The plea of the poor. Or A treatise of beneficence and alms-deeds teaching how…The plea of the poore. Or A treatise of benificence and almes-deeds teaching how…

Yea but the husband hath such authority over his wife, that though, in the time of the law she should make a vow unto God, to consecrate any thing unto his service, it was in his power to disannul and make it void. To which I answer ¹that vows were either of things absolutely commanded, or of things indifferent, either in their ⟨p. 117⟩own nature, or in respect of circumstances; the former vows are nothing else, but the renewing of the general vow which we made unto God in baptism, as the Jews in the sacrament of circumcision, and such no power of man can make void and disannul. But these are improperly called vows, being nothing else but duties which we are absolutely bound to perform, & are not at all left at our choice. But the other sort of vows which are of things indifferent, at the pleasure of the wife, may be made void by the authority of the husband; and of these that place in the law is to be understood. For example if the wife vow unto God, that she will bestow some part of her goods in doing works of mercy, the Husbands authority cannot make it void, because God himself hath required it; but if she vow that she will give such and so great a sum to these uses, the husband by his authority may disannul it, when as it is more then his estate will well bear, or that it is otherwise unfit in respect of other circumstances, being wisely and religiously considered.