58 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP SHARP. 



of the conscience in general ; and, in his appli- 

 cation to the case of dissenters, he fairly sepa- 

 rates the several pretences of conscience, which 

 are truly and justly made by them, from those 

 which are false, viz. such as are mere pretences, 

 and in reality foreign to the matter. And then 

 he shews distinctly who they are that may, and 

 who they are that may not plead conscience for 

 their noncojiformity ; and lastly, he inquires how 

 far this plea of conscience, when truly made, 

 VfSSS. justify any dissenter who continues in se- 

 paration from the church as established in this 

 kingdom. 



When he had finished, he put his papers into 

 the hands of his friend Dr. Claggett, who pub- 

 lished them for him, while he himself went down 

 to Norwich to attend his business there. 



But the next year, 1684, he prosecuted his 

 argument further, and with more pains and ac- 

 curacy. Now he undertook to resolve the case 

 of a doubting conscience, viz. the case of those 

 who separate from the Established Church, not 

 because they are fully persuaded that they can- 

 not lawfully join in our communion, but because 

 they doubt whether they may lawfully join in it 

 or no; and therefore so long as they thus doubt, 

 dare not venture to communicate, fearing they 

 should sin against God if they should do any 

 action of this consequence with a doubting mind. 



II 



