bond the bond of Gods Law which to f Sinne is the transgression of the Law 1. Ioh. 3 4. transgresse is a sinne and the bond of particular conscience which also to g Whatsoeuer is not of Faith is sinne Rom. 14. 23. Omne quod fit contra consciâ—â—tiam aedificat ad gehennam c. 28. q. 1. Omnes §. Ex his transgresse is a sinne Whereupon there seemeth to follow an ineuitable necessitie of sinning when Gods Law requireth one thing and particular conscience dictateth thâ— flat contrary For in such a case a man must either obey Gods Law and so sinne against his owne conscience or obey his owne conscience and so sinne against Gods Law But neither in this case is there any Perplexitie at all in the things themselues that which there is is through the default of the man onely whose iudgement being erroneous mis-leadeth his conscience and so casteth him vpon a necessitie of sinning But yet the necessitie is no simple and absolute and vnauoidable and perpetuall necessitie for it is onely a necessitie ex hypothesi and for a time and continueth but stante tali errore And still there is a way out betwixt those sinnes and that without a third and that way is depâ—nere erroneam conscientiam He must rectifie his iudgement and reforme the errour of his Conscience and then all is well There is no perplexitie no necessitie no obligation no expediencie which should either enforce or perswade vs to any sinne The resolution is damnable Let vs doe euill that good may come I must take leaue § 27. The Rule applyed in two instances before I passe from this point to make two instances and to measure out from the Rule of my Text an answere to them both They are such as I would desire you of this place to take due and speciall consideration of I desire to deale plainely and I hope it shall bee by Gods blessing vpon it effectually for your good and the Churches peace One instance shall bee in a sinne of Commission the other in a sinne of Omission The sinne of Commission wherein I would instance §. 28. The former instance is indeed a sinne beyond Commission it is the vsurping of the Magistrates Office without a Commission The Question is whether the zealous intention of a good end may not warrant it good or at least excuse it from being euill and a sinne I need not frame a Case for the illustration of this instance the inconsiderate forwardnes of some hath made it to my hand You may reade it in the disfigured windowes and wals of this Church Pictures and Statua's and Images and for their sakes the windowes and walles wherein they stood haue been heretofore and of late pulled down and broken in pieces and defaced without the Command or so much as leaue of those who haue power to reforme things amisse in that kinde Charitie bindeth vs to thinke the best of those that haue done it that is that they did it out of a forward though mis-gouerned zeale intending therein Gods glory in the farther suppression of Idolatry by taking away these as they supposed likely occasions of it Now in such a case as this the Question is whether the intention of such an end can iustifie such a deed And the fact of a Numb 2â— 7 8. Phinehes Numb 25. who for a much like end for the staying of the people from Idolatry executed vengeance vpon Zâ—mri Cosbi beeing but a priuate man and no Magistrate seemeth to make for it § 29. Reserued from the rule of my Text. But my Text ruleth it otherwise If it bee euill it is not to bee done no not for the preuenting of Idolatry I passe by some considerations otherwise of good moment as namely first whether Statua's and Pictures may not be permitted in Christian Churches for the adorning of Gods House and for ciuill and historicall vses not onely lawfully and decently but euen profitably I must confesse I neuer yet heard substantiall reason giuen why they might not And secondly whether things either in their first erection or by succeeding abuse superstitious may not be profitably continued if the Superstition be abolished Otherwise not Pictures onely and Crosses and Images but most of our Hospitals and Schooles and Colledges and Churches too must downe and so the hatred of Idolatry should but Vsher in licentious Sacriledge contrary to that passage of our Apostle in the next Chapter before this a Rom. 2. 22. Thou that abhorrest Idols committest thou Sacriledge And thirdly whether these forward ones haue not bewrayed somewhat their owne selfe guiltinesse in this Act at least for the manner of it in doing it secretly and in the darke A man should not dare to doe that which he would not willingly either bee seene when it is a doing or our owne being done To passe by these consider no more but this one thing onely into what dangerous and vnsufferable absurdities a man might runne if hee should but follow these mens grounds Erranti nullus terminus Errour knoweth no stay and a false Principle once receiued multiplyeth into a b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist. l. 1. Phys. â—ec 22. thousand absurd conclusions It is good for men to goe vpon sure grounds else they may runne and wander in infinit A little errour at the first if there bee way giuen to it will increase beyond beliefe as a small sparke may fire a large Citie a c â— King 18. 