs, wherewith Chrif lans were wont to fa- 
 lute one another, to have been an Act of Religious 
 W or (hip : And I think, as Few will imagin, the Kif¬ 
 fing of* Jeroboam's Calves or Baal's Image, to have 
 been A<fts of meer Civility. Religious Ceremonies 
 have a general Nature, as they are Actions or Motions, 
 in which Refpedt they are indifferent: And a particu¬ 
 lar Nature, as they are fated in, or annex’d to Religi¬ 
 ous Worfhip, and done for a fpiritual Purpofe; in 
 which Cafe they’re quite remov’d out of their former 
 State of Indifference. 
 
 idly We’re to difinguifh betwixt an Ohjedt acci¬ 
 dentally before one in an Aft of Worfhip, and an Ob¬ 
 ject fet before him of Purpofe, to have State and Place 
 in the Worfhip. One can fwear or pray no where, but 
 he’ll have f'me Creature or other before him acciden¬ 
 tally : But here the Bible is before the Swearer flated- 
 ly and of fet Purpofe. 
 
 %dly. We difinguifh betwixt Religious Reverence , 
 and Religious Ad ration. This Difference may be leen, 
 Neb: 8- 5,6. When Ezra opened the Book , — all the 
 People food up. And £zra bUffed the LORD tfe great 
 
COD : — And they bowed thetr Heads r, and worjhip- 
 fed the LORD with their Faces to the Ground. Mofes's 
 putting off his Shoes, Exod; 3. 5 * ^ras Reveience, 
 but not Adoration. See alfn Jojh. 5. 15- We own 
 there’s a Negative Reverence ( as ’iis call’d ) due to the 
 Bible at all Times : ’Tis never to be prophan’d, put 
 to an ignoble dishonourable Ufe, nor handl’d after any 
 fucn rude unfeemiy Manner as might argue Djftffeem, 
 or look like Contempt of the Law and Will of our So¬ 
 vereign LORD, therein contain’d: And a Pojiuve Re¬ 
 verence at Come Times ; we’re to efieem it a moil valua¬ 
 ble Ble/ling, to ufe it gravely and decently: But at 
 no Time are we to beitow Religious Honour or A - 
 d oration on it. 
 
 ’Tis true, in Reading or in Hearing the Book of thef 
 Holy Scriptures read, we uncover the Head: Yet not 
 to the Book, but as a Sign of Regard to the Mind and 
 Will of GOD, then declar’d ; which ought to imprefs 
 us with holy Fear and Reverence ( and what can be 
 more natural, than for one to Jiand up , or uncover the 
 ' Head when he is io hear GOD fpeak to him i ) and 
 this we do becaufe Uncovering of the Head is, with us, 
 a Token of Civil Reverence; tho’ of Old it was not fo, 
 and at this Day is not, with feveral Nations. But if 
 one fhou’d think him felf oblig’d, always upon the 
 Sight of a Bible, to take off his Hat; If he’s in no 
 Degree guilty of Idolatry, I believe, Reform’d Divines 
 will fay, He’s fairly on the Way leading to it. Now 
 the Word being neither read nor heard in the prefent 
 Cafe, there can be no Occafion for io much as unco¬ 
 vering of the Head, or expreiling any poiitive religi¬ 
 ous Reverence, with Reference unto it; and much lets 
 for Adoration of, or Kiffmg the Book religioufiy. 
 
 s^thly. Divines have been in Ufe to diftinguifh betwixt 
 an Afiive and a Pa [five Object of Adoration : Which 
 indeed, tho’ their Meaning was good enough, was no 
 other than a Racking and Vexing of Words, alter the 
 Manner of the old Schoolmen. We own, That the 
 Bible, vea Sun. Moon and all Creatures are active 
 
 Objear 
 
Gbjcfts, in their Scnfe • that is, They teach, excite an 3 
 ftir us up to adore Him whofe Glory fhines in ’em: 
 But we ought not therefore to make ’em Paffive Ob - 
 jefts of Adoration, that is, Direct Religious Vcrlhip 
 to them. W hen one has been reading on the Book of 
 Nature or Guce, and is taught and excited thereby to 
 adore JEHOVAH ; he’s not to fall down before 
 his Bible or any other Creature, with tne Eyes of his 
 Body and Mind faftn’d thereon, nor direct Religious 
 Killing or Bowing to it; But when the Act of 
 Teaching is over and pa ft, he’s to turn from the 
 Creature and adore the Creator. Mow ’Explain, That 
 the Bible is here, more than an active Object of Wor- 
 fhip ; for fince his prefent and plac’d before the Depo¬ 
 nent of fet Purpofe, and Religious Killing directed to 
 it: If ever Creature was a Fajfive Object of Adoration 5 
 itmuftbeTo. 
 
 4 thly ’Tis neceftary to diftinguifh betwixt the Ge- 
 ftures or Action:, which have their Signification from 
 Man's mcer Will, and thefe that have their Signification 
 from GOD, or Natur's Injiitution. Of the laft Sort 
 We reckon Kneeling, Kififing, Projiration, lifting up of 
 the Eyes or Hands , (f 7 c. when us’d in a State of Re¬ 
 ligion. Thefe, we fay, fignifie Adoration naturally 
 and neceflarily, as Weeping does Sorrow, or Laughing- 
 Gladnefc : And there remits from ’em neceffarily, an 
 Honouring of that Object to which they are directed; 
 abftradling from all prefent Inten ion or Free Choice 
 of the Wonhiipper. Let a Man bow down religioufiy 
 before, or Kifs an Idol; and ’tis not in the Power of. 
 his Will to flay the Flux o f Religious Honour from 
 that Gefture unto that Object : Becaufe that it conveys 
 not Honour by the Man’s free Choice; but by Nature’s 
 Ihflitution. 
 
 This of the Signification of Natural Geflures, has 
 more in it than one is aware of, at fir ft View : F tis 
 not in the Power of Men, fo to change their Significa¬ 
 tion but that, when us’d in Religion, they’ll ftill fig- 
 aifie Adoration. Who can perfwade Iiimfelf , 
 
 That 
 
That Man’s Will, Inftnution cr Authority cou’d e-/ei' 
 make bowing down to, or biffing of an Idol, ah Ex- 
 preffion of Come tup taw aids tiiat Idol ( for an Ironical 
 Vfe of thefe fuppofes always the proper aad genuine 
 Meaning of ’em to.be notcur • when the i_ouloieis 
 bow’d the Knee before our LORD, and mocking faid. 
 Hail King of the Jews, Mauh: 27. 2p. j) or lying 
 on our Back the 1110ft humble and Devout Eoiture of 
 Worfhipping GOD ? Yea, tho’ the Signification of 
 Words is from Inflitution only, yet J doubt, if ’tis 
 in the Power of Man, fo to change their Meaning ( .1 
 fpeak not of the accidental infenfibie Corruption of 
 W ords thro’ Cufiom,as has been the Fate of the Words, 
 Tyrant, Knave, iffc. ) as that one might lately fay to 
 a Stock, Thou art my Father : Yet, ’tis certain, Men 
 are more NLaJiers of Grammar, than they are lords of 
 Gejlures ; as fays the Learn’d Rutherfoord, fomewhere 
 in his Divine Right of Church.Government. 
 
 But let us fuppofe, That Kiffiwg in Worth ip is not 
 of thefe Geflures, which are naturally fignificant ( tho* 
 
 1 believe, when ’tis fearch’d to the Bottom, 'twill be 
 found. That all Geflures and Adlicns, which are natu¬ 
 rally Significant in a State of Civility, continue to be fo, 
 when they’re ingrafted into Religious Worfhip ) yet ’tis 
 certain, It’s figmheant of .Adoration, by Umverfal and 
 Immemorial Cufiom: ( For the Meaning of it has 
 been Hill the fcjme in all -Ages, and among all Nations : 
 Pagans , Jews, Papitts have us'd it, and do ufe it as an 
 adoring Gellure. Yea, the W ord Adoration carries a 
 Memorial of this, as was faid, in the very Sound of it. ) 
 Which is enough to make a Thing Natural in a Secon¬ 
 dary Senfe. In which Senfethe .Apcflle tells us, 1 Cor: 
 II. ] 4. That’tis cgdr.il Nature, for a Mon to wear 
 long Hair : Not tj at it was imrr.ediatly fo, 1 ut by the 
 Intervention of a Reafonable Ci»flc.m, which had 
 made that a Badge of Difti dlicn betwixt the Sexesis 
 Hence the Law of Nature didlateri the Obfervance of it. 
 
 Thefe being premis’d, 1 ofier the following Mgn- 
 ments to evince the Charge. 
 
 £> 4rg‘ 
 
c 25 ; 
 
 Arg: I. Here is a Concurrence of all Things re- 
 quifite to conftituie an Aft of Idolatry. As if?. A 
 WorJhipping Aft, or Gefture of Adoration, which is 
 abundantly manifeft from what has been laid above. 
 Idly. ’Tis express'd when one is profefiedly em¬ 
 ploy’d in folemn Worjhip , namely, when he is fwear- 
 mg in Judgment, ‘idly- ’Tis directed to a Creature , 
 having a religious State and Place in the Worlhip, 
 namly, to the Bible , purpofedly fet before the Depo¬ 
 nent in the Adi of Swearing. Sure none will have the 
 Brow to fay, The Bible has no other Place here, than 
 the Table or the Clerk’s Ink-horn or Paper have. 4 ly. 
 ’Tis a voluntary, deliberate humane Aft in the Depo¬ 
 nent ; being done in Obedience to a Commandment. 
 Ho Reform’d Divine, I hope, will alledge ; That fur¬ 
 ther and btfides all thefe, the Intention of the Wor¬ 
 shipper is alfo neceflary, to conftitute an Aft of ex¬ 
 ternal Idolatry. Had the Three Children ( Dan: 3. ) 
 been of that Opinion, they might have kneel’d before 
 the Image, when they were commanded ( mean while 
 defpifing the Idol in their Heart, and intending Wor¬ 
 ship to JEHOVAH ) and fo havefav’d both their Con - 
 fcience and their Skin 0 
 
 Arg: II. ’Tis a doing Religious Service unto that 
 which by Nature is not GOD. And this is It that the 
 Formal Nature of Idolatry Lyes in, according to the 
 Second Command, Exod : 2o. 7. Thou Jhalt not bow 
 down thy felf to them , nor ferve them . -— compar’d 
 
 with Gal: 4. g. Where the Heathen Idolatry is deferib’d 
 in thefe very Terms—- Te did Service unto them which 
 by Nature are no Gods. That Killing of a Creature in 
 W r orfhip, is a Piece of that Criminal Service to It, for¬ 
 bidden in the Second Command, can hardly be dem’d. 
 For if Kzffwg of an Idol , be not as truly a Service 
 done it, as bowing down thereto is, there can be no 
 Synecdoche ( a Figure whereby under one Kind, all 
 Sorts and Degrees of the fame Kind are included ) in 
 the Second Commandment : And fo neither will Sa¬ 
 crificing to the Creature, be ferving of it ,in the Senfe 
 
( 27 ) 
 
 of the Command; for That is as little forbidden in 
 exprefs Words as Killing is. Nay, if the deliberate 
 voluntary Performance of an Adt of bodily Worfhip, 
 not only before, but unto a Creature purpofedly fet 
 before one, to have State and Place in the Worfhip, 
 
 1 fay. If all this does not amount to Religious Service; 
 ’Twill be hard to t il what that Service is, which the 
 Command forbids. I fhall add one Thing here, the’ 
 it belong’d properly to a former Part of this Dii- 
 courfe, as worthy of Obfervation, namely. That as 
 Killing is an Expreilion of Religious Service and Duly 
 from the Worfhipper ; fo it imports his Pnvdcdge: 
 For of all the Acts of bodily Worfhip, that have hi¬ 
 therto been in Ufe among Men (excepting fome fil¬ 
 thy Ufages that ought not to be nam’d among Chu- 
 flians ) It denotes the molt intimate and immediate 
 Communion between the Worjbipper and the Religious 
 Qbjett. I conclude this Argument with Mr. Bur¬ 
 roughs's Words on Hof: 13 * 2. 4 ' a is fane W ouhip, J-y 
 4 be, to give Religious Refpeet to any Creature, whst- 
 4 ever the Creature be, by Kijfwg as well as by l>ov< - 
 4 ing.’ And he adds ibid. 4 That he knew no Sc.- 
 4 fon, why a Book may not be fet up to t c coin'd to, 
 
 4 as well as to be Kifsed in taking an Oath? 
 
 Arg: III. ’Tis a dividing and fharing cn Religious 
 Worfhip betwixt GOD and the Creature ; and there¬ 
 fore can never be clear’d from Idolatry : Iff. 4 2 2 - 
 I am Jehovah, that is my Name, and my 01 cry ( in 
 whole or in Part ; will I not give to another. Mann. 
 A. io. Thou fbalt worfhip the LORD thy OCD, am* 
 him only Jhalt thou ferve. Deut; 7. 13. — And J hall 
 fweir by his Name. Ye fhall not go after otha Cods. 
 — Zeph: 1. 4, 5 - 1 wil1 cut off—them -- thatfwear 
 ly the LORD, and. that fwear by Malcham. I he 
 LORD wkofe Name is Jealous ( Exodi 34 * . 14 - J J 1 
 not be a Sharer with the Creature, in Religious Wor¬ 
 fhip, or Honour : He will nev’r accept nor appiove 
 that Worfhip; whereof any the leaf. Part is offer 
 to it. 
 
C ? 3 ) 
 
 Now tliat the Bonk which \s touch’d and kifs’d in 
 Swearing, receives a Part of the external Worfhip; 
 leemv undeniable from what is faid above. Chemmtius 
 alio ( fpeaking of the Papiits their killing the Relicts, 
 ©f saints, and their fwearing with tne Hand laid upon 
 ’em, which Cudom among many other, they bor¬ 
 row'd of the Heathen ) fays, Juramenta apud Ponti- 
 film fiunt tactis Sanctorum Reliquus ,, ut Religio *jfu- 
 risjurandi , inter I) BUM et Sanflos dividatur. i. e. 
 
 * Oaths among the Papilts are taken by touching the 
 
 * Reliits of Saints, that fo the Religion of the Oath 
 ‘ may be divided betwixt GOD and them. Exam: 
 Coned: Trid: Pag. 661. 671 * Whence we fee. That in 
 the Judgment of this great Divine, The Religion of 
 the Oath in fuch Cafes, is divided between GOD and 
 that Creature on which the Oath is taken. And tho’ 
 no fuch Thing is now intended by Protedants who 
 ufe thefe Rites; that will not exoner them, nor vindi¬ 
 cate their Actions from Idolatry neither; as fhall after¬ 
 wards be made appear. 
 
 Arg. IV. Thefe Religious Actions of Touching and 
 Killing are directed either abfolutely and ultimately as 
 well as immediately to the Bible its felf; and thus 
 they wou’d be Idolatry, as naked and grofs as ever the 
 Sons of Men were guilty of: Or elfe, They are di¬ 
 rected to GOD. mediately thro ’ the Booh , which is touch’d 
 and kifs’d in Token of Refpedt to Him and his Will 
 therein manifelled ; and thus we have GOD worihipped 
 datedly Before , By and Thro* a Creature-, which is like- 
 ways idolatry : As is evident, from the Writings of 
 all Proteftant Divines againif Papills, on the Head of 
 Image Worfhip. 
 
