!J\!ller about the Obligation of a Vorv. ;--:hich is the fen re that Chrifl: and the Apofiles urually take it in ) JO it i1 the f.:zme cafo with t1Ji.f Laft S.Mdcrf.:.sz.. J,,;ndlid, and nctdJ ilO other refolution : But M fc,mdal fignifierh ( in the lare abuGve fenfe) the mrcr difpleafing ofanother, or occtJfioni;tg him tv- cenfureY•.u for. a finner, fo y?u. mv.jf not b~e:zk,_ a ~ow tuc[cap.e the cenfora or difpleafore of all thewor!d. O(herwtfe Prtde would be !hll producmg Perptry) and {o two of the greatell fins would be mlintained. K l §. 63. Rule 4I· 1hougbiJttht !i.:!rJl-i.m aboTtt the obli'l,t~ti!}rt nf anJJatb tlut U ta/zm ig1tor:z~:rly, or bl u e4l• deceit, tbcl'e be !!,teat difficultin, yet tbM much feemetb clear, r. Tbut he that U culp:ibly JJ!,mrant 1-t mvre oblig,(d by bit vow orcomra[i while be ufctb all tbt otttward f/Jtm, tb.JJt he that if i;tculpJ.bly ignoro~r.t. 2. That tbozt;!.b the deceit (M the force ) of him th.;t I [wear to, dJ forfiit hU rigbt to wh1It 1 promifi him, )'Cl my O;th or Vow Ctbligrth me to di! ur p,ive tbc thing, l~avi1t.~ imtrrJJCd Cjoi b_imfclf. iit tbt cauje. 3 , 'J,h.tt aU fitch crrour n[ tbe r.Jfenti :IJ of an 0 tt!l nr Vurv aJ Nulifictb it (of wh1ch I fpake b~fOre) nr make the matter Jinful, do infer a mdiity in tile 11hlig<Jtirm ( or that ir muJt not be kept) But r:o fm:dlcr errour (though caufcd by Deceit dod1 d:[oblige.) T he commondl doubc is, TYhethcr an errourabom the 11try perfou tb.Jt 1 fr::tar te, and tb£.1 c.mftd by ~efl. his own decrit do difobli,~e me? All grant rh;n l am obliged norwithtlanding any cirwmjl:antial Ailjw. crrour, (as if I think a Woman rich whom I marry, and ille prove poor, or ~ife a~d godly and. fl1e prove foolifh or ungodly: yea if the crrour be about any intrgr,,J p!Jrt : as 1f I thmk flte had two eyes or legs, and Che have but one:) And all grant thar :m errour ab<..pt an cffcmial part? that is, which is cfftntial to the RclJtion or thing Vuwed, (if inculpabk at leaft) difobl1geth : As 1f I t?ok a man in marriage thinking he had been a woma1r! Or if I took a ptrfon for a PaHor, a ~hyficton, aCouncdlour, a Pilote, that harh no tolerableabflity or skill in the dfential.; of ~ny of rhofe profdTIon~. But whether I am bound if I fwear to <[IJ,,maJ thinking it was John, or if I marry Leah thinking {he is Rachd, is the great doubr. And mofi Ca(uills f.1y I ;~m mt : And therefore I d"-'c uot !andrrf.p.u:t.. be bold tncontradict them. But I much fufpcCt that rhey fercht thLir decilion from the Lawyers; who truly fay, that in [11ro civili ir inferreth ne obligation: But whether it do not oblige me E1bictJl'y and in foro confcicnti.e& ca'li 1 much doubt, z. Bccaufe it fecmeth the very cafe of Jflma and the Sallderf.p.no, lfraelites, who by the guile of the Gibconircs were deceived into aJl error per{o1urum) raking them to . Ita. be orhn· pcrfons than they were: And yet that this oad1 was Obligatory faith Dr. Sa1zdcr[on is ap- 1hJs f~et7th puent, 1. In the text it fc!f, J:f/;. 9· 19. 2. In the miracle wrought for that victory which ]fhuti ~}ae~~:~~nebJ~:r~ obtained in defending the Gibeonires, when the Sun Hood fiill, J o.fh. 10. 