conscience; and because it binds to obedience by its determination and assent, and its consequent inclining the will when the understanding is not determined, nor the will inclined, there can no action follow, but a total suspension of action is its proper consequent.

Upon this there is only a reflex act of conscience and understanding; for by considering that our conscience is doubtful and indeterminable, we are obliged to suspend our action; but then this is the act, not of a doubtful, but of a right conscience, because in this we are certain, and right, and determined': so that a doubtful conscience is but an equivocal and improper conscience; like an unresolved will, or an artist with his hands bound behind him; that is, the man hath a conscience, but it is then in chains and fetters, and he wears a hood upon his eye, and his arm in a string, and is only to be taught how to cut the knot, and to do some little things of advantage, or security to his intermedial state of impediment; but a doubtful conscience can be no rule of human actions.

But yet some collateral and indirect obligations are passed upon the man by that state of infelicity, according to the nature of the doubt.

In order to which, doubts are considered, either as relating to the law, or as relating to matters of fact, viz. whether such a thing be lawful or not? or whether I did such an action or no, by which I am bound to restitution or repentance?

Doubts are also negative or positive, that is, they are still upon us, because there is no means to determine the understanding; as no man can ever be resolved whether the number of the stars be even or odd; when is the precise minute in which a man first comes to the use of reason; and this is called a negative doubt. The positive enters by the indifference of the arguments, and their equal weight on both sides as if it be doubted, whether the souls departed enjoy the beatific vision before the day of judgment? whether residence on a benefice be an indispensable precept, or in what cases it obliges not? whether ecclesiastical persons be bound, by justice or by charity, to give all that they can prudently spare to the poor? These are positive doubts, because there are many arguments on either side.

The negative doubt is either metaphysical or moral, or it is only a suspicion; that is, there are several degrees of such a doubt, for the determination of which there is no sufficient instrument.

Lastly, sometimes a doubt is placed only in the understanding, without any other effect but the trouble of thoughts; and then for method's sake, and right understanding of the rules of practice, it is called a speculative doubt. Sometimes this doubt passes on to the conscience, and hath influence upon the action or event; so as to be an impediment to it, or the spoil of it, that is, so as to cause that it shall not be done, or, if it be done, that it becomes a sin and this is called a practical doubt.

According to these distinctions, the following rules are useful in order to practice.

RULE II.

A négative Doubt neither binds to Action, nor Inquiry, nor Repentance; but it binds only to Caution'ond Observance. 1. "THAT it binds not to action," I affirm upon the same ground by which the same is affirmed concerning all doubting consciences. It binds from action; for whatsoever is done with a doubting conscience (that is, without faith, or fulness of persuasion that it is lawful to do it), is a sin. St. Paul gave us the rule, "Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin."a "Quod dubitas, nè feceris," said Cicero." For if we do it with a doubting conscience, we do it without our rule, which is the dictate of our conscience; and since no action is indifferent between lawful and unlawful (though between good and bad there may), to do without our rule of lawful and permitted is to do against it, even that which is not permitted, and therefore is unlawful. Add to this,

(2.) He that does not know whether it be lawful or no, does that which he is not sure but it may be forbidden by God, and displeasing to him; and to do that which I know

á Rom. xiv. 23.

bBp. Taylor alludes, perhaps, to the following passage: "bene præcipiunt, qui vetant quidquam agere, quod dubites, æquum sit, an iniquum."— De Offic. i. c. 9. sect. 8. Heusinger, p. 76. (J. R. P.)

not but may grieve my friend, or trouble him, cannot consent with my love to him; and, therefore, every act of a doubting conscience is against charity. In the question of lawful or unlawful, not to know it to be lawful, is to enter upon it with a mind willing to admit the unlawful; it is all one to be in the dark, as to be without a candle or a star, and either of them is as bad, as full of ignorance and obscurity, as if we shut our eyes, or put the candle out. When, therefore, it happens that our conscience doubts whether such an act be a sin or no, a good man will be sure not to sin; but in that case, and while the doubt remains, he can have no security but by not doing it.

2. "It binds not to inquiry," because there is no competent means to find out a resolution; for that is the state of the question, that is the definition of a negative doubt. Fabiola doubts whether in her childhood she did ever take God's name in vain; and although she be bound to inquire in all the reasonable and remembered parts of her life, because of them she may find some records, and in that case the doubt is not negative; yet of the state of childhood she cannot be obliged to make inquiry, because there was then no law, no register, no court kept, no judgment, no choice; that is, she cannot be obliged to an effect that is impossible, and to an act that is to no purpose.

