so. These and other differences
betwixt the controverted and Jewish ceremonies, do so break the back of Mr
Sprint's argument, that there is no healing of it again.

_Sect._ 3. His second reason whereby he goeth about to prove the necessity
of conforming to inconvenient ceremonies, in the case of deprivation, he
taketh from this ground:(243) That when two duties commanded of God, do
meet in one practice, so as we cannot do them both, in this case we must
perform the greater duty, and neglect the lesser. Now, whereas he saith,
when two duties do meet, &c., he means not, that both may be duties at
once, for then a man shall be so straitened that he must needs commit a
sin, in that he must needs omit one of the duties. But (as he explaineth
himself) he calleth them duties, being considered apart: as, to hear a
sermon at the church on the Sabbath, and to tend a sick person ready to
die at home, at the same time, both are duties, being considered apart,
but meeting together in our practice at one time, there is but one duty,
because the lesser work binds not for that present. Now, he assumes that
the doctrine and practice of suffering deprivation for refusing to conform
to inconvenient ceremonies, doth cause men to neglect greater duties to
perform the lesser, for proof whereof he enlargeth a needless discourse,
tending to prove that preaching is a greater duty and of higher bond than
the duty of labouring unto fit ceremonies, or of refusing inconvenient
ceremonies, which cannot help his cause. That which he had to prove was,
that not to suffer deprivation for refusing of inconvenient ceremonies, is
a greater duty than the refusing of inconvenient ceremonies. But it will
be said, that to suffer deprivation for the refusing of inconvenient
ceremonies, doth cause men to neglect the preaching of the word, and that
is a greater duty than the refusing of inconvenient ceremonies. _Ans_ 1.
Mr Sprint himself layeth down one ground, which proveth the refusing of
inconvenient ceremonies to be a greater duty than the preaching of the
word, for he holdeth(244) that the substantials of the second table do
overrule the ceremonials of the first table, according to that which God
saith, "I will have mercy and not sacrifice," Matt. xii. 7. And elsewhere
he teacheth,(245) that to tend a sick person ready to die is a greater
duty than the hearing of the word. Now, to practice inconvenient and
scandalous ceremonies, is to commit soul-murder, and s