contract my speech to the scanting of time or you if I should lengthen it to the weight of the matter And therefore I resolved here to make an end and to give place as fit it is to the businesse whereabout we meet The Total of what I have said and should say is in effect but this No pretension of a good end of a good meaning of a good event of any good whatsoever either can sufficiently warrant any sinfull action to be done or justifie it being done or sufficiently excuse the Omission of any necessary duty when it is necessary Consider what I say and the Lord give you understanding in all things Now to God the Father Son and Holy Spirit c. AD CLERUM The Third Sermon At a Visitation at Boston Lincoln 13. March 1620. 1 COR. 12.7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withall IN the first Verse of this Chapter S. Paul proposeth to himself an Argument which he prosecuteth the whole Chapter through and after a profitable digression into the praise of Charity in the next Chap. resumeth again at the 14. Chapter spending also that whole Chapter therein and it is concerning spirituall gifts Now concerning spirituall gifts brethren I would not have you ignorant c. These gracious gifts of the holy Spirit of God bestowed on them for the edification of the Church the Corinthians by making them the fuell either of their pride in despising those that were inferiour to themselves or of their envy in malicing those that excelled therein abused to the maintenance of schisme and faction and emulation in the Church For the remedying of which evils the Apostle entreth upon the Argument discoursing fully of the variety of these spirituall gifts and who is the Author of them and for what end they were given and in what manner they should be imployed omitting nothing that was needfull to be spoken anent this subject In this part of the Chapter entreating both before and after this verse of the wondrous great yet sweet and usefull variety of these spirituall gifts he sheweth that howsoever manifold they are either for kind or degree so as they may differ in the materiall and formall yet they do all agree both in the same efficient and the same finall cause In the same efficient cause which is God the Lord by his Spirit ver 4 6. Now there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit and there are differences of administrations but the same Lord and there are diversities of operations but it is the same God which worketh all in all And in the same finall cause which is the advancement of Gods glory in the propagation of his Gospel and the edification of his Church in this ver But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withall By occasion of which words we may enquire into the nature convenience and use of these gifts First their nature in themselves and in their originall what they are and whence they are the works of Gods Spirit in us the manifestation of the Spirit Secondly their conveyance unto us how we come to have them and to have property in them it is by gift It is given to every man Thirdly their use and end why they were given us and what we are to do with them they must be employed to the good of our Brethren and of the Church is given to every man to profit withall Of these briefly and in their order and with speciall reference ever to us that are of the Clergy By manifestation of the Spirit here our Apostle understandeth none other thing then he doth by the adjective word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the first and by the substantive word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the last verse of the Chapter Both which put together do signifie those spiritual gifts and graces whereby God enableth men and specially Church-men to the duties of their particular Callings for the generall good Such as are those particulars which are named in the next following verses the word of Wisdome the word of Knowledge Faith the gifts of healing workings of miracles prophecy discerning of spirits divers kinds of tongues interpretation of tongues All which and all other of like nature and use because they are wrought by that one and self-same Spirit which divideth to every one severally as he will are therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spirituall gifts and here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the manifestation of the Spirit The word Spirit though in Scripture it have many other significations yet in this place I conceive to be understood directly of the holy Ghost the third Person in the ever blessed Trinity For first in ver 3. that which is called the Spirit of God in the former part is in the latter part called the Holy Ghost I give you to understand that no man speaking by the spirit of God calleth Iesus accursed and that no man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost Again that variety of gifts which in ver 4. is said to proceed from the same Spirit is said likewise in ver 5. to proceed from the same Lord and in ver 6. to proceed from the same God and therefore such a Spirit is meant as is also Lord and God and that is onely the Holy Ghost And again in those words in ver 11. All these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit dividing to every man severally as he will the Apostle ascribeth to this Spirit the collation and distribution of such gifts according to the free power of his own will and pleasure which free power belongeth to none but God alone Who hath set the members every one in the body as it hath pleased him Which yet ought not to be so understood of the