stewardship, distinct from the civil
government, in its nature, causes, ends, officers, and actings; and
giving to the magistrate the power of the keys, without and against
Christ's donation and authority, even the dogmatic, critic and diatactic
decisive suffrage and power in causes ecclesiastic, which Christ hath
intrusted to the church representative; and denying to the church the
exercise of these keys and powers, without the magistrate's warrant and
indulgence. We crave also, That it may be inquired into, how far this
encroachment hath been connived at, submitted unto, complied with,
homologate, strengthened and established, by receiving and accepting,
without consent of the church, yea against the express dissent and
testimony of some faithful ministers, to the contrary, the indulgences
_anno_ 1669, and 1679; and by the silence of others, not witnessing
against the same, and others censuring the faithful for discovering the
sinfulness thereof.----Which we remonstrate upon these grounds,
complexly considered:

1. Because, as the contrivance and end of the grant thereof was to
advance and establish the supremacy; to engage presbyterians, either to
co-operate towards the settling and strengthening thereof, or to
surcease from opposing the peaceable possession of the granter's
usurpation, and to extort from them, at least an indirect recognizance
of acknowledged subordination in ministerial exercises, to his usurped
power, in a way which would be best acquiesced in; to suppress the
preaching and propagation of the gospel in persecuted meetings in fields
and houses, so necessary at that time; and to divide, and increase
differences and animosities among presbyterians, by insinuating upon
these called the more moderate, to commend the indulger his clemency,
while other non-conformists, adhering to interdicted duties, were justly
complaining of the effects of his severity. And as the woeful effects of
it, strengthening the supremacy, weakening the hands of those that
witnessed against it, extinguishing zeal, and increasing many divisions,
did correspond with these wretched designs; so these could not be
counteracted, but very much strengthened and promoted, by the acceptance
of the indulgence, which, in its own nature, was so palpably subservient
thereto, even though there had been a testimony against these designs
and ends, yet when the means adapted to these ends, were complied with,
it was rendered irrite, and _contra