8, I3· 3· In the fcvere finr,]Acob: revenge that was taken on the lives of Sault poficrity for offering to violate it) 2 S.:zm. 21. ~he trrorp{r.; 2. And this fccmcth to be the very cafe of Jacob who took not himfelf difobliged from Lwb not- t'):"~Ccd withfianding the millake of the pcrfon through deceit. And though the Cou.cubituf was added to d!cei::~i~o~:~ the contract, that obliged moH as it was the perfeCHng of the Contract, wh1ch an Oath dorh as nullific the fhongJy. 3· And the 11at1tre of the thingdoth confirm my doubt; becaufe when I fee the perfon before bleffin~, be~ me there is the iudividttum determinatum, in the h.ec "homo, and fo all that is t.JTential to my Vow is in- fiau~e H \has eluded in it; If I mittake the ntJme or the qu:~lity, qr birtb or rel.nirms of the perfon, yet my Cove- dxe 0~ t te nant is wirh this determinate perfon that is prefent, though I be induced to it be a falfe fuppofition p~~%~~~~~ha~ it that {he is another. But this I leave to the difcuffionof the judicious. ,..,;is fpoken to. §. 64. Rule 42. Thequeftion al[o is weighty illtd of frrqtwtt ufo, If a man Vow a thing ar aduty ·i1t Rule 42• obedience to God and Confciwce, which he would not b.we done if he had t ak,_w it to be no duty, and if he afterward find tbat it was no duty, i1 he obliged to k,§ep this Vorv l And tbe true anfwcr iJ, thtJt tbe difcovery of his errour doth only difcovcr tiJe nuUity of his obligation to malz.e tb.'lf Vow, and to do the thing antecedently to tiJe Vow: But if the thing be lawftll he is bound to it by his Vow notwithftandinz the mijl:al{e whichi~tdtued him tomake it. 9· 65. Rule 43· Vom about trifles (110t :m/awful) muj! be l;!pt tilougil tbey are finfuUy m9de. As Rule 43· if yf:lu vow to rake up a {haw, or to forbea1· fuch a bit or tort of meat, 9r garment, &c. But to 5Mderf.p.84· ma/{! fuch is a great prophanation of Gods name, and a u~ing it in vain as: common fwcarers do. 9· 66. Rule 44-· A General Oath tbougb tak.gn upon a particular oecajionmujl be generalJy or Jlritrly in- Rule 44• terpretcd ( tmlefi there be [pecial reafons for areftraint,from tiJt !.1atter, End, or othEr evidence.) As if y~u are afraid that your Son f?ould marry fuch a ~oman, and therefore fwear him nOt to mury without your Confent: H.e 1s bound thereby neither t~ marry that Woman nor any other. Or if your fervant hauntoneparocular Alehoufe, and you make him for[wear All Houfes in General he mull avoid all other. So Dr. Sanderfon infianceth in rhcO.Hh of Suprearnacy, p. 195· , ~· 67. Rule 45· He tbat VowtthabfulutelyQr implicitly to obey at:other in aU thingf, is bound to obey Rule 45 • him in aU lawful thi11gs, wkere nei~hcr God, nor other [uptriour or other per/on i1 injured; unlrjl tbe 1 uture of the relatimt, or the endJ or rea[on1 of the oath, or [omethiug el[e infer a limitation as implred. 9· 68. Rule 46. StiUdijling~ijh bet,.ew tile faljhood in tile ,.,d, as difagming to tht T!Jing J.. orn, and Rule f6• tht faljhood of them as difagrenng from the fwearerJ mmd. The former JS fometirne cxcufable, but the later never. There are many other ~dlions about Oaths that belong more to the Chapter of Contra{iJ and Jufiicc between man and man; and thither I refer them. Yy yy 2 C.HAP.
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