I: I Cafes of Confcience. 2.Boolce. Othecslelfeprincipall,or mtxt,rhat ferue for A ordl!rordccencic. lilth~ fiatutes priucipalJ, the la.v-maker intends obedience fimply;and therefore they are necetfarie to be kep:. But vow is made, none can punill1 and u.kere. uengeofthe breach thereof,but God, Thud– ly, in the old T e(larnent, the.Iewes neuer •owed,but toGo~;becaufe the vow was apart ofGodsworfhip:Deut.ZJ.ZJ,Wbmtboulh•lt vow avo:wvntiJtbe Lord th] God,thoH.Put!t not he flack.etop•Jirforth• LmJ thf God, wiUfurdyr:· quireit ofthu, Andfo itfoould btftnne VtJtothct. vVhere by the way,we may rakcnotice,of the fuperllitionofthePopilh Church, that ma· keth vowes to Saints•nd Angels, which is in ctfedtomakcthem gods, and toworfl1ippe them as the lewcs worfl1ipped God m theold Teflamcnt, in the lelfe principall, he exads not obedi– ence fimply, bur either obediencc,or the pc· nalrie 5 becau[e rhe penalrie is as much bene· ficiallro the llatcof that body, as the other. The breach oftheforrnermakesamanguilty ofperiuric; but it is otherwifemthe latter, fo be it the delin,juentparry be content to beare the muld,1fit be impofed.Tbus lludenrs and others belonging ro fuch focicties, may in fomeforrexcufe thcmfeloes, from thelinne ofperiurie,(hough notfrom all faulr, in brea– kingfomc ofthe leif<rlocollllatutes, els few couldliuetn any focietiewithour periurie. Yet one more ~enion is propouuded touchmg periurie, whether aman may exa a anoarh ofllim, whomehc fcares or knowe3 will forfwcarc himfdfe?Anfn>.Apricate man mu Cl: not ;but aMagiflratemay ,ifrhe panic offerto cakehisoarh,(notbccingvrged ther– ro,)and befir(ladmoniOJcd of the grieuouf· n·etfcofthcfaid !inneofperiuric.In thcexecu– rionofCilliiiiufhcel IvbgiGraces mull not (loy vpon mens il:rnes, Mofes expeeled nor the Ifcaeliccs reperitancc 1 for the1r idolatrie; but prcfently proceeded vnto puniOJment. Netther mu(! the pu blikc good of the Com– moc-wcalth be hindred, vpon thelikelihood or fufpition,ofam'Ins periurie. CHAP. Xliii. OfVoTY~t. I . He feauenth head of the Outward wor· /hipofGod,is concerningavow..All the ~dlionswhereofmay be reduced to thefe foure. I. Q!!efiion. What is aVowe ~ B I I. Qt!ellion. Whether a"Vowe,ve now in the new T tjlament, any part of~ligion,or Cjods wor/hip? Theanfweris three-fold. Firll,ifavowbe takenfor a promifeofmo– raJJ obedience;the anfwcr is, thatavow is in· deed the worlhip ofGod, an~fo/hallbeeto the end of the "orld, For as God (for his part) promifeth mrrcie, in the couenant of grace;fo we in B3prifil1t1 doemakea\·mv,and promifeofobedtcncc to him, in all hiscom– mandemenrs ; and therefore Peter calleth C Baptifmea/1ipnlation,thatis, thepromife of good confcicncetoGod. Tl•ls promifconce made in Baptifine, isrenewed lo ofi as wee come totheLords Supper, and furrhercontl– nued inthedail~ fp!rituall exercifes of Inuo– cation,andRepencomcc. But it may befaid, we are alreadiebound to the obedience of the Law;byorderof di· uinelullice; therfore •·ecannot further bind ollrfclues. Anfw, HcthatisboundbyGod, n1oy alfo bind himfclfe.Dauid though hewas bound by God in confciencc, to kcepc the Law,yet he binds himfelfefreely by oath, to helpehis ownew•akenetre;and to kcepe himAn[. A vmv, is a promife mode to God of fdfe from falling,when he (aith:IhaH•fworn,, things lawfull and poflible, l call itapromi(•, •ndwillp<rformeit, th.r !will~upnh7rightmu to difliugui01 avow irom afiogle purpofe.For D iu<(~•m••ts,Plai,JI9.1 o6.And thelame bond apurpofc moy bechongcd,but avow lawfully is uoletfe necelfaric and behoouefull forvs,if madecannor.Againe,rhcrcisgrcatdifference we confider how prone and readic we arero b.rweene rhefetwo:forina vow,tberois firll a foil from rheworlhip ofGod, purpofctodoe athing :fecondly,a bindingof Thcfecond Anfwer. Ifa ,·owbetaken for our (clues to doe that we purpofc. For this aprornifc of fome ceremooiall dutie, as of cauf~.-l tearme it apromif~, bec~u[e it is apur~ Sacrifices andO blations, or ofgiuing houfe, pofc with a bond,widJOur which there can be lands,an'dgoods to theT emple;then we mutt no vow made. puraditference berwecnc rheOJd Tellamcnt In the nexr place I addca promife>mdoo and the New.In rhe Old T dlament, thevow l Cod;not to S:tmr,Angel,onll31J, The reafans offuch dories, was part ofGods worlhippc, 1 arc thefe.Firll,avow ts properly thewurkcof bur mthe New it is not, and that fot thefe I the hearr,cor.finmg in a purpofc. Now God Rcafons. alone knowcs the heart, and he alone is able, Fall, the Icwilb ceremonies were to the 1todifcernc of the purpofeand intent of the Iewes,a parr ofGodsworO,ip, l:uttO\'S Gen. I . farnc:v.ohi.:h no Angel , Saint, or orher creatllestheyare nor, confidcrtng thfy are all in ture can poilibJy doe. Secondly, when the Chrillabol101cd, and none of themdoe now ~~------------------------------------------------------~~~d _______
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