A Sermon Against Swearing and Perjury.
Part One
Almighty God, so that his most holy name should be held in honour and forever magnified among the people, commands that no one should take his name in vain upon his lips, and he threatens punishment against anyone who irreverently abuses it by swearing, false swearing, and blasphemy. So that this commandment may be the better known and kept, then, you will be shown both how it is lawful for Christian people to swear, and also what peril and danger there is in swearing vainly or in being forsworn.
First, when judges require oaths of the people for the declaration (or opening) of the truth or for the execution of justice, this manner of swearing is lawful. So too, when people make faithful promises, calling the name of God to witness, to keep covenants, honest promises, statutes, laws, and good customs — as Christian princes do in their treaties of peace for the preservation of commonwealths; and as private persons promise their fidelity in marriage, or to one another in honest and true friendship; and as all people do when they swear to keep common laws, or local statutes and good customs, so that due order may be had and maintained among them; when subjects swear to be true and faithful to their king and sovereign lord, and when judges, magistrates, and officers swear to carry out their offices truly; and when someone would affirm the truth for the setting forth of God's glory and the salvation of the people in the open preaching of the Gospel, or in giving good counsel privately for the health of their souls — all these kinds of swearing, for causes necessary and honest, are lawful. But when people swear out of habit, in arguing, buying and selling, or other daily conversation, as many are common and great swearers, that kind of swearing is ungodly, unlawful, and forbidden by the commandment of God; for such swearing is nothing else but taking God's holy name in vain.
And here it is to be noted that lawful swearing is not forbidden but commanded by Almighty God. For we have examples of Christ and godly men in holy Scripture who swore themselves and required oaths of others as well. And God's commandment is, "You shall dread the Lord your God, and shall swear by his name" (Deuteronomy 6:13). And Almighty God says by his prophet David, "Everyone shall be praised who swears by him" (Psalm 63:11).
Thus our Saviour Christ swore many times, saying, "Truly, truly." And St. Paul swears thus: "I call God to witness" (2 Corinthians 1:23). And Abraham, growing old, required an oath of his servant that he should find a wife for his son Isaac, one who should come from his own kindred; and the servant swore that he would carry out his master's will (Genesis 24:2-9). Abraham also, when required, swore to Abimelech the king of Gerar that he would not harm him or his posterity; and Abimelech likewise swore to Abraham (Genesis 21:23-24). And David swore to be and remain a faithful friend to Jonathan, and Jonathan swore to become a faithful friend to David (1 Samuel 20:16-17).
God also once commanded that if something were laid in pledge to anyone, or left with him to keep, and the same thing were stolen or lost, the keeper of it should swear before judges that he did not make away with it, nor used any deceit in having it carried off by his consent or knowledge (Exodus 22:10-11). And St. Paul says that in all matters of controversy between two persons, where one says yes and the other no, so that no due proof of the truth can be had, the end of every such controversy must be an oath administered by a judge (Hebrews 6:16). And moreover God says by the prophet Jeremiah, "You shall swear, 'The Lord lives,' in truth, in judgment, in righteousness" (Jeremiah 4:2).
So whoever swears when required by a judge, let him be sure in his conscience that his oath has these three conditions, and he will never need to be afraid of perjury. First, he who swears must swear truly; that is, setting aside all favour and affection toward the parties, he must have only the truth before his eyes, and for love of it say and speak what he knows to be true, and no further. The second is that he who takes an oath must do it with judgment, not rashly and carelessly, but soberly, considering what an oath is. The third is that he who swears must swear in righteousness; that is, out of the very zeal and love he has for the defence of innocence, for the maintenance of the truth, and for the righteousness of the matter or cause — all profit, all loss, all love and favour toward the person for friendship or kindred laid aside.
Thus an oath, if it has these three conditions with it, is a part of God's glory which we are bound by his commandment to give to him; for he wills that we should swear only by his name. Not that he takes pleasure in our oaths; but just as he commanded the Jews to offer sacrifices to him — not for any delight he had in them, but to keep the Jews from committing idolatry — so, in commanding us to swear by his holy name, he does not teach us that he delights in swearing, but he thereby forbids everyone to give his glory to any creature in heaven, earth, or water.
