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…

The seventh question is, whether oaths made in societies and companies, to maintain their statutes and orders,¹ do bind the conscience; and whether those who swear to such orders, are perjured if they do not observe them? To which I answer, that amongst these statutes there are some absolute, requiring simple obedience; some penal and conditional, requiring either performance, or submission to undergo the mulct and punishment; some substantial, and essential, which are the fundamental laws and orders, upon the performance whereof the good continuance and being of the corporation is grounded: which being obeyed, the society is preserved, but being broken and violated, it is overthrown and destroyed. Others are ceremonial, tending only to order, and decency, and rather for ornament, then for necessity. Now as the lawgivers require simple and absolute obedience unto the former kind, namely, such as are fundamental, & essential, and for the better performance of such statutes, require an oath of the whole society; so according unto their intention, the particular members of the corporation taking their oath, are bound to yield simple and absolute obedience unto such statutes, being not contrary to the word of God, and if they do not, they are perjured. But as the lawgivers require not simple obedience unto such statutes as tend only to order & comeliness, but conditional, that they must obey or undergo the mulct; so they swearing according to the lawgivers intention, do perform their oath in some manner, when they bear the penalty for their nonperformance: although not as they ought, seeing the true end of laws, is obedience, and not punishment; nevertheless, they are hereby acquitted of perjury, and in some cases wholly excused, as when some necessary and important cause moveth them to omit a ceremonial duty.

The seuenth question is, whether oathes made in societies and companies, to maintaine their statutes and orders,¹ doe bind the conscience; and whether those who sweare to such orders, are periured if they doe not obserue them? To which I answere, that amongst these statutes there are some absolute, requiring simple obedience; some penall and conditionall, requiring either performance, or submission to vndergoe the mulct and punishment; some substantiall, and essentiall, which are the fundamentall lawes and orders, vpon the performance whereof the good continuance and being of the corporation is grounded: which being obeyed, the societie is preserued, but being broken and violated, it is ouerthrowne and destroyed. Others are ceremoniall, tending onely to order, and decencie, and rather for ornament, then for necessitie. Now as the lawgiuers require simple and absolute obedience vnto the former kind, namely, such as are fundamentall, & essentiall, and for the better performance of such statutes, require an oath of the whole societie; so according vnto their intention, the particular members of the corporation taking their oath, are bound to yeeld simple and absolute obedience vnto such statutes, being not contrarie to the word of God, and if they do not, they are periured. But as the lawgiuers require not simple obedience vnto such statutes as tend only to order & comelines, but conditional, that they must obey or vndergoe the mulct; so they swearing according to the lawgiuers intention, doe performe their oath in some manner, when they beare the penaltie for their nonperformance: although not as they ought, seeing the true end of lawes, is obedience, and not punishment; neuerthelesse, they are hereby acquitted of periury, and in some cases wholly excused, as when some necessarie and important cause mooueth them to omit a ceremoniall dutie.