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able to hurt you. For they be nothing else but the devil's instruments; by the which he doth provoke men to horrible sins, that the name of God may be blasphemed divers ways, that we may defile our souls with detestable idolatry, that one man may suspect another, that anger, envy, and hatred might be sown among men, and that out of this root might spring up backbiting, slandering, and all mischief. This vice pleaseth well the devil, but God hath forbid it, and commanded in the old Law that witches, sorcerers, and conjurors should suffer punishment of death..

Hitherto you have heard five ways, whereby we may take the name of God in vain; now it shall be declared unto you how you should rightly and duly use the name of God. Consider, that we be professed into our religion, and baptized by the name. God; wherefore, good children, listen diligently to this lesson, and learn that we ought to use the name of God three ways, by invocation and calling upon him, by confession of his name and his word, and by thanksgiving.....

Wherefore, good children, now I pray you learn so to understand this Second Commandment, that ye take not the name of God in vain, that ye give not yourselves to idolatry, that ye swear not customably, nor without a necessary cause, that ye never commit perjury, that you curse nobody, that ye abuse not the name and word of God to untruth, unclean, and unhonest communication, that ye apply not your minds to witchcrafts and sorceries. For these faults as yet

never escaped unpunished before God. Contrariwise, you shall reverently use the name of God to his glory, and to the profit of your neighbour, by calling upon him, by praying and giving thanks unto him, and by open profession of his doctrine and religion.

And when ye shall be demanded, How understand ye the Second Commandment? ye shall answer, We ought to love and fear God above all things, and not to abuse his name to idolatry, charms, perjury, oaths, curses, ribaldry, and scoffs: that under the pretence and colour of his name we beguile no man by swearing, forswearing, and lying, but in all our needs we should call upon him, magnify, and praise him, and with our tongues confess, utter, and declare our faith in him and his doctrine.

NOWELL'S CATECHISM.

Master, Tell me what is it to take the name of God in vain.

Scholar. To abuse it either with forswearing, or with swearing rashly, unadvisedly, and without necessity, or with once naming it without a weighty cause. For since the majesty of God's name is most holy, we ought by all means to beware, that we seem not either to despise it ourselves, or to give other any occasion to despise it; yea, and so to see that we never once utter

the name of God without most great reverence, that it may ever appear honourable and glorious both to ourselves and to all other. For it is not lawful once to think, much less to speak, of God and of his works, otherwise than to his honour. Briefly, whosoever useth the name of God otherwise than for the most weighty causes, and for most holy matters, abuseth it.

Mast. What thinkest thou then of them that blaspheme God, and of sorcerers, and such other kinds of ungodly men?

Scho. If they do great injury to God, which use his name only of a certain lewd custom and intemperate readiness of speech, much more do they make themselves guilty of a most heinous and outrageous offence, which abuse the name of God in bannings, in cursings, in enchantments, in forespeaking, or in any other manner of superstition.

Mast. Is there any lawful using of the name of God in swearing?

Scho. Yea forsooth.

When an oath is taken for a just cause, either to affirm a truth, specially if the magistrate require or command it, or for any other matter of great importance, wherein we are either to maintain inviolate the honour of God, or to preserve mutual agreement and charity among men.

Mast. May we therefore lawfully, whensoever we say truth, use an oath with it?

Scho. I have already said, that this is not lawful; for so the estimation and reverence of

the name of God should be abated, and should become of no price, and contemned as common. But when in a weighty matter the truth should otherwise not be believed, we may lawfully confirm it with an oath.

Mast. What followeth next?

Scho. "For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”

Mast. Since God doth in other places pro nounce that he will punish generally all the breakers of his Law, why doth he here particularly threaten them that abuse his name?

Scho. His meaning was to shew how highly he esteemeth the glory of his name, to the end that, seeing punishment ready for us, we should so much the more heedfully beware of profanely abusing it.

Mast. Dost thou think it lawful to swear by the names of saints, or by the names of other men or creatures?

Scho. No. For since a lawful oath is nothing else but the swearer's religious affirming that he calleth and useth God, the knower and judge of all things, for witness that he sweareth a true oath, and that he calleth upon and wisheth the same God to be the punisher and avenger of his lying and offence if he swear falsely; it were a most heinous sin to part or communicate among other persons or creatures this honour of God's wisdom and majesty, which is his own proper and peculiar honour.

REFORMATIO LEGUM, &c.

Of Oaths and Perjury.

Of the difference of Oaths. Chap. 1. Inasmuch as oaths which tend to the glory of God, and the benefit of man, are to be permitted to Christians (when they are taken in justice, in judgment, and in truth,)-so, that light habit of swearing which prevails in familiar and daily conversation, ought to be abolished. For by the latter the reverence due to God is diminished, and occasion is given which readily leads to perjury. Wherefore they who are contaminated by the wicked custom of swearing, and cannot be deterred by admonition,-these (being despisers of the name of God and of sacred things) must be compelled by proper punishment.

The Form of a legal Oath. Chap. 4.

We will that a legal oath be administered in these words, and in no other: So help me God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What Perjury is. Chap. 5.

In order that we may the more certainly avoid the sin of perjury, its nature is first to be explained, and then it is to be shewn how greatly it offends against Almighty God. Perjury is a lie confirmed by an oath, or the violation of a legal oath. He is to be accounted perjured, who knowingly and with the intention of deceiving treacherously overreaches any one by an oath ; or he who willingly violates a lawful oath; or he

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