christians in gospel times, that belch out so many oaths in your needless talk, when their law punishes all common swearers, and those that hear swearing and do not discover it, must bear their iniquity; for this is taking God's name in vain, and using swearing, or oaths in those places which God did not command them, but upon special occasions, for his service, and to end controversies, &c. was this oath commanded to be performed to the Lord, which oath, as I said before, Christ ends and forbids. For if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do good or evil, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him, when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these, he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing, and he shall bring his trespass-offering unto the Lord for his sins,' &c. Levit. v.

So now, if there was any offering to be offered for the trespass in swearing needlessly in the old time of the law, is not Christ the offering that has ended all offerings for trespasses, and is an offering for man's sins and trespasses to be looked at, and obeyed above all? not that man should trespass more in swearing, and say Christ is offered up for his trespass, and presume thereby to add sin unto sin.

So Christ ends all swearing, and is the offering that is offered up to the Lord for all true christians for their sins. And in Levit. xix. 'ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shall ye profane the name of thy God, I am the Lord.'

So you may see here, swearing falsely was forbidden by the law of God, and swearing idly is a profaning the name of the Lord; for God did not give his oath to his people to swear idly in their customary talk, nor falsely, but to be performed to the Lord upon special occasions; and that is the oath, as I said before, Christ forbad and ends.

And in Numb. xxx. ' if a man did swear an oath, and bound his soul to the Lord with a bond, he was not to break it, but he shall do according to all that hath proceeded out of his mouth, either vows or oaths. So here you may see they were to perform their oath unto the Lord; which oath of the Lord bound their souls as with a bond; and this was the oath which Christ, the oath of God, came to fulfil,' and forbids amongst the Jews, which had this oath to perform to the Lord.

And so Christ is the oath of God, by which all souls of men and women are bound to perform what proceeds out of their mouths at yea and nay, without swearing, and not to break their word which proceeds out of their mouths.

And in Deut. vi. 'it is said, thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and swear by his name,' mark, by his name, not by the four books of Moses, not by any other name, but by the name of the Lord;' not by any creature, but by the name of the Lord: this was the true oath which

was to be performed to the Lord in the old time, (which as I said be fore,) this is the oath which Christ forbids, and ends.

And in Deut. x. ' thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name: so not by any other name under the whole heaven, or book, but by the name of God, and perform their oath to him: but this was his people's swearing; but God sware by himself concerning his Son, who brings people from under the law that commands swearing, who ends both law and swearing and so what people do now, must be done in the name of Jesus, at yea and nay; and they know that there is no salvation by any other name under the whole heaven, but by the name of Jesus, who does fulfil the oath of God to him and us, that God sware, and ends and forbids the oath that men sware unto God under the law in the old time: and now commands yea and nay to be spoken in lieu of an oath, for whatsoever is more than that, is evil.

And the apostle saith, Colos. iii. 17. 'whatsoever ye do in word or in deed, do all in the name of Jesus Christ.' &c.

Now mark, this comprehends all that ever a man does or says in word or deed, it must be done in the name of Jesus, whose name is above every name.'

And in Joshua ii. it may be seen how Rahab the harlot, said unto the spies, 'now therefore I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord.' So you may see though she was of another nation, and a harlot, yet the spies did swear unto her by the Lord, according to her desire, and this oath was to be performed unto the Lord:' she did not tie them to swear to her by the books of Moses, nor desire it, nor by their own customary oaths of her country, but by the Lord, which was to be performed to the Lord' and this is the oath that Christ ends, and sets up yea and nay instead of it.

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And in Joshua xxiii. it is said, that ye come not amongst those nations, that remain among you, neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them:' here you may see it was forbidden to swear by the gods of other nations, but only to swear by the name of the Lord which was the true oath that Christ ends.

So this one oath by the Lord, that people was to swear by his name in the time of the law, it was a type of that oath that the Lord sware concerning his Son, who ends and forbids this true oath in the old time of the law, who comes to fulfil the law, and gathers people into his own name above every name, where salvation is; and commands them, let their yea be yea, and nay, nay, for whatsoever is more is evil.'

And in 1 Sam. xix. when Saul sware, it was by the Lord, not by books

nor creatures.

And in 1 Sam. xxiv. David when he sware unto Saul, it was by the

Lord, and not by books nor creatures, nor by the gods of other nations; and this was the true oath which was to be performed to the Lord in the old law, which Christ forbids and ends.

And in 1 Sam. xxx. 'the young man of Egypt that was servant to Amalek; who said unto David, swear unto me by God, that thou wilt not kill me, nor deliver me unto my master.' &c.

And so here you may see though they were of other nations, it was in vain to put any oath to the Jews but the oath of the Lord, which was to be performed to the Lord in the old law, which Christ forbids, and ends, and his apostle James. James v. 12.

And Joab, 2 Sam. xix. when he 'sware to David it was by the Lord.' And in 1 Kings when David sware to Bathsheba, that Solomon should reign after him, it was by the Lord, and when David sware that Shimei should not die,' it was by the Lord, as you may see in 1 Kings ii.

And when Solomon sware, it was by the Lord; and when he made Shimei to swear, it was by the Lord, though he broke it, which was to have been performed to the Lord.

