Chapter III: On Speculatively Doubtful Conscience

Order of speaking. In order that we may procure for ourselves a distinct knowledge of a matter which, both on account of many applications and on account of controversies, has become sufficiently encumbered and confused, greater care must be taken for the due order in our exposition. Wherefore we shall divide this chapter first into two articles, of which the former will be assigned to positively doubtful conscience, the latter to negatively doubtful conscience. But in the former article, in various paragraphs, we shall successively hand down notions; systems or opinions; the demonstration of the true doctrine; the right use of the demonstrated doctrine; the question concerning the probability of fact. Finally in the other article we shall treat of negatively doubtful conscience.