The whole works of Jeremy Taylor : with a life of the author, and a critical examination of his writings

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Contents

OF

THE TWELFTH VOLtTME.

THE RULE OF CONSCIENCE.

Book II

CHAP. L

OF THB lAW OP NATURE IV OEKBRAt.

RULE I.

Tbe Law of Nature defined 191

RULE 11. ,

The Law of Nature is the Foundation of all Laws, and the Measure of their Obligation 228

RULE III. 7'he greatest Band of the Law of Nature is Fear of Punishment ...930

RULE IV.

The second Band of Virtue is Love ....,...••... 236

RULE V.

The Imperfection of civil Laws is supplied by natural ObUgstion.^ • 241

• •

MVLE VI. PAOi Criterion of Sine BgahiBt the Laws of Nfttttve 9fiS

RULB VII.

Actions forbidden by the Law of Nature are not only anlawful but also void •••• • ••• 96^

RULE VIII.

An Act forbidden by the Law of Nature for the Turpitude of the Action^ is also void, when the Turpitude remains ; . • . . 859

RULE IX.

The Law of Nature can be dispensed with^ by the Divine Power. • • 860

I^ULE X.

The law oi Nature oannot be dispensed with, by any huni«n Power 870

RULE XI.

That the Obligation to a natural Law does cease in any Particular, is tobededatfedby the ^public Voice ......•,•«.•••.. •«• STf

RULE XIL The Exactness of natural Laws may be allayed by Equity 878

CHAP. 11,

^OF THE LAW OF NATUAE, OR OP ALL MAVKIKD, AS IT IS COMXAKDBD, DIGESTED, AND rBEFECTBD, BY OUB SUPREME LAWOIYEB, JESUS CHBIST, VIZ. OF THE CHRISTIAN LAW. THE OREAT RULE OF CON* SCIENCE.

RULE I.

The Law of Jesus Christ is more obligatory than the Old Testament 881

RULE IL The Ceremonial Law is void 887

RULE III.

The Judicial Law of Moses is annulled 89$

RULE rv.

The Ten Commandments of Moses are not a perfect Digest of the Law of Nature • 350

RULE v.

Explications of the Moral Law, found in the Old Testament, are Parts of the Moral Law i 337

Vlli CONTENTS.

RULE VI. FAGE

Every Thiogin the Decal<^iie is not obligatory to Christian 360

RULE VII.

There is no State of Men or Things^ but is to be guided by the Pi^ portion of some Rule or Precept in the Christian Law 439

CHAP. in.

Ot THE INTERPRETATION AND OBLIGATION OF THE LAWS OF

JESUS CHRIST.

RULE I.

In negatife Precepts the Affirmatives are obmmanded ; and in the affirmative Commandments^ the Negatives are included 465

RULE II.

When a- Negative and «n Affirmative sieem opposite in any Sense, the Affirmative is to be expounded by the Negative, not the Negative by the Affirmative « 475

RULE III.

In the affirmative and negative Precepts of Christ, not only what is in the Words of the Commandment, but whatsoever is symbolical or alike, is equally forbidden or commanded 477

RULE IV.

When any Thing is forbidden by the Laws of Jesus Christ, all those Things are forbidden also which follow from that forbidden Action, and for whose Sake it was forbidden 485

RULE V.

The Laws of Jesus Christ are the Measures of the Spirit, and are always to be extended to a spiritual Signification 489

THE

RULE OF CONSCIENCE.

BOOK I.-^^Continued.

OF CONSCIENCE, THE KINDS OF IT, AND THE GENERAL . RULES OF CONDUCTING THEM.

Chapter III. O^ The Confident, Or Erroneous Conscience

RULE I.

An erroneous Conscience commands us to do tvhcU we ought to omit; or to omit wTuU we ought to do^ or to doit otherwise than we should. .

In diis, there is no other di£Bculty but in the last clause. For when our blessed Lord had propounded an instance of perfection, he that not only obeys the counsel, but thinks it to be a commandment, and necessary to be done in all times and persons, enters into an error at the gate of zeal, and at the same place lets out the excellency of his love. Christ hath recommended renunciation of the world, spiritual castration for the kingdom of God, dying for our enemies, &c,. He that in zeal, with charity and .prudence, follows these advices, will find his reward swell high ; but he whose zealous desire to grow towards perfection, shall so determine his practice, as that, by degrees, he shall think these counsels individually necessary, hath abused his conscience, laid a snare for others, put fetters upon Christian liberty, and ifi passed into that state of doing it, that though he entered

VOL. XII. B first by love, he is gone beyond it, and changed it into fear, and scruple, and superstition : he is at last got so far that he would not do it at all, if he durst do otherwise ; and he dares not, because his love was zealous, and his zeal was imprudent, and his imprudence was a furious snare, and the passion of a mighty folly.