 The Council of Trent feems to make Images, Me* 
 morative Signs only, or active Objects exciting us to 
 worfhip GOD: Yet Protedants judly tax ’em with, 
 and convict ’em of Idolatry, in fo far as they wor¬ 
 th ip GOD ftatedly before , by and thro ’ the Creature ,• 
 which thing he has plainly forbidden in his Law. The 
 Council's Words being worthy of Notice, are as fol¬ 
 lows 
 
( 79 ) 
 
 lows. Imagines — in Tempi tit pc dfertim habtndas et 
 retinendns , eifcjue debitum Honorem, (ffc. i. e, 4 We or- 
 *■ dain Images to be had and retain’d in Temples, and 
 4 that due Honour and Veneration be imparted unto 
 4 ’em, not becaufe ’tis believ’d there is any Divinity or 
 4 Vertue in’em, for the waich they .fhou’d be wor- 
 4 Chipped ; But becaufe the Honour given to ’em is re- 
 4 ferr’d to the Samplar which they fepreOnt : That by 
 4 thefe Images which we Kifs , and before which we 
 4 uncover our Heads and bow down, we may adore 
 4 CHRIST, VPc. Seff: 25. And the Second Council oh 
 tlice long before them, in the Year 737 * decreed af er 
 the fame Manner, 4 That the Holy and Venerable I- 
 4 mages—-might be f lift'd and refpected, but not 
 4 ador’d with real Adoration, which is proper to 
 4 GOD only. C 5 c. 
 
 From all which we fee, Thofe Idolaters plead only 
 for Honour and Veneration to them Images, on Ac¬ 
 count of their Relation, to be exprefs’d by uncovering 
 of the Head, Kifftng, &c. The fame Thing that fome. 
 now plead for to the Bible : And they deny all Be¬ 
 lief of Divinity or divine Vertue in ’em, and all leal 
 proper divine Adoration of’em ; as mucn as others, 
 do now with Refpect to the Book. They pretend on¬ 
 ly to worfhip GOD before ’em and by ’em , the fame 
 Thing which is done by them, who perform one cf 
 the mo ft folerrm Pieces of Divine Worfhip with Touch¬ 
 ing and Kifftng, (ffc. Hence it is evident. That if Image- 
 Kifftng be Idolatry, Bible-Ktffing mujl be fo too. The 
 LORD’S Name is ’Jealous , as was laid, and therefore 
 he’ll receive, nor accept of no Worfhip, that’s trani- 
 mitted to him thro’ a ineer Creature. Compare Exod. 
 32. 5 & 8> with Command Second. The Creatuie 
 can’t come in betwixt Him and the Worfhipper, but it; 
 mu ft in Lefs or More partake with him in the Wor¬ 
 fhip. 
 
 Remarkable to this Purpofe, are Satan’s Words to our 
 Saviour, Luke 4, 7 - If thou wilt worjhip Before me, all 
 lhall be thine. Which our Tranflators having render’d, 
 
w „ ( 3° ; 
 
 If thou wilt worfhip me, have thereby told us, That 
 they ( like found Protertants ) underilood W r or flop¬ 
 ping Before the Devil , to be wonhipping of the Devil : 
 And indeed fo our LORD understood it, as appears 
 from his Anfwer, Verf: 8. compar’d with Mat:^. p. ’Tis 
 likely, Satan made Doth the Proposals to our LORD i 
 Fir ft. That He wou’d Worfhip him : And when that 
 was rejected, That at lealt he wou’d worfhip before him. 
 Now as Worshipping before the Devil, is worshipping 
 of the Devil; even fo worlhipping before a Bible , or 
 Image ( designedly and of let Purpofe ) is. woiShip¬ 
 ping of ’em. One can no more worfhip GOD by and 
 thro’ the Creature, a Bible or an Image, and yet not 
 be guilty of Spiritual Whoredom, than a Woman can 
 tranfmit her Body to her own Hufhand thro 1 another 
 that has fome Relation to, or Refemblance of him,' 
 and not be an Harlot. The holy and learn’d Perkins 
 ( on Idolatry ) fays, 1 ’Tis Idolatry to turn, difpofe 
 4 or direct the Worfhip of GOD, or any Part thereof, 
 4 to any particular Place or Creature, without his own 
 4 Appointment. 
 
 That the Difference betwixt the Bible and Images , in 
 this Cafe of their being Objects of Worfhip, is really 
 none at all, ihall be made evident anon. 
 
 Arg: V. If the Kijfing of ‘Jeroboam's Calves ( Hof: 
 13. 2. ) The Kijing of BaaPs Image ( 1 Kings 19. 
 13.} The ki/iing of the Hand in Honour of the Sun 
 ( f° ,} 31 * 27. ) The bowing down to Nebuchadnez¬ 
 zar's Image , in Obedience to the Laws then in Being 
 ( Dan: 3. ) were Idolatry ; Then Kiffmg of the Bible 
 in Swearing is Idolatry too. Tnattiie former Practices 
 were idolatrous, will not, I think, be call’d in Que- 
 flion : But the Difficulty will be anent admitting of the 
 Conference; W hich I make good thus. 
 
 The fore-mention’d Practices were Idolatrous, be- 
 caufe therein a Religious Worshipping Gefture, naturally 
 Significant, was deliberately and defignedly exhibited 
 unto a Creature purpofedly fet before the Worshippers, 
 and ordain’d to have State and Place in the Worfhip. 
 
The formal Ground of the Idolatry was not, That the* 
 Object they killed, was of fuch a Figure, Metal, or 
 Shaft'. But becaufe it was a Creature, fomewhat that by 
 Nature was not GOD. Now in the prelent Cafe, the 
 fame Religious Worfhipping' Gefture is deliberately, 
 and defignedly exhibited unto a Creature ( namely the 
 Bible ) purpofedly fet before the Deponent, and or¬ 
 dain’d to have State and Place in the Worihip : There¬ 
 fore if ’twas Idolatrous in the former Cafes, it mull 
 be fo in the Latter likewife. 
 
 This Argument will Hand the firmer, That two Ex¬ 
 ceptions, which may be made againft it, are remov’d. 
 And perhaps it will be excepted, That 
 
 I. In the former Cafes, Religious Worjhip was the 
 declar’d Senfe of the Impojcrs ; But ’tis not fo here : 
 For Adoration is neither requir’d of, defign’d nor 
 underftood by the Deponent, in his Killing of the 
 Book. To which I reply, iff. Since the Action is 
 the fame in both Cafes, the State of it the fame, name¬ 
 ly, in folemn Worlhip ; th e Object of it the fame, in 
 its general Nature, namely, a Creature, fomewhat that 
 by Nature is not GOD , yet fet apart and ordain’d by 
 Man to have Place in Religious Worfhip } The Senfe 
 of the Impofers,cannot alter theNature and Meaning of 
 the Adt fo circumftanriate, either one Way or other. 
 For 2 dly. Tho’ the Conltru&ion of Idolaters be Rca- 
 fon enough for abftaining from fuch Actions, as have 
 an ill Meaning, meerly from their Will or Cullom; 
 yet there are other Actions and Geftures, which, when 
 us’d in Worlhip, fgr.fy Adoration independently cn 
 either the lmpofer or Compliers’s Senfe, Will or In¬ 
 tention : And this, we fay, was the Cafe in the above 
 mention’d Inftances of Rifling, (ffc. For they requir’d 
 thefe Geftures,becaufe they were religious Geftures, the 
 moft flgnificant and expreflive of Adoration, that were 
 then known, or could be found : But did not infti- 
 tute and appoint ’em to be Religious, or to ftgnifie 
 Adoration when us’d in W r orihip: That was done to 
 their Hand by Mature's Jnjlitution ; fo that they had 
 
 no 
 
( 5 2 ). ... . , * 
 
 no more ado, but ordain ’em to be directed to Inch 
 or fuch Religious Objects, And -w hile the Cafe hands 
 thus, let either the Party impeding or the Party- 
 Complying pretend or . declare otheiways what they 
 ■will ; ’Tis Protejlatio contraria Facto , l e. Saying of 
 one Thing and doing another . For the real Signi¬ 
 fication of the A6t is hill the fame, and unalterable 
 by them. 3 dly- So Rapifis pro ted and declare, That 
 they do not underhand nor intend Religious Wor¬ 
 shipping of Images, by Killing of’em and kneeling 
 before ’em yet Proteltants do repute ’em, and prove 
 >em Idolaters in thefe Practices. 
 
 II. Thofe were vile lads, Creatures fet apart and 
 abus’d to Idolatry; therefore ’tis odious to compare 
 the holy Scriptures , the Book of CCD’s Will with’em: 
 For none dares refufe, That a Religious Refpedt 
 is due unto the Bible, whereas no fuch Thing was due 
 to Jeroboam's Calves, nor Baal's Image. To which 
 I reply. IJh That indeed makes the proper Religious 
 Ufe of the Bible to be no Will-Worjhip , but it makes 
 not the Religious Kiffing of it in a State of Wcrfhip, 
 to be no Idolatry : For tho’ GOD has ordain’d the 
 Bible to a religious life* yet he ordain’d it as little 
 to That Ufe, or to be an Obje<ft of Adoration, as he 
 did Jeroboam'* Calves or Baal's Image. The Elements 
 of Bread and Wine in the LORD’S Supper, being 
 made Signs and Seals of CHRIST and all Covenant 
 Bleffings by Divine Appointment, are far more Divine 
 Images than the material Book of the Scriptures, 
 which is the Work of Mens Hands : Yet this does 
 not elevate them to be Objects of Religious Kiffing 
 or Kneeling. Whatever t efpe<d be due to the Bible, 
 ’tis certain. Adoration or Religious Kiffing is n^ne of 
 it : For Nothing may be ador’d, but what can hear 
 Prayer, Ifa: 4 6. 7. The Altar , t e Sacrifices, the 
 Trie ft's Garments of Old, were all of ’em holy Things'. 
 Yet were they not to be Kifs’d or Kneel’d to religioully. 
 ’Tis true the Bible and Images differ, as to their fpe- 
 cial Nature ■ and fo does the Sun and Satan s But as 
 > to 
 
to their EJJe a dor ah tie, or their objective Prefeme before 
 the Worfhipper, there is no Difference : For both are 
 Creatures , Memorative Vicarious Objects , at whefe Ire- 
 fence, and thro’ "whom GOD is adot’d. 2 ctly. One 
 may commit Idolatry with Images of GGD's Injlitu- 
 tion , no lei's than with thofe of Man's Invention : 
 Since the LORD has forbid all Killing of ’em, or 
 bowing down religioufly to ’em. If a Prieft had 
 Ktfs'd , or fain dovVii ftatedly before the Shew-lread 
 bn the Table, or the Cherubims wrought in the Vail 
 of the Temple, at that Inftant when he was addrefftng 
 himfelf unto GOD , or if the People while praying 
 without and offering Sacrifice, had ftatedly kifs’d the 
 Altar of Burnt-offerings, wou’d not he and they both 
 been guilty of Idolatry l From the Inffance; of the 
 Brazen Serpent , we may fee how ev’n a Divine Ordi¬ 
 nance may be abus’d to Idolatry, and become an Idol. 
 
 . Arg- VI. And la ft is, Mr. Mather's. Swearing upon 
 the Gofpels is Swearing by the Gofpels , and therefore I- 
 dolatrous. That this was the original Signification of 
 the Rite,is evident ( he fays 3 from all the Interpreta¬ 
 tion, which either the Old Canon Law , or the Old Com¬ 
 mon Lazv , as explain’d in old Precedents, have given of 
 it: And to confirm aH',The Oath of Supremacy was wont 
 ( he fays ) to conclude thus, By the Contents of this 
 Booh Magnal: Americ: Lib: 7. Pag-. 13. Thefe Things, 
 one who is unacquainted with both the old Canon Law 
 and the old Common Law of England , cannot be Judge 
 of". But no Doubt, that learn’d and ingenious Au¬ 
 thor is acquainted-with the Laws of his own Countryj 
 and knows he has Ground for what he offers to the 
 World on this Head. However the Argument feems 
 to receive Strength from the following Particulars. 
 
 I ft. Since this Practice is deriv’d from the Church 
 of Rome unto us, the Potifh Principle anent fwearing 
 does not alittle, confirm the Argument. For they 
 hold it lawful to fwear by the Creatures ( viz. as they 
 are Images and Mirrours of the Divine Perfections 3 
 and that both in Way of Conte flat ton of this the Go- 
 
 E fjpeh? 
 
fpels, in the Firft PJace, are inftancM m , Kebaufe there¬ 
 in ( fay they J the Truth and Faithfulnels of GOD 
 is mamfefted. And lxkewife in Way of Execration • 
 Thus, fay they, one may fwear By fuch Creatures as 
 he dearly loves, and on which Divine judgments may 
 be indicted, in Cafe of Perfidy ; as by his Head , his 
 5 an/, his Conscience, iS’c For which fee their Divines 
 ana C.duitts, particularly Aquinas and Petrus a Sancto 
 l J']'rpb, de Junmento. Which latter Sort of Oaths being 
 too common with many,in Convcrfation unto this Day ; 
 ’tis wifh’d that fuch as ufe ’em, wou’d confider, to¬ 
 gether with the Impiety and Prophanefs of ’em, the 
 Original they fprung from, and how near a Kin they 
 are to Idolatry. Now when we do as Idolaters did in 
 the very Adis of their Idolatry, GOD will account us 
 one with them, in Point of Guilt, ev’n tho’ we do not 
 irttend as they intended. 
 
 2 .d/y- Since there is no Manner of Appeal to GOD , 
 neither as Witnefs , nor as Judge and Avenger in Cafe 
 of Perfidy; nay nor fo much as Mention made of the 
 Name of GOD in the Words of the 
 * Nota. Of Oath * ( except -at the Clofe, in a Pray- 
 the many Oaths er for Help to fulfil what is promis’d, 
 of an Pnglifh in thefe Words, So Help me GOD ; 
 Frame, which w T hich of Old, was wont to be, and yet 
 the Author has is in the Church of Borne, accompani’d 
 feen never one with another Prayer to the Holy Evan - 
 had the Name gets for Help ) The Contention and Im- 
 of GOD in it. precation Both mull be made by the 
 Book, which is Touch'd and Kifs’d, or 
 they are not made at all ; in which Cafe, It wou’d not 
 be an Oath. —- See all the Oaths in the Form and Me¬ 
 thod of Tri il in Cafes of High Tfeafon, which is an¬ 
 nex’d to the Collection of Statutes, ( 9 *c. and approven 
 by the Twelve Judges : —- And if the Oaths are ad¬ 
 minillrated according to the Form there laid down, no. 
 Words are repeated, or fpoken by the Deponent: For 
 Firfl, They are order’d to lay the Right Hand on the 
 Book -, Then they’re call’d to hearken to their Oath 
 3 then 
 
( 35 ) 
 
 then the Clerk, and for moil Part the Crier, reads the 
 Oath to ’em, in the Second Perfon, thus, You flail — 
 
 __ And concludes, So Help You COD : Whereupon 
 
 they are requir’d to lvifs the Book. And in ali that 
 Form of Trial, which otherwife is moil exact and par¬ 
 ticular; there’s not the lead Intimation, That any 
 Deponent is to rehearfe the Words of his own Oath. 
 Now that this touching and Hiding of the Book, 
 fhou’d allenarly be one’s Solemn Oath, is truly fhock- 
 ing to think of. One can Scarcely forbear to think, 
 Tnat fuch who impofe, and fuch who comply with, 
 this new Way of addreding the Mojl High, have feme 
 Ground to. fear, lead they may be found to have fome 
 Concern in that Complaint, Jer: 5. 7 * Thy Child¬ 
 ren have —/worn by them that are no Gods • — And 
 led, in an evil Day, they may not have the fame Liber¬ 
 ty and Confidence to appeal unto GOD, as the Church 
 had, Pfal: 44. 20. That they have not forgotten the 
 ll A ME of their GOD , nor /{reached out their Hands 
 to a/{range God. For that Text alfo is thought to be 
 mean’d of Killing of the Hand in Worlhip- 
 How eilential the Name of GOD , 
 is to a proper Oath "f*, any one may *p Deut:6. 1 3 . j° 
 fatisfie himfelf, by looking into the 2. 12.^ I Sam • ^ 4 * 
 Scripture Texts on the Margin. 21. (ff 30. 15. 2 
 Swear unto me by the XORD, fays Sam. 19.7* J Ktng. 
 Rahab to the Spies: And Saul to 2.42. 2 C hr on: ^6. 
 David. Swear unto me ly GOD , 
 fays the Amalehite's Servant to Da¬ 
 vid. Nebuchadnezzer made Zede- 
 hiah fwear by GOD ; as did Nehe- 
 miah the Jews that had rnarn’d 
 ftrang Wives, ( 9 *c. 
 
