Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	english_a	king_n	lord_n	1,488	5	3.5153	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90903	A summons for svvearers, and a law for the lips in reproving them wherein the chiefe disswasives from swearing are proposed, the sleight objections for swearing answered, the strange judgments upon swearers, forswearers, cursers, that take Gods name in vain, related. Which may be a terror to the wicked for swearing, and a preservative for the godly from swearing. With sundry arguments to prove the verity of the Scriptures, and excellencie of the decalogue, against all prophane and atheisticall deniers thereof. By Walter Powell, preacher at Standish, neer Glocester.	Powell, Walter, b. 1590 or 91.	1645 (1645)	Wing P3098; Thomason E1228_1; ESTC R203197	141,220	287

imitation imitate God in your dutie whom you doe imitate indignity Swearing is a sin of such insolent growth that it scorns to be queld by the tongue or slain by the pen but like the Princes of Midian it cals for a Gideon himself the power of the Magistrate to fall upon it If ever then I would to God that in this time and in this point my voyce were like the voyce of some thundring Pericles my sides brass and my tongue as the pen of a ready writer that my words were tipt with an Adamant to make deep impressions in your souls touching this point Oh that I had the silven Trumpet of Hilarie the golden mouth of Chrysostome the mellifluous speech of Origen that my prayers might bee powerfull and words effectull to perswade and prevail with you that this dutie of oppressing the growth of swearing might not onely float upon the fugitive streames of the eare but also be landed upon the solid shore of your hearts Suppose there could not be found any other sin in the land suppose swearing had not any other sinne to beare it company suppose there were not any forraine enemy in the world to invade us yet the frequent use of this infernall language of the Devill would prove an Engine strong enough to batter our walls a sword keen enough to martyr our flesh an arrow swift enough to drink up our blood a plague overspreading enough to make a flaw in our State a breach in our peace a scar in our Church a hot Feaver a shaking ague sure enough to shake our land from one end to another and make all to quiver and tremble from the lowest Shrub to the tallest Cedar Doe you therefore that have conscience and calling in your severall persons and places resist oppose suppresse this proud sin that scornes to quarrell with any under God this stout sinne that is alwayes heaving at the foundation and strength of our Lord Oh suffer not this crafty Sinon to be lodged and succoured within the cabinet of your own souls to sit at your boards to jet in your streets to dwell in your houses to nestle in your eares without any check or controll why should this above all other sinnes submit it selfe to no censure or sharp reproofe If common Swearers saith Bishop Hooper bee suffered to sinne without punishment the sinne is so abominable that surely the Magistrates and whole common-wealth are like in time to smart for it The gangrene hereof not cut off in the Toe it spreads forwards till it putrifie the whole body The Persians made them slaves that could not be rulers of their own tongues Philip King of France ordained that whosoever by swearing blasphemed God yea if in a Taverne he should be drowned straightwayes Turneb in Ja. Maximilian the Emperour decreed that whosoever should bee deprehended for a vaine swearer should pay 13. shillings foure pence which money whoso refused to pay and repented not of the wickednesse should lose his head Henry the first of this land appointed the payment of fourty twenty ten three shillings four pence according to the degrees of the swearers to be imployed for the poore The Romans Egyptians Grecians Scythians Turkes Justinian the Emperour Lewis of France appointed and inflicted severall punishments as you heard before upon the heads eares lips goods bodies lives of Swearers And now after so many dehortations from this sinne and severall judgements upon the sinners what cause or reason have our rash fearfull Ruffian-like swearers to expect freedome from the like punishment from the hands of men seeing they deserve greater at the hands of God then either with the Roman Swearers to be thrown down from an high rock that have endeavoured by their continuall cursed swearing for every trifle to pull down God from the height of heaven Or with the Grecian Swearers to lose their eares since by their swearing they have infected the eares of others Or with the French Swearers to bee scared in their lips that have not been a bridle to their words Or with the Egyptian swearers to lose their heads because it harboured such bloody Traytors against God and man heaven and earth Or with the Scythian swearers