c, and the most of them such as themselves do avow and boast of.
And as the causes are just, so, being done by a minister of the Gospel,
and in such a way as the present persecution would admit of, the
sentence is just, and there is no king, nor minister on earth, without
repentance of the persons, can lawfully reverse these sentences upon any
such account. God being the Author of these ordinances to the ratifying
of them, all that acknowledge the Scriptures of truth, ought to
acknowledge them. Yet perchance, some will think that though they be not
unjust, yet that they are foolishly rigorous. We shall answer nothing to
this, but that word which we speak with much more reason than they that
first used it, "Should he deal with our sister, as with an harlot?"
Should they deal with our God as an idol? Should they deal with His
people as murderers and malefactors, and we not draw out His sword
against them?

ACT AGAINST CONVENTICLES.[18]

Forasmuch as the assembling and convocating of his majesty's subjects,
without his majesty's warrant and authority, is a most dangerous and
unlawful practice, prohibit and discharged by several laws and acts of
parliament, under high and great pains: and that notwithstanding
thereof, diverse disaffected and seditious persons, under the specious
but false pretences of religion and religious exercises, presume to
make, and be present at conventicles and unwarrantable meetings and
conventions of the subjects, which are the ordinary seminaries of
separation and rebellion, tending to the prejudice of the public worship
of God in the churches, to the scandal of the reformed religion, to the
reproach of his majesty's authority and government, and to the
alienating of the hearts and affections of the subjects from that duty
and obedience they owe to his majesty, and the public laws of kingdom.
For the suppressing and preventing of which for the time to come, his
majesty, with advice and consent of his estates of parliament, hath
thought fit to statute and enact, likeas they do hereby statute and
command, that no outed ministers who are not licensed by the council,
and no other persons not authorized, or tolerate by the bishop of the
diocese, presume to preach, expound scripture, or pray in any meeting,
except in their own houses, and to those of their own family; and that
none be present at any meeting, without the family to which they belong,
where any not licensed, authorized, nor toler