Part 59

Besides we may farther observe, that there are many blasphemous expressions given to the virgin Mary, in their Breviaries and Missals, which are used by public authority. Thus she is often addressed to in such characters as these, viz. the mother of mercy, the gate of heaven, the queen of heaven, the empress of the world; and sometimes she is desired not only to pray her son to help them, but, by the authority of a mother, to command him to do it. At other times they desire her to help and save them herself; and accordingly they give her the title of Redeemer, and Saviour, as well as our Lord Jesus Christ. And sometimes they profess themselves to put their trust and confidence in her. If this be not idolatry, where is there any to be found in the world?

To this we may also add, that idolatry which is practised by them in their devotion, to the images of other saints. Every saint in their Kalendar is called upon, in his turn; among whom some indeed were good men, as the martyrs, who refused to be worshipped while on earth; how much soever these worship them now they are in heaven. But there are others whom the Popes have canonized for saints, who were little better than devils incarnate, while they were here upon earth; and others have been rebels and traitors to their king and country, and suffered the just reward of their wickedness; such as these are found among those whom they pay this worship to. There are also others whom they worshipped as saints; concerning whom it may be much questioned whether there ever were such persons in the world; these may be called fabulous saints. Nevertheless, images are made to their honour, and prayers directed to them. And there are other things worshipped by them, which never had life, as the picture of the cross, and many pretended relics of the saints. So that upon the whole, we cannot but think that we have, in this mode of worship, a notorious instance of the breach of this Commandment. And we cannot but conclude, that herein they have apostatized, or turned aside from the purity of the gospel.

It may be observed, that the church, for the first three hundred years after Christ, had comparatively, but little superstition, and no idolatry; but in the fourth Century, superstition began to insinuate itself into it; then it was that the pictures of the martyrs, who had suffered in Christ’s cause, were first set up in churches, though without any design of worshipping them; and this was not universally approved of. As for image-worship, it was not brought into the church till above seven hundred years after Christ; and then there was a considerable opposition made to it by some; and this kind of worship was set up in one reign, and prohibited in another; but afterwards it universally prevailed in the Romish church, when arrived to that height of impiety and idolatry, without opposition, as it is at this day. We now proceed to observe,

III. The reasons annexed to this Commandment, which are taken from the consideration of what God is in himself; _I am the Lord_, or _Jehovah_; which being a name never given to any creature, is expressive of all his divine perfections, which render him the object of worship, and oblige us to perform that worship which he requires, in such a way as is agreeable thereunto; he also styles himself a God to his people, _I am thy God_; therefore to set up strange gods, or to worship him in a way not prescribed by him, is a violation of his covenant, as well as not performing the duty we owe to him, and would render us unfit to be owned by him as his people. And it is farther observed, that they who thus corrupt themselves, and pervert his worship, are styled haters of him, and therefore can expect nothing but to be dealt with as enemies. This he gives them to understand, inasmuch as he styles himself _a jealous_, or sin-revenging _God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children_. For the understanding of which, let it be considered,

1. That though God does not punish children with eternal destruction, for the sins of their immediate parents, yet these oftentimes bring temporal judgments on families. Thus, all the children of Israel that murmured and despised the good land, so far bare their fathers iniquity, that they wandered in the wilderness near forty years.

2. These judgments fall heavier on those children that make their parents sins their own; which was the case of the Jews. Upon which occasion our Saviour tells them, that _all the blood that was shed upon the earth, should come upon them, from the blood of righteous Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias, whom they slew between the temple and the altar_, Matt, xxiii. 35. They approved of, and committed the same sins which their fathers were guilty of, and consequently are said to fill up the measure of their sins; therefore the judgments of God, which they exposed themselves to, were most terrible.

3. Whatever temporal judgments may be inflicted on children for their parents sins, shall be sanctified, and redound to their spiritual advantage, as well as end in their everlasting happiness, if they do not follow their bad example; and therefore it is farther observed, that God _shews mercy unto thousands of them that love him, and keep his Commandments_. These are very great motives and inducements to enforce the observation of all God’s Commandments, and this in particular.

Footnote 208:

_See more of this in Vol. I. Page 226._

Footnote 209:

_See Page 498._

Quest. CXI., CXII., CXIII., CXIV.

QUEST. CXI. _Which is the third Commandment?_

ANSW. The third Commandment is, _Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, that taketh his name in vain_.

QUEST. CXII. _What is required in the third Commandment?_

ANSW. The third Commandment requires, that the name of God, his titles, attributes, ordinances, the word, sacraments, prayer, oaths, vows, lots, his works, and whatsoever else there is whereby he makes himself known, be holily and reverently used in thought, meditation, word, writing, by an holy profession, and answerable conversation, to the glory of God, and the good of ourselves and others.

