§ 3. Briefly: 1. We must obey both Magistrates and Pastors in all things lawful which belong to their Offices to command. 2. It belongs not to their Office to make God a new Worship; But to command the Mode and Circumstances of Worship belongeth to their Office: for guiding them wherein God hath given them general Rules. 3. We must not take the lawful Commands of our Governors to be unlawful. 4. If we do through weakness or perverseness take Lawful things to be unlawful, that will not excuse us in our disobedience. Our error is our Sin, and one sin will not excuse another Sin. Even as on the other side, if we judge things unlawful to be lawful, that will not excuse us for our disobedience to God in obeying Men. 5. As I have before showed, many things that are miscommanded, must be obeyed. 6. As an erroneous judgment will not excuse us from Obedience to our Governors, so much less will a doubtfulness excuse us. 7. As such a doubting, erring judgment cannot obey in (plenary) Faith, so much less can he disobey in Faith. For it is a known Command of God, that we obey them that have the Rule over us: but they have no Word of God against the act of Obedience now in question. It is their own erring judgment that entangleth them in a necessity of sinning (till it be changed.) 7. In doubtful Cases, it is our duty to use God's means for our Information: and one means is to consult with our Teachers, and hear their words with teachableness and meekness, 8. If upon advising with them we remain in doubt about the lawfulness of some Circumstance of order, if it be such as may be dispensed with, they should dispense with us: if it may not be dispensed without a greater injury to the Church or Cause of God, than our dispensation will countervail, then is it our duty to obey our Teachers, notwithstanding such doubts: For it being their Office to Teach us, it must be our duty to believe them with a Humane Faith, in cases where we have no Evidences to the contrary: And the Duty of Obeying them ☞ being certain, and the sinfulness of the thing commanded being uncertain and unknown, and only suspected, we must go on the surer side. 9. Yet must we in great and doubtful cases, not take up with the suspected judgment of a single Pastor, but apply our selves to the unanimous Pastors of other Churches. 10.
§ 3. Briefly: 1. We must obey both Magistrates and Pastors in all things lawful which belong to their Offices to command. 2. It belongs not to their Office to make God a new Worship; But to command the Mode and Circumstances of Worship belongeth to their Office: for guiding them wherein God hath given them general Rules. 3. We must not take the lawful Commands of our Governours to be unlawful. 4. If we do through weakness or perversness take Lawful things to be unlawful, that will not excuse us in our disobedience. Our error is our Sin, and one sin will not excuse another Sin. Even as on the other side, if we judge things unlawful to be lawful, that will not excuse us for our disobedience to God in obeying Men. 5. As I have before shewed, many things that are miscommanded, must be obeyed. 6. As an erroneous judgment will not excuse us from Obedience to our Governours, so much less will a doubtfulness excuse us. 7. As such a doubting, erring judgment cannot obey in (plenary) Faith, so much less can he disobey in Faith. For it is a known Command of God, that we obey them that have the Rule over us: but they have no Word of God against the act of Obedience now in quection. It is their own erring judgment that intangleth them in a necessity of sinning (till it be changed.) 7. In doubtful Cases, it is our duty to use God's means for our Information: and one means is to consult with our Teachers, and hear their words with teachableness and meekness, 8. If upon advising with them we remain in doubt about the lawfulness of some Circumstance of order, if it be such as may be dispensed with, they should dispence with us: if it may not be dispensed without a greater injury to the Church or Cause of God, than our dispensation will countervail, then is it our duty to obey our Teachers, notwithstanding such doubts: For it being their Office to Teach us, it must be our duty to believe them with a Humane Faith, in cases where we have no Evidences to the contrary: And the Duty of Obeying them ☞ being certain, and the sinfulness of the thing commanded being uncertain and unknown, and only suspected, we must go on the surer side. 9. Yet must we in great and doubtful cases, not take up with the suspected judgment of a single Pastor, but apply our selves to the unanimous Pastors of other Churches. 10.
