b(© AM11.1,111 The Truth of Good.' Vol. L ,. r _ Towards God, in our Oaths. and Vows, and. Covenants. In our Oaths, when w,eü (wear in any Matter, we tell God that what we weak is Truth, and invoke lln to ,lçar 4i'itneEs.to it, To falfifie in an Oath is one of the mofl folemn affronts that we can put upon. the. God of Truth. And fbtdd our. Vows, which are a, folemn Promife to God, of fuch things in QUO we have.no precedent Obligation lying uponus. He that regardeth truth yv;tll, neither, bé, rafh in making a Vow, nor carelefs to perform it. Ecelef 5. 4, When thou vou;efl a vow to God, defer not to pay it, for he hath no pleafure in Fools. ` 6t to perform what we have vowed, is an Argument of Folly ; either of rafh- pefs in the,making of it, or of inconflancy in not keeping it. .So likcwife . in all our Covenants with God, to ferve him and obey him, and .keep his Commandments, we fhould flri&ly charge our felves with performance of thefe. There is a Natural Obligation upon.ps to thefe Things from thevery Law of our Creation, tho' we fhouldnever folemnly make any fuch Promifenor enter into any fuch Engagements, becaufe it is a tacit Condition of our Beings ; but the taking of this Covenant folemnly upon us in Baptifm, flrengthens the Obligation, and makes our unfaithfulnefs the greater Sin. All_onrhopes..ofFlap_ penels are founded in the Faithfulnefs of God ; and if thou be falfè to him, ,laow Gantt thou expeEt he fhould be faithful to thee?,'Tis true indeed, that he'à& ides faithful, he cannot deny himfelf ; but if thou haft any ingenuity in thee; this ílipuld be an.Argument to thee to be faithful to him ; I am lure this can beno ,Encouragement to thee to be unfaithful ; for if thou brcakeft the Covenant thou haft entred into, and negledeft the Conditions upon which God bath fufpended Ole performance of his Promife, thou difchargeft the Obligation on his part. 2.. Towards Men ; we fhould charge our felves with Truth in all our Wordsv and Faithfulnefs in all our Promifes. It becomes us who worfhip the God of truth, to fpeak truth; to ufe plaiónefs and fincerity in all our Words, to abhor Fallhood and Diffimulation, and thofe more refinedways of lying by equivocation ofWords, and fccret refervations of our Minds on purpofe to deceive. Thofe that plead for thefe, 'tis a flgn they do not underfland the Nature of God, and of Religion, which is to conform our felves to the Divine Perfections. We meet with many complaints in the Old Teftament, of the want of Truth.and Faithfulnefs among Men, Pfal. 1s.. 5, z. Ifa. 59. 13, 54, r 5. per. I. z, 8, 9. 2.. 4, 5, G. Hof. 4. a. I am afraid there is as much Reafon for this complaint now ; for we live in an Age of greater Light, which doth reprove and makemanifefl this work. of Park- nefs ; and methinks there is no (adder lign of the decay of Chriftianity, and of the little power and influence that the Gofpel hath upon us, than that there is fo little regard had by Chriltians to thefe Moral Duties, which becaufe Moral (however Men may flight that Word) are therefore of Eternal and Indifpenfable Obligation, having their Foundation in the Nature of God. ToConclude all, That Man that can difpenfe with himfelf as to Moral Duties; that makes no Confcience of telling a Lie, or breaking his Word, what Badge foever he may wear, what Title foever he may call himfelf by, it is as. impodi- ble that fuch a Man fhould be a trueChriftian, as it is to reconcile the Godof truth, and the Fatherof Lies. SERMON
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=