God, he says, permits what he calls abatements of duties in cases of necessity: "He has not required that man should stick so fast to those duties, or parts of duties, which are inferior, or subservient, or appendages unto others; as that for their sakes they should drop other duties, which are principal or superior to them. So that to think he will abate and relax something of the duty of Church union, when that is necessary to keep on the more important duty of public ministrations: and that he doth not tye the people up to such strict state of communicating in the unity of the Church, as must drop or let fall all communion in ministerial offices, when they are not to be had, but at the hands of those who minister in breach thereof: is only to think that he is ready to make the same equitable allowance on any competition in these, as he doth on like competition, in other duties."[1] He then cites certain instances from the Old Testament: after which he remarks: "It did the same in our own great rebellion, when our Bishops were all driven out and deposed with the King. For then the orthodox took up with the communion of the Parish Churches, and thought, that for the sake of public worship and ministerial offices, they might do so, where they had no ministers of their own to communicate with. So that in the opinion of those, our ancestors, it was a good excuse for having divine offices in such assemblies, when they could have better no where else. Lastly, this necessity of having some ministerial offices is generally thought to legitimate communion in those Churches which have no Bishops. They must have some divine service and religion. And if they
- ↑ Works, &c. 639.
