Christian Religion, Catechism · Part 29 – Part 30
PSALM. 50. verſ. 14.15.
14 Offer vntounto God praiſe, and pay thy vowes vntounto the most high.
15 And call vponupon me in the day of trouble: ſo will I deliuer thee, and thou ſhalt glorifie me.
HItherto of prayer. What is a vow?
A ſolemne promiſe vntounto God by fit perſons, of ſome lawfull thing that is in their choice.
It is thought that vowes are ceremoniall, and not to pertaine to the times of the Goſpell.
There are indeed good, yea excellent perſons that thinke ſo; which carrie ſo much more a miſliking of vowes, becauſe they hauehave beene abuſed in Poperie: howbeit it appeareth in this place, that it is a conſtant and perpetuall ſeruice of God, as ſhall appeare.
VVhat is the proper end and vſe of a vow?
Gen. 28.10. Iudg. 11.32. 1. Sam. 1.11.It is twofold: firſt, to ſtrengthen our faith; and ſecondly, to teſtifie our thankfulneſſe vntounto God; but no waies to merit any thing at Gods hand: ſo that whereas the exerciſe of a faſt is in aduerſitie, and as the feaſt in proſperity, the vow may be in both.
VVho are the fit perſons that may vow?
Numb. 30.6.Such as hauehave knowledge, iudgement, and abilitie to diſcerne of a vow, and of the dueties belonging to the performance of the ſame.
Are all ſuch bound to vow?
Deu. 23.21.22. Numb. 30.2. Numb. 6.2. &c.Not ſimplie all, but thoſe onelyonly, which either being in diſtreſſe feele a want of feeling of Gods aſſiſtance, thereby to ſtrengthen their faith for neceſſarie aide: or they, who being deliuered from ſome neceſſary euill, or hauehave receiued ſome ſingular good, where no vow hath gone before, ſhould witnes their thankfulneſſe.
VVhat hauehave we heerein further to conſider?
That the vow muſt bee of lawfull things, elſe it is better not to pay the vow, then to pay; as Herod, and the fortie mentioned in the Acts: Act. 23.14.and as the Monks, Friers, and Nunnes vow wilfull pouertie, and perpetuall abſtinence from mariage, and canonicall obedience, and the people pilgrimages.
May we vow any thing which is lawfull to be done?
We may not vow any vile or baſe thing: as if a wealthie man would vow to giuegive to the poore ſome ſmall value, farre vnderunder his abilitie: for what either token of thankfulneſſe can that be; or what comfort in his troubles can hee take of the performance thereof.
What hauehave we ſecondly to conſider?
That the vow muſt bee of ſuch things as are in our choice to performe.
How many waies faile men againſt this?
Two waies: firſt, in vowing that wee are not able to performe: ſecondly, in vowing that which otherwiſe we are bound by the law of God to do.
Who be they which vow that they cannot performe?
They are they either whom ſtrength doth faile, through the common frailery of al men;Numb. 30.3.4. &c. as thoſe that vow perpetuall continencie, whoſe lets come from themſelues: Or they which cannot performe it, by reaſon of ſubiection vntounto others: as wiues vntounto their husbands; children to their parents; ſeruants to their maſters, &c. in whoſe power they are, to performe their vowes, or not to performe them.
VVhy may not a man vow ſuch things as he is otherwiſe bound vntounto?
For that they are due vntounto God without the ſeruice of a vow; and therefore it were a dalliance with God, to make ſhew of ſome ſpeciall and extraordinarie ſeruice, where the common and ordinarie is onelyonly performed: as if a man would preſent as a gift vntounto his Lord, the rent of his houſe due for the occupation thereof.
What may we then lawfully vow?
Increaſe of Gods ſeruice: as to pray more often eueryevery day then ordinarily is vſed; or to be more liberall to the poore with ſome ſtraine of our ability; building of Colledges, Almeſ-houſes, &c.
What is the duely of thoſe that hauehave vowed?
Eccleſ. 5.Firſt, to hauehave a diligent care to performe their vowes: for if it be a reprochfull thing, to deale with God as with a man; it is more reprochfull to deale worſe with God, then wee dare deale with many men.
