pa !five in ijlis £que fuimui antea obligati : fed aE1iva recagnitione ariiivlts mbH appl~catur a noblf– mttipfis. Ochers ~ommonly fpeak of an additional obligation. And indeed there is a double obligation 1.ddcd by a Vow, to that which God before had laid on us, to the Matter o£ that Vow. Pr_cmifing this ditlindion between ObliW~Iio imponentU, a G11vt:rnin_t obligation C which is the effea ofGovcrnivg tight or Authority) and obligutio cmljentienti1, a jtlf obliginf.. by voluntary confent ( wh~ch is the dflct of that dominion which a Rational free agent hath over his own actions ), rfay, I· He tb.Jt eO vorrith dvtiJ oblige himfllf whohtfore was obliged byGod only. And that man hath a power to oblit,e himftlf, is dif~crned by chc: light of Nature, and is the gtound of the Law of Nation1, an4 ofhNmane Converfr. And though this is noDivim Obli.~atio11, yet is it not therefore non~ at all. 2. But. morc-:- over he tluc voweth doth induce upon himfelf a New Divine obligatior. by making himfelf the fubject of ir. I or ,x.ample ; God hath faid, Honour the Lord witb thy {ltbftance : This command obligeth me to obey it whether l vow it Qr nor. The fame God hath faid, Pay. thy Vow1 tothe M(}jt High, Pfal. 50· 14· And, Trhe11 thou votl'ejl a Vow to God, drfrr 110t to P·"Y it, Ecclcf. 5· 4• This layeth no obligation on me till I vow: but when I have v~wed it doth; fo thou now I am under a double Djvir.e ublig,.Jtioa ( one ro the matter of the duty, and another _ro keep m~ Vow), and under a fiif– obJigation of my own Vow. Whence alfo a gre•ur penalty Will be d,e 1f I now offend, then elfe would have been. 9· 5· Hwce you may fee what to thin.k of rh: common deterrnina_tion of Cafuifls concerning Vows materially finful, when they fay) Amanu not .bilged to kJep tHem. It IS only thus far true, that God oh~ ·~· Jigcth him nGt to do th8t particular tfJin;, whic~ he vowetb : For God had before forbidden it: And .he changerh not his La~s, upon ~ans ra(h.vo~mgs ; B~t yet there ~s a felf oblig.Jtion which he l.iid upon himft!f ro do 1t-: And thts fdf-obhgauon to a hnfol aCt was 1t fdf a fin, and to be repentec! of, and not performed : but it bringeth the perfon under a double obligatisn to penalty, a_s a perjured perfon, e'lenGodJ t~btit.atioJI .who bindeth the perjured to penalty , and the obligation of his ow11 crmftnt to the punifhmenr, if there was any 0.1th or imprecation in the Vow. If it were true that fuch a perfo•1 had brought himfdf under m ~ind of obli~ation at aU, then he could not be prop~rly called Plrjrued, nor punifl1ed as Perjured. Buc he that fwearerh and voweth to clo evil (as the Jews to kill Paul) though he ou~ht nut to do the thing ( becaufe God forbiddcth it) yet he is a perjuredper{tm for breaking hisVow, and dderveth the penalty, not only of a rajh Vower, bur of one perjured. Thus Error tnJ.y mt~/te a man {mfnl and mi{erable, though it cannot warrant him to fin. "9. 6. Dired:. z, cfry weU the m3tter of yvur Vow1, and venture not ou them tiU you are {ure tb~St they Dire{). 2 • are not things forbidden: Things finful or dcubtful are not fit matter for a Vow : In affming, fub- {crihing and witncffing, you fhould rake care, that you know affuredly that the matter be True, and renrurc not upon that which may prove falfe: Much more thouId you rake cue that you venture not Vid; S~nder..; doubtingly in VOws and Qaths. They are matters to be handled with dread and tendernefs, and not fon de Jur:am. ~o be played with, and rafhly ventured on, as if ir were but the fpeaking of a common word. Be ~~frlea. 1· . not rajh·w'i.th thy mouth, and let not thy heart be bafty to 111ter any t/Jing before God, Ecclef. 5· 2• It r:me~!. 11 t;: is a grievous fnare [hJ.t men are oft brought into by ignorant and ralh Vows. As the cafe Qf Jeph- tumrtlullanu tba, and Hrrod, and many another tell us for our warning : An error in fuch cafes is much more vtl ~ubi~•nte fafely and cheaply di{Cerncd befort, than afterward. To have a rtJjh vow~ or perj11ry to repent of, is to c{/fl'n~'~ noJJ fet a bone in joynr, or pull a thorn out o£ your very eye; and who would choofc {Uch pain and fmart ?~m:f'!~Qy.ia Suffer not thy moHtiJ to cau[t tiJ) jlejh to fiu i · neither fay thou before the Angel tbat it waJ IJJt. error: \]Uod non eJl IYhert{rJrt jhould God bt angry at thy VJice, a11d dtjlroy the work._ of thy hand1, Ecclef. 5• 6, It if a ex 'fide pec-: fitare . to tbe man.n·ho devoureth that which UhJly, andafier vow; to 'mabJ enquiry) Prov. 20 , 25 . Be carunt.eit: . cateful and deliberate to prevent fuch fnares. · · ;;n~1 'eJuin judicio: quod ewe U non facit qui con:ra confcicnt.iz ..ful! judicium f&cit, &t. ad finem. ~· 7· Direct. 3· Vo,;; not i11 a Paf!ion: Stay till the fiorm be over: whc;hcr it ·bc anger, or dtfire, Direl/. 3• or what ever the Paffion be, delay and deliberate: before you Vow : For when Paffion is up, thc,judge.. mentis upon great difadvan.tage. ln your Paffionyou are apt to be moll per.cmptory and confident wheri you arc mofi deceived. If it be your Duty to Vow, it will be your duty to morrow when you arc calm. If you fay, ihat [ buty mull not be delayed, and that you mufi do it while the Spirit moveth you J: I anfwer, Was it not as much a duty before your paffion was kindled ·as now; It is no finful delaying of fo great a 3uty, to ftay till you have well proved whether'it be of God. If it be the Spirit of Chti!Hhat moveth you to it, he will be willing that you deliberate and try it by that Word which the fatnc Spirit hath endited to be your role. Gods Spirit worketh principally upon the judgemtm and the wiU, by{etled convillion1, which will endure a rational tryal : 1t is liker robe your own Spirit which worketh principally on the: paffion, and will not endure the tryal, nor Co01.e into the light, J ohn3· 18, ,9, Ifo. 8. 20· §. 8. Din:&. 4• Make not a Vow rf thin;..r indiffermt and unnecrffary: If they be not gogJ in a true Dire8. 4 • cumparing pra{iical judgement, which confidcreth all accidents and circurnfiances they are ~o fir mar~ ter fa~ aVow. Some !ay, [Things indifferent arc the title(\ matter both for Vo~s and humane Law 1 .] Bot whcr they fpeak imp;operly or uhtr~ly, and. therefore ilangeroufly at the bcft. If an idle word he a fin, then an idle. atlton IS not a thmg to be 11oWtd, becaufe it is not a thing to be done; being as truly a fin as an idle word. And that which ij whoUy inrlifferfHI is it/.le ; ~·or if it be good for any Uuuu thing
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