THere are also many general and collateral and cir∣cumstantial considerations that make men fear the guilt of Conformity the more.

What are those? I believe you will find as many of that sort of reasons on the other side to move you to Conform, if you consider them.

I will tell you what I mean, and then I will hear all that you have to say for it.

I. We are all agreed that no sin must be done for any commo∣dity, or on any pretence of good.

II. We are agreed that to pretend Gods Service, or Name for our sin is a heinous aggravation: To say, I must do evil to please God, to Preach and to win souls, is Prophaneness and Hypocrisy.

III. We are agreed that it is worse in a Minister of Christ than in others; because he is bound to be an example to the flock, who are apt to imitate him.

IV. It is granted that God is jealous about his worship, and that the profaning of Holy things, and sinning openly in the Sa∣cred Assemblies is, caecris paribus, worse than meer miscarriages in our Conversation.

V. Lying is by most acknowledged a great sin, as overthrow∣ing humane credit and converse: But especially in a Preacher, because it will tempt men never to believe him: And to say that we assent and consent, and that ex animo when we do not, is heinous lying.

VI. It is granted that man hath not a despotical power of his own understanding, to believe what he will: And that if any of his errours be vicious, vice and errour must have better cure than meer commands: And if men could know and be∣lieve what they will, they should will to believe nothing but what hath credible evidence, without a carnal biass.

VII. It is agreed that all men have errour, and therefore that erring men or no men must be tolerated in our Communion; and he that thinks otherwise condemneth himself, and teacheth all men to condemn him.

Page  209 VIII. It is granted that it is a very low degree of knowledge that the universality of vulgar Christians do attain, who hard∣ly learn the common Catechism, much less can it be expected that they should all be able to understand all indifferent things to be indifferent, and to be judges of the minutissima.

IX. If any errours be tolerable, it's like to be the errours a∣bout things indifferent and small.

X. St. Paul hath expresly determined the Controversy about loving and receiving such, Rom. 14. & 15.

XI. To encourage by compliance a generation and design of men that overthrow Christ's and his Apostles rule of Communi∣on, and by invented impositions of their own, would make Church-Concord impossible, and would propagate this way of certain Schism, and stablish it in the World, is to confederate for tearing the Church of Christ, and making Schism common and uncureable.

XII. It is granted that he that after his greatest study is per∣swaded that unnecessary Oaths, Subscriptions, Covenants, Cere∣monies are sinful; is condemned if he go against his Conscience, tho' he should mistake.

XIII. Those therefore that make such snares for Souls, and then tell us [If you go against your Consciences you are damned for that, and if you do not you are damned as Schismaticks, for disobey∣ing us] are far unlike the Ministers of Christ, or Men that help to save our Souls.

XIV. We Non-Conformists offer cur solemn Oaths that we have by Prayer and earnest search and study, laboured to know the truth herein: And as our worldly interest would perswade us to conform, so we would readily do it, did we not believe that it is sin against God: Yea we take it (as to us) to be no small but heinous sin, by the aggravations which I am mention∣ing.

XV. Seeing then the way of our Condemners is either to cast all Christians out of the Church, that have not a greater degree of Knowledge herein, than I have, and all men of my Rank, or else to bring all men implicitly to believe all to be lawful that is commanded them, we cannot consent to either of these two Measures for the Church.

XVI. It is agreed that Perjury is so heinous a Sin, as that few are greater: It so taketh God's Name in vain, as to en∣gage Page  210 his Justice in a special Revenge. It depriveth Kings of due Security for their Lives and Crowns, by the Oath of Fidelity. It destroyeth all Trust, and consequently all Com∣merce among Men; as well as all Hope of publick Justice: It exposeth the Estates and Lives of all men to the will of Per∣jur'd men; so that he that dare be perjur'd, may be supposed liable to any other Wickedness how great soever. Therefore if we Ministers should be perjured; we should make our selves utterly unmeet for our Office.

XVII. It is agreed that to sin deliberately by a Covenant under our Hands, is one of the most heinous sorts of sinning; and if it be done knowingly, sheweth the person to be a wilful Ser∣vant of sin. To sin by the sudden surprize of a Passion is too bad; but to study it, resolve it, and covenant it, is most dange∣rous: To engage a Mans self by Covenant to be once a Month drunk, or steal, or commit Fornication, is far worse than the bare Act.

XVIII. It is granted that Repentance is the condition of For∣giveness, and for a man to swear or covenant that he will never re∣pent, or endeavour to amend, or alter any thing that is amiss, is to renounce Forgiveness.

XIX. It is granted that publick, common, national Sins, are far worse than private and personal, in few; and if heinous, they are Prognosticks of the sorest Judgments; and to promote them, is to be the Enemy of the Land.

