PART II. ReverendMr. Richard Baxter. .i g q. The Parliament, who is the Expounder.of their own Laws, have given us heirfence of the Subje&ofour Controverfie, in a former Law , which puts all ut of doubt : For in the CorporationAt all Men are put out of Power and Trull, who will not declare, that (abfolutely, without any limitation) [There is no Obligation upan me or any otber perfarl, from *Oath called, &c. ] fo that all Obligation to any thing at all by that Vow, is in this mots important Aek denied, and the profeffion of this denial,thus impofed. By which it is pall doubt that the Law- makers-fence is againit all Oblgarion abfolutely. t. And that it is fo, is well know to thofe that know what was faidin the Parlia- ment, when among ,the Commons this Reafon carried it ; viz. That if any Obliga- tion at all be acknowledged, even to things lawful, every feditioue perfon will. be left to thinkthat be is boundto al which be conceivetb lawful, which with fame will be to refia theRing or commit Treafon: Therefore all Obligationabfolutely mush be denied. I confefs filch Villains there may be, and they should be carefullyreftrained but as I doubt this AEt of Parliament will no whir change their belief of their Obligations ( for they will think Parliaments cannot difpenfewith Oaths or with theLaws of God) fo it is a fad remedy for fach villanous Errours, to difoblige Men from the lawfcd partof Vows, for fear left they take the unlawful to be}lawful : As it is to teach Men to take nothing which God commandeth, to be their Duty, forfear lean they fhould take ther Sin to be their Duty. § 387. Obje &. Bar what if the Bifhopgive me liberty to put in theword [unlawfulyj or to Subfcribe only in thatfence ; may I not then lawfully do it ? Anfw. This was the only Expedient to draw in Nonconformilts heretofore, and fo it hath provedof late again. But I diftinguith, z. There is much difference be- tween Subfcribingthe very wordsof the A&, with the verbal or by-addition of your own Explication, and the putting in of your Explicatory words into the Sen- tence which you Subfcribe. 2. Between Subfcribing this as the impofed Declarati- on in the A&, and Subfcribing it only as another thing. 3. Between the ferret and the open Explication of yourMind. For my part, if the word [ unlawfully ] had been joyned to [endeavour] by the Law- makers, I would not have fcrupled to Sub- fcribe that par the Declaration. But z. theBilbop is not the Law -maker, and thereforeha:., no more power than a private Man toexpound the Law : Nor is he fo much as ofedge in thisbufinefs ( who may expound it inorder to the decifion of a particular Cattle); but only a Warneß that you Subfcribe. 2. If you only Subfcribe the very words of the Declaration, and (peak your Explication, or write it in a by-paper, you do then provide an infufficient Philter for the Sore : you do that which is evil in it felf, and would cure it by an uneffeâtual accidental Medi- cine: You harden both the Importers and Subfcribersby your Scandal, while you are Paid to Subfcribe the very. thing impaled, whole fence is fo plain,that your Ex- pofition is but an apparent ludicrous diftortion. As if I were commanded to Subfcribe this Sentence [ Godbath no knowledge nor no love ] ; The Impofer under- flandeth it vulgarly and blalphemoully : The words in the molt ftri& and proper fenceare true (which cannot be faid in our Cafe) : becaufe knowledge and love are fpoken primarilyof the Creatures Ads, and are not in God formaliser , but erni- nenrer, that is, fomewhat mote excellent which bath no other name, becaufé we have no formal Conceptions of them, but muff fpeak of God after the manner of Men, while Man is theGlafs and Image bywhich we knowhim : yet would I not Subfcribe this impofedPropoltion, while the Impofer meaneth it blafphemoufly ; becaufe it is a heinous Scandal tobe faid to Subfcribeandown fach Villany, and fo to encourage others to it ; no thoughI might exprefs my fence. 3. Efpecially I may exprefs it but privately, where the Remedy againft the Scandal will be inef. fe&ual : But if youmay Subfcribe the whole Sentence with your own words therein, and that not as it is the impofed Declaration (which is otherwifeexpound. ed by the Law-makers themfelves) butas another, and may make this as publick and notoriousas your Subfcription it felf is, then I havelefs to fayagaini it. There are no wordsutterable which a Man may not put agood fence on ifhe pleafe: And yet I durit not fo for play with Death, and comply with the Spirit of Impiety, as to Subfcribe that [There is no God, or God is un;ult, or onwife, or unholy; sac.) though I had liberty tofay, I mean it in this or that fence which is true and warrantable. § 388. 4. Another Motive of the Latitudinariansto Subfcribe is, That by [to en; deovour any Change or Alteration ofGovernment in the Church] is meant only[any change of the Syecie, ofour Cbnrcb-Government, andnot any Reformationof integral or acci- dental DefeEts, or Depravations. Iih h z einfw.z,
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