James
Gallagher, Sermon XV – Against Swearing
Sermon from James
Gallagher, Bishop of Raphoe (later of Kildare) published in Irish in 1736.
Translated by James Byrne.
Source: The
Sermons of... Dr. Gallagher, Translated from the Original Irish by J... - James
O'GALLAGHER (successively R.C. Bishop of Raphoe and of Kildare.) - Google Books p. 165-177
AGAINST
SWEARING.
“Above all
things, my brethren, swear not.” – St. James, v. 12
Jesus Christ, in
the 13th chapter of St. Matthew, informs us of a husbandman who sowed good
wheat in his field, and that the enemy came by night and sowed tares among the
wheat. When the servants were about to pick up the tares, and banish them from
the wheat, he forbid them to do so till the harvest day, and that then they
should make bundles of the tares, and burn them. Matt. xiii. 30.
This husbandman,
mentioned in the Gospel, my brethren, signifies the Almighty God. The wheat be
sowed in the field of the Church, signifies not only the elect and the
righteous, but also all efficacious ways and means he has given us towards our
salvation; which are, an abundance of grace, the virtues, and the sacraments. The
enemy that came by night and sowed tares among the wheat, is the devil, that
sows among the members of the Church, not only wicked and vile livers, but also
sins, vices, and iniquities, -- Matt. xiii. 25,
O my brethren,
how excellent is the wheat that Jesus Christ has sowed amongst you; how many
efficacious means has he given you for your salvation; how often has he excited
your conscience with his divine grace to avoid sin, to perform prayers and
penance, to frequent confession, and to receive his most sacred body. But O,
how often doth the enemy, the devil, come and sow the tares of sin amongst you!
But if ever he has sowed these tares, I am certain from the beginning of the
world until the present time, it were not possible for him to sow them more
frequently and abundantly than at present; because there never was a time when
iniquity could more abound, vice be more frequent, or sin be more abominable
than at present:” Since iniquity hath abounded, the charity of many shall wax
cold.”
But among all
the sins the devil sows amongst us, there is one sin that neither young nor old,
rich nor poor are free from, which is the abominable sin of swearing; this is
the sin that damns millions of souls, and draws them to hell; this is the sin
which the infants imbibe with the mother's milk; they sooner know how to give
their souls to the devil than to God, or to bless themselves. The mouths of the
most part of the people now - a - days are so habituated to and so tractable at
swearing, that they cannot relate a story or speak in jest without an oath;
they cannot ask a question, or give an answer, or transact any sort of business
without mentioning the devil, or some fiend, a curse or an imprecation at the
beginning or ending thereof. There is no person now in being more clever or
manly than he who blasphemes God, and utters imprecations against himself.
There is no other sin which a person commits, openly or publicly, that he is not
ashamed of except this sin. You would imagine it confers on him great honour,
or that he expects great reward for giving abuse and disrespect to God every hour
of the day. He has a reward to get certainly, but the reward is, that that
wicked tongue which he has employed in blaspheming God, shall eternally be
burning and consuming in the raging fire of hell.
Then, since
swearing is a sin so destructive and abominable in itself, I intend this day to
set the axe of the Gospel to the root of this wicked tree, in hopes I may
eradicate it out of the garden of the Church; as I shall endeavour to do, after
dividing my subject into two parts.
1st Part. The
fruit of this tree of swearing is evil, because it is sinful.
2nd Part. It is
sinful, because it draws the vengeance of God on those addicted to it.
But, because it
is a tree that spreads its branches so widely, and strikes its roots so deeply
in the hearts of the people, that it is only by the great power of God it can
be eradicated; in order that he may destroy this wicked tree, let us have
recourse to him, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by
repeating the Hail Mary, &c.
1st Part -
Christians, it is not possible, if the people knew what sin is, or the evils
derived from it, that they would be so prompt in committing them; especially
this sin, in which there is neither pleasure nor benefit to man --- the
abominable sin of swearing.
Sin is committed
by any thought, word, or deed, contrary to the will or law of God. Man sins by
thought, when he thinks of a bad deed with a wilful desire of committing it, if
it were in his power. “Whoever looketh on a woman, (says Christ,) to lust after
her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart.” - Matt. v. 28. We
sin by words, false oaths, lies, detraction, calumny, blasphemy, and swearing;
and we sin by actions, when we commit the evil deeds, which we are forbidden by
the law of God and of nature.
