:

and danger, not according to their own lusts, nor the course of the world but according to the word of God, which is most firm truth, Psal. cxix. 30, 31. Hence those things which others see no ill in, they dare not meddle with; because they form their judgment of them by the word, while others have no regard to the testimony of the word there-anent. Here the ungodly go quite wrong, speaking lies within their hearts.

They often herein downright contradict the word. They will promise themselves safety in a course wherein God's word declares there can be no safety, Deut. xxix. 9. They will form to themselves thoughts of God contrary to his holiness, Psal. 1. 21. They will soothe themselves in thoughts unbecoming his omniscience, that they may enjoy their secret wickedness, Ezek. viii. 12. They think to contemn God, and yet escape, Psal. x. 13. They promise themselves continuance of worldly prosperity, notwithstanding God has declared the contrary, Psal. x. 6. and xlix. 11. And many such thoughts pass through the hearts of men: and what are they all but so many heart lies, which they make to themselves to their own ruin?

5. Lastly, They form their reasonings in soul-matters according to the principles of the word, and not their own corrupt lusts and affections, 2 Cor. x. 5. The lusts of ungodly men bear the sway in them, and their reasonings are managed by the power of their lusts, so as they may be accommodated to their corrupt affections. The man desires that there were not a God, and he considers how they prosper that despise him, and so says in his heart, There is no God, Psal. xiv. 1. and concludes it is vain to be religious, Mal. iii. 14, 15. He hears God is merciful; and thence he concludes, he may indulge himself in his sinful courses, and yet be safe in the end; thus speaking lies in his heart.

III. To confirm this doctrine, consider,

1. They are all regenerated, savingly changed in all the faculties of their souls, John iii. 3. And in regeneration the law of God is written over again in their hearts, according to the great promise of the covenant, Heb. viii. 10. "I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts." Thus the light is set up within them, and the former darkness, under which the reigning deceit of the heart lodged, is put away. Their minds are renewed.

2. Sincerity and uprightness of heart, is that without which no man shall see the Lord. Matth. v. 8. The foolish virgins were shut out notwithstanding their fair outside, because there was no truth in their hearts, 1 Sam. xvi. 7. Hypocrites are they who speak not the truth in their hearts, and ruin and destruction certainly abide them, Matth. xxiv. ult.

3. If truth is not in the heart, the life will be but a mass of lies, falsehood, and vanity, Matth. vi. 23. Darkness and reigning deceit in the heart, will ever produce an unholy life and they that live not holy, how shall they die happy? Heb. xii. 14.

I conclude with a short word of improvement.

:

USE I. This doctrine writes death to several sorts of persons.

1. Those who have never yet learned, by the Spirit's teaching, what a God the Lord is, how greatly he hates sin, and how severely he punishes it. Their notions of God are false, and under them they find shelter to their lusts. A clear evidence they have not yet known the Lord. But sooner or later they will find their mistake, and find they have not spoke truth in their hearts of God, Psal. 1. 21.

2. Those whose natural notions of sin have not yet been corrected, by feeling the bitterness of it, Rom. vii. 9. Many are ruined by not discerning the ill of sin: if they had just thoughts of it, they durst not venture on it so freely as they do; more than they would venture to take a serpent in their bosom. But their hearts lie to them about it, and they love to have it so.

3. Those who have never yet felt the absolute need of the blood and Spirit of Christ Jesus to remove their guilt, and break the power of sin in them. There is no other way to get it removed, Acts iv. 12; and those who look for it another way, will find at length to their cost, that they have not spoke truth in their hearts.

4. Those who have not yet learned to make the word of God the rule of their life in all points, Gal. iv. 16. Many have very little use for their Bibles, for regulating of their conversation. The course of this world serves them for a rule, and their own corrupt inclinations serve them for the same purpose. They will find these to have led them to lie in their hearts to themselves to their own ruin. USE II. Be exhorted to take heed to your hearts, that ye speak truth there, and deceive not yourselves. For motives, consider, 1. Self-deceiving is frequent in the world, and there is a principle of self-love in every one leading them to it. Men of all sorts, professors and profane are apt to fall into it; therefore be on your guard.

2. Your eternal state depends on it. If men be not led into truth in their hearts, they can never see nor fall on the way to happiness.

3. Lastly. It will make a dreadful awakening when the deceitful dream is at an end.

Examine yourselves then, and see that ye get your judgment of spiritual things formed by the word.

THE

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS

OF

TRUE BELIEVER S.

III. IN RELATION TO THEIR SPEECH, AND Reverence of GOD'S NAME.

A CAVEAT AGAINST PROFANE SWEARING, AND A PERSUASIVE TO PLAIN SPEAKING, WITHOUT UNHALLOWED ADDITIONS.

JAMES V. 12.

But 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.*

In these words we have three things.

