CHAPTER III
ON OATHS
i. AN oath is the calling on God to witness to the truth of what we say. This calling on God may be express or tacit; it is express when God is mentioned, as, " I swear by God "; it is tacit when we swear by some creature which in a special way shows forth the Divinity or has some special relation to him, as, " I swear by the Christian Faith," " by the Gospel," " by Heaven."
In an assertory oath we call God to witness to the truth of a present or past event; in a promissory oath we call him to witness to some future event.
A solemn oath is clothed with the ceremonies prescribed by law, such as holding up the right hand or kissing the Bible; a simple oath is devoid of such ceremonies.
An imprecation is sometimes added to an oath by such words as, " so help me God "; in this case we have an imprecatory oath; otherwise it is an invocatory oath.
2. There cannot be an oath strictly so called unless there be the intention of swearing and a suitable form of words be used which express that intention. One who uses the colloquialism, " I swear it is so," usually has no intention of taking an oath, nor do the words signify an intention of calling on God to witness to the truth of what is said. The same must be said of phrases like " on my honour," " by my faith," " God knows "; and a fortiori the mention of fabulous gods, as," by Jupiter," etc. However, if there be an intention to take an oath, this will be sufficient to make it binding in conscience whatever the form of words may be, so that perjury will be committed if what is asserted is not true. If the form of words is suitable for an oath, the intention to swear is presumed.
3. If the requisite conditions be fulfilled, oaths are lawful, and indeed they are an act of divine worship, for they are an acknowledgement of the omniscience and veracity of God, as well as a public profession of belief in him. This has been the constant teaching of the Church, teaching which has ample warrant in both the Old and New Testament. The prophet