 13. Neb 13 - 25. 
 Ifa: 49. I. ( 5 * 65. 
 1 6. Jer. 12. 16. 
 Dan: i2. 7. Heb:6. 
 IB. (5C. 
 
 E 5 
 
 REA 
 
( f ) 
 
 * i 'f v ' > .- . ' . i / * % t » ,% 
 
 REASON FIFTH. 
 
 I T is a Swearing after fuch 3 Manner, as we in thefe 
 Lands, and particularly in Scotland, are by folcmn 
 Vows and Covenants bound not to Jzvear. In the 
 Solemn League and Covenant , we fwore, to endeavour 
 a Reformation of the Church of England in Worfbip , 
 according to the Word of GuD, and the Pattern of the 
 heft Reformed Churches , —- And to endeavour the Ex¬ 
 tirpation of Superfiition, (She. But alas I is the drinking 
 in of her Corruptions, and the Learning of her Ways , a 
 proper or likely Method for reaching thole Ends l Is it 
 not juft iuch another Method of endeavouring her Re¬ 
 formation, as fhe takes to win Papijls , and reform the- 
 Church of Rome , namely, by taking the Pattern of her 
 Worfhip and Government from thence ? .And mull it 
 not be attended with the like Succefs? As a Difeafe is 
 more eafily catch’d than Health lb it was juftly fear’d, 
 That Deformation to us, not Reformation to her wbu’d 
 be the Confequence of our lajl Bargain. — And 
 how contrary this Practice is to our own National Co¬ 
 venant , any one, who but looks into It, may fee: For 
 therein Papijtry in genera’, and all its particular Heads 
 are moft folemnly and awfully abjur’d , and by Namej 
 All Antichriji's vain Allegories , Rites, Signs, and tra¬ 
 ditions bro't into the Church without, or againii the 
 Word of GOD. Now after that we’ve in fuch a Man¬ 
 ner open’d our Mouths unto the LORD., how fhall 
 we thus go back ? Can we break the Covenant and pro- 
 fper, (hall we take his Name in Vain, and be guiltlefs ? 
 Will fuch be able to fay unto GOD, as Pfah 44. 17. 
 -- Neither have zoe dealt fa/fly in thy Covenant f 
 Scotland has, lince her Reformation from Popery, Six 
 fevcral times open’d her Mouth nationally, unto the 
 
 Moji 
 
Jvlofi High ; Swearing with uplifted Hands, That tbs 
 LORDjhould aeher c jJd, and that JbeJhoiid be holy, 
 to him. And that in Jr cr thereto, ana in Ooedi-uce 
 to his Command, ihe wou d Keep ms Worjbtp and 
 Ordinances pure- and incorrupt , from Supenution and 
 Idolatry, Bu alasJ our going in with this new Mode 
 of Swearing, is a Retnrmag with the Dog to the Vomit 
 again, a virtual and practical Gaia laying of all thefe 
 Oaths. 
 
 The Covenants were once Scotland's Glory, namely 
 while we walked in’em. The LORD was with us 
 while we were with him, he own’d us remarkaoiy, 
 both as a Nation and as a Church: But whoever for. 
 fake him, he hath faid. He'llforfake them. Never were 
 Sacred Oaths treated, in any Age or Nation, with fuch 
 Ignominy and Contempt, as they have been in Scotland. 
 They were refctnded as Laws , their Obligation declar’d 
 Hull and Void as Oaths or Vows, they were Burnt wi h 
 dreadful Solemnities infeveral Cities ot our Nation, by 
 the Hangman's Hand '; the Land was maueto renounce 
 and abjure ’em , \was made Death by the Law to 
 own ’em ; And yet ev’n in thofe difinal Days of De¬ 
 fection and Apoihcy, they were own’d, and honoura¬ 
 ble Teltimonies were born for ’em, before Parliaments* 
 Councils and other Courts of Jnfiice, in Fields and 
 on Scaffolds, by fonie of all Ranks.' And therefore be- 
 caufe there was J'ome n-W Wine found in the Clujler , 
 arid for his own Name’s Sake he w u’d not deitroy us 
 all; but bro’t again our Captivity. 
 
 But when were thefe Covenants lifted up again out 
 of that Crave of Ignominy and Contempt, wherein 
 they were laid by wicked Hands ? W hat has been done 
 to roll a way their Reproach, and put an Honour a.T 
 Reputation on ’em, anfwerable to tnat Co- tumely and 
 Difgrace they had been 1 adrd with ? ’Tis true the 
 Breach of’em has been cautxouily c-nfef \!, by the 
 Church in her National Fails : But few, I be >eve, Wiit 
 be able ti perfwaie themfelves. This was enough on 
 the back of a Time, of fuch dreadful ApaRn sy, astrns 
 
 Laai 
 
( 33 ) 
 
 Land h3d been guilty of. When GOD had brake the 
 Yoke, and burff the Bands of Popery, Prelacy and Sla¬ 
 very from off our Necks; It had been but grateful 
 and kindly. That -we had yielded our feives a new to 
 the LORD, and come under the Bond of the Covenant, 
 unto him. 
 
 That more was not done, lay chiefly, I know, at the 
 Door of our STATE, and many wifh it had been 
 laid more plainly and clofly Home there : For if the 
 Cnurch had taken Courage unto her, and beffir’d her 
 felf, dealing boldly and freely with the State in that 
 Matter; who knows but the LORD might have ap¬ 
 pear’d as he was wont to do, and fo ( 1 need not fay 
 perhaps ) it had been better for us all. 
 
 The Mountains indeed were big, and for- * Judg\ 5. 
 midable , But as great Mountains have e- 9. Je r: 5.5. 
 vamfh’d, and become a Plain, ev’n inScot- Lnc.19.i4.' 
 land, before thefe Covenants. Nc-heuiiah Pfal: 2. 3. 
 himfelf alone contended with the Nobles Neh. 3. 5. 
 of Judah ( Nehem: 13. 17.) an d it: does 
 not appear to have been without Succefs. The Day was 
 When the Nobles of Scotland willingly offer’d them 
 feives ; but iince’the faff Time ( namely the unbleft 
 defloration of Jeroboam the Second, who made Bri¬ 
 tain and Ireland to ffn ) when they altogether broke 
 the Yoke, and burft the Bonds, and faid of Sion’s 
 King we’ll not have this Man to reign over us , let 
 us break his Bands ajfunder, and cajl his Cords from 
 us Since that Time, 1 fay, They cou’d never en¬ 
 dure to hear of puttin g their Necks to the Work of the 
 X.QRD And therefore no Wonder they have been left 
 to put their Necks under a more unkindly Take: Such 
 as will not a<ff for GOD while they may, are often by 
 the fuff Judgment of GOD depriv’d ; yea, left to de¬ 
 prive themfelves, both of Opportunity and Capacity of 
 acting either for GOD or for themfelves. The Body of 
 our Representatives never wou’d ffnee the happy Revo¬ 
 lution, nor might Scotland be allow’d to own the 
 LORD for her GOD, after the Manner our Fathers had 
 
 • * - * done 
 
done? and now the LORD owns us no more for a Na¬ 
 tion. It was ftill all edg’d by the Men of Prudence, That 
 the Time was not yet come, for repairing this 
 Breach in the Houle of the LORD ; till it was fo >ar 
 gone as to be hid from the Eyes of the Generation. 
 
 However ’tis a very obvious, tho’ a melancholy Ob- 
 fefvation, namely, That fince thefe facred Oaths were 
 iroden under Foot, as has been faid, Oaths of one Sort 
 and other have been for a Trial, a Judgment and a 
 Snare to this poor Land: .And ’tis likely it muff be fo 
 ftill, ev’n till we be bro’t to fearch our M ays, and hum¬ 
 ble our felves after another Manner, return again, and 
 fivear the LORD Itvetb in Truth, &c. 
 
 ’Tis true we’re yet peacably enjoying our Covenant-, 
 ed Reformation in great Part, and that in the Prefence 
 of our Enemies of all Sorts, for which we ought to be 
 thankful and blefsthe LORD; and for His prefent Ma- 
 jtjly King GEORGE, whom GOD fent moil feafonably 
 for our Deliverance, when we were again bro’t to the 
 very Borders of Rome and Ruin t But how we are 
 holding faft, and how earneftly we are contending for 
 the Faith, Wcrfhtp and other Priv Wedges once deliver’d 
 unto this Church, and faithfully tranlmitted down to us; 
 Our Behaviour in this and other Matters,will declare un¬ 
 to thofe that come after us. — 1 know the AJfn.bly 
 i 707, forfeeing Danger to Religion from the Enion, 
 then lately‘concluded, made an A£t againft Innova¬ 
 tions in the Worship of GOD : But what has been done 
 in Purfuance of that A<ft, with Refpe<ft to the piefent 
 Cafe, isfo little known, that we have not heard Word 
 
 of it, • _ 
 
 Our Covenants, ’tis true are Old Deeds, yet not of 
 that Sort, which are liable to Prefcription : For Ifrael s 
 Covenant with the Gibeonties was older by fome Hun¬ 
 dreds of Years, at that Time when GOD punifh’d the 
 Land with a Famine ( 1 Sam : 21 . 1. ) for SauPs 
 Breach of it. But in Regard there are profeft Prelby- 
 terians offeveral Ranks, who have begun, efpecially 
 of late Years, to queftion their Obligation on us, Pofte- 
 
f 4* ) .. 
 
 fttv' now at fuch a‘Didance of Time ; They II gran# 
 ’’em'binding on us Vi Materia, in fo far as the Matter 
 df ’em is Moral ; But to ’em it is a to lay, we re 
 
 oblig’d Vi Juramenti , by Vertue of our Fathers Oath : 
 Therefore ’tis wilh’d, That feme wou’d, dt Novo, fet 
 this Matter of the Obligation of Religious National Vows 
 on Pofterity, in its due Light 5 as alfo explain our Na- 
 tional (Covenant,ma.ny of the Terms in which,are as little 
 underdood by the Generality of People, as our Fore- 
 fathers Language iome Hundreds of Years ago. 
 
 Since oor Covenants have been all this While, from 
 the Time of their Burning and Burial near Threefcore 
 Fears ago, dill lying under a Grave-Hone of Law; 
 *Tis great Pity, That no one in Scotland has had the 
 KindneCs and Courage to do fo much for the Removal, 
 of it as the Honeit Aldermen and Sheriffs of. London 
 lately did in a Cafe relating to one of ’em. But how 
 ever they were bxiri’d before, ’tis certain, they ly now 
 m ire deeply interred than ever, in the Rubbifh of our 
 Nation (and ’tis p«y. that Scotfmen (bond Ml* 
 throwing more weights on their Grave, by fuch Pra- 
 *f>.rps as t >is : For they never did Scotland nor Eng- 
 W n itheran ill Turn ) and in the Eye of Reafon, - 
 Without all Hope of Refurrefhon : For Rebus fie pin. 
 tibws as Matters now dand, ’tis morally impoffible 
 f ha t ever they fhou’d have the Countenance of Law ? 
 and as lidle does it appear how it fhall ever be other- 
 Yet WhS (hon'd it bethought a Tung intredt- 
 hh with US, that GOD Jhould rat ft the Dead. Some 
 ran never, but with Satisfaction and hope, reflect on, 
 the lad Words of that glorious Martyr Mr. James. 
 Q ut r n before he went off the Ladder, The Covenants , 
 
 ,he Covenants while the Reviving of Scotland. 
 
 Now tho’ all the Reafons already offer d againft this 
 Practice did fall fhort of their Defign ,• That is to fay, 
 Tho’ it were, in itfelf,on’y an indifferent lawful Thing? 
 there is yer another Reafon againd it, from Scripture, 
 That wou’d, ev’n on that Cafe effectually reach it, 
 
 gamely, REA^ 
 
C 41 ) 
 
 
 % 
 
 REASON SIXTH. 
 
 * * l * /- ' »• . 
 
 T HE Scandal that attends, and is likely to follow 
 upon this Way of Swearing, at leaf! in Scot¬ 
 land. — And here I mult beg the Reader’s Pa¬ 
 tience and Leave for a little ; ^oth becaufe the Sub- 
 ■jecft is, in it felf, fomewhat intricate, and becaufe of its 
 Importance : It being, one of the moil neceifary and 
 weightv Dodtrines of Chridianity, relating to one s 
 Life and Walk, before Men in the World; how little 
 foever it be underftood or regarded by the moil Part 
 
 of Chriftians. . _ T 
 
 To. give Scandal or Offence in the Scnfe of the New 
 Teflament, is to lay a Stumbling Block, or an Occanon 
 to fall in our Neighbour’s 
 
 Way -f- Tis the Occaiion- 
 ing his Fall either into Sin, 
 or Grief and Sorrow on the 
 Account of our real or fup- 
 pos’d Sin *. Scandal f in 
 
 f Matth: 18 * 7 * ^ uc: 1 7 I * 
 Rom'- 14* x3^ 211 * 7 * 
 
 I Cor. 8* 13. Rev: 2 * 14* 
 * Rom: 14* 15 * 
 
 „ , ... %kclJ\aKov is a Word 
 general to be found in the Scrip-* 
 
 . . . lures only. Some fay , It 
 
 ftgnifies properly the Bridge In a Trap, the which when 
 any Thing touches , the Trap falls , and it is caught.An 
 thence ’tis us'd tofignife any Kind of Snare. O.hers 
 derive it from ax.d. 1 ^ to halt , and jo ** f , £ n ff es an 5 r 
 Thing that makes a Man to halt,or to go lame,tsr thence, 
 any thing that occafions 3 Man to fin. It s vartouf- 
 ly render'd in the New 7 t Jlament y A Thing t .a*. ocs 
 offend, Mat. 13. 41. An Occahon to fall, Rom: 14 - 
 13. An Occafion of Humbling, I foh: 2 . 10. A ^tum¬ 
 bling Block, Rev. 2. 14■ ButmoH commonly, A nOfience, 
 Tertull. describes Scandal — iEdificans ad Delictum. 
 Aquin: Pr*bens Occafionem Ruin* fpiritualu. Ameu 
 
f 42 ) ,• : 
 
 — Quo alii po/Tint vel ex- general feems to be ■well 
 atari ad Peccandungwi mr- defin'd. ( L >y an Anonir 
 pedin aut reurdan a bene- n.ous Author on that 
 iaciendo. Medul. L. 2. C. Subject ) A Word or A6li- 
 16. j). 48 - P. Mart: Quo on, or the OnaJJicn of ei- 
 impeditur EvangeliiCurl'us. ii.er, raanij eft to another , 
 Grotitis, Cmne id quodExi- v'h ch cccajions hs Fall in- 
 tii Caufam prscbet. to Sin or Sorrow. If this 
 
 Scandal is either , 1 ft. A- V» crd cr .Action, or Ornif- 
 dtiv -,and that either per fe, ficn be a Duty or any Tuing 
 •when a Thing is inductive neceffry, the Scandal that 
 into Sin in its oum Nature, follows thereup n is only 
 Or per Accidens, Wi.en a T.ken and not given ; if it 
 Thing is m Occafton of Sin, be any Thing E vil, Scan- 
 in it Jelf , hut only from dal is given, whether it be 
 One's / pprthenjion & M i- taken or not: But if it 
 flake. Or 2/y Taft ve, viz The be Indifferent, the Scandal 
 Fall of one into Sin, which is only given , when US 
 is either Datum, driftng taken. _ . r 
 
 from th A<flive Scandal of Scandal in Things wdi .■* 
 another ( whether it be fo ferent, is. An unmetffn y 
 per fe or per accidens ) as Word 
 
 its Moral Caufe. Or accep- . 
 
 turn, as when one is a nieer Occafton of another's rul 0 
 hut noways culpable , as when one takes Occafton tof n 
 from our doing our Duty. 
 
