mity, doth cause me to neglect the duty of providing for myself and
for them of my family, which neglect should make me worse than an infidel.

_Sect._ 4. Mr Sprint now addeth a third, proving, that to suffer
deprivation for refusing to conform to the prescribed ceremonies(247)
(howbeit many ways inconvenient,) is contrary to the royal law of love,
which he labours to evidence three ways. _First_, he saith, that to suffer
deprivation for refusing to conform, doth, by abstaining from a thing in
nature indifferent (such as our ceremonies, saith he, are proved to be),
needlessly deprive men of the ordinary means of their salvation, which is
the preaching ministry of the word, &c. _Ans._ 1. That the controverted
ceremonies are in nature indifferent, neither he, nor any of his side,
hath yet proven; they suppose that they are indifferent, but they prove it
not. 2. We deny that the suffering of deprivation for refusing to conform
to the prescribed ceremonies, doth deprive men of the preaching of the
word. Neither saith Mr Sprint aught for proof hereof but that which we
have already confuted, viz., that as things do stand, all such as do not
conform are to be deprived, whence it followeth only, that the injury and
violence of prelates (not the suffering of deprivation for refusing to
conform) depriveth men of the preaching of the word. _Secondly_, he
saith,(248) that the doctrine and practice of suffering deprivation for
inconvenient ceremonies, condemneth both the apostolical churches, and all
churches since their times, because there hath been no church which hath
not practised inconvenient ceremonies. _Ans._ It is most false which he
saith of the apostolical churches; for those Jewish ceremonies practised
by them were most convenient, as we have said before. And as for other
churches in after ages, so many of them as have practised inconvenient
ceremonies, are not herein to be followed by us. Better go right with a
few than err with a multitude. Thirdly, he saith,(249) that the suffering
of deprivation for refusing to conform, breedeth and produceth sundry
scandals. First, saith he, it is the occasion of fraternal discord. O
egregious impudency! who seeth not that the ceremonies are the incendiary
sparkles, from which the fire of contention hath its being and burning; so
that conforming (not refusing) is the furnishing of fuel and casting of
faggots to the fire. Secondly, He allegeth that the suffering of
deprivation for refu