H DISCOURSE XVI. PSALM lxvi. latter part. I will pay thee my Vows. 業 AVING finifh'd the three firft Questions and Anfwers of the Catechifm, containing both the Privileges and the Conditions of the Baptifmal Covenant; I fhall go on in this, to the Fourth Question and Answer, contain'd in these words: Doft thou think that thou art bound to believe and do as they have promis'd for thee? To which the Answer is, Les verily, and by God's help fo I will; and 1 heartily thank our Heavenly Father, who hath called me to this State of Salvation thro' Fefus Chrift; and I pray unto God to give me his Grace, that I may continue in the fame to my Life's end. In this Question, the Child that was baptiz'd in his Infancy is ask'd in his proper Years, concerning his Sense of that Vow which was made by others in his behalf, and whether he takes himself to be bound by it. In answer to which, three things are return'd by him. First, A folemn Recognition of the Vow, owning the Obligation of it, together with a Promise and Refolution (by God's help) of performing it, in those words; yes verily, and by God's help fo I will. Secondly, A grateful Acknowledgment and Commemoration of the invaluable Bleflings receiv'd thereby; in those words, And I heartily thank our Heavenly Father, who hath called me to this State, &c. Thirdly, An affectionate Prayer to God for his Grace and Affiftance, to perfevere in it to the laft; in those words, And I pray unto God to give me his Grace, that I may continue in the fame to my Life's end. Thefe being all weighty and important Matters, must be particularly handled. I begin, First, With the folemn Recognition made by Children in their riper Years, of that Baptifmal Vow which was entred into by others in their behalf in their Infancy; in which they own the Obligation, and declare their Refolution of performing it, in those words, Yes verily, and by God's help fo I will. Where the word verily reprefents the Purity, and by God's help, the Piety of their Intention. Of this I fhall treat at this time from these words of the Pfalmift, Iwill pay thee my Vows. For the better handling whereof, I must enquire, I. Into the Nature of a Vow, and fhew what it is. I. To understand the Nature of a Vow, you must note, that all Engagements are made either to God or Men. An Engagement made to Man, is properly call'd a Promife, which if it be under Hand and Seal, and attefted by the Witness of Men, is ftyl'd a Bond; if confirm'd by calling in God to witnefs, it is truly an Oath. But an Engagement made to God as the Party, is properly a Vow; which may be defin'd to be a religious Act, whereby a Man engages himself to God, to perform fomething that is lawful and honeft; where 'tis ftyl'd a religious Act, because 'tis made to God, and is part of that Homage and Service we owe to him. We find in the holy Scriptures many Commands and Directions about Vows; when they are to be made, and how to be paid. David bids us to vow unto the Lord, and to take care to pay it, Pfal. 6. 11. and Solomon wills not to defer the Payment of them, Ecclef. 5. Vows are indeed an Acknowledgment of the Power and Goodness of God; they are directed to him as the Party, they tend to his Glory, and proceed from a Sense of that Homage and Duty we owe him, and must therefore be a religious Act. Next, Tis faid to be a religious Act, in which we engage ourfelves to God; and this diftinguishes it both from a Promife and an Oath for a Promife is made to Men and one another, but a Vow is made only to God; and in an Oath God is call'd in as a Witnefs, but in a Vow God is made a Party; we fwear by him, but we vow to him. Moreover, "Tis added, that in a Vow we engage unto God fomething that is lawful and honeft: this fhews us the Matter of a Vow, which being directed unto God, must be always fomething that is both lawful and laudable. Nothing that is finful or trivial is to be vow'd to him; for a Vow ties always to Performance, and therefore the Matter of it must be fuch as may be lawfully and fitly done. From the Explication of the Nature, I proceed, II. To confider, what is more to our purpose, the Obligation of a Vow; and this is of all things the most facred and inviolable, becaufe 'tis immediately made to God. A Promife made to Men obliges to Performance, by virtue of the Command of God; an Oath carries a higher Obligation, by reafon of the Teftimony of God, which is call'd in to back it: but a Vow has the highest Obligation of all, becaufe God is immediately concern'd in it, and 'tis particularly directed to himfelf. To falfify with Men, is a vile piece of Fraud and Deceit; but to prove falfe to our Maker, is the very height of Impiety: and therefore we find this Bond of a Vow and an Oath too, tied most strictly upon us by God himself, Numb. 30. 2. If a Man vow a Vow unto the Lord, or fwear an Oath to bind his Soul with a Bond, he ball not break his Word, he shall do according to all that proceeded out of his Mouth. Where God Almighty lays a ftrict Obligation on all Men to perform their Vows: he has made it a Bond that is not to be broken, and has tied our Heart and our Hands to make good all that thus comes out of our Mouth. Yea, we find not only many ftrict Precepts to convince us of the Duty, but many pious Examples too in facred Writ, to excite our Imitation, Solomon bids us to vow unto the Lord, and not to defer to pay it, Ecclef. 