~des for compari11g the Good a11d the E1>il. ; .renounce the bowing to his Idol (Daniel 3•) The finful forbearance of pt:ayer as. the': com– mandL"d, and the finful bowing to tbe Idol, ~ad been a greater fin, than a finful difobe)lmg the Kings command in fuch a cafe, if they had rmllaken. . . 9· 51 . Rule 7 . If I cannot difcern whether tbe DJtty t~ be (lmztttd: or the fin to be commmed _be Rule. matrrially a 11 d i;t other refpelis the greater , then that wt.~ b~ to me _the g~eatcr of th~ fim whzc?. nry doubti•g Omfcience dotb mojf ftrp•gly [t.jpeli to be fill m tii moft 'mf"ttal delzbt~atton. For 1f other things be equal, certainly the £inning againlt mme or l~fs _convH~bon or doubtmg {llufi make an inequality. As if I could not difcern whether rr.'Y. fubfcnpuon to the Tre'!t c~mfcffion, or my forbearing to preach, or my preaching though proh1b1ted, we~e the greate~ (~n, m cafe they w~r.c all finful ; but yet I am moft ftrongly [u[piciotl6 of finfulnefs m the fobjinptzon,. and /efi fiefPzczoM of finfullnefs in my forbearing in fuch a cafe to preach, and leall of all lufplCJOUS of finfull· ncfs in my preaching though prohibited : I? this cafe to fubfcribe finfu!Jy is the grwej! fin , and to forbear finfuUy to. e~ercife my office, IS the n~xt , and to pre:Jcb ~tnwarrantably ts the Jeall. 9- 52· Rule 8. If I eore/1. perceive no diffozence in the degrw of evil·i" the Orniflion and the Rule. Commiffion, nor yet in the degreeJ of my fufpzciou or do~tbtmg, then that JJ tbe greater ·fin.. w~;~h I bad greater IJelpi and evidence to h11ve k,_nown, and did not. · 9· 53· Ruk »· If both greater material evil be oil one fide tb"it on the other, andgreater [11/ficiolt Rule. or evidence of the finfuUnefs alfo, thm that m11jl: muds be the gr.eaur fin. , 9· 54• R4\~ ro. If the Greatnefi 'f the Material Evil be oH 011e fide, aitd. the greatn~fi. of the Rul~. fwfPicion and evidence be on the other, thm the furmer (if fin ) rrzU be mater~aUy and m rt f<lf confidr!red tbe woJjl; but the later wiU be formaUy the greater di[obedienr:e tu God. But the comr.a-· rilon will be very difficult. As fuppofe that I fwear to God that I will call away a fhil)ing, or that I will forbear to pray for a week together : Here I take perjury to be a greater fin, than my calling away a fl1illing, or forbearing to pray a week: But when I quelliot~ whether ·the O~th fbou\g qe kept or not, I have greater fufPicion that it jhould not, t!un that it jhould, becaufe no oath l!lufi be the bond of the lea!\ iniquity. Here if the not keeping it prove a fin, I (ball do that which is the Gneater fin in it [elf if I keep it not ; but I fh~ll fl1cw more difobc(iie~ce i11 keeping i1, if it bo not to be kept. i . , ' 9· 55• Rule 1 >· If it b( a .d"'hJe.fiw (hat I fufPe/1 on one fide, and bn.t a fingle one on the other, Rrt!t. it mak,.ttb an inequality in the. taft-. A~ fuppofi! that jn my ~athers family there ire Hereticks, and Dtuqkards, and I fwear 'that in my place and calling l will endeavour ro caft rh~m our. My Mother approveth my Vow: My Father is againll it and <lifchargeth rne of it, becaufe I qid it not by his advice. On one fid"e I dou~t whether I am bound , or .may ad againfi my Fa- ~hers will : On the other fide I as much doubt whether I am_not perj1tred, and difobedient to my: Mother jf I do it not, and whether I difobey uot God, that made it my duty to endeavour the thing in my place and calling before I vowed it. 9· 56- Rule. t>•.Thcre i1 a gr_eat deal of difference between. omitting the_fobftance of a .dJtt,Y for tver, and the ilelaymg Jt 1 or alter:ng the tzme, and ?pl.ace and manner. for tnfiance that which Rule. will jufiifie or excufe me for jhortning my prayer, or for p~:aying but once a day, or at noo 1: rather than in the morning, or for defC6l in method, or fe,vency, or Expreffiims, may not jullifie or excufe me for. denying, r_enouncing or long forbearing prayer. And that which may excufc an Apofile for not preaching in the ~emple or Synagogues, or not havi1~g the Emperors , or the High·Pritfis allowance o~ confent; or for not continuing in one City or Country; wouldnot excufe rhem if they had renounced their caUings, or totally as to all tir;Qes, and places, and manner of pes:formance have ceafed their worlt for fear of men. · 9· 57• Rule i3· .Tf the duty to be omitted, and the fin to be committed feem equal in greatneji, and R 1 our do~tbt be equal M to b(}th, it ii commonly held fafer to avoid tbe Commiffi011 more jiudioujly than tt Co the emiffion. for wh~ch there are many reafons given. · . t 9· 58. R~l'.'4· There i1 ufuaUy much mm matter for fear and fitJ?icion c:rtcris paribus of finJ Rule; to be commttted, than of Dunes to be omztted, when the Commij]ion Jl made necrffary t9 the doin~ of tbe dztty. Both becaufe it i,s there that the fear beginneth : For I am certain that the Good rvorJt is no Duty to me, if the all be a fin which is its neceffary ConditioJt, Therefore fo far as I fuJPtU the aa to be finful I mull needs fu[pea the duty to be >ro duty to me at that time: It is not poffible I fhould be rationally mort perfwaded that the Duty is my duty, than rhat rhe Condition is no fin: If it were the faving of the Jives of all the riltn in the Counrry, I could no farther take it to be my duty, than I take that to be no fin by which it mull b< done; it beipg ~ rhi~g· Nfl 'ontroverfie that we rnuft not fin for the accompliil>ment• of any good whatloCver. And alfo ·be,aufe the fin is fuppofed to be aUwaiu fin ; but few duties are a.t all tim~J d~tics : And_ the fin is a fin to everj _man : but the dz:ty may be another mam dut)' and not mznt. For mfiance: Cbarlu the fifth tmpofeth the Inttrtm upon Germany : Some Pahors yielded to it : Others refufed it and were call out ; Thofe that yielded pleaded the Good of the Churche. and the preyention of their utter dcfolation; but yet confeffcd rhat if the thing impofed wer~ finful it was nbt their duty to do it for any Good whatfcever, but ro fe<k the Good of the ~hurch as wcl~ as they coul~ without it : The other that w:re ~all out argued that tO far as they were conhdent the lntenm was finful, they mujt be co_nhdent that nothing was their duty' that could not be done without it; and that God knew bell what is Good for his 'Church and there is no accomplifhing its gool. by fin and Gods difpleafure ; and that they did not there: , fore
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