2. Another way of taking God's name in vain is, when we fwear by it needlessly, though it be not falfely. For this allo the word in vain fignifies.

One way of doing fo, is by rash and inconfiderate vows: for a vow, being a promise made folemnly to God, partakes of the nature of an oath. And there may poffibly be fometimes good reasons for entering into this kind of engagement. But, vowing to do what there is no ufe in doing, is trifling with our Creator: making unlawful vows, is directly telling him, we will disobey him: making fuch without neceffity, as are difficult to keep, is leading ourselves into temptation; and indeed making any, without much thought and prudent advice firft, ufually proves an unhappy fnare. One vow we have all made, and were bound to make, that of our baptifm, which includes every real good refolution. That therefore let us carefully keep, and frequently ratify; and we shall scarce have occafion to make any more.

Another very needlefs, and always finful, ufe of God's name is, by oaths in common difcourfe. Too many there are, who fill up with them a great part of their moft trifling converfation especially, if ever fo little warmth rises in talk, then they abound in them. Now it is unavoidable, but perfons, who are perpetually fwearing, muft frequently perjure themselves. But were that otherwife; it is great irreverence, upon every. flight thing we fay, to invoke God for a witness; and mix his holy and reverend name* with the idleft things that come out of our mouths. And what makes this practice the more inexcufable is, that we cannot have either any advantage from it, or any natural pleasure in it. Sometimes it arifes from a haftiness and impatience of temper; which is but increased by giving this vent to it: whereas it is every one's wisdom, not to let it break out in any way, much less in such a way. But generally it is nothing more than a filly and profane cuftom, inconfiderately taken up: and there are the strongest reafons for laying it down immediately. It will make us disliked and abhorred by good perfons, and scarce recommend us to the very worst. No perfon is the fooner believed for his frequent fwearing: on the contrary, a modeft ferious affirmation is always much more regarded. And if any one's cha

*Pfalm cxi. 9.

racter

at is fo low, that his word cannot be taken; he must think of other methods to retrieve it. For he will not at all mend matters, by adding his oath ever fo often over. Then if fwearing be affected, as becoming; it is certainly quite otherwise, in the highest degree. The very phrases used in it, as well as the occafions, on which they are used, are almost constantly abfurd and foolish: and furely profaneness can never leffen the folly. Befides, they make the converfation of men fhocking and hellish. They are acknowledged to be disrespectful to the company, in which they are used: and if regard to their earthly fuperiors can reftrain perfons from fwearing; why should not the reverence, owing to our heavenly Father, do it much more effectually? But indeed the indulgence of this fin wears off by degrees all fenfe of religion, and of every thing that is good.

Juftly therefore doth our Saviour direct: But I fay unto you, Swear not at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne ; nor by the earth, for it is his footfool; neither by Jerufalem, for it is the city of the great King neither falt thou fwear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these, cometh of evil. That is: avoid, not only the groffer oaths, but all the filly refinements and foftenings of them, which men have contrived, in hope to make them feem innocent: for, though the name of God be not expreffed, yet if it be implied, by mentioning fomething related to God, instead of himfelf; indeed whatever form is used to disguise it, the intent is the fame; and the effect will be, bringing a facred obligation into familiarity and contempt. Keep yourfelves therefore, throughout the whole of your common conversation, within the bounds of a plain affirmation or denial: for whatever goes beyond thefe, proceeds from a bad turn of mind, and will produce bad confequences.

L

If indeed, we be required to fwear before a magiftrate, or public officer, for the difcovery of truth, and the doing of juftice, this is notwithstanding lawful. For our Saviour forbids it only in our communication, our ordinary difcourfe and he himself, our great pattern, answered upon oath to the High Prieft, who adjured him by the living Godt. Or though we be VOL. IV. 3 B

not

not called up by law, yet if fome other weighty and extraor dinary occafion fhould oblige us to call our Maker to witness; as St Paul hath done, in more places than one of his epiftles ; then also we may allowably do it, provided it be always with fincerity and reverence. For by oaths, thus taken, men are benefited; and the name of God not profaned, but honoured. But in our daily talk, and communication with each other, it is our Saviour's peremptory precept, Swear not at all: a rule fo evidently right and important, that even heathens have ftrictly enjoined and followed it, to the fhame of too many, who call themselves Chriftians.

