Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.
Ver. 19. Ye shall keep my statutes.] Even these next following, though they may seem to be but minutula legis, not worth keeping.
Thou shalt not let thy cattle.] The doctors of Douay, upon this text, Here all participation, say they, with heretics and schismatics is forbidden. Philip of Spain said he had rather have no subjects, than subjects of a diverse religion. Our King Edward VI told the Popish rebels of Devonshire, who fought for liberty of conscience, as they call it, that rather than he would yield to them, he would spend his own royal person, his crown, treasure, realm, and whole estate; whereof we assure you, said he, of our high honour. a But now, alas! what secret and subtle projects and practices are there amongst us of this nation to bring in a universal, boundless, lawless, abominable and intolerable toleration, which - as the London ministers affirm in their "Testimony to the Truth of Jesus Christ," now newly published to the singular praise of their exemplary and seasonable zeal for God will prove a hideous and complexive evil of most dangerous and mischievous consequence, if ever, which God forbid, it shall be consented to by authority. England shall be swallowed up with sects, schisms, divisions, disorders, contentions, and confusions, and become an odious sink and commen receptacle of all the prodigious errors, lies, heresies, blasphemies, libertinism, and profanenesses in the world: so that Rome itself shall not be a more odious puddle and cage of all abomination and uncleanness. The godly shall sit down and lament us. The wicked shall rise up and insult over us. All the nations about us shall be amazed at us. All the reformed Churches shall be ashamed to own us. Thus, and much more to this purpose, write those worthy zealots, whose testimonial to the truth, coming by a providence to my hand, even whilst I was writing upon this chapter, I could not but here set my seal to it, and here insert this part of it, the whole being such as deserves to be written in letters of gold upon a table of marble, for the use of all posterity b
Neither shall a garment.] Hence the Jews at this day sow not a woollen garment with a linen thread: nor contrariwise. c
a Act. and Mon., fol. 1189.
b The London Ministers' Testimony, &c., Attested.
c Leo Moden.