WE Ministers of the Gospell of Jesus Christ, who have all of us from the be­ginning Sect. 1. faithfully served the Parlia­ment, and have in pursuance of those great and honourable ends of just Li­berty and Reformation, suffered many and grievous things in our Names and Estates from the common Enemy: and to this day have adhered to our first Principles, and do still promise in our Places and Stations to maintain the Peace of this Nation, and to pay obedience to the Lawes thereof; conceiving it our duty in such a time as this, in all wayes of meekness and humi­lity to endeavour the Preservation of our inward Peace and outward Safety, being streightned in Conscience up­on the case of the present Engagement, do humbly offer these ensuing particulars.

1. That although we hold our selves bound by our Sect. 2. former Solemn Covenants and Engagements, in that sense of them wherein they were by publick Authority imposed on us, yet being convinced of the necessity of civill Go­vernment in a Land, for the preservation of Humane [Page 2] Society, and prevention of all those Evills which the outrages of wicked men unrestrained would produce, and upon mature deliberation considering, That when the wise and holy Providence of God (whose judge­ments are unsearchable, and wayes past finding out) shall at any time so shake the foundations of States and Kingdoms, as to disable one Government from afford­ing protection and preservation, and to admit any other to obtain it; it is not then strange to the will of God, light of Nature, judgement of the learned, and practice of Christians in former ages, nor to our own principles or former Engagements, to live quietly and peaceably in our places and callings, and to submit to such things as are imposed upon, or required of us, by the powers which are in actual possession, being things in themselves lawfull and necessarie to the preservation of our selves and others, (for this we conceive may be done without disputing the right or title of those that are in place of Magistra­cy) we do upon these premises declare that we wil accor­dingly behave our selves.

2. That we do humbly conceive that there is a great difference between these things and a Subscription to this Engagement, in the words wherein it is required, and that in divers respects.

First, This Subscription (as to our Consciences) doth imply an approbation of the present establishment, as effected by a full and a free Authority.

Secondly, An active concurrence, and as it were a ra­tifying consent of the people thereunto, it having been de­clared, that the originall of all just power is in the People.

[Page 3] Thirdly, An obligation, to act an all times, in all pla­ces and capacities; to the promoting and strengthening of it, & not only of it (but by a parity of Reason) of any other, which by the possible advantage of power, may at any time hereafter, even to the prejudice and ruine of this, set up it selfe, and then require of us the like sub­scription.

3. Being by this Engagement bound up to these parti­culars, as the words seem to import, we further conceive, That we shall by this subscription, violate those former Engagements, in Oathes, Protestations, and in the So­lemn League and Covenant, wherein we were by the former Commands of Parl. obliged, in which last par­ticular, if the time we entred into it be considered, viz. In the day of our extremity, or the Religious solemnity, with hands lifted up to the most high God; or the matter of it, which is comprehensive of things Sacred and Civill, and particularly of the Rights and Priviled­ges of Parliament, and the Liberties of the King­dome: or the sense wherein we then took it; or the asseveration, that we would never be drawn from it, by any Terrour or Combination whatsoever; or the durable obligation which we brought upon our selves by it, even all the dayes of our lives; or the Considerations which we had before our eyes in the taking of it, namely the Glory of God, the advance­ment of the Kingdome of our Lord Iesus Christ, and the Happinesse of the King and his Posterity. These things being duly considered, do leave such an awfull impression on our Consciences, that anlesse the consisten­cy thereof with this Engagement be made unquestiona­bly clear unto us, it cannot but render our Consciences trembling & doubtfull, & so the act of Engaging, by the Apostles rule, to us unlawfull, as by a parity of Reason [Page 4] it would have been undoubtedly inconsistent with our Covenant, to have subscribed an Engagement to the King and Lords, without the Commons of England, if it should by their Agreement and Authority, have been required of us.

