The defence of the nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of the matter…

Ans. Impertinent! It is an Exposition of the meaning of the Law-makers only, that we are enquiring of, and not the repealing or making of a Law. It is the Law-makers part to be the public obliging Interpreters of the Law to the whole Kingdom. We are enquiring in point of Conscience, how we must understand them: And you will not believe them it seems, unless they make a new Law, to tell you the sense of the old one.

Ans. Impertinent! It is an Exposition of the meaning of the Law-makers only, that we are enquiring of, and not the repealing or making of a Law. It is the Law-makers part to be the publick obliging Interpreters of the Law to the whole Kingdom. We are enquiring in point of Conscience, how we must understand them: And you will not believe them it seems, unless they make a new Law, to tell you the sense of the old one.

II. Every one may know, that it's usual for the Means to have somewhat in it for the End, besides the intending of the End it self; and that usually Laws and Canons command many Means for one End. And therefore to make your full and constant usage of Conformity to be the End, and the Assenting and Consenting to all things in the Book to be the Means, even ⟨p. 126⟩in that form of words, are no contradiction. And it's usual to be stricter in prescribing forms of Words, for Oaths, Covenants, or Confessions, than in the other integral parts of a Law. And it is a great wrong to a Parliament of England to say either that, in such a form imposed on the Learned and Conscientious Tribe, they knew not how to speak intelligibly according to the common use of words, or that they were so mischievously Malignant, as seventeen or eighteen Years to refuse to open their sense, for the healing of so distracted and endangered a Church and Nation, if they meant not as their words do signify according to common use. It's no vanity to say, I have known the Men, Bishops and Commons, better than you have done, and heard more of them and their Debates, than you have done; and I am satisfied in my Conscience to conclude, that they meant plainly as they speak, and no better: Even that no Man's promise to use the Liturgy shall be taken for trusty and satisfactory, that will not declare that he Assenteth and Consenteth to all things contained in it, and prescribed by it:] And this plainly Ex animo, without uncouth Exposition, Equivocations, or Jesuitical mental Reservations.