Augustus prohibited the common use of his name, lest it should gi'ow too cheap and vile, by the common and needless using of it. The name of iVIercurius Trismegistus was very sparingly used, because of the great reverence the people had for him. The very Heathens were afraid to pronounce the name of their great god, Demogorgon, as fearing the earth would tremble, when his name was mentioned. How doth the reverence of Heathens to their false gods, expose and aggravate the impudence of professed Christians, in their vile indig- nities and abuses of the great and terrible name of the true God ! Yea, they not only take up his name vainly and rashly into their lips, but audaciousl}^ insert it by a profane oath into their common talk, as that which gives the grace, lepor, and ornament to their discourses. Some have not been ashamed to say, Avhat pity is it, that swearing should be a sin, which gives so great a grace and ornament to language ?
§ ^. Swearing by the name of God in a righteous cause, when called thereto by due authority, is not only a lawful, but a religious act, founded upon, and directed to the honour of God's omniscience ; Avhereunto there is a solemn appeal made, in every assertory and pro- missory oath, and a religious acknowledgment made him, of his in- falhble knowledge of the truth or falsehood of our hearts, and all the secrets of them, be they never so involved and inward things.
The lawful use and end of swearing, is to put an end to all strife, and to maintain both equity and charity among men ; the two bonds and ligaments of human society. Now, it being the sovereign right and property of God alone, infallibly to search and try the hearts and reins of men, he thereby becomes the inlaiiibic witness to the
THE KF.ASONABLENESS OF PEUSOXAL llEroilMATIOX. 489
truth or falsehood of what they speak ; so that in every such lawful oath, there is not only a solemn appeal, and in that appeal an ascrip- tion of glory to his sovereign omniscience ; but therein (implicitly at least) they put themselves under his wrath and curse, in case they swear falsely ; which makes this action most sacred and solemn.
The deep corruption of human nature by the fail, makes these appeals to God under a curse necessary. For it is sup]:)osed, though men be false and deceitful, yet there is some reverence of a Deity, and fear of his wrath and curse, left unextinguished in their fallen nature. So that men will rather speak the truth (though to their own shame and loss) than by invocating so glorious a name in vain, put both soul and body under his wrath and curse. By which it appears what an awful and solenm thing an oath is; and that every good man, not only takes a lawful oath with holy fear and trembling, because of the solemnity of the action ; but rather ought to chuse death, than to swear profanely, because of the horrid malignity of the action.
§ 3. The contumely and malignity found in profane oaths, appears in that terrible threatening, " The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain :" A threatening, altogether as just and righteous, as it is severe and terrible. This sin admits of degrees of guilt. It is highly sinful to swear by the name of God lightly and vainly in our common discourses, though the oath be clipped, and half suppressed, or disguised in the pronunciation of it ; wliich ar- gues remains of fear and shame in the sinner.
It is yet worse (and indeed not a jot below blasphemy) to swear by any other name, than the name of God : For in so doing, they attribute to a creature thg sovereign and incommunicable property of God, set that creature in the very throne of God, and invest it with the regalities of his omniscience, to know our hearts, and al- mighty power, to avenge the wrong upon us, done to himself, as well as to men, by false-swearing.
But to break in rudely and blasphemously upon the sacred and tremendous name of God, with bold and full-mouthed oaths, striking through his sacred name with direct contumelious blasphemies ; this argues an heart, from which all fear of God is utterly expelled and banished.
Yet some there are, grown up to that prodigious height of impiety, that they dare assault the very heavens, and discharge whole vollies of blasphemies against the glorious majesty which dwells there. They are not afraid to bid defiance to him, and challenge the God that made them, to do his worst. They deck and adorn (as tliey account it) their common discourse with bloody oaths, and horrid imprecations ; not reckoning them genteel and modish without them. It consists not with the greatness of their spirits, to be wicked at the common rate. They are willing to let the world know, that they are none of tliose pun V, silly fellows, that are afraid of invisible powers, or so much
490 THE REASOSTABLENESS OF PERSOXAL REFOIlMAT^O^^
cowards, as to slip a full-niouthedoath, by suppressing, or whispering:" the emphatical sounding syllable ; but think an horrid blasphemy makes the most sweet and graceful cadency in their hellish rhetoric^ They glory, that they have fully conquered all those troublesome notions of good and evil, virtue and vice, heaven and hell, to that degree, that they can now affront the divine Majesty to his very face, and not fear the worst he threatens in his word against their wickedness.
If there be a God, (which they scarce believe) they are resolved,, audaciously to provoke him to give them a convincing evidence of his being. And if he be (as they are told he is) rich in patience and for- bearance, they are resolved to try how far his patience will extend, and what load of wickedness it is capable to bear.
If their damnation be not yet sure enough, they will do their ut* most to make it sure, by breaking down the only bridge whereby they can escape damnation : I mean, by trampling under their feet the precious blood and wounds of the Son of God, and imprecating the damnation of hell upon their own souls, as if it slumbered too long, and were too slow-paced in its motions towards them. I aim of opi- nion, there are few Christians to be found on earth, crying so often. Lord, jiardon ; Lord save me ; as some wretches among u& cry, (I tirmhlc to speak it !) God damn me : the devil talce me.
Herein they seem to envy the happiness of the devils, and damned wretches in hell, and endeavour (as one speaks) to snatch damnation out of God's hand before the time; as if they could not be soon enough among their roaring and howling companions in the midst of the everlasting burnings. But, why such haste to be perfectly miser- able ? The very devils themselves deprecate torments before their time, though you imprecate them. Your misery makes haste enough: towards you ; you need not quicken it, or thus run to meet it.