But an erroneous conscience is generally abused by two manners of proceeding. 1. By a true application of a false proposition, thus:

Whatsoever is done against my conscience is a sin r

But to allow of magistrates is against my conscience :

Therefore, it is certainly a sin that they be allowed. The first proposition is not true, unless it be understood of him only, against whose conscience it is done, and then it is always true, either absolutely, or relatively, originally, or accidentally. But if it be intended to conclude, that because it is against my conscience to allow them, therefore it is simply unlawful, or unlawful to every one else, this is a paralogism, and makes an erring conscience. Or, secondly, the conscience is abused, and made erroneous by a false application of a true proposition.

Whatsoever is forbidden by God is a sin :

But every oath is forbidden by God :

Therefore, every oath is a sin.

Every thing here is true but the conclusion. The second proposition is true, but not universally. For St. James saying*, " Swear not at all," forbids all kinds of oaths materially : that is, in that sense in which any is forbidden, in the same all are forbidden. Without just authority and occasion, it is not lawful to swear by God ; therefore, without such authority, neither is it lawful to swear by a creature. So that his words mean thus ; except in such a case, " swear not at all," — that is, not with any kind of oath ; for imless that case occurs to warrant it, this or that oath is criminal as well as any : that is, it is no excuse in common talk to say, * it was but a slight oath ;' for you must not swear at all.

TJie Caused of Error are, 1. Ignorance, either of right or fact. For no other divi-

* Jamti, y«

OR ERRONEOUS CONSCIENCE. S

sion of ignorance can concern the relation of an erring con-* science. For, aldiough a man is otherwise concerned in ignorance, if it be vincible, otherwise if it be invincible, yet his will is concerned in that directly, and his conscience but oollaterally and indirectly.

2. Fear, whether it be pusillanimous or superstitious, that is, whether it begin upon religion, or upon natural imbecility, they alike abuse the conscience. Ignorance makes it erroneou% but takes not away its confidence, but oftentime* increases it: fear makes it erroneous too; and though it begins in doubting, it ends in a silly choice, which grows to as much confidence as it can, so much as to establish the error.

3. To this usually is reduced a morose humility and abjection of mind, which, because it looks pitifully and simply, some men in charity think it laudable; so Antonius particularly; and it is the same that St Gregory^ recommends, ^^ Bonarum quippe mentium est, ibi etiam aliquo modo culpas suas agnoscere, ubi culpa non est:" '^ It is the sign of a good mind to accuse themselves of a &iilt when there is none."— ^ Which, if it relates to the present affiurs, is dangerous and illusive. For if the question be in a case of conscience, and the conscience be determined upon its proper grounds innocently and right, there to acknowledge a fiault in the conscience or determination, is to make the rule itself crooked, to introduce eternal scruples and irresolution^ to disturb our own peace, and a device to snatch at a reward by thrusting it from us, and to tjiink to please God by telling of a lie. But if the saying relates to all the whole action in all its conjugation of circumstances and appendages, then it may consist with humility and prudence both, to suspect a fault where there is none; to fear lest we have erred by excess of degrees in passion, or by remissness and slackness of action, or by obliquity of intention, or intertexture of some undecency, or weariness, or sensuality, or complacency, and fantastic deliciousness, or something secret, and we know not what : but even in this case, we may best follow St Paul's expedient and manner of expression, " Nihil mihi conscius sum," " I am, guilty of

>> Part 1. decret. disU 6. c 4,

b2 nothing/' my heart smites me not, ^^ Yet I am not hereby justified; for God is greater than my conscience :" I may, for aught I know, have done something amiss, or my duty not* well; but as I cannot accuse myself, so neither can I acquit myself, but refer myself to God's equal and merciful sentence. What goes beyond this, may abuse the conscience, not only by a secret scruple, but by an evil principle and false conclusions: and this, although it looks like modesty, and seems contrary to confidence, and therefore cannot be so well reduced to this kind of conscience, but to the doubting, or the scrupulous; yet I have chosen to place it here for the reason above mentioned. It looks in at the door with a trembling eye, but being thrust in, it becomes bold. It is like a firenstick, which, in the hand of a child being gently moved, gives a volatile and unfixed light, but being more strongly turned about by a swift circular motion, it becomes a constant wheel of fire : or like a bashful sinner sneaking to bis lust, till he be discovered, and then he is impudent and hardened. And there are f ery many wise men, who tremble in their determinations,-r-and not being able clearly to resolve^ fedl upon one part by chance, or interest, or passion, and then they are forced for their peace' sake to put on an accidental' hardness, and a voluntary, not a natural confidence. But this confidence is commonly peevish, impatient, and proud^ hating all contradiction and contradictors ; because it was only an art to. sleep, and to avoid the first trouble, and therefore hates every thing tiiat brings them forth firom their fantastio securities.

