The Souls Looking Glass, Treatise · Part 17
II. We may bind our own conſciences.
II. We our ſelves may bind our own conſciences: And that is by thoſe vows and promiſes which we make to God of any thing lawfull and in our power. Thoſe vows and promiſes which we make unto God according to the warrant of his word they do bind our conſcience. They are our own before we have made them: as Ananias and Sapphira their gift was their own before they vowed it to the church: While it remained was it not thine own? and when it was ſold, was it not in thine own power? Acts 5.4. We need not vow unleſſe we will: but after we have vowed our vows are Gods bonds, and do bind the conſcience to the performance of them. Nay, we lie unto God, as the text ſaith they did, if we do not ſtand to the performance of them.
But it may be demanded, What vows are they which are unlawfull, and do not bind conſcience? I anſwer;
1. Such as we make of things impoſſible and beyond our power: Theſe are unlawfull, and do not bind conſcience.
2. Such as we make of things unlawfull; when we vow to do that which is contrarie to Gods law: ſuch as Davids was when he vowed the deſtruction of Nabals familie: This doth not bind conſcience:1. Sam. 25.22. nay, we are bound in conſcience to break it.
3. Such as though they be of things lawfull and poſſible, yet we want freedome in the performance of them: as for a wife or a ſervant or a child to make a vow, when their relation to ſuch as are over them will not ſuffer them to perform it: This bindeth not conſcience.Num. 30.3. Nothing bindeth conſcience but that which hath Gods ſeal upon it: but this hath not Gods ſeal on it; and therefore it doth not bind conſcience▪ indeed it bindeth us in conſcience to repent of it.
4. Such as though they be lawfull and profitable and in our own freedome, yet if there fall a greater conſequence before the time of performance, we are not bound in conſcience to perform them: as if a man upon the receit of ſome merciemercy ſhould in teſtimonie of his thankfulneſſe vow a hundred pounds to good uſes, in the mean time his eſtate ſo decayeth as that he ſhall undo himſelf and his familie if he perform it; this is ſo great a conſequence, and contingently hapned, that it freeth his conſcience from performing what he had vowed: Or if a man ſhould promiſe marriage to a woman, and before the time of nuptials ſhe be found unchaſt; this is a farre greater conſequence, and he is not bound in conſcience to marry her. Theſe kinds of vows do not bind in conſcience: But all other do bind us.
1. Uſe; We may learn from hence never to vow but with good judgement and counſel. For either we muſt keep our promiſe, or not: If we muſt, that is a ſigne it is good, and therefore had need of deliberation: If we muſt not keep it then it is a ſigne of raſhneſſe and inconſiderateneſſe and beſides it may prove ſcandalous and offenſive to them to whom we make it, and alſo to them that ſhall heare of it: And therefore it requireth good judgement and adviſe to vow. What a raſh vow was that of good Jephthah? If thou wilt deliver Ammon into my hand, Judges 11.30.whatſoever meeteth me I will offer it for a burnt-offering. How if a dog had firſt met him? what a ſinne had it been? How if his daughter? what a thing had that been? And indeed it proved to be his daughter. Vows without judgement do but increaſe our ſinnes and aggravate our tranſgreſſions againſt God.
2. Uſe; This teacheth us to keep our good vows whatſoever they be that we make. Indeed it is hard to keep a good, yea it is hard to make a good vow in that manner as we ſhould: It requireth a great deal of faith and ſelf-deniall and humilitie and ſtrength of reſolution: But when we have made it, our ſinne is the greater if we do not then keep it;Eccles. 5.5. Better it is not to vow then that thou ſhouldſt vow and not pay. Hast thou vowed a vow? then deferre not to pay it: God hath no pleaſure in fools. As if the holy Ghoſt had ſaid, It is the part of a fool to vow before he conſider and be abſolutely reſolved to perform, to be off and on with the Lord God of hosts: The Lord hath no pleaſure in fools: Therefore pay all thy good vows, and be humbled for thy raſh vows. But we are fallen into bad times, when truth and equitie is periſhed from among men: Every one is a deceitfull bow; yea, the beſt (almoſt) is a briar: Nothing ſo common as vows and promiſes; but few make conſcience of performing them. Nay, men are careleſſe of their grand vow which they have made vntounto God in their baptiſme.Baptiſme. O this is a very fearfull ſinne! Ye have all made a vow unto God in your baptiſme that ye would live otherwiſe then ye do, and ye make no conſcience to keep it. Baptiſme is a very weightie thing: If there were no other thing to bind you to holineſſe and obedience and faith but onelyonly the vow ye entred into in your baptiſme, did ye conſider what a vow it