Sacrilegious Desertion of the Holy Ministry Rebuked, Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Whether the Declaration make the Non-conformiſts preaching more lawful, or their duty, than it was before?
Sect. 1. HIs Sect. 2. Pro. 2. is impertinent. For, 1. He knoweth little, if he know not, that the Nonconformiſts did before take ſuch preaching and meetings to be lawful, and a duty in reſpect of the Law of God, where they had opportunity to uſe them.
2. But they take it for a double ſin, to neglect a duty, when they have Liberty granted them by the King to perform it. But he knoweth we take God for our abſolute Soveraign, and think that none can repeal his Laws, becauſe that none hath any power but from him; and we ſuppoſe that he will paſs the final ſentence on Kings and us. To what purpoſe is it then among Chriſtians to queſtion, whether Men make it lawful for Chriſts Conſecrated Miniſters to preach, when God commandeth it.
Sect. 2. But pag. 14. he thinks he may ſafely ſay, [that the Declaration doth not ſo much as uncommand and uninjoyn any thing, which the Law properly commands or injoyns].
Anſw. Say you ſo? 1. The Law commandeth Magiſtrates to execute the penal Laws. The King forbiddeth them: Is not that to uncommand them?
2. The Law commandeth us not to meet above four in a private houſe for worſhip, otherwiſe than, &c. The King ſuſpendeth, or diſpenſeth with this Command, and not only with the penalty. And is not a ſuſpenſion of a Precept an uncommanding, though not a commanding of the contrary? I will not inſtance in Juries indicting Papiſts, &c.
Sect. 3. But he ſubtilly tells us that the Declaration meddles neither with the Preceptive nor Punitive parts of the Law, but only with the Execution, which is extrinſick to both. All Lawyers muſt come learn anew of him, what it is to diſpenſe with a Law. As if the Command [You ſhall examine and puniſh ſuch & ſuch men,] and the prohibition [You ſhall not puniſh them, but protect them] were not contrary. Nor the prohibition [You ſhall not meet above four &c.] and the diſpenſation, [You may meet, &c.]
Sect. 4. But all this is utterly impertinent to them whoſe Conſciences never allowed them to forbear their Miniſtry in formal obedience to any mens prohibition, but only when they had not power or opportunity to exerciſe; It's no duty which cannot be done. And Licenſe maketh that poſſible which was impoſſible▪ He that untieth my feet, accidentally maketh it my duty to go.
Sect. 5. pag. 16. Let Mr. Crofton anſwer for himſelf, but the other two named by you, Ball and Baxter have much againſt you, but nothing for you; and underſtand themſelves better than you underſtand them; and he that ſurviveth, taketh himſelf to be abuſed by your Allegations, and provoketh you to cite any of his words, which are againſt Nonconformiſts preaching as they have opportunity. If you had rather that we were all uſed as Mr. Joſ. Allein was, you may ſee by his Preface to his Life, whether he was not for ſuch ſufferings rather than ſilence.
Sect. 6. His reviving his pitiful Objection, That we have the approbation of Authority for ſeparation, is but a contemptible ſporting of himſelf at the game he is beſt skilled at; Objecting nothing, that he may ſeem to anſwer it with ſomething.
Sect. 7. But p. 18. he will bring us to Vtopia (Morus invented it) and there he will ſuppoſe [the Villanies of Theft, Murder and Adultery unpuniſhed, and publick Meetings allowed where they ſhould be practiſed.]
Anſw. 1. What ſhould the poor Nonconformiſts hear, if they thus Commented on the Clemency of the King?
2. But becauſe you will force dumb men to ſpeak, ſuppoſe that in the ſame Utopia, the Philoſophy Schools which had faithful Teachers, and the Chriſtian Churches that had faithful Paſtors, were deprived of near 2000 of them at once, and thoſe that came in their places, had the conſent but of the leaſt part of the people; and that they were ſuch as did Doctrinally declare to the people that millions may be PER• without ſin, & that they, ex animo, approve of all the Gregorian Liturgie, and every thing therein, and of all the Lutherans Conſubſtantiation, and Church-Images; and when in Baptiſm they had vowed to fight againſt the World, the Fleſh, and the Devil under Chriſt, they ſhould contrarily upon deliberation make a ſolemn publick Covenant, that in their places, & callings, they would never endeavour to reform Cardinals, Inquiſitions, High-places, Conſubſtantiation, Church-Images, or Church-tyranny, & ſo in part renounce their Baptiſm: And ſuppoſe a clement Prince ſhould releaſe the ejected Teachers from their reſtraints, and allow them to ſet up private ſchools of Philoſophy and Divinity, and the people ſhould ſay, We cannot in conſcience caſt our Souls on the guidance of the PER• and therefore crave the benefit of your conduct: If theſe ſuffering men ſhall ſeek to reconcile them to the PERS• and deſire them to have a better opinion of them, but yet tell them, that they will not deny them their own beſt help; Quaere, whether they ſinned by not being PER• themſelves, or by not being cruel deſerters of mens Souls? and which ſide is to be compared to the Murderers and Adulterers? I know this is not our Caſe in England; but if we muſt follow you into Utopia or Moria, let us have the equitable judgment of the place.