4ly. If a man be proud and turbulent in his carriage, by ⟨p. 32⟩§4that you may know the Devil is rather in the will then in the conscience; though an erroneous conscience may cause one to hold fast an error, yet it does not put upon proud, scornful, turbulent behaviour: When a man by reason of his conscience (it may be the weakness of it) differs from his brethren, he had need carry himself with all humility and meekness, & self-denial in all other things; he should be willing to be a servant to every man, in what lawfully he may, that thereby he may show to all, that it is not from any wilfulness, but merely the tenderness of his conscience, that he cannot come off to that which his brethren can do, whom yet he reverences, and in his carriage towards them, shows that he yet esteems them his betters; but if a man that is weak, very much beneath others in parts and graces, shall carry himself high, imperious, contemning and vilifying those who differ from him, and be contentious with them: There is great reason to think, that the corruption is in the will rather then any where else; if there should be some conscience yet in these men, their heart-distempers may justly forfeit their right of pleading their consciences. Those who oppose them, if they do it in a Christian way, may justify what they do before God; if God should call them to an account, and say, why did you deal so with such men who professed they were put upon what they held and did, by their consciences; If they can answer thus, Lord thou knowest we were willing to have dealt with them in all tenderness, if we could have seen conscientiousness in their carriage; but we saw nothing but scornfulness, pride, imperiousness, turbulency, conceitedness, we could see nothing of the Spirit of Jesus Christ acting them in their way; this their carriage persuaded us, that the sinfulness was got rather into their wills then their consciences.
4ly. If a man be proud and turbulent in his carriage, by ⟨p. 32⟩§4that you may know the Devill is rather in the will then in the conscience; though an erroneous conscience may cause one to hold fast an errour, yet it does not put upon proud, scornfull, turbulent behaviour: When a man by reason of his conscience (it may be the weaknesse of it) differs from his brethren, hee had need carry himself with all humility and meekness, & self-denyal in all other things; he should be willing to be a servant to every man, in what lawfully he may, that thereby he may shew to all, that it is not from any wilfulnesse, but meerly the tenderness of his conscience, that he cannot come off to that which his brethren can doe, whom yet he reverences, and in his carriage towards them, shews that he yet esteems them his betters; but if a man that is weak, very much beneath others in parts and graces, shall carry himselfe high, imperious, contemning and vilifying those who differ from him, and be contentious with them: There is great reason to think, that the corruption is in the will rather then any where else; if there should be some conscience yet in these men, their heart-distempers may justly forfeit their right of pleading their consciences. Those who oppose them, if they doe it in a Christian way, may justifie what they doe before God; if God should call them to an account, and say, why did you deal so with such men who professed they were put upon what they held and did, by their consciences; If they can answer thus, Lord thou knowest we were willing to have dealt with them in all tendernesse, if we could have seen conscientiousness in their carriage; but we saw nothing but scornfulness, pride, imperiousness, turbulency, conceitednes, we could see nothing of the Spirit of Jesus Christ acting them in their way; this their carriage perswaded us, that the sinfulnesse was got rather into their wills then their consciences.
