Holiness, the Only Way to Happiness by Thomas Brooks

Author:Thomas Brooks
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Monergism Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

(5.) Fifthly, If ever you would be holy—then dwell much upon those solemn vows and covenants that you have formerly made in the days of your distress. Ah, how often have you—in the days of your calamity and misery, and in the days when sicknesses and weaknesses did hang upon you, and when the terrors of death were upon you—how frequently in those days did you solemnly vow and promise that, by the strength and assistance of the Lord—you would break off your sins by repentance, and that you would make it your greatest care, and your greatest business and work in this world, to mind holiness, and to press after holiness, and to give your souls no rest until you had experienced the power, excellency, and sweetness of holiness!

David by an oath bound himself to keep God's righteous judgments: Psalm 119:106, "I have sworn, and I will perform it—that I will keep your righteous judgments." A religious vow is nothing else but a solemn promise or oath, whereby a man engages himself to the great God—that he will decline such ways, means, and methods as lead to wickedness; and that he will set in good earnest upon the practice of all the ways and means of holiness—by the strength and assistance of divine grace.

So you have by many vows and promises engaged yourselves "to cast off the works of darkness, and to put on the armor of light," suitable to the apostle's exhortation, Romans 13:12. And as the people in Nehemiah's time did enter into a solemn oath to walk in God's law, and to observe and do all his commandments, Neh. 10:29—just so, you have in the times of your outward and inward distresses vowed to the Lord, that you would observe all his statutes, and walk in all his holy ways, and do all his righteous commandments. Job once made a covenant with his eyes—that he would not lustfully look upon a girl, Job 31:1-2; but how often have you made a covenant with your thoughts—that you would not think of vanity; and with your eyes—that you would not behold vanity; and with your ears—that you would not hear vanity; and with your tongues—that you would not speak vanity; and with your hearts—that you would not contrive vanity; and with your hands—that you would not act vanity.

Now your vows and your covenants are upon you, oh that you would not, with the immoral woman in the Proverbs, chapter 17, forget the covenant of your God! Oh, it is better ten thousand times not to vow, than to vow and not to pay, Eccles. 5:5. God can take no pleasure in such as are off and on with him, nor in such who are forward to vow—but make no conscience to pay their vows. These are fools in folio, and therefore God cannot but detest them, and turn his back upon them.

If good Jacob, who is called "the father of vows," was so backward to pay his vows,

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