¢18 The L I FE of the LIB.I 6. If the Lawsof God be againff Prelacy, thole oblige above all Humane Laws. And he that fhould forbid another to fave him or his Neighbour when he is drown- ing sloth not by that prohibition make the faving of them unlawful before § ;84. Now to the Latitudinarians addition of Reafons ele'Bodo tie fenfu. r.They fay that the Act exttndetbnot to the Ring at all, when it biddeth us fubfcribe, that [there to no Obligation on me, or any other perfon ]: for Laws being made for Subje'Ets, are to be interpretedonly of SubjeEts, unleß when the Ring is named. To this it iseafily anfwered, That they diflingui(hnot between the Ring as the SubjeEt of a Law, and theRing as theObje!t of my Affertion or Belief. It's true, that the Law fpeakethof Subjeft, only whenever it fpeaketh of the Duty of Subjeets ; and the King is no Subjeét : But it is as true, that the Law fpeaketh of the Ring only, whenever it fpeaketh of the Prerogatives of the Crown and Soveraign- ty ; and as the Objet of the SubjeCts Aets of Loyalty. The queftion is not here, Who is commandedby thisAR ? but who is obliged by the Covenan: or Vow ? And ifI becommanded to fay, that [no perfon is obliged] without any limitation, 1 can with no reafon except the King, whom the Law excepteth not : Princes may be obliged by Vows as well as others, and their Obligations may be the Subje&of our Affertions and Belief. § ;85. 2. The (econd Reafon is, Becaufi the Ring's. Government is part ofthat whefe alteration is declared againft, therefore be can be none ofthe [any other perform]. Anfw. r. So the Prelates are the Perfotss whole Government is here mentioned, and yet nodoubt they are included in the [any other perlons]; as their Chancellors, Commiffaries, Deans, &c. 2. If the King may be included, when it is faid, Thatmo Man waft extirpate Monarchy; no not the King; much more when it is faid,That no Man may extirpate Prelacy ; for there the reafon of the Objedtion faileth. § ;86. ;. They further fay, That [the Aft meanetb only that no Man it bound by the Vow to endeavour again; Law, as by Rebellion, Sedition, Treafon, &c. and not that Subjehts may not petition, Parliament Menfjeak, or King and Parliament alter the Law: which they prove, becaufe it was takingup Armsand illegal Ation, only that the old Parliament was blamed for. Anfw.This one pretence bath drawn abundance of laudable Perlons to Subfcribe: but how unfatisfaetoryit is, may thus appear: t. Why then could it never be pro. cured to have the word [unlawfully] put into the Alt? when it was know that in that fence none of.us would have fcrupled it. z. All Ca(uiits agree that UniverfalTerms in or about Oaths and Vows, mull not be underflood any otherwife thanUniverfally, without apparent cogent Reafon : On fuch Terms as thele elfe a Man may takeany Oath in the World, or difclaimany: The Parliament hath exactly tyedSubfcribers to the particular words, and they long deliberated to exprefi their own fence : And they fay [neither I nor any other perfonJ; andnew eometh an Expofitor, and faith, The King is not the [ any other perfon ]. What ! Is he no Perlon? or is he not another Perfon ? So they fay [no Obligation lieth on us to endeavour], and the Latitudinarian faith, That I may endeavour it, and that they mean no Endeavour but unlawful. This contradiftory Exception and Eked-loon is againff all common Life and Mice, and fuch as will allow a Man to cheat theState, by layingorunfaying any thing in the World. ;. We have many a time told tome Latitudinarians how this matter may be loon decided if theywill : The ParliamentPath paff another A& with the lelf fame words in it, making it Confifaationfor any Man to fay, That [he or any other perfon is obliged by the Covenant to endeavour any. Alteration ofChurch-Government ] :Let them write or fay openly [Men areobligedby the Covenant to endeavour it by lawful means, but not by unlawful Jr and let them give.leave to another to accufe them ina Court ofJuflice for tbefe words ; and let it be there tried and judged, and then the fence of theLaw, will be declared : If they be in the right the Acculer (hall lofe his Colts, and no danger canbefal them. If they be not in the right, they will be punifhed by Confifcation: And is not the hazard of fuch a Law Suitcheap enough for a Man to fave himfelf and others from fo great a Guilt, as the Juttification of three Kingdoms. in theSin of Perjury (if it fo prove )? And yet I could never hear of the Manthat would hazard his Elfate thus on the confidence df his Expo- litionof the Law; but multitudesventure their Souls upon it. 4. The
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