QUEST. CXIII. _What are the sins forbidden in the third Commandment?_

ANSW. The sins forbidden in the third Commandment are, the not using of God’s name as is required, and the abuse of it, in an ignorant, vain, irreverent, profane, superstitious, or wicked mentioning or otherwise using his titles, attributes, ordinances, or works; by blasphemy, perjury; all sinful cursings, oaths, vows, and lots; violating of our oaths, and vows, if lawful, and fulfilling them, if of things unlawful, murmuring and quarrelling at, curious prying into, and misapplying of God’s decrees, and providences, misinterpreting, misapplying, or any way perverting the word, or any part of it, to profane jests, curious or unprofitable questions, vain janglings, or the maintaining of false doctrines, abusing it, the creatures, or any thing contained under the name of God, to charms, or sinful lusts and practices, the maligning, scorning, reviling, or any ways opposing of God’s truth, grace, and ways, making profession of religion in hypocrisy, or for sinister ends; being ashamed of it, or a shame to it, by uncomfortable, unwise, unfruitful, and offensive walkings, or backslidings from it.

QUEST. CXIV. _What are the reasons annexed to the third Commandment?_

ANSW. The reasons annexed to the third Commandment in these words [_the Lord thy God_] and [_for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain_] are, because, he is the Lord and our God, and therefore his name is not to be profaned, or any way abused by us, especially, because he is so far from acquitting and sparing the transgressors of this Commandment, as that he will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment, albeit, many such escape the censures and punishments of men.

As the second Commandment respects the manner in which God is to be worshipped, agreeably to his revealed will; in this we are commanded to worship him with that frame of spirit which is suitable to the greatness of the work, and the Majesty of him with whom we have to do. By the name of God we are to understand all those things whereby he is pleased to make himself known; and these are his names, titles, attributes, words and works. The attributes of God have been largely insisted on in that question, _What is God[210]?_ His names and titles have also been considered, as belonging to all the persons of the Godhead, in proving that the Son and Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father[211]. His word is that in which the glory that is contained in his names, titles and attributes, is set forth in the most glorious manner. Thus the Psalmist says; _Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name_, Psal. cxxxviii. 2. or, thou hast given a brighter discovery of thyself in thy word, than thou hast done in any thing else, by which thou hast made thyself known to thy creatures. And as for the works of God, whether of nature or of grace, these are designed to lead us into the knowledge of his power, wisdom, goodness, holiness and faithfulness, which are eminently glorified in all that he does. Now this Commandment respects our having a due regard to all those ways whereby he makes himself known, and contains a prohibition of every thing that may tend to cast the least dishonour upon them.

The method in which we are led to speak to it, is to consider,

I. What is required in it. This supposes, that it is an indispensible duty for us to make mention of the name of God. Since he has given us some discoveries of himself, by what means soever he has done it, it would be an instance of the highest contempt of the greatest privilege, for us to express no regard to them; which they may be said practically to do, who make no profession of religion, and desire not to be instructed in those things which relate to the name and glory of God; which argues a person to be abandoned to the greatest wickedness, and to live without God in the world.

Now there are several duties mentioned in this answer, in which we are said to make use of God’s name; particularly, when we attend on his ordinances, viz. the word, sacraments and prayer; and take religious oaths, and make solemn vows; which, doubtless, are to be performed with the utmost reverence. We have many instances, in scripture, of holy men who, when they have drawn nigh to him in prayer, have adored his divine perfections, with a becoming humility. Thus Solomon, at the dedication of the temple, addresses himself to God; _There is no god like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants, that walk before thee with all their heart_, 1 Kings viii. 23. And Jacob, when wrestling with God in prayer, says, _O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return to thine own country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant_, Gen. xxxii. 9, 10. And Hezekiah expresses himself thus in prayer, _O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth, thou hast made heaven and earth_, 2 Kings xix. 25. And Daniel in prayer, styles him, _The great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant, and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments_, Dan. ix. 4. And Abraham, when standing before the Lord, and pleading in behalf of Sodom, says, _Behold, now I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes_, Gen. xviii. 27. And the inhabitants of heaven, who are nearest the throne of God, are represented as worshipping him with the greatest reverence, _casting their crowns before the throne_, in token of their being unworthy of the honour that they are advanced to, and saying, _Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour and power_, Rev. iv. 10, 11. which is to be understood of him, exclusive of all others. And as this reverence is to be expressed when we ask any thing at the hand of God, by a parity of reason, it ought to expressed in any other religious duty, on which he has made, some impressions of his glory.

