Sermons on Evil Speaking - Isaac Barrow
Hereby princes have obliged their subjects to loyalty: and it hath
ever been the strongest argument to press that duty, which the
Preacher useth, "I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and
that in regard of the oath of God."
Hereby generals have engaged their soldiers to stick close to them
in bearing hardships and encountering dangers.
Hereby the nuptial league hath been confirmed; the solemnisation
whereof in temples before God is in effect a most sacred oath.
Hereon the decision of the greatest causes concerning the lives,
estates, and reputations of men have depended; so that, as the
Apostle saith, "an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all
strife."
Indeed, such hath the need hereof been ever apprehended, that we may
observe, in cases of great importance, no other obligation hath been
admitted for sufficient to bind the fidelity and constancy of the
most credible persons; so that even the best men hardly could trust
the best men without it. For instance,
When Abimelech would assure to himself the friendship of Abraham,
although he knew him to be a very pious and righteous person, whose
word might be as well taken as any man's, yet, for entire
satisfaction, he thus spake to him: "God is with thee in all that
thou doest: Now therefore swear unto me here by God, that thou wilt
not deal falsely with me."
Abraham, though he did much confide in the honesty of his servant
Eliezer, having entrusted him with all his estate, yet in the affair
concerning the marriage of his son he could not but thus oblige him:
"Put," saith he, "I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and I will
make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the
earth, that thou wilt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters
of the Canaanites."
Laban had good experience of Jacob's fidelity; yet that would not
satisfy, but, "The Lord," said he, "watch between me and thee, when
we are absent one from another. If thou shalt afflict my daughters,
or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is
with us; see, God is witness between thee and me. The God of
Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge
betwixt us."
So did Jacob make Joseph swear that he would bury him in Canaan:
and Joseph caused the children of Israel to swear that they would
translate his bones. So did Jonathan cause his beloved friend David
to swear that he would show kindness to him and to his house for
ever. The prudence of which course the event showeth, the total
excision of Jonathan's family being thereby prevented; for "the
king," 'tis said, "spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, because
of the Lord's oath that was between them."
These instances declare that there is no security which men can
yield comparable to that of an oath; the obligation whereof no man
wilfully can infringe without renouncing the fear of God and any
pretence to His favour.
Wherefore human society will be extremely wronged and damnified by
the dissolving or slackening these most sacred bands of conscience;
and consequently by their common and careless use, which soon will
breed a contempt of them, and render them insignificant, either to
bind the swearers, or to ground a trust on their oaths.
As by the rare and reverent use of oaths their dignity is upheld and
their obligation kept fast, so by the frequent and negligent
application of them, by the prostituting them to every mean and
toyish purpose, their respect will be quite lost, their strength
will be loosed, they will prove unserviceable to public use.
If oaths generally become cheap and vile, what will that of
allegiance signify? If men are wont to play with swearing anywhere,
can we expect they should be serious and strict therein at the bar
or in the church. Will they regard God's testimony, or dread His
judgment, in one place, or at one time, when everywhere upon any,
upon no occasion they dare to confront and contemn them? Who then
will be the more trusted for swearing? What satisfaction will any
man have from it? The rifeness of this practice, as it is the sign,
so it will be the cause of a general diffidence among man.
Incredible therefore is the mischief which this vain practice will
bring in to the public; depriving princes of their best security,
exposing the estates of private men to uncertainty, shaking all the
confidence men can have in the faith of one another.
For which detriments accruing from this abuse to the public every
vain swearer is responsible; and he would do well to consider that
he will never be able to make reparation for them. And the public
is much concerned that this enormity be retrenched.
IV. Let us consider, that rash and vain swearing is very apt often
to bring the practiser of it into that most horrible sin of perjury.
