Ductor Dubitantium, or the Rule of Conscience in All Her General Measures; Serving As a Great Instrument for the Determination of Cases of Conscience (Volume 2 Only)

London: R. Norton, for R. Royston, 1660. Hardcover. Good. [Of humane laws] Volume 2 only. (Books 3 and 4). Folio. Bound in contemporary leather. 5 raised bands. 6 compartments. Worn and rubbed leather. Two bookplates "F.W. Fowle," (armorial) and "Henry McLallen." Signature on title page. Overall, text is good. [2], 558, [2] p. No plates. <br><br> Ductor Dubitantium was designed as a comprehensive manual of cases of conscience which would form a capstone to the English Protestant edifice already created by Sanderson, Hall, and Perkins. No longer would English clergy need to consult Roman Catholic casuists and run the risk of being misled by their probablism. Taylor promised general rules from which every particular case could be resolved. Taylor believed that there is always a right answer in moral dilemmas, even if human reason cannot fathom it; and while offering the conventional teaching on the obligation of an erroneous conscience, he placed an overwhelming emphasis on the duty of human reason to discern the good act, where good is defined by rational nature and divine commands (John Spurr in Dictionary of Seventeenth-Century British Philosophers). Taylor's success owes as much to his literary talent as his intellect. He was notable for his eloquence, his almost poetical imagination, and his wide biblical and classical learning: even his opponents recognized his admirable wit, great parts, quick and elegant pen, his abilities in critical learning, and his profound skill in antiquities. He has been called the Shakespeare of Divines for his poetic style of expression. Wing T324.