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bound to obey them. A patient may sinfully be humourous in his expectations, when a physician may yet lawfully please his humours for his health. A child may faultily cry for something, when the nurse may without fault give him that which he crieth for to quiet him. All is not forbidden the servant to do, which is forbidden the government to command.

4. But all that is sin in the doer must be forborne; and to serve and cherish the sin of others when we may choose, is sinful.

5. Therefore in such cases, though it be lawful for a servant to do many needless things (nor forbidden him by God) when commanded, it is unlawful to choose such a service, in which he shall be so employed, to spend his time in vanity, to satisfy a ruler's pride and humour, unless it be in case of true necessity, or probably to attain a greater good, which will compensate all the inconveniences. As if a pirate or tyrant command me to say some idle words, or do some needless action, or else my friend or I should be murdered; in this case they are not idle, or needless, or unlawful, but a duty, which voluntarily chosen would be a sin.

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Object. By this you will make it a duty to obey papal commands of idle ceremonies, if we doubt, or if they be not things forbidden us.

Answ. 1. God hath not left us to so much liberty how to worship him, as he hath left us about our houses, and dresses, and common things.

2. The pope and his ministers are unlawful governors, as setting up an unlawful church policy, even a universal, human, ecclesiastical monarchy (or aristocracy, as the conciliar party hold), and therefore we owe them no obedience even in lawful things, and it is a sin to become their subjects.

3. Doubting whether real sin be sin, will not make it no sin, nor change the law of God. Should men be uncertain, whether rebellion, schism, fornication, perjury, or lying be sin, they may not therefore do it though it were commanded them; for no one hath true authority to command them

4. But if really the thing be lawful to be done, we must do it, if commanded by such as have true authority to do it, though they mistake and sin in the reasons, ends, and manner of their command.

5. If a lawful magistrate or ruler sinfully command [say such or such a needless word, or do such a vain action, or wear such a vain habit (not forbidden us by God), or else you shall be silenced, banished, imprisoned], it ceaseth to be vain in the user, when it is made necessary to such ends, though it be sinfully commanded. But what God forbiddeth must never be done.

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Quest. May the husband and master bear with sinful vanities in his wife and servants in his house? Seeing he is the ruler, is it not his sin to tolerate them?

Answ. 1. It is undoubtedly his sin to consent, or not to remedy it, if he can do it by lawful means. 2. It oft falls out that not only needless toys and vanities, but some downright great sins cannot be hindered effectually without so great inconveniences an dmischiefs, as that such hindering becometh an unlawful means. If a man have a wife so passionate or unquiet, as that no means would restrain her tongue or hands but turning her away, or using such violence as is unsuitable to a conjugal relation, he must patiently endure her sin.

If he have a wife that will fall into some dangerous disease, or grow distracted, if she may not please her pride in apparel, or sinfully waste much in vain expenses, or may not use an unruly tongue to sin; or at least, if the restraint would cost the husband so dear as would by unquietness unfit him to serve God in his place; in this case it is no sinful toleration to endure it. He is far from consenting to it; he only restraineth not that which he cannot restrain. For what a man cannot do by lawful means, and without doing more hurt than good, it must be said that he cannot do it at all. And so much as a man may lawfully give to purchase his own peace and quietness, or to cure his wife of such a disease or distraction, so much he may lawfully suffer her to spend (though sinfully) to prevent it, as long as he disowneth the sin, and would remedy it, if he could by lawful means.

Object. If you tell women this, some will give their husbands no quietness, and some will waste their estates in sin, or vain expenses, to satisfy their lusts.'

Answ. 1. We must use no false doctrine for the preventing of such person's sin. If it be true, some men have need to know it. 2. It is possible that some rates of expense or suffering may be greater than the preventing of the wives'

calamity, and its consequences are worth; and in such cases it cannot be so prevented. 3. And I hope the case is so rare, that most women's pride, exorbitancy, and passion, and the sins thence proceeding, may be restrained by other means at easier rates.'

Object. 2. But by this you would infer, that evils may also be tolerated in the church, if so far in the family.'

Answ. Consenting to any sin is sin, and so is doing that by promoting or tolerating, which signifieth consent; but not to hinder that which we cannot hinder by lawful means, and without doing greater hurt than good, is no consenting or sinful toleration. Papists that are for burning and banishing dissenters, yet confess this, that they must tolerate them, when else they should more hurt the church by what is done against them.

It is no sin to bear with the greatest sin in the world which we cannot remedy, much less with human, common frailties, in which all mortal men must bear with one another, or else forsake all love and peace.

