A20760:125
Four treatises tending to dissuade all Christians from four no less heinous then common…Foure treatises tending to disswade all Christians from foure no lesse hainous then common…
Four treatises tending to dissuade all Christians from four no less heinous then common sins; namely, the abuses of swearing, drunkenness, whoredom, and bribery. Wherein the greatness and odiousness of these vices is discovered; and the means and remedies, which may either preserve, or wean men from them, are propounded. Whereunto is annexed a treatise of anger. By John Downame Bachelor in Divinity, and preacher of Gods word.Foure treatises tending to disswade all Christians from foure no lesse hainous then common sinnes; namely, the abuses of swearing, drunkennesse, whoredome, and briberie. Wherein the greatnes and odiousnesse of these vices is discouered; and the meanes and remedies, which may either preserue, or weane men from them, are propounded. Whereunto is annexed a treatise of anger. By Iohn Dovvname Batcheler in Diuinitie, and preacher of Gods word.
London: printed by Felix Kyngston for William Welby, 1609
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
CHAP. IX. Of the divers kinds of Perjury.
CHAP. IX. Of the diuers kinds of Periurie.
And thus much generally concerning Perjury.1 In the next place we are to speak of the kinds thereof, the which may be distinguished according to the several kinds of a lawful oath; for as a true and lawful oath is either assertory, which is the affirmation and confirmation of the truth, concerning that which is past, or present, by an oath; or else promissory, whereby we bind our selves by oath to perform our promise concerning things to come: so likewise, perjury is either assertory, or promissory.
ANd thus much generally concerning Periurie.1 In the next place we are to speake of the kinds therof, the which may be distinguished according to the seuerall kinds of a lawfull oath; for as a true and lawfull oath is either assertorie, which is the affirmation and confirmation of the truth, concerning that which is past, or present, by an oath; or else promissorie, whereby wee bind our selues by oath to performe our promise concerning things to come: so likewise, periurie is either assertorie, or promissorie.
- 1§. Sect. 1.
Assertory perjury is, whereby we swear that to be true,1 which we either know or think to be false; or contrariwise, that to be false, which we either know or think to be true. So that there are two special kinds of this perjury; the first, when as we confirm by oath that which we know certainly to be false; the other, when as we swear that to be true, which we think is false, though afterwards it may fall out to be true. For though the thing be true, yet he who taketh the oath sweareth falsely, because his speech agreeth not with his mind, and his scope is to deceive him to whom he sweareth, and consequently it is no better then plain perjury, and all one in Gods sight as if the thing were false: for as the main end of a lawful and religious oath is the confirmation of truth; so the end of perjury is falsehood and deceit.