 The Sin that's cccufiotfd ly the Tfe of Tibcrty J n 
 Things indifferent when fcandalous, i. e. our Neighbour 
 apprehends 'em fnful , is either, I ft. A like Speech, 
 Attion or Omiilion ; but with a Condemning, or at 
 leaf a doubting Confcence, Rom: 14. I 4 i 23 * 1 
 g. 7, 10. One is emboldn'd by another’'s Example, to• do 
 what otherzvife he is not faiisfi'd is , lawful. Or 
 judging and cenfuring the Action as unlaw ul, and the 
 Perfon as licentious: Whereupon follow many ft-if > Cu ‘ff 
 Confequences , both to the Party fcandalizing and the 
 Party feaudalized : I Cor: 10. 25, 50. Rum: 14 * * * 
 sdly. Grief and Trouble on Account of the Off. nee and 
 Difhonour, which it conceiv'd to be done unto GOD , 
 
 it 
 
Honour : tho ’ it be 
 not the Formalis Ra- 
 tio,orthat wherein pro¬ 
 perly it does con ft ft, 
 Rom ; 14 - 15 - 0ther 
 Provocation or Dif- 
 pleafure is not coti- 
 jiderable in the Point 
 
 Word or AMion, or Omjfion of it the ordinary Ad- 
 zither, manifeft to another,where- jundt, Companion or 
 by one knows his Neighbour will Effedt of it, onfuchas 
 be fcandalized.i.e. Will takeOc- are tender of GOD'* 
 cafioneitner to fin lumfelf, or to 
 be greived at the fuppos’d Sin of 
 another. — The determining, 
 or defining of what is necef- 
 fary and what not, is the main 
 Hinge on which the whole 
 Bulinefs turns. 
 
 Tire Learn’d Amefiue con- „ 
 fines it to that which is ncceffn'y of Scandal ; But that 
 by GOD's Command*. Which,if which iscau&d with 
 taken llridtly, will, I apprehend, Refpedf to GOD and 
 be thought to ftraiten the Mat- his Glory. For People 
 ter too much : For if a Thing may be, and often are 
 is absolutely necejfary ev’n by a difpleafed at our doing 
 Concurrence oiCircumftanccs, ’tis what tends to their As¬ 
 certain, in that Cafe it can’t be • Tint Scan- 
 
 Matter of Scandal given. As 
 for David to eat Shew-brtad, or 
 for one to eat things offer'd to 
 Idols , when they cou’d have no 
 Other Food. 
 
 But when a Thing has only 
 a Comparative Necejfity, and 
 
 the End may be attain’d, by o- -- ■ 
 
 ther Means; Both Popifh and cum illud quod ex Ma- 
 Proteftant Cafuifts agree, it dato DEI non eft noois 
 ought to be for born in Cafe of neceffanum — temeie 
 Scandal. Yea, tho’ the End committitur, Med. L. 
 can’t be altogether fo well and. 2. C. IO. i). 5 3 * 
 conveniently , attain’d, yet if 
 
 it may be at all obtain’d, without very great Inconv, 
 nience, by other Means , the ufing or doing of the lea 
 dalous Thing, tho’ more convenient, tenders one^ci- 
 pable and guilty of Attive Scandal. Thus .e P 
 tefolves on a total Abftinence irom the Vfc of Lied, 
 
 dification : But Scan¬ 
 dalizing is always de- 
 ftrudtive to the Soul ; 
 hence ’tis commonly by 
 Divines term'd Soul 
 Murder ,from Ronr.i 4 * 
 J5. 20. I Cor: g- il« 
 *Tum autem Scan- 
 dalum dicitur dari — 
 
'( 44 ) 
 
 to his dying Day, however inconvenient it might be^ 
 rather than to do that which wou’d be a Scandal to his 
 Brother, I Cor . ult. If Meat make my Brother to offend , 
 dec. Rom: [4 21. It it good neither to eat Flejh , nor 
 drink Wine , «3r any Thing whereby thy Brother j)um- 
 bleth or is offended or made iveak. Tho’ the Brazen Ser- 
 fent was tne in oft convenient, and moving Memorial of 
 the miraculous Delivirance in the Wildernefs, from 
 the flinging of the Fiery Serpents ; yet ftnee the Memo¬ 
 ry of that, might be preferv’d by other Means, ev’n It, 
 having become a Scandal to the People, and an Occa** 
 of Idolatry, mull be deftroy’d and broken to Pieces, 
 2 King:. 1 8 . 4. — In no Inftanceof a Chriftian’s Walk, 
 will fpiritual Wifdom find more ado, than in this Cafe, 
 to difeern and judge by the Word, what ought to be 
 done, and what to be left undone ; in the feveral Oc¬ 
 currences of Providence. Here Love fhou’d be wary 
 ( fays holy Ruthefurd ) of laying a Straw in the Way 
 of any weak Traveller. — That no Command of hu¬ 
 mane Authority can make an indifferent Thing, that’s 
 fcandalous, become neceftary, will afterwards be made 
 appear. Only in a Word here : Till once an indifferent 
 Thing is made Convenient by Circumftances, no Com¬ 
 mand of Man, is capable of making it Neceffary. 
 
 Now giving, but not granting this Prathec to be 
 in it’s felf an lllefs Lawful Thing ; yet being Doubt¬ 
 ful and lufpeded with us 
 the Scandal * that does 
 and is like further to follow 
 upon it, is manifold : As 
 iH- Many that are not ful¬ 
 ly perfwaded in their own 
 Mind of it’s Lawfulnefs, may 
 ( and in fuch Cafes never 
 , - v ^ fail to ) be induc’d by Au? 
 
 ’em ev’n Indifferent as thorjty andExample ( which 
 I- ormalilts pi etend ) to can ne’r afford the leaft Ray 
 to be a good Argument of L.'ght to the Mind ) to 
 again A an, go into the practice with a 
 
 Yea, . Doubt- 
 
 * The Church of Scot¬ 
 land, the Englifh Diffn- 
 ters, and reform’d Di¬ 
 vines generally , have 
 ever reckon’d the Scan¬ 
 dal given by the Vfe 
 of Humane Ceremonies 
 in Wor (hip ( fuppofing 
 
Yea, Sanderfon himfelf 
 Jays, That, tho ’ humane 
 Ceremonies pertaining tp 
 the External Decency < 5 * 
 Solemnity ef DivmeWor- 
 Jhip, are not to he con¬ 
 demn'd as unlawful , yet 
 they are, perhaps, better 
 let alone . at Itaft where 
 is juft fear of Scandal 
 — £7 ft praftaret , for- 
 taffe non ufurpari ubi 
 
 ( 45 ) 
 
 Doubting Confcience : Where¬ 
 by the Authority of GOD 
 in the Soul, which Confci¬ 
 ence is inverted with, is lha- 
 ken off; Another Father 
 and Mafter is fet up in tne 
 Room of GOD and Chrift ; 
 
 Confcience is wounded, 
 weakned and lyes proitrate, 
 fo that he for whom Chrift 
 ■dy’d is in Danger of perch¬ 
 ing, Rom: 14. 13, 23. 1 
 Cor: 8* 10, 11 • —Shall not faltem fubejfe poteft juftus 
 the Confcience of him who Scandali metus. de Obli- 
 is weak be emboldened to gat. Confcient, prdefi, 4, 
 ■eat. Sec. idly. Others are Seel: 29. 
 or will be provock’d to 
 
 uncharitable Cenfuring, and rafh judging, I Cor: io, 
 29, 30. for wiry is my Liberty judged , dec. ’Tis true 
 this is their Sin, but fuch are acceifary to it, who lay 
 the ftumbling Block before ’em. People commonly, 
 by the indifereet Ufe of their Liberty in fuch Cafes, 
 not only get a Blot to their own Names, but bring 
 alfo a Stain on that Liberty which they abufe: Ho¬ 
 ly Providence oftimes fo ordering it, as one of the 
 natural Punifhments of their Way, that an eft roe 
 Scandal tending unto Sin, is pay’d Home with a jaf- 
 ftve Scandal tending to Difpraife : \V!/y am I evil 
 
 fpokenof, fays the Apoftle, for that. Sec. %dly. Others, 
 tho’ not fo weak as the former, will yet be wound¬ 
 ed and griev’d in their Spirit; on account of the Guilt 
 and Defection, the Difhonour to GOD, and Danger to 
 Souls ; They el'py, or think they efpy in it, Rom: 14. 
 15. But if thy Brother be grieved with thy Meat, now 
 1valkeft thou not charitably : Deftroy not him with lift 
 
 l/leat. See, Now’tis a very undehrable Thing to fad- 
 
 den the Hearts of the Righteous, obftru<n their Pro- 
 grert, mar their Comfort, damp and difeourage ’em 
 in their Chr:ftjan Courfe. We’re not to -grieve thee 
 
 Spirit 
 
( 4.6 ) 
 
 Spirit of GOD in our own Hearts, nor in the Hearts 
 of the Godly, our Brethren and Fellow Members of 
 the fame Myftica'l 13 ody neither. GOD himfelf does 
 not wdiingly gneve ’em, and much, lefs ought we. 
 ^.tbly The Prophane will be harden'd, the Superflu¬ 
 ous confirm'd, and both made glad when they find, • 
 there are different Sentiments and Practices anent this 
 Ma-ter, among Pr.jfetfors of die fame true Religion; 
 Becaufe it furmfhes ’em with fomewhat to fay againft 
 the Way of Truth and Holi.nefs which they never 
 lov’d. Now weVe to avoid giving of Scandal to the 
 Wicked, as well as to the weak, I Cor: io. 32.Giz>e 
 none 0 fierce neither, to Jews, nor to Gentiles, ( 5 c. Mat. 
 17 ult. 5 thly. By the Compliance of fome, the Ma- 
 giltrate may at length be provock'd to itfe Severity a- 
 ganjl others , who dare not take an Oath after that 
 Manner for fear of Sm. Now fmce in fome Cafes, wife 
 ought to lay down our Lives per the Brethren, I Johi 
 3. 16. much more ought we, fore, to abitain from 
 a Practice, at beft but lawful ; when our going in 
 with it, will endanger’em in their Souls, and in all 
 that’s Valuable to ’em in this World too. 1 might 
 add Lifitly. It has the Appearance of Evil, not in the 
 Apprehenfion of fome Qnly, but really in it’s felf; as 
 having in it an Aptnefs to lead People unto worfe: 
 Now in f» far forth as a Thing has the Appearance 
 * of Evil, ’tis morally evil and frrbidden, 1 TheJ] 5. 
 22 . abjlain from all appearance of Evil ; but this per¬ 
 haps, will feem to belong rather to Scandal pet' fie. 
 By Means of all which the Wo Matth: 18 * 7 ° 
 comes on the World of By-ldanders and On-lookers: 
 In which Cafe our LORD’S Words are piercing, But 
 too to that Man by whom the 0 fence cometh — Ma¬ 
 ny and Difmal are the Effects of publick Scandals 
 given by People’s ufing of their Liberty, in fuch 
 contraverted Cafes; not io be enumerated here f. And 
 
 when a Practice is thusfean- 
 fiSuchas are once embar- dalous, tho* in it’s felflaw- 
 fed m the Proffice, wdl ful, it is not« 
 
 bang iff t 
 
( 47 >«. _ * 
 
 I jl. Information or re/z- being fiimulated byHu^ 
 d'ring of Reafons for cur mour and Honour.Jcavs 
 Practice, will 'be fuihcient to no Stone unturn'd for 
 excufe us, while Scruples fbll tie Support and Defence 
 remain with the weak. For of it ; and Jlrange are 
 when a Perfon goes in, once. 
 
 With a doubtful contravertcd 
 Practice, he’l not want Rea¬ 
 fons enow, fuch as pleaie 
 himfelf, and he thinks fhou’d 
 fatisfie others. And one is 
 not to be reckon’d obftinate 
 nor his Ignoance ^deeded, 
 tho’ his Scruples remain af¬ 
 ter Information: For the 
 Power of Education, Cuftcm, 
 Prejudice and many other 
 Things may caft a Mid be¬ 
 fore one’s Eyes, and hinder 
 
 from 
 
 the Colours that Men 
 of fine Parts, mil jut 
 cn T hmgs of a very ill 
 Hue : Tea, cft<n they're 
 fcrda to efpotfe ntvS. 
 Principles ( w,.ich like- 
 ways they tnujl dtftnd) 
 fir the Defence cf the 
 new Prafhce Tut ju¬ 
 dicious Claikfcn cbfir- 
 Vts , That a Remifh 
 Practice can never be 
 d fended without a Ro- 
 m.ifh Principle: Hence 
 the Doftrine of a Church 
 
 can be no longer j'cfe , 
 when once Ceremonies are adopted. Tt.cy who Hand, 
 off and can’t le wro't into a Compliance , lefides the 
 Vaffion, bitter Zed, and rajh judging they're fcanda- 
 liz’d into , come often to place too much of their Re¬ 
 ligion, in holding off front, and bearing Teilmony a- 
 gainft the Contravened 'Thing. He who did not eat* 
 Rom. 14. might come to reckon himfelf a much letter 
 Chrijlian than he who did. 
 