And this objection mindeth me humbly, but earnestly (though almost hopelessly) to desire all governors to take notice, that the pastoral government of Christ's church (being exercised under him, who calleth it his spouse and body) is very like the government of a husband over his wife, which must be done by no means inconsistent with love, and conjugal offices, and communion to the last. And therefore if men must bear with so many and great offences and inconveniences, yea, and sufferings, in and from a wife, for their household peace and quietness, let them consider whether for church peace, much evil is not to be endured when it cannot be lawfully hindered.

And if human frailty and darkness be such, as that few persons living have the same apprehensions of many or most things, and husband and wife about their ordinary affairs will daily manifest such difference of opinions and humours, as must be borne (or they must bear much worse), let astors consider, while we agree in all things necessary to salvation and the common peace, how much diversity of sense, and consequently of practice, must be endured in the numerous difficulties of religion by them that know the way of peace. And whether they that will not bear a little are not preparing to bear much. And perhaps if the Roman clergy had

not been so much against priests' marriage the experience of their families, and what differing apprehensions and actions must there be borne by conjugal love, might have better taught them how far to bear with differing opinions and practices in religion, instead of their unchristian, inhuman laws and practices of burning, exterminating, and ruining all such as their judgments shall stigmatize as heretics.

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Quest. 4. What are to be taken for sinful, needless studies, which scholars should avoid?'

Answ. 1. There is great cause to put this question, considering how many years are this way lost, and how little it is repented of, and how much is still owned and applauded by men of greatest reputation.

The case may be resolved by the same rules before given. 1. All learning and studies which are not worth the cost and labour. 2. All that do but serve that vain desire of knowledge which first tempted Eve to sin. 3. Much more all that which is but to serve men's sinful pride and worldly designs; and it were well with many students if their learning (or science, falsely so called, saith Paul) became not more plentiful and dangerous matter of pride and self-deceit than fine clothes and trifles do to women.

4. All that is worse than vain, which keepeth out greater and necessary things, and turneth the mind from holiness and heaven.

But the same knowledge in its proper place, and used in due subordination to the greatest things, and as a true means to the true end, is good and holy, which otherwise placed and used is doating vanity, and delusory dreaming; as too many ungodly students will find to their cost when it is too late. Therefore a sound judgment and holy will, by right intention of the end, and true discerning the aptitude of means, must resolve this case, and most of such cases through all our lives. Happy is he that is wise in things spiritual, and of everlasting consequence to God, and to salvation, though the world should deride him as unlearned, or a fool. And woe to him that is honoured for wit and policy, for many languages, and a rolling tongue, for the prudence of Ahithophel, or the learning of Aristotle, and hath not wisdom to live to God, to resist temptation, to escape damning sin, and to save his soul. It will do him no more good in

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hell that he was cried up for a learned, or wise, or reverend man on earth, than it will do to dives (Luke xv.), that he was clothed in purple and silk, and fared sumptuously every day, and had his portion and good things where Lazarus had sorrow and contempt. More than one of the most famous scholars have at last cried out that all learning is vanity, save the knowledge of God in Christ, our duties, and our spiritual and endless benefits and hopes..

I have told you of many evils that come by the preference of unnecessary or less necessary things, but one remaineth to be noted, which the text expresseth in Martha's instance. While she is over careful, and troubled about many things, which were then less necessary, she thinks her sister should have been of the same mind, and done as she did, and grudgeth at her, and accuseth her to Christ, as if Mary's work had been less necessary than hers; which sheweth us,

Observ. That they that choose unnecessary or less necessary employments, are apt to account religious exercises less necessary, and to censure those that choose them.

The wrong censuring of Mary's choice and work was as much of Martha's fault as her own worst choice and needless trouble. Those that sin against knowledge, and confess they do ill, are often desirous that their children and friends should do better. But they that think their sin is their duty, will censure those that sin not with them, as if it were sin to fear sin, and avoid it. And no wonder. For, 1. That which is true to one, is true to another; and that which is best to one, as a common duty, is best to another. And it is natural to us to desire that our friends should know what we know, and choose that common good which we choose, and avoid the error, sin, and misery which we avoid. Our love to truth and goodness will make us desire that they may be common. And our love to our friends will make us desire that they may be happy by choosing what is best. And the love of ourselves maketh men desire that others may be of their mind and way. As God first loveth himself, and next that which is most like himself, so naturally doth a selfish man. Though a holy man as such first loveth God, and then that which is most like God; yet when he erreth, he thinketh that to be like God which is not. And then even the love of God also will be abused to the promoting of er

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