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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1">
<P>A SERMON Preached on the 8. day <HI>of May</HI> 1615. <HI>in the Pari&s;h-</HI>Church of S. STEPHEN in Walbrooke London.</P>
<P><HI>At an anniuer&s;arie Solem|</HI>nitie and a&s;&s;emblie of the Companie of Grocers of LONDON.</P>
<P>In commemoration of their <HI>ancient and fir&s;t beginning</HI> to be a Companie.</P>
<P>BY <HI>R. F.</HI> DOCTOR in Diuinitie.</P>
<P>LONDON Printed for <HI>William A&s;pley.</HI></P>
<P>1615.</P>
<PB REF="2">
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD><HI>TO THE Right Wor&s;hipfull</HI> and his &s;ingular good <HI>PATRONS, the Companie of the GROCERS.</HI></HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub"><HI>R. F.</HI> Wi&s;heth the <HI>increa&s;e of all peace and happine&s;&s;e.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_RIght wor&s;hip|full, although it be much a|gain&s;t my di&s;po&s;ition,
<PB REF="3"> who preach &s;o often, to commit any one Ser|mon to the publike view, e&s;pecially this, whereof I haue as meane conceit as of the re&s;t ordinarily de|liuered. Notwith&s;tan|ding, if it may giue any &s;atisfaction, I doe humbly intreat, that you would be plea&s;ed to accept of &s;o &s;mall a te&s;timonie of my greater thankefulne&s;&s;e. To whom as I acknow|ledge
<PB REF="3"> my &s;elfe much obliged, &s;o &s;hall I euer be readie to render a farre greater &s;ignifi|cation of my dutie. And albeit this &s;ub|iect de&s;erueth to bee amplified much more then my lea&s;ure in the throng of other bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e would at this time permit: yet vn|der&s;tanding of a ru|mour &s;pread, as if vpon conference with &s;ome, I &s;hould beginne
<PB REF="4"> to alter my minde; I haue cho&s;en rather to &s;et it downe word for word as it was at that time vttered, then to enlarge any branch of it. I laboured mo&s;t to deliuer the naked truth in this point, without ornament of &s;peech: &s;uch nakedne&s;&s;e is ne|uer to bee a&s;hamed. Thus de&s;iring Almigh|tie God that the &s;im|ple truth may &s;o worke vpon the con&s;ciences
<PB REF="4"> of euery one for the e&s;tabli&s;hing of peace, order, and gouernment amongst vs, that we may haue a mo&s;t ten|der care of all &s;uch Oathes from that Oath of Allegeance to his Maie&s;tie, to the Oathes taken by the meane&s;t Church-Wardens in our pari&s;hes: I doe humbly commend you in my praiers to the gratious protection of the Almightie.</P>
<PB REF="5">
<CLOSER><DATELINE>From <HI>S. Stephens Walbrooke, Lon|don.</HI> <DATE>May 25. 1615.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>R. F.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="5">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>HEB. 6. 16.</BIBL>
<Q>For men verily &s;weare by him that is greater: an Oath amongst them is an end of all &s;trife.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_AN oath is the &s;tronge&s;t co~|firmation of a truth auerred, and the mo&s;t religious ob|ligation of any thing promi&s;ed that is to be
<PB N="2" REF="6"> found vnder heauen. So holy, that God hath hallowed it no otherwi&s;e then his owne Sabaoth both by precept and exam|ple. For as the fourth Co~mandement is not only &s;anctified by di|uine precept, <HI>Remem|ber thou keepe holy the Sabaoth day,</HI> but by Gods owne example, <HI>Hee re&s;ted the &s;euenth day, wherefore the Lord ble&s;&s;ed the &s;euenth day and hallowed it.</HI> In like manner this affirmi|tiue part of the third Commaundement is
