beginning of the world to the res- quidem ab orbe condito ad resurrec urrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week,' which in Scripture is called the Lord's day,' and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath." tionem usque Christi dies ultimus erat in septimana; deinde autem a Christi resurrectione in septimana diem primum transferebatur;' qui quidem in Scriptura Dies Dominicus' nuncupatur, estque perpetuo ad finem mundi tanquam Sabbatum Christianum celebrandus.' VIII. Tunc autem hoc Sabbatum Deo sancte celebratur, quum post corda rite præparata, et compositas suas res mundanas, homines non so VIII. This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an lum a suis ipsorum operibus, dictis, holy rest all the day from their own cogitatis; (quæ circa illas exerceri works, words, and thoughts, about their worldly employments and recreations; but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy." CHAPTER XXII. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows. I. A lawful oath is a part of religious worship, wherein, upon just occasion, the person swearing solemnly calleth God to witness what he asserteth or promiseth; and to judge him according to the truth or falsehood of what he sweareth.' II. The name of God only is that 'Gen. ii. 2, 3; 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2; Acts xx. 7. 'Exod. xx. 8, 10, with Matt. v. 17, 18. solent) a recreationibus etiam ludicris quietem sanctam toto observant die; verum etiam in exercitiis divini cultus publicis privatisque, ac in officiis necessitatis et misericordiæ toto illo tempore occupantur." CAP. XXII. De Juramentis, votisque licitis. I. Juramentum licitum est pars cultus religiosi, qua (occasione justa oblata) qui jurat, Deum, de eo quod asserit aut promittit, solenni modo testatur; eundemque appellat se secundum illius quod jurat veritatem aut falsitatem judicaturum." II. Per solum Dei nomen jurare Isa. lviii. 13; Matt. xii. 1-13. 6 Deut. x. 20. 'Exod. xx. 7; Lev. xix. 12; 2 Cor. i. 23; 2 Chron. vi. 22, 23. by which men ought to swear, and debent homines, quod quidem cum therein it is to be used with all omni timore sancto ac reverentia est holy fear and reverence; therefore inibi usurpandum. Proindeque per to swear vainly or rashly by that glorious and dreadful name, or to swear at all by any other thing, is sinful, and to be abhorred. Yet as, in matters of weight and moment, an oath is warranted by the Word of God, under the New Testament, as well as under the Old,' so a lawful oath, being imposed by lawful authority, in such matters ought to be taken.* nomen illud gloriosum ac tremendum jurare leviter, aut temere, vel etiam omnino jurare per rem aliam quamviscunque, sceleratum est et quam maxime perhorrescendum. Veruntamen sicut in rebus majoris ponderis et momenti secundum verbum Dei licitum est jusjurandum non minus quidem sub Novo quam sub Vetere Testamento: ita sane jusjurandum licitum, authoritate legitima si exigatur, non est in rebus ejusmodi declinandum. suasissimum. Neque licet cuivis ad agendum quicquam obstringere semet jurejurando, nisi quod revera bonum III. Whosoever taketh an oath III. Quicunque juramentum præought duly to consider the weighti- stat eum pondus actionis tam solenness of so solemn an act, and nis rite secum perpendere oportet, therein to avouch nothing but atque juratum de nullo asseverare what he is fully persuaded is the quod verum esse non habeat sibi pertruth. Neither may any man bind himself by oath to any thing but what is good and just, and what he believeth so to be, and what justumque est, quod ille ejusmodi esse he is able and resolved to per- credit, quodque ipse præstare potest form. Yet it is a sin to refuse an oath touching any thing that is good and just, being imposed by lawful authority." IV. An oath is to be taken in the plain and common sense of 'Deut. vi. 13. statuitque. Veruntamen de re bona justaque jusjurandum, legitima authoritate si exigatur, peccat ille qui detrectat." IV. Juramentum præstandum est sensu verborum vulgari quidem ac Exod. xx. 7; Jer. iv. 2. 2 Exod. xx. 7; Jer. v. 7; Matt. v. 34, 37; Gen. xxiv. 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9. James v. 12. 'Heb. vi. 16; 2 Cor. i. 23; Isa. lxv. 16. 1 Kings viii. 31; Neh. xiii. 25; Ezra x. 25. 7 Numb. v. 19, 21; Neh. v. 12; Exod. xxii. 7-11. the words, without equivocation or manifesto, sine æquivocatione aut mental reservation.' It can not reservatione mentali quaviscunque.1 oblige to sin; but in any thing not Ad peccandum quenquam obligare sinful, being taken, it binds to per- nequit, verum in re qualibet cui abest formance, although to a man's own peccatum, qui semel illud præstitit, hurt: nor is it to be violated, al- adimplere tenetur, vel etiam cum though made to heretics or infi- damno suo; neque sane licet, quamvis hæreticis datum aut infidelibus, violare.' dels.' V. A vow is of the like nature with a promissory oath, and ought to be made with the like religious care, and to be performed with the like faithfulness.* V. Votum, naturæ consimilis est cum juramento promissorio, parique debet tum religione nuncupari tum fide persolvi.