 And it has been feen, that Parties have come, at 
 length , to go as far off from, and to lludy to be as 
 unlike one another, ih other Things too, as they could : 
 flighting, overlooking or letting drop many good and 
 nectffaty Things , mcerly lecaufc the ether Jet up f>r 
 'em ■, tho ’ once in a Day they were one in thefe Mat¬ 
 ters. Thefl Jfrike at one anothert Principles and 0 - 
 jpinions without Mercy ; fo that the Truth often is 
 not fife, but gets Wounds among 'em : For he who 
 docs not love bis Brother, is ready to fell out v.'ith 
 
 every 
 
fffety Thing he is for . from difcerning the ffrehgth 
 -i- The Side which of Reafons. The ApoftlePawl 
 Suffers mo ft inReputa- gave flrong Reafons for the, 
 iion may by Satan’s cun- Lawfulness of a common Ufe 
 rung ( who will not of Meats formerly Unclean; 
 •tvant Furniture enough to the ’Jews; and of Meats, 
 in fuch Circumjiances to at a private Feaft, which had- 
 busk up plaufible Argu- been offered to Idols: Yet 
 ments with ) be infen- wou’d he not allow himfelf, 
 fibly entic'd and drawn nor others neither, to ufe 
 ( when a Suitable Bait that Liberty, when there was 
 find Opportunity is Danger of giving Scandal 
 laid before 'em) to go thereby, Rem: 1 4. 20, 2 1.1 
 fuch Lengws as once Cor ; g. 13* And it’s to be 
 they themjelves never confider’d here. That a Scan- 
 thought of , but as Ha- dal is as readily and as often 
 zael did in another Cafe; laid before the cprrupt de¬ 
 cs' fo may the otner too, prav’d Inclination, as before 
 towards anExtream of the blind Mind. Few will be- 
 another Nature. lieve, I think; that Hezekiah 
 
 AnimoJities,Sufpicions , had done well, if he had fuf- 
 'Divifions Shtfms are of- fer’d the Brazen Serpent to re-, 
 ten begot and fomented main where it was, and only 
 in aChurch by Means of order’d the Pfiefts to preach 
 'em'.Whereby the great to the People that it was 
 Laws of Love, Peace not GOD. Ncr 
 and Unity, which our idly. Will the Command of 
 Lord has made Fun- Humane Authority fecure u? 
 damental to Religion , from 
 
 ere broken in pieces] .. » > 1 
 
 and troden under Foot. How deftruflive they are t9 
 Peace and Edification, is mamfejl both from Expert 
 ence and that Scripture , Rom: 14* 19 * Let us there¬ 
 fore follow after the Things which make for Peace 
 and Things where-with one may edifie another; 
 whereby it's intimated, that they are theBane and Ruin 
 
 ef both the one and the other. - It has been obfer- 
 
 v'd alfo in Times pafl that, when the Paftoral Staves of 
 Beauty and Bands, were once broken That that Side 
 
 which' 
 
 
ft’6m Guilt ih fuch Cafes. For which found it ft If 
 the Magistrate is under li, ac Law 7 off (i of niofl Ptzur, 
 of GOD, ,T/;ou Jhalt noi fcan- has taken up tie In- 
 dalize thy Brother- as much as ft run ents of the fool- 
 the meaneit Subject is: And ifh Shepherd, Zech • 
 if he fins in commanding, we ji. 15. — In one 
 c 3 n never be bound, for Con- Wcra the Life if Re- 
 feie-.ee Sake, to obey; tho’ for ligion is eaten cut 
 Wrath's Sake in feme Cafes, we by jitch Scandals , as 
 may obey : As when the Flat- by a Gangrene*,- and 
 ter of the Command is not the common Intcreil 
 any Thing that concerns Con- of it fuffers extream- 
 foience , But fomewhat that is o- Ly ; for of times while 
 theirwife very hard and heavy. Parties are wrangling 
 Obligation to Obedience, and together , the ,common 
 Authority to command are Co- Enemy, unobferv d of 
 relates, fo that where there is no both Sides, comes in 
 Authority from GOD to com- and fows Tares, 
 mand, there can be no Obligati- Who new that con- 
 on from GOD upon our Con- fiders the Nature of 
 Science to obey. That’s truly Juch active Scandals, 
 a Bright Tho’t of Petrus de A- be.ng, in fo far as 
 liico's, which I find cited by they are fuch , Moral 
 Gilberts in his A/lize Sermon, Evils, and amounting 
 Namely, ‘ That as the Will of in the Scripture Lc- 
 4 GOD exerting and putting fcripticn of 'em to the 
 1 forth his natural Power, is heinous Guilt of Scul 
 ‘ in natural Things, the frit Ef- Murder ; Theje and 
 4 ficicnt Caufe ; So the Will of mevy more fuch like 
 4 GOD exerting and putting Direful Effeh s of "'em; 
 
 4 forth his Moral Power and Together with the Ex- 
 ‘ Authority, is in Moral Things emplary Care Ten-’ 
 
 4. the firft obliging Rule : And dernefs of the Apo- 
 <. as all Things in Nature act files in fuch Matters; 
 
 depen- But he tnufi fee what 
 great Need every Cffii- 
 Itian has to be Cautions and wary in the like Cafes ? . 
 
 \ .4 
 
 G 
 
4 
 
 ( •) 
 
 dependingly upon the Will of GOD, putting forth 
 4 his .Natural Power as the firft Efficient Caufe ; fo 
 4 in Morality all Laws oblige dependmgly upon the 
 4 Will of GOD, putting forth his Moral Power as the 
 4 fir it obliging Rule. ’Tis a Flower of the Imperial 
 Crown of Heaven to damp meer Will into a Law. 
 and call others to Obedience. The Command of an 
 inferior can never oblige us, when it’s contrary to the 
 Command of a Superior: And that this is theCafe,when 
 the Magiftrate requires a Thing which, tho’ lawful in 
 it’s feif, will fcandalize our Brother, is fo obvious 
 that fcarcely does one need to be told it. Fur¬ 
 ther, Pnblick Authority can’t take away the Aptnefs, 
 there is in fome Things, to entice unto Sin : Or it can 
 ne’re alter the Nature of an Abb, fo as to make that 
 which is indubtive unto Sin, not to be fo. T here- 
 fore ’tis but a loofe unweigh’d Tho't, for any to 
 fpeak of Chnftian "Liberty and the Command of the 
 M J gifirate ; as wh at ought to cajl the Ballance infuch 
 Cafes : For when the doing of a Lawful Thing will 
 lcandalize, GOD’s Law has laid an Embargo on our 
 Liberty in that Cafe; which all the Authority on 
 Earth can’t take off: Otherwife,Humane Authority may 
 make an A b't of Difobedience to the ffxth Command, 
 Rom: 14. become an Abb of Obedience to the 
 fifth Command. Tho’ thefe Things Will, to fome, 
 feem hard of Digeftion, yet they’re no other than 
 the common Dobtrine of Reform’d Divines, and of 
 
 the Church of Scotland-, T 
 clearly deduc'd as well from 
 the Law of Nature ( the 
 Precept of not Scandalizing 
 
 ^ iwiouit w _ being a prime Branch of lo-, 
 
 dalum proximo datur, f. ving our Neighbour as our 
 e. No humane Authority fives, and of doing to others 
 can render that ACtion as we would be done by ) as 
 Lazvful,which will give from Scripture. ’Tis true 
 Scandal to our Neigh • the Dobbors of Aberdeen, 
 tour, fays the Judicious the Church of England Di- 
 and vines. 
 
 -j- Nulla elb Author*- 
 tas Humana, quas Abbi- 
 onem illam reddere po- 
 teft Licitam, qua Scan- 
 

 -yines, and Men of that Kidney, and Learned A me ft us- 
 do all of ’em ( for a known Medul. Lib. 2. cap’ 
 Reafon ) take another Road; 1 6. 0'. 52. As aljb~ 
 pleading the Precept of not Nulla Authoritas hu _ 
 lcandalizing in the Ufe of in- mana, vel tollere po> 
 
 dif- teftScandali rationem 
 ab eo quod alias eft'et 
 «Scandalum, vel peccati rationem a Scandalo dato, de 
 Confcient. Lib. 5. cap. II. f. 16. $0 Rutherfoord, 
 Calderwood, Gillefpy, Durham, W'c. 
 
 ». AdJive Scandalizing is as effcntially murthering of 
 me for whom Chriji dy'dfasto worjlnp an Idol is 
 effcntially Idolatry , fays Rutherfoord on Scandal in 
 Anfwer to the Doctors of Aberdeen, Pag. 3 p. As al- 
 fo , if That may be commanded which otherways, with¬ 
 out , or before the Commandment worldhave been Scan- 
 dalizng of our Brother , ( againjl the Jtxth Command ) 
 tlsen may that alfo be commanded which without , or 
 before that Commandment , was Adultery, Theft, Per¬ 
 jury, again ft the feventh , eight and ninth Commands. 
 v ibid. P. 47. 
 
 Objelt; Obedience to to the Magiftrate is Dehitum 
 juftitiae, <? Debt of Juftice; but not Scandalizing of 
 liiy Brother, is only Debitum Charitatis, a Debt of 
 Charity : Now Duties of the former Sort , oblige more 
 Ur icily, than thefe of the Latter 5 Pm more oblig'd to 
 pay my Debt than to give Charity to the Poor, An¬ 
 fwer I ft. That the Duties we owe by Way of ftifiice 
 are more Obligatory , than thefe we ozve by Way of 
 Charity , holds true Casteris paribus, vshen Duties of 
 the Moral Law, or Law of Nature are compar'd to¬ 
 gether-. As if my Father end Neighbour zvere both 
 Drowning, Pm oblig'd to five my Father ; Or if my 
 Creditor and the Poor were both craving the one hie 
 own, the other an Alms; Pm moji oblig'd , and 
 firji oblig'd to pay my Debt : But it holds not , Gene¬ 
 rally and Univertally ; as when Pofitive Duties zee 
 owe by the Tye of fuflice, are compar'd with the 
 Moral Duties zve owe by the Tye of Charity, or when 
 
 G 2 ' the 
 
ihs Minima Juftitim dre different Things, to ceaf&to 
 compar'd with the Maxi- oblige when once the Magi- 
 ma Charitatis. Now this Urate’s Authority is inter- 
 is the Cafe ; when the pos’d: But how agreeably 
 Politive Command of to Scripture and found R?a- 
 Man requiring an in- fon the Reader may Judge. 
 different T/jing is com - The 
 
 far'd with the Precept of , . , 
 
 not fcandalizmg our Brother Since the Pcftive Com¬ 
 mands of the LORD our GOD, cede and give Plaice 
 to the Commands' of Charity, arifing out cf the Mo¬ 
 ral Law, and Law of Nature, yea,ev'n to Works of 
 Mercy to Metis Bodies ;( as . Preaching , Praying and 
 all holy Ordinances, mu ft be laid rftde hie 6 c nunc, 
 when our Neighbour’/ Life is in Hazard, hts Houle 
 on fire, his Corn or Cattle in the Flood ) how much 
 more mujl the politive Commands of Men, give Place 
 unto the Works 5 of Mercy to Mai's Souls ? Since the 
 JLORD hinfelf fays. In all fuel) Cafes, l’le have Mer¬ 
 cy ^nd not Sacrifice, Matth: 12. 7. Ought not Mor¬ 
 tals to fay fo too •? Hence »tis clear. That all pofitive 
 Haws muff Slnke and give Place , when tie Law of 
 Nature, or the neceffary Duties of Love and Mercy 
 ffand in their Way. 2dly. Net fcandalizing of our 
 Neighbour is a Debt of Juffice, unto GuD and him 
 both, as well as a Debt of Charity , Sec. See this Ob- 
 jeftion fully anfwer'd and expos'd by the learn’d 
 Rutherfoord, ibid. P. 50, 51, 52. 
 
 Object: At this Rate one muff fight all the Magi- 
 ffrates Commands, for fame or other will ever pretend 
 Scruples: Anfwer, iff This Objection concludesagaitiff 
 all Forbearance in any Caff , on the account of Scan¬ 
 dal, if once the Thing is enjoin'd by the J/iagiffrate ; 
 end confequently againff the doodles Difirine . Alfo 
 it carries in it a tacit Imputation upon the JLaw cf 
 GGD, as if his Commands, in fame Cafes, zvtre in¬ 
 compatible and impoffble. 2dly. When the Matter 
 of his Commands, is neceffary, be offended who will, 
 we muff obey : And whatever Scandal follows there- 
 
 up on 
 
f S 3 ) 
 
 TheBifhop of Bangor feems upon, is purely taken, and 
 indeed to have left the we are blamelefs; becaufe 
 Rout in this Point, For of the Law of GOD, rer 
 he fpeaks of it as becomes quiring us, m ftich Cafes , 
 a Divine, and very candidly To be fubjedt for Confci- 
 owns, That Law-makers ence Sake. As when 
 may be guilty of laying we-re call'd to give Al- 
 fiumbling Blocks in fome legimce, pay Taxes, &.c. 
 Cafes, ev’n when they en- 3dly. 'Tis nutfo, in Fa6i, 
 join Neccjfary Duties , as in as if J'uggegled : For 
 the Cafe of the Sacramen- tv'n where i>ut>je£ts are 
 tal Tell. And with Re- mojl fqueanujh , ’tis not 
 fpeft to Law-makers, he found. That they Jcruple 
 
 lays. Obedience, except vohtrs 
 the Matter concerns Re¬ 
 ligion and Conference more immediately , and they have 
 as much Shadow of Ground orReafon as the weak Rom. 
 14. I Cor: 3. 10 had for their Scruples. 
 
 When the Magifrate requires a Thing in its felf 
 Lawful, but J'candalous, and enforces his Command, 
 
 K with grievous Penalties ; fo that one is in Danger of 
 being ruin'd as to his Worldly Interef, and rend'red 
 incapable of ferving his Generation, if he does not 
 pbey : Thq Cafe is truly Difficult. Hence fome Divines 
 have declin'd giving their ‘Judgment of it. Tho' fome 
 may perhaps think. That in fo doing they modeftly declar'd, 
 fieri fives. The holy and zealous Rutherfoord, indeed 
 calls, ‘TheBufinefs of Penalties, Logick from a ioreSkin: 
 
 4 And fays, 4 If theT'hing commanded byAuthonty be 
 4 Lawful and Expedient, Difobedience is Sin, whether 
 4 Punifbment follow on it or not; But if it is Inexpe- 
 4 dient, or will give Scandal, the Penalty will never 
 4 make it Duty. Ibid. Pag. 25, and thro' out. 4 A 
 4 Thing in fo far as it gives Scandal is Morally Evil, 
 4 fay others, and we’re ne’re to do ill, that Good may 
 4 come of it. The Judicious Clarkfon (for it might be 
 reckon’d Prefumption in me, to offer any Tho'ts of mine 
 own on fuch a tender Point ) on Taking up the Crofs, 
 goes pretty near this Cafe ; for he fays, 4 One may fuffer 
 
( 
 
 ■ forCHRlST in refuhng . lays, 
 to do that which in it 
 felf is lawful to be done, 
 when the doing of it 
 may be an Offence to ci¬ 
 thers, Pag: 3 8°. That 
 we’re to fuffer for avoi¬ 
 ding the Appearance of 
 
 <54 ) 
 
 That in the Cafe of 
 "laying Stumbling Blocks, 
 and of falling by ’em,there 
 is always a Fault on both 
 Sides: And to be anfwer’d 
 for by both Parties con¬ 
 cern’d. And methinks, It 
 is not the Part of a Chri- 
 
 Evil.or for avoiding that ‘ Jlian Divine to take off all 
 
 which is Evil by Con- 
 4 ftruCtion, or that which, 
 4 tho’ in itsfelf lawful, is 
 4 Evil by Accident, as be- 
 4 ing an Occaffon of Sin to 
 4 others: Where he Jheivs, 
 Tnat the Apojlle Paul fuf¬ 
 fer'd Perfecution becaufe he 
 moldd not conform to a 
 ( Tnen ) lawful Ceremony, 
 Gal: 5. II. And how 
 fmall Matters the Primi¬ 
 tive Chrijlimsfuffer'dfor. 
 P. 3 r d6, 383 * And that it 
 Becomes not a ChriJUan in 
 
 Blame intirely from the 
 4 Strong Side, and to lay it 
 c on the weak. Paul did 
 4 quite otherwife-, Sc feemsto 
 ‘ have laid much the greater 
 4 Weight upon thofe that are 
 4 Strongi and toprefs it as 
 4 their Duty, not to lay 
 4 Stumbling Blocks in the 
 4 Way of the Weaker. Com¬ 
 mon Eights of Subjects de¬ 
 fended. Pag: 262. See alfo 
 Pag: 267, 268 - Where he 
 very fairly unfolds the A- 
 
 - __ poftle’s Senfe, Rom ; 14. and 
 
 The bay of Tried joenquire fhows,That aThing’s being 
 whether the Matter be lawful and Commendable in 
 fmall or great,but whether it leif, will not warrant the 
 it be lawful or unlawful ’ Pra- 
 
 And if it is not warrant¬ 
 ed by the Law of GOD, how fmall foever it may fern, 
 
 »tis an Occafion great enough to fuffer any Thing rather 
 than yield to it. That in that Cafe there ought to be 
 NiKil obftinacius Chriftiano, i. e. Nothing more obffi- 
 mte than a Chnftian. Pag: 407* That Things fmall in 
 themfelves , may become monjiroujly big in their Circum- 
 ffances, Confequences, Effects and Attendants. As, if 
 we (land oblig'd again/l 'em by Sacred and Solemn Eonds, 
 if they give Scandal to others, if they make us like Ido¬ 
 laters, if they may prove an Inlet to greater Ills, &c. 
 