<PB N="3" REF="6"> &s;anctified by precept as a part of Gods wor|&s;hippe, <HI>E&s;&s;.</HI> 45. 23. <HI>E|uery knee &s;hall bow to me, and euery tongue &s;hall &s;weare by me.</HI> And at the 13. ver&s;. before my text, wee haue his owne practice and ex|ample: where he con|firmeth his promi&s;e to <HI>Abraham</HI> by an Oath, As is the in&s;titution, &s;o is the forme, and end of an Oath: for wee &s;weare by a greater then our &s;elues, to the end that &s;uch &s;wering may bee a pre&s;ent re|medie again&s;t all &s;trife
<PB N="4" REF="7"> and contention a|mong&s;t vs. Let the&s;e be the two parts of my text, <HI>The forme</HI> and the <HI>end of an Oath.</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 The Forme, <HI>That men &s;weare by a greater.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2 The End, <HI>That it makes an end of all &s;trife.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P N="1">1 This greater, by whom men &s;weare, is no le&s;&s;e then God him&s;elfe, for in <HI>Ier.</HI> 5. 7. God chalengeth tho&s;e <HI>who &s;weare by them that be no Gods.</HI> An Oath therefore is the inuo|cation of the name of God, reuerend and holie then is an Oath,
<PB N="5" REF="7"> becau&s;e reuerend and holy is his name; So deepely is this point imprinted in the harts of men, that naturall Religion hath taught the very Heathen them&s;elues, to &s;weare by their gods, as <HI>La|ban</HI> &s;ware by the <HI>God of Nahor,</HI> but <HI>Iacob,</HI> by <HI>the feare of I&s;aake,</HI> that is by the true God <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gen.</HI> 31. 53.</NOTE> whom <HI>I&s;aake</HI> his father wor&s;hiped.</P>
<P>This point al&s;o is expre&s;&s;ed, by the very ceremonie of an Oath: <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> put his hand vnder <HI>Iacobs</HI> thigh,
<PB N="6" REF="8"> and the &s;eruant of <HI>A|braham</HI> vnder the thigh of his Ma&s;ter. Becau&s;e (as <HI>S. Augu&s;t:</HI> and <HI>Ambros</HI> expounds it) God our Sauiour was to proceed out of the loines of <HI>Abraham, I&s;aake,</HI> and <HI>Iacob;</HI> and as of old they put their hands, vnder the thigh of tho&s;e Patri|arches of whom Chri&s;t was then to come: &s;o to the &s;ame purpo&s;e do Chri&s;tians lay their hands vpon &s;ome part of that &s;a|cred booke wherein Chri&s;t is reuealed. By
<PB N="7" REF="8"> &s;uch like ceremonies do we &s;ignifie that we &s;weare by a greater, and that greater to be no other then God, and our Sauiour.</P>
<P>The 3 grounds or rea&s;ons of inuocating the name of God in an Oath as they do naturally ri&s;e of that terme of my text <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;o will they cleere the way vnto that which fol|loweth.</P>
<P N="1">1 Men by &s;in haue lo&s;t their credit, and therefore doe they pawne the credit of
<PB N="8" REF="9"> him who is truth it &s;elfe. And in ca&s;e of nece&s;&s;itie for want of other &s;ufficient pledge God doth vouch&s;afe to pledge his truth for hone&s;t men that mean well, The truth and credit of God is grea|ter then mans, and therefore men &s;weare by him, as by a grea|ter.</P>
<P N="2">2 An Oath is the manife&s;tation of a &s;e|cret truth or intention of the heart for to &s;weare in things mani|fe&s;t, is the taking of the name of God in vaine.
