the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, &c. And the servant did swear.-Gen. xxiv. 2-4. 9. Abimelech and Isaac swear one to another, not to hurt one the other.Gen. xxvi. 28, 29. 31. Jacob and Laban made a covenant, and sware to it: Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.-Gen. xxxi. 44. 50-53. Joseph swore by the life of Pharaoh. -Gen. xlii. 15, 16. Israel called Joseph his son to him, and desired him to swear unto him that he would bury him not in Egypt, but in his father's burying-place, Joseph did swear unto him.-Gen. xlvii. 29-31. 1. 5. Joseph had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, &c. Ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.-Exod. xiii. 19. Gen. 1. 25. Josh. xxiv. 32. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.-Exod. xx. 16. Prov. xxiv. 28. xxv. 18. If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, &c. and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it; then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof.-Exod. xxii. 10, 11. If a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness whether he hath seen or known it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.-Levit. v. 1. 4. If a soul sin, and lie unto his neighbour, &c. or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doth, sinning therein, &c.-Levit. vi. 1—3. an oath of the woman suspected, to clear herself.-Numb. v. 19. And ye shall not swear by my name falsely; neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God.-Levit. xix. 12. Prov. xiv. 5. The priest was commanded to take Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.-Deut. vi. 13. x. 20. At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him. —Deut. xvii. 6, 7. One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. If a false witness rise up, &c. the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and if the witness be a false witness, &c. then shall ye do unto him, &c.— Deut. xix. 15-19. Joshua made peace with the Gibeonites, &c. and the princes of the congregation sware unto them, &c. The princes said, We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel; now therefore we may not touch them.-Josh. ix. 15. 19. ii. 12. 14. vi. 22. The elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The Lord be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.-Judges xi. 10. The men of Israel had sworn in Mispeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife, &c. How shall we do, seeing we have sworn by the Lord? &c.— Judges xxi. 1. 7. 18. Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, for as much as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever.-1 Sam. xx. 13. 17. 42. Saul said unto David, Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off my seed, &c. And David sware unto Saul.-1 Sam. xxiv. 17. 21, 22, xxx. 15. The king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die; and the king sware unto him.-2 Sam. xix. 23. God brought a famine upon Israel, for the sin of Saul, in slaying the Gibeonites; with whom Israel had made a covenant, to which the princes swore.-2 Sam. xxi. 1-3. David had sworn to Bathsheba his queen, by the Lord his God, that Solomon his son should reign after him, &c. And the king sware, and said, As the Lord liveth, &c. even as I swear unto thee by the Lord, &c. even so will I certainly do.—I Kings i. 17. 29, 30. They set up false witnesses against Naboth.-1 Kings xxi..10. 13. Matt. xxvi. 59. Acts vi. 11. 15. Jehoiada sent, &c. the rulers and captains, &c. and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the Lord, and shewed them the king's son, &c.-2 Kings xi. 4, &c. • Asa, with Judah, entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart, and with all their soul; that whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel, should be put to death, &c. And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice, &c. And all Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart.—2 Chron. xv. 8, 9. 12-15. Ezra made a covenant, &c. He made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel to swear, that they should do according to this word. And they sware.—Ezra x. 3, 5. Nehemiah called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.-Neh. v. 12. False witnesses did rise up, they laid to my charge things that I knew not.-Ps. xxxv. 11. The king shall rejoice in God: every one that sweareth by him, shall glory.-Ps. lxiii. 11. A false witness shall not be unpunished, &c.-Prov. xix. 5. 9. Keep the king's commandment and that in regard of the oath of God. Eccles. viii. 2. ; These six things doth the Lord hate, &c. A false witness, that speaketh lies.-Prov. vi. 16. 19. are things that I hate, saith the Lord. foolishness of preaching, to save -Zech. viii. 17. them that believe.-1 Cor. i. 18-21. 23, 24, Swear not at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne: nor by the earth, for it is his footstool, &c. But let your communication be yea, yea; nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. Matt. v. 33-37. James v. 12. Exod. xx. 7. I have planted, Apollos watered: but God gave the increase.-1 Cor. iii. 6—9. I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, &c. for I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received; how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. 1 Cor. xv. 1, &c. How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher ? and how shall they preach except they be sent ?-Rom. x. 14, &c. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more: but thine eyes shall see thy teachers. Herod swore rashly to Herodias's daughter.-Matt. xiv. 6, &c. : They sought false witness against Jesus at the last came two false witnesses.-Matt. xxvi. 60. Prov. xiv. 5. They suborned false witnesses against Stephen.-Acts vi. 11. 13. Men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation, is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly, &c. confirmed it by an oath.