Fenner - Houston-Packer Collection BX5037 .F46 1651

42 ( reatife of Confcience. Rule 3 1 therly unity and concord, is to be taken, the balance hanging otherwife even; and the arguments to urge both the one or the other feeming of like weight , then this muft be put into the fcale and refolve the doubt. 3. It is lawfull to do fome things when yet our confcience doubteth of the lawfulneffe of them. For we mutt confider there are two kinds of doubting : there is a fpecu`ative doubt- ing, and there is a praelicall doubting. Speculative doubting is to doubt of the lawfulneffe of the thing it Pelf to be done : Pra &ical doubting is to doubt of the lawfulneffe of the doingof it. Now this latter is not alwayes a finne, but the other is : As for example; If a fervant be commanded of his mafter to attend on him on the Lords day , he knoweth not what his bufineffe fhould be, and perhaps doubteth it is not of fucb moment as to be done on that day; yet he bath no reafon to deny his atten- dance : in this cafe though he doubt of the lawfulneffe of the thing done, yet he need not doubt of the doing of it,becaufe he knoweth not what the bufineffe is, and hath no reafon whereby he is able to juftifie his refufal. And fo much alfo of a doubt- ing confcience. 4 A fcru- pnlous confci- ence. 7ueff. IV. eAfcrupnlotte Conscience, THe difference between a doubting confcience and a feru- pulous confcience is this; A doubtful confcience hangeth in fufpence, and doubteth which is the finne and which is law- full ; but a fcrupulous confcience inclineth to the lawfulneffe of the thing to be done, but yet not without many doubts and fcruples, becaufe of fome difficulties which it hath heard of, and which it knoweth not how to anfwer or refolve.Thk rule which here we muff go by is this, When we encline to the lawfulneffe of the thing, we fhould labour to fuppreffe all difficulties and ambiguities wich caufe us to doubt. The Apoftle includeth this rule in that word fully; Let every man be fully perfroaded in hia heart :Get all difficulties removed, all ftumbrings, and. fl:ickings,and hoverings,and fcruples taken away. But how if that cannot be done ? how if we cannot get all fcruples removed? If;

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