For "false swearing," as the Hebrew wise man saith, "naturally
springeth out of much swearing:" and, "he," saith St. Chrysostom,
"that sweareth continually, both willingly and unwillingly, both
ignorantly and knowingly, both in earnest and in sport, being often
transported by anger and many other things, will frequently
forswear. It is confessed and manifest, that it is necessary for
him that sweareth much to be perjurious." [Greek], "For," saith he
again, "it is impossible, it is impossible for a mouth addicted to
swearing not frequently to forswear." He that sweareth at random,
as blind passion moveth, or wanton fancy prompteth, or the temper
suggesteth, often will hit upon asserting that which is false, or
promising that which is impossible: that want of conscience and of
consideration which do suffer him to violate God's law in swearing
will betray him to the venting of lies, which backed with oaths
become perjuries. If sometime what he sweareth doth happen to be
true and performable, it doth not free him of guilt; it being his
fortune, rather than his care or conscience, which keepeth him from
perjury.
V. Such swearing commonly will induce a man to bind himself by oath
to unlawful practices; and consequently will entangle him in a
woeful necessity either of breaking his oath, or of doing worse, and
committing wickedness: so that "swearing," as St. Chrysostom saith,
"hath this misery attending it, that, both trangressed and observed,
it plagueth those who are guilty of it."
Of this perplexity the Holy Scripture affordeth two notable
instances: the one of Saul, forced to break his rash oaths; the
other of Herod, being engaged thereby to commit a most horrid
murder.
Had Saul observed his oaths, what injury had he done, what mischief
had he produced, in slaughtering his most worthy and most innocent
son, the prop and glory of his family, the bulwark of his country,
and the grand instrument of salvation to it; in forcing the people
to violate their cross oath, and for prevention of one, causing many
perjuries? He was therefore fain to desist, and lie under the guilt
of breaking his oaths.
And for Herod, the excellent father thus presseth the consideration
of his case: "Take," saith he, "I beseech you, the chopped off head
of St. John, and his warm blood yet trickling down; each of you bear
it home with you, and conceive that before your eyes you hear it
uttering speech, and saying, Embrace the murderer of me, an oath.
That which reproof did not, this an oath did do; that which the
tyrant's wrath could not, this the necessity of keeping an oath did
effect. For when the tyrant was reprehended publicly in the
audience of all men, he bravely did bear the rebuke; but when he had
cast himself into the necessity of oaths, then did he cut off that
blessed head."
VI. Likewise the use of rash swearing will often engage a man in
undertakings very inconvenient and detrimental to himself. A man is
bound to perform his vows to the Lord, whatever they be, whatever
damage or trouble thence may accrue to him, if they be not unlawful.
It is the law, that which is gone out of thy lips, thou shalt keep
and perform. It is the property of a good man, that he sweareth to
his own hurt, and changeth not. Wherefore 'tis the part of a sober
man to be well advised what he doth swear or vow religiously, that
he do not put himself into the inextricable strait of committing
great sin, or undergoing great inconvenience; that he do not rush
into that snare of which the wise man speaketh, "It is a snare to a
man to devour that which is holy (or, to swallow a sacred
obligation), and after vows to make inquiry," seeking how he may
disengage himself the doing which is a folly offensive to God, as
the Preacher telleth us. "When," saith he, "thou vowest a vow unto
God, defer not to pay it; for He hath no pleasure in fools: pay
that which thou hast vowed." God will not admit our folly in vowing
as a plea for non-performance; He will exact it from us both as a
due debt, and as a proper punishment of our impious folly.
For instance, into what loss and mischief, what sorrow, what regret
and repentance, did the unadvised vow of Jephthah throw him; the
performance whereof, as St. Chrysostom remarketh, God did permit,
and order to be commemorated with solemn lamentation, that all
posterity might be admonished thereby, and deterred from such
precipitant swearing.
VII. Let us consider that swearing is a sin of all others
peculiarly clamorous, and provocative of Divine judgment. God is
hardly so much concerned, or in a manner constrained, to punish any
other sin as this. He is bound in honour and interest to vindicate
His name from the abuse, His authority from the contempt, His holy
ordinance from the profanation, which it doth infer. He is
concerned to take care that His providence be not questioned, that
the dread of His majesty be not voided, that all religion be not
overthrown by the outrageous commission thereof with impunity.
It immediately toucheth His name, it expressly calleth upon Him to
mind it, to judge it, to show himself in avenging it. He may seem
deaf, or unconcerned, if, being so called and provoked, He doth not
declare Himself.
