A09376:1545
A cloud of faithful witnesses, leading to the heavenly Canaan, or, A commentary upon…A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon…
A cloud of faithful witnesses, leading to the heavenly Canaan, or, A commentary upon the 11 chapter to the Hebrews preached in Cambridge by that godly, and judicious divine, M. William Perkins ; long expected and desired, and therefore published at the request of his executors, by Will. Crashawe and Tho. Pierson, preachers of Gods Word, who heard him preach it, and wrote it from his mouth.A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon the 11 chapter to the Hebrewes preached in Cambridge by that godly, and iudicious divine, M. William Perkins ; long expected and desired, and therefore published at the request of his executours, by Will. Crashawe and Tho. Pierson, preachers of Gods Word, who heard him preach it, and wrote it from his mouth.
London: printed by Humphrey Lownes for Leo. Greene, 1607London: printed by Humfrey Lownes for Leo. Greene, 1607
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Yet here some cases may be propounded, worthy our consideration. For first, what if a man have taken an oath to do an unlawful thing, must he then keep his oath? Ans. If his conscience tell him, out of Gods word, that the thing is not lawful, then he must not keep it; for, an oath may not be the bond of iniquity: the keeping of it is a doubling of the sin. David, in his anger, had sworn to slay Nabal, and all the men in his family, for denying relief unto his servants, 1. Sam. 25.22. This was a rash oath, and therefore afterward, when he was prevented by Abigails good counsel, he blesseth God for it, and breaks his oath which he had made, vers. 32.
Yet here some cases may be propounded, worthy our consideration. For first, what if a man haue taken an oath to doe an vnlawful thing, must he then keep his oath? Ans. If his conscience tell him, out of Gods word, that the thing is not lawful, then he must not keep it; for, an oath may not be the bond of iniquitie: the keeping of it is a doubling of the sin. Dauid, in his anger, had sworn to slay Nabal, and all the men in his family, for denying reliefe vnto his seruants, 1. Sam. 25.22. This was a rash oath, and therfore afterward, when hee was preuented by Abigails good counsell, hee blesseth God for it, and breakes his oath which hee had made, vers. 32.
Quest. 2. What if a man take an oath, and yet afterward in conscience doubts of the lawfulness of that which he hath sworn to do: what must be don in this case? Ans. So long as he doubteth, he must defer the performance of it. For, he ⟨p. 485⟩that doth a thing doubtingly, condemns himself in the thing he doth, because he doth it not of faith: and whatsoever is not of faith, is sin, Rom. 14.23.