Other causes of an erroneous conscience here usually are assigned, but inartificially I suppose, and not of present concernment or relation. Such as are the subtraction of the Divine aids, God's leaving a man, and giving him over eU yooy d^oxifji^Vf and to believe a lie; perplexity, or irresolution, self-love, pride, prejudice, and passion ; '^ perit enim omne judicium, cum res transient in affectum; quia affectus obseurat intellectum, ne recte judicet," said Seneca. When affection sits judge, tiiere reason and tnntii are seldom admitted to plead ; or if they are,' yet they cannot prevail.

Impedit in animum, ne possit cemere verum.

JBut these are no otherwise causes of an erroneous conscienoe»

OR ERRONEOUS CONSCIENCE.

bat as they are causes of ignorance, or deception ; for in tibis case I reckon them to be but one ; an error being nodiing else but an ignorance of truth, which whether it be culpable or inculpable, and at what gate it enters, is of another disquisition, and shall be reserved to its proper place.

RULE II.

An erroneous Conscience binds us to Obediencey but not so as a

right Conscience does.

The object can move the will no otherwise, than as it is propounded by the understanding. If it be propounded as evil, the will that chooses it under that formality, is criminal and malicious. K it be propounded as good, the will that rejects it so propounded, despises good ; for it is so to the will, if it be so to the imderstanding, which is the judge and the immediate role of all human actions. And he that does a good thing while he believes it to be evil, does choose the evil, and refuse the good ; for he does therefore, because he believes it evil, or though he thinks it so, and therefore, is equally disposed to choose a real evil; for that this is not so, is but extrinsical and accidental to his choice.

K this were not thus, but that it were possible to be otherwise, then we might suppose that a man might do a thing reasonably, for which he hath no reason ; and an humane action without the natural process of humanity, that is, to choose by chance, and unnaturally, to choose for a reason that he hath not, and a good that appears not, which is like beholding of a thing that he sees not The Jew thinks it is his duty to be drcumcised, and to keep the Sabbath. While in this error he is confident, by what argument can he be moved to omit it? If you give him reasons, you seek to cure his error, and to alter his persuasion ; but while this persuasion is not altered, how can he be moved to omit it? If you give him no reasons, you desire him to omit it, because he thinks he ought not, and to do an action because it seems unreasonable, and follow your opinion because he believes it false ; that is, to obey you be-

S OF THE CONFIDENT)

cause he ought not ; which is a way not possible to prevail with a wise man^ or with a fool; how it may work with any sort of madness, I know not.

But against this rule, some contend earnestly, in particular Gulielmus Parisiensis, and some that follow him, saying * it is impossible that an erring or a lying conscience should oblige a man to follow it.' The thing hath great influence upon our whole life, and therefore is worth a strict survey.

Quest. Whether a false and abused conscience can oblige us to pursue the error ?

That it cannot, these reasons are or may be pretended.

1. Because it seems to be absurd to say, that when the error itself is not a sin at all, or but a little one, that it can be a great sin to follow a man's own humour against that error ; if a man should do according to his error, it could at most be but a small sin, and therefore, to go against it cannot be greater. For the error can oblige no higher than its own nature, as rivers cannot rise above their fountains.

2. But it is a more material consideration; if an erring conscience obliges us to follow it, then some men are bound to persecute the church, and the high priests sinned not in crucifying Christ; and the zealots of the Jews did well in afflicting the apostles and disciples of Jesus, because they did it ignorantly, and by the dictate of an erring conscience ; and St. Paul says of himself before his conversion, " I myself thought I ought to do many things against the name of the Lord Jesus ;" and yet he sinned in following his erring conscience ; and, therefore, certainly could not be bound to it. In pursuance of which,

3. St. Bernard* argues thus; to follow truti is always good ; but if by the conscience we can be bound to follow error, and that in that case it is not good to follow truth; that is, if a good may become evil by the sentence of &a erring conscience, and so great an evil as it supposes it t6 be, — then by the same reason that which is evil, may, by the like sentence, become good, and so great a good as it is supposed; and then may a man be chaste for committing adultery, and charitable for committing murder, and religious

* LL dc priccept. et dupeas.

