vi Treatift demenrs;aud itis the very law ofnature writ- A ten io all mens h<arts (for fubllance, though not for the manner of propounding) in the creauon ofman : and therefore it bindes the cofciences ofal men stall timcs,euen ofblind and Ignorant perfons ttrat neither know the mo(l ofit,nor care toknow i:. Yet cere muft be remc:mbred three exceptions or caucions. letfe, Gal.6.t o. 'lJolgoodtoa/J mtn,b•t ejp~c;;,uy ~·them wh~ehart l{the houjhold of faith. Hebce tt anfeth, thatthough allfinnesbe mortall and deferue eternall death, yer all are not cquilll but fomc more gricuous then other. ' I. When two commandementsofthemorall law are opp<>fite in refped: ofvs; toa• we can– not do them botll at the fame time ; the Jelfer ~udicialllawesofMofts are all fuchaspre- Sea s.Of fcnbe order for the execution ofiuftice an1 d iudicials iodg~ment.in theco~monwealth.They were binlling. fpec1ally gmen by God, and dired:ed to rhe Iewe~; whofor thisverycaufcwerebound in coAfnence to kcepe them all:a"d ifthe com- !l'on wealth ofthe Iewes were now ftanding mthe oldeftate,nodoubtthey lhouldcontinue ftill to bind as before. 'fhe mo-. commandement giaes place to the greater, ~·lllaw and doth not binde or conftraine for that ~~~ea- iull:anr. Example. I. God commands one hle in re- thing , and themagifl:rate commandsthe flat 1fpe<'lo£ contrarie;in thiscafe which ofthefe twocom1c~atmr- mandemenrs is to be oheyed, (b)HonorGod, I ~:ce or,Honorthe M~gifi:rate? the anfwer is, that which 1, the latter muft gme placeto the former , and profcrithe former alone in this cafe muft b.e obeyed: beth; yet A/J•4-19· Wh"herirbe right intbeftghtofGod ~h~noe .. tgobf:]your4therthen'?od, ilttlge;yee. \I I. The able ~sit fou~th cQmnla!ld~nent prcfcrtbes reft on the isapph<d Sabbath day: now it f.Iles out that at thefame t:> fome time awhole rowne isfet on fire, and the fixt par~cu!3r commandement requires our helpc in fauing 3~1011'~ our neighbours life and·goods. Nowofthefe But. tou~hing other nations and fpecially B Chn!han Commonwealthsmthefedaics the cafe is?th~r:vife,Sol?e areof opinion,tha;rhe wholeJudJcJalllawJs wholly abolilhed, and fome ag.ame run to the other extream, holding thatlUdtcJallawes bmd Chriftians aslhaight– lyas Iewes : but no doubt they are both wide: and the fafeft courfe is to keepe the meane bc– rwcene both. Thereforethe iudidaiJ lawes of Mofis according to the fubftancc aud fcope thereofmuftbe diftinguilhed;inwhich refped: they are oftwo forts.Some ofthemare !awes of(c) particular equitie,fomc of(ri) commt>n 'Iuds 1 equitie. Lawes ofparticularequitie,arc fuch ;:~ua. as prefcribe iufi:ice according tothe particular dJuris efiare and condition ofthe Jewes Common- cOmunis. f~ ::3~ two cOmmandcmcnts which mutt b~obeyed? refpca it for botn cam~ot. The anfwer is, that the admits a fourthcommandcment at this time is to giue d_ifpenf~ place,& the fixr commandemenr alone bindes 110';;~:,. the confcience:fo as then (if need lhould re- c ~~re. qbire) a man might labour allthe day without b•. corn offenceto God. M<t·9- 13·1wia hAH<mercy '!·Cam· IC1Ianotfacriftco. And the rule muft not bee omitted, Thatcharitietowards our neighbour is fubordinate tothe loue ofGod,and therfore muft giue place to it. Forthiscaufe the com– maundcment concerning charitie muft giue placetothe commandement concerning loue toGod:and when the cafe fofal• our,we mufr eilher offend our neighbour or God, woe mull; rather offend our neighbour then God. II. Caution. When God giues fome par– ticular commandcment to his people, therein difpending with fome other. COf!lma!!demenr ofthe moral! law, forthat time 1t bmdes nor. For euen the morall commandemenr, muft be D conceiued with this condition, Except God com11Mnd•thenvi(e. Example· I. Thdixrcom– mandemeotis, Thou lhalt notkill: but God Gcn.n. giues aparticular commandemcnt to .Abr~e•· ham; Abr•h•mofferthySonlfotdCinfacrilice to me.And this latter commandementatthat inftant didbind .Abraham: and he is therefore commended for his obedience toit. I I And whenGod c<lmmandedthechildrenof Ifrael lofl,, 6, to compalfe Ierico feuen daies, and therefore on the Sabbath; the fourth commandemeot prefcribing the fanctifying ofreft on the Sab– Qath,for thatinlhnt andin that ad:ion didnot bind confcience. Ill. Caution. Oncandthefamecomman– demer1t in fome things binds the confcience more llraightly,& in doingfome other things wealthand tothecircumfranccsthereof,time, place, perfons, things, ad:ions. Ofthis kind· was the!aw, thatthe brother thouId raifevp feede to his brother, and many fuch like: and none ofthem bind vs, becaufe they werefr.– med and tempered to aparticulor people. ludicials of common equitie , are fuch as are made according to the !aweor inftintl of naturecornman ro all men; & thefe in rcfpett oftheirfubfiance, bindetheconfciences not only ofthe Iewes,butalfo ofthe Gentiles:for theywere not giuen tothe Iews, asthey were Iewcs,that is,a pcoplereceiued into the coue– nant aboue all other nations,brought from E– !!YPttotheland ofCan44n,ofwhom the Mef– ji.uaccording tO the fle(h waS tO come ; bur they were giucn to them as they were mo.rtal men, fubiecttothe order and !awesof nature as allother nations are.Again,iudicialllawes, fo farre forth as they haue.in them the gene– tailor common equitic of the law of nature are morall; and therefore binding in confci– ence, asthe moral! law. AIudichlllaw may be knowne tobe alaw ofcomon equitie,ifeitherofthefe two things he found in it. Firft, ifwife men not ondy a– mong the Iewes,butalfoin other natiOs, hauc: by naturall reafon and coofcience iudgcd the fame to be·equal,iufi,andnecclfary,and with– all haue iufiitied their iudgement by enad:ing !awesfor thocommon wealrhs, thettmein fubftance with fundry ofthe iudiciallawes gi– llento the Iewes:And the Roman Emperors among the reil:, haue done this moft excellently,as wil appeareby conferringtheir laws With I
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