v1 Treatife of Confcience. 537 heeis about to enterprife any bufinelfe either A own coufcience:now the que!lion is, whether good or bad. '· he harh finned or no? .Anf He bath indeede By tqis we may fee the goodnes of God ta finned; not fo much becaufe he bath taken an allmen. Ifa man beingto make anvnknowne eath,for that Is the ordinance ofGod: butbeiouroey, lhould finde one that wouldgoe with caufe~e ha~ht~k~ an oathina badma~er,that h1m and lhewhllll the way , and at! the turISagai~!lhiscof~Ience,& therfore noqn tanb. nings thereof, bee could fJOt bur t~ke!tfora Thus It IS ~amfe!lthat confciencebea~es a point ofconrtefie. Well,we are p1lgnmesm great!lrokem all thmgs that are to be fa1d or this world, our life isour iourney : God alfo done. And hereby we are aduertifed of many bath appoiated our confcieace to be our corn• things. firll,ifa thing done without good diP.!lnionand guide, to lhew vs wbatcourfc we rel'tionofconfcience, be a finne, then much may take,and what we may nor. more that which is done without good direAnd here it a1ay be noted, that in all things ction of6ods word, is a flat fin: for without to be done, confcience is of great force and direllionofGods word, confcience can giue bcaresagreatfrroke. For thMM th<i~<ginnmg n<>gooddireC!ion. And if God will hold that of agoodw.r~, thAt theconfciem:efir.fl ofallgiues B fora finne which is done without direC!.ion of her iudgement truly, th•t the thmg""')bedone, · his word;then no doubt Gods word mini!lers & Macceptablet• God.Rom.I4·•3·Wbat[oeuer M fufficient direCl:ion forall allions whatfoeuer: notofaith, (thatls, whatfocuer is nor done of fo as if a man bee bot to rec.eille amorfell of a•fetlcd perfwafion in iudgementand confci. bread ioto his mot~th, itcan fo farre forth dieneeout ofGods word,bowfoeuermen iudge reCl:him,chatin doing ofit,helhall beable to of it) Mfmn<. Againe, God regards not the pleafe God. If this were not true, manscafe outward pompcofthe aCl:ion,or the doer,but weremolt miferable. For then we lhouldfin ol>cdience,and efpecially the obedience ofthe mmanifold aClions, & that without remedie. hear:: th•tfore vnle!fe the confcieuce well inAnd h<rc by the Word, I meane nothing but furmedfirll of all approou<the thing to bee the Scripturesoftheoldand new Tdlament good and agreeable to Gods will, it can be which conraine in themfelnes fuffieient di: nothing elfe but a finne. And he thatlhall doe rellion for all actions•As (or the!aw ofnature athing,becaufeitisgood in hisowne eies,not ~ll?ugh it affoard indeede fome direction; yet knowing that 6od doth allowofit, pre(erres 1t1scorrttpt,imperfeC!,vncertaine: & whatfohimfelfe before God, and difobeyes, as the euerisrightand good therein, is contained in (eruant that in his mallers houfe will not doe C the written wordofGod. Andas for the bell llismallers will but his owne will. vnwrittcn traditions, let all !;he Papills in the From this tormer rulearifctht€'eother: the world anfivereifthey can, how I may in eonfirfr,Whatfoe•er Mdone withadoubting confcienee fcience be perfwaded that they are the word isafinne. For example: fome beleeuers in the ofGod. Ifthey faythatrhe ancient Fathers of Pri1nitiue Clmrchheld, that lli)lafter theaf. the Primitiue Church auouchin their writings eenfion l>f Chri!l: there remained a difference that they are Apollolicall traditions; I anf\ver bctwccnc meate and meate, anQ therefore it againc, how fhall I know and be certaine in wasa fcruple toth~m toea;eof fundrykinds confciencethattheFathers fubiectto errour, ofmeatcs: now pntthecafe, that by example infaying fo,haue not erred? they arc drawne on to eate fi.vinesflefu; or Againe,we Iearne hence,rhata good iotenfomc other thing which they thinke i! (orbid. cion is not fufficienr to make a good worke, den;this done, therq is no quefrion but they vnlelfe withall confeience giue iudgement hJuclinncd, as Paul prooueth, Rom.I4·'4· I that God doth approoue the al'lion. This kgow and am ptrfwadtd throu.r:.h the Lordle[~«, lhewesthe ignorance ofour people thatwheo thatthereunothingvnc/eantofitfo/fe: bntvnto as in their dealings tbcy runne vpGn a good him that iudgoth any thing vncl<ane, it M'lln- D meaning, then alwaies theythinkethey doe , Erroni- c/eanc: and v. >J•Hethatdo•bteth,iuondemned, wellandpleafc God. ous <on- ifhce ..u,beca~ifi he <atethnot offaith. Thirdly, hence it appeares that all things ~i~d~<h The f<cond, Whatfoeue~ thingu done in orwith deuifedbymanforth~worlhipofGod,are flat fo f: an aromomcon[c1ence~t :&4 {z.,me..For example: firmes; becaufe confctencecannotfay ofthem r~rili': in the primitjue Churcb diuers ofthe Gentiles that they pleafe God.Efo.>9·I3·M•rk.,7•7• rh.r if a held this error, thatfotniqt(6was a thing inLa!lly, wee learne here that ignorance of man iudg . different,& therefore coofcience toldthe that Gods will and word,is a. dangerous thing, and l,;h'"fi'" ; they mighrdo it:andyet neuerthelelfefomicamakes the life of ma A toabound, yea toflow th~~:h· tiO in thewas afin, becaufecOfcience erred in withafea ofoffences againfl:GOO. Mencomfa!Oy"•nd her iudgement,andeuill remaines cui!, though monly thinke that if they kcepe themfelues Y'"f'"· confcience fay the contrary a thoufand times. from periurie, blafphemie, mutl;her, theft, ~:~;;,,~\~ ' The third, What Mdone( a~ •:t•inft confcmzce whoredome,al is wcl w1thrhem:but the truth finnrd & though~terre,andbe.decm~ed, 1t ufin m the chcr, ts,thatfo longas they hue mIgnorance, they dilhono. Example. An Anabaptill holding it vtterly want right & true dire[lion ofconfci~nce.out red God vnlawfull tofwqre,is brought before a magiofGods wore), at)d therfore their bellactions :: :~;~n frratc; ~~~ vrgcd eitkerthrough feare~r fome are fi~s, euen their eatinpnd ~rinking, their lyerh. ltke caufe, takes anoath, ap\1 tbat agamll hiS Oecpmg ami wakmg,the.r buymg and felhng, ___J Zzz th~
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=