There is understood to be a kind of formal compact between Him and
mankind, obliging Him to interpose, to take the matter into His
cognisance, being specially addressed to Him.
The bold swearer doth importune Him to hear, doth rouse Him to mark,
doth brave Him to judge and punish his wickedness.
Hence no wonder that "the flying roll," a quick and inevitable
curse, doth surprise the swearer, and cut him off, as it is in the
prophet. No wonder that so many remarkable instances do occur in
history of signal vengeance inflicted on persons notably guilty of
this crime. No wonder that a common practice thereof doth fetch
down public judgments; and that, as the prophets of old did
proclaim, "because of swearing the land mourneth."
VIII. Further (passing over the special laws against it, the
mischievous consequences of it, the sore punishments appointed to
it), we may consider, that to common sense vain swearing is a very
unreasonable and ill-favoured practice, greatly misbecoming any
sober, worthy, or honest person; but especially most absurd and
incongruous to a Christian.
For in ordinary conversation what needful or reasonable occasion can
intervene of violating this command? If there come under discourse
a matter of reason, which is evidently true and certain, then what
need can there be of an oath to affirm it, it sufficing to expose it
to light, or to propose the evidences for it? If an obscure or
doubtful point come to be debated, it will not bear an oath; it will
be a strange madness to dare, a great folly to hope the persuading
it thereby. What were more ridiculous than to swear the truth of a
demonstrable theorem? What more vain than so to assert a disputable
problem: oaths (like wagers) are in such cases no arguments, except
silliness in the users of them.
If a matter of history be started, then if a man be taken for
honest, his word will pass for attestation without further
assurance; but if his veracity or probity be doubted, his oath will
not be relied on, especially when he doth obtrude it. For it was no
less truly than acutely said by the old poet, [Greek], "The man doth
not get credit from an oath, but an oath from the man." And a
greater author, "An oath," saith St. Chrysostom, "doth not make a
man credible; but the testimony of his life, and the exactness of
his conversation, and a good repute. Many often have burst with
swearing, and persuaded no man; others only nodding have deserved
more belief than those who swore so mightily." Wherefore oaths, as
they are frivolous coming from a person of little worth or
conscience, so they are superfluous in the mouth of an honest and
worthy person; yea, as they do not increase the credit of the
former, so they may impair that of the latter.
"A good man," as Socrates did say, "should apparently so demean
himself, that his word may be deemed more credible than an oath;"
the constant tenour of his practice vouching for it, and giving it
such weight, that no asseveration can further corroborate it.
He should [Greek], "swear by his good deeds," and exhibit [Greek],
"a life deserving belief," as Clemens Alex. saith: so that no man
should desire more from him than his bare assertion; but willingly
should yield him the privilege which the Athenians granted to
Xenocrates, that he should testify without swearing.
He should be like the Essenes, of whom Josephus saith, that
everything spoken by them was more valid than an oath; whence they
declined swearing.
He should so much confide in his own veracity and fidelity, and so
much stand upon them, that he should not deign to offer any pledge
for them, implying them to want confirmation.
"He should," as St. Jerome saith, "so love truth, that he should
suppose himself to have sworn whatsoever he hath said;" and
therefore should not be apt to heap another oath on his words.
Upon such accounts common reason directed even pagan wise men wholly
to interdict swearing in ordinary conversation, or about petty
matters, as an irrational and immoral practice, unworthy of sober
and discreet persons. "Forbear swearing about any matter," said
Plato, cited by Clem. Alex. "Avoid swearing, if you can, wholly,"
said Epictetus. "For money swear by no god, though you swear
truly," said Socrates. And divers the like precepts occur in other
heathens; the mention whereof may well serve to strike shame into
many loose and vain people bearing the name of Christians.
Indeed, for a true and real Christian, this practice doth especially
in a far higher degree misbecome him, upon considerations peculiar
to his high calling and holy profession.
