56 OF CHURCH CONTROVERSIES. 



doctrine of manners there is little but generality and 

 repetition. The word, the bread of life, they toss 

 up and down, they break it not : they draw not their 

 directions down &quot; ad casus conscientise ;&quot; that a man 

 may be warranted in his particular actions whether 

 they be lawful or not ; neither indeed are many of 

 them able to do it, what through want of grounded 

 knowledge, what through want of study and time. 

 It is a compendious and easy thing to call for the 

 observation of the sabbath-day, or to speak against 

 unlawful gain ; but what actions and works may 

 be done upon the sabbath, and what not; and 

 what courses of gain are lawful, and in what 

 cases : to set this down, and to clear the whole mat 

 ter with good distinctions and decisions, is a matter 

 of great knowledge and labour, and asketh much 

 meditation and conversing in the Scriptures, and 

 other helps which God hath provided and preserved 

 for instruction. 



Again, they carry not an equal hand in teaching 

 the people their lawful liberty, as well as their re 

 straints and prohibitions : but they think a man can 

 not go too far in that that hath a shew of a com 

 mandment. 



They forget that there are sins on the right 

 hand, as well as on the left ; and that the word is 

 double-edged, and cutteth on both sides, as well the 

 profane transgressions as the superstitious obser 

 vances. Who doubteth but that it is as unlawful to 

 shut where God hath opened, as to open where God 

 hath shut ; to bind where God hath loosed, as to 



