BROKEN VOWS, AND BACKSLIDING.
By George I. Butler
In this age of backsliding it would be well for us to consider the causes which lead to it. No doubt these are very many. A backslidden state is one of the most dangerous into which humanity can fall. The sinner who has never tasted and found the Lord precious can often be more easily aroused to a sense of his danger than the cold backslider. The heart becomes callous and unfeeling through backsliding. The more we backslide the greater the effort required on our part to arouse, and the less feeling we have to seek God. Our ears become dull of hearing, our eyes sleepy, and our hearts worldly and gross, and religion loses its charms for us. We have a name to live, but we are spiritually dead. The religious world is largely in this condition. And, alas that we are forced to say it! thousands of Seventh-day Adventists are in the same state. A state of backsliding is a most wretched state in which to live. The non-professor may possibly find some pleasures in the world which afford a momentary gratification, though they are but little more satisfactory than the apples of Sodom, which, though beautiful without, are ashes within. Such pleasures never can satisfy the aching void in the human soul, which longs for something better than this world can give. The true Christian who lives in the enjoyment of God’s blessing has sweet peace of mind most precious indeed. He enjoys religion. I love that phrase, it is so expressive. The apostle expresses it most forcibly when he speaks of that “peace of God which passeth all understanding.” The Christian living in the light has the promise of God’s blessing in this world, and of a glorious home in the world to come. But the poor backslider, what happiness can he find? He knows something of the blessedness of religion, but has lost it. He lives in condemnation. A weight of sadness drags at his heart. He looks with longing at worldly pleasures, but hardly dares to enjoy them, and if he tries to do so condemnation seizes his soul. All his religious duties are drudgery to him, and yet he dares not wholly neglect them. He tries to keep up a show of religion to satisfy his conscience and meet the expectations of others. At times his soul hungers for something better, but he does not find within himself the energy necessary to reach it. He is like a man on the fence dreading to jump either way, and afraid to remain. A sad and wretched life is that of the backslider, and may God pity those who are living it. God often seems to leave men who have grieved his Spirit away in this condition a long time, to teach them an important lesson. He wants them to reach a higher platform, a more noble Christian life, and leaves them to feel the wretchedness of backsliding till they will see the need of God’s special help, and plead with him mightily for it. If they really do this, he will set their feet in a large place, and fill their hearts with courage and joy. It would be profitable for all backsliders to consider carefully the causes which have brought them into this sad condition. Broken vows, no doubt, would be found one potent cause of it. A vow is a solemn promise made to God, or in reference to something we will do in his service or for his cause. It is surprising how little regard many professing Christians show for the promises made to God; many seem never to think of them afterward. Such have read what the Scriptures say concerning vows with little attention. Let us consider some of the texts bearing on this subject. “If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, . . . he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.” Num. 30:2. And so sacred were vows regarded that if children or wives made them, and fathers or husbands knew of it and made no objection, they themselves as well as the others were bound by them. So the connection shows. “When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it; for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.” “That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform.” Deut. 23:21, 23. When we consider the many solemn promises which are made to God and broken with little thought, is it any wonder souls are stained with sin and God’s Spirit is withdrawn, till they are left for long periods in darkness and discouragement? Is there not a cause? And how could God give his Spirit to those who look upon their promises with so little care? He would be leading them to their own ruin should he bestow it under such circumstances. He withholds it till we see our sins and repent of them, and it is best that he should. Here is a precious promise to those who pay their vows: “Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the Most High; and call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Ps. 50:14, 15. God is pleased to have us make vows if we keep them. He makes this a stepping-stone to great blessings. “Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God.” Ps. 76:11. “I will go into thy house with burnt-offerings; I will pay thee my vows, which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.” Ps. 66:13, 14. How few there are in this world who imitate this noble example. They make solemn promises to God when in trouble and distress. He hears them, and gives them blessings, and prospers them. Then