Plutarch telleth us that among the Romans the flamen of Jupiter was
not permitted to swear, of which law among other reasons he assigned
this: "Because it is not handsome that he to whom divine and
greatest things are entrusted should be distrusted about small
matters." The which reason may well be applied to excuse every
Christian from it, who is a priest to the most High God, and hath
the most celestial and important matters concredited to him; in
comparison to which all other matters are very mean and
inconsiderable. The dignity of his rank should render his word
verbum honoris, passable without any further engagement. He hath
opinions of things, he hath undertaken practices inconsistent with
swearing. For he that firmly doth believe that God is ever present
with him, and auditor and witness of all his discourse; he that is
persuaded that a severe judgment shall pass on him, wherein he must
give an account for every idle word which slippeth from him, and
wherein, among other offenders, assuredly liars will be condemned to
the burning lake; he that in a great Sacrament (once most solemnly
taken, and frequently renewed) hath engaged and sworn, together with
all other divine commandments, to observe those which most expressly
do charge him to be exactly just, faithful, and veracious in all his
words and deeds; who therefore should be ready to say with David, "I
have sworn, and am steadfastly purposed to keep thy righteous
judgments," to him every word hath the force of an oath; every lie,
every breach of promise, every violation of faith doth involve
perjury: for him to swear is false heraldry, an impertinent
accumulation of one oath upon another; he of all men should disdain
to allow that his words are not perfectly credible, that his promise
is not secure, without being assured by an oath.
IX. Indeed, the practice of swearing greatly disparageth him that
useth it, and derogateth from his credit upon divers accounts.
It signifieth (if it signifieth anything) that he doth not confide
in his own reputation, and judgeth his own bare word not to deserve
credit: for why, if he taketh his word to be good, doth he back it
with asseverations? why, if he deemeth his own honesty to bear
proof, doth he cite Heaven to warrant it?
"It is," saith St. Basil, "a very foul and silly thing for a man to
accuse himself as unworthy of belief, and to proffer an oath for
security."
By so doing a man doth authorise others to distrust him; for it can
be no wrong to distrust him who doth not pretend to be a credible
person, or that his saying alone may safely be taken: who, by
suspecting that others are not satisfied with his simple assertion,
implieth a reason known to himself for it.
It rendereth whatever he saith to be in reason suspicious, as
discovering him void of conscience and discretion; for he that
flatly against the rules of duty and reason will swear vainly, what
can engage him to speak truly? He that is so loose in so clear and
so considerable a point of obedience to God, how can he be supposed
staunch in regard to any other? "It being," as Aristotle hath it,
"the part of the same men to do ill things, and not to regard
forswearing." It will at least constrain any man to suspect all his
discourse of vanity and unadvisedness, seeing he plainly hath no
care to bridle his tongue from so gross an offence.
It is strange, therefore, that any man of honour or honesty should
not scorn, by such a practice, to shake his own credit, or to
detract from the validity of his word; which should stand firm on
itself, and not want any attestation to support it. It is a
privilege of honourable persons that they are excused from swearing,
and that their verbum honoris passeth in lieu of an oath: is it not
then strange, that when others dispense with them, they should not
dispense with themselves, but voluntarily degrade themselves, and
with sin forfeit so noble a privilege?
X. To excuse these faults, the swearer will be forced to confess
that his oaths are no more than waste and insignificant words,
deprecating being taken for serious, or to be understood that he
meaneth anything by them, but only that he useth them as expletive
phrases, [Greek], to plump his speech, and fill up sentences. But
such pleas do no more than suggest other faults of swearing, and
good arguments against it; its impertinence, its abuse of speech,
its disgracing the practiser of it in point of judgment and
capacity. For so it is, oaths as they commonly pass are mere
excrescences of speech, which do nothing but encumber and deform it;
they so embellish discourse, as a wen or a scab do beautify a face,
as a patch or a spot do adorn a garment.
To what purpose, I pray, is God's name hooked and haled into our
idle talk? why should we so often mention Him, when we do not mean
anything about Him? would it not, into every sentence to foist a dog
or a horse, to intrude Turkish, or any barbarous gibberish, be
altogether as proper and pertinent?
What do these superfluities signify, but that the venter of them
doth little skill the use of speech, or the rule of conversation,
but meaneth to sputter and prate anything without judgment or wit;
that his invention is very barren, his fancy beggarly, craving the
aid of any stuff to relieve it? One would think a man of sense
should grudge to lend his ear, or incline his attention to such
motley ragged discourse; that without nauseating he scarce should
endure to observe men lavishing time, and squandering their breath
so frivolously. 'Tis an affront to good company to pester it with
such talk.
