Finally. Covenanting does not shackle inquiry. It is a wrong interpretation of the words, "It is a snare after vows to make inquiry," that represents them as condemning every endeavour made, after vowing, to increase in knowledge, even in reference to the vow. The passage would seem only to designate as sinful, the practice of endeavouring to make inquiry, for the purpose of evading an engagement made by a vow of a lawful nature. Were a vow perfect, it would not need revisal, and would therefore be altogether independent of the increase in knowledge of the party under its obligation. An imperfect vow, on account of its imperfection, would require correction. The least discovery of imperfection in such, should lead to its improvement. Correct views of a vow, as altogether wrong, should lead to its abandonment, or a total reconstruction of it. To engage absolutely to perform any act, is not obligatory. It is only when the Lord will, that even duty can be done, and a vow should be made to perform it, only if he will enable. Moreover, it is only what he requires that should be done, whether vowed or not. Accordingly, a Covenant engagement, in which there is promised more than what is dutiful, is not lawful. In order to lead to duty alone, an engagement by vow should be made. It is alike foreign to the nature and to the end of a covenant, for those who enter into it to make their engagement independently of a reference to circumstances that may be unforeseen. Not to vow to engage in duty is evil. To vow to accomplish an act, whether it may be found afterwards to be sinful or not, is also evil. To vow to do what appears to be dutiful, instead of committing to a given course, independently of the light of duty that may break in, is rather to engage to the use of means to discover whether or not the performance vowed be lawful, and to the duty that may be obvious at the period of fulfilment, and which, in that season, ought to be done. FOOTNOTES: [228] Job xli. 4 [229] Deut. xxix. 21. [230] 1 Kings xi. 11. [231] Ps. cv. 8-10. [232] Ex. xxxiv. 28. [233] Deut. iv. 23. [234] Ps. cxix. 44. [235] Eph. v. 29. [236] Ps. xviii. 3. [237] Lam. iii. 40. [238] Ps. lxxvii. 12. [239] Ps. cxix. 15, 16. [240] Ps. lv. 16, 17. [241] Ps. cxix. 62, 63. [242] Ps. cxlv. 1, 2. [243] Ps. v. 7. [244] Ps. cxxxviii. 1, 2. [245] 1 Cor. vii. 31. [246] Rom. vi. 12, 13. [247] Ps. xviii. 1. [248] Jas. iv. 8. [249] Ps. lxxviii. 37. [250] 1 Cor. xv. 58. [251] Luke xix. 12-27. [252] Confess. xxii. 7. [253] Gal. vi. 10. [254] Ps. lxviii. 6. Ps. cvii. 41. [255] Jer. xxxi. 1. [256] Jer. x. 25. [257] Deut. xxix. 18. [258] Eph. v. 21, 22, 25. [259] Deut. vi. 6, 7. [260] Ps. lxxviii. 2-7. [261] Col. iii. 23. See also ver. 18-21. [262] 1 Pet. ii. 17. [263] Eph. vi. 5-9. [264] Ps. xlvii. 7. [265] 2 Kings xi. 17. [266] 1 Pet. ii. 13, 14. [267] Josh. i. 8. [268] Rom. xiii. 4. [269] Exod. xviii. 21, 22. [270] 2 Sam. xxiii. 3. [271] Ps. xciv. 20.