A26879:1461
The catechizing of families a teacher of householders how to teach their householdsThe catechizing of families a teacher of housholders how to teach their housholds
The catechizing of families a teacher of householders how to teach their households : useful also to school-masters and tutors of youth : for those that are past the common small catechisms [sic], and would grow to a more rooted faith, and to the fuller understanding of all that is commonly needful to a safe, holy comfortable and profitable life / written by Richard Baxter ...The catechizing of families a teacher of housholders how to teach their housholds : useful also to school-masters and tutors of youth : for those that are past the common small chatechisms [sic], and would grow to a more rooted faith, and to the fuller understanding of all that is commonly needful to a safe, holy comfortable and profitable life / written by Richard Baxter ...
London: printed for T. Parkhurst, 1683
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.
Q. 5. What is an Oath?
A. I have said heretofore as others, that it's but an Appeal to God as the Witness of the Truth, and the Avenger of a Lye; but on further Thoughts I ⟨p. 264⟩find that the common nature of an Oath is to [Pawn some greater thing in attesting of the truth of our words,] or [to take some grievous thing on our selves as a penalty if we Lye,] or [to make some certain Truth a pledge of the truth of what we say;] And to Swear by our Faith, or Truth, or Honesty, by the Temple, the Altar, the Fire, the Sun, is as much as to say [If this be not true, then I have no Faith, Truth, Honesty; there is no Temple, Altar, Fire, Sun] or [let me be taken for one that denieth that I have any Faith, that there is any Sun, Fire, &c.] or [it is as true as that this is Fire, Sun, &c.] so to Swear by God, is to say [It is as true as that there is a God, or as God liveth, &c.] or [If I Lye, take me for one that denieth God to be God] (and consequently it is an Appeal to him as the Avenger:) so [By the Life of Pharaoh] was [As true as Pharaoh liveth] or [else take me for one that denieth the life of Pharaoh;] So that there is somewhat of an Imprecation or Self-reproach as the penalty of a Lye in every Oath, but more dreadfully of Divine Revenge when we Swear by God, and of Idolatry when men Swear by an Idol as if it were a God.
A. I have said heretofore as others, that it's but an Appeal to God as the Witness of the Truth, and the Avenger of a Lye; but on further Thoughts I ⟨p. 264⟩find that the common nature of an Oath is to [Pawn some greater thing in attesting of the truth of our words,] or [to take some grievous thing on our selves as a penalty if we Lye,] or [to make some certain Truth a pledge of the truth of what we say;] And to Swear by our Faith, or Truth, or Honesty, by the Temple, the Altar, the Fire, the Sun, is as much as to say [If this be not true, then I have no Faith, Truth, Honesty; there is no Temple, Altar, Fire, Sun] or [let me be taken for one that denyeth that I have any Faith, that there is any Sun, Fire, &c.] or [it is as true as that this is Fire, Sun, &c.] so to Swear by God, is to say [It is as true as that there is a God, or as God liveth, &c.] or [If I Lye, take me for one that denyeth God to be God] (and consequently it is an Appeal to him as the Avenger:) so [By the Life of Pharaoh] was [As true as Pharaoh liveth] or [else take me for one that denyeth the life of Pharaoh;] So that there is somewhat of an Imprecation or Self-reproach as the penalty of a Lye in every Oath, but more dreadfully of Divine Revenge when we Swear by God, and of Idolatry when men Swear by an Idol as if it were a God.