Good Morning!
As we turn to the next chapter of the Confession, Of Lawful Oaths and Vows, the question that comes to mind is why in the order of progress in the WCF would a section on this appear? The opening paragraph makes it clear as to why this is the case:
A lawful oath is a part of religious worship, wherein, upon just occasion, the person swearing solemnly calleth God to witness what he asserts or promises; and to judge him according to the truth or falsehood of what he swears.
While the writers would agree that all vows that we make, whenever we sign our name on the dotted line or make a verbal agreement with a friend or neighbor are to be honored and defended what they really have in mind here are the oaths that we make in the ordinances of the Church. Things such as when we present our children for Baptism we are telling the Lord God that we will raise the child up in the church, or that we will shepherd the adult convert likewise.
Today we will think a little more on this.
By making that vow at the Baptism of our children we don't really mean (though this is obviously a necessary part of it) that we promise to bring our sons or daughters to the physical location of the building or that we'll take them to youth activities. What we are really saying is that we, Husband/Father, Wife/Mother, and the body of believers gathered on Sunday morning will make sure that the child (or adult in some cases) is shown Christ from that day forward. That they will be treated to the covenant promises and not held back from the privileges of Lord's Day worship or the fellowship of the saints or the guidance of the Elders.
We are telling God Almighty that we will raise the young one up as a member of the covenant family telling them of the Scriptures so that they know from the earliest age that they have been sanctified, set apart in Baptism and are part of something with history and heft. This is one of the reasons later on in the Confession in the chapter on Baptism that they mark it is a, "...great sin to [treat with contempt] or neglect this ordinance." It matters if we are baptized or not, and we will deal with that in a few weeks when we get to that particular part of the Confession. For those who have been baptized it is worth remembering that your membership in the family of the Church is also part of your vow. Even if you may not have been old enough to be part of that witness there is no denying you were present for it. This is meant to be a great blessing as you grow more and more in the knowledge of Christ. It is also meant to challenge you if you are living in sin. By virtue of your Baptism you have brought your Lord into that world. On a more positive note you also can look back to the vow that God made on that day, as well the promises your mom and dad and the Church made in the Lord and be encouraged and strengthened by it.
While the Confession also has in mind things like the vow we make every time that we take the Lord's Supper, or the oaths we made when we either joined the Church as an adult or confirmed the aforementioned covenant as a sign of our inward faith (baptized children don't "join the church" they are already members of it) there is a solemn seriousness that comes in the Baptismal promise that we need to reconsider every time we think of where we are in Christ. That is something that can give us hope in the midst of trial. It is a great comfort to know that a seal of grace was laid upon your soul.
In closing it is a wonderful thing to make a vow to the Lord as part of our walk with Christ. However, we must never forget that our God is a jealous God and that we must take our promises to Him with a seriousness that knows the danger of forsaking and ignoring the bond of faith contained therein. So as you go about your day today find peace in the Baptismal promise, re-commit yourself to the vow you made when you met with the Session to be a present part of the Bethany Church, and seek to be an active part of the life of your church remembering God's grace in it.
Here is today's reading from Richard Phillips:
https://www.reformation21.org/confession/2013/06/chapter-22-1.php
Blessings in Christ,
Rev. Benjamin Glaser
Pastor, Bethany ARP Church