XI. But further, upon higher accounts this is a very uncivil and
unmannerly practice.
Some vain persons take it for a genteel and graceful thing; a
special accomplishment, a mark of fine breeding, a point of high
gallantry; for who, forsooth, is the brave spark, the complete
gentleman, the man of conversation and address, but he that hath the
skill and confidence (O heavens! how mean a skill! how mad a
confidence!) to lard every sentence with an oath or a curse, making
bold at every turn to salute his Maker, or to summon Him in
attestation of his tattle; not to say calling and challenging the
Almighty to damn and destroy him? Such a conceit, I say, too many
have of swearing, because a custom thereof, together with divers
other fond and base qualities, hath prevailed among some people,
bearing the name and garb of gentlemen.
But in truth, there is no practice more crossing the genuine nature
of genteelness, or misbecoming persons well born and well bred; who
should excel the rude vulgar in goodness, in courtesy, in nobleness
of heart, in unwillingness to offend, and readiness to oblige those
with whom they converse, in steady composedness of mind and manners,
in disdaining to say or do any unworthy, any unhandsome things.
For this practice is not only a gross rudeness toward the main body
of men, who justly reverence the name of God, and detest such an
abuse thereof; not only further an insolent defiance of the common
profession, the religion, the law of our country, which disalloweth
and condemneth it, but it is very odious and offensive to any
particular society or company, at least, wherein there is any sober
person, any who retaineth a sense of goodness, or is anywise
concerned for God's honour: for to any such person no language can
be more disgustful; nothing can more grate his ears, or fret his
heart, than to hear the sovereign object of his love and esteem so
mocked and slighted; to see the law of his Prince so disloyally
infringed, so contemptuously trampled on; to find his best Friend
and Benefactor so outrageously abused. To give him the lie were a
compliment, to spit in his face were an obligation, in comparison to
this usage.
Wherefore 'tis a wonder that any person of rank, any that hath in
him a spark of ingenuity, or doth at all pretend to good manners,
should find in his heart or deign to comply with so scurvy a
fashion: a fashion much more befitting the scum of the people than
the flower of the gentry; yea, rather much below any man endued with
a scrap of reason or a grain of goodness. Would we bethink
ourselves, modest, sober, and pertinent discourse would appear far
more generous and masculine than such mad hectoring the Almighty,
such boisterous insulting over the received laws and general notions
of mankind, such ruffianly swaggering against sobriety and goodness.
If gentlemen would regard the virtues of their ancestors, the
founders of their quality--that gallant courage and solid wisdom,
that noble courtesy, which advanced their families and severed them
from the vulgar--this degenerate wantonness and forbidness of
language would return to the dunghill, or rather, which God grant,
be quite banished from the world, the vulgar following their
example.
XII. Further, the words of our Lord, when He forbade this practice,
do suggest another consideration against it, deducible from the
causes and sources of it; from whence it cometh, that men are so
inclined or addicted thereto. "Let," saith He, "your communication
be Yea, yea, Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of
evil." The roots of it, He assureth us, are evil, and therefore the
fruit cannot be good: it is no grape which groweth from thorns, or
fig from thistles. Consult experience, and observe whence it doth
proceed.
Sometimes it ariseth from exorbitant heats of spirit, or transports
of unbridled passion. When a man is keenly peevish, or fiercely
angry, or eagerly contentious, then he blustereth, and dischargeth
his choler in most tragical strains; then he would fright the
objects of his displeasure by the most violent expressions thereof.
This is sometime alleged in excuse of rash swearing: I was
provoked, the swearer will say, I was in passion; but it is strange
that a bad cause should justify a bad effect, that one crime should
warrant another, that what would spoil a good action should excuse a
bad one.
Sometimes it proceedeth from arrogant conceit, and a tyrannical
humour; when a man fondly admireth his own opinion, and affecting to
impose it on others, is thence moved to thwack it on with lusty
asseverations.