to be punished with losse of goods because oft by their swearing they have wronged others in their estates Or with the Turkish swearers to have no admission to the government of others that could not guide their own unruly tongues Or with the Persian swearers to be made slaves to other because they could not be masters over themselves and their sayings Or with Philip of France his swearers to be drowned in water because by their sinne they have caused the fish to be destroyed in the Sea Or with Maximilian and King Henry the first their swearers to be punished in purse for the good of the poore because for their swearing the land hath not yeelded like food and aliment for their bellies or cloathing and indument for their backes as otherwise it would Or with Justinian his swearers to be put to death because they have assayed afresh to crucify the Lord and giver of life Or with the English King his servant-swearers to be whipped in their body for making it a cage of unclean birds a stie of filthy hogges and a den of Hellish theeves which should have been preserved as first it was created an Habitation for God a member of Christ and a Temple of the holy Ghost 1 Job 4.15 1 Cor. 6.15.19 Oh that some good Phineas who is zealous of the name of God would break us the ice and take in hand to purchase and procure from our Senate the now assembled Court of Parliament some sharp and cutting Statute if purse penalty onely to preserve the poore from perjury and rich from impiety that might snap the growth and stanch the bloody issue of this heynous sinne the taking of Gods name in vain Verily God would say of such a man as he did of Phineas This good man that was zealous for my glory Numb 25.11 hath turned away my anger from you Surely happy should bee that day immortall should be that memory and renowned ever should be the name of that man by whose zealous endevour so good a work should be effected his memory should never perish but wheresoever there should bee mention of his name there also should the good work that he had done be spoken of for a memoriall of him and every man would say Oh that was the man that first hindered the blaspheming and furthered the sanctifying of Gods glorious name that was carefull to banish swearing first out of his own heart secondly out of his house thirdly out of the countrey before swearing banished him out of all Oh that we were so happy as once to see that day that so our wayes might be prosperous our sorrow easie our comforts many our life holy our peace permanent and our salvation certaine That this may be so all yee that desire to rest with

David in Gods Tabernacle aime to attain to his courage and resolution He that telleth lies and blasphemeth Gods name shall not tarry in my sight Psal 101.7 or dwell in my house I will hasten soon to be rid of all such wicked persons lest they should bring Gods judgments upon mine house and plagues upon the whole land whose wrath already seems to be incensed against the same the coals whereof no otherwise can bee quenched then by having courage and resolution against this other sins and by making our hearts springs our heads fountaines and our eyes rivers of teares nay let us turn our fountaine of teares into a stream our streame into a flood and that flood into an ocean and let that ocean be bottomlesse and that spring boundlesse that God may be pleased to forgive all our sinnes and remove all his fearfull judgements which hee hath threatned and crown us with those Myriads of blessings which he hath promised to all those that love him and leave their sins and sanctifie the great holy and glorious Name of God in giving laud honour and praise to the same for ever So much be spoken of the fifth use The sixth and last followeth scil of imitation God holds not swearers guiltilesse Vse 6. For imitation Psa 39.1 So must not we I will keep my mouth with a bridle I will take beed unto my way that I off end not in my tongue saith the sweet Singer of Israel which one lesson Pambus a famous professor in the primitive Church plying hard nineteen whole years together as Socrates in his Ecclesiasticall history speakes out of his own mouth yet could not learne it so perfectly as to take out anew which the author imputes not so much to the dulnesse of the scholar as to the difficultie of the lesson insomuch that if there be any man that offends not in his tongue the same is a perfect man and able to bridle his own body But because this difficultie of bridling this little-great unruly member is so great and the danger breaking forth by neglect so manifold therefore am I willing and as it were inforced to stand the longer and with Pambus to bestow the greater pains about the same God will not hold them guiltless that take his name in vain saith the Text. Therefore we imitating God after whose image we were created must oppose this sinne to the