and unlawful as You have imagined and represented them to be, (which was the first thing I propofed) I now come to the remaining part of what I undertook,

viz.

II. To fhew, that the Arguments propofed by Mr. Calamy in defence of Your felves, are not fufficient to justify your Separation, even fuppofing the Terms of Minifterial Conformity to be unreasonable. And,

III. To confider what is offered by Him in vindication of your People.

Indeed I cannot but hope, upon the moft ferious confideration, that You Your felves are fenfible how fadly the Terms of Ministerial Conformity have been mistaken, and mifreprefented; and that I have faid already what may make it needlefs to add any thing more upon this fubject. But this I muft leave to your own Confciences; and am obliged to proceed, in the method I at firft propofed, to confider all that I find alleged in defence of Nonconformity; that fo the merits of this Caufe may be fairly and thoroughly tried, and nothing be left untouched in a matter of fuch confequence. I fhall now therefore endeavour, II. To

II. To fhew that the Arguments propofed by Mr. Calamy in defence of Your felves, are not fufficient to juftify your behaviour, even fuppofing the Terms of Minifterial Conformity to be Unre fonable. By Unreasonable here, I mean unreasonable in your Opinions; fuch as You could not with a fafe Confcience comply with; fuch as You could not, after all your confideration, heartily approve of, or submit to, without Sin. If you could have joined with them without finning, You acknowledge that You ought to have done it, and You profefs that You would have done it. But not being able to Minifier publickly in the Church of England without acting against Your Confciences, You Minifter publickly in a separate way. After, therefore, that Mr. Calamy hath produced, in your names, the Reasons why You think the Terms of Minifterial Conformity unreafonable, and a compliance with them finful; He advances the Arguments which induce You to Minifter publickly in a feparate way. Accordingly, I now fuppofe his Reasons to be fufficient to prove that a compliance with those Terms had been finful in Tou ; and come to examine his Arguments for A 2 your

your Publick Miniftrations. And in or der to do this diftinctly and clearly, I fhall,

1. Confider the Arguments offered in Vindication of thofe amongst You, who were in the Miniftry before the Act of Uniformity, and have ever fince continued the publick Exercise of it; And examine whether they be fufficient to defend your practice in fo doing. And,

2. I fhall confider how far these Arguments can vindicate the practice of those amongst You, who have Ordained others, and of those who have been Ordained to the Ministry, fince that Act.

Under the former of thefe, that I may the more effectually compass the end I propose, I judge it to be the properest method, first, to draw up the Arguments I meet with fairly and honeftly, in fuch a form that every body may prefently fee their utmost force;and then to return what appears to me to be a fufficient answer to them. But I fhall pass by whatever is not Argument; all fuch Aggravations as thefe, That the Church-doors were fhut against the ' Ejected Minifters, with contempt; and that they were left to spend their time in Solitude and retirement,preparing themselves

for

for another world, as of no farther use in this: (as if a Good Man could be of no use in the World, unless He were a Preacher.) These Obfervations, and the like, the Person who made them, will himself easily excuse me, if I neglect; because He knows, I dare fay, that they are nothing to that purpose; that they are rather Prejudices to fupport a Party, than Arguments to maintain a Caufe, which ought to be founded on Reafon, and not on Paffion. The Arguments which I find offered for thofe of You who continued the Publick. exercife of Your Ministry, though You could not comply with the Terms of Minifterial Conformity in the Established Church, are these that follow; which I fhall here fet down all together, that the whole force of this part of the Caufe, may be seen at one view.

The First is taken from Your Ordination Vow, by which Tou obliged Your felves to the diligent Performance of Tour Miniftry, and may be thus reprefented in Your

names,

We cannot lay afide the Publick Exercife of our Miniftry without perfidious breaking our Ordination-vow;

Therefore, We dare not do it.

1

The Second Argument is built upon the fame foundation, viz. Your Ordination-vow, by which You were Confecrated to God; and stands thus,

We cannot lay afide the Publick Exercife of our Miniftry without the Sin of Sacrilege, in alienating Perfons who have been confecrated to God:

Therefore, we dare not do it.

The Third is taken from the defires and entreaties, or rather the Threatnings of fome of Your People, who beg'd Tou would not defert them; who profeß'd they could not truft their fouls to the care of a great many of those who were placed in the Churches in Tour Stead; nay, who declared, that if Tou fhould forfake them, they would charge You with the neglect of their fouls. And the Argument drawn from hence ftands thus,

We cannot lay afide the Publick Exercife of our Ministry, without the Sin of Unfaithfulneß, Cruelty, and Unmercyfulness, and without incurring the Guilt of ruining Souls by stopping our own Mouths;

Therefore, we dare not do it.

A Fourth Argument is taken from the doom of the Unprofitable Servant that hid his Talent, Matth. 25. and is this,

We