Com.3. of Vow! Chap. 4. 251, of his name, and therefore in this regard we enter intoa vow to abfain from fuch 04 35 6: and fuch things. And fuch feemed to be the vow of the Rechabites, and of theNumb. 6. Nazarites. r. The neceffityand ufe of vows is, r. In refpeet of God : thereby we honour The neeeft, of him, and tellifie our thankfulnefstohim for benefits received ; for though it be true, vows. that KingDavid faithto God, when the people.had paid their vows in their offerings to the Temple, What we have received of thine own hand, that have we given r Cbro.a914, thee. It was a true confeffion andacknowledgement, that they had given nothing to him, but that which they had receivedfrom him before. Uponwhich a Father faith, DeditfuaDominus, ut reciperet fua, & recipiendo jam darer fe, the Lord gave his own, that he might receive his own again, and by receiving his own, might give himfelf, and with himfelf all that hehath ; agreater gift than we can poffefs in this life,yet God accounts itan honour, when we freely vow and give unto himwhat he hath fir[ given us. Therefore he requires as a part of our thankfulnefs to God, vovete t reddire, vow and pay, or perform your vows to the Lord. Itis forne fign Pfat.gó: U. of thankfulnefs, to vow. to God,though the bare promife be butablaft of wind out of a golden pair of Bellows : but the great thankfulnefsis by performance : there - fore both thefe muff bejoyned,vovere & reddite,vow and pay ; promifeand perform' for as we by our vows bind our felves to God, fo God by our performance is bound tous. 2. In refped of our felves, vows areneceffary : becaufe mans heart, as it is /wan: Dei, fo itis ceros Diaboli, the Devils wax, fit for any impreffion of the Devil, and apter to receive any flamgof evil from him, than of good from God : and as our will is apt to turn from good to evil, fo in perfèverance in evil, mula voluntas is plus quarto voluntas, more than a will : and in doinggood, bona voluntas is minus quam vo- luatas, lefs.then awill, it defervesnot to becalled a will ; it is a volo, nolo, I will, and I will not,therefore it is expedient, yeaneceffary tomake vows, thereby to fettle and ftablifhour wills from fartingback, to flrengthenourhearts in good, and to confirm themagain[ evil. St. Augultine confutes thofe that think a man ought todo any Thing upon a vow, becaufe a thing vowed becomes neceffary, whereby the perfon vowing is bound to perform, and fo the thing deferves lefa thanks ; but he anfwers it well. It is true indeed, if it wereanoutwardneceffity impofed by others, and not affumed by our felves, it werefomething they faid,but concerning fuch a neceffity as this, he faith,fcelix neceftds, qu compe/lit admeliora , it is a happy neceffity which Ep ad Armen. compells aman to the be[ things: and this neceffity eve impofe upon our felves , either votofimplici, by a bare and folemnvow; between Godandour felves, or voto folenni, by afolemn vow before others, as the refolutionand ftiffnefs of the inner in evil, makes his fia greater; fo our refolution in good, binding our felves by vows not togo back, makes our gooddeeds the better. 3. As vows do ffrcngthen and eftablilh us in good, fo they make our deeds the more acceptable to God ; for what we do by a vow is become a Sacrifice,in pledging it to God; and not only fo, but befides the vow it felf , which is acceptable toGod, and the alt or thing we vow, which though it be of commonor of civil ufe in itfelf, yet by vowing it becomes facred to God : beides this, there is a Sacrifice made toGod of our freedom andliberty too; yea, of our very power, which teas not any more in amans felf, fo as todo thofe ads which he pleafes ; for hehath made over his liberty andpower to God,binding himfelf by his vow. It is certain, that before a man vows, hebath freedom and liberty, as appears in Deuteronomy 23. 22. fo that if he do not vow he finneth not, but after he hath vowed, he hath bound himfelf, fo that he fins, if he perform it not. And this is the property of good na- tures, to limit themfelves, for pauciora litent i/lis, qua+n ullis, quibus licent amnia; their liberty is lefs than any other mens, that have liberty to as they lift : therefore the fervantsof God, where they are let loofe or at liberty, therein they re/rain themfelves; and this, being in Gods fervice, and for their own good, is judged per- fat liberty. And this is done in vows whichare not to be impofed on us by, others, for that werecontrary to the nature of avow, but tobe freelyaffumed by ourfelves. And therefore, if any think, that becaufe it is a matter of liberty to be free from vows, that therefore Chriflians arenow exempted from them, he is clearly confuted I z by
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