* 5 VI. Non est ulli creaturæ, sed Deo soli nuncupandum, et quo gratum illi esse possit acceptumque, est quidem lubenter, e fide, officiique nostri conscientia suscipiendum, vel grati VI. It is not to be made to any creature, but to God alone: and that it may be accepted, it is to be made voluntarily, out of faith and conscience of duty, in way of thankfulness for mercy received, tudinis nostræ ob accepta beneficia or for the obtaining of what we testanda causa, vel boni alicujus, want; whereby we more strictly quo indigemus, consequendi; per hoc bind ourselves to necessary duties, autem nosmet ad officia necessaria or to other things, so far and so arctius obligamus; vel etiam ad res long as they may fitly conduce alias quatenus quidem et quamdiu thereunto.' istis subserviunt." VII. No man may vow to do VII. Nemini quicquam vovere liany thing forbidden in the Word of cet se acturum, quod aut verbo Dei God, or what would hinder any duty prohibetur; aut officium aliquod initherein commanded, or which is not bi præceptum impediret, quodve non in his own power, and for the per- est in voventis potestate, et cui præformance whereof he hath no prom-stando vires illi Deus non est polli ise or ability from God.' In which citus. Unde Pontificiorum illa de respect, popish monastical vows of perpetuo cœlibatu, de paupertate, deperpetual single life, professed pov- que obedientia regulari vota Monaerty, and regular obedience, are so stica, tantum abest ut perfectionis far from being degrees of higher gradus sint sublimiores, ut superstiperfection, that they are superstitious and sinful snares, in which no Christian may entangle himself.' CHAPTER XXIII. tionis plane sint ac peccati laquei, quibus nulli unquam Christiano semetipsum licet implicare.' CAP. XXIII. De Magistratu Civili. I. Supremus totius Mundi Rex ac Dominus Deus, Magistratus Civiles ordinavit qui vices ejus gerant supra populum ad suam ipsius gloriam, ac bonum publicum; in quem finem eosdem armavit potestate gladii, Of the Civil Magistrate. I. God, the Supreme Lord and King of all the world, hath ordained civil magistrates to be under him, over the people, for his own glory and the public good, and to this end hath armed them with the power of the sword, for the de- propter bonorum quidem animatiofense and encouragement of them nem ac tutamen, animadversionem that are good, and for the punish- autem in maleficos. ment of evil-doers.* 5 II. It is lawful for Christians to II. Christianis, quoties ad id voaccept and execute the office of a cantur, Magistratus munus et susmagistrate when called thereunto; cipere licet et exequi; in quo quiin the managing whereof, as they dem gerendo, ut pietatem præcipue, ought especially to maintain piety, justitiam, ac pacem secundum sajustice, and peace, according to the lubres cujusque Reipublicæ leges wholesome laws of each common- tueri debent, ita quo illum finem wealth, so, for that end, they may consequantur, licitum est iis vel lawfully, now under the New Tes- hodie sub Novo Testamento in cautament, wage war upon just and sis justis ac necessariis bellum genecessary occasion." & 8 rere.' 6 'Acts xxiii. 12, 14; Mark vi. 26; Numb. xxx. 5, 8, 12, 13. [Am. ed. has respects.] * Matt. xix. 11, 12; 1 Cor. vii. 2, 9; Eph. iv. 28; 1 Pet. iv. 2; 1 Cor. vii. 23. Rom. xiii. 1-4; 1 Pet. ii. 13, 14. 8 5 Prov. viii. 15, 16; Rom. xiii. 1, 2, 4. 7 Luke iii. 14; Rom. xiii. 4; Matt. viii. 9, 10; III. The civil magistrate may III. Magistratui Civili verbi et not assume to himself the admin- sacramentorum administrationem, istration of the Word and Sacra- aut clavium regni cælorum potestaments, or the power of the keys of tem assumere sibi non est licitum :' the kingdom of heaven:' yet he nihilo tamen minus et jure potest hath authority, and it is his duty to ille, eique incumbit providere ut Ectake order, that unity and peace be clesia unitas ac tranquillitas conpreserved in the Church, that the servetur, ut veritas Dei pura et intruth of God be kept pure and en- tegra custodiatur, ut supprimantur tire, that all blasphemies and here- blasphemiæ omnes, hæresesque, ut in sies be suppressed, all corruptions cultu ac disciplina omnes corruptela and abuses in worship and disci- ac abusus aut præcaveantur aut pline prevented or reformed, and reformentur, omnia denique instiall the ordinances of God duly set- tuta divina, ut rite statuminentur, tled, administered, and observed.' administrentur, observentur. Quæ For the better effecting whereof omnia quo melius præstare possit, he hath power to call synods, to potestatem habet tum Synodos conbe present at them, and to pro- vocandi, tum ut ipsis intersit, provide that whatsoever is transacted spiciatque, ut quicquid in iis tranin them be according to the mind sigatur sit menti divinæ consentaof God.' neum.' The above section is changed in the American revision, and adapted to the separation of Church and State, as follows: [III. Civil magistrates may not assume to themselves the administration of the Word and Sacraments (2 Chron. xxvi. 18); or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. xvi. 19; 1 Cor. iv. 1,2); or, in the least, interfere in matters of faith (John xviii. 36; Mal. ii. 7; Acts v. 29). Yet as nursing fathers, it is the duty of. civil magistrates to protect the Church of our common Lord, without giving the preference to any denomination of Christians above the rest, in such a manner that all ecclesiastical persons whatever 12 Chron. xxvi. 18 with Matt. xviii. 17 and 2 Kings xviii. 4; 1 Chron. xiii. 1-9; 2 |