The Morning exercise [at] Cri[ppleg]ate, or, Several cases of conscience practically resolved

2. We must make the rule Certain; The difficulty about the certainty of it, is this; everlasting disputes will arise about what is lawful, and reasonable, and unlawful, and unreasonable; Now we must reduce it, to a certainty thus; what ever I would that another should do to me, that I should do to him, unless the thing be plainly, & evidently unlawful or unreasonable; & this cuts off all disputes, for though there may be perpetual disputes about what is lawful & reasonable, or the contrary, yet there can be no dispute about the unlawfulness & unreasonableness of those things which are plainly and evidently so, for that which is plain and evident, is out of all dispute; To confirm this let us consider another Text. Phil. 4.8. Where the Apostle exhorts Christians to follow whatever things are true, and honest, and just, and pure, and as a discovery of what things are such; he adds what ever things are lovely, of good report, and praise worthy; that is, what ever things are amiable ⟨p. 251⟩well spoken of, and praised by wise and good men (who are the only competent Judges of these things) if they be not plainly contrary to truth or honesty, or justice, or purity, follow these thing; and if this be not the meaning, those words lovely, of good report, praise worthy are superfluous, and do not at all direct our conversation, which certainly the Apostle intended to do by them.

2. Wee must make the rule Certain; The difficulty about the certainty of it, is this; everlasting disputes will arise about what is lawful, and reasonable, and unlawful, and unreasonable; Now we must reduce it, to a certainty thus; what ever I would that another should do to me, that I should do to him, unless the thing bee plainly, & evidently unlawful or unreasonable; & this cuts off all disputes, for though there may be perpetual disputes about what is lawful & reasonable, or the contrary, yet there can be no dispute about the unlawfulness & unreasonableness of those things which are plainly and evidently so, for that which is plain and evident, is out of all dispute; To confirm this let us consider another Text. Phil. 4.8. Where the Apostle exhorts Christians to follow whatever things are true, and honest, and just, and pure, and as a discovery of what things are such; hee adds what ever things are lovely, of good report, and praise worthy; that is, what ever things are amiable