1. A lawful oath is a part of religious worship, wherein the person swearing in truth, righteousness, and judgement, solemnly calleth God to witness what he sweareth, and to judge him according to the truth or falseness thereof. ( Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 10:20; Jeremiah 4:2; 2 Chronicles 6:22, 23 )
2. The name of God only is that by which men ought to swear; and therein it is to be used, with all holy fear and reverence; therefore to swear vainly or rashly by that glorious and dreadful name, or to swear at all by any other thing, is sinful, and to be abhorred; yet as in matter of weight and moment, for confirmation of truth, and ending all strife, an oath is warranted by the word of God; so a lawful oath being imposed by lawful authority in such matters, ought to be taken. ( Matthew 5:34, 37; James 5:12; Hebrews 6:16; 2 Corinthians 1:23; Nehemiah 13:25 )
3. Whosoever taketh an oath warranted by the Word of God, ought duly to consider the weightiness of so solemn an act, and therein to avouch nothing but what he knoweth to be truth; for that by rash, false, and vain oaths, the Lord is provoked, and for them this land mourns. ( Leviticus 19:12; Jeremiah 23:10 )
4. An oath is to be taken in the plain and common sense of the words, without equivocation or mental reservation. ( Psalms 24:4 ) (Ps. 24:4)
5. A vow, which is not to be made to any creature, but to God alone, is to be made and performed with all religious care and faithfulness; but popish monastical vows of perpetual single life, professed poverty, and regular obedience, are so far from being degrees of higher perfection, that they are superstitious and sinful snares, in which no Christian may entangle himself. ( Psalms 76:11; Genesis 28:20-22; 1 Corinthians 7:2, 9; Ephesians 4:28; Matthew 19:11 )
Article 22 of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day, Section 1. The light of nature shows that there is a God who hath lordship and sovereignty over all, lordship and sovereignty over all, is just, good and thus good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in and served with all the heart and all the soul and with all the might. But the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by Himself and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scriptures. Section 2. Religious worship is to be given to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and to Him alone, not to angels, saints, or any other creatures, and since the fall, not without a mediator, nor in the mediation of any other but Christ alone.
Section 3. Prayer With thanksgiving, being one part of natural worship is by God required of all men, but that it may be accepted it is to be made in the name of the Son, by the help of the Spirit, according to His will, with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance, and when with others is a known tongue. Section 4. Prayer is to be made for things lawful and for all sorts of men living, or that shall live hereafter, but not for the dead, nor for those of whom it may be known that they have sinned the sin unto death. Section 5, the reading of scriptures, preaching and hearing the Word of God, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord, as also the administration of baptism and the Lord's Supper are all parts of religious worship of God.
To be performed in obedience to Him with understanding, faith, reverence, and godly fear, moreover, solemn humiliation with fasting and thanksgiving, upon special occasions, ought to be used in an holy and religious manner. Section 6, neither prayer nor any other part of religious worship is now under the gospel tied unto or made more acceptable by any place in which it is performed or towards which it is directed. But God is to be worshipped everywhere in spirit and in truth as in private families daily, and in secret each one by himself. So more solemnly in the public assemblies which are not carelessly nor willfully to be neglected or forsaken when God by his word or Providence calleth thereunto. Section 7 as it is the law of nature that in general a proportion of time by God's appointment be set apart for the worship of God so by His Word in a positive, moral and perpetual commandment, binding all men in all ages, He hath particularly appointed one day in seven for Sabbath to be kept holy unto Him, which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first day of the week, which is called the Lord's Day, and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week being abolished.
Section number 8, The Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord when men, after due preparing of their hearts and ordering their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe and wholly rest all day from their own works, words and thoughts about their worldly employment and recreations, but are also taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of His worship and in the duties of necessity and mercy.