"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. But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?" Ps. l, 14–16.
The subject we have selected for our remarks is one that certainly has an application to us; for there is probably not one within the sound of my voice, who has come to the years of understanding, who has not made vows to God. In all probability many of those vows are yet unpaid. This language comes home to us with most solemn force—"Pay thy vows."
A vow is a solemn promise to God of doing some good thing. In ancient times a vow was considered very sacred. It was looked upon as a heinous offense not to perform that which one had vowed. When a person had vowed a righteous vow, there was no release for him from that vow. Lev. xxvii, 28, 29. Although, after they had promised the Lord to bestow some of their flocks, or substance, they might seek to be released from that vow, there was no release. If they failed to fulfill such vows, they not only sinned, but the thing vowed was either by force applied as they had vowed, or killed. This sin of failing to pay their vows is probably that to which the wise man refers when he says, "It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, (consecrated by solemn vow,) and after vows to make enquiry." That is, if a person should make a solemn promise to bestow a certain amount upon the cause of the Lord, and after such promise bestow it for his own selfish ends, and then begin to inquire into the justness of his vow, he would be ensnared.
It did not seem to be a sin not to vow; but when a vow was made, it was a sin not to perform. "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. But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee." Deut. xxiii, 21, 22. Again, we read, "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," &c. Eccl. v, 4–6. From this text we understand that it is no sin to refrain from making vows; but it was playing the fool with the Lord to withhold the paying of a vow after having made it. A person who refrained from vowing was somewhat like one who refrains from complying with the plan of salvation offered in the gospel. If they strictly conform to the conditions of offered pardon, they may obtain pardon; but if they fail to comply with these conditions, they deprive themselves of that pardon, and at last they must die. Not for failing to get pardon, but for their sins. Their sin does not consist simply in failing to obtain a pardon; but in failing to obtain a pardon they place themselves where their sins must fall upon their own heads. So with vows; the sin does not consist in not making vows, that is left optional with us. But if we make vows, when we fail to meet them it is a sin.
We have made vows which are not yet paid, and this testimony speaks to us: "Pay thy vows, . . . and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." Here is a precious promise of being kept in the day of trouble; but its conditions are: "Pay thy vows, . . . and call upon me." Whether David penned this Psalm especially for this time or not, we cannot say; but it surely teaches that the Lord will not hear in the day of trouble those who call upon him, while their vows are still unpaid. We expect a "time of trouble such as never was," when nothing but the hand of the Lord can protect us. Do any wish to secure the favor of the Lord in that time? They must now pay their vows unto the Most High. This language reminds us of that in Ps. xci, 9, 10, "Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High thy habitation, there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." This promise of being kept during the plagues, is because the Most High has been our habitation. To make him our habitation we must be living in that manner that it can be said of us that we abide in the Father and the Son. John xiv, 23. This can only be said of those who share largely of God's Spirit. "Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his29Spirit." 1 John iv, 13.
It requires complete consecration to God to fit us for that time of trouble. The Lord says, "Pay thy vows, . . . and call upon me, I will hear thee." This reminds us of a peculiar promise of the prophet Malachi. "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Although this may have been written with reference to the tithing of the flocks and herds, yet, even then, it would represent that work which is to be accomplished by us in offering our sacrifices of a broken and a contrite spirit, and paying all our vows to God. "Bring in all the tithes," or, in other words pay all thy vows. Fulfill all thy promises that thou hast made to the Lord to serve him, and sustain his work, and prove me now herewith. Test the Lord's promise. See if the Lord is not as good as his word, if we comply on our part. See if he will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. This pouring out of God's blessing doubtless refers to the "latter rain" of God's Spirit, when, as the Lord has said by Joel, "I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh," &c. If we would share in these blessings, we must bring in all the tithes, or pay our vows.
Our vows, if really accepted of the Lord, are of the most solemn character; even more so than those of ancient times. Their vows were heard by human witnesses, and if there was any failure in paying them the testimony of these witnesses was to have an important bearing in the final settlement of the case. Our vows are not left simply to human witness; but the Lord himself is witness in a special sense. When we vow, a solemn promise is made on our part to do that which we believe the Lord is requiring of us. If our vows are made in sincerity of heart, the Lord approbates, and shows that he accepts our vows by letting his Holy Spirit rest down upon us. Thus we are brought into covenant with the Lord. We on our part, are to fulfill our vows, and the fulfillment of this condition will secure to us a continuance of God's favor.
Our vows are made under various circumstances. Sometimes when the hand of affliction rests upon us; but always, if made considerately, when we want to secure the favor of the Lord, and the smiles of his countenance. The very fact that the Lord lets his Spirit rest upon us when we make our solemn vows, is evidence that he accepts those vows. Are not our vows written in heaven? We are to be judged out of those things which are written in the books, according to our works. What a solemn thought! Our vows are all recorded, and we are being rapidly borne on to the time when we must meet the Judge in our own persons! Shall we meet him over a record of broken promises? Or will we now pay our vows?
