P A R. T II. Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter. 413 § ;7 r. Now to their Anfwer to theReafons of the Conformifts. Oblett. r. The Endwas evil ; to change the Government, ofChureb and State with- oat Law, which warfetled by Law : The Bishops were apart of the Houfe o f Lords, and therefore could not be cal oat but by their own content, and the Whole Parliament's with the Ring. Artful. I. It is not the ill endsof the Personsimpofing that can difoblige the Ta- ker, unless it had been the finis proximuo ipfsus uramenti effential to the Vow it felf, and inseparablefrom it. The Endsof Parliaments may be manifold and unknown, which the People cannot know,nor arebound tofearchafter,The words of the Vow k felf are [in our[everal Places andCallings we fhaS endeavour] : And this was the ex. preffed work and end:And this wasnot doingany thingagain(' Law.fadiscontented Perfon now should fay, that theParliaments End in the Aft of lJniforìnity, and that againft Conventicles, was Perfecution and the Suppreflion ofReligion , and therefore they arenot to be obeyed, how would this hold, while Uniformity and Peace are the publifbed Ends, and the rest are either uncertain or impertinent to us x. Whether indeed the Impofers Ends were ill, is a Con,troverfie fit to be touch ed by it felE They thought fuch a Change of Church-Govetmnent was a good, End : And for doingg it againft Law they put not that into theSwearers part, in this Claufe ; and profefïed the contrary themfelves. But if they did themfelves purpose' to do that againfi Law, which others fwear to do [in their Places and Caging ] that is, according to Law, are thofe others therefore not obliged to do what they vow ed to do accordingtoLaw, becaufe the Impofers intended to do their part againft Law? ;. I fuppofe all the King's Party who took the Oath at their Composition , had no ill end in it, and are they not then to interpret it by their own Ends,as it is their Per- Tonal Vow ? q. If we teach Men that thebad Endsofthe Impofers do disoblige Men from per forming Vows materially good, take heed left it follow that it will difoblige them much more from obeying Commands and Laws materially good : And then every Subjett will take himfelf tobe difobliged, who is but confident that Persecution, Op= "region, &c. were his Rulers Ends. What if a Man for evil Ends command me to obey theKing, orto worlhipGod, or to give to the Poor : Or make me fwear to do all this ; Doth not my Vow oblige me, becaufe Ise had evil Ends that drove me to it ? 'Zay, if I had my Pelf vowed to do all thefe for fome evil end, though it is certain that I mutt not do it to that end, yet whether the change of my End, does difoblige me alto frommy Vow,as to the Matter, is a difficult queftion, which I thinkCafuifts commonly. refolvein the Negative. But if any Man did mistake their Defign, and had goodEnds himself, while theirs were bad, yea, and theEnds commanded him were good, theCafe is much plainer: ç. Who can fay that the Kinghad an ill End in taking it ? Or that his Place and Calling did notimpower him to do that which in a Subjett would have been illegal; and that he maynot lawfully endeavour accordingly? And whereas it is faid, That the very War it felf expoundedtheir meaning who im- pofed it, they being then inArms against the King;] It is anfwered by the Non-Subfcri- bers, r. That they openly profeffedto take up Arms only against Delinquent Sub- jetts accordingto Law. 2. That their mifapplication made not good words to be' bad to others. ;. That if they make me fwear to do it inmy Place andCalling, I stn not obligedto expoundthis tobeLout ofmy Place andCaging) becaufe they go out of their Place andCalling. And whereas it is faid, That [the Elfhopa werepartof the Parliament, and fo of the Civil Government]; It is anfwered, r. That the Parliament declared that they were no Conllitutive, Effential, Ùn- changeable Part, without whom the Ails of both Houfeswere invalid They were but part of the Lords House, where they might be over -voted. 2. The Scruple of the Non-Subfcribers is not at all, whether they areobliged to endeavour to difpoffefs them of their Baronies or Places inParliament, which is in the power of the King togive them; bat only about their Ecclefiaflical Power and Government as here formed. And if It could beproved that theCovenant in- tendedboth the Eje&ionof them from their Church Power, and their Places it& Parliament,it £olloweth not that it obligatinot to the lawful eel .becaufe itobligeth, not to theunlawful I
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