 Where 
 
.I ' (s 55 .) ^ , 
 
 Fra fifing cf it; and much Where he Jhews, 'That the- 
 iefs the Enacting of it into a Popifh Mats fprang from j. 
 Law for all equally : When Hinted L.turg y,the Fapa- 
 there is Danger of laying cy from a Prefldency a- 
 before others a Stumbling mong Miniflers, the invo- 
 Bloch, or an Occaiion to fin cation cf Saints from a 
 thereby. This he calls one Religious Commemoration 
 of the inoft Noble Doctrines of 'em. Thefe 'Things he is 
 of Chnjlianity ,— and which very full upon ; and adds 
 is impli’d in the compre- P. 412. That he who will 
 heniive Duty of Vniverfal not bear the Crofs rather 
 Charity. Nor, than yield to Things thus 
 
 3 dly. Will the Pretence of aggravated, under a Fre- 
 a Double Scandal , or a Scan- tence, That they're Mat- 
 dal equal on both Sides; bear ters of fmall Moment , ne- 
 one out in this or the like ver intends to bear the 
 Practice : For ( taking Crofs at all. The lefs the 
 ScandaT in its proper and Evils are fays he for which 
 primary Senfe ) there can one bears the Crofs,it Jhezvs 
 be no fuch Thing as a Com- the greater Live, gives the 
 parative greater Encouragement to 
 others, and will have the 
 greater Reward ; And alludes to Luk; 19. 17. Becaufe 
 thou haft been faithful in a very little, (She. Finally, 
 One has this Tho't on the Cafe, namely , That ’tis a Com¬ 
 petition betwixt one's external Bene efte, and the Spiri¬ 
 tual Safety of others. And if it be fo, ’tis much eafter to 
 know what ought to be done ; than it vsill be, to behave, 
 accordingly. Eat not (fays the Apoflle, iCor: 10. 2 Q.) 
 lor the Earth is the LORD’S, and the Fulnefs thereof. 
 
 Of all others, Magiftrates, Minifters and Fublick Per- 
 fon s have moH Need to be cautious in this Bnftnefs of 
 giving Scandal ; both becaufe of the prevalent and ex - 
 lenftve Influence cf their Authority and Example, while 
 they live ( for ordinarily People affeft a Conformity un¬ 
 to, and \nde thcmfelves in copying after their Example t 
 who are the Directors and Cenfors of other Mens Lives; 
 as we may learn from that old Jgjufiion. Have any of 
 the Rulers or fharifees believed ? . ) ana! hkewife be . 
 
 cauf e * 
 
they'll have all the bad 
 Confequences of their Ex- 
 ample, Publick Acts or 
 Omitfions, eifn unto latefi 
 Pojierity, to anfwer for 
 tn the Day of the LORD. 
 Any one may fee in Scrip¬ 
 ture., this unll be Jerobo¬ 
 am’/ Cafe. Parents have 
 bleed to conftder well what 
 
 Child, or give Suck think 
 themfelvei oblig'd to for¬ 
 bear many Things. 
 
 ( 56 y . . 
 
 becmfe they are ingreatejl prative Scandal , or an acfbve 
 Danger of contracting Scandal equal on both Sides. 
 Guilt , in fome Sort , after It is not Cafus da bilk, a pof- 
 they are dead : In that fible Cafe, lays the Famous 
 
 Rutherfoord. Scandal can’t 
 b eCiven, but upon one Side 
 only ; otherwife one might 
 be bro’t into fuch Circum- 
 ilancesi, that whatever Hand 
 he turns to, He mu Cl fm : 
 Which wou’d fix a Blot up¬ 
 on Divine Providence , not 
 to be thought of, without 
 Abhorrence. Nulla datur ta- • 
 they do before their Child- Its Perplexitas , ut necejfari- 
 dren. Such as go with uni fit pio Homint, five hoc 
 
 vel Mud facial. Jive, non fa¬ 
 cial, Standalum ahcui dare, 
 i e. 1 There can be no fuch 
 ‘■•Perplexity of Circum-- 
 4 fiances, as that it fhall he neceifary to a Chriflian, let 
 4 him do what he Will, to give Scandal to his Neigh-: 
 
 4 bour.’ Says Ante fine, de Confaent: L- 5. C. ii„ 
 SeCf: 18 . »• • 
 
 And here again the Church of England Divines with. 
 
 their Followers, take a lingular Road of their own, ,tU 
 
 ledging. That when an Indifferent Thing is once En¬ 
 acted into a Law, our Non-obfervance of it, will fcan- 
 dalize the Magif rate, and the more Judicious.: Which 
 Scandal, fay they, is greater, and theref >re more to be 
 fhun’d, than that which is given to tne weak by Com¬ 
 pliance : Tho’ they have been told. Times pall Rec¬ 
 koning, That they fuppofe an Lnpojfible Cafe, namely. 
 That Scandal may be given, vvnatever Hand we turn 
 to ; andThat he e the Scandals are not of the fame Kind. 
 For by our Compliance we draw the Weak into Sin; 
 whereas in Cafe of Non-co mpiiance, th e Mag if rate and 
 ©Thers are only dfpleafd . with us, becaufewe do n t as 
 they wou’d have us: Which can be'call’d Scandal, jn an t 
 
 improper 
 
( >57 ) t . 
 
 improper Senfe only ; and is not given neither : FeY 
 People may tie out of Humour with us, and treat us ill, 
 when doing what is really for their Edification. When 
 t ie Law of GOD fays, Eat not, we may not eat; who¬ 
 ever be difpleas’d with our forbearing : For in that 
 Cafe, They’re in EfTedt difpleas’d with us for of ferving 
 of GOD’s Command, Scandalize not ; which being ne¬ 
 gative, binds ad Semper, i.e. in ail Differences of Tune; 
 And fo the Scandal is meerly Taken , not Given. Fcr we 
 may not violate the Law of Love, nor deitroy our 
 Neighbour’s Soul for any Man’s Pleafure. 
 
 It might have been pretended, That the ftreng, Rom> 
 14. by their forbearing, wcu’d offend a greater 
 Number of Perfons, and thefe more confiderable than 
 thofe whom they pleas’d, and that they’d but en¬ 
 courage and confirm the weak in their Scruples, *f* 
 Yet I hope none will ven¬ 
 
 ture to fay, that they, when 
 they forbore to eat in O • 
 bedience to GOD’s Ccm- 
 N mand, gave Scandal; or 
 that .yiy Humane Authori¬ 
 ty cou’d have warranted 
 ’em, in eating, while they 
 
 •f* And to difregard and 
 defpife, zvkat weak People 
 may think or fay of us, 
 when we're but in the 
 Exercife of our 'Liberty ; 
 Jr indeed a Piece of the 
 Manlinefs of Degenerate 
 Humane Nature : But 
 
 knew the weak were in 
 danger of being fcandaliz’d, far enough from that In 
 thereby. And the Reafon riocent , Inojftnftve Difp- 
 is evident, namely, becaufe 
 no Power on Earth can 
 difpenfe with the fixth 
 Command, nor make de- 
 
 firoy- 
 
 fttion of little Children , 
 which our LORD requires 
 in all his Difuples Mat, 
 13 * 
 
 Cafes there are in¬ 
 deed wherein , let us da 
 what we will , Poffivc Scandal will follow; and yet we 
 be blameUfs. The Jews fiumble at John Baptifl, be* 
 caufe he did not eat and drink with them ; and at our 
 LORD becaufe he did : Tet both were Blamelefr 5 
 arid gave no Scandal. Tho ’ the Jews /hon'd have 
 been fcandalizM at Peter for eating with the Getniles, 
 
 H' Gal; 
 
2. yet had he been Blame- ffroying of Souls, to be 
 left . bccauji the Gentiles no Sin. 
 vx're by no Means to be But now’tis full Time 
 bro't under the Ceremo- to conhder what is or may 
 nial Law. Whereas by be bro’t in Defence of this 
 eating with the Jews, he Way 
 
 gave active Scandal both 
 
 to the Gentiles ; tempting 'em to Judaize : And likewayS 
 to the Jews, confirming 'em in their Judaifm. 
 
 If any fhou'd Objett Paul’s Circumcifwg of 
 Timothy lea ft he might fcandalize the Jews, and his 
 not Circumciftng of Titus Lecaufe of the Gentiles; as 
 an In fiance of a double Scandal. lanfwer, Sirre Timo¬ 
 thy was a Jew by the Mother's-Side , ana he was 
 to exercife his JYLiniftry among 'em ; to w/r m Mofes’s 
 Kites lucre Lawful for a Time ; it was neajfry he 
 Jhau'd be circumcis'd , elfe his Min fry had been 
 ufelefs among the Jews: But Titus being a Greek 
 was not to be bro't under the Tohe cf the Cere¬ 
 monies. A his 16. i. Galatians 2. 3. O' 5. 2. 
 
 Rutherfoord puts the Cafe , That Twenty will be 
 fcandaliz'd if Paul ext fuch Meats as they conceive are 
 Unclean ; and Twenty will be fcind diz'd if he eats not. 
 Now what jhall he do in this Strait l Why foe chufes 
 the Negative : I will not eat Flefb ,fxys he-, if Meat 
 offend my Brother. —And the Twenty who are fcan¬ 
 daliz'd at his forbearing , do take Scandal only ; he gives 
 'em none. And let us fuppofe , other Twenty , by ob- 
 fervmg him , become Scruplers : Or being urg'd for a 
 JReafon af their ferupling , they ajfgn Paul’s forbearingj 
 as toe Re a fen. The Anfwer is the fame, they take 
 Scandal-, he is Blamelefs, and gave'em none:. For he 
 was obferving GOD's Command , which in this Cafe is 
 Negative , eat not. If the UJe of a Thing indifferent 
 does fcandalize , the T Je of it in that Cafejsftnful : 
 And fc none ufing is not indifferent but neceffbry. 
 
 In one Word, Edification ( which is the gnat End 
 of cll Things, fuch as Gifts, Ordinances, Offices, .Au¬ 
 thority cs'c. i n the Church/s the Rule whereby one hiuft 
 
 govern 
 
Way of Swearing; or to govern himfilf in this 
 weaken the Force' of what whole Bujimfs of Scandal, 
 has beenadvanc’d again ft it: and the X )je of Things 
 And foaie may perhaps. indifferent. i Corinth. 
 
 io. Chap. £3. Ver.— 
 All Things are Lawful to me, but all Things edify 
 not. Korn. 14. 19. Let us folloW after che Things, 
 
 - wherewith one may edify another 15. 1. 2. 
 
 We tnen that are Iking ought to bear the Infirmities 
 of toe weak, and not to pleafe our felves. Let e- 
 yery one of us pleafe his Neighbour, for his good 
 to Edificahon. For ev’n Chrift pleafed not himfelf. 
 
 Upon the "whole , the SPIRIT of GOD by his hand¬ 
 ling fo largely and induffrioufly , fame Inflames of 
 Scandal, ( for lefides our LORD'S Sermon on Scandal , 
 Matth: iq. The Apoftle fponds Four Chapters on it: 
 namely, Rom: 14. I Cor: g. 9. I°* )has vary plainly 
 intimated to the lateii Pofferrty of Chriflians ; the 
 large Play , Scope and Efficacy of Scandal in Matters if 
 Indifferency ; together , •— vnth the great Danger cf 
 fcandalizing or being fcandahzed , Ly the Ufe of 
 "’em. 
 
 OBJECTIONS AN SWER‘D 
 
 Ob jell'. I_/?, "TT'KAT this is an arraigning of the 
 
 the Law. And why may not 
 the Magiftrate require us to fig- 
 nify we are Chriftians, and believe the Scriptures, by 
 what Sign he pleafes. To which I Reply, 1 Jl. With 
 that great Man the Bishop of Bangor , 4 That it is fo 
 4 far from being a Crime or an Affront to any Le- 
 4 giflature, to endeavour to fhew the evil Confequen- 
 4 ces, or UnequitaBlenefs o f any Lav) now in Being ; 
 4 That all Law-makers who a& upon Principles of 
 ‘ Publick Juflice and Honour , cannot but efieem it an 
 H 2 Advantage 
 
( 6q ) 
 
 e Advantage to have fuch Points laid before them 
 
 Common Rights of Subjects defended ,• P, 4. And’tis 
 indeed ( as ne there, very honeitly add s J a greater 
 Honour to contend againd debating of a Divine Inditu- 
 tion, than to plead on the Side of an Acfi of Parlia¬ 
 ment. If thefe are notexa<dly his Words ('forthe 
 Book 13 not by rne jud now ) I’m fure ’tis his Senfe: 
 And he adds further, P. 270. ‘ That in all fuch 
 
 4 Cafes wherein we’re under a higher Law than the 
 * Law of Men, ’tis not only Lawful but becoming 
 4 us, to fpeak plainly, idly. ’1 is humbly conceiv’d, 
 to be againid Law, to require any Perfcn in Scotland 
 to fwear after this Manner ; Since by the Union we 
 were to befecur’d from all Jmpofitions contrary to 
 our known Principles ; as this undeniably is. And ’tis 
 Reported that one of the Right Honourable the Lords 
 of Sejfion, being call’d to depone after this Manner, 
 before the Exchequer; told one of the Barons fo 
 much, namely that it was contrary to Law: And 
 therefore refus’d to depone after any fuch Manner. 
 3 dly. The lad Pa i t of the Objection deferves no An- 
 fwer : For fuch a Pi me pie wou’d open a Door to 
 the defacing of Religion. At this Rate the Magi- 
 ftrate may require us to kneel before the Bible, to 
 fign our felves with the -Sign of the Crofs, to Kifs 
 a• Crucifix , in Tedimony of our being Chrillians. But 
 I refer to Reafon Brit. 
 
 Object', id. No fuch Thing as Idolatry is intended 
 either by the Legiflature, by the Judges, or the 
 Deponents. Why then fhou’d a Thing be carried fo 
 high; when’tis done out of no ill Mind.. To this I 
 Reply, \fi That it's carry’d any higher or made one 
 W-hit worfe, thin the Ploly Scriptures, our only Rule 
 of Worfbip, makes it, is what I’m not , in the lead, 
 fpn fib le of: Nor have I any fuch Uncharitable Tho’ts 
 of’em that impofe, nor of ’em who comply ; As that 
 they intend Adoration of the Creature, thereby. But 
 idly. As was faid before, The Intention of the Wor- 
 fhipper is not iieceffary to conilitute an A<d of 
 
( 61 ) 
 
 External Idolatry : Fife the Gentiles had nt’re been 
 found guilty of Devil Worlhip, Deut. 37 * 17 * PJal. 
 106. 37. I Cor. jo. 20 . For they ne’re intended 
 any fuch Thing. And far lefs did the Calf wor- 
 fhippers whom, ( tho’ they intended only to 
 Worfhip the Gods who bro't 'em out of the JLand of 
 Egypt, t Kings 12 , 23.J Yet the LORD finds guil¬ 
 ty of Devil-Wonhip. 2 Chron : II. 15* ^ea, if Ido¬ 
 latry was to be determin’d, by the Intention of the 
 Mind, a wide Door wou’d be open’d to all Manner of 
 I mage-Worth ip t For provided one dire<fls his Wor- 
 fhip not to the Image that he kiffes, and before 
 which he bows, but to GOD; he fhall be Blamelefs. 
 But can any Thing be more plain, than that the fe- 
 cond Command is levell’d not again ft bad Intentions- 
 only, but the very Actions themfelves of Bowing, 
 Kiffiing, tfc. Sicut Deofculatio Religiofa Imaginis eft ■ 
 in fe Idololatrh externa , et ft Intentio deojculandi 
 iota quanta in attu eft , feratur in Deum Prototypon ; 
 ita Gtniculatio coram Pane, &c. Ratio , Jntentio A- 
 dorandi ObjeEium Materials non eft d:EjJentia Extern* 
 Adorationis ; ut patet in Deqculatione Religiofa , &c. 
 i. e. <■ As the Religious Killing of an Image is in 
 ‘ it's felf External Idolatry, althp’ the Intention of 
 ‘ Killing bereferr’d intirely unto GOD the Prototype . 
 
