e, if not totally, ignorant what the rights and privileges of the
parliament, and the liberties of the kingdoms are, and how can they then
swear to maintain they know not what?

1. By the same argument no man, or very few, might lawfully swear to
maintain the king's prerogatives in the paths of allegiance and
supremacy; nor the king himself swear to maintain the liberties of the
subject, as he doth in his oath at his coronation. 2. But there is
hardly any person so ignorant but knows there are privileges belonging
to the parliaments, and liberties belonging to the subject. 3. And that
it is the duty of every subject, according to his place and power, to
maintain these; so that, in taking of this covenant, we swear to do no
more than our duty binds us to; in which there is no danger, tho' we do
not in every point know how far that duty extends in every branch and
several thereof. 4. In swearing to do my duty, whether to God or man, if
I be ignorant of many particulars, I oblige myself to these two things.
1. To use the best means to inform myself of the particulars. 2. To
conform myself to what I am informed to be my duty. Which yet, in the
case in hand, doth admit of a further latitude, namely, that which lies
in the very word and letter of this article (as in most of the rest) in
our several vocations; which doth not bind every one to the same degree
of knowledge, nor the same way of preservation: as for example, I do not
conceive every magistrate is bound to know so much, no, nor to endeavour
to know so much, as parliament-men; nor every member of parliament so
much as judges; nor ministers so much as the lawyers; nor ordinary
people so much as ministers; nor servants so much as masters; nor all to
preserve them the same way; parliament-men by demanding them, lawyers by
pleading, judges by giving the sense and mind of the law, ministers by
preaching, magistrates by defending, people by assisting, praying,
yielding obedience. All, if the exigencies arise so high, and the state
call for it, by engaging their estates and lives, in case they be
invaded by an unlawful power. And in case of ignorance, the thing we
bind ourselves to is this, that if at any time any particular shall be
in question, what the parliament shall make appear to be their right or
the liberty of the subject, we promise to contribute such assistance for
the preservation or reparation thereof, as the nature of the thing, and
wisdom of the state shall ca