OR £RRON£OU8 CONSCIEKCE. 7

for worshipping idols, and pious to his parents in denying to relieve them from the ^ Corban ;' all which consequents being intolerable, the antecedent which infers them, must needs be false.

4. It is true indeed, the conscience is our guide and our lawgiver, our judge and our rule ; but it is not our Lord, nor in the present case is it an authentic record, but a ^ev^eiti' Ypa<poy^ a heap of lies and errors ; and therefore cannot be a true guide, and we are not tied to follow any leader to hell. Better it is in this case to follow the conscience of a wiser and a better man than myself, it being more reasonable that we be tied to follow his right, than our own wrong conscience.

5. For if still we were bound to follow our abused conscience, then we were bound to impossibilities : for then either we were not at all boujid to follow God, or if we were, and yet bound to follow our conscience against God, we were bound at the same time to do, and not to do the same thing ; ^^ To serve two masters ;" which, our blessed Saviour said, ^^ No man can do."

6. But, therefore, in this case God must be obeyed and not man ; it being impious to say that the law of our conscience should derogate from, or wholly evacuate, the law of God, by which alone we ought to be governed. For if this law of conscience takes away the obligation of the Divine law, or if the Divine law takes away the obligation of conscience when it errs, then they must cease respectively ; and the event will be this, that as long as God's law binds us (which is for ever), the law of an erring conscience cannot bind us.

7. And there are in this, great proportions of reason. For if the will be bound to lay down all its rods and axes, all the ensigns of empire at the foot of the throne of God, doing or refusing by the command of God against its own inclination, it will not be im£^ined that the conscience, that is, the practical understanding, hath any such privilege indulged to it, that it can be exempt from the jurisdiction of God, or that it can oblige in defiance of his laws.

8. For it is certain, conscience is God's creature, bound to its Lord and Maker by all the rights of duty and perfect sabordination, and therefore cannot prejudice the right and power of its Lord ; and no wise man obeys the orders of a magistrate against the express law of his king ; or the orders of a captain against the command of his general; and, therefore^ neither of conscience wkich is God's messenger, against the purpose of the message with which God intrusted it However, it is better to obey God than man ; to foUgw the law of God than to go against it; to do that which we should, rather than that which we should not.

9. And there can be no more necessity upon us to follow our conscience teaching us, than our conscience binding us ; and yet if a contract that is vicious be made, or an oath that is unlawful be uttered, the obligations of conscience cease, be-, cause they are against the law of God; and how then can conscience against this law of God in any sense pass an obligation ? But this rather, that as we are bound not to commit a crime, so not to follow an error and a lie.

10. For it is impossible that our opinion, or falsely p^-' suaded conscience, should make any alteration in the thing ; if it was evil in itself, it is so still; and my thinking that mercury is not poison, nor hellebore purgative, cannot make an antidote and deletory against them, if I have upon that confidence taken them into my stomach ; and the sun is bigger than the earth, though I foolishly think it no wider than a bushel. And, therefore, in such cases, the conscience can have no power, and can bind us to nothing but to lay our .error down. Because as to him that is in error, it were madness to bid him err more ; so to him that hath an erring conscience, it were equally evil to bid him pursue, and actuate and consimimate his error ; which yet he were bound to do, if an erring conscience could bind him.

11. Lastly, if an erring conscience binds us to obedience, it either binds us by its own independent, ingenite power, or by a power derived from God. If by a power derived from God, then God commands us to believe a lie, to commit a sin, to run after false fires and illusions, — which to affirm, seemjs to be blasphemy; but if it binds us by its own power, then our conscience can make God's law to become unlawful to us, and we shall be stronger than God, and a man's self becomes his own rule; and he that is deceived by a &lse opinion, is a lawgiver to himself, and error shall be the measure of good and evil.

These are the arguments whieh are used by several persons respectively in verification of the opinion of Parisiensisy which I have not only heaped here together, but added some and improved the rest, that by the collision of these with their answers, the truth might be made more useful and evident; and divers collateral things incident to the main question might be spoken of; and those arguments remain valid which I brought for the affirmative in the first and second paragraphs of this rule. To the first therefore I answer :

1. That it is not the error that binds us to follow it, but the conscience in error; and, therefore, although the error can have no force greater than its own nature and proper energy, yet our conscience can bind beyond the force of error. As if a general commands a soldier to turn to the right hand ujider pain of death ; if he mistaking turn to the left, the event is greater than can be effected by the intentional relations of right or left hand, but depends upon the reason, and the command, the power and empire of the general.