 ‘ - Becaufe an Intention of adoring the Material 
 
 ‘ Objedl does not belong to the Elience of External 
 ‘ Adoration, (ffc. Says the Famous Rutherfoord in his 
 Letter, to Mr. Ephraim MelviR being the 193 in 
 order. %dly. ’Tisnotin the Power of Men to purge 
 and wafh Idolatrous nor Superftitious Practices, fo as 
 to make ’em clean: For as the Ethiopian will never 
 be white, no more can their Meaning ever be good, 
 or their Ufe Lawful. 
 
 Objeft. 3 d. ’Tis only a Mode or a Circumftance of 
 of Worfhip, but cannot be called a Part or a Mean 
 of Worlhip. Anfwer, ift. ’Tis juft fuch another Mode 
 or Circumftance of Worfhip, as Killing of the Calves 
 was, and as the Killing of the Hand in Honour o: 
 the Sun, in fob's Days was, And as the 'Killing of. 
 
( ^2 ; 
 
 fnd Bowing down before an Image dill is, or as the 
 Religious Killing of tne Confecrated Elements in the 
 Abt of Receiving wou’d be, which, I conceive alj 
 Proteftants will grant, cou’d not be done without Dan¬ 
 ger of Idolatry. For tno’ Getture in the General, be 
 a uieer Phyftcal Circumdapce or infeparable A djunbt 
 of Abtions ISatural, Civil and Sacred; yet fuch a 
 ■particular Gejlure inftituted by Man to fignifie So or 
 So in fuch aPiece of Religious Worfhip ; Or, fuch 
 a Religious Geiture us’d before fuch a Creature, 
 ftatedly and of let Purpofe in an Abb of Worfhip, 
 is not, 1 hope, a meer Circumftance of \V orfhip. 
 2 dly. That it’s a Mean, yea a Part of Worfhip is evi- 
 den , For if GOD fhou’d command or ratify the 
 fa ue* m order to fuch Ends and Pnrpofes as are 
 now' pretended ; It wou’d be a Lawful Part of Di¬ 
 vine Worfhip : Elfe the JewiJh Ceremonies were not 
 Parts, nor Means of Divine Worfhip neither. And 
 therefore it being inftituted and us’d by Men to fig- 
 nify in the Worihip of GOD, ’Tis no lefs a Part of 
 Worfhip, tho’ an Unlawful one, than if GOD himlelf 
 had commanded it. And fince ’tis not a meer Cir¬ 
 cumftance ; it mud be a Part or Mean of Worfhip; 
 Elfe ’tis idle and vain, and fo finful. In Divine Wor¬ 
 fhip GOD requires the whole Heart, and all the 
 Powers of the Soul: Hence it wou’d be Preempti¬ 
 on and Prophanity to prefcrifce an Abtion in the 
 very Time of Worfhip, which is no Part thereof: 
 Since neceffanly it mud pull a Part of'the Heart from 
 GOD’S immediate Service. 
 
 GajeH. 4 th. Theie Things are done to procure 
 and exprefs Devotion; to affebt People with the 
 Weight of an Oath, and the Danger of fwearing 
 fall fy. They’re in effebt a Declaration and an Im¬ 
 precation , intimating, Tnat we fwear by him. W hofe 
 Will is reveal’d in that Book, and that we expebt 
 the Plagues therein written,- in Cafe of Perfidy. Or 
 ’tis as much as to fay, Upon the true Faith of a 
 Ghrijlian. Anfwer, iff. When one has made the 
 bed of it be can ’twill dill be a worfhipping of 
 
. ( 63 ; 
 
 GOD by an Uninflituted Mean; by a Mean of Man's 
 own Devifing ; which is .Superftuion: For all Re¬ 
 ligious Worlhip not commanded by GOD is forbid¬ 
 den ; and flgnifiant Ceremonies devis’d by Men, and 
 us’d in the Wnrfhip of GOD are Parts of it, as was 
 | v faid above. Yea ’twill ftili be a Religious .Application to 
 GOD thro’ a Creature, winch is Idolatry, idly. 
 Hearing, 2nd Reading of the Word in that Book con¬ 
 tain’d, are Means appointed; for directing us in, and 
 affecting us with, this Piece of Wcrfihip : But as 
 for Touching and Killing ; They have no Inffituti- 
 on, no Precedent in the W ord to .Authorize ’em 
 no Promife of a Bleffing nor Acceptance, neither. 
 3 dly- ’Tis not in the Power of Men, as was faid, to- 
 change the meaning offuch Ge flu res as Kneeling , Kif- 
 Jing, Sec. ( and to put upon ’em what Signification, 
 they pleafe ) when us’d in Divine Worftdp. 4 tLly., 
 As for that Phrafe, upon the true Faith of a Chrzjfian , 
 which is adjetffed to the clofe of fom.e Oaths, ’tis nfr. 
 other than a Paraphrafe and Defcription of the Pra-; 
 cftice : And feems to be Exegetick of it’s true mean¬ 
 ing ; Thus, upon ( i. e. By according to Argument' 
 6. ) The true Faith of a Chrifiian ( i- e. the Bible 
 which contains the true Faith of a Chnflian. ) 
 ObjeSi. 5 th. When the King’s Honour is given to his 
 Ambaffador, or the Commiffioner, who reprefents him 
 why may not the Bible be honour’d for its Author’s 
 Sake ? Anf. Ceremonies of Court are no Rule of Di-< 
 vine Worfhip. And further, There’s a Civil Ordinance 
 for the one : But there’s a Divine Law againfl t’other. 
 ’Tis the King’s declar’d Will. That his Depute be ho¬ 
 nour’d as himfelf, and fo his Glory is not niven to a- 
 nother againfl his Will : But GOD in his Law has ex¬ 
 prefly difeharg’d this, -— Thou Jhelt not bow downj&c. 
 A living Minifler, who is both the Subject of his Grace, 
 and the Herauld of his W'ill ; may not be honour’d" 
 With Religious Honour, A&. 10. 26. Sc 14. I5.Much\ 
 lefs may any inanimate Creature be fo honour’d. Men. 
 have thought it expedient, for fupportieg the Infirmity. 
 
eHumane Maiefty ; KHionou'r a King’s I’erfon m Ah- 
 fcne “ thro’ [licit Ferfons and Tilings as represent Him. 
 
 Becaufe he cairt be in many »££ ^neither trill 
 
 He hfvety fa* «.=*» 
 
 for upholding of his Maje y • 
 
 &ss|ssi 
 
 sttwiSiZssA.feft'** 
 
 treatui , and Co-effential with Himfelf. 
 
 E<3 I have neVefeen nor heard of any Author, who pre- 
 , , r j _ c.-yjn+ure, for the fupport of this Pi 2 - 
 
 o7XBook i But 1 W(^ the 
 5L1Sd)« Author of good Note, and tvell 
 
 6tb } Exod: i 7 . l6 And he faid, Becaufe the 
 TORD hathWorn, (5c. In the Hebrew, Becoufe there:, 
 5 ?mnd upon the Throne of the LORD. --.- Hence our 
 A Sir gathers That by, the Hand’s being _ on the 
 the LORD we’re to underhand, Hisfw ear- 
 Throne * Alluficn, as he alledges,. 
 
 XSm of Laying the Hand npon fome Solemn 
 
 5”"f’ B W 3i n FortendTSf te Eenfe An/t tf 
 ^. /country Man had not been a Prebend of Durham, 
 hkVearmn/and good Senfe,WOu’d ne’re have allow d 
 5 . to fea?ch fo? the Scriptural Geflure of fwearmg, 
 tattoTotTh true our Tranflators ftem to have 
 10 it of the LORD’S Swearing: But hs p^ain, 
 
 l?* 1 arinns Readings they give us on the Margin, 
 
 thev were’doubtful of th? Matter; and left every one to 
 - hr for hinifelf- Without troubling the Reader any 
 Srfher tvithle various Tho’ts of Interpreters on it t 
 The whole Verfe, being WofisS Words, runs in the 
 2. . • i fKtis And he faid Becaufe there is an Hand, 
 
 £T&1 rf'he XORB, 'he IMDJMJ** Jj. 
 
 tgamjt Amalek -,from Generation to Genratm. — Ad. 
 
to the fame Purpofe is it render’d in the Dutch Bibli. 
 ( ‘which is confeft by all, to be a very exadt and ela¬ 
 borate Translation ) only the Particle that we have 
 render’d Becaufe, they lender MVlMe : Thus, And he 
 (did. While the Hand upon tie 'throne of the LOED //, 
 To fball the War of the LORD againji Amalek he Jr cm 
 Generation to Generation. And fo the Senfe is natural, 
 plain and eafie ; namely, That fince there is a Hand 
 of Power * on the Throne of the * 
 
 LORD, whereby he is able to * Mat: 26. 6 4 - 
 
 make War upon, and mine his E- — On the Rig .t 
 nemies ; the LORD will have War Hand cf Rover. — 
 With Amalek : -And fince ’tis on 
 the Throne for ever ; He’ll have War with Amclek iof 
 ever. i. e. While GOD is GOD He’ll' purfue the Quar¬ 
 rel. And as for that Text, I Kings 8* B 1 * It yie.ds 
 not a Shadow of Ground, for thinking they laid tneir 
 Hand on the Altar, when they fwore : Only they were 
 in fome Cafes, to give their Oath in the Temple, beiore 
 the Altar ; becaufe GOD, who was appeal’d to as Wit- 
 nefs, was there fpecially prefent. Whether the Heathen 
 Cuftom of laying the Hand on the Altar, when they 
 fwore ( whence the Phrafe Tangcre Aras ) might be 
 deriv’d from the imperfedt Knowledge, or Corruption 
 of this Practice, as it happen’d in many other Cales, I 
 fhall not determine. But tho’ all that s alledged was 
 granted, what wou’d it fay for Killing of the Book. 
 Which is by Far, the word: Part of the Ceremcny i _ 
 ObjcH. 7th. Many Learn’d Men don’t condemn it m 
 their Writings : Not to mention the Great and Gr\od 
 Men who have gone in with the Practice. Anf: 'Tis 
 not to be deni’d, That fome reform’d Divines, touch¬ 
 ing on’t in the By only, have fpoke of it with an Air 
 of Indifference, as a tolerable Thing where ’tis in 
 Ufe : But none of ’em., that ever I heard of, approves 
 of Re-admitting it • after a Nation has once reform’d 
 from it. We’re indeed to reverence the Judgment of 
 Good and Great Men; but not to go in with it impli- 
 
 «itely. ’Tis evident. That fuch Divines as condemn 
 a. , _ - j --" Hnmaae 
 
JtTnmanc Ceremonies in the Werfbip of GOD$ Butfpe^ 
 more favourably of this, have never coni dei’d it with 
 tne lame Exarhnefs as they have done other P,<piJ}. Ce¬ 
 remonies ; Life they wou’d have found it as Criminal-, 
 «ss naked and defencelefe as any of ’em. ’Tis true all 
 1 ruths are not, ncr are all Corruptions that have crept 
 kno Doctrine or Worfhip, difeover’d at once (' the 
 Light of Divine Truth, thro’ and from the Word, like 
 tnat oftheNatural Day, riling gradually on tire Churchy) 
 and tiie Dwarf on the Giant’s Shoulders may fee farther 
 than he did. Yet, as We law in the Beginning, great 
 Divines no fa Few have utterly condemn’d it; where¬ 
 as others, at molt, feeai only to excufe it, cr connive 
 et it. 
 
 ^ JLuJlly , I have, with a heavy Heart, heard it obje¬ 
 cted ; Why J what’s the Matter of it, fince ’tis not im¬ 
 pos’d If any Perfon fcruples it, the Judges will fwear 
 him, after the Manner ufual with us. To which I re? 
 ply, ifi. That fince they can at Pleafbre, and are fo 
 Willing to difpenfe with it ( tho’ Others tell us, They’re 
 not fo e-fie in that Affair, as is pretended ) ’Tis pity 
 the Church fhou’d not defire ’em to lay it altogether 
 abide ; and allow People to ufe the Scriptural Gefturc, 
 according to the laudable Culiom of this Nation : Efpe- 
 cially oonfidering, idly. That, tho’ few fhou’d f ru- 
 ple it, ye: the Church is Debtor, both to the Souls of 
 Men, to watch over ’em, and to take Care they be not 
 neither thro’Ignorance, the Influence of Example, nor 
 Want of due Confederation, defil’d or enfnar’d and en¬ 
 danger’d and likewife to the Ordinances of GOD, the 
 Purity and Simplicity of which, they’re bound to pre- 
 ferve and watch over, againfl all Corruptions and Inno¬ 
 vations whatfoever : For one can’t tell how fmall a 
 jLeaven Pity leaven the whole Lump. 3 dly. Who can 
 be Surety that afterwards, when once Cufiom has made 
 it more Familiar and lefs Strange, it fihall not be more 
 uaiverfally and rigoroufiy impos’d’ And if it fbou’d 
 fo happen, one may eafily fee at whofe Door the Blame 
 will be laid ; and ju fitly. 
 
 THS 
 
( «7 ) 
 
 the conclusion. 
 
 T Hus I have freely, yet, I hope, fairly and in 3 
 lud Baiiance, examin’d this Practice : But whe¬ 
 ther it befouud Light, yea or no ; Every one 
 will (” and ’us ail Reafon he ihou’d ) judge tor him* 
 
 fclf. 
 
 I'm fatisfi’d it might have been done to much better 
 Purpoie, by fome other Hand; For, to fpeak Nothing 
 of Divines, we have Learn’d and Religions Judges and 
 Lawyers, who are very capable, and ought to look in¬ 
 to fuen Matters, and fet ’em in their true Light : But 
 one mult fometimes do as he can, when he can t do 
 as he Wou’d or Shou’d ; according to that old Proverb, 
 Out non hobet Finis Fane Yitahlt. -And it the more 
 concerns tie Great Men and the Learn’d, to indulge 
 and excuie the BlemitT.es of this, that then more po¬ 
 lite a.id judicious Performances wcu’d have van d tne 
 WeakneiTes of It, in their original Oblcurity. 
 
 ’Tis a Thoufand Pities, That fuch Evils fhou d be 
 fuffer’d to creep m among us, and the Danger of em 
 not be diicover’d, till fometimes ’tis too late. For 
 when Things are fuffer’d to go on, till many are en- 
 fnar’d, and ev’n our belt Friends, who have: bell: Ac- 
 cefs, and are moll capable of moving for the kedrefs 
 of ’em, are, one Way or other, thro’ want of Warning, 
 engag’d; and then People are told after a confidera- 
 ble While, That they have been doing all Wrong. 
 This Sort of Conduct, I fay, iome may think, is not 
 very friendly, nor very faithful neither; and Co can t 
 be very obliging : Whereas timeous and faithtul W ar- 
 ning might have preferv’d both them, and our ielves. 
 For if tnere had been any Strait, from the Legal Con¬ 
 stitution ©f feme Courts, ^we had a Gracious KING 
 
( 63 ) 
 
 and a Favourable Parliament, to have appli’d unto ia 
 the Cafe : And Mr. Mather , in the fore-cited Place in¬ 
 forms us, That ’tis not the firlt Time there has been 
 an Ordinance of the Parliament of England , for Eafe of 
 tender Confciences, in this very Point. 
 
 ’Tis a found as well as an old Advice, Principzis oh- 
 fla, i. e. It’s ealier hold out than put out ; But what ' 
 ought to have mire Authority with u s , is Ahfiain front 
 all Appearance of Evil, i Tfjef. 5 . 22. ’Tis true this 
 is but one, and, fome will think, but a little one : But 
 ’tis certain, the corrupting of an Ordinance, or the En¬ 
 croaching upon the Authority of the Great Lawgiver, 
 is no fmaJl Thing : And Compliance in fuch Cafes, is a 
 real Encouragement of the Encroachment ; and fuch 
 an Encouragement as may afterwards prove a Tenta- 
 tion to a further Progrefs in the Way of Impofition. 
 And it wou’d be confider’d, That ’tis with thisSorto/ 
 Evils, as with Links in a Chain ; admit one, others 
 will follow : For if one is receiv’d, who can give a 
 Reafon, why another alfo may not ? 
 
