being cross to his engagement, not a little aggravated; fo that in fome refpect each fault or failing exceedeth the other: the one is a greater fin confidered in itself, but the other is greater confidered complexly, 2. The man that engageth not, is more acceffory to his own falling, in refpect that he used not that mean to prevent it; yet the other, when fallen, is more guilty, in refpect of the breach of his engagement. 3. The man that will not engage bringeth himself under a neceffity of finning; for, if he perform not, he faileth twice, as is faid; if he perform, he faileth, because he engaged not when he was called to it: So his performing is not the performing of a vow to God, who requireth promifing in fome cafes at leaft, as well as performing. 4. The man that promifeth and voweth, and alfo performeth what he promised and vowed, his performing is fo much the more acceptable, as it proceedeth, not only from the awe of a command, but from a fpontaneous and free-will offering of it to God, and to is both obedience to a command, and the performance of a vow; for, thus, he choofeth obedience, as it is, Pfal. 119. 30. It is not fo with the other, whether he perform it or not; tho' we think, that God often letteth the man fall that will not engage, becaufe he faith by his refufal, that he trufteth not to God for the performance, otherwife he would engage and undertake on his account alfo: He faith withal, that he aimeth to perform, only because he cannot efchew it; and if he could fhake off, and be freed from that obligation to holinefs, that he would not, out of respect to God, or love to holiness, take on a new one. 5. The man that engageth not, finneth more inexcufably, in that he will not do that which is the leffer, and in his power. The lefs and more eafy a thing it be to promife and engage (as it is no doubt more cafy than to perform) the omiffion of it is the greater fin, and more inexcufable. The cafe is indeed, as to heathens, otherwife, who were never thus engaged, nor called to engage themfelves; but, unto chriftians, it will be no excufe.

If it be replied, That this is very hard; for then no ohri ftian will be free of perjury, nor have peace. Anfw. 1. I grant the cafe is hard, and the ftrait great; but it is fuch as Howeth from our own corruption, in this, as in other duties and parts of holiness: For, as the law is holy, juft and good, Rom. 7. and is not to be blamed as acceffory to our fin; fo the vow is holy, juft and good, and is not to be blamed, if

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in the circumftances right, because of our breach. 2. As Ì think, it is hard to keep ourselves free of fin, even againft light; fo I think, it is a difficulty to be kept free of this aggravation of fin, to wit, of committing it againft our engagements and therefore (as the manner of the people of God is) I think it fafeft to take with these aggravations of our finis, as chief parts of them (to speak fo) and to take them with the reft to Jefus Chrift, that we may obtain pardon of them thro' him; and to maintain our peace rather by often washing ourselves from the filth of breaking, than by pleading no breach at all. 3. Yer may chriftians (even as in other duties of holiness) in their vows and promifes to God, have peace, and fay, in a gofpel-fenfe, We have not turned back from thee, nor dealt falfly in thy covenant, as it is, Pfal. 44. 17, 18. which certainly implieth not abfolute holinefs, or exact performance of all the articles of the covenant; but that, (1.) In the great and main articles they were honest, and did not put another god in his room, to provoke him to jealoufy. (2.) That they intended truly the keeping of all, and faid nothing by their profeffion or engagements, which they minded not to perform. (3.) That they had fome teftimony as to what was paft, that they had in fome measure walked according to their engagements, and had left nothing undone, at leaft willingly, and with approbation of themfelves therein, that might have furthered them in keeping covenant, but had stuck to him in doing and fuffering honeftly. A man fincerely, and in the ftrength of grace, ftudying this, may attain to fuch a teftimony from his own confcience, and to a good measure of peace; yea, a man that may have quietnefs in his performing duty upon the account of other tyes, without engaging, may also come to have quietness in his engaging to it.

If then there be a neceffity to engage, it may be asked, How peace may be attained in it, and how we may be helped to perform? Anfw. 1. We fhould endeavour to be clear and quiet, as to the foundness of our bypast engagements, and of thefe we presently enter in, as to the motives, grounds, ends, and manner of engaging, that all be right there. (2.) If any thing be seen to be wrong, it fhould be taken with and mended, that we ufe no vows mainly to put by a challenge for the time, without any more of it. (3.) Ye fhould seriously mind thefe directions: 1. Forget not your vows and engagements;

145 gagements; be minding them often, and thinking of them, fo as they may never be forgotten, Fer. 50. 4, 5. 2. Defer not to pay them, Eccl. 5.4. Deut. 23.21. Delays make the impreffion of the weight of the vow, and of the dread of him to whom it is made, much to wear out; and taking liberty to be flack in paying of it, for, but for this once, or for a little while, is a direct breach of itself, and maketh way for more. 3. Keep in mind, and entertain fuch a frame of fpirit as ye were in when they were at firft made; fuch humility, tenderness, awe of God, &c. We often, alas! take on Vows in a good frame, to be on the matter a fort of excufe for us in letting fuch a frame go, or at leaft to cafe us a little for the time, as if engaging were performance; which is not the leaft part of the deceit of our hearts. 4. The per formance of the thing would be followed as it is undertaken to wit, in the ftrength of grace, and by vertue of life derived from Jefus Chrift, quickning and ftrengthning us both as promifing and performing. 5. We fhould be often confide= ring the fearfulness of the fin of breaking, and examining ourselves about our keeping of them; making breaches that are particularly obferved, the matter of confeffion to God, and of ferious repentance before him. If we would suffer these things to fink down deep in us as in the fight of God, this no doubt would make them have a quite other impreffion. 6. We should ftill keep the knot faft; and, if one promife of resolution seem to be loofed, we should forthwith caft_another; or, if one obligation given feem to be weakned, we fhould give another, that there may be ftill fome obligation ftanding over our heads; and following engagements, not formally, but foberly and seriously renewed, may be made ufe of to bind on the former upon us, and to make them more effectual: So fay they, Fer so. 4, 5. going, and weeping as they go, Come let us join ourselves unto the Lord in a pers petual covenant, never to be forgotten. This is to be underftood moftly, if not only, of private engagements as for publick folemn oaths and covenants, we neither find in scripture that they have been frequent, but on fome great and ve ry grave occafion; neither could they well be (fo great mul titudes engaging in them) without diminishing from the weight of them, and fo without wronging of God's name. 7. We fhould by no means fuffer breaches, tho never fo Imall, to ly long on, but fhould get us to the fountain with them,

