The English nonconformity as under King Charles II and King James II truly stated…

L. But they say it is a receding from our former Reformation, and pulling down what we built.

M. The Separators pulled it down with a witness; but it is no such thing: Did the Covenant or our Profession ever bind us to take the Liturgy, to be worse than it is, or the Parish Churches to be no Churches, or their Communion utterly unlawful? Or did it bind us to prefer a desertion of all public Communion before it? No, it did not; but if it had, it had been sinful, and to be repented of. But, 1. We were bound by God's word (and no Covenant, or Practices bind us to any more than Scripture binds us to) to avoid all that is sin. 2. And when we have our choice to prefer the best; he that doth either turn to Sin, or prefer a less good, when it is so, before a greater, goeth back; but he that preferreth no Public Worship, before the Parish Worship, goeth back indeed, and breaketh the Covenant, by profaneness and Schism. God's word is a clearer and surer Test of our Duty and Controversies, than any humane Covenants. When Ministers were changed, 1647. many places got out some tolerable weak Ministers to get in abler men in great Towns. When the Bishops returned, their abler Ministers being dead or ejected, they took the old ones again. Did these go back from Covenant Reformation or Duty, when they could have no better? Had not those been the revolters that would rather have had none?

M. The Separators pull'd it down with a witness; but it is no such thing: Did the Covenant or our Profession ever bind us to take the Liturgy, to be worse than it is, or the Parish Churches to be no Churches, or their Communion utterly unlawful? Or did it bind us to preferr a desertion of all publick Communion before it? No, it did not; but if it had, it had been sinful, and to be repented of. But, 1. We were bound by God's word (and no Covenant, or Practices bind us to any more than Scripture binds us to) to avoid all that is sin. 2. And when we have our choice to preferr the best; he that doth either turn to Sin, or preferr a less good, when it is so, before a greater, goeth back; but he that preferreth no Publick Worship, before the Parish Worship, goeth back indeed, and breaketh the Covenant, by profaneness and Schism. God's word is a clearer and surer Test of our Duty and Controversies, than any humane Covenants. When Ministers were changed, 1647. many places got out some tolerable weak Ministers to get in abler men in great Towns. When the Bishops returned, their abler Ministers being dead or ejected, they took the old ones again. Did these go back from Covenant Reformation or Duty, when they could have no better? Had not those been the revolters that would rather have had none?