Part 1 › Chapter 3 › Direction 10 › Directions for faithful serving Christ, and doing Good., A Christian Directory by Richard Baxter (1673) | AskReformation

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:1290p. 138

§. 50. Rule 6. Where I am in an equal degree uncertain, of the Duty to be omitted, and of the ¹sin […] committed, it is a Greater sin to venture doubtfully upon the committing of a positive sin that is Great (in case it prove a sin), than upon the omitting a duty which (in case it prove a •uty […] ▪ A•d on the contrary it is worse to venture on the omitting of a Great duty, than on the committing of a small positive sin. As suppose my own or my neighbours house be on ••re, and I am in doubt whether I may take another mans water to quench it against his will. O• if my own, or my child's, or neighbours life be in danger by famine, and I doubt whether I may take another mans apples, or pears, or ears of corn, or his bread, against his will to save my own l••e or another's. Really the thing is already made Lawful or Unlawful (which I now determine not) by the Law of God: But in my unavoidable uncertainty (if I be equally doubtful on both s•des) it is a far greater sin (if it prove a sin) to omit the saving of the House or Life, than to tak• an•ther mans water, or fruit, or bread that hath plenty (if this prove the sin): So if King and Nobles were in a ship which would be taken and all destroyed by Pirates, unless I told a lie, and said, They are other persons: If I were equally in doubt which course to take, to lie or not, (though sin have more evil than all our Lives have good) yet a sinful omitting to save all their lives is a greater sin, than a sinful telling of such a lie. Suppose I am in doubt whether I may lawfully save an Ox, or Ass, or a Mans life, by labour on the Sabbath day? Or David had doubted whether he might eat the consecrated show-bread in his necessity? It's clear that the sinful neglect of a mans life is worse than the sinful violation of a Sabbath, or the sinful use of the consecrated bread. If I equally doubt whether I may use a ceremony or disorderly defective form of prayer, and whether I should preach the Gospel to save mens souls, where there are not others enough to do it; it's clear that sinfully to use a ceremony or disorderly form of prayer is (caeteris paribus) a lesser sin, than sinfully to neglect to preach the Gospel and to save mens souls. On the other side, suppose I dwelt in Italy, and could not have leave to preach the Gospel there, unless, I would subscribe to the Trent confession, or the canon third of Concil. Lateran.

§. 50. Rule 6. Where I am in an equal degree uncertain, of the Duty to be omitted, and of the ¹sin 〈…〉 committed, it is a Greater sin to venture doubtfully up•n the committing of a positive sin that is Great (in case it prove a sin), than upon the omitting a duty which (in case it prove a •uty 〈…〉 ▪ A•d on the contrary it is worse to venture on the omitting of a Great duty, than on the committing of a small positive sin. As suppose my own or my neighbours house be on ••re, and I am in doubt whether I may take another mans water to quench it against his will. O• if my own, or my childs, or neighbours life be in danger by famine, and I doubt whether I may take another mans apples, or pears, or ears of corn, or his bread, against his will to save my own l••e or anothers. Really the thing is allready made Lawful or Unlawful (which I now determine not) by the Law of God: But in my unavoidable uncertainty (if I be equally doubtful on both s•des) it is a far greater sin (if it prove a sin) to omit the saving of the House or Life, than to tak• an•ther mans water, or fruit, or bread that hath plenty (if this prove the sin): So if King and Nobles were in a ship which would be taken and all destroyed by Pirates, unless I told a lie, and said, They are other persons: If I were equally in doubt which course to take, to lie or not, (though sin have more evil than all our Lives have good) yet a sinful omitting to save all their lives is a greater sin, than a sinful telling of such a lie. Suppose I am in doubt whether I may lawfully save an Ox, or Asse, or a Mans life, by labour on the Sabbath day? Or David had doubted whether he might eat the consecrated shew-bread in his necessity? It's clear that the sinful neglect of a mans life is worse than the sinful violation of a Sabbath, or the sinful use of the consecrated bread. If I equally doubt whether I may use a ceremony or disorderly defective form of prayer, and whether I should preach the Gospel to save mens souls, where there are not others enough to do it; it's clear that sinfully to use a ceremony or disorderly form of prayer is (caeteris paribus) a lesser sin, than sinfully to neglect to preach the Gospel and to save mens souls. On the other side, suppose I dwelt in Italy, and could not have leave to preach the Gospel there, unless, I would subscribe to the Trent confession, or the canon third of Concil. Lateran.

