4.22 The LIFE of the LIB, I, ple in threeKingdoms, fo far as to juftifie them before God from the Obligations of fuch Vows and Oaths ? § 39e. And though I heartily with that the Prelates would have been intreated to have chofenanother courfe ofproceeding with their Brethren, and not have tempted any to Repinings or Complaints ( for endeavouring which I loft their love), yet I would admonilh all my Brethren to take heed of aggravating this Dif- ference fo far, as to bring the prefent Miniftry into Contempt , and hinder the Ef- ficacy oftheir Labours. I did my heft to have prevailed beforehand,that we might not havehad any occafion ofDivifions ; but if we muff needs be divided, that it . might have been upon fome lower Points, than theObligation of OathsandVows! It had beenbetter for-the Prelates that the Non-fubfcribers had feemed to be fcru- pulous Perfons that refuted only fome tolerable Ceremonies , than that the fear of fo great a Crime as ¡unifying three Kingdoms from the Bondof anOath, and the guilt of Perjury, should be the occafion of their Ejeetion, and the Matter of this Publick Controverfie : But feting this could not (by us) be prevented, let us not be fo partial as to wrong the Church, by making them odious to juftifie our felves. It was fad when the Names of Formalifh and Puritans, and afterwards of Malignant: and Rebels, andCavaliers andRoundheads, diltinguifhed the divided Parties : But k prOlfs is now grownwork, when they arecalled PER- {lured }and PURITANS : For ((fcuto s moll odious Names do molt potently tend totheextinguilhing ofCharity, and the increafe of the Difference between them. s 493 III. The next Controverfie is Political : That [it vsot lawful on any pre- tence whatfoever to take up Arms ageinfl the King ; or as is afterfaid, again:: any Com- miúh,nated by him]. In this the Lawyers are divided, yea and Parliament them- felves; one Parliament faying one thing, and another another thing. And the poorejected Minifters of England are commonly fo little Bodied in the Law, that in thefe Controverfies they mull fay as they are bidden, or fay nothing : And they think it hard that whenLawyers and Parliaments cannot agree, every poor igno- rant Preacher mull be forced to decide the Controverfie, and fay and fubfcribe which of them is in the right, upon painof being call out of their Office and fi- fenced: which they think as hard as if they were required to decide a Controver- fie betweenNavigators, or Pope Zachary and Boniface'sCafe about the Antipodes, or elfebe filenced. We are ready to Subfcribe [That King Charles the Second isour lawful King, and that we owebim Obedience in all his lawfulCammandr,and that we are bound to defend bis Perfoa, Dignity, Authority and Honour with our Lives and Eflates againft all bis Enemies, and that neither Parliaments nor any other at home or abroad, bave any power to judge or hurt bio Perron, or depose bim, or diminish any of his Power and that it is not lawful on any pretence whatfever to conspireagainfl biro, or alit up the Peo- ple to Sedition, or to take up Arms againfb either bis Authority or bio Person, or againfI any lawfully Commiltioned by him ; or any at all Commis finned by birn, except be bimfelf by a contrary Commillîon, or by his Law do enable us, or not forbid us, ar when the Law ofNature Both oblige us]. In all thefe Cafes we are ready to Subfcribe : And one would think this much might procure our Peace. But that which is scrupled by the Non- fubfcribers is as followeth. The words [on any pretence whatsoever] ftudioufly put into a Form of Declara- tion by a Parliament, are fo univerfal, as to allow no Latitudinarian Evafions or Limitations or Exceptions by any Man that is lincere and plain-hearted, and doth not Equivocate with God and his Governours: Now r. Though the King's Authority or Person maynot be resifted by Arms, they are not certain that his Will may not in any Cafe be refilled. 2. Though noneAuthorized, that is Legally Cemmiooned by him may be refilled, yet they arenot certain that all that are Commillioned by him are Authorized or Legally Commifoned. 3: Either this Declaration requireth us to fuppofe that theKing never will Com- mit-lion any illegally; or elfe that though he do, yet fach mayon no pretence what- soeverbe refilled by Arms. If the formerbe thefence, then either it is becaufè no King will do it, or onlybecaufe no King ofEngland will do it. The former, all Hillorians, Politicians, Lawyers andDivines, are againft. And the latter bathno Evidence of Certainty to us. But yet if that had been the fence, we should have contented [that on fuppofition the King eommiffion Mes legally,- they are not reflftell to be
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