44 45. cloud no bigger then a mans hand in short space ouerspread the face of the whole Heauens For grant for the suppression of Idolatry in case the Magistrate will not doe his office that it is lawfull for a priuate man to take vpon him to reforme what he thinketh amisse and to doe the part and Office of a Magistrate which must needs haue bin their ground if they had any for this action there can be no sufficient cause giuen why by the same reason and vpon the same grounds a priuate man may not take vpoÌ„ him to establish Lawes raise Powers administer Iustice execute malefactors or do any other thing the Magistrate should do in case the Magistrate slack to doe his duty in any of the premises Which if it were once granted as granted it must bee if these mens fact bee iustifyable euery wise man seeth the end could bee no other but vast Anarchy and confusion both in Church and Common-weale wherupon must vnauoidably follow the speedy subuersion both of Religion and State If things be amisse and the Magistrate helpe it not priuate men may lament it and as occasion serueth and their condition and calling permitteth soberly and discreetly put the Magistrate in minde of it But they may not make themselues Magistrates § 30. The example of Phinehes examined to reforme it And as to the act of Phinehes though I rather thinke he did yet what if he did not well in so doing It is
f Iob. 1. 5. suspicious of his sonnes for sinning and cursing God in their hearts But the iudgement here elsewhere condemned is either first when in our priuate thoughts or speeches vpon slender presumptions wee rashly pronounce men as guilty of committing such or such sinnes without sufficient euidence either of fact or pregnant signes that they haue committed them Or secondly when vpon some actions g Aperta non ita reprehendamus vt de sanitaâ—e desperemus Gloss Ordin in Rom. 14. 13. Non quicquid reprehendendum etiam damnandum est Sen. l. 6. de benef cap. 39. vndoubtedly sinfull as blasphemy adultery periury c. we too seuerely censure the Persons either for the future as Reprobates and Castawales and such as shall bee certainely damned or at leastwise for the present as Hypocrites and vnsanctified and prophane and such as are in the state of damnation not considering into what fearefull sinnes it may please God to suffer not onely his h As Paul Mary Magdalene c. chosen ones before Calling but euen his i As Dauid Peter c. holy ones too after Calling sometimes to fall for ends most times vnknown to vs but euer iust and gracious in him Or thirdly when for want either of charitie or knowledge as in the present case of this Chapter we interpret things for the worst to our brethren and condemne them of sinne for such actions as are not directly and in themselues necessarily sinfull but may with due circumstances be performed with a good conscience and without sinne Now all iudging and condemning of our brethren in any of these kindes is sinfull and damnable and that in very many respects especially these foure which may serue as so many weighty reasons why wee ought not to iudge one another The Vsurpation the Rashnesse the Vncharitablenesse and the scandall of it First § 13. 1. Vnlawful it is an Vsurpation Hee that is of right to iudge must haue calling and commission for it a Exod. 2. 14. Quis constituit te sharpely replyed vpon Moses Exod. 2. Who made thee a Iudge and b Luk. 12. 14. Quis constituit me reasonably alledged by our Sauiour Luk. 12. Who made me a Iudge Thou takest too much vpon thee then thou sonne of man whosoeuer thou art that iudgest thus saucily to thrust thy selfe into Gods seate and to c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrysoft in Gen. hom 42. inuade his Throne Remember thy selfe wel and learne to know thine owne ranke Quis tu d Iam. 4. 12. Who art thou that iudgest another Iam. 4. or Who art thou that iudgest anothers seruant in the next following verse to my Text. As if the Apostle had said What art thou or what hast thou to do to iudge him that e Rom. 14. 4. standeth or falleth to his owne Master Thou art his fellow-seruant not his Lord. He hath another Lord that can and will iudge him who is thy Lord too and can and will iudge thee for so he argueth anon at vers 10. Why doest thou iudge thy brother We shall all stand before the Iudgement-feat of Christ. God hath reserued f Mâ—li operis vindictam Bâ—ni gloriam vtriusque Iudicium three Prerogatiues royall to himselfe g Isa. 47. 