250 Chap. 4. Of Vorns; Corn. CHAP. 1V. What avow is. Whether a bare pxrpofe without apromife. Whether athingcommand- edmay be thematter of a vow. The necejty and life of vows, in refpeft of God, of our(elves. What thingsaman may vow ; fe, fuos, fua. Vows in the times ofthe Gofpel. Ofperforming vows. Qualifications ina vow, for theperfon, thematter. The time of vowing. Ofpaying our vows. Of Vows. ¡\¡ Ext to an oath, comes to be confidereda vow, which in regard of the affinity j N with an oath, aptly follows after it : for a vow is fomewhat like to juramen- tum promifforium, a promiffory oath: for the fame conditions are annexed to the one, as to the other ; thedifferences being, that an oath is neceffarium, not to be xfed but in cafe ofneceffity, as you have teen ; and a vow isfponraneum, voluntarily made ofour own accord. And an oath is betweenman and man, and a vow between God and man. An oath is chiefly for the benefit of man, and a vow looks chiefly at Gods honour, being a deliberate and voluntary promife made to God of fome- thing acceptable to him. Andthat when upon good ground and particular confidera- tion of our gifts and abilities fromGod, we donot only purpofe, but alfo by pro- mife, either inwardly conceive in the heart, or outwardly expreffed, bindour felves to Tome particular aft pleating or acceptable toGod. Anne. ao. A vow is nothing elfe but a deliberate promife made to God, of fomething ac- Conceraug ceptable to him. So Cajetan in Thom. agreeable to what the other School-men the nature of and Cafuifls teach, in Thorn. fecunda fecundx, lib. 3. q. 88. & in Sent. Co1.3.Dif1. 38. a vow. and the Summifls. verb. votuin, and the Cafuifls -inprwcept. z. Among ethers this ar- gument islearnedly handled by Navar. Enchir. cap. t z. Soto in toto lib. 7. de juif. & jure. Azor. r part. Moral. lib. la. cap. t 2. &c. but mofifully by ,Suarez. de Relig. traft. G. lib. 6. A bare purpofe without a promife is not enough to make a vow, though fome of the ancient Canonifls have fo affirmed, the contrary is the general tenet both of Modern Divines and Canonifis, as apears in Azor. Inflitut. ioor. part. r. lob. s T. ,cap. t a. quaff. 5. Suarez, Zee. As alfo in Covarr. ,ad cap. quamvis paElum. r. Part. Sea . 3. Num. 12. Panormit. ad cap. literaturam, de veto c9- voti redem- ptione;' the rearm is , becaufe a bare parpofe cannot - induce an obligation with- out a. promife either mental!, or verbal! ; as may be gathered from Deuteronomio 23. 21, 22. Though the principal matter of a vow be , fomething not expreffely commanded , but left to our liberty, yet even things commanded may be the matter of a vow, a man may vow to avoid fuch and fueh a fin; or to perform fame duty, wherein he ftndes himfelf remiffe, thereby to gaicl¿,en his own diligence by a double obligation: So Suarez proves at large. Trail. de voto. lib. z. rap. 6. Tho. 2. 2. q. 88. art. z: mom' Cojee. ibid. for as a man may binde himfelf by ass oath, to what he was formerly eyed ratione juflitia , fo he may binde himfelf by .a . vow to God, to what he was already eyed, ratione mandati; fo that here is a new obligation fuperaelded , whereby he that breaks his vow or oath becomes guilty of a dou- blefarm. This binding our felves 'by a vow may be performed many ways, they maybe re- duced to thefetwo. a. By limitation of fome general Celt=andment tofome particulars : as, togive Theajeofvorosalmsbeing ageneral precept, to'reffrainittothis or that perfon, or to give thisor thatquantity ofmy goods to good safes yearly, or weekly. This we knowfalleth not under any Commandment fpecially, and therefore thefe particular rettraints fall under a vow. z. By reffraining our felves in the life of fomelawful or indifferent thing, which C-hrifiianliberty allows to all, left we fall into fomething unlawful : this we formerly mentioned, and called itpiles mandati, the enclofure or fence of thePrecept. Or by forbearing or abflaining from fome lawful and indifferent thing, by the ufe whereof we find our felves leffe able, and fit for Gods fervice, and the fanftification of
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