Reprint of the original, first published in 1845.

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Excerpt from The Oath a Divine Ordinance, and an Element of the Social Constitution: Its Origin, Nature, Ends, Efficacy, Lawfulness, Obligations, Interpretation, Form and Abuses The theme is ne of vast im rtance. It more deeply affects the welfare of human society than the superficial observer would at all suppose. There is not an interest in life: there is not a right or privilege worth preserving, that may not owe its preservation to the sanctions of the oath. If, as will be shown, the oath is an ordinance of God, and the means He has appointed for securing truth in witness bearing, and righteousness in judgments for the furtherance of justice between man and man: If it be a means of divine appointment for securing faithfiilness in official station: If it be the ordinance which God has adapted to a world of lies, to restrain its falsehood: If; in the present constitu tion of our world, it be an essential element of gpv ernment - an element without which the other pro visions of government may prove powerless; and if its awful sanctions may affect the eternal condition of the man upon whom they rest; it is surely a matter of no trifling moment. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.