their time, and fall into the evil they fhould avoid. A gamester and a Chriftian, are as oppofite as a faint and a finner; for the Chriftian looks to God in the increase of his eftate, but the gamefter to skill and chance; and there is no more of God in his mind, than there is in his game and it cannot be otherwife. Fourthly, Therefore gaming deferves to be fuppreffed, because it has been the occafion of breach of friendship, quarrels, bloodshed and murder: if we ought to fhun the occafions of evil, to be fure we ought not to indulge them.

The last mischief that belongs to gaming (which I fhall mention at this time) is the horrid oaths and paffionate imprecations used by the generality of gamefters; but because they are not confined to gaming, but run through the whole converfation of men, they may very well challenge a place among thofe "crying fins," that I found myself obliged in confcience to complain of, to fuch as have power in their hands to punish and fupprefs them.

SECT. VI.

Of the horrid fin of oaths, curfing, and blafphemies.

I'

HAVE therefore referved to speak of oaths, curses and blafphemies till last, because I take them to be the most provoking fin. The other enormities of drunkennefs, whoredom, excefs, &c. do more immediately relate to ourselves; and are therefore fins against God, because they are a tranfgreffion of that order, which he placed in the nature of things: but oaths and blafphemies must be referred to God himfelf; they are fins committed more immediately against his being, his name, and the majesty and dignity of his nature. It is horrible to hear how he is called upon about every thing, be it never so trivial; yea, about nothing, and worse than nothing. He is fummoned at their games, their sports, their VOL. IV.

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in their drunkennefs, whoredoms, murders, rapines, and treachery. There is a generation that cannot Speak without him, though they can live without him. They would make him a voucher of all their falfhood, and a witness for their lies, as often as they would be believed. But I tremble to remember, with what prefumption fome men, when transported into rage, invoke him to damn those they are angry with, yea, themselves too; and how impioufly they fend him at their pleasure upon the errands of their vengeance. Can there be greater blafphemy, than to dare fo much as to think, that the holy, wife, and juft God fhould be the executioner of their paffion and fury, and the avenger of their malice and corrupt interefts? And it is obfervable, that if in any thing they are croffed or disappointed, they fall a fwearing, curfing, damning, blafpheming; as if the name of God fhould make them fatisfaction; or that it were a fort of ease to them, to deliver themselves of a burden of oaths.

But that which aggravates this evil, is the impudence of the people that commit it: they are not contented to use it at home, and at ale-houses and taverns abroad; but in the open ftreets, markets, and fairs; in the moft notorious places of commerce and traffick; to the dishonour of God, the grief and offence of sober men, and the bad example of those that are not so. But this fhameful impiety ends not here; it has not only prevailed with the populace, the kennel, the vulgar; but the men of quality, the gentry, and the nobles of the realm, to whom God in his providence hath been more propitious, placing them at the diftance of example and imitation to the multitude; even thofe that ought to be the heads of our tribes, the leaders of the people; whofe virtue fhould at least keep pace with their quality, are guilty of this impious and base cuftom, and too many of them more concerned in it, than the meaneft of the people. And to carry this practice to the utmost height of that mifchief it feems capable of doing, too many, God knows, of those in authority use it; even the men, that by

law

law should suppress it! and if men of office and power, that ought, in their feveral trufts, to be a terror to evil-doers, were fo, methinks they fhould not fuffer the name of the God of the nation (whom they pretend to worship) to be so profanely used and blafphemed; and, leaft of all, that they should be the men themfelves, who commit the enormities that they should punish. To fay truth, and with grief of foul I fpeak it, fo univerfal is this contagion in the kingdom, that not only the elder fort and youth, but the children are infected the boys of feven years old, that in my time did not think upon an oath, are now full of their God damn-you's and God-damn-me's at their sports and plays! and the women of our nation, especially those of any rank, who by a reserved education, and the modesty of the fex, were fcarcely ever heard to curse, even what they did not like, (much lefs to fwear upon ordinary occafions) are, fome of them, grown hardy enough to do both. At whofe door must all these mischiefs lie? I befeech God to put it into the hearts of our fuperiors, to ufe their utmost diligence to rebuke and fupprefs this and the like impieties!

