--------~G~a}_cs __ a_~_u_t_a_d_o_u_bt_in~~~a~_,d __ er_r_i~~~~O_m_~_ci_e~_'c_e~a~if_iv_e_~_d~.--------~----'35 ther 1hil be my duty? and the next, How I may diftern it t(l be my duty: And that God giverh it the Bciug by his Law, and Confcimce is bur to "-now and :ifc it : And thu God changcrh not hi1 La 1 v and oztf duty, as oft as our opinions change about it. The obligation of the Law is fiill the tame, though oUr Confcicnces err in apprehending i~ otherwife. The!efo_re if God comrn~n~ you 3 duty and your opinion be that he doth not comm_and H, or that he forb1~s tr, and fo that lt ts.no duty or that ir is a fin, _ir doth not follow _chat mdeed God co~mands ~~ not bec.ufe you thmk . fo: Elfc it were no error m you, nor could H be poffible to err, 1f the thmg become true, becaufc you think it robe true. God co'?mandeth you to Love him , and_ to wodhip him, _and to nouri!h your children, and to ob<y the h1gher powers, &c. And do you thmk you 01all be d&harged from all thefe duties, and allowed to be prophane, or ferifual, or to refit\ authority, or to familh youi children jf you can but be blind enough to think that God would have it fo? 2· Your error is a fin it [elf: And do you think that one fin mufi, warrant anorher ? or that tln c_ari difcharge you from your duty, and difannull the Law? 3· You are a fubjdl to God and not a King to your f<lf: and therefore you mult obey his Laws, and not make new ones. §. 33· ~eH. 2. But Uit not every ma?J dut~ to obey .hif C~nfcience ? . • 9(_ 1rjl. Anfw. No: It is no mans duty to ooey h1s Confc1ence m an error, when 1t contrJdu5t-eth the Anfw. command of God : Confcience is but a Difctrncr of Gods command, and not at all to be obeyed flrW/y as a Commander but iris to be obeyed in a larger f~nfe, th1t is, to be foUowid where eve, it truly dikerneth the command of God. It is our duty to lay by our error and [eek., the cure of it till we attain it, and not to obty it. . . . 9l:!_cft'. §. 34· ~dl. 3· Btlt is it n.ot a fin f or aman to gn ag.aJ»ft h~ c,nfcunce l . AI{W· An[w. Yes: Not becaufe ConfcJencchath any authouty to make Laws for you; but becaufe Jnter– precativdy you go againfi God. F'or you are bound to obey God in all things: and when you think., that God commandeth you a thing, and yet you will not do it, you difobey formaliy though not mauriaUy: The Mattfr of Obedience is the thing commanded : The furm of obedience is our doing the thing, becaufe it is commanded; when the Authority of the. Commander caufeth us to do ir. Now you rejefr the Authority of God when you reject that which you think., he commandeth, though he did not. . , ~eft; ~· 35• Quell. 4-• Seeing the form of obedience is tlJc being of it, anddenominatetb, which tbe Matter tloth not without the form, and tbrre can be 1"io fin whicb i1 not ag~inft tbc authorit) 1{ God) wbicb i1 tiJc formal caufc of objditnce, is it not then my duty to foUoJl' my Confcitncc l . An[nr. Anfw. t. There mufi bt an intcgriry of cau{Cs, or concurrence of aU neccjfariu to make up Obt– die'i"' though the want of any one will make. a fin: lf you will be called Obedient, you mull have the matter and f tJrm, becaufe the true form ts found m no other matt~r: You mufi do the tbiwr commt.f.ndetl becau[e of hi1 AutiJorit)' that commandeth it. 1f it may be called rcaVy and f ormally Obedi– ence, when you err, yet it is not that obedience which is acctptab\e : For it is not any k.ind of obedi– ence, but obedience in the thing commaJtded that God nquireth. ~· But indeed as long as you err JinfuUy, you arc alfo wanting in the form as well as the matter ot your obedience, though you iu– tend Obedience in the particular ad-. It is not only a wiLJul oppo/ing, and pofitive rejelling the Au– thority of th~- Comma~der? which is formal dif~bediencc: bur it is any Privation of due jubjc{iio;t ro it; when h1s Autboruy JS not fo regarded M ~t ought to be; and doth not fo powtrfuL'y and cffrllu;.. ally move u_s to our ducy a~ it ought. Now tbis_formal difobcdience is fou~~ in your c~roneozu Confci– ence : For 1f God1 Autbortty had moved you as H lhould ha.ve done, to d1hgent enqUiry and Uft: of all appointed means, and to the avoiding of all the caufcs of error, you had nev~:r erred abouc your duty. Fo1 if the error had been ptrfeWy ittvoluntary and blamelt{s, the thing could not have been your particular dutl, _which you_could n~t poffibly c01~e to know. . ~eft. 9· 36. Q!efi. 5· But if" be a fin 10 go •gamjl my Confcrt~~ce, mr!f! I not avord tbat fi• by obe;•i11g it l Would you have me fin l . . · . . A11[ W:. Anfw· You mufi avo1d the fin, by changmg your ;udgtment, and not by obtymg tt : For that is but to avoid one fin by committi11g another. An erring judgement is neither obeyed nor difobcJ•cJ without fin: It can make you Jin, though it cannot m~ke you duty : 1t doth t1if"Hare, though not oblige. If you foUow it you break the Law of God in domg that which h< forbids you : If you fvr– fak$ it and go againft it, you rcjefr the authority, of God in doing that which you tbi11k., he forbids you. So that there is_no attaining to innocence any other way, but by coming firlt to KJtorv your duty, ancl thtn to do Jt, If you command your fervant to weed your corn, and he rniftake you and vetily think, that you bid him pull up the corn, and not the werd1 ; what now thould he do? £hal1 he follow his judgement, or go againjf it"? Neither, but cbange it, and then foliow it; and to that end enquire further of your mind till ht be better •informed : and no way eHC will Rrve the tura• . §: 37· Q£~fi. 6. Striug no mtn~ ~hat erreth_doth k..~ow _or tbi~tk._ that he erreth (for that's a contra- 9Ceft; dilllon) hqw cait I lay by that opmzon, (!f' jlrzve agamjf tt, rvlncb I ta~ to be tbc trtttb l Anfw. It is your tin, thlt you takf'a fal!hood to be a truth: God hath appointed means for the Anfiv; cure of blmdnefs and error as wdl as other hns; or clfe the world were in a miferable cafe-; Come into the light, with due felf.fufpicion) and impartiallity, and diligently ufe all Gods means and avoid the caufes of deceit and error, and the Light of Truth will at once ihew you rh~ Truth, and fbew you that btfore )'OK ~red. In the mean time fin will be fin though you take it to be duty, or no fin. ~· 38. Q!efi. 7• BHI feeing be that k.,noweth his M•ftm will •nd dolh it Hot, ]Nll be be.Un .':"itl: ~eft; T ma~
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