( 193) ;judgement, that men fhould rather forbear your Ordination,` thenhazard their lives,or violate the prefent Laws,becaufe when a Declaration or Order came forth not long ago, prohibiting men ofyour perfwafion that had beenfegoeflred to Preach or Adminil}er Sacraments, the generality of 3 oil p :efently obey- ed it, and fome wrote for the forbearance that they praelif°dw And if an Ordained man fhould obey the prefent power by forbearing to preach and adminifter Sacraments or may for - bear thefe to efcape a temporal danger ; much more may met do foabout your fort ofOrdination. sea, r r. Moreover 4. We (hall be guiltyòfa fixed Schifin among the Reformed Church s and of making the heal- ing of our breaches impoffibl e, if by our compliance we own your dividing Principle, that [ No other are trueMini- flers or Churches but fuch as have your Manner of Ordina. tion] For by this Rule all the Miniflers in thefe and other Proteflant Nations muff be degraded , or taken for no Mini- fters, and all the Churches for no true Churches ( though per- haps they may be confeffed Chrifiian Communities , ) Nor the Ordinances and adminifirations true. And do you think thefe are likely termsfor Peace ? Will they ever be yielded to by fo many Churches ? Or is it a defirable thing ? Should Rome be fo much gratified ? And our Churches ru fined ? and the fouls of millions cart away, and facrificed to your opinions, or Peace ? While your Prelacy pretended to Oro more, but to be the heft fort of Government, and your Church to be the heft of Churches, we could fubmit to you in all things that were not flatly finful : But when you will be the only Churches, and unchurch all otbers,,even the anof flourifhing Churches for knowledge and holinefs, and when you mull be the only Minifiers, and others muff be none, unlefs they will beOrdained by you ; this is enough to put a fober man to a Band, whether he shall not be guilty of notorious fchifm, by complying with fo fchifmaticala prin- ciple , if he fubje& hirnfelf voluntarily to a Prelacy that bath loch principles and pretences , and to an Ordination that is adtniui[tred on thefe grounds and terms. This was not the ground, nor thefe the principles of the former Englifh Pre lates s and therefore we were more capable of fubjeáion to Cc them.
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