rroneous conscience, a necessity of
sinning lies on him, and that through his own fault. This necessity
ariseth from this supposition, that he retain his erring conscience, and
so is not absolute, because he should inform his conscience rightly, so
that he may both do that which he ought to do, and do it so from the
approbation of his conscience. If it be said again, What should be done to
them who have not laid down the error of conscience, but do still retain
the same? I answer, _eligatur id quod tutius et melius est_.(137) If
therefore the error of conscience be about weighty and necessary matters,
then it is better to urge men to the doing of a necessary duty in the
service of God, than to permit them to neglect the same, because their
erring conscience disapproveth it; for example, it is better to urge a
profane man to come and hear God's word than to suffer him to neglect the
hearing of the same, because his conscience alloweth him not to hear. But
if the error of conscience be about unnecessary things, or such as are in
themselves indifferent, then it is _pars tutior_, the surest and safest
part not to urge men to do that which in their consciences they condemn.
Wherefore, since the ceremonies are not among the number of such necessary
things as may not be omitted without the peril of salvation, the
invincible disallowance of our consciences should make our opposites not
press them upon us, because by practising them we could not but sin, in
that our consciences judge them unlawful. If any of our weak brethren
think that he must and should abstain from the eating of flesh upon some
certain day, though this thing be in itself indifferent, and not
necessary, yet, saith Baldwin,(138) "he who is thus persuaded in his
conscience, if he should do the contrary, sinneth."

_Sect._ 3. Conscience, then, though erring, doth ever bind in such sort,
that he who doth against his conscience sinneth against God. Which is also
the doctrine of Thomas.(139) But, without any more ado, it is sufficiently
confirmed from Scripture. For, was not their conscience in an error who
thought they might not lawfully eat all sorts of meat? Yet the Apostle
showeth that their conscience, as erring as it was, did so bind, that they
were damned if they should eat such meat as they judged to be unclean,
Rom. xiv. 14, 23. The reason wherefore an erring conscience bindeth in
this kind is, _quoniam agens_, &c.(140) "Because he who doth any thing
against