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penny or a shilling, and I am in doubt on one side whether I be not bound to keep it as a vow, and on the other whether it be not a sin to keep it, because to cast away any of my talents is a sin, in this case, the sinful casting away of a penny or a shilling is not so great a sin as sinful perjury. If Daniel and the three witnesses had been in equal doubt, whether they should obey the king or pray to God (as Dan. vi.), and renounce the bowing to his idol (Dan. iii.), the sinful forbearance of prayer as then commanded, and the sinful bowing to the idol, had been a greater sin than a sinful disobeying the king's command in such a case, if they had been mistaken.

Rule v11. If I cannot discern whether the duty to be omitted, or the sin to be committed be materially and in other respects the greater, then that will be to me the greater of the sins which my doubting conscience doth most strongly suspect to be sin, in its most impartial deliberation.' For if other things be equal, certainly the sinning against more or less conviction or doubting must make an inequality. As if I could not discern whether my subscription to the Trent confession, or my forbearing to preach, or my preaching though prohibited, were the greater sin, in case they were all sinful; but yet I am most strongly suspicious of sinfulness in the subscription, and less suspicious of sinfulness in my forbearing in such a case to preach, and least of all suspicious of sinfulness in my preaching though prohibited in this case to subscribe sinfully is the greatest sin, and to forbear sinfully to exercise my office is the next, and to preach unwarrantably is the least.

Rule VIII. If I could perceive no difference in the degrees of evil in the omission and the commission, nor yet in the degrees of my suspicion or doubting, then that is the greater sin which I had greater helps and evidence to have known, and did not.'

Rule 1x. If both greater material evil be on one side than the other, and greater suspicion or evidence of the sinfulness also, then that must needs be the greater sin'

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Rule x. If the greatness of the material evil be on one side, and the greatness of the suspicion and evidence be on the other, then the former (if sin) will be materially and in itself considered the worst; but the latter will be formally

the greater disobedience to God.' But the comparison will be very difficult. As suppose, that I swear to God that I will cast away a shilling, or that I will forbear to pray for a week together; here I take perjury to be a greater sin than my casting away a shilling, or forbearing to pray a week: but when I question whether the oath should be kept or not, I have greater suspicion that it should not than it should, because no oath must be the bond of the least iniquity. Here, if the not keeping it prove a sin, I shall do that which is the greater sin in itself if I keep it not; but I shall shew more disobedience in keeping it, if it be not to be kept.

Rule x1.If it be a doubtful sin that I suspect on one side, and but a single one on the other, it maketh an inequality in the case.' As suppose that in my father's family there are heretics and drunkards, and I swear that in my place and calling I will endeavour to cast them out. My mother approveth my vow; my father is against it, and dischargeth me of it because I did it not by his advice. On one side, I doubt whether I am bound, or may act against my father's will: on the other side, I as much doubt whether I am not perjured, and disobedient to my mother if I do it not, and whether I disobey not God, that made it my duty to endeavour the thing in my place and calling before I vowed it.

Rule XII.There is a great deal of difference between omitting the substance of a duty for ever, and the delaying it, or altering the time, and place, and manner.' For instance, that which will justify or excuse me for shortening my prayer, or for praying but once a day, or at noon rather than in the morning, or for defect in method, or fervency, or expressions, may not justify or excuse me for denying, renouncing, or long forbearing prayer. And that which may excuse an apostle for not preaching in the temple or synagogues, or not having the emperor's or the high-priest's allowance or consent, or for not continuing in one city or country, would not excuse them if they had renounced their callings, or totally as to all times, and places, and manner of performance, have ceased their work for fear of men.

Rule XIII. If the duty to be omitted, and the sin to be committed, seem equal in greatness, and our doubt be equal

as to both, it is commonly held safer to avoid the commission more studiously than the omission.' For which there are many reasons given.