8. Vengeance h Deu. 32. 35 Rom 12. 19. Glory and i Rom. 14. 4. 10 Iam. 4. 11. 12. Iudgement As it is not safe for vs then to encroach vpon k Tres hominuÌ„ species maximam Deo faciunt iniuriam Superbi qui auferunt ei Gloriam Iracundi qui Vindictam Rigidi qui Iudicium Gods royalties in either of the other two Glory or Vengeance so neither in this of Iudgement Dominus iudicabit l Heb. 10. 30. The Lord himselfe will iudge his people Heb. 10. It is flat vsurpation in vs to iudge and therefore wee must not iudge Secondly § 14. 11. Rash. it is Rashnesse in vs. A Iudge must a Et nunc Reges intelligite erudimini qui iudicatis terram Psalm 2. 10. Stiudicas cognosce Sen. in Med. Act. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phocylid vnderstand the truth both for matter of b Et Formam Causam Normam secundùm quam Causam de quâ statuendum Ad Factum haec pertinet illa ad Ius ad illam Peritiâ opus est ad hanc Prudentiâ Fact and for point of Law and he must be sure he is in the right for both before he proceed to sentence or else he will giue rash iudgement How then dare any of vs vndertake to sit as Iudges vpon other mens consciences wherewith wee are so little acquainted that we are indeed but too much vnacquainted with our owne We are not able to search the depth of our owne c Ier. 17. 9. I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not hereby iustified but he that iudgeth me is the Lord 1. Cor. 4. 4. If our heart condemne vs God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things 1. Ioh. 3. 21. Latet me sacultas mea quae in me est vt animus meus de viribus suis ipse se interrogans non facilè sibi credendum existiment quia quod inest plerunque occultum est Aug. lib. 10. Confes. cap. 32. wicked and deceitfull hearts and to ransacke throughly the many secret windings and turnings therein how much lesse then are we able to fadome the bottomes of other mens hearts with any certaintie to pronounce of them either good or euill Wee must then leaue the iudgement of other mens spirits and hearts and reines to him that is d Heb. 12. 9. the Father of spirits and alone e Psalm 7. 9 26. 2 Ier. 11. 20 17. 10 20. 12 Reu. 2. 23. searcheth the hearts and reines before whose eyes all things are f Heb. 4. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the word is most Emphaticall Heb. 4. Wherefore our Apostles precept elsewhere is good to this purpose 1. Cor. 4. g 1. Cor. 4. 5. Iudge nothing before the time vntill the Lord come who both will bring to light the hidden things of darknesse and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts Vnlesse â—e be able to bring these hidden things to light and to make manifest these counsels it is h Temeritas est damnaâ—e quod nescias Sen. in Epist. rashnes in vs to iudge and therefore we must not iudge Thirdly § 15. III. Vncharitable this iudging is vncharitable Charity is not easily suspicious but vpon iust cause much lesse then censorious and peremptorie Indeede when we are to iudge of a In rerum iuditio debet aliquis niti ad hoc vt interpretetur vnuÌ„ quodque secundum quod est in iudicio autem personarum vt interpretetur in melius Aquin 2 a secundae qu 60. art 4. ad 3. and he giueth substantiall reason for it ibi in resp ad 2. Things it is
them so vnreasonable as to thinke they haue sufficiently non-plus't any reprouer if being admonished of something ill done they haue but returned this poore reply Is it not better to do so then to do worse But alasse what necessitie of doing either so or worse when Gods law bindeth thee from both a Iam. 2. 10. 11. He that sayd Do not commit adultery said also Do not kill and he that said Doe not steale said also Doe not lie If then thou lie or kill or doe any other sinne though thou thinkest thereby to auoyd stealth or adultery or some other sinne yet thou art become a transgressour of the Lawe and by offending in one point of it guilty of all It is but a poore choyce when a man is desperately resolued to cast himselfe away whether hee should rather hang or drowne or stab or pine himselfe to death there may be more horror more paine more lingring in one then another but they all come to one period and determine in the same point death is the issue of them all And it can be but a slender comfort for a man that will needs thrust himselfe into the mouth of hell by sinning wilfully that he is damned rather for lying then for stealing or whoring or killing or some greater crime Damnation is the wages of them all Murther can but hang a man and without fauour Petty-Larceny will hang a man too The greatest sinnes can but damne a man and without Gods mercie the smallest will damne a man too But what wil some reply In case two sinnes be propounded may I not do the lesser to auoid the greater otherwise must I not of necessitie doe the greater The answere is short and easie If