The Light of Faith, Part 2 · Section 16 – Section 17
§. XVI. The ninth, vowes and ſwearing.
A Vow is a religious promiſeOf a vowe. of things lawfull, conducing to the exciting of our hearts to Gods worſhip and holy duties, and that for ſuch things as God hath promiſed: made with prayer, and payed with thankeſgiuing, ſuch was Iacobs vow, Gen. 28. 20. This is a duty wee owe by verrue of that command, Pſa. 76. 11. Vow, and pay vntounto the Lord your God. Vowes are of two ſorts, neceſſary, or arbitrary, Neceſſary which eueryevery Chriſtian muſt promiſe to the Lord vponupon all bleſſings he asketh, and in all ſuits he maketh either expreſly, or at leaſt in the deuotion of his heart, they are 1. The ſacrifice of himſelfe, foule and body to God, Rom. 12. 1. 2. The renewing of his couenant for reformation of ſinnes, which prouoked God, Ier. 50. 5, 3. Contribution to the maintenance of Gods worſhip. 4. Charity to our neighbours, Neh. 10. 29. 30. 32. An heart prepared to theſe foure, ſhould euer be with vsus, but the arbitrary is the vow wee ſpeake of, and here theſe rules muſt be obſerued.
1 Thy vow muſt be of things lawfull.
2 It muſt be of things in thine owne power, for if thou vow chaſtity, when thou knoweſt not whether thou haſt the gift of continency, and whether thou hauehave power ouer thine owne will, thou off…ndeſt, 1 Cor. 7. Be not raſh with thy mouth, and be not haſty to vtter any thing before God, Eccleſ. 5. 2.
3 It muſt be ſome way conducing to the lawfull worſhip of God, and ſuch as m…y helpe thy repentance, ſobriety, chaſtity, abſtinence, meditations, patience, with the like. Thus it muſt hauehave a right end, the glory of God, and the furthering of thy heart to duty.
4 When thou haſt vowed a vow to God, deferre not to pay it, for he hath no pleaſure in fooles, pay that which thou haſt vowed; better it is that thou ſhouldeſt not vow, then that thou ſhouldeſt vow and not pay, Eccleſ. 5. 4. 5.
Swearing alſo is a ſpeciall ſeruice of God, Deut. 6. 13. & 10. 20Of an Oath. Thou ſhalt feare the Lord thy God, him ſhalt thou ſerue, and to him ſhalt thou clea… and ſweare by his name. Wee muſt vſe it in this manner.
1 Thou muſt not ſweare in thy communication, Mat. 5. Iam. 5. 12. but muſt be one that feareſt anoath, Eccleſ. 9. 2.
2 Thou art then called to ſweare, when ſome neceſſary truth is in queſtion concerning Gods glory, thy neighbours ſafety, and thi…e owne good, which may bee determined by thy witneſſe, and cannot otherwiſe be determined, but by this teſtimony of thy conſcience, Heb. 6. 16.
3 Then thou muſt ſweare by the Lord onelyonly, Ier. 4. 2. & 5: 7. how ſhall I pardon thee for this, thou haſt ſworne by them that are no gods.
4 In truth▪ leſt thou forſweare, for thy oath muſt not be againſt thy conſcience, nor muſt thou wittingly and willingly, ſciens, volens, depart from what thou haſt lawfully ſworne, Pſal. 15. 5. He that ſweareth and d…ſappointeth not, though it be to his owne hinderance.
5 In iudgement, not raſhly, or for a trifle, taking deliberation to weigh the nature of God, who is called to witneſſe, to whoſe diuinereuenge thou ſubiecteſt thy ſelfe, if thou willingly doſt deceiue, the truth of thy ſpeech, the weight of an oath, and the matter about which thou ſweareſt, that it bee well-knowne to thee, and not vncertaine. The Romans vſed that moſt conſiderate word, Arbitror, I thinke, when the Iurors ſaid thoſeAmbroſ. in Pſal. 119. things which they knew moſt certainely: rightly ſaith Ambroſe, Nemo benè iurat, qui non poteſt ſcire quod iurat, iurare eſt indicium ſcientiae, teſtimonium conſcienciae. He ſweareth not rightly that hath not knowledge of that he ſweareth. Swearing is the diſcloſing of our knowledge, the teſtimony of our conſcience.
6 In righteouſneſſe, firſt, in things lawfull, about things poſſible, and with ſuch words in the forme of the oath, as may expreſſe due reuerence and be no waies contumelious to God.
Thus of ſ…ruing the Lord with our perſons. With our …ods followeth.
§. XVII. Of ſeruing God with our goods.
THis is required of all, Pro To ſerue him with our goods.3. 9. Not as the moſt doe, to honour wealth as our God, but as all ought to doe, God with our wealth: ſo that it is not enough to be good husbands of our owne, and liue frugally and honeſtly without endamaging others; or to giuegive ſome contemptible portion to the poore: but wee owe part of our ſubſtance to maintaine his immediate worſhip; and of this we hauehave examples from Abel the righteous, to thoſe godly women that miniſtred to our Sauiour of their wealth.
And here is charged vponupon vsus:
1 That we build him an houſe, where his honor may dwell, Exod. 15. 2. a place for his publike ſeruice. Dauid maketh that mournfull complaint, they hauehave burnt vp all the houſes of God in the land, Pſal. 74. 8. the Iewes commendations of the ruler was, Maſter he is worthy for he hath built vsus a Synagogue, Luke 7. 4, 5.
2 That we erect the Schooles of the Prophets as our abilities may reach.
3 That we pay the tenth of all we enioy: you hauehave the law of God for it, and Abrahams example and Iacobs Gen. 14. 20. 21. 22 28. Heb. 7. 4▪ 5. 6 7 8. 9. as if you ſay, that concerned the Iewes onelyonly, hard will it be to proue it, but I anſwer the free grant of the Church formerly and the obligation into which ſhee hath entred thereby to giuegive God the tenth, binds vsus all, and cannot be reuoked though before it had beene in our owne power.
4 That we (if neceſſity ſhould require) make them that inſtruct vsus partakers of all our goods, Gal. 6. 6. not to a tenth only, but to ſuch a ſupply, as that Gods worſhip may be vpheld: according to this rule is that worthy worke of thoſe who, being deſtitute of an able & Godly Paſtor, thr…ugh either, the ſinne of thoſe that giuegive entrance and open the doore to them or the ſinne of the parties that after their comming is manifeſt, but went not before hand, vntounto iudgement, do of their own charges maintaine ſome godly Miniſter for their Lecturer with the allowance of authority.
5 For the quality of that wePurum, probum, profanum, ſuum. giuegive, it is required that it bee the choiſe and of the beſt, Mal. 1. 13 that it bee lawfull and lawfully gotten, God hateth robbery for burnt offerings, Eſa. 61. 8. that it be, that which hath not beene already conſecrated to God, Pro. 20. 25. and that it bee a mans owne.
6 For the end giuen as a Teſtimony of our affections to God and his ſeruice, and an acknowledgement of his Lordſhip ouer all, and as a meanes to vphold religion to perpetuity, and therefore directed to this end as neare as may be.
Thus of the ſeruice wee owe to God without limitation to a certaine time: we owe him next a ſeuenth part of our time to be employed in his immediate ſeruice, as the fourth commandement ſheweth.