Section 17: Of Swearing, and other Precepts, respecting Conversation.

Book 1 Section 17 (p. 26-27):
Of Swearing, and other Precepts, respecting Conversation.

Other Laws forbid Perjury, but the Christian Law requires us to abstain from all vain Protestations, and from all unnecessary Asseverations; and to be such punctual keepers of our Word, and lovers of Truth in all our Speech, that there may be no need to exact an Oath from us at all. Briefly, there can be nothing found out, in the Law of Nature, the Grecian Philosophers, or in the Sentences of the Hebrews, or other Nations, that is Excellent, concerning Modesty, and Temperance, and Goodness and discreet Behaivour; concerning Prudence, the Office of Magistrates, honoured by Christianity as God's Ordinance, Rom. 13. requiring every Soul to be subject thereto, for the Lords sake: Of Parents and Children, Husband and Wife, Master and Servant, but especially touching Vices to be shuned, which by a fair shew of Vertue, deceived most of the Greeks and the Romans; namely the itching desires of Honours and Glory. Lastly, The sum of all Precepts, admirable for the solid Brevity, to love God above all things, and our Neighbours as our selves; that is, to do to another, what we would have done to our selves.

Against this commendation of Christian Religion, it is wont to be objected by some, and particularly the Jews, The great difference of Opinions among Christians: whence is sprung also a multitude of Sects. But though this may better be urged to prove the Doctrine of Christ to be Good than otherwise, sith Satan and wicked Men, always went about to mischief such as walk in the Truth, by stirring up Commotions and Distractions among them, whose differences alter not the Doctrine, which stands as the clearest Witness against such Discords. Yet we have another Answer ready, viz. That the same accident befals almost all Arts whatsoever, partly through the imbecility of humane Understanding, and partly because Judgment is overswayed by Affection; yet are these varieties of Opinion wont to consist within the bounds of certain Truths agreed on, whence Arguments are drawn in Disputations of the Questions. As among the Jews (who cannot boast of their Unity) the Pharisees, Sadduces, and Esseans, &c. differed as much as Christians, yet they all acknowledged one Deity, one Law, and one Law-giver; and their differences were about the Exposition of the same Law. The Heathen may not boast in this case: for according to their Nations, so were their Gods; the variety of Gods adored by the same Nation, as may be seen in Homer, of the Wars of Troy, in Aug. de Civitate Dei; of the state of the Romans, Goths, and Vandals. In humane Arts, as the Mathematicks, it is disputed, whether a Circle may be Quadrated: It is agreed on all hands, that equal parts being taken away from Equals, the remainders are equal. The like we see in Physick and Medicine, and other Arts. So also the discrepance among Christians, who were sincere lovers of that Holy One, and his Gospel in general (for all are not Christians that call themselves so) could not spoyl, though it may injure, the Harmony of the Principle Points; that is, the agreement in those Precepts, from which we have especially taken estimation of Christian Religion; the certainty whereof is apparent in this, That whosoever in the heat of their Quarrels seek out matter of difference; yet do not proceed so far, as directly to deny those things commanded by Christ; no not they who will not compose their Life after that Rule; and if any one will be so absurd as to contradict these Precepes of Christianity whereof we have spoken, he must be numbred with the Philosopher that denied the whiteness of Snow. For as these are refelled by Sense, so are they by consent of Christians in all Nations, and of the Books written by the Primitive Christians, and their immediate Successors, who sealed the Faith of Christ with their Blood. What all these ackowledg (especially the Primitive Witnesses) to be the Doctrine of Christ, must be account so by every upright Judg; as Plato is believed, Xenophon, and other Socratists, concerning the Doctrines of Socrates; the School of Stoicks, in those things which their Master Zeno taught. And indeed nothing can be objected against the certainty of the Doctrine of the Gospel being Christ's, which will not equally call Moses himself in question, and all Authors of any Form of Doctrine whatsoever, whether such Doctrines were theirs.