STRICTURES ON ORDINATION VOWS. THE HE declarative glory of God in his church and in the world around it, and the everlasting falvation of multitudes, in the prefent and following ages, depending fo much upon the orthodoxy, faithfulness, and diligence of church-officers, particularly minifters, it is exceeding proper and neceffary that, at their entrance on their of fice, they fhould folemnly declare their real principles and their fincere refolutions with refpect to thefe, and their faithful execution of their office. It is, therefore, neceffary, that every expectant of fuch an office ought, timely and feriously, and with much fervent prayer to God for direction, to examine his own heart, qualifications, aims, and intentions, and alfo the contents of the folemn vow to which he is to enter; and no, not for thoufands of worlds, to acknowledge or engage to any thing which he knows, or even doubts to be falfe or unlawful, Jer. iv. 2. He ought to confider his vow, in its true nature, as an instituted ordinance of God's wor fhip, in which he not merely acknowledgeth the obliga tion of God's law, but binds himself to God with a bond binds his foul with a bond or binding oath, Numb. xxx. 2, 14. to neceflary duties required by the law law of God, or to other things, fo far and fo long as they may fitly conduce thereto, and to thefe, in fo far as he hath ground to hope in the ftrength of God's promised grace to perform them, CONFESS. XX. 6, 7. Without this apprehenfion of the nature of a vow he would moft deceitfully profane that folemn ordinance of God, and attempt to impofe upon all concerned, in apparently bringing an obligation on himself, while he intended no fuch thing, or rather intended the contrary. A vow being made to God himself, neither the congregation nor judicatory concerned in it have power to abfolve the vower from his engagements, Pfalm lxxvi. 11. and Ivi. 12. Judg. xi. 35. No human agreement can loofe him from his ftation or any part of his duty; but as God, in his providence, proceeds in fo doing by his providence, Every vow that is impofed, as well as an oath, is to be taken in the plain and common meaning of the words as then used in the place where it is taken, Confeff. xxii. 4. Jer. iv. 2. Pfal. xxiv. 4. Numb. xxx. 2. Judg. xi. 35, 36. Though, therefore, the vower's precedent declaration be, that he doth not take any part of a vow in a sense which he or others had, through mistake, affixed to the words, yet, no intention or declaration of either difpenfer or enterer into the vow will avail to free the latter from being bound to every thing to which the words, in their common meaning, do extend. Without adhering to this maxim, oaths and vows would be mere profane diffimulation, and ufelefs fnares for mens confciences. As the Seceders profefs themfelves witneffes for Christ's neglected and oppofed truths, thankful for his fingular fingular favours, and mourners over the feveral backflidings from our once attained and covenanted reformation, it is proper that ordination vows among them' fhould include a fummary declaration of truths profeffed, and adherence to all the branches of that once attained and covenanted reformation, and engagement to profecute the fame in the station of officers in the church. Agreeably to which, the queftions of their formula are framed. I. In our affirmative anfwer to question firft, we folemnly declare, that we fincerely believe and candidly acknowledge, that the fcriptures of the Old and New Teftament are the word of God, and only rule of faith and manners: That is, that we believe and acknowledge, (1.) That these scriptures were endited by the Spirit of God, as their alone Author, and that, by his inspiration, he not only directed the pennen to the important truths which they contain, but to the proper words in which they are expreffed. (2.) That, being thus endited by the Spirit of God, they are an abfolutely perfect rule of our faith and practice. Their whole authority, either as the foundation and measure of our faith, and as the rule and reafon of our duty, in qualities, aims, thoughts, words, or deeds, being from God only, they must fo fully and completely exhibit every thing which is to be believed or practifed, in order to promote the declarative glory of God and our eternal enjoyment of him, that nothing can either be added to or taken from them; and they must be so plain, that every humble and diligent fearcher of them, by the gracious direction of the Holy Ghost, may apprehend every thing neceffary to be known to his pre fent By sent and future happiness, 2 Tim. iii. 15,-17. (3) That they are the only rule of faith and manners. this we do not exclude the direction or obligation of the law of nature, or even of civil laws, or ecclefiaftical conftitutions, with respect to their proper objects, but only exclude them from being the foundation of our faith and the obedience of it, by which alone we truly glorify God, and receive the eternal enjoyment of him. We profess that, as Christians, we receive the scriptures as our only immediate rule, as well as our only fufficient rule, and that we receive the laws and conftitutions of men, and even the law of nature, as, and no farther than as they are adopted by the fcripture; and, thus, our obedience to thefe becomes an obedience of faith, and part of our good converfation in Chrift, 1 Pet. ii. 13,-17. and iii. 8,-16. (4.) That the fcriptures are the only rule of faith and practice, precifely as they have authority from God, and contain his mind and meaning; and not as authorised, explained, or understood by the churchfathers, councils, or mens own confcience. To admit the fcriptures as deriving authority or meaning from any of thefe, debafeth them, as if God had not, or could not give authority or proper meaning to his own word fo well as men. It exalts creatures to an equality, or rather fuperiority to God. It abolifheth every real ftandard of religion, and renders mens apprehenfions, concerning the oracles of God, their only rule. These oracles, as differently understood, become a standard of Popery, Proteftancy, Arianifm, Socinianifin, Arminianism, Calvinism, Neonomianifm, Antinomianifm, Anthropomorphitifm, &c. It renders every vow relative to reli gion a mere useless farce of diffimulation. It plunges men into the very depths of Atheism, in which every one believes and acts as is right in his own eyes. Nevertheless, this is the principle which makes multitudes to be fo zealous for a rejection of all human creeds and confeffions, and an adherence to the fcriptures, as the fole test of orthodoxy.-In this affirmative answer we folemnly engage, that, through the grace of God enabling us, (1.) We fhall continue to believe, acknowledge, profess, and maintain, that these scriptures of the Old and New Teftament are endited by God's holy Spirit, and, as fuch, are the only foundation of our faith in Christ, and rule to direct us to glorify God and enjoy him for ever, 1 Theff. ii. 13. (2.) We shall fincerely and earnestly endeavour to receive, love, delight in, fearch, and improve these fcriptures, as the only rule and foundation of our faith, and the only rule and reason of our practice, 2 Theff. ii. 10. with Pfal. cxix. Deut. xii. 32. (3.) We shall make the authority and meaning of God himself in his word, the only foundation and standard of our faith and practice, and not any authority or meaning affixed to them by either councils, fathers, ministers, magiftrates, or our own conscience. (4.) We fhail hold ourselves bound by the lawful conftitutions and laws of the church to which we belong, and fhall yield obedience to them as originating from, fubordinated to, and adopted by the law of God, revealed in his word. II. In our affirmative answer to queflion fecond, we declare, That we fincerely believe and acknowledge the WHOLE doctrine contained in the Weftminster Confeffion of Faith, and of the Larger and Shorter Cate |