<PB N="9" REF="9"> But God alone is the knower of the heart and reynes, therefore he onely mu&s;t te&s;tifie, that which is perfect|ly knowne to none but him. He is greater in knowledge then man, in knowledge of &s;e|cret thoughts and things that are mo&s;t hidden, therefore man &s;weareth by him as by the greater.</P>
<P N="3">3 If a man &s;hall for|&s;weare him&s;elfe, or vi|olate his Oath, the wrong is done direct|ly vnto God. His truth is fal&s;ified, his
<PB N="10" REF="10"> name is abu&s;ed in the highe&s;t degree. Great rea&s;on therefore that he &s;hould be iudge in that ca&s;e. To redeeme his &s;acred name by ta|king vengeance vp|on periured per&s;ons. From this ground it ari&s;eth that the Maie|&s;tie of God is called vpon in an Oath. <HI>Vt te&s;tis &amp; vindex.</HI> And therefore as God doth pawne his &s;acred name for our credit, &s;o doe we lay in a counter|pawne of our &s;aluati|on, or of &s;omewhat that is deare&s;t vnto vs
<PB N="11" REF="10"> for our fidelitie. Which we mu&s;t for|feit if wee keepe not our Oath.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle hath giuen an in&s;tance of a perfect forme in this kinde, 2. <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 23. <HI>I call God to record vpon my Soule.</HI> There is God <HI>Te&s;tis &amp; Vindex, I call God to record,</HI> there is Gods pawne for <HI>Paul</HI></P>
<P><HI>Vpon my Soul,</HI> There is <HI>Pauls</HI> counterpawne for his &s;idelitie. <HI>In ani|mam meam,</HI> vpon the perill of mine owne &s;oule be it if I fal&s;ifie Gods record. If <HI>Paul</HI>
<PB N="12" REF="11"> now had abu&s;ed the te&s;timony of God, he had forfeited his own &s;oule.</P>
<P>This forfeiture was of old expre&s;&s;ed by <HI>God doe &s;o to mee and more al&s;o,</HI> or &s;uch like formes of execration. Now is it giuen for the conclu&s;ion of our &s;olemne Oathes. <HI>So help you God.</HI></P>
<P>By this I hope you conceiue the forme, and by the forme, the nature of an Oath, together with the rea|&s;ons why wee &s;weare only by the name of
<PB N="13" REF="11"> God as the greater.</P>
<P>Greater in name and credit, that his Credit might &s;upplie the de|fects in ours.</P>
<P>Greater in the know|ledge of &s;ecrets, that he might te&s;tifie the &s;im|ple intentions of our hearts.</P>
<P>Greater in power and iudgement that he might take venge|ance of &s;uch wretches as dare abu&s;e his &s;a|cred maie&s;tie.</P>
<P>Therefore <HI>men veri|ly &s;weare by him that is greater.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2 From this diuine
<PB N="14" REF="12"> forme is deriued &s;o ex|cellent an end of an Oath, that it makes an end of &s;trife <HI>A fon|te pietatis fluit rimus charitatis.</HI> And fit it is that &s;o worthy a &s;treame &s;hould flowe from &s;uch a fountaine. For a greater te&s;timo|nie of &s;incere truth, nor a cleerer euidence of the mo&s;t &s;ecret in|tentions cannot be giuen then is an Oath. Wherefore after that this witnes hath once &s;poken, after that this obligation is once &s;ub|&s;cribed by laying the
<PB N="15" REF="12"> hand vpon the booke, and &s;ealed by ki&s;&s;ing of the &s;ame, it were a great indignitie offred to that diuine Maie|&s;tie, once to call in que|&s;tion, or to moue con|tention about that which a lawfull Oath hath before deter|mined.</P>
<P>An indignitie I &s;ay, &s;eeing the God of truth hath vouch&s;afed him&s;elfe to interpo&s;e as a witne&s;&s;e of &s;ince|ritie, and a reuenger of periurie.</P>
<P>Let an oath there|fore bee an end of all
