ATreati/'e o f Cón f ience. Ir errone otss concience. s. An er- ! Econdly, an erroneous confcience is when confciencenot roncous underftandingGods law, or mifapplying it, doth judge a- ccnfcience mac and dires amifíe. So lojephsconfciencefor a while was Mat 1,19 in an errour, when Mary was found with child : His confci- ence informed him, that he mull either make her a publike ex- ample or put her away privily. Here his confcience erred a- bout this particular until the Angel had better informedhim. There is a queftion here railed by Divines, and it is, Whether we ought to follow confcience erring or no ? A queftion very necefffary to be handled, partly becaufe of mens ignorance in this kind, and partly becaufe of the frequencyof the cafe. I an- fwer thus; Anfzv Fitt}, we mutt not obey confcience erring orcounfelling to that which is evil; For our errour of confcience doth not make the tranfgreflion ofthe law to be no finne : though an er- roneousconfcience lead us to tranfgreffe ir. i. Becaufe the law ofGod is above confcience ; and therefore the Command- ment of Gods law ftandech in full force, though confcience command contrary to it. Suppofe a man fhould think in his confcience hemight not takean oath, though never fo lawfully called thereuntoby the Magiftrate, and in never fo neceífary a cafe, when as the word of God commandeth us to (wear in truth, in righteoufneffe, and in judgment ; I mutt follow the Commandment ofGod rather thenconfcience, becaufe Gods law is above confcience. 2. Because ifI follow my confcience when it is in an errour, I offend not only againft Gods law,but I offend alto my confcience : For though for the prefent while confcience is erroneous it doth not take offence, yet when it cometh to fee its own errour then it will. Therefore this isour lira answer. We muff not obey confcience erring, or counfel- ling to that which is evil. If our confcience fhould counfel us to tell a lie to help our neighbour, that is evil and againft Gods law, and therefore ifin doing it we obey confcience, we fin. Secondly --
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