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and accuse them: and their own conscience, with all the blessed company of heaven, shall bear witness truly against them. And Christ the righteous judge shall then justly condemn them to everlasting shame and death. This sin of perjury, Almighty God, by the prophet Malachi, doth threaten to punish sore, saying unto the Jews, I will come to you in judgment, and I will be a swift witness and a sharp judge upon sorcerers, adulterers, and perjured persons. Which thing, to the prophet Zachary, God declareth in a vision, wherein the prophet saw a book flying, which was twenty cubits long, and ten cubits broad, God saying then unto him, this is the curse that shall go forth upon the face of the earth, for falsehood, false-swearing, and perjury. And this curse shall enter into the house of the false man, and into the house of the perjured man, and it shall remain in the midst of his house, consume him, and the timber and stones of his house. Thus you see how much God doth hate perjury, and what punishment God hath prepared for falseswearers and perjured persons.

Thus you have heard, how and in what causes it is lawful for a christian man to swear: Ye have heard what properties and conditions a lawful oath must have, and also how such lawful oaths are both godly and necessary to be observed: Ye have heard, that it is not lawful to swear vainly, that is, other ways than in such causes, and after such sort as is declared. And, finally, ye have heard how damnable a thing it is, either to forswear ourselves, or to keep an unlawful, and an unadvised oath. Wherefore let us earnestly call for grace, that all vain swearing and perjury set apart, we may only use such oaths as be lawful and godly, and that we may truly, without all fraud, keep

Malac. iii.

HOM. VIII.

On Falling from God.

the same, according to God's will and pleasure. To whom with the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory. Amen.

Judicial Oaths are permitted in holy Scripture both by precept and example. Heb. vi. 16. Matt. xxvi. 63. Rom. i. 9. The forms of them have been various in different nations and among different sects, among the Jews by the servant putting his hand under the thigh of his Lord. Gen. xxiv. 2, or by the Juror holding up his hand as is implied in Deut. xxxii. 40, Ps. cxliv. 8. Among the Greeks and Romans the form varied with the subject and occasion of the oath. In Christian countries, by an address with the right hand on the Holy Gospels, among the Quakers by a simple affirmation, &c. but whatever be the form of an oath, the signification is the same. It is "the calling upon God to witness," i. e. to take notice of "what we say," and it is invoking his vengeance, or renouncing his favour, if what we say be false, or what we promise be not performed.

HOMILY VIII.

How dangerous a thing it is to Fall from God. Of our going from God, the wise man saith, that pride was the first beginning; for by it man's heart was turned from God his Maker. For pride, saith he, is the fountain of all sin: he that hath it shall be full of cursings, and at the end it shall overthrow him. And, as by pride and sin, we go from God, so shall God and all goodness with him go from us. And the prophet Hosea doth plainly affirm, that they which go away still from God by vicious living, and yet would go about to pacify him otherwise by sacrifice, and entertain him thereby, they labour in vain. For, notwithstanding all their sacrifice, yet he goeth still away from them. Forsomuch, saith the prophet, as they do not apply their minds to return to God, although they go about with

Eccles. x. Hosca v.

HOM. VIII.

On Falling from God.

whole flocks and herds to seek the Lord, yet they shall not find him: for he is gone away from them. But as touching our turning to God, or from God, you shall understand, that it may be done divers ways. Sometimes directly by idolatry, as Israel and Judah then did: sometimes men go from God by lack of faith, and mistrusting of God, whereof Isaiah speaketh on this wise, Woe to them that go down into Egypt to seek for help, trusting in horses, and having confidence in the number of chariots, and puissance or power of horsemen. They have no confidence in the holy God of Israel, nor seek for the Lord. But what followeth? The Lord shall let his hand fall upon them, and down shall come both the helper, and he that is holpen: they shall be destroyed all together. Sometimes men go from God by the neglecting of his commandments concerning their neighbours, which command them to express hearty love towards every man, as Zachary said unto the people in God's behalf. Give true judgment, shew mercy and compassion every one to his brother, imagine no deceit towards widows, or children fatherless and motherless, towards strangers, or the poor, let no man forge evil in his heart against his brother. But these things they passed not of, they turned their backs, and went their way, they stopped their ears that they might not hear, they hardened their hearts as an adamant stone, that they might not listen to the law, and the words that the Lord had sent through his Holy Spirit, by his ancient prophets. Wherefore the Lord shewed his great indignation upon them. It came to pass, saith the prophet, even as I told them; as they would not hear, so when they cried, they were not heard, but were scattered into all kingdoms which they never knew, and their land

Isa. xxxi, Zach. vii. Jer, vii.

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was made desolate. And to be short, all they that may not abide the word of God, but following the persuasions and stubbornness of their own hearts, go backward and not forward, as it is said in Jeremy, They go and turn away from God. Insomuch that Origen saith, He that with mind, with study, with deeds, with thought and. care, applieth and giveth himself to God's word, and thinketh upon his laws day and night, giveth himself wholly to God, and in his precepts and commandments is exercised: this is he that is turned to God. And on the other part he saith, Whosoever is occupied with fables and tales when the word of God is rehearsed, he is turned from God. Whosoever in time of reading God's word, is careful in his mind of worldly business, of money, or of lucre, he is turned from God. Whosoever is entangled with the cares of possessions, filled with covetousness of riches, whosoever studieth for the glory and honour of this world, he is turned from God. So that after his mind, whosoever hath not a special mind to that thing that is commanded or taught of God, he that doth not listen unto it, embrace, and imprint it in his heart, to the intent that he may duly fashion his life thereafter, he is plainly turned from God, although he do other things of his own devotion and mind, which to him seem better, and more to God's honour. Which thing to be true, we be taught and admonished in the holy Scripture by the example of king Saul, who, being commanded of God by Samuel, that he should kill all the Amalekites, and destroy them clearly with their goods and cattle: yet he being moved, partly with pity, and partly, as he thought, with devotion unto God, saved Agag the king, and all the chief of their cattle, therewith, to make sacrifice unto God. 1 Kings xv.

Jer, vii.

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Wherewithal God being displeased highly, said unto the prophet Samuel, I repent that ever I made Saul king, for he hath forsaken me, and not followed my words, and so he commanded Samuel to shew him; and when Samuel asked wherefore, contrary to God's word, he had saved the cattle, he excused the matter partly by fear, saying, he durst do no other, for that the people would have it so; partly for that they were goodly beasts, he thought God would be content, seeing it was done of a good intent and devotion, to honour God with the sacrifice of them.

But Samuel reproving all such intents and devotions, seem they never so much to God's honour, if they stand not with his word, whereby we may be assured of his pleasure, said on this wise, Would God have sacrifices and offerings, or rather that his word should be obeyed? To obey him is better than offerings, and to listen to him is better than to offer the fat of rams: yea, to repugn against his voice is as evil as the sin of soothsaying; and not to agree to it is like abominable idolatry. And now forasmuch as thou hast cast away the word of the Lord, he hath cast away thee, that thou shouldst not be king.

By all these examples of holy Scripture, we may know, that as we forsake God, so shall he ever forsake us. And what miserable state doth consequently and necessarily follow thereupon, a man may easily consider, by the terrible threatenings of God. And although he consider not all the said misery to the uttermost, being so great that it passeth any man's capacity in this life sufficiently to consider the same: yet he shall soon perceive so much thereof, that if his heart be not more than stony, or harder than the adamant, he shall fear, tremble, and quake, to call the same to bis remembrance.

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