If it be enquired, whether this reverence is consistent with that boldness which believers are said to have in prayer, when they are exhorted to _come boldly unto the throne of grace_, Heb. iv. 16. and to _have boldness to enter into the holiest of all, by the blood of Jesus_, chap. x. To this it may be answered, that the word there used[212], which is called boldness, may be rendered a liberty of speech. So that though he be infinitely above us, and a God of infinite holiness and purity, and therefore has the utmost abhorrence of sin, which we have reason to charge ourselves with, yet we are encouraged to come to him, as sitting on a throne of grace: from whence he displays his glory, as a sin-pardoning God, who otherwise appears in his jealousy, as a sin-revenging Judge. Therefore this _boldness_ is nothing else but our making use of that liberty which God gives us to come into his presence with hope of being accepted in his sight, in and through a Mediator.

We might farther observe, that as we are to express an holy reverence, in drawing nigh to God, in all religious duties; so we ought not to think of any of his works, but with a due regard to, and the highest veneration of, his glory shining forth therein. Thus it is said, _Remember that thou magnify his work, which men behold_, Job xxxvi. 24. and this reverence is to be expressed in our meditations, words and writings; so that we should never think or treat of divine subjects, but in an holy manner; we should never speak of any thing, by which God manifests his glory, but with a design to beget in ourselves and others, a reverential fear of, and the highest esteem for him.

II. We are now to consider the sins forbidden in this Commandment; and accordingly, we violate it by not using the name of God in such a way as it is required. This includes in it,

1. The not making any profession of religion, as being afraid or ashamed to own, that in which the name of God is so much concerned. Persons, indeed, do not usually arrive to this height of wickedness at once; but the mind is alienated from God, and his worship, by degrees. There is first a great deal of lukewarmness, formality, and hypocrisy, reigning in the heart of man; so that if they attend on the ordinances of God’s worship, it is with great indifferency, many prejudices entertained against them, and with such a frame of spirit as savours more profaneness than true religion. After this they are ashamed of Christ and his cause, being influenced by the reproach that is cast on it in the world. Thus the Jews pretended, concerning Christianity, that it was _a sect every where spoken against_, Acts xxviii. 22. And Demas forsook the apostle, _having loved this present world_, 2 Tim. iv. 10. being more concerned for his reputation in it, than for Christ’s interest. After this, such cast off all public worship; and this is generally attended with a seared conscience, and running into all excess of riot.

2. Persons take the name of God in vain, when though they make a profession of religion, yet it is not in such a way as God has required; and this is done by using his titles, attributes, or any ordinances or works, in which he makes himself known in an unbecoming manner; with ignorance, when we speak of the divine perfections, and, at the same time, have no just ideas of what is intended thereby; or when we use the name of God with a vanity or levity of spirit, and mention sacred things in a common way, whereby we may be said to profane them; or when we superstitiously pay a kind of veneration to the sound of words, relating to divine matters, but regard not the thing signified thereby. This is using the name of God in such a way as he has not required, and consequently taking it in vain.

3. The name of God is taken in vain by blasphemy; which is a thinking or speaking reproachfully of him, as though he had no right to the glory that belongs to his name; which is, in effect, a cursing him in our hearts, and offering the greatest injury that can be done, to a God of infinite perfection; which, though it be no real lessening his essential glory, yet it argues the greatest malignity, and highest degree of impiety in those that are guilty of it. This was so great a crime, that, by God’s command, it was punished with death, Lev. xxiv. 16.

4. This Commandment is broken by not using religious oaths in a right manner, or by violating them; and, on the other hand, by all sinful and profane oaths and cursing.

(1.) By not using religious oaths in a right manner. It is certain, that we are, upon extraordinary occasions, to make mention of the name of God, by solemn oaths, in which we appeal to him as a God of truth, the searcher of hearts, and the avenger of falsehood. That this is a duty, appears,

[1.] In that we have various instances, in scripture, of God’s condescending to confirm what he has spoken, by an oath; wherein he appeals to his own perfections for the confirmation of our faith. Thus he is represented as _swearing by himself_, and by _his holiness_, Gen. xxii. 16, 17. Psal. lxxxix. 35.

[2.] There are several examples and commands, in scripture, which make it our duty to appeal to God, on some occasions, by solemn oaths. Thus it is said, _Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name_, Deut. vi. 13. And elsewhere, _To me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear_, Isa. xlv. 23. But we must observe that there is a vast difference between God’s swearing by himself, or by any of his perfections, and man’s swearing by him. When God swears by himself, it is a display of the glory of his perfections, as a God that cannot lye; but when man swears by him, it is an act of religious worship, containing an acknowledgment of his perfections, and an appeal to him, as a God of truth, and the avenger of a lye. Therefore an oath is not to be taken, but in matters of great importance, which cannot be decided without it; and being an act of religious worship, it ought to be performed in the most solemn manner; otherwise we profane the name of God, and so violate this commandment. This respects not so much the form used in swearing, as the levity of spirit with which it is done, or our pretending to confirm that which is false hereby.