uttermost of our power by setting our selves against the sin of them that set themselves against God himselfe The wicked fact of Jezabel covering bloody impietie in proclaiming a Fast when she would have Naboth slain for blasphemy 1 King 21.9 10. shewes the custome of those times was both to punish and have publick humiliation for such sins lest the wrath of God should come upon the land for the same And when good King Hezekiah heard the blasphemy which Rabshakeh uttered against the Lord he fell to his prayers and to humble himselfe before God Shall this good King doe this for another mans blasphemy and shall not wee doe the like for our owne but continue in swearing and suffer others to continue therein without any redresse of others and remorse for our own sins We must resemble God in our zeale here or else not reigne with him in glory hereafter God 1. Reproves and punisheth swearing 2. Is himself pure from it 3. Absents himselfe from the company of such We must be holy as he is holy pure as he is pure just as he is just In the application of this last use I will propose and prosecute these particulars 1. The matter what we must doe 2. The men whom we must reprove 3. The time when 4. The manner how 5. The motives why And when I have run through these particular passages you may expect a period to this discourse of swearing and reproving the same 1. The matter what We must reprove and punish this sin of swearing 1 The matter what if ever we expect the suppression thereof Reprove and punish for I joyn them both together because reproofe is a verball punishment and punishment a reall reproof herein following the method of Mr. Perkins that judicious Divine who on Mat. 7.5 confounds reproof and correction together And to some it appertains to reprove only according to their conscience and calling and to others both to reprove and punish such are Magistrates in respect of subjects Masters in respect of servants Tutors in respect of scholars Parents in respect of children and housholders in respect of their families For every King or mighty Monarch is but Magnus Paterfamilias a great housholder and every housholder is parvus Rex a little King in his family And therefore if Kings may and ought to make lawes for the suppressing of this Gangren-like disease that hath fearfully already over-spread Court Citie Countrey Kingdome then also may and ought every Magistrate Parent Master Housholder make some lawes and take some sharp course that this horrid hellish sinne may at length be banished from our lips eares and land Some sharp course I say some having power and authority to deale herein more sharply then others that so privat men privatly in their owne families may in time effect that which by a more publick law and sharp punishment were to be wished to be enacted for the whole land Till some such sharp course and generall law by some godly Phineas be procured let us in our severall callings goe so farre as Gods word doth enjoyn and mans law permit for the suppressing this sinne which being so directly and immediatly practised against God himselfe cannot bee too much preached against by his ministers For if you say to me Why doe you harp so long upon this string I say to you Why do you continue so long in this sinne Your practice your practice which hath been evill hath occasioned my preaching which then hath been good if by this great pains and long labour you are at length brought to the sight of the greatnesse of this your sinne and the severity of Gods judgements against the same that so you may endeavour to perform for the good of others also which I endevour now to perswade you unto namely to reprove and punish swearers Reprove I say and punish for I told you ere-while that in this discourse I confound both together and you in the application may be pleased to take them asunder You who are Masters Parents Governours whose calling is to punish when I name reprove understand you punish And you whose calling is to reprove onely when I name punish understand you reprove that so my speech may not be misapplied that is rightly intended but that the fish of your soules may be caught by one of those baits you performing one of these duties reproving or punishing swearers And so relying upon Gods good blessing for successe I lanch into the deep intreating you to suffer this net of Gods word not to swim in the shallownesse of