Person of the Spirit as if the Father and the Son had no part or fellowship in this business For all the Actions and operations of the Divine Persons those onely excepted which are of intrinsecall and mutuall relation are the joynt and undivided works of the whole three Persons according to the common known maxime constantly and uniformly received in the Catholike Church Opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisa And as to this particular concerning gifts the Scriptures are clear Wherein as they are ascribed to GOD the Holy Ghost in this Chapter so they are elsewhere ascribed to God the Father Every good gift and every perfect giving is from above from the Father of Lights Jam. 1. and elsewhere to God the Son Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Eph. 4. Yea and it may be that for this very reason in the three verses next before my text these three words are used Spirit in ver 4. Lord in ver 5. and God in ver 6. to give us intimation that these spirituall gifts
Levellers whose Principles are so destructive of all that Order and Iustice by which publick societies are supported do yet style themselves as by a kinde of peculiarity The Godly And that secondly it is the easyest thing in the world and nothing more common then for men to pretend Conscience when they are not minded to obey I do not believe thirdly though I am well perswaded of the godliness of many of them otherwise that the refusal of indifferent Ceremonies enjoyned by Lawful Authority is any part of their Godliness or any good fruit evidence or signe thereof But certain it is fourthly that the godliest men are men and know but in part and by the power of godliness in their hearts are no more secured from the possibility of falling into Errour through Ignorance then from the possibility of falling into Sin through Infirmity And as for Tenderness of Conscience fifthly a most gracious blessed fruit of the holy Spirit of God where it is really and not in pretence only nor mistaken for sure it is â—o very tender Conscience though sometimes called so that straineth at a Gnat and swalloweth a Camel it is with it as with other tender things very subject to receive harme and soon put out of order Through the cunning of Satan it dangerously exposeth men to temptations on the right hand and through its own aptitude to entertain and to cherish unnecessary scruples it strongly disposeth them to listen thereunto so long till at the last they are overcome thereof Needful it is therefore that in the publick teaching the Errours should be sometimes refuted and the Temptations discovered And this ever to be done seasonably soberly discreetly and convincingly and when we are to deal with men whose Consciences are so far as we can discern truly tender with the spirit of Meekness and Compassion For tender things must be tenderly dealt withall or they are lost I know it is not allwayes so done nor can we expect it should All Preachers are neither so charitable nor so prudent nor so conscientious as they should be And they that are such in a good measure are men still and may be transported now and then through passion and infirmity beyond the just bounds of moderation But then the fault is not so much in the choise of the argument they treat of as in the ill-managing thereof which ought not to cast any prejudice upon others who deal in the same argument but after another manner § VII But that which pincheth most in this first particular is as I suppose this That upon all publick occasions especially in Visitation-Sermons they who agree with us in the substance of the same reformed Religion are for the most part the only mark shot at whilest the common enemy the Papist hath little or nothing said against him For answer hereunto First so far as concerneth the Sermons here published the Objection is void for therein the Papist hath had his share as well as his fellows so oft as the Text gave occasion or the file of my discourse led me thereunto as by the papers themselves whereunto reference to be had will evidently appear Secondly admitting all true that is alleaged either we are excusable in what they blame us for or they that blame us inexcusable who do the very same things Do not they usually in their Sermons fall bitterly upon the Papists and Arminians but seldome meddle with the Socinians scarce ever name the Turks I have been often told of their declamations against the observing of Christmas that great superstitious thing but I remember not to have heard of much spoken against Perjury and Sacriledge and some other sins wherewith our times abound Nay doth not their zeal even against Popery it self Popery I mean truly so called of late years and since most of the Pulpits are in their possession seem to abate at leastwise in comparison of the zeal they shew against Episcopacy and against the Liturgy Festivals and Ceremonies lately in use among us These they cry down with all the noise they can and with all the strength they have having first branded them with the name of Popery and this must now pass for preaching against Popery I demand then Is there not the like reason of reproving Sins and refuting Errours If so are not Perjury and Sacriledge as great sins at least as keeping Christmas holy day Howsoever are not the Errors of the Turks that deny the whole structure of the Christian Religion foundation and all far worse then the Errors of the Papists who by their additional superstructures have only altered the fabrick but keep the foundation still And are not the Errours of the Socinians who deny the