i. 9, they must give us leave to try their precepts by the sure will of
God's word; and when we find that they require of us anything in the
worship of God which is either against or beside his written word, then
modestly to refuse obedience, which is the only way for order, and
shunning of strife and contention. It will be said again, that except we
prove the things commanded by those who are set over us to be unlawful in
themselves, we cannot be allowed to refuse obedience to their ordinances.
_Ans._ This unlawfulness of the ceremonies in themselves hath been proved
by us already, and shall yet again be proved in this dispute. But put the
case, they were lawful in themselves, yet have we good reason for refusing
them: "David thought the feeding of his body was cause sufficient to break
the law of the shew-bread; Christ thought the satisfying of the disciples'
hunger to be cause sufficient to break the ceremony of the Sabbath. He
thought, also, that the healing of the lepers' bodies was a just excuse to
break the law that forbade the touching of them; much more, then, may we
think now in our estimation, that the feeding of other men's souls, the
satisfying of our own consciences, together with the consciences of other
men, and the healing of men's superstition and spiritual leprosy, are
causes sufficient to break the law of the ceremonies and of the cross,
which are not God's but men's," saith Parker.(79) 2. As touching
submission or subjection, we say with Dr Field,(80) _that subjection is
generally and absolutely required where obedience is not,_ and even when
our consciences suffer us not to obey, yet still we submit and subject
ourselves, and neither do nor shall (I trust) show any the least contempt
of authority.

_Sect._ 4. Secondly, It is replied, that our Christian liberty is not
taken away when practice is restrained, because conscience is still left
free. "The Christian liberty (saith Paybody(81)), is not taken away by the
necessity of doing a thing indifferent, or not doing, but only by that
necessity which takes away the opinion or persuasion of its indifferency,"
So saith Dr Burges,(82) "That the ceremonies in question are ordained to
be used necessarily, though the judgment concerning them, and immediate
conscience to God, be left free." _Ans._ 1. Who doubts of this, that
liberty of practice may be restrained in the use of things which are in
themselves indifferent? But, yet, if the bare authority of an
ec