2. To the second, I answer, that it follows not, because the erring conscience binds, therefore the obedience is not a sin. For such is or may be the infelicity of an abused conscience, that if it goes forward, it enters into folly ; if it resists^ it enters into madness; if it flies, it dashes its head against a wall, or falls from a rock ; if it flies not, it is torn in pieces by a bear; and the very instances make it clear; the rulers of the Jews and St. Paul were both called to repent of that, which they did in obedience to their erring conscience,— which cannot legitimate impiety, but only make the one or the other instance to be unavoidable.

3. To that which St. Bernard objects, the answer is easy upon another account ; for conscience may make a good thing evil to it ; because, besides the goodness of the object to make an action lawful, there is required the feith and persuasion of the agent; and if this be wanting, as it is in an erring conscience that believes not the goodness of it, the action is evil, by reason of the destitution of an integral part. For, " Bonum ex Integra causa, malum ex qualibet particulari ;" and by the same reason, conscience cannot make an evil thing good, because, besides the persuasion of conscience, there is required the goodness of the object, which if it be wanting, one ingredient cannot make it good : all must enter into the constitution of good, though the want of one is enough to spoil it.

4. To the fourth I answer, that because the conscience is in error, and the principle within it is a ^Evh7tiy^x<poy, * a false record,' therefore it is true, that we are not absolutely tied to follow its conduct, but we are tied to lay the error aside, that we may follow it in straight ways ; but in the present constitution of affairs it is miserable, and because we must foUbw our leader, that is, all that can go before us ; we do go to hell, or to mischief, not that we are by God bound to do this, but only to do that ; and it is by our own &ult that we are bound to fall into an evil portion. God binds us to follow our conscience ; we spoil it by some folly or other, and then we follow it: the evil appendage is our own, the law by which God bound us, was holy. Nature requires of us to drink at our meals: but if we have corrupted all our beverage, we must drink unwholesome draughts, but yet nature did not bind us to this misfortune.

5. And, therefore, the answer to the next objection provides us of a remedy against the former. We are bound absolutely to follow the law of God; but we are bound to follow the contrary law of conscience erring, conditionally and by accident, that is, because we have made our rule crooked, which God had made straight For to be absolutely and irrespectively bound to follow God, and yet respectively and by accident to be bound to follow the contrary conscience, are not incompossibilities, or the parts of a contradiction, because they are not ^ ad idem,' not ^ in the same regards.' But then, since it is impossible that both these should be actually followed, therefore God does not command us to follow our conscience and not to foUoW it at the same time, but to follow our conscience, and to lay aside the error, and then both parts are reconciled; for God and the conscience are but accidentally opposed; and God commanding us to follow our conscience, took care that at the same time we should follow God too; and therefore God taught our conscience, but when we get other teachers, we make it impossible to obey God. Let us submit our conscience to God, that is, lay aside our error, and then God and conscience are

OR EilltONEOUS CONSCIENCE^ 11

not two masters, but one, that k, God; and conscience is his deputy and subordinate. And in order to this, it is not ill* advised in the fourth objection, to follow the right conscience of a wiser man ; to do so, is a good expedient for the laying down our error; but it is not directly obligatory, so long as the error is confident ; for I must riot follow a wiser man in his right, if I believe him to be in the wrong; and if I believe him to be in the right, and he really be so, then I have laid aside my error, and, indeed, to do this is our duty ; but this cannot be done till the error be discovered : till then I must follow my own conscience, not the conscience of another man.

6. To the sixth, I answer, that the law of conscience cannot derogate from the law of God, when they are placed in the eye of reason over-against each other; that is, when the conscience sees the law of God, no law, no persuasion, no humour, no opinion, can derogate from it. But an erring confident conscience believes tlmt it follows God when it does not, so that the law of God hath here a double effect. The law of God, apprehended by the conscience, binds him to action ; but the law of God, real and proper, binds the man to lay aside his error. !f or he that goes against the matter and the instance of the law of God, does yet at the same time obey the sanction and authority, because he proceeds to action in obedience to, and in reverence of the law of God. The wife of Amphitryon was kind to her lord, when she entertained Jupiter in his semblance ; and, for Sosia's sake, Mercury was made much of: and because the error is dressed like truth, for truth's sake we hug and entertain the error. So here. The law of God is not despised, much less evacuated by following the dictate of conscience, because it is for the sake of God's law that this conscience is followed; and therefore, since by accident they are made opposite, the event of it cannot be that one must cease, — ^for both may and must stand, but nothing inmt cease but the error.

7. And therefore, although the will must cease from Hs own pleasure, when God's will is known to be clear against it, yet the understanding must not cease from that which it supposes to be the will of God till the error be discovered ; but when it is, then it must as ranch cease from its own ways as the will must ; for every understanding, as well as every proud will, must be submitted to the obedience of Jesus.