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Com. them,as foul and lothfom,left they bring on more and greate Now then, try perjury and breach of vows and oaths t God; 1. In baptifm, which extendeth to engage profeffing believers to the mortification of fin, and to the ftudy of ho linefs as to both tables of the law, and to a conversation as cometh the gospel. 2. In and at communions, where i fame covenant is fealed. 3. In your oaths folemnly taken covenants. 4. In your more private engagements to Go and for him to others.

Befide these which are common, fome come under parti cular oaths and engagements by vertue of their ftations; a minifters, elders, magiftrates, for the faithful discharge of their refpective duties; fome by their relations, office and place; as husbands and wives each to other; as parents in reference to their children, to bring them up in the nurtur and admonition of the Lord, and in his fear: fome, by ver tue of their common trades and callings, have come under particular oaths to fuch and fuch incorporations, trades, & and fome on more particular occafions have come under en gagements: O look well what ye do, and have done; there will, I fear, many be found perjured, I do not here fpeak of every particular infirmity, but certainly there is fin again God, and perjury before him, which cannot eafily, if at al be interpreted fo with men; in which refpect, Mal. 2. the Lord condemned putting away an innocent wife, even tho't feemed to have a permiffion by law; in these things when me do not what they may do, or if there be yet more in their power than is done, or if the obligation of the oath on them awe them not, or weigh them not, it cannot but be a prof ning of the Lord's oath: Many, alas, according to their veral relations and ftations, are found guilty here, who h little or no awe of God on them in these things.

In fum, this command is broken these three ways in t ference to fuch engagements; (1.). In fhunning to make them when we are called to it. (2.) In not making then rightly. (3.) In not performing of them when made. And it bindeth, 1. Abfolutely, to many things which cann come within the compafs of ordinary infirmity. 2. T efchew all known finful deeds, as fwearing, and what may inductive to it, drunkenness, unlawful gaming, needlefs com tentions, &c. 3. To do all outward duties, as to read, hear pray, &c. 4 To do them as feriously as we may. 5. No

to ly in any feen or known fin here forbidden, nor to delay re pentance, tho' for never fo little a while; it dispenseth not a all here, because these are in our power, and, when we fail it is not out of ordinary infirmity.

Befide what is faid, there are yet two ways of taking or ufing the name of God, which are fib or of kin to oaths; the firft is that of appealing to God to judge, as David did, that God might judge betwixt him and perfecuting Saul, 1 Sam. 24. 12. the fecond is that of attefting God, thus, The Lord knoweth, God is my witness, "My witness is in heaven, &c. as Fob doth, Chap. 16. 19. and Paul, Rom. 1.9. These are lawful, when called unto and rightly gone about; but when abused in rafh, precipitant, paffionate appeals, or in unjust matter, as Sarah's was, Gen. 16. and in rash unneceffary at teftations, or in trifling matters, they are more than an ordi nary taking of God's name in vain, and therefore fhould ne ver lightly be interpofed and made use of.

The great breach of this command is Blasphemy, tho' per jury be most direct. That we may fee how this fin is fallen into, we fhall, 1. Define it. 2. Divide or diftinguish it which we fhall find to be exceeding broad. Blafphemy then a gainft God (as the word beareth) is a wronging of God's holy majefty by fome reproachful speeches or expreffions utte red to his difgrace; we fay uttered, because that which is in the heart is most part Atheism and Infidelity, and so belongeth to the first command.

Of this there are three forts, or there are three ways whereby men fall into it; 1. When any thing unbecoming God is in word attributed to him; as that he is unjuft, unholy, unmerciful, &c. fuch as that complaint, Ezek. 18. 25. The ways of the Lord are not equal. 2. When what is due to him is denied him; as when he is faid not to be Eternal, Omnifcient, Almighty, &c. as he was by proud Pharaob, and railing Rabbakeh in his mafter's name, who moft infolently talked at that high rate of blafphemy, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice? &c. Who is the Lord, that is able to deliver you out of my hand? Exod. 5. Ifa. 36. 18, 20% 3. When what is due to God is attributed to a creature, or ar fogated by a creature: thus the Jews charged Chrift as guilty of blafphemy, Luke 7. 49. and Fobr 10. 33. (fuppofing him to be a creature) because he forgave fins, and called himself GOD. Of this fort of blafphemy, as to fome degree of it,

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