Trinity Gods Omniscience the Eternity of the Son the Divinity of the Holy Ghost Original sin the calling of Ministers and far worse then those the Arminians are charged withall of Free Will Vniversal Redemption Falling from Grace c. And are not the old rotten points of Popery the Popes Oecumenical Pastorship and Infallibility the Scriptures unsufficiency Image-worship Invocation of Saints Transubstantiation Half-Communion c. Errours of as great a magnitude as those other points of Popery lately and falsly dubb'd such of Episcopacy Liturgy Festivals and Ceremonies If they be why do our Brethren preach oftner and inveigh more against these later and lesser in comparison then against those former and greater sins and Errours I doubt not but they have some Reasons wherewith to satisfie themselves for their so doing else they were much to blame Be those Reasons what they will if they will serve to excuse them they will serve as well to justifie us § VIII It will be said perhaps First That the Turks have no Communion with us They are out of the Church and our chiefest care should be for those within leaving those without for God to judge Or indeed Secondly To what purpose would it be to address our speeches to them some thousands of miles out of hearing If our voyces were as loud as Stentors or that of Mars in Homer the sound would not reach them Besides that Thirdly There is little danger in our people of receiving hurt or infection from them who have no such agents here to tamper with the people in that behalfe no such artifices and plausible pretensions whereby to work them over to their side no such advantages as the agreement in some Common Principles might afford for bringing on the rest as the Papists have Who being within the pale of the visible Catholick Church and living in the midst of us have their instruments ready at hand in every corner to gain Proselytes for Rome the specious pretences of Antiquity Vniversality Consent of Councels and Fathers c. Wherewith to dazle the eyes of weak and credulous persons and some ground also to work upon in the agreement that is between them and us in the principall Articles of the Christian Faith § IX These Reasons I confess are satisfactory
through precipitancy prejudice or otherwise is deceived with fallacies instead of substance and mistaketh seeming inferences for necessary and naturall deductions Partly in the Will when men of corrupt minds set themselves purposely against the known truth and out of malicious wilfulnesse against the strong testimony of their own hearts slander it that so they may disgrace it and them that professe it Partly in the Affections when men overcome by carnall affections are content to cheat their own souls by giving such constructions to Gods Truth as will for requitall give largest allowance to their practices and so rather choose to crooken the Rule to their own bent than to levell themselves and their affections and lives according to the Rule Thirdly on Gods part who suffereth his own Truth to be slandered and mistaken Partly in his Iustice as a fearfull judgement upon wicked ones whereby their hard hearts become yet more hardened their most just condemnation yet more just Partly in his goodnesse as a powerfull fiery triall of true Doctors whose constancy and sincerity is the more approved with him and the more eminent with men if they flye not when the Wolf cometh but keep their standing and stoutly maintain Gods truth when it is deepliest slandered and hotliest opposed And partly in his Wisdome as a rich occasion for those whom he hath gifted for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to awaken their zeal to quicken up their industry to muster up their abilities to scour up their spirituall armour which else through dis-use might gather rust for the defence and for the rescue of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that precious truth whereof they are depositaries and wherewith he hath entrusted them These are the Grounds The Uses for instruction briefly are to teach and admonish every one of us that we be not either first so wickedly malicious as without apparent cause to raise any slander or secondly so foolishly credulous as without severe examination to believe any slander or thirdly so basely timorous as to flinch from any part of Gods truth for any slander But I must not insist This from the slander Observe fourthly how peremptorily the Apostle is in his censure against the slanderers or abusers of holy truths Whose damnation is just Some understand it with reference to the Slanderers As we be slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say Whose damnation is just that is their damnation is just who thus unjustly slander us Others understand it with reference to that ungodly resolution Let us do evil that good may come whose damnation is just that is their damnation is just for the evil they do who adventure to do any evil under whatsoever pretence of good to come of it Both expositions are good and I rather embrace both then prefer either I ever held it a kind of honest spiritual thrift where there are two senses given of one place both agreeable to the Analogie of Faith and Manners both so indifferently appliable to the words and scope of the place as that it is hard to say which was rather intended though there was but one intended yet to make use of both And so will we Take it the first way and the slanderer may read his doom in it Here is his wages and his portion and the meed and reward of his slander Damnation And it is a just reward He condemneth