1. Ignorance corrupts the Conscience. 1Conscience is the Guide of Life, and Knowledge is the Eye of Conscience, which if it be darkened, the Blind leads the Blind till both fall into the Ditch. Conscience is a Guide that leads apace, and therefore had need see its Way before it, which some not being well able to discern, have wound themselves into inextricable Wanderings, pursuing every glaring Delusion, and running after every skipping Light that danceth before it, till at last they have lost both themselves and their Consciences too: How many are there that have thus bewildered themselves in their own Fancies and Opinions, and so have fallen upon the Precipice of damnable Errors, and into Bogs of Mire and filthy Lusts, ⟨p. 330⟩only through an ignorant Conscience and self-conceited Pride that is always a Companion of it; this Ignorance fills the Conscience with false Presumptions, and draws it to wrong Determinations and Conclusions, which though they seem to be but little mistakes in the Notion, yet are they most destructive and pernicious in a Man's practice: As a small mistake in the levelling of an Arrow at the Hand, makes a wide distance at the Mark; so a small mistake in the Notion of Truth, makes a wide error in the practice of Godliness. A mis-persuaded Conscience usually gives rise to misguided Zeal, and Zeal without Knowledge is but a Religious Frenzy, that fashions out to it self strange shapes of Sin and Duty, of Good and Evil, and usually it takes the one for the other, until it falls under that Woe denounced by the Prophet, Isa. 5.20. Woe to them that call Good, Evil; and Evil, Good; that put Darkness for Light, and Light for Darkness; that put Bitter for Sweet, and Sweet for Bitter. Now Ignorance doth vitiate and corrupt the Conscience two ways;2 either it makes it unnecessarily scrupulous, or else it makes it daringly presumptuous.
1. Ignorance corrupts the Conscience. 1Conscience is the Guide of Life, and Knowledge is the Eye of Conscience, which if it be darkned, the Blind leads the Blind till both fall into the Ditch. Conscience is a Guide that leads apace, and therefore had need see its Way before it, which some not being well able to discern, have wound themselves into inextricable Wandrings, pursuing every glaring Delusion, and running after every skipping Light that danceth before it, till at last they have lost both themselves and their Consciences too: How many are there that have thus bewildred themselves in their own Fansies and Opinions, and so have fallen upon the Precipice of damnable Errors, and into Bogs of Mire and filthy Lusts, ⟨p. 330⟩only through an ignorant Conscience and self-conceited Pride that is always a Companion of it; this Ignorance fills the Conscience with false Presumptions, and draws it to wrong Determinations and Conclusions, which though they seem to be but little mistakes in the Notion, yet are they most destructive and pernicious in a Man's practice: As a small mistake in the levelling of an Arrow at the Hand, makes a wide distance at the Mark; so a small mistake in the Notion of Truth, makes a wide error in the practice of Godliness. A mis-persuaded Conscience usually gives rise to misguided Zeal, and Zeal without Knowledge is but a Religious Phrensie, that fashions out to it self strange shapes of Sin and Duty, of Good and Evil, and usually it takes the one for the other, until it falls under that Woe denounced by the Prophet, Isa. 5.20. Woe to them that call Good, Evil; and Evil, Good; that put Darkness for Light, and Light for Darkness; that put Bitter for Sweet, and Sweet for Bitter. Now Ignorance doth vitiate and corrupt the Conscience two ways;2 either it makes it unnecessarily scrupulous, or else it makes it daringly presumptuous.
- 11. Ignorance
- 2Ignorance vitiates the Conscience two ways.
