to the Reader. Xxvìi man, as his deputy, to whofe diEates he is carefully to take heed, and hath not made the confcience of any one man, or fociety of men, his depute over all the confcien- ces of other men. I ;hall eafily grant, that, when the confciences of more knowing, more tender and more confcientious men than myfelf, di&ate to them the war - rantablenefs of fuch and fuch a praftice, I am- called to be holily jealous over, and fufpicious of \myfelf, impar- tially to examine the reafons of their clearnefs, and on that occafion to fearch very fcrutinoufly, narrowly, and exaiwfly into the grounds of my own unclearnefs, hefita- tion and doubting, and to be much and earneft in pray- er to God, with unbiaffed finglenefs and fincerity, for fending forth bis light and truth to guide and lead me : But if, notwithffanding all this, my doubt fä11 remains ; and it may be alto, that there are feveral other godly and Judicious perfons that are doubtful and unclear with me ; I cannot in that cafe warrantably give up myfelf to be implicitly determined by the confcience of others, what- ever their qualifications be, or whatever my veneration may be for them, nor am I bound to a& myfelf with a doubting confcience ; fince I am exprefly told by the in- fallible Scriptures of truth, that I cannot aft in that cafe without fin, and without incurring the hazard of dam- nation ; and that no man can keep me harmlefs in doing fo, fince every man mull give an account of himfelf to God : And if I fhall do one thing with a doubting confcience, becaufe I may be miftaken, and in an error ; or becaufe fuch and fuch godly and knowing perlons are free for it, what a wide door would this open ? why may I not do another thing of greater moment doubtingly, and ano- ther after that., and a third after that ? where shall I flay or flop, and when fha11 there be an end of fuch Confcience- doubting a &ions ? efpecially in times where in troubles and tentations, fnares and offences do abound; wherein, as there hath been, fo there will readily ffill be, different fentiments and apprehenfions as to Tome leffer and lower truths further removed from the fundamen- tals of religion (whereabout all are agreed ) and fo proportionably as to force praffices amongff even truly godly men; it not being to be fuppafed' thhg while faint,$
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=