338 CHRISTIAN MORALITY, VIZ. [SRAM. X. bind ourselves to perform what we promise, and the law of God binds us as well as the laws of social life. In the xvth Psalm, ver. 4. it is another of the charac- ters of him that shall inhabit the mountain of God, that he sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not ; that is, he makes a promise to his neighbour, and though it be much to his own disadvantage, yet he doth not alter the word that is gone out ofhis lips, nor make a forfeiture Of his truth by breach of his promise. We should remember, that when we bind ourselves by a promise to give any good thing to another, or to do any thing for the benefit of another, the right of the thingpromised passes over from us to the person to whom the promise is made, as much as if we had given him a legal bond, with all the formalities of signing and sealing; we have no power to recai, or reverse it without his leave. Always except the promise be made with a condition expressed, or necessarily and evidently implied ; then indeed, if the condition fail, the promise is void. But the lips of a christian, when they have once uttered an absolute promise, have laid a bond upon his soul ; and he dares not break the law of his God, though the law of man should not bind him. 3. The case of threatenings is somewhat different. A promise makes over the right of some benefit to another who may justly claim it; but a threatening only shews what punishment shall be due to another for such a par- ticular fault or offence. If a superior propose and pub- lish a law, and therein threaten an inferior with some penalty, the superior is supposed to be at liberty, whether he will execute the threatening of his own law, or no : for the criminal will not claim it. Thence arises the power of a superior to pardon a fault. But if over and above the proposal and publication of this law, a father, for instance, or a master, does so- lemnly foretel or declare that he will certainlyexecute the penalty upon the child or servant offending ; I think he ought generally to esteem himself bound to fulfil such a declaration or threatening, if it were made in a prudent and. lawful manner ; unless the repentance of the offen- der, or some other change of circumstances, give him a just reason to change his mind and alter his purpose. And in the fourth place, the case is much the same 5
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