The form used in solemn oaths has been various.

_1st_, We read of some ceremonies used in swearing, that were only occasional. Thus when Jacob and Laban took a solemn oath to each other, at their parting, a _pillar was erected_, and a _heap of stones_ gathered together, and they both eat upon the heaps and _sware by the God of Abraham and Nahor, and the fear of Isaac, that they would do no injury to each other_, Gen. xxxi. 45,-53. Also we read, that when Abraham made his servant swear, that he would take a wife for Isaac, from among his kindred, and not out of the land where he dwelt, he ordered him to _put his hand under his thigh_, chap. xxiv. 2, 3, 4. This form of swearing seemed to be an appeal to God, as having promised that his seed should be increased and multiplied, and that in his seed, all the families of the earth should be blessed; which was a circumstance well adapted to the matter and occasion of the oath, viz. that he should provide such a wife for Isaac as God approved of.

_2dly_, The common form of swearing used of old, seems to have been by _lifting up the hand_ to heaven, thereby signifying their appeal to God, whose throne is there; accordingly the _lifting up the hand to heaven_ imports the same thing as to swear, according to the scripture-mode of speaking, Deut. xxxii. 40. In this manner Abraham sware, Gen. xiv. 22, 23. and the angel which appeared to John, Rev. x. 5. and this is undoubtedly, a very good and justifiable form of swearing; and it is used, in some Protestant countries, even at this day.

As to the form used by us in public solemn oaths, viz. laying the hand on the Bible, or on the gospels, and kissing the book, it is no where warranted by scripture, and therefore is not so eligible as that lifting up the hand; yet because it is the common legal form used among us, it is rather to be complied with, than that the duty should be neglected; because, as has been but now observed, some forms of swearing are said to have been used in scripture, and not reproved, which were of men’s invention. And the thing principally to be looked at in an oath, is, the solemn appeal made therein to God. Therefore it is the frame of spirit with which this is done, that is chiefly to be regarded. And what we have promised to do, is religiously to be observed, that so our oaths may not be violated.

_Obj._ The objections against the use of religious oaths, are principally taken from two or three scriptures, not rightly understood, in which they seem to be forbidden; as when our Saviour says, _I say unto you, Swear not at all_, Matt. v. 34. and in James v. 12. the apostle speaks to the same purpose; and it is farther objected, that the prophet speaks of this as a national sin; when he says, _Because of swearing the land mourneth_, Jer. xxiii. 10.

_Answ._ In these scriptures profane swearing is forbidden; whereby persons make use of the name of God to confirm what they say, in a light and trifling manner; or swearing by creatures, as the heaven, the earth, or any creature therein. But they do not forbid swearing, as containing in it a religious appeal unto God in a solemn manner, for the confirming of what we assert. And when the prophet speaks of the _land’s mourning because of swearing_, it may be rendered, as in the margin of our Bibles; _because of cursing the land mourneth_, intimating, that it was a custom among them, to imprecate the wrath of God against one another; which was a sin highly provoked to the Majesty of heaven. And, besides, it appears that the prophet is speaking of profane cursing or swearing, by what is said in the words immediately following; _for both prophet and priest are profane_. So that people of all ranks and degrees, were profane; the prophets and priests by abusing the sacred mysteries; and the people, in their common discourse, using oaths and curses; for which things the land mourned. This is the plain sense of that scripture; and therefore no arguments can be drawn from thence to prove that solemn and religious oaths are unlawful.

It is, indeed, unlawful to swear by creatures, as is observed in the scriptures but now mentioned; for they are not omniscient, and therefore not to be appealed to for the decided matters, which are known to none but ourselves, and the Searcher of hearts; neither are they to be reckoned avengers of the cause of injured truth; for they have not a sovereignty over man, or a right to judge and punish them in such a way as God has; for that belongs only to him, and therefore to swear by their name, is to give them a branch of his glory, and consequently to take his name in vain.

(2.) This Commandment is broken by violating religious oaths, both those that are assertory or promissory. Therefore, when men assert that, for truth, which is uncertain; or, especially if they know it to be false, and so design to deceive, they break this Commandment. As for promissory oaths, they contain an appeal to God concerning what respects some things to be done by us, conducive to the good of others. Now we are guilty of the breach of this Commandment.