Gods truth unjustly God condemneth him justly for it whose damnation is just ◠If we be countable and we are countable at the day of Judgement for every idle word we speak though neither in it self false nor yet hurtful and prejudicial unto others what less than damnation can they expect that with much falshood for the thing it self and infinite prejudice in respect of others blaspheme God and his holy Truth But if it be done of purpose and in malice to despight the Truth and the professors thereof I scarce know whether there be a greater sin or no. Maliciously to oppose the known Truth is by most Divines accounted a principal branch of that great unpardonable sin the sin against the Holy Ghost by some the very sin it self I dare not say it is so nor yet that it is unpardonable or hath finall impenitency necessarily attending it I would be loth to interclude the hope of Repentance from any sinner or to confine Gods Mercy within any bounds Yet thus much I think I may safely say it cometh shrewdly neer the sin against the Holy Ghost and is a fair or rather a foul step toward it and leaveth very little hope of pardon That great sin against the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost it self in the Scriptures chuseth rather than by any other to expresse by this name of Blasphemy Mat. 12. And whereas our Apostle 1 Tim. 1. saith That though he were a Blasphemer yet he obtained mercy because he did it ignorantly in unbelief he leaveth it questionable but withall suspicious whether there may be any hope of Mercy for such as blaspheme maliciously and against knowledge If any mans be certainly such a mans damnation is most just But not all Slanderers of GODS truth are of that deep die not all Slanderers sinners in that high degree GOD forbid they should There are respects which much qualifie and lessen the sin But yet allow it any in the least degree and with the most favourable circumstances still the Apostles sentence standeth good Without Repentance their damnation is just Admit the Truth be dark difficult and so easily to be mistaken admit withall the man be weak and ignorant and so apt to mistake his understanding being neither distinct through incapacity to apprehend and sort things aright nor yet constant to it self through unsetlednesse and levity of judgement Certainly his misprision of the Truth is so much lesser than the others wilfull Calumny as it proceedeth lesse from the irregularity of the Will to the Iudgement And of such a man there is good hope that both in time he may see his errour and repent expresly and particularly for it and that in the mean time he doth repent for it implicitè and inclusively in his generall contrition for and confession of the massie lump of his hidden and secret and unknown sins This Charity bindeth us both to hope for the future and to think for the present and S. Pauls example and words in the place but now alledged are very comfortable to this purpose But yet still thus much is certain He that through ignorance or for want of apprehension or judgement or by reason of whatsoever other defect or motive bringeth a slander upon any divine Truth though never so perplexed with difficulties or open to cavil unless he repent for it either in the particular and that he must do if ever God open his eyes and let him see his fault or at leastwise in the generall it is still a damnable sin in
judgement upon Zimri and Cosbi did withall lift up his heart to God to blesse that action and to turn it to good In which respects especially if the word withall will bear it as it seemeth it will some men should have done well not to have shewn so much willingnesse to quarrell at the Church-translations in our Service-book by being clamorous against this very place as a grosse corruption and sufficient to justifie their refusall of subscription to the Book But I will not now trouble either you or my selfe with farther curiosity in examining Translations because howsoever other Translations that render it praying or appeasing may be allowed either as tolerably good or at least excusably ill yet this that rendreth it by Executing Iudgment is certainly the best whether we consider the course of the Story it selfe or the propriety of the word in the Originall or the intent of the Holy Ghost in this Scripture And this Action of Phinehes in doing judgement upon such a paire of great and bold offenders was so well pleasing unto God that his wrath was turned away from Israel and the plague which had broken in upon them in a sudden and fearfull manner was immediately stayed thereupon Oh how acceptable a sacrifice to God above the blood of Bulls and of Goates is the death of a Malefactor slaughtered by the hand of Iustice When the Magistrate who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Minister and Priest of God for this very thing putteth his knife to the throat of the beast and with the fire of an holy zeal for GOD and against sin offereth him up in Holocaustum for a whole burnt-offering and for a peace-offering unto the Lord. Samuel saith that to obey is better than sacrifice and Salomon that to do justice and judgement is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice Obedience that is the prime and the best sacrifice and the second best is the punishment of Disobedience There is no readier way to appease GODS wrath against sinne then is the rooting out of sinners nor can his deputies by any other course turn away his just judgements so effectually as by faithfull executing of Iustice and judgement themselves When Phinehes did this