A SUMMONS FOR SVVEARERS AND A Law for the Lips in reproving them Wherein the chiefe Disswasives from Swearing are proposed the sleight objections for swearing answered The strange judgments upon Swearers Forswearers Cursers That take Gods Name in vain related Which may be a terror to the wicked for swearing and a preservative for the godly from Swearing With sundry Arguments to prove the verity of the Scriptures and excellencie of the Decalogue against all prophane and Atheisticall deniers thereof By WALTER POWELL Preacher at Standish neer Glocester LONDON Printed by Matthew Simmons in Aldersg●●● street 1645. An Exposition of the third COMMANDEMENT Being the summe and substance into one Modell newly briefly properly collected out of that which by many Authors hath more anciently largely promiscuously been delivered Tending to banish the Devill from mens tongues that they doe not utter oathes and from mens ears that they doe not hear them uttered without reproving them Librum ut Monitorem potius quam Criminatorem lege Hierome Corpore stetisti animo fugisti Fugisti quia tacuisti Tacuisti quia timuisti Nam fuga animae timor est Histo of Adam ex Augustino TO THE RIGHT Honorable the LORDS and Commons assembled in Parliament THE Copie of this Treatise Right Honorable having for a yeares space in these times of danger been buried in the ground when other my bookes that lay open were plundered away was secure and by Gods providence for some better use I hope reserved If in the Prophet Ieremies time Jer. 23.10 the land did mourn because of oathes why may not such a cause produce such an effect now also Hosea 4.1 If in Hosea's time the Lord had a controversie with the inhabitants of the land because by swearing c. they brake forth and blood touched blood i. bloody punishments bloody sinnes why may not this heaven-daring sinne be a speciall promover of the fury of Gods wrath so hotly incensed against this nation at this time I know not any one sinne more universally spread over Court Citie Country then this Laws-outfacing Gangren That Gods sword may bee sheathed mans must be drawn forth out of the scabbard of silence connivence by reprehension by correction It requires the labour of most skilfull Chirurgeons to put to their helping hearts and hands to the healing of this festered wound Ezek. 22.30 to make up the hedge to stand in the gap before the Lord for the Land which is as the Bush in Moses time Exod. 3.2 burnin though not consumed that hee may not fully destroy it Such searchers of these soares have need of Eagles eyes and Lions hearts as well as Ladies hands Knotty pieces require the more blowes to break them foule linnen the more water to cleanse them Drossie silver the more refining and dusty garments the more brushing If this Epidemicall sinne were more frequently more fervently preached against by Ministers I think it would not be so freely so fully persisted in by men against the Lord. The ensuing Summons for Swearers will discover how this sinne of swearing hath been punished by God by men Christians heathens Some Errata's you may meet with in the booke because while part of it was in the presse in the Citie the Author was in pressure and that almost a thing incredible under the authority of the Parliament in the countrey by the malice of malevolent and malignant adversaries The Devill is more delighted with the quenching of the fire of zeale in the hearts of Peachers then the Pope is pleased by the sprinkling of holy water upon the faces of the people Your inflamed Resolutions against this and other like sinnes this Tract will no whit retard I hope but rather animate enliven enlarge Renowned indefatigable reforming eternizable Senators consider God hath done great things by you for you that you may doe more for him still You may be bold to trust God upon triall These are times of warre and who are to be accounted Souldiers if you are not You may bee as confident as the Souldier that Eràsmus speakes of who being told of a numerous Army comming against answered Tanto plus gloriae referemus quanto sunt plures quos superabimus The greater the opposition the more illustrious the conquest shall be to you 2 Tim. 4.7.8 considering all Christs Souldiers shall have a crown though sometimes enforced to swim to the same in streames of blood In Exodus 32. wee read of three sorts of fire of the Israelites by sinne of God by judgements of Moses by zeale The first made way for the second the second for the third Hannibal by fire made a way over the Alps so shal you by zeal over all mountains of oppositions What powder is to bullets a clapper to the Bell fire to wood wings to a bird wind to sailes sailes to a ship an edge to a razor wine to the spirits metall to a horse a soule to the body vivacity to any creature that is zeale to a Christian it acts his soule it moves his affection It is oft winter within when it is Summer without In the cold climate of this countrey let the fire of your zeale bee seen more and more to unthaw this icie corruption Why should there not bee in superiors a liberty of punishing aswel as there is in inferiors a liberty of sinning The frantick man returning to his wits thinkes him his best friend that bound and beat him most He that withstands a man in the prosecution of this or any other sin though he beares away frowns heart-burnings for a time