The law unsealed

3. If you intend indeed to perform these duties, then ye may engage to do so; but if ye will not so much as Promise and engage to do them, it cannot be expected in reason that ye will do them; especially considering that even these who honestly promise and engage, do yet notwithstanding, find a great difficulty to do and perform. O take heed that you be not, by your refusing to engage, making a ⟨p. 96⟩back-door for your selves to go out from your duty, that so you may the more easily, and with the less challenge, shift it.

3. If you intend indeed to perform these duties, then ye may ingage to do so; but if ye will not so much as Promise and engage to do them, it cannot be expected in reason that ye will do them; especially considering that even these who honestly promise and ingage, do yet notwithstanding, find a great difficulty to do and perform. O take heed that you be not, by your refusing to engage, making a ⟨p. 96⟩back-door for your selves to go out from your duty, that so you may the more easily, and with the less challenge, shift it.

If it be yet said, that the sin of simple omitting the duty, is less then the omitting of it after engagements and Vows to the contrary. Answ. 1. It is not so to a Christian, who is called to engage himself: yea, who by Baptism is already engaged; for 1. The man that neither engageth to do, nor doth the duty, faileth twice, whereas he that engageth and performeth not, faileth but once: though that once failing, is, by its being cross to his engagement, not a little aggravated; so that in some respect each fault or failing exceedeth the other: the one is a greater sin considered in it self, but the other is greater considered complexly. 2. The man that engageth not, is more accessory to his own falling, in respect that he used not that mean to prevent it; yet the other when fallen, is more guilty, in respect of the breach of his engagement. 3. The man that will not engage, bringeth him elf under a necessity of fining; for if he perform not, he faileth twice, as is said; 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 promising, in some cases at least, as well as performing. 4. The man that Promiseth and Voweth, and also performeth what he Promised and Vowed, his performing is so much the more acceptable, as it proceedeth not only from the awe of a Command, but from a spontaneous and free-will offering of it to God, and so is both Obedience to a Command, and the performance of a Vow; for thus, he chooseth obedience, as it is