So far you see that lawful oaths are commanded by God, used by the patriarchs and prophets, by Christ himself, and by his apostle Paul. Christian people must therefore consider lawful oaths to be both godly and necessary. For by lawful promises and covenants, confirmed by oaths, princes and their countries are kept secure in common tranquillity and peace. By holy promises calling the name of God to witness, we are made living members of Christ, when we profess his religion in receiving the Sacrament of Baptism. By a like holy promise the sacrament of matrimony joins husband and wife in perpetual love, so that they do not desire to be separated for any displeasure or adversity that may afterward happen. By the lawful oaths which kings, princes, judges, and magistrates swear, common laws are kept inviolate, justice is impartially[1] administered, and innocent persons, fatherless children, widows, and the poor are defended from murderers, oppressors, and thieves, so that they suffer no wrong nor take any harm. By lawful oaths mutual society, friendship, and good order are kept up continually in all communities — boroughs, cities, towns, and villages. And by lawful oaths evildoers are searched out, wrongdoers are punished, and those who suffer wrong are restored to their right. Lawful swearing, therefore, cannot be evil, since it brings us so many godly, good, and necessary benefits.[2]
Therefore, when Christ so earnestly forbade swearing, it must not be understood as though he forbade every kind of oath; rather, he forbids all vain swearing and false swearing, both by God and by his creatures — such as the common use of swearing in buying, selling, and in our daily conversation — so that every Christian's word should be as well regarded in such matters as if he confirmed what he said with an oath. For "every Christian's word," says St. Jerome, "should be so true that it should be regarded as an oath." And Chrysostom, testifying to the same, says, "It is not fitting to swear; for what need is there for us to swear, when it is not lawful for one of us to tell a lie to another?" Perhaps someone will say, "I am compelled to swear, for otherwise those who deal with me, or buy and sell with me, will not believe me." To this St. Chrysostom answers that whoever says this shows himself to be an unjust and deceitful person; for if he were a trustworthy man, and his deeds were found to agree with his words, he would have no need to swear at all. For whoever uses truth and plainness in his bargaining and conversation will have no need by such vain swearing to bring himself into credit with his neighbours, nor will his neighbours mistrust what he says. And if his credit is indeed so far lost that he thinks no one will believe him unless he swears, then he may well consider that his credit is altogether gone. For it is true, as Theophylact writes, that "no one is less trusted than he who swears a great deal." And Almighty God says by the Wise Man, "That man who swears much shall be full of sin, and the scourge of God shall not depart from his house" (Sirach 23:11).
But here some will say, to excuse their many oaths in their daily talk, "Why should I not swear, when I swear truly?" To such men it may be said that, although they swear truly, yet by swearing often, carelessly, over trifles, without necessity, and when they should not swear, they are not without fault, but do take God's most holy name in vain. Much more ungodly and unwise are those who abuse God's most holy name, not only in buying and selling small things daily in all places, but also in eating, drinking, playing, conversing, and arguing — as if none of these things could be done unless, in doing them, the most holy name of God were commonly used and abused, vainly and irreverently talked of, sworn by and forsworn, to the breaking of God's commandment and the provoking of his indignation.
Part Two
You have been taught in the first part of this sermon against swearing and perjury what great danger it is to use the name of God in vain; and that not every kind of swearing is unlawful or against God's commandment; and that there are three things required in a lawful oath: first, that it be made for the maintenance of the truth; second, that it be made with judgment, not rashly and carelessly; third, for the zeal and love of justice. You heard also what benefits come from lawful oaths, and what danger comes from rash and unlawful oaths. Now, concerning the rest of this matter, you shall understand that those who by an oath make lawful promises of good and honest things and then do not perform them use the name of God in vain just as much as those who promise evil and unlawful things and do perform them.
Of such men as disregard their godly promises bound by an oath, but knowingly and wilfully break them, we read in holy Scripture of two notable punishments. First, Joshua and the people of Israel made a league and faithful promise of perpetual friendship with the Gibeonites; nevertheless, afterward, in the days of wicked Saul, many of these Gibeonites were murdered, contrary to that faithful promise. With this Almighty God was so deeply displeased that he sent a universal famine upon the whole country, which lasted for the space of three years; and God would not withdraw his punishment until that offence was avenged by the death of seven sons or nearest kinsmen of king Saul (2 Samuel 21:1-9). Also, whereas Zedekiah king of Jerusalem had promised loyalty to the king of Chaldea, afterward, when Zedekiah, contrary to his oath and allegiance, rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, this heathen king — by God's permission and sufferance — invaded the land of Judah, besieged the city of Jerusalem, forced king Zedekiah to flee, and in his flight took him prisoner, killed his sons before his face, put out both his eyes, and bound him with chains and led him miserably as a prisoner into Babylon (2 Kings 25:1-7). Thus God shows plainly how greatly he abhors the breakers of honest promises bound by an oath made in his name.