is, it would move you alone. It is ſaid of Apollos that he was fervent in ſpirit though he knew nothing but the baptiſme of John: Acts 18.25.Apollos conſidered what a vow he had made unto God in his baptiſme, that, though he knew nothing elſe, it made him zealous for God. Baptiſme is a very great binder of conſcience: It bindeth a man to believe, and to go out of himſelf, and to ſubmit to Jeſus Chriſt. The wicked Phariſees ſaw this to be true:Matth. …1.25. If we ſhall ſay that Johns baptiſme was from heaven, he will ſay, Why did ye not then believe? Beloved, was not your baptiſme from heaven? was it not an ordinance of God? and did ye not ſolemnly then vow unto God? Why then do ye not believe? why do ye not denie your ſelves, your works, your wayes, and take up Chriſts croſſe? As Chriſt ſaith of John Baptiſt,Matth. 11.11. Among them that are born of women there hath not been a greater then John the Baptist; ſo may I ſay of bonds and of vows and covenants. Among all the vows and covenants that ever were made there hath not been a greater then this of Baptiſme: And therefore ye had beſt look to the performing of what ye then vowed: If ye do not, ye are grievous breakers of covenant with God; which ſinne will ſurely ſtand againſt you for evil. It is moſt certain, that Baptiſme doth greatly bind us in conſcience to walk anſwerably to it in all righteouſneſſe and true holineſſe: And we can never be ſaved (though we are baptized) except we can anſwer with a good conſcience that we live as we vowed in our Baptiſme: 1. Pet. 3.21. The like figure whereunto, even Baptiſme, doth alſo now ſave us; not the putting away of the filth of the fleſh, but the anſwer of a good conſcience towards God. Mark; Unleſſe we can anſwer with a good conſcience that we live according to our promiſes in it, our Baptiſme cannot ſave us. I pray, conſider that ſpeech of St Paul; We are buried with Christ by Baptiſme into his death, Rom. 6.4.that like as Chriſt was raiſed up from th… dead by the glory of the Father, even ſo we alſo ſhould walk in newneſſe of life. Mark; There is the vow that we made unto God in our Baptiſme: And the Apoſtle there telleth us we are bound in conſcience to keep this vow; otherwiſe we had better have been without our Baptiſme. Do not think that God will be mocked: Ye are content to go for Chriſtians: but if ye be Chriſtians, conſider ye are under a great vow; and if ye do not keep it, Gods covenant hath a quarrel againſt you, and ye ſhall be broken in judgement. There is no ſinne that ye live in, no luſt that your conſcience telleth you hath enterteinment in your hearts, but it is ſacramentall perjurie againſt the vow that ye made unto God in your Baptiſme. Are ye dead to good duties? Ye vowed in your Baptiſme ye would not be ſo. Do ye not dayly mortifie and ſubdue your affections? Ye vowed in your Baptiſme ye would. Do ye not dayly fight againſt ſinne and the fleſh, like the faithfull ſouldiers of Chriſt? Ye vowed in your Baptiſme ye would. What a horrible perjurie is this? Nay, it is worſe: it is a ſacramentall perjurie. When the Apoſtles ſaw any ſinne in the people, preſently they tell them of Baptiſme: as if they ſhould ſay, Do ye live thus and thus, when ye vowed the contrarie in your Baptiſme? When there were diviſions in Corinth; Some would be of Cephas, and ſome of Apollos, and ſome of Paul: Paul then telleth them of their Baptiſme; Were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 1. Cor. 1.13.As if he had ſaid, I pray, conſider how contrary this is unto your Baptiſme: Ye were baptized into Chriſt; and are ye thus divided among your ſelves? So when there was corruption crept into the people of Galatia, St Paul telleth them of their Baptiſme: As many of you, ſaith he,Gal. 3.27. as have been baptized into Christ have put on Chriſt. As if he had ſaid, This corruption of yours is contrarie to your Baptiſme: Ye were baptized into Christ, and ye have vowed to put on Christ; and do ye yield to ſuch corruptions as theſe? So alſo when there was want of love and unitie and affection between one another among the Epheſians, St Paul telleth them of their Baptiſme: O ſaith he, There is one God, one faith, one baptiſme. Epheſ. 4.5.As if he ſhould ſay, This is contrarie to your baptiſme: Ye were all baptized with one baptiſme; and do not ye live in peace? and is there not unitie of ſpirit one with another among you? What? and were all baptized with one baptiſme? Beloved, ye never do that which is not good but ye go clean contrarie to your Baptiſme. What? were ye baptized into Chriſt, and do thus? baptized into Chriſt and pray thus? baptized into Chriſt, and heare the word of Chriſt thus? ſerve God no better then thus? Your Baptiſme bindeth you in conſcience againſt every ſinne and every evil way: O let us take it to heart and conſider it.
FINIS.
End of the text · William Fenner, The Souls Looking Glass (1643)