5. David wills us to offer unto God Thanksgivings, and to pay our Vows to the Lord, Pfal. 50. And for himfelf, he tells us his Refolution in the Text, of paying his Vows unto the Lord; and elfewhere, I will pay my Vows in the fight of all that fear him, Pfal. 22. Fonah declares, All that I have vow'd will I pay unto the Lord, Jonah 2. 9. And great reafon for it too, for a Vow lays a Debt upon every one that makes it, and natural Juftice as well as Gratitude very ftrongly obliges them to pay it. But if we add to this, the great Benefit that accrues from obferving this Act of Juftice, together with the extreme Danger of the contrary, it will appear to be, not only only the greatest Falfhood, but the groffeft Folly to withhold it. And this will lead me to confider, III. The Obligation of the Baptifmal Vow, together with the Recognition that the baptiz'd Party is here taught to make of it. This is that folema Engagement we all entred into at our entrance upon Chriftianity, which we are all to mind and make good in the whole Courfe of our Lives: "Tis that facred Bond whereby we have bound ourselves to God, which we are not to break or unloofe, but to do according to all that has proceeded out of our Mouth. And here we may observe, 1. The great Goodness of God in accepting the Vow and Stipulation of others in the behalf of Infants, before they are able to do it for themselves. To be in Covenant with God, is the fole Foundation of all our Happiness; for thereby alone, God becomes our God, and we become his People; which is that which only entitles us to his Favour and the Mercies of the Gofpel. Now that Children might not be excluded out of this Covenant; or depriv'd of the Privileges of it, for their Inability to promife for themfelves the Conditions requir'd in it; God is graciously pleas'd to accept the Engagement of others in their ftead, and to admit them into the Church, upon the Faith of their Parents and the Promises of their Sureties. This is an Inftance of his fatherly Care and Tenderness to poor Infants, to confider their Impotence, and to affift their Weakness, and to receive them to Favour upon a vicarious Stipulation, till they are able to renew and make one of their own. Out of the Church there is ordinarily no Salvation, and therefore that Infants may be put into the way that leads to it, they are receiv'd into it by others undertaking that for them which they cannot do for themfelves; by which means they are taken into the Church before they leave the World, and we may presume of their Salvation, tho they die in their Infancy: which is no fmall Security to Children, and may be no fmall Comfort to their Parents. But tho the Mercy of God allows this to be done for them in their Infancy, to render them capable of Admiffion into the Covenant, yet when they grow up to Years of Underftanding, they are to undertake that in their own Perfons which others engag'd in their behalf: for tho he difpenfe with fome impoffible Terms while they remain fo, and will not exact from them what is not in their power to I 4 per perform; yet as foon as they become poffible, that is, when they come to Years of Difcretion, they justly may, and are expected from them. And this will lead me to obferve, 2. The Wifdom and Piety of the Church, in exacting this Recognition from them, and bringing Children to take that upon themselves in their riper Years, which others promis'd for them in their Infancy. In this Queftion of the Catechifm, which every baptiz'd Child is requir'd to learn and repeat in the Church, 'tis ask'd, Doft thou think that thou art bound to believe and do as thy Sureties promis'd for thee? To which they are taught to answer, res verily, and by God's help fo I will. Where, as the Church in God's ftead exacts this Acknowledgment from them, fo do they, in the Prefence of God and the Congregation, publickly own and declare their Affent and Confent to it; which muft lay a mighty Obligation upon them ever after, to obferve and perform the Conditions of this Baptifmal Covenant. Indeed, before and without this Vow, we all stand oblig'd by our Creation, to love, honour and obey our Maker; but yet this folemn Vow ties the Obligation the ftronger upon us, and this publick Acknowledgment of it faftens it yet more, and makes it a threefold Cord, which Solomon tells us is not easily broken. This is a plain Inftance of the Church's great Care for the Salvation and Happiness of all its Members; not only receiving them to all the Privileges of the New Covenant, but likewife letting them know the Duties and Conditions annex'd to them, requiring their Affent and Confent to them, and by all good Means faftning the Obfervance and Obligation upon them. Moreover, this fhould engage Parents, not only to teach. their Children the Catechifm, but to bring them to say it before the Minifter, that they may make this open and free Acknowledgment of their Vow, for the good Influence it may have upon their Lives; and Parents fhould often put their Children in mind of this publick Recognition, which may perhaps prove a Spur to Virtue, and a Curb from many a Vice. But this is not all; for the more effectual Performance of this Vow, Children are here taught, 3. To declare their Purpofe and Refolution of keeping it: The words, Yes verily, declare their owning and acknow ledging |