4. These things being considered in the nature of the Sect. 5. Engagement, and in the full relation to which it stands to former Engagements, cannot in our judgements but minister matter of generall scandall and offence to multi­tudes of men, both good and bad, many of whom being not able to make, or happily so much as understand subtile distinctions, whereby guilt may either be evaded or palliated, will look upon us as breakers of our Oaths and Covenants, as prevaricators of the most sacred and solemn things, as men of ductile spirits, and prostituted Consciences, led by principles of fear or interest: which prejudice (though we would grant, were more foun­ded in the ignorance and mistakes of these men, then many solid and just reasons) would yet grosly wound the Gospel, expose our Ministry to scorn (the honour whereof ought to be dearer to us then our lives) endan­ger the reputation, and so weaken the power of it in the Consciences of our hearers (who though through fear or other private ends may themselves have subscribed, yet retain low thoughts of us, as if we acted on the like principles) as that we cannot but believe, but Christ would be a greater looser by our subscription, then the state can any way be a gainer by it; we desire alwayes to keep in mind the noble resolution of the Apostle, who would not in case of scandall use his own just power, but chose rather to suffer all things, lest he should binder the Gospel of Christ and concluded, it was better for him to die, then that any in that behalf should make his glo­rying [Page 5] void. Upon these and such like grounds, purely consciencious, and not out of any private interest or de­sign, contrary to the peace of this Common-wealth, we are [...] to forbear Subscription, untill either by solemn debate of the Engagement (as of the Covenant) or otherwise, our Consciences shall be cleared of im­portant scruples.

So we humbly crave leave further to represent▪ Sect. 6. that our former Governours (not duly considering that men even in highest authority as well as others, are by the doctrine of the Scriptures concerning scandall, bound to avoid the laying of shares and stumbling-blocks in the way of their Brethren) [...] not onely at­tempted (as in their late Canon [...] to impose an [...] Oath, but also enforced Subscriptions on many godly and learned Ministers, to the utter undoing of themselves and Families, and that with such vigour▪ that the beginning of K. James his Government, was with the deprivation of 3. or [...] of them: and though we shall not take upon us to charge upon that severity of theirs the consequences which have followed, yet we may offer this observation; that sundry examples may be given of Gover [...]s, who have laid the unhappy foundation of ensuing evills to themselves and their people, in the beginning of their Government.

And therefore we do presume that those in pre­sent Sect. 7. power (according to their professed Principles and Resolutions, to have respect to tender Consciences) wil not [...] us to the sad Dilemma of chusing either sinne or affliction, and hope that the many years expe­rience of our quiet behaviour and faithfull service, may give them a better assurance and security for our peace­able conversation, then the fained Subscriptions of ve­ry [Page 6]many; who professe themselves not engaged by this Engagement; but use [...]s a protection of their Estates, and a cover under which they hide and keep warm their former malignity, and who certainly would re­joyce at, and take the advantage of that sad division which is likely to ensue amongst those who have co-o­perated in the common cause of Reformation and just Liberty.

We being at present shut up under such considerati­ons as these, do humbly beseech those in present power, not to compell us (whose reputation is as necessary for others, as a good conscience for ourselves) to draw re­proach upon Religion, and vilifie the reputation of the Ministry, by which the service of Jesus Christ is advan­ced, and cause others to think we esteem Oaths as changeable as opinions; and so brand us with the odi­ous mark of [...] and prevarication, subject us to the contempt [...] [...] of all, as men of loose and un­certain principles, lay foundations to our selves of sub­scribing any thing hereafter upon the same grounds, and that unto these things we may not be enforced by so high and heavy a penalty [...] to be outlawed of our Birth-right, which is a punishment too heavy to be in­flicted for no crime, and as we conceive, can hardly be exampled to have been inflicted on any but persons of infamous note, with whom (we may speak without va­nity) we have not deserved to be numbred, untill by wilfull violation of the Lawes, we deprive our selves of their protection, forfeit the benefit of them.