C4fts ofCon{clente A~OIIt SinceritJ excrife them from f~om being idolaters and damnlbleunners before God; for there mufl: be a ju·ft and a .weigh~y caufe ere we pronounce ag1in\l any man in any religious way, . tha~ he livetb again1 his confcience; for though no doubt rnilny do, yet it feemeth very hufu tO affirm of this Of that puti– tuiar, before great pains taken 1 Nith him both in inftruCl:ion and admonition. I flull ·not here fall upon th1t quefiioo Whether an erroneous conrcience doth binde to follow it o~ no? Its certain, no man is bound eo linne: Paul though he thought he ought to do mJJn) things againft Chrift, yet it was not his duty to do fo, but his duty was depoiure erroreYn.J,. to lay afilie his error: Therefore fome fay, an erroneous confcience doth lig.cr:e, bu·t not obligare, it bindeth that we may not do , againll: it, but not oblige to follow it; for feelng it is but an inferior judge, ifthe fuperior judge fpeaking in his word con– demn wh1t that abfolveth, all its condemmtion is vaid. , _ Well, let the cafe of an erroneous confcience ·be how it will, this i3 cetcain, that many fuperllitious and erroneous perfons have followed that light of confcience they had in the wor– fhip of God; Hence our Saviour told his Difciples, That their enemies foould think. they d;d Gad good/ervice in kjlliNg of them,Joh.I6,z. Oit'sa wofullthingto haveamiOed con!ci-' ence in Religion, it accounts the grolfefl: idolatry acceptable' fervice, and' the moll bloody cruelty, ~cceptable and godly zeal, fo that you fee a zealous man following his confcience 1 may like S.cnl, run madly on towardg hell, and the more .fierce he is, the more defperate:we reade of a pdfage, Tit.3.1o. That an heretique after thefi~'fl or {econd ~tdmonition, rej(EJ, hecttufe [nahan one i& condemned of him[elf; From whence fome have gathered, That every heretique after melns ufed to reclaim him, do'th fight againll: the known trnrh in his confcience, and fo is condemned ofhimfelf;Now thought his be the'com– mon interpretation, yet _I fuppofe that Interprwuion of fer, titllianmore confonanc, which makes condemned o.f hiin(e~( eo be this, vi~. he is the caufe of his condemnation, and this fenfe is very cohefent; Avoid an heretique after thou hall: u~d means to reclaim him, becaufe he is the caufe of his owndarn· nation. Thou haft done what thou oughtll to do, do hor: fear ' that
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