act the publick body of Israel was in a weak state and stood in need of a present and sharp remedy In some former distempers of the State it may be they had found some ease by dyet in humbling their soules by fasting or by an issue at the tongue or eye in an humble confession of their sinnes and in weeping and mourning for them with teares of repentance And they did well now to make triall of those remedies again wherein they had found so much help in former times especially the remedies being proper for the malady and such as often may do good but never can do harm But alas fasting and weeping and mourning before the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation had not strength enough against those more prevalent corruptions wherewith the State of Israel was then pestered This Phinehes saw who well perceived that as in a dangerous pleurisie the party cannot live unlesse he bleed so if there were any good to be done upon Israel in this their little lesse than desperate estate a vein must be opened and some of the rank blood let out for the preservation of the rest of the body This course therefore he tries and languishing Israel findeth present ease in it As soon as the blood ran instantly the grief ceased He executed judgement and the plague was stayed As God brought upon that people for their sinnes a fearfull destruction so he hath in his just wrath sent his destroying Angel against us for ours The sinnes that brought that Plague upon them were Whoredome and Idolatry I cannot say the very same sinnes have caused ours For although the execution of good Lawes against both incontinent and idolatrous persons hath been of late yeares and yet is we all know to say no more slack enough yet Gods holy name be blessed for it neither Idolatry nor Whoredome are at that height of shamelesse impudency and impunity among us that they dare brave our Moseses and out-face whole Congregations as it was in Israel But still this is sure no plague but for sinne nor nationall Plagues but for Nationall sinnes So that albeit none of us may dare to take upon us to be so far of Gods counsell as to say for what very sinnes most this plague is sent among us yet none of us can be ignorant but that besides those secret personall corruptions which are in every one of us and whereunto every mans own heart is privy there are many publick and nationall sinnes whereof the people of this Land are generally guilty abundantly sufficient to justifie GOD in his dealings towards us and to cleer him when he is judged Our wretched unthankfulnesse unto GOD for the long continuance of his Gospel and our peace our carnall confidence and security in the strength of our wooden and watry walls our riot and excesse the noted proper sinne of this Nation and much intemperate abuse of the good creatures of GOD in our meates and drinkes and disperts and other provisions and comforts of this life our incompassion to our brethren miserably wasted with War and Famine in other parts of the world our heavy Oppression of our brethren at home in racking the rents and cracking the backes and Grinding the faces of the poor our cheap and irreverent regard unto Gods holy ordinances of his Word and Sacraments and Sabbaths and Ministers our wantonnesse and Toyishnesse of understanding in corrupting the simplicity of our Christian Faith and troubling the peace of the Church with a thousand niceties and novelties and unnecessary wranglings in matters of Religion and to reckon no more that universall Corruption which is in those which because they should be such we call the Courts of Iustice by sale of offices enhauncing of fees devising new subtilties both for delay and evasion trucking for expedition making trappes of petty penall Statutes and but Cobwebs of the most weighty and materiall Lawes I doubt not but by the mercy of God many of his servants in this Land are free from some and some from all of these common crimes in some good measure but I fear me not the best of us all not a man of us all but are guilty of all or some of them at least thus farre that we have not mourned for the corruptions of the times so feelingly nor endeavoured the reformation of them to our power so faithfully as we might and ought to have done By these and other sinnes we have provoked Gods heavy judgement against us and the Plague is grievously broken in upon us and now it would be good for us to know by what meanes we might best appease his wrath and stay this Plague Publick Humiliations have ever been thought
Epistle as one that is proud and knoweth nothing as he should doe but doateth about questions and strife of words c. ver 3 5. Now look what power the Master hath over his servants for the ordering of his family no doubt the same at the least if not much more hath the supreme Magistrate over his subjects for the peaceable ordering of the Commonwealth the Magistrate being Pater Patriae as the Master is Pater familias Whosoever then shal interpret the determinations of Magistrates in the use of the Creatures to be contrary to the liberty of a Christian or under that colour shall exempt inferiours from their obedience to such determinations he must blame Saint Paul nay he must blame the Holy Ghost and not us if he hear from us that he is proud and knoweth nothing and doateth about unprofitable Questions Surely but that experience sheweth us it hath been so and the Scriptures have foretold us that it should be so that there should be differences and sidings and part-takings in the Church a man would wonder how it should ever sink into the hearts