A Collection of cases and other discourses lately written to recover dissenters to the communion of the Church of England by some divines of the city of London ; in two volumes ; to each volume is prefix'd a catalogue of all the cases and discourses contained in this collection.

CASE VI. Whether it be lawful to comply with the use of Publick Form,s when they are imposed?

IN answer to which, a very few words will suffice: for it hath been already proved, that the use of pub∣lick Forms is universally lawful, there being nothing either in Scripture, or the nature of the thing, that for∣bids it; but a great deal in both, that approves and warrants it: so that now the Question is no more than this, Whether a lawful thing when imposed, may be lawfully complied with? The affirmative of which is sufficiently proved in the Case of Indifferent Things. And indeed, if the Imposition of Praying in publick by Forms, though lawful in it self, may not be lawfully complied with, then neither may the Imposition of praying extempore; and if so, then we must act quite contrary to what we are commanded by Authority, and pray by Form when we are commanded to pray extempore, as well as extempore when we are com∣manded to pray by Form: and if in lawful things Au∣thority can oblige us to comply with this by comman∣ding the contrary, our liberty will be altogether as li∣able to restraint this way as the other, because we shall

be as much obliged this way to forbear a lawful thing as we are to comply with it the other. And if all men were of this opinion, that no lawful thing ought to be complied with when it is commanded, Authority might as effectually oblige them to do whatsoever it would have by commanding the quite contrary, as it can now by commanding the thing it would have. But this being quite besides the Province I have undertaken, I shall insist no farther upon it.