<PB N="16" REF="13"> &s;trife among&s;t vs, I pray God it may, and God forbid but it &s;hould.</P>
<P>Wherefore (Right-wor&s;hipfull and be|loued) &s;eeing my fin|ger is now vpon the &s;ore, giue me leaue to touch it a little to the quicke. If any aske what I haue to doe to intermedle; Let this be mine <HI>Apologie.</HI> Fir&s;t my profe&s;&s;ion bindeth mee to be a peacemaker among&s;t you being of the Companie a&s;&s;embled within my cure. As in
<PB N="17" REF="13"> generall I began the la&s;t yeare.</P>
<P>Next I mu&s;t euer acknowledge this Companie my wor|thy Patrons, And my &s;elfe al&s;o by further fauours to bee an vn|worthy member of the &s;ame. And there|by al&s;o doe I &s;tand ob|liged for the re&s;oluing of your con&s;ciences in this point of &s;cruple, and for the fa&s;ter knit|ting of you vp in the band of peace.</P>
<P>Vnder&s;tand there|fore, that there be two kinde of Oathes, the
<PB N="18" REF="14"> one is a&s;&s;ertorie, and the other promi&s;o|rie.</P>
<P>The Oath of a&s;&s;eue|ration by which the truth of any thing pa&s;t or pre&s;ent is auerred mu&s;t needs be kept by &s;uch as haue any con|&s;cience at all. The rea|&s;on is, becau&s;e the breach thereof falleth directly, whollie, and all at once vpon the Con&s;cience, and ther|by becommeth mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible.</P>
<P N="2">2 But an oath of pro|mi&s;e being once pa&s;t, is in time forgotten, as
<PB N="19" REF="14"> if the binding power thereof did by little and little weare away, which though it bee not &s;o in truth, but on|ly in the error of our obliuious nature, yet is this the mo&s;t chari|table rea&s;on that can be rendred, of the too too much neglect of Oathes in this Cittie. Yet is this the Oath which is to bee inten|ded in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and which is mentio|ned in this Scripture, for in the 13. Ver&s;e be|fore my text, it is &s;aid. <HI>When God made the pro|mi&s;e
<PB N="20" REF="15"> vnto Abraham hauing no greater to &s;weare by, he &s;ware by him&s;elfe.</HI> This is that Oath which you haue &s;olemnly taken, where|in you haue pawned the &s;acred Maie&s;tie of God, that you will faithfully keepe your promi&s;e, by laying hand vpon the booke, and ki&s;&s;ing the &s;ame. Wherein if at any time hereafter you &s;hall faile, you haue forfeited that intere&s;t, which you haue in that Maie&s;tie by the bond of tho&s;e words.
<PB N="21" REF="15"> <HI>So help you God.</HI></P>
<P>Now the Que&s;tion is no more but this.</P>
<P>A Cittizen hath vn|dertaken a double Oath.</P>
<P N="1">1 As Freeman of the Cittie he &s;weareth <HI>To be obei&s;ant and obedient to the Maior and the Mini&s;ters of this Cittie. To maintaine the fran|chi&s;es and Cu&s;tomes thereof. This Cittie to keepe harmele&s;&s;e in that him lieth. Yo bee con|tributorie to all manner of charges &amp;c&punc; bearing</HI>
<PB N="22" REF="16"> <HI>part as a freeman ought.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2 As a member of this fellow&s;hip he hath likewi&s;e &s;worne.</P>
<P><HI>Truly to obay all man|ner of rules, impo&s;iti|ons and ordinances that be made, or hereafter &s;hall be made and lawful|ly ordained for the or|dering of the &s;aid fel|low&s;hip.</HI></P>
<P>Whether this man thus obliged may in|deauour or con&s;ent not to di&s;order, but to di&s;member this fellow&s;hip, by the &s;eparation of him&s;elfe
<PB N="23" REF="16"> and others from the &s;ame.</P>
<P>Whether hee may labour to bee freed from tho&s;e charges to which he hath &s;worne to be contributory.</P>