and heads of sober understanding men to deny either the power in Superiours to ordain or the necessity in Inferiours to obey Laws and constitutions so restraining us in the use of the Creatures Neither let any man cherish his ignorance herein by conceiting as if there were some difference to be made between Civil and Ecclesiastical Things and Laws and Persons in this behalf The truth is our liberty is equal in both the power of Superiours for restraint equal in both and the necessity of obedience in Inferiours equal to both No man hath yet been able to shew nor I think ever shall be a real and substantial difference indeed between them to make an inequality But that still as civil Magistrates have sometimes for just politick respects prohibited some trades and manufactures and commodities and enjoyned other-some and done well in both so Church-Governours may upon good considerations say it be but for order and uniformities sake prescribe the times places vestments gestures and other Ceremonial Circumstances to be used in Ecclesiastical Offices and assemblies As the Apostles in the first Council holden at Ierusalem in Acts 15. laid upon the Churches of the Gentiles for a time a restraint from the eating of blood and things sacrificed to Idols and strangled Thus we see our Christian liberty unto the Creatures may without prejudice admit of some restraints in the outward exercise of it and namely from the three respects of Christian Sobriety of Christian Charity and of Christian Duty and Obedience But now in the comparing of these together when there seemeth to be a repugnancy between one and another of them there may be some difficulty and the greatest difficulty and which hath bred most trouble is in comparing the cases of scandal and disobedience together when there seemeth to be a repugnancy between Charity and Duty As for example Suppose in a thing which simply and in it self we may lawfully according to the Liberty we have in Christ either use or forbear Charity seemeth to lay restraint upon us one way our weak brother expecting we should forbear and Duty a quite contrary way Authority requiring the use in such a case what are we to doe It is against Charity to offend a brother and it is against Duty to disobey a superiour And yet something must be done either we must use or not use forbear or not forbear For the untying of this knot which if we will but lay things rightly together hath not in it so much hardnesse as it seemeth to have let this be our seventh Position In the use of the Creatures and all indifferent things we ought to bear a greater regard to our publike Governours than to our private Brethren and be more carefull to obey them than to satisfie these if the same course will not in some mediocrity satisfie both Alas that our brethren who are contrary minded would but with the spirit of sobriety admit common Reason to be umpire in this case Alas that they would but consider what a world of Contradictions would follow upon the contrary opinion and what a world of confusions upon the contrary practice Say what can be said in the behalf of a Brother all the same and more may be said for a Governour For a Governour is a Brother too and something more and Duty is Charity too and something more If then I may not offend my Brother then certainly not my Governour because he is my Brother too being a man and a Christian as well as the other is And the same Charity that bindeth me to satisfie another Brother equally bindeth me to satisfie this So that if we goe no farther but even to the common bond of Charity and relation of Brotherhood that maketh them equal at the least and therefore no reason why I should satisfie one that is but a Private Brother rather than the publike Magistrate who that publike respect set aside is my Brother also When the Scales hang thus even shall not the accession of Magistracy to common Brotherhood in him and of Duty to common Charity in me be enough to cast it clear for the Magistrate Shall a servant in a Family rather than offend his fellow-servant disobey his Master And is not a double scandal against Charity and Duty both for Duty implyeth Charity greater than a single scandal against Charity alone If private men will be offended at our Obedience to publike Governours we can but be sorry for it We may not redeem their offence by our disobedience He that taketh offence where none is given sustaineth a double person and must answer for it both as the giver and the taker If offence be taken at us there is no woe to us for it if it doe not come by us Woe to the man by whom the offence commeth and it doth not come by us if we doe but what is our duty to doe The Rule is certain and equitable The respect of private scandal ceaseth where lawfull authority determineth our liberty and that restraint which proceedeth from special Duty is of superiour reason to that which proceedeth but from Common Charity Three Moderatours then of our Christian liberty to the Creatures we are to allow of Sobriety Charity and Duty unto every of which a just regard ought to be had Neither need we fear if we suffer Sobriety on one side and Charity on another and Duty on a third thus to abridge us in the use of our Christian liberty that by little and little it may be at length so pared away among them that there may be little or nothing left of it To remove this suspition let this be our Eighth and last Position No respect whatsoever can or ought to diminish the inward freedom of the conscience to any of the Creatures And this inward freedom is it wherein especially