 There’s an unfeen Danger in People’s going in with / 
 fuch Innocent-like Practices : For at fuch ImaJi C'revifes, 
 the Now monltruous Body of Popery crept into the 
 Church, and turn’d her off the Foundation. And Satan 
 cou’d not wifh a more effectual Politick, for coolino- 
 People’s Zeal for Gofpel Purity, and abateing their AL^ 
 horrence of Popijh Corruptions ; and thereby fcrinr- 
 ing ’em infenfibly back towards the Door of the Har- 
 l°Pr Houfe. I wou’d not be underilood, to inluiuate 
 any fuch Defign ; No; I’m far from having any 
 fuch Tho’t : But this is the EfFe<ft, and native Ten¬ 
 dency of fuch Compliances ; efpecially when none 
 have the Firmnefs to Hand out, nor the Courage to 1 
 ©ppofe. ° - 
 
 In Times of vifible Defection from the Purity of 
 Gofpel Doctrine, The Simplicity of Gofpel Worfhip 
 and the Holinefs of Gofpel Converfation; the loweft 
 Teitimony, I conceive, one can bear againil it is, to 
 keep his awn Garments unfpctted ; .and to take Care 
 
 - - he 
 
( *9 ) 
 
 lie does not, by any Degree of Compliance, emba-rfe; 
 ■With thofe, who may feem as if they were outward 
 bound. And the foleinn Engagements, v»hich the 
 whole Land, and every one of us is under, to promote 
 further .Reformation in our Places, fhou’d, I’m lure, 
 make all who fear the LORD the more cautious, left, 
 by any fuch Practice as this, they ftrike in with a de¬ 
 clining Generation. 
 
 The Reformation of the Church of Scotland, is now 
 in the Hands of this Generation ; and ’tis highly ne- 
 ceffary we fhou’d take Heed to the great 1'ruft; that 
 we leave it notin worfe Condition than we found it- 
 ’Twas an ufual Saying of the Glorious Knox , That 
 he was more afraid of one Majs in Scotland , than cf 
 ten Thoufand forreign Enemies. JLuther, in his iaft 
 Will bequeath’d the Detejlalion of Popery to ah the Pa¬ 
 llors of the Reform’d Churches. And Dr. Holland 
 FrofeiTor of Divinity in Oxford us'd, when lie had been 
 taking a Journey, to commend to the Fellows, the Dove 
 of GOD , and the Hatred of Popery. Now ’tis not 
 x Popery in Name only, I hope, nor Popery in Grofs, nor 
 as it has an immediate Dependance on the Pomcn An - 
 ticbrijl , which ought to be hated. The Hatred of 
 Popery , doubtlefs includes an Indignation againft all 
 fuch Corruptions, as took their Rile from it, or have 
 a Tendency unto it; come to us from what Hand they 
 will. Our Zeal againft Popery has little Need to llab- 
 ken at this Day : For ’tis likely yet once mere to be 
 ( as it has been among the dying Tho’ts of many Wor¬ 
 thies, that being ufher’d in by a general Defection, 
 it wou’d be ) the Judgment and Trial of thefe Lands : 
 And therefore ’tis much more fit, we fhou’d be labour¬ 
 ing to raze Babylon among us, to the very Foundation, 
 than that we fhou’d feem to favour any of the Duft 
 thereof. 
 
 At prefent, ’Tis true, there’s neither Enemy nor evil 
 Occurrent to difturb us; yet have we not Realon for 
 being fecureand without Fear: For tho’, for many 
 Years, Britain has been a Scene of Wonders f and fuch 
 
 3 
 
9 furcefTive Courfe of publick Changes has gone over 
 our Heads, which had they not been made by the im¬ 
 mediate interposition oftuat Providence, whicn changes 
 the Time; and the Seatons, which-removed* Kings, and 
 fetteth up Kiigs, No humane Counl'el nor Power 
 con’d, until now, have prevented our Rum J Yet the 
 Providence of GOD, with Refpeft to thele Lands con¬ 
 tinues to be a great Deep. Mercy and Judgment feem 
 to keep equal Pace : Sometimes we’re cad down, and 
 then furpnzingly we’re rais’d up again ; Sometimes 
 our Sky clears, and anon Darkneis covers the Face of 
 it : And one Thing, which ought not to efcape our 
 Notice, is, That as for the molt Part we’re ft ill fur- 
 priz’d , So the next appearance ( the w >rft of which 
 is f lmetimes over e’re we’re throw!y appriz’d of our 
 Danger j proves ever to be of a more awful and gloo¬ 
 my Afpe£t than the former. 
 
 And in Regard Preservations and Deliverances are as 
 little improven, yea, as much mifunderftood and ab¬ 
 us’d by us, as fignal Defeats grid Dn'comfitures are by 
 our Enemies ; It gives Ground to fear, There may 
 be Somewnat more Difmal, yet ftill in Referve for us, 
 as well as for ’em. The filly Pretender, with hisde- 
 fperate and bigotted A bettors Abroad or at Home, de- 
 ferve no other Confideration in this Cafe,than that of an 
 'Jazv-Lone in theHand of a Holy and incenfed Pro¬ 
 vidence : For the growing Apoilacy of thefe Lands in a 
 Way of Infidelity, Superfiition, Herefie, Profanity, 
 Lukewarn.nefs and Malignancy ; and all this under the 
 Mask 0 . a Proteltant Profeftion, can’t mifs to have, at 
 Length,feme very dreadful Brand of Divine Judgment 
 fet upon it. 
 
 ’Twas obferv’d many Years ago, by that great Pro¬ 
 ficient in the Study of Divine Providence, the holy and 
 learned Mr. Fleming, in his Epiftolary Difcourfe P. 140 . 
 
 4 That the old Protefiznt Spirit, which was in the. 
 
 4 P >wer and Life of that Proteftion, and before which 
 4 ( when there was little Humane Might or Power to 
 ! it ) the Komijh Intejeft cou’d not poftibly 
 
 ftand 
 
« ftand, was much gone and extinguifht And that 
 
 * an unhappy DiltinCiion 
 
 * was got into Britain more * Near a Kin to tbit , ii 
 4 tnan any otrer Reform’d the Olfetvation of that 
 4 Church, namely, That be- Jhming Light in ouY 
 4 twixt the Prcteftant I Me- Church, the'Judicious and 
 4 rtf in us Politick Con- Learn'd Frazer of Braet 
 
 * corns, and the Protefant 4 I ■perceived ( fays he ) 
 
 4 Religion in the Purity of * T hat our Divinity was 
 4 its DoCtrine, Spirituality 4 much alter'd from whai 
 4 of its Worfhip, and its El- * it was in the Primitive 
 4 ficacy on the Hearts and 4 Reformers Lime. When 
 4 Lives of Men. The For- 4 head Knox, Hamilton, 
 
 4 met is upon private Intereft 4 Tindal, Luther, Calvin, 
 4 and other external Motives 4 Bradford, &c. / thought 
 4 taken Care of, and there’s 4 I fan > another Scheme of 
 4 a frank and eafie Concur- 4 Divinity , much more a- 
 4 rence to the promoting of 4 grteable to the Scrip- 
 4 it; while the Latter is 4 Hires, and to my Experi- 
 4 flighted and overlook’d : 4 ence , then the Modern. 
 4 Yea, by the far greater Life of Vhdocris ( M. S.) 
 4 Part hated, derided and Cap. 9. f. 2. Parag. 5 . af- 
 6 oppos’d.’ But what of ter the Middle. Where one 
 true Wifdom there is in this moy find mere to the fame 
 Conduct, Experience will Purf ofe ; as alfo hisjudg - 
 prove, and Time Will difeo- ment of fame Books , much 
 ver. talk'd of in our Day. 
 
 ’Tis wifh’d. That all true 
 
 hearted Prott Hants wou’d, as it feeins to be full Time 
 that they fhou’d, drop their Party Differences and Hand 
 faft in one Spirit , with one Mind , driving together for 
 the Faith and Defence of the G r fpel. One of the fad, 
 but too common, Effects of divided Sentiments and Pra¬ 
 ctices, is, A Coldnefs of one Side towards every Thing, 
 which the other has any Warmnefs P>r ; Hence they 
 come to do or leave undone Things, which once a Day, 
 neither the one nor the other wou’d have been guilty 
 of: /4nd this encreafes mutual Sufpicion, and widens 
 the Dfflance of affections ; whereas Uniting in, and 
 
 fetting 
 
( 7 % ) • * ; . 
 
 feting one Shoulder to, all good Things wou’d Areng- 
 then ^and encreafe mutual Love and Confidence; 
 ■Wnich how much they wou’d contribute to the healing 
 of our Wounds, neither needs nor can te exprefh 
 It might like ways have been fhown, That, Lefides 
 all the other Evils of this Practice, tis a mod Inr-r 
 politick Way of fwearing Wen in our Country: For 
 Scotfmen generally cai> fcarcely believe themfelves 
 fworn, or'upon Oath,, unlefs they lift up the Hand, 
 and utter the Words with their own Lips. Which 
 brinps to Mind the Story of a Scotfman , who being 
 queition’d by one cf hi? Comrades anent an Oath he 
 had taken in England , turn’d it into a Jed ; and laid, 
 he’d rather kifs the Book thrice in England , than 
 hold uo his Hand once in Scotland, And let Men 
 talk of the Solemnnefs yf the Kijfing Why, what they 
 oleafe ; l belie ve, there’s a Solemnity in Divine In- 
 Ili uttonv, not to be equat'd by the mod Induftrious In¬ 
 ventions 0} Wen; And that the lifting up of the 
 Jrland and f*/earing by the Name of the iViO^T 
 is the more folemn Way, and impreffive of the Aw 
 and Dread of GOD, all the World over: For the 
 Engl ^(h man himfelf has been heard to fay, after he 
 had been ob'lipW to fwear in Scotland according tc> 
 bur Way, Blefi me l they made me hold up my Hand 
 end f ivear by GOD ; Whereas at Home all I had to 
 do was to kifs the Book- And Indances there have 
 b en ev’n in England, of Perfons who have refus’d 
 to Depone in the Way of holding up of the Hand, & 
 Uttering awful Words, what they very frankly offer’d 
 to depone by the Hiding of the the Book. 
 
 Som* think it ftrange, That the ( unknown ) 
 Author of the Ballance for Merchants ( who has act¬ 
 ed, other ways, a very honed Part both to the Go¬ 
 vernment and to the Souls of Men ) fhou’d not have 
 taken notice of this Practice Since he had fo fair 
 an Occafion to have done it: Efpecially when he 
 was anfwering the Objection, That fotne do not tL,nk 
 themfelves fzoortiy And told the Government, That 
 
may have errto'cien □ y rrn-olainS cf, and as 
 an/ Barefac’d Ferjunes »* 0 f** U Scot lari before, 
 have not been fo moc h Innovation which 
 
 And I With , That beimcs: m ^. £re not to te 
 
 we have been £ / T ’ ho > unknown to the 
 
 found ev n un tl . rh “L \ f c jre Hi mains of this 
 greater pot of this Chnrch ; >cm CoB|ts> 3tli 
 
 Superitition in one of CU itii, which I 
 
 Ltear'lo name If thefehad ( *"wo% 
 
 icund their 
 
 accefs fo eafy among us. Caution any who 
 
 ’Twill not be needful, I h0 F e » J . Th at they be- 
 have touch’d and kifs d lU c k^ they 
 
 ware of making ^hich now they may fee 
 
 have given when one fwears ly the Crea- 
 
 was Unlawful. - , tho’ finful in the 
 
 «>- ever fo ^’^fhiding on the Conte- 
 Form of it) M tter is Lawful. Becanfe in all 
 ence, when . toe Mat ^ ^ gnd virtual. Invccati- 
 
 fUCh f?h Name of GOD; which is very enfak 
 on of the Na. - ds Mafth: 23. 20. 22* 
 
 from our LORD - CrCuifts, when one com- 
 
 yea, in the Notion of an Oath 
 
 plies with any - 5 pip j t k e n o Oath y et ; 
 
 X tho’ really and u ^ [elf * J 
 
 to him ’tis an °ath, an - is reported, 
 
 Ido not here meddle wnh* ** ™. g Jjle 
 
 to be the Cu |®^ n , t - the Form of a Bible, with 
 they have a Block cut n ^ b?tterM on’t; which 
 two Leaves of the L ew f the El tle Becaufe 
 
 is given people to kifs ;n heem of the 
 
 that is not the Cafe with ^ rrcctft ofT.n e, 
 
 untog^he to Fate asf Ctar. in one of b> Ortt.ct. 
 
C 74 ) 
 
 tells us ) the Brazen Statue of Hercules among the Agri* 
 gentines in Sicily did ; which had the Op’ning of its 
 xrioatr and Chin much worn, by the frequent Killing 
 of the Worfhippers. 
 
 It has been obferv’d of former Times, That as the 
 fuperhitious Ufe of the Bible prevail’d, and became fa¬ 
 shionable among a People, the true and proper Ufe of It 
 wore proportionally out of Fa hion. ^n i there's no 
 Room to doubt of it, when any of the LORD’S Ordi¬ 
 nances are abus’d to Superidition or Idolatry; He’s, in 
 fo far, provok’d to withdraw his Prefence, and with¬ 
 hold ms Ble/ling from ’em. But to conclude, 
 
 T Augujline had too much Reafon for faying, Vs. t'ibi 
 Jflumen Moris-hummiy &c 4 Clirfed be thou i'tream of 
 4 humane Cuftom, who is able to rend thee ? When 
 4 Wilt thou run dry l- How long like a ftrong Torrent 
 4 wilt thou carry dawn ev’n the Children of the Church 
 4 into the fearful Lake, See. But how de/irable and much 
 tu be wifhd for is that Day, Matth: 13,41. — When 
 .the Son of Man fhall fend forth — and git her out of his * 
 Kingdom all Things that offend* 
 
 ft 
 
 
f 75 ) 
 
 Poftfcrifit, 
 
 B Y 
 
 The Bublijher. 
 
 T He Courts, in which this New Mode 
 of Swearing is us’d, are the Courts of 
 Exchequer , The Custom office : And 
 J twss us’d in the Court of Oyer and Terminer. 
 ’Tis reported. That it has been alfo us’d in 
 fome of the Out-port Cuftom Houfesf and that 
 they’re begun to ufe it in others of ’em : And, 
 That ’tis done in fome Cafes at the Excife 
 Board : As alfo, That by Law, the Juflites 
 of the Peace may require People to (wear 
 after that Manner. 
 
 The Courts among our (elves, which the 
 Author aims at P.73, arc, I apprehend. 
 The Commiffar Court of Edinburgh , where, 
 in the Cafe of Divorces efpecially, They 
 mud (it on their Knees, and lay their Hand 
 
 Oil 
 
/ 
 
 ( 7 * } 
 
 cn the Bible, in giving their Oath; and 
 the Council- of Henot’s Mfak, where, accord¬ 
 ing to the Conftitutions, every Member mud 
 lay his Hand on the Gofpels , in giving his 
 Oath dc Ft deli. 
 
 Abftra&mg from Religion, ’ns Pity, That 
 Scots Men Ihou’d To tamely thro’ up the 
 Laudable Cuftoms of their Country, ior a 
 Thing ok Naught. What woii’d our Fathers 
 (ay it they were to fee us dbing 1© ? 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 •r Elides Literal Efcapes, That do^not wrong tha 
 i Scnfe. Pag: 4. L ult. But lie knows, Read, knows 
 aot. P- 6. JL. 15 K. Armenian. P- 17- L 18 * d. at. 
 p. 38 . 1. 25. d. when. P. S2. Margin I. 32.For¬ 
 bearance, h. forbearing. P. 58* Marg. L. 14 * d. he ?J