Cafes about m! erri1\i: and doubting C01fciencc. at all to vou, any further than you are certain wherh:r the C?~dition or mcatu be lawful or a fin. \\'hat if ~11 auditor in Spain or Italj• fay, I am ctrtam that ltl a duty to ubry my Teachtrr; but _I am tmcertain wlmber their do[irims of_ the !ll~fl, Purg3tory, ~nd the rejf . havt ~ny untrutb·or fin zn h . th refi 1 re I mu/l110t forbear certaw obedzcnce for m:certatn fin.: Or tfa Pnetl among them fay, ~ ':::,'ccrtcaitt tbat it it a druy to preach Gods n:"rd, but I am not certain that the Trent~Articlu which I Jft [wear or fubfcribc are fitful or J.~![e ; thcrefvrc I mujf not leave a great and certam dmy for an un::;~ain fin. The anfwc:r to them borh is e~fie : r. It is )'Ottr fin. that you are uncertain of the finlullnefs of thofe things which God hath forbidden : And God b1ddeth you firll .'o fearch the Scriptures, and cure that error : He m_ade hit Lawbefore yo~u do~tbts arofe, and wtll not cha_nge ir, becau[c you duuln. 2: You contr~d!Cr your fe~ves by a rndl:ake: you have no. more c~rtamry that you (hould obey your 1cachers m thefe particulars, than you have r_hat the thmgs wh1ch rhcy reach or command you are nor againll that ~a~ of God. You ar~ ccrl~m that you_ mull obey them in ill things not forbiddM by God 1 (and wJthm t~e reach of rhc1r office ro rcqnlle ). And you_ are as ·certain that it is unlawful to obey them agamll the Ltw of God, and that God muft be ob(yed before m~n: But ~vhcrltfr you_mufi obey_ them in tl;it partie~tlar CJf~, you cannot be cer.. rain while you are unceltam whether H be .fo[b,dden of God. And rh~ Pr1eJl ~ufl: be as uncer– tain whether it be any duty of his at all, to preach Gods word, as he JS uncertiJn of the lawfull– m:fs of rhe 7'rent·Oath or Jitbfcription, m:lefs he can do h without. lf a fubject fay, I•am certain tb.tt to Govern the Kinp,d11m n·ciJ is a grut good work, aud duty, bttt I am tmcertailt whether to dcpo[e the King 'if he G_ovcrn_ not w~U, _and fit up my fclf, be_ a fin : tbtrifore the ~crtain good muft ovcrwle tbe :mcertam ettf. ~ gtve !urn the Came anfwer, It IS ycur f!n to be unccrtamwhe– th~r Rebt:llion be a hu : and God bmdeth you ro lay by the ji11 of)'Our ptdgemcnt, and not to make it a fhooing-horn to more. 2. You are fure that Governing well is a Good work..; but you (hould be M Jitre thac it is no duty of yours, nor no Good wor~ for you to do, as you are fure that you are but a private man and a fubject, a11d never called to do the Good or anothers office. A private man may fay, I am Jure preaching it a good worJtv but I am not Jure that aprivate unordained man may not ftatedl_y [cparate bimfelf to du it. But he can be no furer that it is a duty tO him, than h'c is that be ii called to it: § 4 3. Qiefi. 12. Well: fuppofe my ig11orance be my fin, a11d fr•ppofe thJt I am eqtt•l/j unccrt•in of ft!.:!cft·. the dui)' aud of the fi,: amiCxcd; yet if I have done all that I am able and rem;~in jiill unrefolved, 4nd after nry mojt diligent enquiry am llf much in doubt M evet, what jhould I then do? Anfw. 1. If you had by any former fin fo for!Cired 9ods atlillance, as that he will leave you A11[w. to your blindnetS, this altereth not his Law and you~ ~hligation1 which are fiill the (J.me ( to Learn, u 1 rder{land and puliifc) 2. But if you arc truly W11lmg to undeiftand, and praWfe, and ufe hi 1 meant, you have no caufc to imagine thJt he will thus forfakc you: undoubtedly he appointeth you no means in vain: If you attain not fufficient refohltion to guide you in your dury, ic is dther becaufe your hearts ate falfe in rhe enquiry, and byaffed, or unwilling to know the lrurh ; or do it: or becaufe you ufe not the true appointed •means for refolution, but in parti:zlity or lazinefs neg~ k&it. J §. 4 4. Qt!ell. 13. Suppoji ftill my ignorance be my fi>t, which iJ the Greater fin, to neglca the ft!.:!eft. J!.OOd worJt or to vtntttrt on the feared t111l that If anmxrd l I am not confc~Q1K of any unfaithjuUnefi but bumant frailt.)', tbtJt k,tcpeth me from certahtty: And no man it [o per/tl1 M to bJve no culpable ig~toraw:e , and to be certain in every point of duty : Therefore I muft with greatejl c:tution aVJid the greatcft fin, whm l am out of hope of avoidbtg aU. On one fide it if a common Rule that I muft d? nothing againjl C011{cience (no not a doubting Co11.f:ience) tbduJ!.h l mujl not aUwaiu do what it biddeth me: For he th..zt doubtetb is condemned if he eat: for whatfoeVer if nl)t of faith i1 (ln: Ram. 14• 23· On the otbcr fide, if aU•duty be omitted which confeimce doubtct!J of, I may be k.fpt from alimojf tvery Jut;•. ' . Anfw._The heart is fo deceitful that you have great caufe to watch, lell humane frailt_y be' pre- Anfw. tended for that error whtch a corrupted byafTed pamal mmd, or WJI!fu1 lazyncfs is the caufC of. Diligem fiudy, and enquiry, and prayer, with a fincere ddire to know the truth, may fuccecd at Jcall to fo much f.!.tisfadion, as may keep your minds in quietnds and peace, and give you cmn~ fore in your :way, and prefetve ~·o_u from all fuch fin as _is inc?nfi(\ent with this your fafety and acceptance With God. Bur yet ,Jt IS true that humane fratlty Will occafion in the bell zmcertaimie 1 in force particular cafes ; and [hough God make it not our duty of two fins to choofe the Iefs, (but to refufe bO(h ), yet he maketh it our duty more diligently to avoid the greater than the ltjf. And oft times the ca(C is fo fudden that no enquiry can be lllade: And therefore I confefs a Chrifiian {bould know which finr are greateft and to be moll avoided. At prefcnt I {b,IJ Jay down thefe foUowmg Rulu, premlflng thts, that whe1e accuknu and circumjfancct which make tins Great or Small. are to be comparetf, they are oft times fo numrronr and varioM, rhat no Rulu CJn be laid down before hand ~hat will ft:rve all t~rns, no more than in Law and Ph.J1ic~ any Law~books or Phyfick-books w11l fcrve all cafes wHhcut a prefent experienced judicious Counfcllor : Prrfmt PR U D EN C E and SI N C ER IT Y mull do moll. §. 45· Rule I· In things alto,e,ether indifferent mtbiug mujl be done th;.~t Confcience dl)ubtrth of Rr1le becauje there it a poffibility or fear of finning olt the cne fide, but 1t011f on the other: And in tha; cafe it it a certain fi_n to vc~ture. on a feared fin: .But then it is fuppofed that the thing be indif– ferent as doathcd wHh all tts cucumltanccs-, and that there be no accident rhat taketh away its indifferencie. • T :i §· 46. Rule 2·
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