-Heb. vi. 13. 16-18. Jer. xxii. 5. Numb. xiv. 21, 22. And the angel, &c. lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever, &c. that there should be time no longer.-Rev. x. 5, 6. CHAP. XXIV. WHAT THE GOSPEL IS: OF GOSPEL —Jer. i. 7, 8. PREACHERS IN GENERAL: THEIR DUTY AND RECOMPENSE. SECT. 1. What the Gospel is, and its How beautiful upon the mountains The gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, &c.-Matt. xxiv. 14. Isa. xxx. 20. The Lord said unto Jeremiah, Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee: and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak. Be not afraid, &c. The preaching of the cross is, to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God, &c. after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God; it pleased God by the If thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth.-Jer. xv. 19. The word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision daily: then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name; but his word was in mine heart, as a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.Jer. xx. 8, 9. : If thou speakest not to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, &c. he shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand, &c.-Ezek. iii. 18, &c. Freely ye have received, freely give: provide neither gold nor silver, nor brass in your purses, &c, for the soned in the synagogue every sabbath, &c. He testified to the Jews, that Jesus was Christ, &c. Apollos shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.-Acts xviii. 1-5. 28. Paul preached three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God; but when divers were hardened, &c. he separated the disciples, disputing, &c. Acts xix. 8, 9. Paul said, I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you: but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, testifying, &c. repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. Neither count I my life dear, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. I am pure from the blood of all men: for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God, &c. I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel; ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.—Acts xx. 20, 21. 24. 26, 27. 33-35. The Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, &c. Acts xxvi. 17, &c. Gal. i. 10-12, 15, 16. Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him: preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ.-Acts xxviii. 30, 31. I thank my God, &c. that your faith is spoken of, &c. Without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, &c. I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end that you may be es tablished, &c. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation.-Rom. i. 8-11. 16. Col. i. 9. Eph. i. 15, 16. I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, &c. I beseech you brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from them which do not believe in Judea.-Rom. xv. 18. 30. When I came to you, I came not with excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God: for I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified, &c. and my speech and my preaching was not with enticing (or persuasive) words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit, &c. which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth: comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 1 Cor. ii. 1-4. 13. xv. 1-4. And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, &c. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, &c. I have planted, Apollos was tered, but God gave the increase: so then, neither is he that planteth any thing, &c.-1 Cor. iii. 1, 2. 6, 7. Account of us as, &c. stewards of the mysteries of God: moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful, &c. Even to this present hour we hunger, &c. and labour, working with our own hands.-1 Cor. iv. 1, 2. 11-13. might by all means save some.1 Cor. ix. 4. 7. 14-16. 19—23. Have we not power to eat and to drink? &c. Who goeth a warfare at any time at his own charges? &c. even so the Lord hath ordained, that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel, &c. but I have used none of these things, &c. woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel, &c. though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more; and unto the Jews, I became as a Jew, &c. I am made all things unto all men, that I I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say: the cup of blessing, &c. Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. 1 Cor. x. 15, 16. 33. In the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.-1 Cor. xiv. 19. The gospel which I preached unto you, &c. which I received, how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, &c. By the grace of God, I am what I am, &c. I laboured, &c. yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.-1 Cor. xv. 1–4. 10. You also helping together by prayer for us, &c. not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy.-2 Cor. i. 11. 24. If I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me? &c. Out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote unto you with many tears: not that you should be grieved, but that, &c. we are not as many which corrupt the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.2 Cor. ii. 2. 4. 17. iv. 1, 2. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God: who also hath made us able ministers, &c.-2 Cor. iii. 5, 6. Eph. iii. 7. Commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God, &c. we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake, &c. We having the same spirit of faith, &c. believe, and therefore speak.2 Cor. iv. 2. 5. 13. Knowi therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, &c. the love of Christ constraineth us, &c. God hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, &c. We are ambas |