~l~s about tbe Ob!igation of Vows. . . - be not ii(abled in my body, facultiu, rftate; If Gad mal{,e it not i~poffiblt to be, &c. For no man can be fuppoii:d w mean, [I ,;a do it whether GoJ wiU or not, and whether I live or not, and wfwber I be "bit or not.] 2. Whoever Vort>eth or fwcarcth to do any thing, mufi be underfi:ood to meom it [If no cl,.ngtof Providtnte moke it o fin : or if I find not ""''"'Y to my pre[ent fitppojition, that God 1orbiJ.deth ir.] For no man that is aChrifiian is robe fuppofed to mean when he Vow~rh, [IwiU dothir thoHgh God forbid it, or though it prove to be a fin J cfpccially when men therefore Vow it brcaufc they take it ro be a dHty• Now as that which is finf•l is morally lmpnffiblr, fa there are di· vers ways by which a thing m.1y appear or become finful to us. J, When we find it forbiciden directly in the Word of God, which at firfl we undf! flood 1\0t. 2. When the c/Jange of tbingr doth make that a tin, which before was a duty: of which may be given an hundred inJbnces: As when rhe change of a mans dhte, of his opportunities, of his Liberty, of his parts and abilities, of ob~ jdls, of cuHome!, of the L1ws of Civil Governours, doch change the very m.ttttr of his dutr." 9· •3· Q!cfl. But n-iU m·ry cbonge difuolige "' l If not, wlw cban~e m~tft. it be l [eeiug CofHijls ft~1· tt{t to pHt it a1 a condiliin in general, KtbM fie jlantib:u. .An[w. No : 1t IS not every change of ~nJWd things that difobligeth us from the bonds of a Vow. (''or then Vows ~ere of no confiderable fig~ f;~~";.l;r~;~,lt nitic.uion. But, I· If the very Matter .that was Vowed, or about wh1ch -rhe Vow was, do ceafe, th.~t Right i 5 CfJf.snlt materia· ctffat obligtrlie : As if I promife to teach a pupil, I am difobliged when he is foundcJ m1he dead. If I promife to pay fo much money in Gold, and the King fhould forbid Gold and change his ~:>w of Nt• coync, I am not obliged to it. t. Crjfante tcrmino vel corrtlato ccff.Jt obligatio : If the party dye to ~~:n·i~ ;:ns whom I am bound, my pe1fom.l obligation ceafcth. And fothe conjugal bond ceafcth at death, uw~: e!fe, and civil bonds by civil dnth. 3· Crjf.mtc fint, crffat obligatio. If the ufe and end wholly ceafe f~i1h he, men. my obligation Which was only to rhu ufc and end ceafeth. As if a Pi1yficion promife to give Phy- nu)· m:~ke a~ fick for nmhing for the cure of the Plague, to all the poor of the Ciry ; when rhe Plague ceafeth, g~ an; ~:ke h1s end, and fo his obligation ceafcrh. 4· Ccffame pcrfon!t n.stHr.:Jli rel.;t/i crjf.;t obligatio ptr{un.zlii. AJu•l:;ry, Per• When rhe nat:ual perfon dycth, the obligltion cca{Cth. I cannot be obliged w do that when I am jiJry,&.c. juU dead whidl is proper to the living. Thc[HbjelJof thcobliguion ceafing, the Accidents mufi cea[c. b,makmg a 5· Grffame relatione vel perfou!J civili, ceffo~t obligatio 1ali1 , qu!t t.dis : The obligation·which b.y 1.2«·for t em. on a ver(i.m in any Rcl.Jiilln meerly as fuch, doth ceafe wh.en that Relation ceafcth. A King is not bound to Govern or prot.:Cl' his fltbjeCb if they rrayreroufly dcpvG: him, or if he call them off and take anOther Kingdom (as when H. 3· of Fra~ee lc:ft the Kingdom of Poland); nor arc fubje~s bound ro,Allegiance and obedience to him that is not indeed their King: A Judge, or Jufiice, or Conftable, or Tutor, is no longer bound by his oath to do the offices of thefe Relations, than he con· tinueth ih the Relation : Adivorced Wife is not bound by her conjugal vow to ha Husband as before: nor mJ.fiers and fervants when their relations ceafe: nor a Souldier to his General by his military Sacrament when the Army is disbJnded, or he is calhiered or diGnift. ~· I 4· Ru:r 3. No Vow1 or promifu Of our owlt can diffilve the obligt~tion, laid upon IH by the Law of Rule 3• God. For we have no C()·ordinatt, much lcfs fuperiour aurhoricy over our fdvcs; Our felt-obligations are but for the furthering of our obedience. • ~· 1 5· Rule 4• Tbmfort no Vowscan difoblige • mon from ony pre{ent duty, nor jujliftt bim in tht Rule+· commilling of any fin. VoWs arc to engage us to God, and nQt againjl him: If the matter which we vow be evil, it is a fin to Vow it, and a tin to do it upon pretence of a Vow. Slrt is no acceptable facritice to God. 9. 16. Rule 5· If I vow thot I "'iD do {omt duty bttttr, I om not thereby difi,hligtd from doing it a~ RN/t 5· aV, wlun Ism difabled from dc.ing it brwr. Suppofc a Magiltrate fceing much amifs in Church How often and Comrnonwc.lth, cloth Vow a Reformation, and Vow againfi the abufcs which he findeth; If pc~jury hat~ now the peoples obfhnacy and rebellion dHable him to ptrform that Vow, it dorh not follow that r~med~kn· ~c muft Jay down hi~ Sc<.prcr, and ccafe to G~vcrn them at all, bccaufe be .cannot do it as he ought, ~i1~"s~::~~;~j1 1f he were free. So tf the P.dlors of any Church do Vow the Reformauon of Church abufes, in Hillory doth their places, if they be hindrcd by their Ru1ers 1 or by the people, it dmh not follow that they mull: tc~ifie. The by down their callings, and not Worlhip God publickly at all, bec.1ufe they cannot do it as they rume of~he would, and ought if they were free;- as long as they m1y wor01ip him without committing any ~oubln ~1fin. Gods firft obligation on me is, to T.Y~rfhip bim, and the fecond for tht mamur, to do it as near ~~b; ~:s by his order as I can: Now if I cannot avoid the imperfc{liom of Wodbip, though [vowed it, 1 mu(l. this ~uans. J.lOt therefore avoid the worjhip it fclf (as long as corruptions del\roy not the very nature of it A_!an~us tta..: ~nd I am put my fclf upon no a~ua~ fin) For I was bound to WorChipG~d bcf~re my Vows, anJ rt~~ l~~;t~yto Jn order of nature before my obl1gatlonde modo : And my Vow was made wtrh an tmplyed condition, in Fl~ltcc, that rhe thing were poffiblt and lawful : And when that ceafeth to be poffible or lawful which I vowed, ~tilico ~o.ntes I mu it: nevcrthelefs do that which Hill remainerh p(lf!ible and lawful. To give over Gods folemn War· 111 .rcrmncm !hip wi1h _the Church, is n~ Reformation. To prdtr no·wor.fhip, before Imptrjc{l-.worj1,ip 1 is a greater ~~f1~;;t~~~ DeformattfJn and corruptiOn, than to prefer Imperfeti·worjhip before that wh1ch is more perfc{l. 1 ans, dum eos And to prefer aworfhip imperfcD in th.: manner, before no- church worjhip at all, is a greater Rlor· infidiis 2ggre-_ mation than to prefer a more pe.feU m.:nner cf rvorjhip b<;:fore a mort imperfeti and defdlive. To di ~~tperct, \oVoJChip God Decently and in order, fuppofcch that he mujt be worjhipped ; And he ~hat cloth not ~=~:ofu~;~~~~ fit : ui ~pfo f~cutif!imo die P;1f~l':t' Gmhi1 nil t<1le fufpic;ntibu~, fu~~ cos itruit, magn:unque eorum partlnl prClflravir. ~~~,~~~~~~~. per~u:bm God11, 'ac propter Rehgtonem crdentes, demum arn12 corup1unr, VJCl:oremquc vJr,ute pctiori proftemunt exercitum : Hi ne in ubtcm ~u1oris ('XCttautur. Cxptum iter def,rc~te~, Ro_num contcndunt petetr, cunCl:a ignc !c:n,que vaihntc)': Nee mora; venic:nt:s U(• bem uptun:, d('nJbnt, incendunt, &c. Pal4(. Dumilru llb, 1• - Xxxx
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