If all the evils
of this life were put together in one heap - sickness, diseases, poverty,
affliction, plague, famine, scandal, reproach, and every other evil which the
mind of man can think of or invent, still they are as nothing compared to the
evil and injury one mortal sin inflicts on the soul. And why so? Because mortal
sin changes the most beautiful and honourable man, into the most abject,
despicable, and contemptible being; in stead of his being a son of God after
baptism, and sanctified with grace, he is made heir of hell, a slave, and a son
of the devil. By sin, he loses the benefit of prayer, fasting, and every good
work which he performs; sin banishes all grace, all virtues, and the gifts of
the Holy Ghost out of his soul. - Eccles. ix. 18. Sin changes the soul from
being a noble, beautiful pearl, after the image and like. ness of God, to be a hideous,
loathsome monster, in the form and image of the devil.- Isai. i. 22. Mortal sin
kills the soul and members; it wounds the intellect; in a word, by it we lose
God for ever unless we repent.
O wretched man
who sin! when you lose God, you know not your loss; you lose the eternal
beatitude, the enjoyment of divine grace, the golden treasure of mercy; and all
the wealth and happiness in the universe, are want and misery without God.
Now, my brethren,
you have a little insight into the nature and venom of sin; and if I prove to
you that swearing is a sin, will you not detest and abhor yourselves for so
frequently committing this sin? Will you not be alarmed and terrified before
the vengeance of God for so often abusing him with your wicked tongues? Will
you not repent of this sin, and guard against relapsing into it for the future?
If not, I cannot say that you are Christians, that you care for the happiness
of paradise, or that you regard the mercy of God. of God. You have already
heard, that every wilful thought, word, or action, contrary to the law of God,
is a sin, and very frequently a mortal sin.
Why, then, if
swearing be not against the law of God, I know not what is. Jesus Christ has
commanded us, in the 5th chapter, 34th verse of St. Matthew,” not to swear at
all;” and he has not only forbidden us to swear by the name of God, or of Jesus
Christ, but he has ordered us not to swear by the firmament, nor by the earth,
neither by the head nor the foot, neither by the stick nor the stone And why so?
Because it was God that created them, and they manifest his goodness and omnipotence.”
Swear not by heaven, because it is God's throne; nor by the earth, because it
is his footstool.”. Matt. v. 34.
O Lord! if it be
certain that we are not permitted to swear by any creature, what shall become
of those who rashly and daringly swear by the name of the Almighty God, and of
Jesus Christ, and a great number of other impious oaths, that I cannot express
without shuddering, and which are sufficient to make the hair of my head stand
erect? They bestow their souls to the devil, and pray that he may snatch them
away; and, moreover, you will hear a thousand oaths and curses, such as damning
their souls, &c., in the mouths of persons that, perhaps, can speak no more
of the English. Can you say they are free from sin when they blaspheme the
majesty and good ness of God? Can you say they are not in a state of damnation,
and that hell will not be the end of their career, if they do not reform their
lives, and sincerely repent of the abuse they have made of the holy name of the
Lord? -Matt, v. 34.
The apostle St.
James follows the footsteps of his divine Master Jesus, in the 5th chapter of
his Epistle, where he forbids all mankind to swear at all. Let us not let a
word of these sayings pass away in oblivion. “Above all things, (says he,) I
forbid you to swear.” As if he would say, you should not, under pain of your
condemnation, swear at all, unless great necessity should require it, and even
so, you should have truth, justice, and judgment on your side.
I know not, my
brethren, what you may judge from the sayings of this apostle; but, I think,
from what I have read in the Old and New Testaments, that he could not have
forbidden us the most odious sins, which are, conspiracies, murder, adultery,
or thievery, in words more strenuous than those in which he has forbidden us to”
Above all things, says he, ) swear not.”
O noble apostle!
your admonitions are in vain, and so are mine. It is a useless thing for you to
forbid the people of these times to swear, for their mouths and their tongues
are so tractable at swearing, that you would imagine they have learned no other
prayer, and had no other occupation since they left the cradle than swearing.
There is no state or calling, young or old, free from this sin. The devil never
has got his will of the world more complete than through the means of this sin.
- Psal. xii. 3.
My brethren, if
this evil be not immediately destroyed; if this plague be not immediately
healed, that has been so multiplied among you; if this cursed tree of swearing
be not plucked up by the roots, is it possible that the deluge will not come a
second time on the world, or that fire from heaven will not descend to consume
the people, as it did the great cities of Sodom and Gomorah through their sins?
Psal. xiii. 3.
