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The
LIFE
of
the
B.1.
The Oath
of
Canonical Obedience.
Go
A.
B.
Pro
quod præfbabo Veram tar Canonicam Obedientiam Ep
f
opo
L.ondinenfi
li
ejufgue
Succefforibus
in
amnibus
liçitit
e
bonefbit.
§
;oz.
H.
The
Nonconformifts, who take not
this
Declaration,
Oath,
Subfcríp.
don,
&c. are
of
divers forts, fome being
further diftant from Conformity
than o-
tilers
;
fome
thinking that
(orne
of
the forementioned things are lawful, and tome
that noneof them
are lawful
:
and
all
have
not the
fame
Reafons for their
diffent.
But
all
are agreed
that
it
is
not.lawfal to
do
all
that
is
required,
and therefore
they
are
all
call out
of the
Exercife
of
the
Sacred
Minittry,
and forbidden to preach the
Word
of
God.
§
;03.
The
Reafons
commonly given
by
them
are
either,
a.
Again the
Impo-
frng
of
the things forementioned
;
or,
2. Againft the Ufng
of
them being impoled.
Thofe
of
the former fort were giveninto the King and
Bifhops before
the
Palling
of
the
Adl
of
Uniformity,
and are laid
down in
the
beginning of
this Book ; and
the
Opportunity_being now paff, theNonconformifls now meddle not with that
part of the
Calife,
it having
Teemed
good to their
Superiours
to
go
againft
their
Reafons. But this
is
worthy
the
noting by the
way,
that
all
that
I
can fpeak
with
of
the Conforming Party, do now
ju(tifie
only the
Ufing
and
Obeying
,
and
not the
Impofrngofthee things
with the
Penalty by which
they are
Impeled:
Fromwhence
it
is
evident, that
moftof
their
own Party do
now juftide
our
Coufe
which
we
main-
tained
at
the
Savoy,
which
was
againft
this;Impoftion
(
whilft
it might
have been
prevented), and for which
filch an
intemperate
Fury bath purfued the
to
this
very
day. z.
But
it
is
the
Reafons againft
our
full
Obedience to the Impofirion of
this
Conformity, which
I
am
now to
rehearfe
:
but I
muff defire
the Reader to remem-
ber, that my
bare Recital
is
no
fign
of
myApprobation
of
all
that I recite,though
I
be one
of
thofe
that dare not Conform.
'§ 304.
And fìrß there
are
divers
general
Reafons
which 'keepfomeof them more
than
others from Conformity, and
drive them further,
even from
joyning with
them in Liturgy
oc
Sacrament.
r.
Some
of
them
look upon
the Principles and
Lives
of
many
of
thole who
fall
in with the
eflablifht
Church,
as
furnilhing them with
a
fufficient Plea
againft Con-
formity
:
For,
fay
they,
it's
eafie
to
obferve how
the Prophane and
Vitious
and
Debaucht and
Scandalous
(
which
makes
up
but too great
a
part
of
the Nation
},
fall in
with that Party
in
the
Church that
are
for Prelacy
and Liturgy,frc. and for
oppre(Iingthofe who
differ in
their Sentimentsfrom them about
thefe
Matters.Now
how
fay
they, can
we
fafely
joys
in with that
Body
of
Men, that
harbours fo
many
open Enemies to
all
Religion,
as
the
prophane part of
the Nation compre-
hends
?
But fome
who
are more confiderare, reply,
That
this
is
no other than what
is
the
ufual
Attendant of
a
National E(tablilhment
;
it
being
a
common thing
for
all
thole in
a
State, who are really
of
no Religion,
in appearance to
fall
in
with
that
Modeof
Religion that
is
favour'd by the Law
,
and molt encouraged
by
the
Prince.
§
3
o
s.
z.
The
fame Perlons fay,
That
by
Conforming
they fhall
own
and
fbrengtb
enUJurperr;
who
have made a
New
Office
which Chrift
never made, and
to the
great wrong
of Chrift,
and the
peril
of
the
Church,
have made themfelves Lords
of
God's Heritage
:
And
as
he
that
obeyeth the Pope's Law,
is
guilty
of
his
U-
furpation
, fo is
he
that
obeyeth the
Prelates Laws,though
the Matter
commanded
were
lawful in
it
fell.
But
the
moderator Nonconformills
are not
for
this
Reafon;
becaufe,fay they,it
is
but
Counfel as
it cometh from the
Convocation
;
and
it
is
the King
and
Parliament
that
make
a
Law
of
it, whom
we mull
obey
in
lawful things.
And
they fay fur-
ther,
That
we
mutt not
forbear a
-Duty,
for fear
of
Encouraging Men's Ufurpa-
clons.
§
;o6. They
fay
alto, 3.That
thefe Impofitions are
doneby
the
Prelates
in meet
deign
to root out
godly Miniffers and
Chriflians
:
And that
when
they
feared
that
the old Conformity would not
fern
turn,
they
have added
lach new
Materi-
als
of
fer
purpofe, which keep out
a
Thoufand
at
leaf
that
would have yielded
the