Matthew Poole and continuators on Matthew 23:22

22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

Our Saviour here sheweth the false Doctrine, which the Pharisees for their own Gain taught the People, concerning Oaths. God had Commanded that they should fear and serve the Lord their God, and swear by his Name. Deut. 6.13. & 10.20. He that sweareth by any Person, or thing, doth two things. He attributeth to the thing, or Person, by which he sweareth a knowledge of the Heart, and the secret intention. [illegible: 1 letter] He calleth upon the Person or thing▪ by which he sweareth to be his Judge; or to take a revenge upon him, in Case, he doth not believe in his Heart, what he affirmeth, or denieth with his Words, to be true or false, otherwise an Oath is no security at all. From whence appeareth, that it is unreasonable for any to swear by any other than God, who alone can have a knowledge of the Truth, and security of the Heart; and that he, who sweareth by any Creature, committeth Idolatry in his Heart, and in his Heart doth indeed Blaspheme, paying a Divine Homage to a Creature, and attributing to the Creature, what only agreeth to the Creature. The Pharisees as it seemeth had taught the People, that it was Lawful to swear by the Creature; but all Oaths by Creatures did not bind to the performance of the thing promised by such Oaths: If a Man swear by the Temple, or by the Altar, It was nothing, no Man was bound by such Oaths, to perform the thing, for which such Oaths was given as a security. But if any Man swear by the Gold of the Temple, or by a Gift, which he brought to the Altar, these Oaths did bind him. By the Gold of the Temple, is not to be understood the Golden Vessels used in the Temple; nor the Golden Plates, with which the several parts of the Temple shined; but the Gold which was brought as an Offering into the Temple, and put into the Treasury there, of which and of the Gifts the Priests and Officers about the Temple, had a considerable share, which made them Equalize an Oath by these, to an Oath made by the Name of God it self: Our Saviour here sheweth the unreasonable Folly o[illegible: 1 letter] the Tradition, and calleth them for it, Blind Guides, for in reason: The Temple Sanctifying the Gold▪ must it self be more especially Holy, that is, separate for an Holy use. The Temple was Holy, so was the Altar before the Gold was brought into it, but the Gold was not Holy, till it was brought into the Holy place, and there offered. 2. Secondly, [illegible: 1 letter]e lets them know, that Oaths by the Creatures once made did oblige, as much as if they had been made by God himself. They were indeed sinfully made, for Men ought not to have sworn by Creatures, but being made, those who made them were bound to perform them, if the matter of them were not sinful. For he that swears by the Altar, swears by it, and all the things thereon: And he who swears by the Temple, swears by it, and him that dwelleth therein: And he who swears by Heaven, swears by the Throne of God, and him that sitteth thereon. For none who sware by inanimate things, could possibly be imagined to call these things which he knew had no Life, no Sense, no knowledge to be a Witness to the Truth of his Heart, as to what he believed, or what he intended. So as though he that sweareth by the Creature, be a profane Swearer, yet he is bound by his Oath, he indeed swearing by the God of those Creatures. He hath reason to repent or the profane, and unlawful form of his Oath; but if the matter be, what he may without sin perform, he is bound by his Oath to the performance of it.

Marginal references: Chap. 5.34. Acts 7.49.