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Rule XIV. There is usually much more matter for fear and suspicion cæteris paribus' of sins to be committed than of duties to be omitted, when the commission is made necessary to the doing of the duty.' Both because it is there that the fear beginneth: for I am certain that the good work is no duty to me, if the act be a sin which is its necessary condition. Therefore so far as I suspect the act to be sinful, I must needs suspect the duty to be no duty to me at that time. It is not possible I should be rationally more persuaded that the duty is my duty, than that the condition is no sin; if it were the saving of the lives of all the men in the country, I could no further take it to be my duty, than I take that to be no sin by which it must be done; it being a thing past controversy, that we must not sin for the accomplishment of any good whatsoever. And also because the sin is supposed to be always sin; but few duties are at all times duties and the sin is a sin to every man, but the duty may be another man's duty and not mine. For instance, Charles V. imposeth the Interim upon Germany some pastors yielded to it; others refused it, and were cast out. Those that yielded, pleaded the good of the churches, and the prevention of their utter desolation; but yet confessed that if the thing imposed were sinful, it was not their duty to do it for any good whatsoever, but to seek the good of the church as well as they could without it: the other that were cast out, argued, that so far as they were confident the Interim was sinful, they must be confident that nothing was their duty that could not be done without it; and that God knew best what is good for his church, and there is no accomplishing its good by sin and God's displeasure; and that they did not therefore forsake their ministry, but only lose the ruler's licence, for they resolved to preach in one place or other till they were imprisoned, and God can serve himself by their imprisonment or death as well as by their preaching. And while others took their places that thought the Interim lawful, the churches were not wholly destitute; and if God saw meet, he could restore their fuller liberties again in the mean time, to serve him

as all pastors did for three hundred years after Christ (without the licence of the civil magistrate) was not to cast away their office. Another instance: the zealous Papists, in the reign of Henry III. in France, thought that there was a necessity of entering the League, and warring against the king, because religion was in danger, the preservation whereof is an unquestionable duty. The learned and moderate lawyers that were against them, said, that there being no question but the king had the total sovereignty over them, they were sure it was a sin to resist the higher powers, and therefore no preservation of religion could be a duty, or lawful to them, which must be done by such a certain sin sin is not the means to save religion or the commonwealth.

Rule xv. ' When a thing is not prohibited and sinful, simply in itself, but because of some accidental, or consequential evil that it tendeth to, there a greater accidental or consequential good, may preponderate the evil, and make the thing become no sin, but a duty.' It is a matter of exceeding difficulty to discern ofttimes, whether a thing be simply and absolutely forbidden, or only by accident, and alterably; and to discern which accident doth preponderate. There are so many observations that should here be taken in, and so much of a man's life and peace is concerned in it, that it deserveth a treatise by itself. And therefore, I shall not meddle with it any further here, lest an insufficient tractate be worse than none, in a case where error is so easy and perilous.

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Rule xvi. As to the danger of the sinner himself, there is a great deal of difference between an error and sin of human frailty, when the service of God, and true obedience, and the common good, are sincerely intended; and an error and sin of false-heartedness and sloth, when selfishness is the secret spring of the error, and carnal interest the real end, though God and his service be pretended.' And usually, the concomitants will shew something of this to others. For instance; two magistrates and two ministers submit to some questioned imposition; all pretend that the glory of God, and his service, is it that prevaileth with them to submit. The one of the magistrates faithfully serveth God afterward with his authority, and sheweth thereby that he

meant sincerely: the other doth no good in his place, and sheweth his hypocrisy. One of the ministers preacheth zealously, and privately laboureth as one that thirsteth for the saving of souls: the other preacheth formally, and coldly, and heartlessly, and never converteth a soul, and neglecteth the work which he pretended was his end.

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Grand Direct. XI. Let it be most deeply engraven on thy heart, that God is infinitely good, and amiable: thy grand benefactor and father in Christ; the end of all thou art and hast; and the everlasting rest and happiness of thy soul see therefore that thy inflamed heart be entirely and ahsolutely offered up unto him by the mediation of his Son, to love him, to trust him, to delight in him, to be thankful to him, to glorify him, and through faith to long for the heavenly glory, where all this will be perfectly done for ever. And first let us speak of LOVE.'

I did in the first Direction persuade you to lay a good foundation in faith and knowledge. In the second, I directed you how to live upon Christ. In the third, how to believe practically in the Holy Ghost. In the fourth, I directed you to the orderly and practical knowledge of the attributes of God. In the fifth, how to know God practically in his first grand relation, as he is your owner. In the sixth, how to know him practically in his second grand relation, as he is your king and governor : and in subordination to his governing relation. In the seventh, I directed you in your relation of disciples to Christ your teacher. And in the eighth, I directed you in your relation of patients to Christ your physician, and the Holy Ghost as your sanctifier. In the ninth, I directed you in your relation of soldiers to Christ the captain of your salvation. In the tenth, I directed you in the relation of servants to Christ your master. And now being past those subordinate relations (to the second), I proceed to direct you in your third grand relation to God as your Benefactor, Father, and Felicity. And because there are divers great duties in this General, I shall first begin with this of Love: and afterwards speak distinctly of the

rest.

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