obligation), and after vows to make inquiry," seeking how he may
disengage himself the doing which is a folly offensive to God, as
the Preacher telleth us. "When," saith he, "thou vowest a vow unto
God, defer not to pay it; for He hath no pleasure in fools: pay
that which thou hast vowed." God will not admit our folly in vowing
as a plea for non-performance; He will exact it from us both as a
due debt, and as a proper punishment of our impious folly.

For instance, into what loss and mischief, what sorrow, what regret
and repentance, did the unadvised vow of Jephthah throw him; the
performance whereof, as St. Chrysostom remarketh, God did permit,
and order to be commemorated with solemn lamentation, that all
posterity might be admonished thereby, and deterred from such
precipitant swearing.


VII. Let us consider that swearing is a sin of all others
peculiarly clamorous, and provocative of Divine judgment. God is
hardly so much concerned, or in a manner constrained, to punish any
other sin as this. He is bound in honour and interest to vindicate
His name from the abuse, His authority from the contempt, His holy
ordinance from the profanation, which it doth infer. He is
concerned to take care that His providence be not questioned, that
the dread of His majesty be not voided, that all religion be not
overthrown by the outrageous commission thereof with impunity.

It immediately toucheth His name, it expressly calleth upon Him to
mind it, to judge it, to show himself in avenging it. He may seem
deaf, or unconcerned, if, being so called and provoked, He doth not
declare Himself.