A solemn vow was made by you at your conversion. You solemnly pledged to the Lord that you would strictly obey him. The Lord accepted your confession, and your vow, and let his Spirit, like the gentle dew, settle down upon you. Have you lived up to those solemn promises? If you have not I would entreat you in the name of the Lord, "Pay thy vows unto the Most High."
When you saw the light of the Third Angel's Message, its solemn truths found a large place in your heart. You looked upon it as the last message of mercy to man, and felt awful solemnity in view of the time in which we live. While thus feeling the force of truth, under the vividness of first impressions, what solemn vows were made by you that you would ever honor the cause you had espoused, and show by your lives that you believed the Third Angel's Message. Where are those vows you then made? Oh! says one, I do not feel now as I did then. But is the truth any less powerful now than then? If you do not feel as you did then, is not the fault in yourself? If you have lost your feeling, do not be afraid to look back and search up your vows. "Pay thy vows unto the Most High," and see if, when you live out the truth as you vowed to do it, if you will not feel all the force of truth on your heart you ever felt.
But still other vows have been made by you that have not been paid. After embracing the Third Angel's Message, perhaps you did not see things move on as rapidly as you expected, and some began to throw off the watch, and settle down into carelessness and a general stupor, which was broken by the proclamation of the testimony to the Laodiceans. As this was proclaimed, it was set home in power by the Spirit of God upon our hearts. All felt constrained to say "It describes our condition exactly." When the rebuke of the Lord was given, "Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth," what zeal and earnestness seemed for a time to be manifested among the people of the Lord. Each feared to tarry lest he should be spued out of his mouth. Brethren, you who were striving to follow the truth then, let your minds run back and meditate upon the solemn vows you made. Did not you with fasting and weeping vow unto the Lord that you would open your heart, that you would leave the world, that you would live out the solemn truth? Think of these things, and remember that all those vows are written in heaven, and that we soon must meet them unless we pay them.
When the Laodicean message was given, we thought surely the message of the third angel would soon go forth with a loud cry. All that were not zealous the Lord will spue out of his mouth. Indeed, the message did look like one calculated to fit up God's people to engage more heartily in his work. More than two years have passed since that message was first given. Some who then manifested much zeal have fallen. Others, who were indifferent, have since been awakened to a sense of their danger, and begin to manifest zeal in the cause of the Lord. The Lord's ways are not our ways, and we should in this remember that the longsuffering of our God is salvation.
When the Lord gives solemn truths to men, a space of time is granted for them to develop character. We supposed the spueing out was immediately to come; but character must first be developed. Some were then stirred by the zeal of others. God is weighing his people. Now is the time in which there is the most danger. Will any remain stupid? The Lord will not always bear with them. His work will shortly be revived more powerfully, and the lukewarm will be spued out of his mouth. Brethren, let us not tarry here; but search up, and renew all these vows, and pay them unto the Most High.
Since the testimony of the true Witness has been proclaimed, as we have felt from time to time our danger, and have been made to understand that we were entering the great shaking time, and that many of us were liable to be shaken out unless we were more zealous, how many of us have made solemn vows that we would be more in earnest, and we have felt to cry with God's servants, "Spare thy people O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach."
The promise of the Lord is, to those who pay their vows. "I will hear thee, and thou shalt glorify me." The Lord is glorified in our bearing much fruit. John xv, 8. Except we abide in the vine (Christ) we cannot bring forth fruit. Verse 4. We can know that we abide in him by the witness of his Spirit in our hearts. 1 Jno. iv, 12. His Spirit we shall obtain if we pay all our vows unto the Most High. In verse 15 [read 16] the Psalmist says, "But unto the wicked God saith, what hast thou to do to declare my statutes?" &c. It seems from this that God's people are to pay their vows, that they may get fitted up to declare the Lord's statutes and preach his truth. It is not by might nor power, that the Lord's work is to be accomplished, but "by my Spirit." This view of the subject leads David to say in the next Psalm, [li, 10–13,] "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee." If the Lord's Spirit helps to preach, the truth will take effect. God's servants need a fresh unction from on high, and the Spirit to set home the truth upon the hearts of those who hear. Oh let us strive more earnestly to get the joys of the Lord's salvation. Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost? God's Spirit will fill our hearts, if we defile not the temple. If we are the channels through which light is to be given to the world, how important that these channels be kept free; that we be filled with the Spirit; that our cups may run over, and others share of the Lord's salvation.
Brethren, throw open the flood-gates, and let the Spirit fill your hearts. You have longed to see the truth spreading and have thought where an effort was being made to get the truth before the people, if this or that gift was there, the people would move. Brethren, rather pray, Oh Lord let thy free Spirit uphold thy servants, and speak through them to the hearts of men. When the Lord speaks through his servants, preaching is effectual. And unless the Lord's Spirit is in the work, the words of your best speakers will not move the people. Let us, then, no longer grieve away God's Spirit; but search up our broken vows, determine to be more in earnest about this work, and pay our vows unto the Most High.