3. "It binds not to repentance:" In case she fears exceedingly, supposing this still to be a negative doubt, that is, such a one, for the proper resolution of which there are no competent arguments or instruments. Fabiola not knowing whether she did or no, and it being impossible afterwards to find it out, Fabiola is not tied to ask forgiveness for the blasphemies of her childhood: for no obligation can come from what is not, or cannot be, known.

This is to be understood to be true of that sort of negative doubt which is called metaphysical, when there is no possibility of knowing; as it is impossible to know what little pretty phantasm'made us to smile when we hanged upon our mothers' breasts; and the doubt is only founded upon the possibility that the thing might have been, though now it be impossible to find out whether it was or no. It is possible that being a child I might laugh at Scripture, or mock an apostle; but if this could bring an obligation to an act of

repentance, then the same obligation passes upon all men in all actions and periods of their lives, for all things, and in all cases in which they do not remember all, or did not observe every circumstance, or did not consider every minute, or weigh every degree. For in every thing there is a possibility, that I might have done something very ill.

But there is a negative doubt which is called morally negative; that is, when there is no way of being readily and clearly determined, but yet the doubt is founded upon some light conjecture, and no more. I was tempted,—or I had an opportunity, or an evil thought came cross me, and I know my own infirmity; and this, according to the degrees of the conjecture, can oblige us to a general and conditional repentance; thus, if I did amiss, God of his mercy impute it not unto me. "I know not, my conscience does not accuse me," so St. Paul, "but I am not hereby justified; God is greater than my conscience." By this, set the words of St. John, and they will determine the case: "If our hearts condemn us not, then have we peace towards God;" that is, the doubt in this matter ought to be laid down, if our hearts do not pass sentence against us; but not so wholly but that we may provide against a danger not actually felt: we ought to be peaceful, but not too confident, when there is any probability of error and deception. The peace is warranted by St. John; the wariness is exemplified in St. Paul.

4. "It doth bind to caution and observance." Every thing does so, where either there is a danger, or any is suspected, or any is possible, or any ever was: and, therefore, for this there needs no peculiar reason, only according to the approach of the negative doubt to any degrees of its being positive; that is, to a probability that it is as we doubt, the observance ought to be stricter, and the caution more severe, which happens in that imperfect kind of imperfection, in suspicion, which is but the image of doubting.

For there is yet another sort of doubting, which may be called a privative doubt. Titius is invited to eat with one of another communion. First he checks at it, but because he knows no reason against it, nor indeed did ever dispute, or hear the question disputed, whether it be lawful or no, he goes. The question is, whether he did well or no?

Concerning which the case is evident, that whatsoever is

not of faith is sin, that is, if it be not done with a persuasion that it is lawful. But if a man be persuaded that he may lawfully do any thing against which he knows no law, no commandment, no reason; this is not a doubting conscience, but a probable, and, therefore, need not to abate the action. But if this also turn into a doubt, the case is altered. For he that thinks he may not do it, or doubts whether he may or no do a thing for which he hath no command, or no positive and affirmative warrant, and that it is no sufficient reason or warrant for the doing it that he knows nothing against it, unless he also have something for it; this man, thus persuaded or abused, may not proceed to action. For in this case he hath nothing for it, and one great thing against it, even this proposition,-that a thing is not to be done in such a case, which is the case of a privative doubt. But for the thing itself, the next rule gives an account of it.

RULE III.

A privative Doubt cannot of itself hinder a Man from acting what he is moved to by an extrinsic Argument, or Inducement, that is in itself prudent or innocent.

1. "IT cannot of itself hinder," that is, abstracting from the circumstance of accidental doubting or not doubting. The reason is, because there being no law against it by which he is actually ruled, and no reason appearing in defiance of it, that is, there being no intrinsical dissuasive, the conscience is only left to be conducted or persuaded by the extrinsical.

For all actions are left indifferent, till, by a superinduced law, they are restrained; which superinduced law wants its publication, if inculpably I have no notice of it in my conscience. But this is to be allowed with this caution: That this entering upon actions, against which we know no reason or law, be not sudden, and violent, and careless, like the rushing of a horse into a battle without consideration; but that we consider according to our strength, and to our time, whether there be any reasons for or against the act in question, and if we find noue, let us make none; that is, let