ease in knowledge
of the party under its obligation. An imperfect vow, on account of its
imperfection, would require correction. The least discovery of
imperfection in such, should lead to its improvement. Correct views of a
vow, as altogether wrong, should lead to its abandonment, or a total
reconstruction of it. To engage absolutely to perform any act, is not
obligatory. It is only when the Lord will, that even duty can be done,
and a vow should be made to perform it, only if he will enable.
Moreover, it is only what he requires that should be done, whether vowed
or not. Accordingly, a Covenant engagement, in which there is promised
more than what is dutiful, is not lawful. In order to lead to duty
alone, an engagement by vow should be made. It is alike foreign to the
nature and to the end of a covenant, for those who enter into it to make
their engagement independently of a reference to circumstances that may
be unforeseen. Not to vow to engage in duty is evil. To vow to
accomplish an act, whether it may be found afterwards to be sinful or
not, is also evil. To vow to do what appears to be dutiful, instead of
committing to a given course, independently of the light of duty that
may break in, is rather to engage to the use of means to discover
whether or not the performance vowed be lawful, and to the duty that may
be obvious at the period of fulfilment, and which, in that season, ought
to be done.

FOOTNOTES:

[228] Job xli. 4

[229] Deut. xxix. 21.

[230] 1 Kings xi. 11.

[231] Ps. cv. 8-10.

[232] Ex. xxxiv. 28.

[233] Deut. iv. 23.

[234] Ps. cxix. 44.

[235] Eph. v. 29.

[236] Ps. xviii. 3.

[237] Lam. iii. 40.

[238] Ps. lxxvii. 12.

[239] Ps. cxix. 15, 16.

[240] Ps. lv. 16, 17.

[241] Ps. cxix. 62, 63.

[242] Ps. cxlv. 1, 2.

[243] Ps. v. 7.

[244] Ps. cxxxviii. 1, 2.

[245] 1 Cor. vii. 31.

[246] Rom. vi. 12, 13.

[247] Ps. xviii. 1.

[248] Jas. iv. 8.

[249] Ps. lxxviii. 37.

[250] 1 Cor. xv. 58.

[251] Luke xix. 12-27.

[252] Confess. xxii. 7.

[253] Gal. vi. 10.

[254] Ps. lxviii. 6. Ps. cvii. 41.

[255] Jer. xxxi. 1.

[256] Jer. x. 25.

[257] Deut. xxix. 18.

[258] Eph. v. 21, 22, 25.

[259] Deut. vi. 6, 7.

[260] Ps. lxxviii. 2-7.

[261] Col. iii. 23. See also ver. 18-21.

[262] 1 Pet. ii. 17.

[263] Eph. vi. 5-9.

[264] Ps. xlvii. 7.

[265] 2 Kings xi. 17.

[266] 1 Pet. ii. 13, 14.

[267] Josh. i. 8.

[268] Rom. xiii. 4.

[269] Exod.