And of those who make wicked promises by an oath and then carry them out, we have examples in Scripture, chiefly of Herod, of the wicked Jews, and of Jephthah. Herod promised by an oath to the girl who danced before him to give her whatever she would ask, when she had been instructed beforehand by her wicked mother to ask for the head of St. John the Baptist. As Herod took a wicked oath, so he more wickedly performed it, and cruelly killed that most holy prophet (Matthew 14:6-10). Likewise the malicious Jews made an oath, cursing themselves if they should either eat or drink until they had killed St. Paul (Acts 23:12). And Jephthah, when God had given him victory over the children of Ammon, promised out of a foolish devotion to offer to God as a sacrifice the first person from his own house who should meet him after his return home. By force of this foolish and rash oath he killed his own and only daughter, who came out of his house with mirth and joy to welcome him home (Judges 11:30-39). Thus the promise which he made most foolishly to God, against God's everlasting will and the law of nature, he most cruelly performed, so committing a double offence against God. Therefore whoever makes any promise, binding himself to it by an oath, let him see beforehand that what he promises is good, honest, and not against the commandment of God, and that it is in his own power to perform it justly; and all men must keep such good promises evermore without fail. But if a man at any time, whether through ignorance or through malice, promises and swears to do anything that is either against the law of Almighty God or not in his power to perform, let him regard it as an unlawful and ungodly oath.
Now something about perjury. So that you may know how great and grievous an offence against God this wilful perjury is, I will show you what it is to take an oath before a judge upon a book. First, when men, laying their hands upon the Gospel book, swear truly to inquire and to make a true presentment of the things with which they are charged, and not to refrain[3] from telling the truth and acting truly for the favour, love, dread, or malice of any person — so help them God and the holy contents of that book — they must consider that in that book is contained God's everlasting truth, his most holy and eternal word, by which we have the forgiveness of our sins, and are made inheritors of heaven, to live forever with God's angels and his saints in joy and gladness. In the Gospel book is also contained God's terrible threats against obstinate sinners, who will not amend their lives or believe the truth of God and his holy word, and the everlasting pain prepared in hell for idolaters, hypocrites, false and vain swearers, perjured men, false witnesses, false condemners of innocent and guiltless men, and those who, for favour, hide the crimes of evildoers so that they should not be punished.
So whoever wilfully forswears himself upon Christ's holy Gospel utterly forsakes God's mercy, goodness, and truth, the merits of our Saviour Christ's nativity, life, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension; they refuse the forgiveness of sins promised to all penitent sinners, the joys of heaven, and the company of angels and saints forever — benefits and comforts which are promised to true Christian persons in the Gospel. And so, being forsworn upon the Gospel, they give themselves over to the service of the devil, the master of all lies, falsehood, deceit, and perjury, provoking the great indignation and curse of God against them in this life, and the terrible wrath and judgment of our Saviour Christ at the great day of the last judgment, when he shall justly judge both the living and the dead according to their works. For whoever forsakes the truth for the love or displeasure of any man, or for gain and profit to himself, forsakes Christ, and with Judas betrays him. And although such perjured men's falsehood is now kept secret, yet it shall be disclosed at the last day, when the secrets of all men's hearts shall be made manifest to all the world; and then the truth shall appear and accuse them, and their own conscience, with all the blessed company of heaven, shall bear witness truly against them; and Christ, the righteous Judge, shall then justly condemn them to everlasting shame and death.
This sin of perjury Almighty God threatens to punish severely by the prophet Malachi, saying to the Jews, "I will come to you in judgment, and I will be a swift witness and a sharp judge upon sorcerers, adulterers, and perjured persons" (Malachi 3:5). And God declared the same thing to the prophet Zechariah in a vision, in which the prophet saw a book flying, which was twenty cubits long and ten cubits broad, God then saying to him, "This is the curse that shall go forth upon the face of the earth for falsehood, false swearing, and perjury; and this curse shall enter into the house of the false man and into the house of the perjured man, and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and consume him, the timber and stones of his home" (Zechariah 5:1-4). Thus you see how much God hates perjury, and what punishment God has prepared for false swearers and perjured persons.
Thus you have heard how and in what cases it is lawful for a Christian to swear; you have heard what properties and conditions a lawful oath must have, and also how such lawful oaths are both godly and necessary to be observed; you have heard that it is not lawful to swear vainly — that is, in any other way than in such causes and after such manner as has been declared; and finally you have heard how damnable a thing it is either to forswear ourselves or to keep an unlawful and rash oath. Therefore let us earnestly call for grace, so that, all vain swearing and perjury set aside, we may use only such oaths as are lawful and godly, and that we may keep them truly, without any fraud, according to God's will and pleasure. To whom, with the Son and Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory. Amen.