<P>Whether by this pre&s;ident of <HI>Innouati|on,</HI> to incourage other Companies vpon the like pretence to at|tempt the &s;ame: be to obay the gouernours, to maintaine and keep this Cittie harmele&s;&s;e to his power.</P>
<P>I will not &s;it Iudge
<PB N="24" REF="17"> or determine vpon a|ny mans con&s;cience, but only lay open the Que&s;tion in &s;uch man|ner, as euery man in his con&s;cience may be his owne Iudge.</P>
<P>There be two points without compa&s;&s;e of this que&s;tion.</P>
<P N="1">1 That tho&s;e who haue not taken this Oath may vpon iu&s;t cau&s;e &s;eeke: and that authoritie in the Eye to a more publike good may command a &s;eperation, we call it not into que&s;tion. For this is their act and
<PB N="25" REF="17"> not thine, and there|fore concerneth not this point.</P>
<P N="2">2 It is not denied but a Company may be imagined &s;o appa|rantly pe&s;tilent to the common wealth; &s;o tyrannicall and bur|den&s;ome to the &s;worn members of the &s;ame, as they may lawfully de&s;ire and endeauour a redre&s;&s;e, and for want of that a &s;epera|tion, for they are &s;worne onely to that which is lawfull. But this is farre from our
<PB N="26" REF="18"> point, I finde it not obiected.</P>
<P>What then might be the motiue <HI>The Re|formation of Abu&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>Beloued, this word <HI>Reformation</HI> is a good word: but it hath guilt many a rotten peece of wood.</P>
<P>For what Faction or Schi&s;me euer en|tered into Church, what rebellion or in|&s;urrection euer began in Common-wealth, which masked not vn|der a pretence of <HI>Re|formation?</HI></P>
<P>Abu&s;es there are,
<PB N="27" REF="18"> &amp; euer wil be, though a new Companie &s;hould drop from the clouds. And a refor|mation of abu&s;es is euermore to be de&s;i|red.</P>
<P>But fir&s;t. Is there no meanes of refor|mation already e&s;ta|bli&s;hed equiualent to that which is de&s;ired?</P>
<P>If not. May no meanes bee thought vpon, by ioint &s;ute to be obtained, without &s;uch innouation and &s;eparation?</P>
<P>If not. Is all this cleere, or is it que&s;ti|onable
<PB N="28" REF="19"> and doubtfull, and as yet vndetermi|ned?</P>
<P>If it be but que&s;ti|onable, then make this a <HI>Quaere.</HI></P>
<P>Whether &s;uch a &s;cruple ari&s;ing in thy minde, or &s;ugge&s;ted by others, may di&s;|pence with any bra~ch of a &s;olemne Oath which is cleere and without que&s;tion? Lay thine Oath then in one Scoale with all the waights that ther|unto belongeth, as hath beene deliuered: and let thy con&s;cience
<PB N="29" REF="19"> bee an indifferent Iudge, whether a &s;cru|ple remaining as yet que&s;tionable may o|uer-ballance the &s;ame?</P>
<P>Let mee propound two places of Scrip|ture vnto you, the one as a precept, the other by way of ex|ample, both concer|ning the validitie of a promi&s;&s;arie Oath.</P>
<P N="1">1 In the 15. P&s;alme, the que&s;tion is, <HI>Who &s;hall dwell in Gods Ta|bernacle, or re&s;t vpon his holy hill?</HI> That is, Who &s;hall be a liue|ly member of the
<PB N="30" REF="20"> Church militant on earth, or enter into eternall re&s;t in hea|uen? One maine branch of the an&s;wer is at the fifth ver&s;e, <HI>He that &s;weareth to his neighbour, and di&s;ap|pointeth him not, and though it be to his owne hinderance.</HI> As it is the publike good which is pretended, &s;o let our caueat be, what is in|tended in this at|tempt. It is the zeale of &s;ome publike good which con&s;umeth vs in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e? Or is it the hope of &s;ome