yet when the offending party comes to himselfe he recompenseth his former dislike with so much the more love and so many the more thanks The Lord himselfe will for all eternity speak of such a man such a Parliament as somtimes he did of Phinehas This man Numb 25.11 this Parliament that was zealous for my glory hath turned away my wrath from the children of Israel from the people of England This was the great Councel of England that first successfully hindered the blaspheming and effectually furthered the sanctifying of my glorious Name that was carefull to banish swearing 1. out of their own hearts 2. out their houses 3. out of the Land before swearing had banished them out of all By so doing your active spirits may the rather expect your other workes to bee the more prosperous your labour bee light your sorrowes easie our warres hushed our peace permanent and your own salvation certain which hath been is and shall be the prayer of Your servant Sufferer Supplicant WALTER POWELL I Have perused this Treatise intituled A Summons for Swearers I find it fraughted with usefull and delightfull matter so as omne tulit punctum c. In generall I observe solid Arguments therin to prove the divine authority of the sacred Scripture whereby much weight is added to the proof which thence he produceth It doth further set out the manifold excellencies of the

heaven earth c. 7. Heathenishly by the gods of the Gentiles Deut. 6.14 which to name in oathes were forbidden 8. Superstitiously as by the Rood Masse Saint Mary Saint Anne c. 9. Ridiculously as by Lakin Cock and Pye c. 10. Hellishly as by Gods Body Blood Heart Soule Wounds Armes Nails Fast life Iesus Lord Passion of God c. The uses that we may make of this second doctrine shall be 1. For the reproof of the offenders 2. For the removall of the objections usually alledged for swearing 3. For direction to use the means for the abandoning of the same 4. For incitation to hearken to the motives for the abhorring this sin 5. For exhortation to Ministers and Magistrates to oppose chiefly this sin 6. For imitation to imitate God in the reproof and punishment thereof Of all these in order with the change of the fourth into the place of the third 1. This may justly be for a reprehension of Vse 1. a commination against all such as offend in any the former kinds without any awfull regard of Gods dreadfull Majesty in so much that if ever the land did mourn in Jeremies time Jer. 23.10 then much more in ours by reason of sinfull swearing Jer. 23.10 The earth mourneth for bearing of sinners because man mourneth not for broaching of sin If ever in Hoseabs time the Lord had then much more now hath the Lord a controversie with the inhabitants of the land Hos 4.1 2 3. both for defects and for superfluities defects of Truth Mercie Knowledge superfluities of swearing lying c. 1. No truth in heart or tongue 2. No mercie in hand or work 3. No knowledge in head or will Hesca 4.1 Therefore they breake forth for want of truth by swearing and lying For want of mercie by killing and stealing For want of knowledge by adultery and one bloody sin toucheth another The foundation of all these sinnes is want of truth and the first head of this monster of the body of sin that appeareth is swearing And this Serpent having got in her head by swearing the rest of the body will easily glide in after Neither is there care of making and executing Lawes either publickly in the land Magistrates or privatly in the family against this sin 1. For fear the Housholders Masters Parents or Magistrates should make a net to catch themselves 2. Or for feare there are not enough innocent to punish the offenders so great is the multitude of them So farre are the Magistrates from drawing the sword of justice and punishment against swearers that they scarce dare touch them with the scabbard of reprehension Sanpaulinus but for reproving a man for swearing Saupaulinus D. Iackson ex Fox Martyr p. 904. Gentry was by the Papists suspected to be a Lutheran and thereupon examined condemned burned The Gentry also are much infected with this sin and why 1. It is a grace unto their speech They thus gracing themselves to disgrace their creator doe glory in their shame and their end will be damnation 2. Or it is an argument of their valour Obj. Phil 3.19 seeing they dare to provoke God himselfe therefore men may dread them For indeed it falls out oft Sol. that where solid magnanimitie of heart is wanting that it must be supplied by the valour of the tongue It will appeare commonly by the least triall that under this hideous vizard they hide their cowardize If the Lion-like skin of fury be once plucked off they will appeare to be Asses onely fit to bear blows and only valorous to leap out of the ●uburbs here into the fire of hell it selfe there perpetually to remain the Devils bond-slaves in torments remedilesly If any of