Reprint of the original, first published in 1845.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

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 writer of the following pages, in common with many of his fellow-citizens, has long deplored the evils that spring from the abuse of the ordinance of the oath. That such evils do exist, and that they appear to be upon the increase in our country, few, if any, will deny. Deplorable ignorance of the true nature, design, and obligations of the ordinance prevails. Many deny that it is lawful in the sight of God to take an oath; whilst thousands who do not scruple to be sworn, are ignorant or regardless of the awful obligations they assume, and sweat with rashness and frivolity, without a proper sense of the criminality of such conduct. And even where there exists in the mind of the juror some good degree of reverence for the oath, there is, in many cases, lamentable want of knowledge in regard to the interpretation of it, and in regard to the extent to which the witness is bound to tell the truth. So grievously is this ordinance prostituted, and so much is its form distorted, in our courts of justice, that it fails, to a lamentable degree, to subserve the ends for which it was instituted. 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.