Gen. 35.1.Secondly, not to delay the performance of it: for God corrected ſharpely in Iacob the deferring of vowes: firſt, by his daughters deflouring: ſecondly, by the rage and murther committed by his ſons.
Is the neceſsitie of performing vowes ſo great, that they may no waies be omitted?
Ier. 35.9.10.11.Not ſo: for to the performance of a greater dutie a man may omit his vow for a time, and after a time returne, and be not a vow-breaker: as the Rechabites for ſafety of their liues, came and dwelt in Ieruſalem; notwithſtanding a former vow, that they would not dwell in an houſe; and yet God witneſſeth, that the vow was not broken thereby: ſo to helpe our neighbours in ſome preſent neceſſitie, we may ceaſe from any vowed duety at that time, and not ſinne. Wherein the Papiſts greatly faile, who hauing vowed vnlawfully, yet thinke they may not intermit their vowes.
If a man in vowing, doe not conſider ſufficiently of the greatneſſe of the matter, may hee not breake that vow, if he hath not ſo aduiſedly made it?
No: the vow being otherwiſe lawfull, that raſhnes is to be repented; but the vow muſt be kept.
What hauehave we to learne of all this?
That we be aduiſed in that we doe, and not to enquire after we hauehave vowed, to find ſome ſtarting hole whereat to get out: but either not to vow at all;Pro. 20.25. or if we vow, to hauehave a good remembrance of it, and a diligent care in the due time to performe it.
2 PET. chap. 3. from the 3. verſ. to the 12.
3 This firſt vnderstand, that there ſhal come in the laſt daies, mockers, which will walke after their luſts.
HAuing ſpoken at large of the gouernment of Chriſt in this world: What followeth?
His gouernment in the day of Iudgement.
What is the day of Iudgement?
A generall aſſiſe of all perſons, that hauehave beene at any time in the world; at which all muſt appeare perſonally before the great Iudge, to receiue their finall ſentence, either of abſolution, or condemnation.
There be ſome that ſay, that that Iudgement will neuer come, becauſe God delayeth it.
Yes, it ſhall come moſt certainely; and therefore to take away all doubt thereof out of our minds, our Sauiour Chriſt hath not onelyonly often told of it; but hath alſo ſworne it ſhall be.
What reaſon do they vſe to prooue that godles opinion?
If there bee an end of the world,Gen. 8.21. then it and the things therein ſhould by little and little weare away and conſume; but they do not, for that they remaine as they were from the beginning of the Creation; therefore the world ſhall hauehave no end.
How must we meete with theſe errors, and keepe our ſelues vndefiled of them?
In taking heed to the words of the Prophets, and the commandement of the Apoſtles, of the Lord our Sauiour, as Peter teacheth here.
How doth the Apostle Peter confute them out of the Scripture?
Firſt, that the heauens and earth being created by the word and will of God in a ſmall time, may alſo in a ſmall time be changed.
Secondly, in denying that the world hath continued alwaies the ſame it was at the beginning of the creation, inaſmuch as the earth by water in the flood was couered in a ſhort time, and by the ſame reaſon, may in a ſhort time be conſumed by fire.
But it ſeemeth that this promiſe of his comming faileth, for that hee hath ſaid, hee would come ſhortly, when notwithſtanding, more then 1500. yeeres are paſt, ſithence the promiſe came out.
The ſhortneſſe of the time muſt not be meaſured by our eſtimation, becauſe we are of ſmall endurance here in this world; but it muſt bee meaſured by the iudgement of God, with whom a thouſand yeeres are but as one day.
Howbeit, it ſeemeth that hee ſhould hasten that day more then he doth, for the aduantage of thoſe that be his, conſidering that they are euill handled here in the world.
There are two cauſes of this delay: one, that the fulfilling of all that is propheſied ſhould be, eſpecially in the booke of Reuelation: the other, that none of the elect ſhould periſh: ſo that it is for the aduantage of thoſe that are his, that their Lord maketh no more haſt; which ought to make vsus patiently to wait for his comming.
Is there yet any further reaſon for the confutation of that godleſſe opinion?
In that our Sauiour Chriſt hath declared, that his comming ſhould bee ſudden, as the thiefe in the night, that error is confuted; for it would not be ſo, if things ſhould decay by little and little.