the Gentry or serving-men do abstain from swearing hee is among his outward equals and daily associates accounted a shallow fellow a sober dry plain down-right Civillian an enemy to gallantry a crosser of the times an unconformitant to the custome of great men and in a word as an Owle among birds wondred at look what an Asse is among a sort of Apes the same is he among his equalls and fellowes They think that serving man not worthy to wear a Livery that cannot face out the matter with plentie and variety of oathes He that can soonest sweare and give the first blow is thought fittest to doe the best service to a Gentleman Whereas there are three wayes to confirme our speech scil Affirmation Asseveration and an Oath Men commonly make that the first which the Lord hath appointed the last bound of speech and resuge for upholding the truth I have knowne saith Musculus Musculus then publick Reader of Divinity in the Citie of Berna in Helvetia some Common-wealths so well ordered before these troublesome years that if any of the Citizens did offend through lightnesse of swearing he should be chastened by order of the laws made in that behalf But now saith he we see that all lawes of holy Discipline be broken amongst us and all liberty given to whoredome adultery drunkennes usury and rash swearing coupling swearing w th usury drunkennes whoredom the three most common banes of Common-wealths And yet men are punished sharply if they abuse the Majesty of Magistrates never so lightly Whith things well weighed saith he we must look for the extream wrath of God to be kindled and fall upon our contrey ere long which will be so great that it will especially plague noble and great personages such as think they stand upon a most sure and quiet ground in that they have forsaken the yoak of the Lord in shifting off the anger and displeasure of that man whose breath is in his nostrils that they may sall into the wrath and displeasure of God by whose breath the whole world is shaken and crushed together So farre Musculus in his tract of oathes As no person almost so no place is free from Oathes Goe into the Court you would think you are come into a schoole of blasphemy Goe into the Citie you will imagine you are come among their scholars who having learned this lecture of impiety are now repeating it over that they may grow more perfect Come into the Countrey and you shall see the silliest are wise enough to this evill and that the rudest in speech can be eloquent in blasphemy As though howsoever they are excelled by Courtiers in bravery of apparell and by Citizens in abundance of wealth yet they disdain they should surpasse them in bravery of swearing and in variety of new fashioned oathes Thirdly no time seems exempt from this hideous sin Are men merry Oathes flie out as the musick of their mirth Are they earnest in gaming or in bargaining Oathes are the period if not the preface to their speeches and thesealers to every bargain seeking to gain the world and to lose their souls Are they purposed to perpetrate any wickednesse They confirm their purpose with bloody oathes as if

your eares alone but also to sink into the depth of your hearts that so at length you may have true cause to say and sing with Zacheus O God I thanke thee this day is salvation come into my house I that before blasphemed thy name by my vain rash hellish oathes now am perswaded resolved to endevour to sanctifie thy name by reproving punishing others that do blaspheme the same that so hereby my repentance to others may be manifested their conversion to themselves assured the former negligence of either by the future diligence of both requited and countervalued And so from the wide gates I make haste into the little Citie for feare you should imagine my gates to be greater then the Citie the windowes then the house the circumstance then the substance of this ensuing discourse That this duty of reproving and punishing swearers is to be performed is proved by the Prophet the only meanes to divert Gods vengeance from a land is to hinder sinne that men break not forth by swearing lying whoring stealing c. For these sins breaking forth Gods judgements break in But how shall I hinder either judgements or sinne Quest Verse 4. is added a cause why men break forth into this sinne Answ because they are not reproved Yet let no man strive nor rebuke one another intimating that the means that will hinder the breaking forth into this sinne is striving against by reproving and punishing the swearer For this people are as they that strive with the Priest sh●wing that Satan strives by the sinne of the swearer to overcome the admonitions of God in the mouth of the Minister And should not the Minister and every Reprover strive as much for the enlargement of the Lords Kingdome as the Swearer doth for the enlargement of the Devils There must be striving you see betweene the Swearer and the Reprover Think not saith our Saviour that I am come to send peace Matth. 