But as to the Matter of Church-Government mentioned in the Declaration, 1. The Power of Godliness hath been promoted, as the Act of Uniformity, and the Act against Conventicles, and the Ejecting of 1800 Ministers at once, and many Hundred before, with much more to the same purpose, express. 2. The public and private Exercises of Religion, have been encouraged, just as those two forementioned Acts express: Of which to English-men I need not give an Exposition. 3. Of the applying the Lord's Day wholly to holy Exercises, without unnecessary Divertissements, I have least to say; because in these Times we expect only Liberty to do so our selves, leaving all others to take their own way: And through God's mercy we have liberty to meditate or pray in our Closets; and to pray in our Families, so there be not above four others present, and to hear Common Prayer and Sermon too in Public in those Parishes that have a Minister that can and will preach: And if others think a Play, or public Games or Drinking, or Rioting to be necessary Divertissements, they cannot constrain us to the like. 4. That Clause of not permitting insufficient, negligent, scandalous Ministers (for the word [Non-resident] could not pass) I believe is executed according to the Judgment of the Executors: for I suppose they take him that cannot discern the lawfulness of the Subscriptions, Declarations, and Practises of Conformity, about Oaths, Prelacy and Ceremonies, to be more insufficient for the Ministry (how learned and able otherwise soever) than an ignorant Reader is. And I suppose they take one that renounceth not the Obligations of the Vow and Covenant, and Subscribeth not to Prelacy and Ceremonies to be more scandalous than a Drunkard or a Whoremonger; and one that neglecteth any of these to be more negligent than he that neither preacheth to his Flock, nor personally instructeth them.
But as to the Matter of Church-Government mentioned in the Declaration, 1. The Power of Godliness hath been promoted, as the Act of Uniformity, and the Act against Conventicles, and the Ejecting of 1800 Ministers at once, and many Hundred before, with much more to the same purpose, express. 2. The publick and private Exercises of Religion, have been encouraged, just as those two forementioned Acts express: Of which to English-men I need not give an Exposition. 3. Of the applying the Lord's Day wholly to holy Exercises, without unnecessary Divertisements, I have least to say; because in these Times we expect only Liberty to do so our selves, leaving all others to take their own way: And through God's mercy we have liberty to meditate or pray in our Closets; and to pray in our Families, so there be not above four others present, and to hear Common Prayer and Sermon too in Publick in those Parishes that have a Minister that can and will preach: And if others think a Play, or publick Games or Drinking, or Ryoting to be necessary Divertisements, they cannot constrain us to the like. 4. That Clause of not permitting insufficient, negligent, scandalous Ministers (for the word [Non-resident] could not pass) I believe is executed according to the Judgment of the Executors: for I suppose they take him that cannot discern the lawfulness of the Subscriptions, Declarations, and Practises of Conformity, about Oaths, Prelacy and Ceremonies, to be more insufficient for the Ministry (how learned and able otherwise soever) than an ignorant Reader is. And I suppose they take one that renounceth not the Obligations of the Vow and Covenant, and Subscribeth not to Prelacy and Ceremonies to be more scandalous than a Drunkard or a Whoremonger; and one that neglecteth any of these to be more negligent than he that neither preacheth to his Flock, nor personally instructeth them.
