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black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea, Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.' And then the apostle James saith, 'Above all things, my brethren, swear not; neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay nay, lest ye fall into condemnation, James v. 12. Where mark the emphasis in the first words, 'Above all things, swear not;' and the greatest danger of it is in the last words, 'lest ye fall into condemnation;' for woe and sorrow will be in the end.
If the matter be light and vain, we must not swear at all; if mighty, then we may lawfully swear, as before a magistrate, being called to it, when we must only use the glorious name of our God in a holy and religious manner, as you may see in Deut. vi. 13. Isa. xlv. 23. and lxv. 16. Josh. xxii. 7. Exod. xxxiv. 13. Jer. v. 7. and the reasons are weighty if we look into them; for, in swearing by any creature whatsoever, we do invocate that creature, and ascribe to it divine worship; yea, whatsoever we swear by, that we invocate both our witness, surety and judge; and, by consequence, defile it, by ascribing and communicating unto it God's incommunicable attributes, and his omnipotency and omnisciency of being every where present, and knowing the secret thoughts and intentions of the heart; and likewise an omnipotency, and as being almighty in patronising, proceeding,