<PB N="31" REF="20"> aduantage or &s;uppo|&s;ed dignitie, &s;ome pro|fit, or expected liber|tie vnto our &s;elues, which putteth fire vnto vs? Remember this is not a priuate oath twixt neighbour &amp; neighbour, where|of the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> &s;pea|keth, but publike and &s;olemne, and &s;o much the more obligatorie. The breach thereof is directly again&s;t hea|uen and earth. And the &s;candalous exam|ple of that breach may extend to all the Companies of this
<PB N="32" REF="21"> Citie, as a motiue for the &s;lacking of their Oathes.</P>
<P>Therfore what&s;oeuer aduantage, liberty, or dignitie may accrue thereby, keepe thine oath intire, though it be to thine owne hin|derance. If thou mean to dwell in Gods Ta|bernacle on earth, or to re&s;t vpon his holy hill in heauen: for the anchor of that hope lieth at pawne.</P>
<P N="2">2. An example we haue, <HI>Io&s;.</HI> 9. 18. where the children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> mi&s;taking the <HI>Gibeo|nites</HI>
<PB N="33" REF="21"> for farre &s;tran|gers, who indeede were their neighbors, did make a league with them, and con|firmed the &s;ame by &s;olemne Oath.</P>
<P N="1">1. This was an oath again&s;t the Law of God, <HI>Deuteron.</HI> 7. 2. <HI>Thou &s;halt not make a Couenant with them, nor haue compa&s;sion on them.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. It was an Oath ra&s;hly taken by the Princes, in that they asked not coun&s;ell at the mouth of God, but &s;uffered them|&s;elues to be deluded
<PB N="34" REF="22"> by their old apparell, their patched bottles, their clouted &s;hooes, and mouldie bread.</P>
<P N="3">3. It was an Oath guilefully giuen by the <HI>Gibeonites, Dolus per&s;onarum,</HI> a mi&s;ta|king of the per&s;ons them&s;elues to whom they &s;ware.</P>
<P>Notwith&s;tanding all this, the Princes of the people that &s;ware, dur&s;t not &s;atisfie the people in breaking their Oath.</P>
<P><HI>Saul</HI> afterwards did breake it in &s;laying the <HI>Gibeonites,</HI> a long
<PB N="35" REF="22"> time after, when time might &s;eeme to haue worne out the &s;en&s;e of it, 2. <HI>Sam.</HI> 21. 1.</P>
<P>Heereupon God &s;ent three yeeres fa|mine. <HI>Dauid</HI> inquireth of the cau&s;e of that famine. God an&s;we|reth, <HI>It was Saul and his bloudie hou&s;e for kil|ling the Gibeonites, to whom the children of I&s;|rael had &s;worne.</HI> And be&s;ides this, for fur|ther &s;atisfaction, the &s;euen &s;onnes of <HI>Saul</HI> were hanged vp in the mountaine before the Lord.</P>
<PB N="36" REF="23">
<P> Ob&s;erue therefore, that this being a ra&s;h, guilefull, and vnlaw|full oath, had no bin|ding power in it &s;elfe: yet &s;eeing the name of the God of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> was pawned by his people, it plea&s;ed God rather to di&s;pence with his owne Law, then with their Oath, in regard of &s;can|dall among&s;t Heathen people, that they might not &s;ay, <HI>I&s;rael</HI> made light account of the name of their God.</P>
<P>Beloued, this Oath
<PB N="37" REF="23"> of yours is no vnlaw|full Oath, but appro|ued of all. It is no ra&s;h Oath. If it were you &s;hould not only con|demne your &s;elues, but an infinite num|ber be&s;ides for taking the &s;ame.</P>
<P>It is no deceitfull Oath. The words are plaine and &s;imple. Let mee adde further: It is not the Oath of Princes to their &s;laues appointed to the &s;laughter, as the <HI>Gi|beonites</HI> were, but of the members of a fel|low&s;hip and incorpo|ration.
