Dire€/. IO· DirrU. 11· Diro/1. Il• Of Lawful J7ows. §. 19· Direct. 10~ MfJk..,t n.ot a Lalt' ~nd Religion to your {tlws by your volltntary Vows which God ~ev_er made you by h* Authorzt.Y_ : Nor bmdyour (tlves fer futHrity to all that i1 tJ duty at preftnt, rvhert– ,_, upoffible that tbe ~hange of thmgs may change y~ur Jury. God is our King and Governour, and not · ":~ our ~el~es: It 1s not we, but He that mull glVe Laws _to us. We have work enough to do of hts appomtmg: we need ~ot make ":':re to our felves, as tf he ~ad not given us enpugh. Vows arc · not to make \Js Nerl' Dutus or RelrgJons, but to further us m the obedience of that which our ~ord hath impofed on us. It is a felf-condemning fin of fooli!h WiU-worjhipptrr, to be bufic in Iay– mg more burdens on themfelves, when they knOw, they cannot do fa much as God requireth of them~ Yea, fame of them murmur at Gods Laws as too ftrifr, and at the obfervers of them as too precife, (though they come far 01ort of what is their duty) ; and yet will be cutting out more work for themfclves. §. 20. And. it is not enough that wl~at you Vuw be your Dztty at the prt{ent, but you mufi bind you~ (elves to 1t by Vow1 no longer than It fhall remain your duty. lt may be your Duty at thepreftnt. to l1ve a jingle life : But if youwill Vew therefore that you will never marry, you may bind your felvcs to thlt which may prove your fin: you know not what alterations may befall you in your body or eftate, that may invite you to it. Arc you furc that no change £hall make it neceffaryto you? Or will you prcfume to bind God himfelf by your Vows, that he !hall make no fuch alteration? Or if you were never fo confident of your own unchangeablenefs, you know nor what fond and violenc affections another may be poffeffed with, which may make an alteration in your duty. At the pre.. fent it may be your duty to live retiredly, and avoid Magil\racy and publick employments: But you may not thereforeVow it for continuance: For you know not but God may make fuch a1terations, as may make it fo great and plain a duty, as without fiat impiety or cruelty, you cannot rcfufe: Per~ haps at the prefent it may be your duty to give half your yearly revenews to charitable and pious ufes: But you mufi not therefore Vow it for continuance (without fame fpedal caufe to warrant it ) : f'or perhaps' the next year it may be··your dur.y to give but a fourth or a tenth part, or none at all, according as the providence of God 01all difpofe of your eftate and you. Perhaps God may impofe a clear neceffity on you, of ufing your dlate fome other way. · 9· 21· DircCl. 1 I• If you be under Government, you may not Jarv[t~Uy Vow without your GovernoHrs confent, to do any thi,zg which you may not lawfuUy do withont their coH[ent, in cafe you had not Vo'«~d it. fof that ,were I• Actually to ditobey them at the prefent, by, making a Vow without rhe dire– ction and confent of your Govcrnours: 2• And thereby to bind your felves to difobey them for the future, by doing that without them, which you !hould, not do without them. But if it be a thing that you may do, or muft do, though your Governours forbid you, then you miiJ Vow it though they forqid you, ( if you have a call from the neceffity of the Vow ). ~ 22· Direct. 12· If Oaths be commanded IH by Vfurptri that have no authority ID impo[t them, we muft not tak._e them in formal obedience to their comm•nds. For that were to own their Uturparion and encourage them in their fin : If we owe them no obedience in any thiug, we mull not obey them in fo great a thing: Or if they have fome aurhoJity over us in other matters, but none in thi1 (as a Conl\able hath no power to give an O.th) we mu!\ not •bty them in tbe point where they have no authority. But yet it.is poffible that there may be other reafons that may make it our duty to do it, though not as an alt of formal obedience: As I may take an Oath whe.n a Thief or Murde– rer requircth it, not to obey him, bur to fove my life. And if any man command me to do that which God commandeth me, I mull do it, becaufe God commandeth ir. 9· 23· Direct. 13. If a lawful Magijlwe impofe a• Oath or Vow upon you, brfore yott to~ it yo~< m'!f! coHfult with God, and lzn"" th4t it ii not againft hi< wiU. God mu(\ be lirl\ obeyed in all things: but efpecially in matters of fo great moment, as VtJws and PromifiJ, §. 24. Q!<fl, r. What ifI bt in doubtwhethtr the Oath or promife impo{td be larofull MuftI ta"J it, or not 1 If I 'tak.! an Oath which I judge unlawful or falfe, I am a perjured or prophane defpijir ofGod: And ifa man muft refiife all Oaths or promifu, "Which the M~t,)ftrate commalfdtth, if he do but doubt r:vhe1hcr tbty be lawful, then Government and J:e{lKe will be inj•red, while every man tbtJt bath i~noraitce enough to mak.! him d.bioll<, j11aU rifufe aU O.th, and promifeJ •f AUtgiance, or for witnejJ to the lruth. Anfw. 1.! !hall tell you what others fay fir!\ in the.cafe ofdoubting: Dr. S•ndcrfon faith Pr.eleCI. 3· Seti. 10. pag. 74, ?5· [ u Tertisu C~t{ul eft cum qn.H juramento p.,IJicetur ft Jafiur•m aliq"id in fe "fortaffi1 licit 11 m, quod tamen ip[t pUltJt tjfe iOicitam. VI jiqHis ante h~c tempora admitttndM ad be– n neficium ( ut vocant) Ecclefiafticum, promififftt. in publicis facris obfirvare omneJ rituJ iegib~M Ec– " clefiafticU imperatos ; vejlem[ciiicet lintam, crucid fignum ad {~tcrum fontem, ingeniculationem in per– " cipientlU Symbol" in facr• crena, & id gtniH aliu; quoJ ip[t tamm ex 11/iquo levi pr~ju~icio f"· " taret •ff• fuptrftitiofoi & Papifticor: !i/;<..eritur in hoc cafu qu.e fit Obligatio l Pro Rtfp. dt:o tru: "Dico J. No1t poJJe tale jurt~mentum durante taii errore fine gr11vi peccato fufcipi. Peccat .en~m gra~ " viur qui contra confcientiam peccal, etfi erroneam. Judicium enim inteUcliiH cum fit umcutqHe~rou xima agendi regula; Va/untaJ, fi judicium "illud non [equatur, deficitnl a regula fua, necrffe cjt ut "in obliquum feratur. Tritttm eft illud, 5lui facit contra confcientiam ~dificat ad t_l~e~nam. Sane ~' qHi jttrat in id quod pu1111 effe illicitum, nihilominiH juratu'ruJ effet, fi rffet rrvera tl11cztum; Atquc " ita rtJ illtJ, utUllillii licita, ejt tamen ipfi iVicit111; jtmcntiam fcrente Apojfolo , Kom. I 4· I~-· &~. "Dico 2· Tale juramtnlum non obligare, &c.--that is, [ 7"he tbirel cafe i1, when a man promijetb by "oa,h that he will do a thing which in it {elf perhaps is lawful) but be tbin~ctb to be un~.m'[ul: ".A1 if one before theft timu being to bt admitted to aH Ecclejiajlic./ Btueftce ( ., they eaU ") b,d "pramijed
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