708 Rule 26. W/,m Vows m11jt not be kept. not come to fo much maturity as to be naturally capable of fuch a work: I lay [ N6turaUy uncapablt] {or the Reafons followiug. . \ 9· 40. Rule 26. TYr muft diftingtJijb brtwttn a Natural inc12pacity ofVowing or Swearing at aU, and an i-ncJp,uity 1.[ dning it luw[Hll)': And between a trut NuUity, and whe~z tbt Oath is only quafi nul· )urn, or tU Null quoad dfetl:um; or fucb as I mujt 1zot k.!ep. There are many rta/ Oath.J and Vor:vr which mult 110t be ktpt, and fo far are quafi nulla as tO the dfcCling of the thing Vowc~; but they are not fimply Null. For they have the cjfctJ of making the man a finner and perjured. They arc Jinfid Vows, and therefore VoW!• ANatural incapacity proveth it no Vow at all. BtH if I am nata~ rally capable, and only f rbiddm ( by God or man) , this makcth it nor No Vow, but a jinfui Vow of which fnmc muft be kept, and fame mu!\ not. "' ' Cafe~ in "hich ~· 41o In thefe following cafes a real Vow is quafi ,m!/um, or murl not be kept. . :l Vow muG 1. In Clfe the thing Vvwed ( all thinr,s confidered) be a tbing which God h::~th forhiddtn to b~ done: not be kq,t. that is, in c:1fc it be a thing in it {elf evil : Bnt if the thing in it fclf be a duty, though then:: Wt tOme: ~nfep.nable Iins which \H fhall be guilty of in the performance, we mull not thereforeleave the du1y J: fdf undouc which we have vowed ; As if [ vow w Pr11i[t God, and yet am furc that J can11ot praik himwitham a ji11[ul deftD of tiJ:Jt Love and Delight in him which is .due, I muH not therefore for– bear to praift: him~ Elfe we mufi caH off all other duty, bec•ufe we cannut do it withOut fomc Jin. BLH yet, though in cafe of unwilling in.firmiry, we muI\ thus do the duly though we are {ure to Jin in ir, yet in cafe of any chofw voluniary fin, which we have an immediate power to avoid, we mutt rather forbear the duty it felf (Vowed or not Vowed) than commit fuch a fin. As if I vow to preach the GojjJtl, and am forcibly hindered unlefs 1would voluntarily tell one Lye, or commit one fin wilfully for this liberty; I ought rather never to preach the Gofpcl: rior is it then a duty, but brcome morally impoffiklc w me: As if in France or Spoin I may not preach un!tfs I would take Pope Pius his 1'rmt Confeflion or Olth. Nay, if thofe very dtfilis of Lovt, and Wlll!dering thougbu, which now inftparably cleave to my befi performances, were merally and immediately in my power, and1 could avoid them, I ought not E/cl1ive!y and by Confeltt to commit them, for any hbcr~y of dury, but rather ro f01bear the Duly it felf, as no Duty to me when it cometh upon fuch condinons: l'or the-n it is fuppofed that I could ferve God b~:tter without that Duty, brcaufe 1 could Love him more, &c. Yet here is obfervable a great deal of difference between Omif!ions and CommiffionJ. Aman may ne~ ver commit a jitJ that good may come by it, though he vowed the good: But a A"lin m•y oft rimes Bmit that which rlfe would have been his duty, to do Come good which he bath vowed: For Nega– tive:: commands bind flmper& ad femptr: but the Affirmative do not (at leafl as to outward duty ) ; Therefore in cafe of ncceffi1y a man may himfelfConfeut to the prcfent omiaion of fomc good, tor the cfcaping ofgreater unavoidable omiffions another time, or for the performing of a Vow or greater dury which is ro be·preferred. §. 42. 2. AVow is not to be kept, when the matter of it is unjuR: and injurious to anot!~er ( un– lefs you have his confent): As ifyou Vow to give away anorher mans lands or goods, or to do him wrong by word or deed! Or if )'OU vew to forbear to pay him his due, or to do that which youowe him : As if afcrvant vow to forbear his M:dlers work ( unlcfs it be fo fmall an injut:;t. .as he can other wayes repair ) ~ or a Husband, or Wife, or Parents, or Children, or P.rincc, or SubjeCts t'hould Vow to deny their neceifary dHtits to each other. Here ma1u rig~t together with Gods Law doth make it unjufi to perform fuch Vows. ~· 43• 3· AVow is M NuU or not to be kept, when thematter is fomcrhing that is morally or d 4 vill)' out of our power to do: As if a Servant, or Child, or Subject vow to do a thing, which he c.m– J10t do lawfully wi(hout the confent of his fuperiour : This Vow is not limply Null: for it is a finful Vow! ( unllfs it was conditional): Every rational creature is fo far fui jurU as that his foul be~ ing immediately fubject to God, he is capable of obliging himfclf 10 God ; and fo his Vow is a real finful Vow ; when he is not fo far fui jurU as to bt: capable of a Lswfitl V"wing, or doing the thing which he vowcth. Such a one is bound to endeavour to get his fuperiours confenr, bur not without it w perform his Vow: no though the thing in it fclf be lawful. For God having antece· den•lr bouud me 10 obey my fuperiours in all lawful 1hings, I cannot difoblige my fdf by my own Vows. S4ilt1nj6n p.7:., ~· 44· Yet here are very great difficulties in this cafe, which caufeth difference among the learnedil 7~· D1 co 0~p pious Cafuifis, 1. If a Governour have bifvre h::~nd made a Law for that which I vow againfi, ic is t1 n:~ffie : ~(~" fuppofcd by rn.my that my Vow is not to be kept ( the thing being not againll the Law of God): r~~:: d!rf c;a~ Bccaufe tht firfi obligation holdeth : 2. Yet fome think that MagiHratcs Pctttal LawJ binding but am fus in quibus ad obedimtiam aut adpctnam, toobtdienct or punijiJmtnt, I am therefore obliged in indillCrcnt things jurame~rum w bear his penalty, and to keep my Vow. 3• But if I firft make an Abfolute Vow in a thing iodiffC~ CJ~od_v;de_tur rent, (as to drink no Wine, or to wear no Silks, &c. ) and the MagiHrate afterwards ccmmar.d ic me, :~~~~1u:~:alis fame think I am bound to keep my Vow; becaufe though I muft obey the Magiflrace i_n all things 2ut voca.ti,,n ~lawful, ytt my Vow bath made this particular thing to be to me unlawjul before the Magillratc made ~~~'~{:~~u:~h it a duty: 4· Tho~~h others think that eve~ in this ~afe tht: .~eneral ob!ig~tion to obey my fit~:riou.rs fufcipi, rufprevcntcth my obltgmg my felf to any paruwlar wh1ch they may forbJri m cafe I had not vo .-. cd lf, ~~~~u;01~2 fi obligar~ : Lh c. g. m l~ge pcr-nah dJsj,,m~bva. .see the mll;~~ces wb,ch he ad<leth. JQftpb took an Olth o' the rjratlius to carry hts bones out of u£gypt, Gm 50. 1s. \-\-ha.c 1f PIMT11.1h forbt<l them ? t\re they <~cqun > TheSptcs fr~or.: to Rhnb11b, Jo~. :.. u, 18. Had they _been qu:t 1f t~e Rule-rs had :acquit them? or
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