10.34 I came not to send peace but warre We must have war with sinners before wee can have peace with God or our own souls If by our timely admonitions we plead not for Christ by our dumb silence we really plead against Christ He that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad If God be God let us cleave to him but if Baal be God and the sons of Belial true saints let us say nothing against but cleave unto them Yee cannot serve two masters Gog and Magog Christ and Antichrist your delight cannot be in the Saints and those that doe excell in vertue and your eares sheathes for those that break forth with swearing Therefore there must be no silence but striving contending And why should we refuse the combat and doubt of the victory Swearers have the world on their side we have the word They custome we conscience They men we God They darknesse we light They error we truth which is strongest of all Through Gods mercie and the might of Christ we shall be more then Conquerours But if wee refuse to strive for the Lord of Hosts then hath he a controversie and will strive against us Therefore shalt thou fall in the day and the Prophet also shall fall in the night both the swearer and the sufferer scil the non-reprover of him And will the Lord strive plead Iob. 12. 1 Sam. 15.22 Levit. 26.24 Psal 18.26 and have a controversie with us If hee come to wrastle with man though with the stoutest of men the commander of heaven and earth with dust and ashes it cannot but prove impar congressus an unmeet match as the wrastling of a Giant with a Dwarfe We can make no match with him who powreth contempt upon Princes if they contemne him Now looke how severe the Cedar would be towards the Shrub resisting him the mighty towards the meanest ten thousand times more will the Lord be in opposing and striving against those that oppose and strive against him Doth he in any wise command thou shalt rebuke thy neighbour Levit. 19.17 And shall I see and heare him swear and not open my mouth to sanctifie when his is open to pollute the glorious name of the Lord knowing herein what God commands and what I my self practice Shall I not herein professe my selfe an enemy to God by rejecting his word by hating his soule whose body I seem to love Doth God command Ephes 5.12 Have no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darknesse but rather reprove them And shall I sit with the swearer and drink with the drunkard plead not a word for God when others spue forth many oaths against him knowing herein what God commands and I my selfe practice Shall I not herein professe my selfe a striver against the Lord himselfe a hearer of his name taken in vain and therefore not to be held guiltlesse a lover of darknesse and therfore not a child of light Ephes 5.12 seeing I approve in not reproving the workes of darknesse which is the means the Apostle professeth for the frustrating this and all other works of darknesse When the Ark was present Dagon fell down they could not both stand together When the Ark of Reprehension comes in place the Dagon of darknesse will fall down Have no fellowship of needlesse long and daily familiarity with them by sitting lodging dwelling with such unfruitful works i. workers of darkness by approving defending countenancing extenuating their finfull swearing but rather reprove them for it as God the Fatther here doth Christ the Sonne Matth. 5. God the holy Ghost Jam. 5.12 Above all things c. Shall that which S. James above all things commands to be regarded least and last of all things be heeded remembred and observed Or was it needfull in his time and is it not in ours We are they that live in the last and worst dayes wherein it seemes to be a lesser offence to sweare ordinarily rashly falsly then to reprove men for their so swearing The first thing that our Saviour teacheth us to pray is that Gods name may be hallowed and shall it be our last care or rather no care at all to reprove such as doe dishonour the same Thus out of the Prophet and Apostle wee have heard what we must doe scil reprove punish swearers by all means possible striving against this sin that causeth God to strive against a whole land Secondly the men whom wee must reprove 2. The men whom The object is Swearers the extent is all Swearers The Lord will not hold him guiltless The greatnesse of the Oke the talnesse of the Cedar the smoothnesse of the Popler the greennesse of the Lawrell or the lownesse of the Shrub shall not exempt themselves from the blast and fiercenesse of this censure The greatnesse of the wealthy the meannesse of the poore the ignorance of the simple the knowledge of the learned the passions of the angry the mincing of oathes the unpunishing by the Magistrates shall not be placcards to defend men from this