You perceive, my
brethren, what a strict law Jesus Christ made against swearing: “Do not swear
at all.” And after Christ, how the apostle St. James has besought us, “above
all things, to swear not,” It cannot then possibly be said, that the violaters
of this law are obedient children of Jesus Christ; it cannot be possible they
are proper Christians who are addicted to this sin. More. over, of the ten
commandments which God has left us, as a rule for our conscience, he commandeth
us in the second,” not to take God's name in vain.” - Exod. xx. 7. That is to
say, that we should not express or mention the name of God, but when we are
praising and supplicating him; that we should mention it but with reverence and
honour; and, above all things, that we should not swear by it unless through
real necessity.
This most sweet
name of the Lord, which you, vile sinner, mention with your wicked mouth during
your passion, anger, madness, and impatience; to whom you give dishonour and
reproach, instead of reverence and respect; whom you call to witness a lie as
often as the truth; is so inestimable and glorious, that the angels, who are
above man in estimation of dignity and honour, dare not mention, nor hear this
name mentioned, without kņeeling and covering their faces: and even the devils
in hell, notwithstanding their hatred to the Lord, kneel at the mentioning of
the name of Jesus:” At the name of Jesus every knee shall bend, of those that
are in heaven, on earth, and in hell.” -- Phil. ii. 10.
O joyful name of
Jesus! which renders exultation throughout the heavens, which strikes hell with
terror, which is adored by the angels, and is revered by every creature. O
wicked man! where is your sense? where is your faith? where is your feeling?
When you give dishonour and reproach to the glorious name of Jesus! when you
make this name instrumental to your condemnation, by which alone you can be
saved; when you swear, without dread nor fear, by the name of Jesus Christ, it
seems you understand not what you do, nor the horrid mischief of swearing, nor
the great vengeance which God executes upon the swearers. But be so no longer:
I shall give you an insight thereof in the second part.
2nd Part.---
Christians, in order that you may perceive how great and heinous the sin of swearing
is, you have no more to do than to behold the majesty of God on the one hand,
and the impotency of man on the other, and the mercy and goodness of God
towards man. This God is the Creator of heaven and earth -- this God is the Supreme
Lord and Ruler of the whole world. His constant study is to confer all kind of
goodness on man, to share with him the happiness of divine grace, and to make
him an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, man is a poor,
indigent creature, a handful of clay, a vessel full of filth, and the food of
worms and maggots. - Job. 17. If you thus behold God and man, I say, and every
obligation God hath on man, you will be surprised at the ill nature of man,
that he is so ready at provoking God, especially by a sin that is so
reproachful to God, and so fruitless to man, as the sin of swearing is; you
will be surprised at God's great patience with man, that he does not destroy
him from the face of the earth, or that he does not consume him with fire from
heaven, when he offers to insult and abuse him with his evil tongue, in return
for all his goodness towards him. Isai. v. 4.
My brethren, you
will agree with me, that there is no act more abominable than for a man to beat
and abuse his father; and that the crime is still greater, for a poor
despicable slave to offer to beat or abuse his king or his lord. You would
abhor and detest this man - you would spurn his company - and not even this,
but you would think the greatest punishment too little for him. Then, this is
the case with him who swears; this profligate son dishonours his eternal Father,
who drew him out of the abyss of nothing. This vile slave strikes the supreme
Lord of the universe with the weighty, deadly blows of his tongue; he tramples
under his feet the most royal blood of Jesus. When he swears by him, he
crucifies Jesus Christ anew, and sets his wounds to bleed afresh; he commits
treason against God, by breaking his commandments; he proclaims war against God,
when he gives himself, or any other creature, to his adversary the devil; he
defies God when he desires to damn himself or any other creature. He is no more
intimidated nor in dread before God, than if he were a god made of a stick or a
stone. In a word, he returns evil for all the blessings his Lord confers on him.
God forbid, my
brethren, there is any vile traitor among you who thus revolts against his
Creator. If there is, can it be possible but you abhor and detest him, for
dishonouring and insulting your Father? Can it be possible but the hair of your
head stands on an end when you see Jesus Christ crucified and mangled with the
cursed tongues of those people? You are not obedient children to Jesus Christ
if you see him abused, and do not strive, as far as in you lies, to prevent
those who are thus tearing and tormenting him; and if you cannot prevent them,
I am sure you will shed tears for their madness. You will weep, I am sure,
along with Jesus, who shed tears of blood from his eyes, and from all his
members, weeping for the sins of those who are this day reviling and
reproaching him. - Luke, xix. 41.
Do not imagine,
Christians, that I am augmenting this sin, or exaggerating it beyond its nature.