1[…]〈…〉

:1291p. 138–139

Sub Innocent 3. One of which requireth men to swear for Transubstantiation, and to interpret the Scriptures only according to the unanimous consent of the Fathers (who never unanimously consented in any exposition of the greatest part of the Scriptures at all): The other d••r••th the Popes deposing Temporal Lords, and disobliging their subjects from their allegiance: On one side I doubt whether by subscribing I become not guilty of justifying Idolatry, Perjury and Rebellion, and making my self guilty of the perjury of many thousand others: On the other side I doubt whether I may disobey my Superiors who command me this subscription, and may forbear preaching the Gospel▪ when yet I apprehend that there are others to preach it, and that my worth is not so considerable as that there should be any great loss in putting me out and putting in another, and God needeth not me to do him service, but hath instruments at command, and that I know not how soon he may restore my liberty, or that I may serve him in another Country, or else in sufferings at home, in such a case the sinful justifying of Perjury or Rebellion in whole Countries is a far greater sin, than the sinful omission of my preaching: for he that justifieth Perjury destroyeth the bonds of all societies, and turneth loose the subjects against their Sovereigns. Or if I being a Minister were forbidden to preach the Gospel where there is necessity, unless I will commit some sin; if I doubt on one side whether I should disobey my Superiors, and on the other whether I should forbear my calling, and neglect the souls of •inners; it is a lesser sin (caeteris paribus) to disobey a man sinfully, than to disobey God and to be cruel to the souls of men to their perdition sinfully. Or if I have made a vow and sworn that I will cast away a penny or a shilling, and I am in doubt on one side whether I be not bound to keep it as a Vow, and on the other whether it be not a sin to keep it, because to cast away any of my talents is a sin, in this case, the sinful casting away of a penny or a shilling, is not so great a sin, as sinful Perjury. If Daniel and the three witnesses had been in equal doubt whether they should obey the King, or Pray to God (as Daniel 6.) and ⟨p. 139⟩renounce the bowing to his Idol (Daniel 3.)

Sub Innocent 3. One of which requireth men to swear for Transubstantiation, and to interpret the Scriptures only according to the unanimous consent of the Fathers (who never unanimously consented in any exposition of the greatest part of the Scriptures at all): The other d••r••th the Popes deposing Temporal Lords, and disobliging their subjects from their allegiance: On one side I doubt whether by subscribing I become not guilty of justifying Idolatry, Perjury and Rebellion, and making my self guilty of the perjury of many thousand others: On the other side I doubt whether I may disobey my Superiors who command me this subscription, and may forbear preaching the Gospel▪ when yet I apprehend that there are others to preach it, and that my worth is not so considerable as that there should be any great loss in putting me out and putting in another, and God needeth not me to do him service, but hath instruments at command, and that I know not how soon he may restore my liberty, or that I may serve him in another Country, or else in sufferings at home, in such a case the sinful justifying of Perjury or Rebellion in whole Countries is a far greater sin, than the sinful omission of my preaching: for he that justifieth Perjury destroyeth the bonds of all societies, and turneth loose the subjects against their Soveraigns. Or if I being a Minister were forbidden to preach the Gospel where there is necessity, unless I will commit some sin; if I doubt on one side whether I should disobey my Superiors, and on the other whether I should forbear my calling, and neglect the souls of •inners; it is a lesser sin (caeteris paribus) to disobey a man sinfully, than to disobey God and to be cruel to the souls of men to their perdition sinfully. Or if I have made a vow and sworn that I will cast away a penny or a shilling, and I am in doubt on one side whether I be not bound to keep it as a Vow, and on the other whether it be not a sin to keep it, because to cast away any of my talents is a sin, in this case, the sinful casting away of a penny or a shilling, is not so great a sin, as sinful Perjury. If Daniel and the three witnesses had been in equal doubt whether they should obey the King, or Pray to God (as Daniel 6.) and ⟨p. 139⟩renounce the bowing to his Idol (Daniel 3.)

:1293p. 139

§. 51. Rule 7. If I cannot discern whether the Duty to be omitted: or the sin to be committed be ¹mater•ally and in other respects the greater, then that will be ▪ to me the greater of the sins which my doubting Conscience doth most strongly suspect to be sin in its most impartial deliberation. For if other things be equal, certainly the sinning against more or less conviction or doubting must make an inequality. As if I could not discern whether my subscription to the Trent confession, or my forbearing to preach, or my preaching though prohibited, were the greater sin, in case they were all sinful; but yet I am most strongly suspicious of sinfulness in the subscription, and less suspicious of sinfulness in my forbearing in such a case to preach, and least of all suspicious of sinfulness in my preaching though prohibited: In this case to subscribe sinfully is the greatest sin, and to forbear sinfully to exercise my office is the next, and to preach unwarrantably is the least.

§. 51. Rule 7. If I cannot discern whether the Duty to be omitted: or the sin to be committed be ¹mater•ally and in other respects the greater, then that will be ▪ to me the greater of the sins which my doubting Conscience doth most strongly suspect to be sin in its most impartial deliberation. For if other things be equal, certainly the sinning against more or less conviction or doubting must make an inequality. As if I could not discern whether my subscription to the Trent confession, or my forbearing to preach, or my preaching though prohibited, were the greater sin, in case they were all sinful; but yet I am most strongly suspicious of sinfulness in the subscription, and less suspicious of sinfullness in my forbearing in such a case to preach, and least of all suspicious of sinfullness in my preaching though prohibited: In this case to subscribe sinfully is the greatest sin, and to forbear sinfully to exercise my office is the next, and to preach unwarrantably is the least.

1Rule.