I. A serious caveat against profane oaths or swearing: for otherwise an oath is an ordinance of God, Heb. vi. 16. and so to be used upon a due call thereto, Jer. iv. 2. In this caveat we have,

(1.) The matter cautioned against. [1.] Swearing by the creatures, as by heaven or earth, forms of oaths, it would seem, then were in use among untender men. [2.] Any other oath as well as these; oaths of the same kind, namely, by creatures; and oaths of other kinds, namely, by God their Maker. That the latter as well as the former profane swearing is here comprehended, appears from the universality of the expression, and the direction as to men's ordinary converse given in the following words, where the one as well as the other is excluded.

(2.) The manner of the caveat. It is given, [1.] Very affectionately, My brethren. They were so in respect of their nation, and in respect of the Christian religion which they professed, being believing Jews. Though heathens and infidels think nothing of swearing, yet it ill becomes the Christian brother-hood, being so

The sermons ber, 1724.

on this text were preached at Ettrick in August and Septem

very contrary to the laws of Christ, Matth. v. 34-37*. [2.] With a peculiar earnestness, Above all things. This refers to, (1.) His guarding them against impatience, ver. 10, 11. When once men let their passion loose, and lose their patience, they are apt to break out into blasphemies, horrid oaths, and curses. (2.) To a corrupt custom prevailing among the Jews of customary swearing, and therefore hardly to be rooted out: which he would therefore have them with the utmost care and diligence to set themselves against.

2. A plain direction as to men's ordinary converse. In opposition to the larding of your conversation with such profane mixtures, let your speech be plain and simple, consisting of plain affirmations or denials, without these unhallowed additions. If ye intend to assert a thing, which is yea, then say Yea, or Yes, or, It is so. If ye mean to deny a thing, which is nay, then say, Nay, or, It is not so.

3. A motive pressing both the caveat and direction, Lest ye fall into condemnation; Gr. judgment, under judgment. He looks to the third commandment, of God's not holding guiltless him that taketh his Name in vain. God will be avenged on those that do otherwise, and ye will fall under his judgment on that score, if ye purge not your language from these things.

The text affords three doctrines.

DocT. I. Profane swearing is a horrid evil, with the utmost watchfulness to be avoided by all Christians.

DocT. II. God requires men's speech in their ordinary converse to be plain and simple, as yea and nay, without unhallowed additions, of the nature of oaths.

DOCT. III. Profane swearing, and the like ungodly speeches akin thereto, will make the guilty fall under the fearful judgment of God.

I shall prosecute each doctrine in order.

DocT. I. Profane swearing is a horrid evil, with the utmost watchfulness to be avoided by all Christians.

Profane swearing is of two sorts; swearing by God or Christ, and by creatures.

First, Swearing by God himself, and by Christ who is God. Such swearing is duty, when the matter is of weight, and men are called. thereto of God, Heb. vi. 16. Jer. iv. 2. But it is profane when men swear by God or Christ,

1. Falsely, Mal. iii. 5. This is perjury, which is a falsehood con

The author has a set of Sermons on this text, preached also at Ettrick in 1707, but not yet published.

firmed by an oath, a breach at once of the third and ninth command. Sometimes people are called to swear by authority, and swearing falsely in that case they are guilty of perjury. Sometimes they are not called to swear, but of their own accord, without any just call, they swear, and swear what is false. This is doubtless perjury as well as the other, being a swearing falsely.

Perjury is an open affronting of an omniscient just God, and is near akin to Atheism. It is a calling of God to be witness to a lie, a playing with revenging justice, a daring of Heaven's vengeance, a wilful devoting of one's soul to destruction. For in an oath men invoke God to judge them, according to the truth or falsehood of what they swear. It looseth the bond of human society, and deservedly makes men infamous, and binds over the party to the fearful judgments of God, Zech. v. 4, "I will bring it forth, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it, with the timber thereof, and the stones thereof." Mal. iii. 5, "I will come near to you to judgment, and I will be a swift witness against-false

swearers.

2. Vainly, rashly, and usually, in common converse, without any just call, whether the thing sworn be true or false, good or bad, Matth. v. 34, 37. This is that swearing so frequent among those called Christians. Some have a God thus to swear by, though not a God to pray to; as if they would own no God, but to dishonour his name. Others have found the art of joining Christ and Belial so, that one while they will be praying to God, and another while swearing by his holy name profanely. Jam. iii. 10, "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing."

This is a horrid evil. It is,

(1.) A flat contradiction to the letter of the law, even as murder and adultery is, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Many ways the commands are broken, though one do not directly transgress the letter of them: so is the third command by a hypocritical profession: but profane swearers cross the letter.

(2.) It is a profanation of a holy thing, which is very dangerous, Lev. xix. 8; a using that for a common, which God has set apart for a holy use only. And, [1.] It is a profanation of the holy name, which is awful, reverend, and holy, Lev. xxii. 32. It is a prostituting of that tremendous name to serve men's lusts and passions. [2] It is a profanation of an holy ordinance of worship, appointed of God to be used holily and reverently, with hands lifted up to heaven, upon just and weighty causes, and a due call, to be an