548 Whether well compofed Religious Vows Semi. 24. I.Wb:ther 1. Dili, Whether that thou voweft to at 6e lawful; fin can never lawfkll. 1e the matter of a juiifiable and well compofed Vow. If that thou voweft be not lawíull, it is not fo rnucb a Vow, as a contriving and dcf gnirg of wikednefs. It was,/ murtherurrconfiracy of thole more than forty, Act. 23.21. not a Vow, to take away Paul's life. Whatever God bath forbidden us in our ordinary courfe of life, as he hath forbidden every fin, that cannot be the matter of an ex- traordinary promife unto God. The Schoolmen tell us it is to be Aquin.2,..2a. de meliore bono, in an excelling goad ; now what is not lawful!, is q.88,ar.i.c. not good. They tell us, Debet fieri Deo, de ire e/uæ Dei font : It muf# be made to God, in the t kings that are of God ; and we are lure no unlawful! thirg is of God. 2. Whetberac- 2. As it muff- be confidered, whether the thing be lavfull; fo next reptable to God. we are to confider, whether it will be acceptable unto the Lord. i he Vow is made to him, and the performance of it is to him : It is a Debt, and payment is to be made to him. If it be a matter svh;cb thou findeft upon after fearch, to be indeed lawful!, yet in reafon to be thought, not acceptable for fo great Al mercy as thou haft received . thou hilt be enforced to con fefs thy mistake and errourin vowing : And this is to provke God, EccI. 5.6. Sit Deo acceptum, is the fecond circumftarce under deliberation : Which w ll be feen, 3.Whetherpro- 3. By a third particular, i. e. WG.ether that thing thou voweft, portioned. be.r a proportion to that thou didßt expo and pray for when thou vow_ edit, or to that thou hadit received, for which thou daft now make thy Vow. Bring it, with the providence which occafioned it ; fet them together ; and hear what thy own reafon ; what other mens judge- ment ; what the very things themfelves; what thy receipts and re. turns fay of thy VOwes, in the matrer of them ; as in ordinary, fo in all extraordinary mercies, God requires and accepteth only Imita- ble and well proportioned return's : If it be over proportioned , it will hazard thee; if it be under-proportioned, it will fhame thee and neither will be fo well accepted. Though one meales meat when thou art hungry, is more, and a greater mercy, than thou unit equal! by thy obedience ; yet to vow thy felt, and all that is thine for that one mercy, is more than is expe &ed, and may be called a difproportioned Vow. So on the contrary to pray for a profperous voyage, and an ample return of thoulands, and to vow thereupon a few pence, or shillings is difproportioned, will not be accepted. Them nano!' render To the Lord, according to thy receipts from the Lord. Fourthly,
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