two sinnes bee propounded doe neither E malis minimum holdeth as you heard and yet not alwayes neither in euils of Paine But that is no Rule for euils of sinne Here the safer Rule is è malis nullum And the reason is sound from the Principle wee haue in hand If wee may not doe any euill to procure a positiue good certainly b Eâdem doctrinâ— qua horremus facere mala vt eueniant bona horrere debemâ—us facere mala vt euitemus peiora Euitare enim peiora multò minus bonum est quà m euenire bonum Caietan hic much lesse may wee doe one euill to auoid or preuent another But what if both cannot bee auoided § 26. The obiection from the seeming case of perplexitie remoued but that one must needs be done In such a strait may I not chuse the lesser To thee I say againe as before Chuse neither To the Case I answere it is no Case because as it is put it is a case impossible For Nemâ— angustiatur ad peccandum the Case cannot be supposed wherein a man should be so straiâ—ned as he could not come off fairly without sinning A man by rashnesse or feare or frailety may foulely entangle himselfe and through the powerfull engagements of sinne driue himselfe into very narrow straites or be so driuen by the fault or iniury of others yet there cannot be any such straits as should enforce a necessitie of sinning but that stil there is one path or other out of them without sinne The Perplexity that seemeth to bee in the things is rather in the a Non enim datur perplexio ex parte rerum sed contingere potest ex parte hominis nescieÌ„tis euadere nec videntis aditum euadendi absque aliquo peccato Caiet hîc See the glosse on dist 13. item aduersus where hee proueth against Gratian that there can bee no perplexitie men who puzzle and lose themselues in the Labyrinths of sinne because they care not to heed the clue that would lead them out if it were well followed Say a man through heate of bloud make a wicked vow to kill his brother heere hee hath by his owne rashnesse brought himselfe into a seeming strait that either he must commit a murther or breake a vow either of which seemeth to bee a great sinne the one against the fifth the other against the third commandement But here is in very deed no strait or perplexity at all Heere is a faire open course for him without sinne Hee may breake his vow and there an end Neither is this the choyce of the lesser sinne but onely the b Non dâ—cet eligere minur peccatum sed solutionem minoris nexus Caietanus hîc speaking of Councell of Toledo loosening of the lesser bond the bond of charitie beeing greater then the bond of a promise and there beeing good reason that in termes of inconsistency when both cannot stand the lesser bond should yeeld to the greater But is it not a sinne for a man to breake a vow Yes where it may be kept saluis charitate iustitia there the breach is a sinne but in the case proposed it is no sinne As Christ saith in the point of swearing so it may be said in the point of breach of vow c Math. â—37 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Neuer was any breach of vow but it was peccatum or expeccato the breaking is either it selfe formally a sinne or it argueth at least a former sinne in the making So as the sinne in the case alledged was before in making such an vnlawfull vow and for that sinne the party must repent but the breaking of it now it is made is no new sinne rather it is a necessarie dutie and a branch of that repentance which is due for the former rashnesse in making it because a hurtfull vow is and that virtute praecepti rather to be broken then kept The d Exod 1. 16 c. Aegyptian Midwiues not by their owne fault but by Pharaohs tyrannous command are driuen into a narrow strait enforcing a seeming necessitie of sinne for either they must destroy the Hebrew children and so sinne by Murther or else they must deâ—ise some hansome shift to carry it cleanely from the Kings knowledge and so sinne by lying And so they did they chose rather to lye then to kill as indeed in the comparison it is by much the lesser sinne But the very truth is they should haue done neither they should flatly haue refused the Kings commandement though with hazzard of their liues and haue resolued rather to suffer any euill then to do any And so Lot should haue done hee should rather haue aduentured his owne life and theirs too in protecting the chastitie of his Daughters and the safety of his ghests then haue e Gen. 19. 8. offered the exposall of his Daughters to the lusts of the beastly Sodomites though it were to redeeme his ghests from the abuse of fouler and more abominable filthinesse Absolutely there cannot be a case imagined wherin it should be impossible to auoid one sin vnlesse by the committing of another The case which of all other commeth neerest to a Perplexity is that of an erroneous conscience because of a double