A papist, because he hath a false rule, he cannot have a good conscience. The abomination of popery is, that they sin against conscience ; and con- science, indeed, is even with them, for it overthrows the most of their prin- ciples. They sin against conscience many ways, I mean not against their own conscience, but they sin against the conscience of others. For what do they ? That they may rule in the consciences of men (for that is the end of their great prelate, the tyrant of souls), they have Jfalse rules, that the pope cannot err. Their rule is the authority and judgment of him that cannot eiT ; and he, for the most part, is an unlearned man in divinity, that never read over the Scriptures in all his life, and he must judge all contro- versies. Where this is granted, that the pope cannot err, he sits in the conscience to do what he list. And he makes divine laws ; and cursed is he, saith the Council of Trent, that doth not equalise those traditions with the word of God (jj)-
From this false rule comes all, even rebellion itself. If be give dispen- sation from the oath of allegiance because he cannot err, therefore they ought to obey him, and rebel against their governors. All rebellion is from that rebellious rebellion that comes from false principles. These men talk of conscience, and they come not to church for conscience sake. What con- science can they have when they have false rules ? To equivocate and lie, — sins against nature. And other rules, that give liberty against the word ; that children may disobey their parents, and get into a cloister, &c.
The most of popery, though there were no word of God, it is against nature, against conscience, which God hath planted in man as his deputy, his tenant.
And as they sin against conscience, so, as I said, conscience is even with them. For let a man trust to his conscience, and he can never be a sound papist : except he leave that, and go upon base false grounds, because other great men do it, and because his predecessors have done it, &c. I appeal to their own consciences, if any man at the day of death think to be saved by his merits, doth not Bellarmine (after long dispute of salvation by merits) disclaim it ? ""' doth he not put away merits, for the uncertainty of his own righteousness ? So their own consciences do wring away the testimony of trusting to merits.
» See Note ff, vol. I. p. 313.— G.
2 COKINTHIANS CHAP, I, VER. 12. 215
Again, that original sin is no great sin. It is but the cause of sin, and it is less than any venial sin. Oh, but when conscience is awaked to know what a corrupt estate it is, it will draw from them that which it drew from St Paul, ' 0 wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death ?' Rom. vii. 24. Conscience, when it is awaked, will tell them that it is another manner of sin, and that it is the fountain of all sin.
And so for justification by works. Conscience itself, if there were no book of God, would say it is a false point. And then they plead for igno- rance. They have blind consciences. Their clergy being a subtle gene- ration, that have abused the world a long time, because they would sit in the conscience where God should sit, they ' sit in the temple of God,' 2 Thess. ii. 4, and would be respected above that which is due to them — they would be accounted as petty gods in the world. Therefore they keep the people from the knowledge of the true rule, and make what they speak equal with God's word. Now if the people did discern this, they would not be papists long ; for no man would willingly be cozened. Let us labour therefore for a true rule.
2. And when we have gotten rules, apphj them ; for what are rules with- out application '? Rules are instrumental things ; and instruments without use are nothing. If a carpenter have a rule, and hang it up by him, and work by conceit, what is it good for ? So to get a company of rules by the word of God (to refine natural knowledge as much as we can), and then to make no use of it in our lives, it is to no purpose ; therefore when we have rules, let us apply them.
In this, those that have the true rule, and apply it not, are better than they that refuse to have the rule, because, as hath been said, an ignorant man that hath not the rule, he cannot be good. But a man that hath the rule, and yet squares not his life by it, yet he can bring the rule to his life. There is a near converse between the heart and the brain. Such a man, he hath the rule in his memory, he hath it in his understanding ; and therefore there is a thousand times more hope of him that cares to know, that cares to hear the vv^ord of God, and cares for the means, than of sot- tish persons that care not to hear, because they would not do that they know, and because they would not have their sleepy, dull, and drowsy con- science awaked. There is no hope of such a one. It should be our care to have right rules, and in the application of them to make much of con- science, that it may apply aright in directing, and then in comfort. If we obey it in directing, it will witness and excuse ; and upon witness and excuse, there will come a sweet paradise to the soul, of joy and peace un- speakable and glorious.