Seim. 24. do not exceedingly promote .Religion ? 545 we muff fay they did what was unlawful! , or elfe. we cannot mike fuch moral Vows, ( which is not rational! to fuppofc ) or elfe yield- ing fuch Vows fo made to be lawful! to them , they are fo to us. But thirdly, Vows may lawfully be made by us Chriftians, for it is a ks`tul of 3. Vows byge- thänkfulaefs and acknowledgement made to God with the utsiverfall ncra7 confect approbation and confent of men. It is fuch a chief Rent that no Na- °dens ap- tion in the world putting a value on Gods goodnefs, and putting a p difference between great and little dangers , between great and little blefings , but did conflantly approve this way of preventing great Q;d cnim nifi dangers by great Vows , and refuting great bleflìngs, by like uorajoperfunt. vowed praifes. Thus addrefiìng themfelvesin a more than ordinaryoVid. manner to their Gods on more than ordinary exigences : And if I mutt bring my witneffes to depofe for the truth , one fpeaks in En- glifh thus; Vow was ¡fed frequently by all Nations and people be jet with Votum e'nnibars danger. Another learned Pen at once intimateth the univerfality ofg' in p°+lo the cuflome , and cenfureth the vanity and blind folly of the Hea- ?or f.irwtú u(J thens in their Vows to their Idol -Gods. Hence the ' follies and rarom. Szcge- monflroauabfurditiesof the Heathen in their mows, wherewith they did din.loc.com.de too infolently abufe their Gods. It were endlefs to attempt what te- Vora. ftimonies might be gathered up in this point : but by thefe it is ap- r um iuptis parent , that thankfulnefs is a debt which all Nations apprehended i'n, prodig"iefa might and ought to be enfured to God by Vow. So that hence I abfurditatec a. would colle&, that as gratitude is not only lawfull but a duty im- pad Erhnicos, printed on the foul of man ; fo this high degree of gratitude is a Co- quibtts nirnío py, or Tranfcript of that Original : It is lawfull doubtlefs to us , to d same lute- be thankfull in the higheil degree. Now the return of more than runt. Calvin. ordinvy duty .for more than ordinary mercy, is the hìghefl, and is t ai :.l.4.c.i3. the Vow we fpeak of. Fourthly V nle /s fuch Vows may be accounted lawfull to us , 14. Vows the cannot fee how we hive any way of making free voluntary, and ex- only Gofpel traordioo ry acknowledgements unto God. For lince all duty is corn- mg extra°rdi manded, and fo determined as to matter and manner ordinarily, that nary, the Law prefcribes, and enjoyns them and we may not fuperadde any thing to the Law ; yet fometime more than ordinary mercy gives us command to be more than ordinary in one acknowledge- ments , which fnce it may not be by doing any thing not command -. ed muff be done by adding our own promife and word to have more than our ordinary care was, or otherwife would have been,, to do what is commanded; or elfe it mufa be left undone as unlaw- full ,
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