The nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of their judgment in certain things…

XXI. The Plague, Fire, Poverty, which have seized not only on London, but on many other Corporations of England, more than other places, and more than hath been known in our forefathers days, make many wish that the Corporation-Oath and Declaration might be reviewed and that Gods Judgments as a T•empet sounding REPENT O ENGLAND were heard by all the Corporations of the Land, before we hear that time is past: And that it might be considered whether either an Unlawful Imposing, or an Unlawful taking, or the neighbourhood of any Unlawful particulars, can warrant any man to declare that neither he nor any other person, is obliged by that Vow, to Repent of his sin, or to oppose profaneness, Popery or Schism, or any thing contrary to sound Doctrine and Godliness. And to enquire in what Country or age of the world, Christian, Mahometan, or Heathen, there was ever such a Law before. It was that age of the Church in which Hell ruled most on earth, even in the Wars between Pope Gregory 7th. and the Emperor, when the Pope swore them on one side, and the Emperor on the other; and ⟨p. 240⟩men swore, and unswore, and forswore, as the powers that they were under bid them; which made Abbas Ursperg•nsi•; Chron p. 32. say [Ut omnis homo jam sit perjurus & praedictis facinoribus implicatus, ut vix excusari possit quin sit in his, sicut pop•lus sic & Sacerdos. And that pleasant man (who knoweth his own name) who merrily derideth his adversaries, for gathering a doubt of our fundamentals from our differences, may more feelingly know one day that God will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain: And may consider that it was no more precise a man than Cotta in C•cero (de Nat. Deor. l. 1.) that would prove men did not believe that there was a God, because they durst be perjured; instancing in perjured and ungodly Carbo: It was not a sign of Schismatics, but of very charitable moderate men, that could hear and regard such a perjured Ministry, as Urspergensis saith was then in the Roman Church, especially in Germany, where the temptation lay.

XXI. The Plague, Fire, Poverty, which have seized not only on London, but on many other Corporations of England, more than other places, and more than hath been known in our forefathers daies, make many wish that the Corporation-Oath and Declaration might be reviewed and that Gods Judgments as a Tempet sounding REPENT O ENGLAND were heard by all the Corporations of the Land, before we hear that time is past: And that it might be considered whether either an Unlawful Imposing, or an Unlawful taking, or the neighbourhood of any Vnlawful particulars, can warrant any man to declare that neither he nor any other person, is obliged by that Vow, to Repent of his sin, or to oppose prophaneness, Popery or Schism, or any thing contrary to sound Doctrine and Godliness. And to enquire in what Countrey or age of the world, Christian, Mahometan, or Heathen, there was ever such a Law before. It was that age of the Church in which Hell ruled most on earth, even in the Wars between Pope Gregory 7th. and the Emperour, when the Pope swore them on one side, and the Emperour on the other; and