A Treatise of Christian Religion, Chapter 51
CHAP. 51.
Of Vowes.
Vowes,
Firſt,
To whom they are to be made.
By whom.
Secondly,
The matter.
The kinde.
PSALM. 50. verſ. 14. 15.
14. Offer vntounto God thankeſ-giuing, and pay thy vowes vntounto the moſt High.
15. And call vponupon me in the day of trouble; I will deliuer thee, and thou ſhalt glorifie me.
Q. HItherto of Prayer. VVhat is a Vow?
A. A holy and religious promiſe made vntounto God by a fit perſon, voluntarily and aduiſedly, whereby he bindeth himſelfe to the doing or leauing vndone of ſome ſpeciall thing, that is acceptable to Gen. 28. 20. & 31. 13. 1. Sam. 1. 11.God.
Q. It is thought that vowes are ceremoniall, and not to pertaine to the times of the Goſpell?
A. There are indeed very good and worthie perſons that thinke ſo; which doe ſo much the more miſlike of vowes, becauſe they hauehave been ſo much abuſed in Poperie; howbeit it ſeemeth by this place, that for the generall, it is a conſtant and perpetuall ordinance of God, as ſhall appeare, though not ſo neceſſarie as vnderunder the Law.
Q. Are we to make our vowes to God only?
A. Yea, to him alone, to whom wee owe all that wee hauehave, and who is the ſearcher of the hearts, and Deut. 10. 17. 23. 21. Pſal. 5. 24.hath power to puniſh the breach of a vow.
Q. Who are fit perſons to make a vow?
A. Such onelyonly as are iuſtified before God, and reconciled vntounto him, otherwiſe their gifts and vowes cannot pleaſe him, and alſo ſuch as hauehave iudgement and knowledge to diſcerne of a vow, and are free and Eccleſ. 5. 3. 5.at their owne liberty, to performe the vow they make. Therfore thoſe, which cannot performe their vowes in regard of their ſubiection to others, as wiues, children, Matth. 19. 11. Num. 30. 4. 6. 7.ſeruants, &c. are to take heed, that they vow not any thing that is in their hands, vnderunder whom they are, to infringe or hinder.
Q. What learne we hence?
A. That in making of a vow, we hauehave a reſpect vntounto that ability that God hath giuen vsus, & that calling which he hath placed vsus in.
Q. What ought to be the matter of our vowes?
A. Firſt, thoſe things or actions that are in our choyce, and in our owne power to giuegive or performe, it being a folly to promiſe that vntounto God, which wee are not able to performe, as the Papiſts doe, in vowing perpetuall abſtinence from marriage, &c.
Secondly, things lawfull, it being a double indignity to God, to promiſe to doe that which he hateth and forbiddeth to be done; as the Iewes did that vowed Matth. 14. 7. Act. 23. 14.to kill Paul.
Thirdly, thoſe things which are of ſome worth and acceptance, and not baſe, and vile, or contemptible matters, ſuch as neither God nor man maketh any account of; it argueth a baſe eſteeme of God, to promiſe vntounto him, by way of ſpeciall thankfulneſſe, any vile or contemptible matter. And what thankfulneſſe can it bee vntounto God to pay ſuch a vow, or what comfort in his trouble can any man take, by a purpoſe of the performance thereof?
Such things as imply no contempt or light regard of any of thoſe creatures of God, which he hath made and appointed both in his wiſedome and goodneſſe, for our vſe; as when the cauſe of ſuch and ſuch meats, either alwaies, or vponupon ſuch and ſuch dayes are abiured in our vowes.
Fifthly, thoſe things which are either parts of Gods worſhip in themſelues, or furtherances thereof, or of any part of his Law: as founding of Lectures, building of Colledges and Schooles, for maintenance of true religion & learning, and building Almeſ-houſes, and ſuch like workes of merciemercy and piety, for the reliefe of the poore, and that with ſome ſtraine of our ability.
Q. What is the end of vowes?
A. Firſt, in generall the glory of God, and the aduancement of his worſhip, or the profit of our neighbour.
Secondly, in ſpeciall, either to teſtifie our ſpeciall thankfulneſſe to God for bleſſings receiued, Gen. 28. 20. Ioſh. 6. 10. or to chaſtiſe our ſelues to preuent Gods wrath. 1. Cor. 11. 31. or to make vsus more warie & heedfull of thoſe ſins that we hauehave formerly fallen into; or to bind our ſelues the more ſtrongly to obedience, or to ſtrengthen the weakneſſe of our faith and hope, &c.
Q. What is the dutie of thoſe that hauehave vowed?
A. Firſt, to hauehave a diligent care to performe their Eccleſ. 5. 4. Pſal. 76. 11.vowes, elſe wee deale worſe with God, then wee dare deale with many men.
Secondly, not to delay the performance of them.Gen. 35. 1. Deut. 22. 21. Eccleſ. 5. 3.
Q. Is the neceſsity of performing vowes ſo great, that it may not be omitted, or put off in no caſe?
A. No: for to the end that a greater and more neceſſarie Ier. 35. 9. 10. 11.duty may bee performed, a man may omit his vow for a time, and after returne to the obſeruation thereof, and yet be no 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 any houſe; and yet God witneſſeth, that their vow was not broken therby: ſo to help our neighbours in ſome preſent neceſſity, wee may Mat. 12. 7.ceaſe from any vowed duty at that time, and not ſin. Wherein the Papiſts greatly faile, who hauing vowed vnlawfully, yet think they may not intermit the ſame.
Q. If a man in vowing, doe not conſider ſufficiently of the greatneſſe of the matter, may be not breake that vow, if he hath not ſo aduiſedly made it?
A. No: the vow being otherwiſe lawfull; in this Pſal. 15. 4.caſe, his raſhneſſe is to bee repented, but the vow muſt be kept.
Q. What are we to learne of all this?
A. That we be aduiſed what we vow, and not after we hauehave made them, to find ſome ſtarting hole where to get out, but either let vsus not vow at all, or remember our vowes, and diligently performe them in their due time.