they forget all about their vows, and wonder why barrenness of soul has overtaken them. Had they been faithful to carry out these vows, they might have been full of light, and strong in God. The only course God can take to save such from final ruin is to leave them in distress till they shall see the sinfulness of such conduct, and repent of it heartily. “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools; pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel that it was an error. Wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?” Eccl. 5:4-6. This is a remarkable testimony. The sacred writer teaches that those who vow to God, and do not regard their vows, are “fools;” i. e., they act very foolishly; they bring sin on themselves by the words of their mouths; and the recording angel, who makes a record of our words and acts, records this transgression. It also teaches that when we excuse ourselves in the presence of the angel for this violation of our word, it causes him to be angry at such a course; it violates his high idea of justice to see those who profess to serve God pursue such a course,—a course which may result in their destruction, and will stand in the way of their prosperity. The same writer says, “It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make inquiry.” Prov. 20:25. That is, after we have made a solemn promise to God to do this or that, then to begin to question about it so as to avoid the performance of what we agreed to do, is a snare to our soul,—a snare of Satan into which many poor souls have fallen, that will be lost forever. God is a God of truth. He hates lying, deception, and falseness of every kind. When his professed people so far forget themselves and so mistake his character as to wholly disregard their solemn promises, with the impression that God cares very little for it, as little, perhaps, as they themselves, thus concluding that God is such as themselves, what can he do but withhold his blessing, or visit his judgments upon them to arouse these souls to a sense of the sinfulness of such conduct, and bring them to a better course. We cannot doubt that slackness in keeping our promises is one great cause of backsliding. God never changes in his character; hence all he has said concerning our vows to him stands just as it was written ages ago. But man is very changeable. At times when the importance of sacred things is set before the mind, he promises to do such and such things for God, and at the time he means it; but other scenes surround him, and his promise is forgotten. This course is pursued over and over again. God is very merciful; he does not inflict chastisement at once, and so this course results in a slow process of hardening the heart, benumbing the conscience, and perverting the mind, till tenderness is banished from us. We are then, in the full sense of the term, backsliders; and many times we wonder what is the cause of our backsliding. Other causes may be numerous, but here is one surely. We neglect our promises made in meeting. How many when they arise to speak commence with a confession of living far from God, but promise to live better lives, and be more faithful. Such testimonies are good, if only lived up to; but how many speak them who never consider them again till they speak the next time, and then they say about the same thing. This process must harden the conscience. We promise God in times of affliction and distress of mind, when we feel that we must have relief, and God often brings peace to our souls. Then we forget our sacred vows. How sad that we should do so; what blessings we might enjoy if we did not. We neglect the vows we make to the cause, our S. D. pledges and pledges to various enterprises connected with this great work. It is a cause of great regret that some among us pay but little regard to what they pledge, but we are glad that these are comparatively few. Such will not prosper in the Lord, and we know they do not usually prosper pecuniarily. Why should God bless them? Some, no doubt, through disappointment, find it almost impossible to fulfil their promises, but such should do the very best they can. Some violate vows made to leave off wrong habits, such as using tobacco or gratifying other depraved appetites. I know some who for years made solemn promises to quit such habits, who returned to them like the “dog to his vomit,” or the creature which was washed to the mire again. And yet they seem to regard it as a light matter. May God pity such, and rouse up their consciences to vigorous action before they shall be forever stilled into silence by the benumbing influence of narcotics. Such, indeed, are to be pitied, and so is every one who falls into a wrong course. But sins must be put away, and our vows must be regarded. This subject is a great one, too great for an article like this. Nearly all of us have come short in fulfilling the promises we have made to God. We suffer a great want for this, the want of God’s Spirit. We need a revival of genuine religion. How it would quicken all our activities, open our hearts, and strengthen us in our work. Let us look over our lives, take up the stumbling-blocks we have left in our tracks, “pay our vows to the Most High,” repent of our sins, and strive for a higher conversion. Appleton City, Mo., Feb. 5.