Aggravation of sin and sinning against knowledge. Mercy. Delivered in several sermons upon divers…Aggravation of sinne and sinning against knowledge. Mercie. Delivered in severall sermons upon divers…

Thirdly, when we would make others sin §3against their consciences.¹ The Pharisees, when the blind man would not say as they said, they cast him out; they would have had him say that Christ was a sinner, when through the small light he had, he judged it evident enough, that a sinner should not do such a miracle, as was never done since the world began. And so Jezebel made the Judges, and witnesses sin against conscience in accusing Naboth: and so some of the Gentiles, that would hold correspondency with the Jews, would have constrained the Galatians to be circumcised, Gal. 6. 12. Those that knew that circumcision was to be abolished, yet they would persuade them to it by a club argument, drawn from avoiding persecution, not from evidence of the Truth, or by reasons that might convince them, and their consciences: therefore he says, they constrained them. The persuaders might indeed glory, as having their cause and side strengthened, but they wan little credit to ⟨p. 60⟩their cause by it; for as the persuaders arguments were suited to flesh, so the others yielding was out of flesh, and so they glory in your flesh and weakness, says he; as the Papists urged Cranmer, not by arguments, but threats and promises to recant; this is the greatest cruelty in the world, to have a man murder himself, stab his conscience. To offend a weak conscience is a sin, if but passively, when thou dost something before his face, which his conscience is against: but if thou makest him wound his own conscience, and to do an act himself, which his own conscience is against, it is much worse: as if thou beest a Master, and hast a servant who pleadeth conscience, that he cannot lye for thy advantage in thy shop, or who will not do unlawful businesses on the Sabbath day, and pleads conscience, wilt thou smite him and whip him? God will smite thee, thou whited wall. How darest thou smite him, and so cause him to do that for which God will whip him worser? Show mercy to those under you, inform their consciences, wring them not,² you may hap to break the wards if you do.