A free disputation against pretended liberty of conscience tending to resolve doubts moved

2. No rule can be falser, and more crooked then the conscience, for if ye must be obliged to follow conscience, because it is conscience, or because right or wrong; if you must follow conscience because conscience, ye must ever follow your conscience, though never so wrong; for the most erroneous conscience is conscience, though the devil should immediately actuate it, yet doth not leave off to be conscience, and to be the rule, and if so, when the conscience of some saith its good service to God to kill the Apostles of our Lord, because they preach the Gospel, then do persecutors nothing, but what they are in duty bound to do, when they murder the Apostles, because they preach the Gospel; for to follow the rule, which God hath appointed must be a bounden duty. And the same must follow, if the conscience as evil be the rule, for then should men serve God, in sacrificing their sons to God, in community and plurality of wives, when ever their conscience should dictate any such thing to be lawful, though, in it self, it be most contrary to the word of God. If the conscience as good, or as the Arminians seem to say, as principled with moral honesty be our rule, then the conscience as conscience is not the rule, but as it is ruled by moral honesty, this we cannot say, for moral honesty qualifying the conscience as a rule, is not able to render the conscience a straight and perfect rule in supernatural duties, since it is but a natural principle in us, and that a most corrupt one, by reason of sin, and how then should it regulate us in all the ways of the service and worship of God? should it ever oblige us to believe in him, who justifieth the ungodly?

2. No rule can be falser, and more crooked then the conscience, for if ye must be obliged to follow conscience, because it is conscience, or because right or wrong; if you must follow conscience because conscience, yee must ever follow your conscience, though never so wrong; for the most erroneous conscience is conscience, though the devill should immediately actuate it, yet doth not leave off to bee conscience, and to be the rule, and if so, when the conscience of some saith its good service to God to kill the Apostles of our Lord, because they preach the Gospel, then doe persecuters nothing, but what they are in duty bound to doe, when they murther the Apostles, because they preach the Gospel; for to follow the rule, which God hath appointed must be a bounden duty. And the same must follow, if the conscience as evill be the rule, for then should men serve God, in sacrificing their sonnes to God, in community and plurality of wives, when ever their conscience should dictate any such thing to be lawfull, though, in it selfe, it be most contrary to the word of God. If the conscience as good, or as the Arminians seeme to say, as principled with morall honesty be our rule, then the conscience as conscience is not the rule, but as it is ruled by morall honesty, this wee cannot say, for morall honesty qualifying the conscience as a rule, is not able to render the conscience a streight and perfect rule in supernaturall duties, since it is but a naturall principle in us, and that a most corrupt one, by reason of sin, and how then should it regulate us in all the wayes of the service and worship of God? should it ever oblige us to beleeve in him, who justifieth the ungodly?