as they reach, and are consistent with Christian liberty--exempting divorces and polygamy--6. Seeing the greatest part of ministers not only were defective in preaching against the acts of the rulers for overthrowing religion--but hindered others also who were willing, and censured some that did it--and have voted for acceptation of that liberty, founded upon and given by virtue of that blasphemously arrogate and usurped power--and appeared before their courts to accept of it, and to be enacted and authorized their ministers--whereby they have become the ministers of men, and bound to be answerable to them as they will--and have preached for the lawfulness of paying that tribute, declared to be imposed for the bearing down of the true worship of God--and advised poor prisoners to subscribe that bond--which if it were universally subscribed--they should close that door, which the Lord hath made use of in all the churches of Europe, for casting off the yoke of the whore--and stop all regrets of men, when once brought under tyranny, to recover their liberty again.--They declare they neither can nor will hear them &c. nor any who encouraged and strengthened their hands, and pleaded for them, and trafficked for union with them. 7. That they are for a standing gospel ministry, rightly chosen and rightly ordained--and that none shall take upon them the preaching of the word &c. unless called and ordained thereunto--and whereas separation might be imputed to them, they resell both the malice, and the ignorance of that calumny--for if there be a separation, it must be where the change is; and that was not to be found in them, who were not separating from the communion of the true church, nor setting up a new ministry, but cleaving to the same ministers and ordinances, that formerly they followed, when others have fled to new ways, and a new authority, which is like the old piece in the new garment. 8. That they shall defend themselves in their civil, natural, and divine rights and liberties----and if any assault them, they shall look on it as a declaring a war, and take all advantages that one enemy does of another--but trouble and injure none but those that injure them.' This is the compend of that paper which the enemies seized and published, while it was only in a rude draught, and not polished, digested, nor consulted by the rest of the community: yet, whether or not it was for their advantage, so to blaze their own baseness in that paper truly represented, I leave it to the reader to judge: or, if they did not thereby proclaim their own tyranny, and the innocency and honesty of that people, whom thereby they were seeking to make odious; but in effect inviting all lovers of religion and liberty to sympathise with them, in their difficulties and distresses there discovered. However that poor party continued together in a posture of defence, without the concurrence or countenance of their convenanted brethren, who staid at