We profefs ourselves to be Chriftians, followers of that Jefus," in whofe mouth no guile was ever "found:" what precept did he ever give us, what example hath he left us, to countenance this practice? It is true, he charged his difciples "not to fwear at "all;" but we cannot think ourselves to obey him, when we fwear at every thing: pray confider the great difference there is betwixt Chrift and fuch Chriftians. Christ is Lord of a more perfect law than that which came by Mofes, which admits of oaths in fome cases; but they were few, and must be kept upon great penalties this new law of Jefus takes away oaths, by taking away the caufe and need of them, namely, falfhood and diftruft; and by planting plainnefs, truth, and integrity in the natures of men, which make them fuch faithful difciples to him, and fo entirely brethren to one another, that there feems no farther ufe for oaths among men under that qualification. C 2

"Ye

"Ye have heard of old time," faith Chrift Jefus, "Thou shalt not forfwear thyself, but perform thy "vows unto the Lord:" this was not fwearing at pleaJure, nor fwearing vainly; this was thus far good, it was the perfection of the law. So it was, "not to kill, "nor to commit adultery:" but Chrift Jefus carries it higher: Thou must not be angry: thou must not look upon a woman to luft after her thou must not fwear at all: thou must not do that which was allowed or difpenfed with under the law: for what the law could not do, through weakness, I am come to do: therefore let your communication, your speech, (for fo the word fhould be rendered) be yea, yea, and nay, nay: fpeak the truth, by saying, yea, yea, or nay, nay; yes, yes, or no, no, for what is more, or imports more, than this, or rifes higher, or goes farther, than this plainnefs and fimplicity, is both needlefs and evil in a • Chriftian; for it cometh of evil.' This is the doctrine of Jesus. Certainly then there can be no agreement between him and the fwearing, damning Chriftians of this age, who are fo far from obeying him, whose name they take, that they are not come to the righteousness of the law, that condemns all vain fwearing; but lie under the heavy judgment of the Lord for the breach of his third commandment,* "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God " in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, "that taketh his name in vain." It is esteemed a profanation of things fet apart for divine worship, to employ them in our common and ordinary services; and is it not profanation with a vengeance, to fuffer the name of the great God to be prostituted at every turn by lewd and debauched people? Can we be fo careful of our own names, and fo carelefs of God's? Is it poffible, that we can be more tender of ourselves, than concerned for him? For him, I fay, who made us, and gives us life, breath, and being; to whom we owe * Exod. xx. 7.

i Mat. v.

ourselves,

ourselves, and all that we are? but that men, to right themselves, upon every little affront, fhould expofe their lives to the utmost peril, and not find in their heart fo much as to rebuke the indignities daily put upon heaven, is an ill proof of zeal and religion.

But as infenfible as fuch are of their duty, God is not wanting to his own glory: he has forbidden thefe things; let men difobey at their peril. "Ye fhall "not fwear by my name falfly," faith God, "neither "fhalt thou profane the name of thy God; I am "the Lord." Hear, O ye fwearers, the judgment that God has denounced against you!" "Every one that sweareth fhall be cut off." How cut off? From God. Again, "The land is full of adulteries; and "because of fwearing the land mourneth: "Behold! "the whirlwind of the Lord fhall heavily fall upon "the head of the wicked."

SECT. VII.

Of the Sin of Profaneness.

O this I fhall add a brief reflection upon that pernicious fin of profaneness, so near of kin to oaths and blafphemy. Such is the degeneracy of the age we are fallen into, that profanenefs does not only go unpunished, but boldly lays claim to wit, and fills the conversation of too many of those that think themfelves raised above the genius of the vulgar. He is reputed formal, that will not be rude to facred things; and a man infipid, of no sense or falt, who cannot jeer devotion: and, which is strange, they make the bible a fort of common-place; but it is for mockery, not for piety. The phrases they use, are picked to abuse that holy book; and the profanenefs is placed to the account of wit. But truly, if men must rally religion at the peril of paffing else for fools, and abuse

1 Jer. xxiii. 10, 19.

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☐ Zech. v. 3.

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