Together with common fwearing fhould be mentioned another fin, very near akin to it, and almoft always joined with it, that monftrous cuftom of curfing; in direct contradiction to all humanity, and to the exprefs words of fcripture, Blefs, and curfe not*. To wish the heavieft judgments of God, and even eternal damnation, to a person, for the slightest cause, or none at all; to wish the fame to ourfelves, if fome trifling thing, that we are faying, be not true, which frequently after all is not true; amounts to the most defperate impiety, if people at all confider what they say. And though they do not, it is even then thoughtlessly treating God, and his laws, and the awful fanction of them, with contempt: and blotting out of their minds all ferious regard to fubjects, that will one day be found most ferious things. His delight was in curfing, fays the Pfalmift, and it shall happen unto him: he loved not blessing, therefore fhall it be far from him †.

3. Befides the offences already mentioned, all indecent and unfit ufe of God's name in our difcourfe, though it he not in fwearing or curfing, comes within the prohibition of this commandment. All irreverent fayings, and even thoughts, concerning his nature and attributes, his actions and his com mands, fall under the fame guilt; unless we are tormented with fuch thoughts, whether we will or not: for then they are only an affliction, not a fin. All forts of talk, ridiculing, mifreprefenting, or inveighing against religion, or whatever is connected with it, incur the like condemnation. Nay, even want of attention in God's worship, drawing near unto him

with

om. xii. 14.

† Pfal. cix. 16.

with our mouths, whilst we remove our hearts far from him *, i£ it be wilfully or carelessly indulged, makes us chargeable, in its degree, with the fin of taking his name in vain.

4. Though we no way profane his name ourselves; yet if we intice others to perjury and falfehood; or provoke them to rafh oaths and curfes; or give them any needlefs temptation to blafpheme God; to fpeak difrefpectfully, or think slightly, of their Maker, or his laws, natural or revealed: by fuch behaviour alfo we become acceffary to the breach of this commandment; and rank ourselves with those, whom it exprefsly declares God will not hold guiltless: that is, will not acquit, but feverely punish.

Let us therefore be watchful to preferve continually fuch. an awe of the Supreme Being upon our own minds, and those of all who belong to us, as may on every occafion effectually influence us to give him the glory due unto his name, both in our more folemn addreffes to him, and in our daily words and actions. For God is greatly to be feared in the affembly of the faints and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about bim t.

:

F the worship of God were left at large to be performed at

IF

any time, too many would be tempted to defer and postpone it, on one pretence or another, till at length it would be performed at no time. And therefore, though he were to be adored only by each perfon feparately, and in private, it would

be

very expedient to fix on some stated returning seasons, for that purpose. But reason shows it to be requifite, and the experience of all ages proves it to be natural, that as we are fo

cial creatures, we should be focial in religion, as well as other things, and honour in common our common Maker: that we should unite in giving thanks to him for the bleffings of life; a very great part of which we should be incapable of, without uniting that we fhould join in praying forgiveness of the fins, which we too often join in committing: petition him together for the mercies, which we have need of receiving together; and, by affembling to learn and acknowledge our feveral duties, keep alive in one another, as well as ourselves, that conftant regard to piety and virtue, on which our happiness depends, here and hereafter.

Since therefore, on thefe accounts, there must be public worship and inftruction: it is not only expedient, but necessary, that there fhould be alfo fixed times appointed for it by fufficient authority. And how much and what time should be devoted to this purpose, every fociety must have determined for themselves, and would have found it hard enough to agree in determining, if God had given no intimation of his will in the cafe. But happily we are informed, in the history of the creation, that the Maker of the world, having finished his work in fix days, (which he could as easily have finished in one moment, had it not been for some valuable reason, probably of inftruction to us, blessed the seventh day and fanctified it*: that is, appointed every return of it to be religiously kept, as a folemn memorial, that of him, and therefore to him, are all things. It is much the most natural to apprehend, that this appointment took place from the time when it is mentioned; from the time, when the reafon of it took place. And it is no wonder at all, that, in fo fhort a hiftory, notice should not be taken of the actual obfervation of it before Mofes: for notice is not taken of it in 500 years after Moses. Yet we know o a certainty, that in his time, at least, it was ordered to be obferved, both in this fourth commandment, and in other parts of the law, which direct more particularly the manner of keeping it.

The thing, most exprefsly enjoined the Jews, in each of these paffages, is, refting from all manner of work; and not suffering their families, their cattle, nor even the ftrangers that lived amongst them, to labour on that day. And the reafon of this