<PB N="38" REF="24"> It is not &s;in|gle, but doubled, dou|bled with &s;olemnitie to this Companie, to this Citie.</P>
<P>Now if wee were but men, Heathen men that knew not the true God: yet he that &s;hall breake &s;uch an Oath, &s;hall not only lo&s;e his credit for euer among&s;t men, <HI>etiam&s;i per plures Deos iuret,</HI> but vengeance al&s;o fro~ aboue would follow him, as the wi&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Wi&s;d.</HI> 14. 30.</NOTE> man auerreth. Not by any power in the Idols, by whom the
<PB N="39" REF="24"> Heathen &s;weare, but becau&s;e in euery fal&s;e religion there is &s;ome truth intwined by the vertue of that truth, the vengeance of that diuine power which is acknowledged by Idolaters, &s;hall follow periured per&s;ons.</P>
<P>But wee are Chri|&s;tians, wor&s;hipping the true God and Sa|uiour of the world. This obligation then is doubled vpon vs: and what will pro|phane per&s;ons obiect if we breake it?</P>
<P>Wee profe&s;&s;e our
<PB N="40" REF="25"> &s;elues profe&s;&s;ors of the Go&s;pell of Chri&s;t, and wor&s;hippers of the true God truly. What will our aduer&s;aries in this profe&s;&s;ion &s;ay, when they &s;hall &s;ee vs pa&s;&s;e ouer the&s;e di|uine bonds as matter of meere formalitie? I will tell you what they doe &s;ay; That our Fore-fathers in this Land vnder their Religion were fa&s;ter tied by their bare word and promi&s;e, then <HI>Prote&s;tants</HI> at this day by their mo&s;t &s;o|lemne Oathes.</P>
<PB N="41" REF="25">
<P> If they &s;hall inferre this <HI>&agrave; non cau&s;a, pro cau&s;a,</HI> imputing it to our Religion, it is well knowne wee can ea|&s;ily quit them with their owne. But in &s;ome men of our Re|ligion wee mu&s;t con|fe&s;&s;e it is inexcu&s;able. Come we then to our generall conclu&s;ion.</P>
<P>If there be any Free|man of this Citie, member of this Com|panie, who doth or &s;hall de&s;ire not to bee &s;ubiect to &s;uch lawfull ordinances as hee is formerly &s;worne vn|to;
<PB N="42" REF="26"> or &s;hall endeuour or giue co~&s;ent to tho&s;e that &s;hall endeuour for any &s;uch innoua|tion or &s;eparation as may proue dange|rous either to the &s;ha|king of this Cittie go|uernment, or the weakening of this pre|&s;ent Companie.</P>
<P>Before that &s;uch a one proceede any fur|ther, Let him lay his hand vpon his heart, &amp; &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider the binding power of a &s;olemne promi&s;&s;orie Oath in generall as hath beene deliuered,
<PB N="43" REF="26"> together with the con|tents of his double oath in particular; Next let him &s;ee what warrant he hath either vpon hope of any dig|nitie, libertie, or ad|uantage to him&s;elfe in priuate, Or vpon any &s;cruple ari&s;ing in him, or &s;ugge&s;ted by others for the publique, to cro&s;&s;e any branch of either Oath: Or what power can di&s;pence with his con&s;cience in this ca&s;e&punc; the &s;ubiect of his Oath remaining as it doth.</P>
<P>It is cleere thy Oath
<PB N="44" REF="27"> doth not binde thee from &s;eeking the re|dre&s;&s;e and reformati|on of any abu&s;e with|in thy calling what&s;o|euer, God forbidde it &s;hould, Neither doth it forbid thee to ad|uice in thy place about the meanes of refor|mation; Onely ab|&s;tain from that meanes which &s;hall tran&s;gre&s;&s;e any part of thine Oath.</P>
<P>If there bee no meanes of reformati|on either already e&s;ta|bli&s;hed, or to bee ob|tained, but &s;uch: Let
<PB N="45" REF="27"> that be the act of au|thority, the inuention of &s;uperiours and not thine, Let it be their determination, rather then thy &s;eeking. Touch not thine Oath. Remember how farre thou art obliged before by a diuine bond, and thou maie&s;t not play fa&s;t and loo&s;e with the eternall God. Hee is that greater in my text by whom we &s;weare, and an Oath ought to bee the end of all &s;trife a|mong&s;t men, in pri|uate &s;ocieties, in Com|panies,
<PB N="46" REF="28"> in Citties, and in kingdomes. Bee it farre from vs then to contend or &s;triue a|gain&s;t any branch of our Oath, lea&s;t wee &s;eeme to &s;triue again&s;t God. And then &s;hall we kicke again&s;t the prickes, to the woun|ding of our &s;elues, our &s;oules and con&s;ci|ences for euer.</P>
<P>Of which Con|&s;cience as of a mo&s;t precious Iewell, that euery one of vs may haue a tender care, to|gether with a mo&s;t holy Reuerence of
<PB N="47" REF="28"> Gods mo&s;t glorious name in the&s;e &s;acred couenants and cele&s;ti|all bonds, hee giue grace who is the foun|taine of all Graces, Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, to whom with the Father and ble&s;&s;ed &s;pirit, three per&s;ons and one God, be all prai&s;e and glory.</P>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>Finis.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