XX. It is granted that if that prove Perjury, which some Dissenters fear is such, and the Kingdom should be stigmatized by it, there could scarce be any greater Shame and Danger be∣fall the Land, to make it odious to GOD and Men, and Recor∣ded as such to all Generations. As I said, The Oaths and Cove∣nants to endeavour no Alteration in Church Government, is impo∣sed on all Corporations, all Souldiers in the Militia, all Vesteries, all Non-conformist Ministers that will take it, and all Ministers as to covenant in the Act of Uniformity: And he that (with∣out accusing others) only studieth to be innocent of so mortal a (feared) Guilt, sure is therein excusable, if the fear of God, and the love of our Souls, and of the Church and State, be not an unexcusable Crime. Apply this no farther than I ap∣ply it.

Page  211 XXI. There is so much written for a foreign Iurisdiction over England, in Church Affairs, by Arch-Bishop Laud, Arch-Bi∣shop Bromhall, Dr. Heylin, Mr. Thorndike, Dr. Saywell, Bishop Gunning 's Chaplain (and many others) whose Words I am rea∣dy to produce) as may assure us that it is in the same Mens thoughts to introduce it as the only way to Concord, and that they therefore desire the Ejection and Ruine of such as we, be∣cause we are against it. And how far, and how soon God will let these men prevail, we know not: But we are past doubt, that to subject a Nation to a foreign Iurisdiction, is to stigmatize it with the most odious Perjury: Seeing as the Oath of Supre∣macy sweareth all expresly against it, so the foresaid Corporation Oath, Vestery Oath, Militia Oath, Oxford Oath, and Vnifor∣mity Subscription, have sworn or engaged the Nation never to en∣deavour any Alteration of Government, in Church or State: And if a foreign Iurisdiction be no Alteration, we know nothing capa∣ble of that Name. And when we see some of the same men at once endeavour to make us take such Oaths on pain of Ruin, and to design to bring all under the Guilt of breaking them, when we have done, men think it best to take no more of them than is necessary, till they see whether they must be kept or broken.

XXII. Plagues, Flames, Poverty, Convulsions that have be∣faln Corporations of late years, makes us the more afraid of the sins which are like to be the Cause: And the Earl of Argyle 's Case makes us afraid of stretching Expositions of Oaths: And the Londoners have sped so ill by such stretching Expositions as confirmeth us in our Purpose to avoid them.

XXIII. If we wilfully sin on pretence of Liberty to preach the Gospel, we cannot expect God's Blessing on our Labours: And then what is our preaching worth?

XXIV. We read how joyfully many Martyrs in Queen Mary's days endured the Flames, rather than grant the real Presence in the Mass: And we that fear far greater sin, must rather suffer than commit them.

XXV. As we dare not Conform against Conscience, so to lay by our Ministry while we can exercise it, we take to be Sacrilege, Covenant-breaking with God, and Treachery and Cruelty to the Souls of Men.

Page  212 XXVI. We are sure if all the Ministers should conform, it would be so far from healing the Church, that it would widen the Breach: For the Dissenting People would be tempted to go the further from us all, and think that none of us were to be trusted; as many have turn'd further already on some such Ac∣counts.

XXVII. We are Commonly agreed that no men have right from God to Silence all the Ministers in the Land: And we are ful∣ly satisfyed that Conformity to the things aforesaid being a Sin, all the Ministers in England ought to have been Non-Conformists, and then the Act of Uniformity had silenced them all.

XXVIII. Lastly, the dreadful effects of Canonical, and the like Impositions, the sufferings of Godly Minsters, Congregations, Cities, Countries, and Persons thereupon; our doleful divisi∣ons, especially among Ministers, the evil Spirit that possesseth multitudes to cry down Love and call for Vengeance, and the prospect of what is going on, do affright us from approving, consenting to, or using the Engines that thus divide us, and the Canons that are battering down our Peace, and consequently to be guilty of all the Atheism, Prophaneness, Malignity, Popery, Persecution and Calamity to this Land, which are like to come in at the breach of our Walls, which the battery of those Ca∣nons and Engines make. A Jayl, and a Fire, or a Gallows is an easier place, than a bed, where Conscience shall charge such Evils home upon us; much more then the Judgments which the True and Righteous Judge of the World will shortly execute on Lyers, Malignants, or Persecutors of his Flock; yea, of the least of those that Christ will call Brethren at that day.

I have oft said, if any Church-History of one man be credible, St. Martin wrought many Miracles; and when the Bishops a∣bout him being bad men, to get down the Priscillian Gnosticks (worse than our Quakers) did, 1. Seek help of the Magistrate's Sword; 2. And bring strict Godly persons under suspicion of being Priscillianists; Martin renounced their Communion by resolved separation to his death; save that once at the Empe∣rour's desire, he Communicated with them on condition the Emperour would spare the lives of some condemned as Priscil∣lianists; and even for this was rebuked and chastized by an An∣gel, if his Scholar and Companion Sulpitius Severus, a Learned Godly man, be to be believed.