And Solomon saith in 1 Kings viii. 'if a man trespass against his neighbour, and he require an oath of him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before the altar in this house: then hear thou in heaven, and judge thy servants, and condemn the wicked.' So here you may see the use of the true oath, and swearing by the Lord, and it was to come before his altar in his house; which house, and oath, and altar, and law, has Christ ended and fulfilled; and all these before mentioned did not swear by books or creatures, or any other name, but by the Lord in the old time, which was to be performed to the Lord.'

So this oath and swearing was to end the trespass; and 'Christ comes to end trespasses, and swearing,' and the oath, and to blot out our sins and trespasses, and sets up yea and nay instead of the true oath which was to be performed to the Lord, and whatsoever is more is evil.'

And in 2 Chron. xv. ' And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice and all Judah rejoiced at the oath which they had sworn with all their hearts.' &c.

So here you may see again that swearing was by the Lord, and to the Lord, and not by any books or creatures, but only to the Lord, and 'to be performed to him, (which, as I said before,) this is the oath which Christ forbids and ends.'

And Nebuchadnezzar made Zedekiah swear by God,' for he knew that that was the oath he was to take, and not force him to swear by his own god or idols, as you may see. 2 Chron. xxxvi.

So this was the true oath to swear by the Lord, though he did not perform it, which Christ ends.

And in Nehem. xiii. he made the people to swear by God,' which

was the true oath, and not to swear by the books of the prophets, or Moses, or any other creatures or name, but by the living God, which according to the law of God was to be performed,' which Christ ends, as I said before.

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And David saith, he that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not, Psal. xv. and Psal. xxxvi. and the king shall rejoice in God, every one that sweareth by him shall glory:' here you may see the swearing was by the Lord, who is above all the gods of the earth,' and above all creatures; so not to swear by books or creatures, but by the Lord, when there was occasion for the deciding of strife; and though it be to his own hurt, yet was he to swear to the Lord, that is just and true, and perform it to the Lord by the command of the Lord, in his law in the old time; but this law of oaths, Christ ends and forbids.

And in Isa. xlv. it is said, 'I have sworn by myself, and the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear.'

Now in the time of the law, they were to swear by the Lord, but Christ Jesus that saith 'swear not at all,' who is the oath of God; and when he came, he fulfilled God's oath, who saith 'swear not at all;' and God's word and oath did not return, but was fulfilled in Christ, that saith'swear not at all.'

So as it is said in Isaiah, aforesaid, 'every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear; but the apostle that preached Christ Jesus and his gospel, saith in Rom. xiii. it is written, as I live saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.'

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Now mark, it is not here, 'every tongue shall swear,' as it is written in Isaiah, they were to swear in the old time of the law, but in the time of the gospel they shall confess; for if the apostle had said, every tongue shall swear to him, he had contradicted Christ's words, who said 'swear not at all,' but every tongue shall confess to God;' so swear not by God, and perform their oath to the Lord now in the time of the gospel. So Christ performed God's oath, and took away the oath of God amongst men, that they were to swear by the Lord, and set up yea and nay instead of it.

And in Phil. to the same purpose, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue shall confess that Christ Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.'

So the oath of God, that he sware by himself, concerning Christ Jesus, who ends the oath of God amongst men, (to bind them and tie them up to God,) Christ Jesus ends, and so every tongue comes to confess Jesus Christ, the oath of God, who brings men up to God; so that at the

name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth,' &c.

So the prophet saith every tongue shall swear; but Christ that is greater than the prophet, says, 'swear not all:' and the apostles that preached him, say every tongue shall confess him and his gospel: so it was swearing to the Lord in the old time of the law, but confessing to the Lord in the time of the gospel, as you may see in the scriptures.

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And in Isa. xlviii, Hear this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth nor in righteousness.'

So you may see all such swearing, and mentioning of God, not in truth, nor righteousness,' was declared against in the time of the law and prophets.

So Christ did not come to fulfil any false thing, but the true types and shadows and figures of him; and the oath that they were to swear by the Lord, and perform it in truth and righteousness; and this was the oath that Christ told the Jews, 'it was said by them in the old time they were to perform to the Lord, but I say unto you swear not at all:' so here was the old time and the new time, the old time in the law and prophets that commanded swearing, and the new time in Christ and his gospel, that commands not to swear.

And again, Isaiah saith, in chap. lxv. 16. he who blesses himself in the earth, shall bless himself in the God of truth, and he that sweareth in the earth, shall swear by the God of truth.'

So you may see here they were to swear still by the God of truth in the old time of the law and prophets, and not to swear by any creatures or books, or any other thing but by the God of truth, and perform their oath to him, according to the law and prophets, which, as I said before, was the old time, but Christ in his time and gospel says, 'swear not at all,' which was the new time, and doctrine; to preach down the sacrifices, and altars, and oaths, and he it is that brings men up to God, and to a farther righteousness than that of the law: and as Jeremiah saith, Jer. v. though they say the Lord liveth, yet surely they swear falsely those were they that had the form of the law and prophets, but were out of the power, and truth, and righteousness; which were forbidden, and looked upon as false swearers, because their hearts were gone from the Lord.

So you may see it was a weighty thing to swear by the Lord, and to perform their oath to the Lord; which this weighty oath, Christ the substance, comes to end, who is the oath of God, and says, 'swear not at all.'

So the righteousness of Christ excels and exceeds the righteousness of the law and prophets, and of their swearing.