254 Chap.4. Of Vows. Com,3, allowed of their vow.' Of theother, a vow of thankfulnefs,we have in the Mar. riners, whoafter the fform was over, offered facrifices, and vowed vows: fo that in a (tom, and in a calm both, in profperity and adverfity, vows may be made, the one isa kind of prayer, obtaining help, the other a part of thankfulnefs for help obtained. 6. As before We (hewed, the vowmuff be performed, fo it muff be performed prefently without delay. The vovendum muff be with a reddendum& folvendum : for as we vow, fo we muff be carefulto perform with God what we vow. Saint laEp. Bernard faith yufte exigitur adfolvendum, qui non cogitar advovendum. Vovete, faith the Prophet David; butwhat then, is that all ? to vow with hope to be relieved Pal. 76. it. only ? no, reddite too, be as willing to perform what thou ha$ vowed. Pay thy 5 ° 14' vows ( faithhe in another place ) it is a due debt, and byas thong á lyeand bond as De very g lame. c. IS thou can$ enter into. Hoc exi g itur hoc debetur, faith St. Au a tine. It is, and will Levi,. 7. 16. beexafled, for it is due debt. And pay it at the day. When thouhaft vowed a vow Eccles. 5.3. unto the Lord, defer not to pay it, faith the Preacher. The flefb of the peace offering mull be eaten the fame day that it is offered, nothing muff be left till the morrow : and in the Nazaritesvow, if any weredefiled during the time of his fe- paration, the Priell mull offera finofferingand apeace-offering, and he muff hallow his head the fame day. It is better thou fhouldeff notvow,then that thou fhouldeff vow andnot pay it. The reafon hegives, is, for God delighted' not in the facrifice of fools,pay therefore that thou haft vowed. You fee ffill, it is apayment, not a gift; and it is fuch a folly not to pay, as amounts toagroffe abufe of Gods naine, and a fcoffing at his molt bleffed and facred Majefty. St. Augufiine {hall end this de bano canje- point. Sant quedam, qua etiam non voventes debemus: quadam etiam, que nifivoverimus gali non debemusfedpoftquamea Domino promiftmus, neceffario reddere conftringimur. I will only add one thing; we muff not come fhortin our payment. God will Levic.27. to. take no compofition in this kind : we muff not fo much as vary in ourpayment, not alter nor change agood forabad : we muff rather add thandetract, if we mean to have our bond, our vow cancelled. So much for Vows. CHAP. V. Ofglorifying Gods namefrom the heart. The means of glorifying it. Thefsgns. Of caufing others to glorifie it. The fecondpart of this flrecept, the Comminution. Rea- fons whyfacha threatning is here denounced. Gods punifhing thebreach of this Com- mandment byviable judgments. God is jealous of his name. 11C7 E come now from the thingscommanded and forbidden in this precept, and. VV the Homogeneall duties, which are included in the firff and fecond rufe of expounding the Law, to the other rules, which here alto takeplace. For the third rule, that the Law is fpiritually to be underffood, fo this Law of hallowingGods name muff be expounded, wemull do all from the heart. Though the name be the objeft of fpeech, yet all our ufing of Gods name, by fwearing, vowing, praifing, or fpeaking of it, muff comefrom the heart; otherwife we are all in the numberof thofe that draw near to God with their lips, but theirhearts are far off; by this means perverting the order in Godsworfhip. Where the heart muff come firft, and the lips attend it. Saint Auguftine in his confeifionsfàith,Flete mecumfratres, & flete pro me, weep with me, brethren, andweep for me. Now what was it for whichhedefires them to weep? in the fame place he declares, that in finging Pfalms in the Church, Animus magis Brat ad cantum, quam ad id quad car- tabatur, his mind was more upon thetune, than upon the matter ; which he con feffeth to be a great fin. For holy exercifes performed to God with the mouth.. and without the heart, when there is nothingbut a noife, are but as thecrackling of thorns under a pott,whichmake a noire ; but heat little : neverthelefs heap. proved not this infirmity inhimfelf; for as he faith further, ira fape facia non fen - riens, fed poftquam feci fenrio, I do fo often, and perceive it not, but after I have done it, I perceive and feel it. And it were to be wifhed, that we could have the
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