Surely I cannot half describe to you its evil and malice. It is no less a sin
than profanation and blasphemy against the divinity of 1 ^!; God; and where is
the sin can exceed in wickedness the sin of blasphemy and profanation? Is there
a sin that draws down the scourge and vengeance of God upon man, like unto the sin
of blasphemy and profanation? Certainly not. God had patience with Balthazzar,
the proud king of Babylon, in all his gluttony and debauchery, in all his
tyranny and cruelty, and in all the conspiracies and murders he had done; but
as soon as he ordered the sacred vessels, which his father had robbed out of
the temple of Jerusalem, to be brought to his hoard, for him self and his
wicked courtiers to accommodate themselves with wine drinking, he saw, at the
same moment, a hand, writing the sentence of his condemnation on the wall. -
Dan. v. 25.
Christians,
blasphemy is to give dishonour or reproach to God, or to his saints; and, O man,
can you possibly give greater dishonour to God, than to have his holy name in
your mouth at the beginning of every sentence, and to be swearing by him in
both truth and lies? Can you give God greater abuse than when you bestow the
price of his blood to his adversary the devil? Certainly you cannot; and,
therefore, the accounting day will come, when you will beg of Lazarus, like the
rich man mentioned in the Gospel, to afford you one drop of water from the tip
of his finger to cool your tongue, that will be burning in the raging fire of
bell. - Luke, xvi. 24.
The day will
come when the children will curse their fathers and mothers, for not reproving
them in time for this sin, and for the bad example they had given them by all
the evil imprecations and oaths they had sworn in their presence. The day will
come when the servants will curse their masters and their mistresses for not
reprimand ing them for this sin. The day will come when one neighbour will
curse the other for his drawing him into this sin, and for his bad example. The
day will come when the swearers will cry out wo to themselves, and wish that
they had been born dumb, when they shall bear the doleful sentence which the
Judge of the living and the dead will pass on them: Depart from me, ye cursed,
into the devouring flames of hell, as a reward for your blasphemy and your
swearing.-- Matt. xxv. 41.
There is no side
on which I behold him who is addicted to swearing, but I find him an object of
tears and compassion. He cannot escape the everlasting pains of hell in the other
world, if he die impenitent; and he most commonly draws destruction and the
wrath of God upon himself in this world, which are, sickness, distempers,
tribulations, adversity, and poverty. If you do not believe me, you will
believe the Holy Ghost, who affirms,” He who swears frequently, shall be filled
with iniquity, and a scourge shall not depart from his house. - Eccles. xxiii.
12.
Moreover, he who
is addicted to swearing, is denied the sacraments; because, absolution cannot
be given to him who is addicted to habitual sin, and is not resolved to amend
his life. Swearing brings contempt and scandal on the person who practises it;
it deprives him of all Christian respect; no proper person is willing to keep
company with him who is inclined to this sin. He looks not whether he has truth
or untruth, and, consequently, frequently perjures himself.
O merchants and
dealers of these times, behold with astonishment the dangerous state you are in!
Do you not perceive that you are often guilty of perjury, when you swear that
your wares cost you so much, and you conscious at the same time they did not,
nor, perhaps, half so much! And you tradesmen, who promise expeditiously to
have the articles lying in your bands ready made at such a time, and not even
promise, but seal it with oaths; can you deny that you do not charge God with
bearing false witness, or that you perjure yourselves?
O Christian
people! behold with astonishment the dangerous state of your conscience, and
you will perceive that no one can be considered free from sin who is addicted
to swearing, and not a sin like unto every other sin; he commits profanation
and blasphemy; and you perceive what scourges God inflicts on swearers in this
world, andin the next. And, O! to my grief, you will perceive at the same time,
that there are none of yourselves who have not taken a draught too much of the
deadly poison of sin; you perceive bow firmly this wicked tree of swearing has
struck its roots in your conscience; and how widely its branches are spread
amongst you. But, in beholding the filthy state and the deadly diseases of your
souls, you will, I hope, endeavour to cleanse yourselves of this leprosy, and
seek to be healed. - John, v. 6. If you do, here is Jesus Christ ready to heal
you --- here is the Doctor and Physician of your souls, and his arms are
extended on the cross to confer on you health of body and soul. But it is
necessary for you first to wash your wounds with the water of penance. This is
the antidote Jesus Christ requires of you against each disease and infirmity;
but it is a part of this remedy to have a real abhorrence of this malady for
the future. Let no other oath be heard from your mouths henceforward than “yes,
yes,” or “no, no.” If you do this, you shall obtain a reward from God in this
life, and happiness in the next.
