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'For, continued he, 'although it has been justly held in all nations a matter of scandal and dishonour to infringe the sacramentum militare, and that whether it was taken by each soldier singly, whilk the Romans denominated per conjurationem, or by one soldier in name of the rest, yet no one ever doubted that the allegiance so sworn was discharged by the dimissio, or discharging of a soldier, whose case would be as hard as that of colliers, salters, and other adscripti glebes, or slaves of the soil, were it to be accounted otherwise.

Sometimes one took an oath for all the rest, and the others only said, the same oath that A.B. took, the same do I. And these were called milites per conjurationem. And when any soldier forsook his captain, he had the martial law executed upon him.

'For, continued he, 'although it has been justly held in all nations a matter of scandal and dishonour to infringe the sacramentum militare, and that whether it was taken by each soldier singly, whilk the Romans denominated per conjurationem, or by one soldier in name of the rest, yet no one ever doubted that the allegiance so sworn was discharged by the dimissio, or discharging of a soldier, whose case would be as hard as that of colliers, salters, and other adscripti glebes, or slaves of the soil, were it to be accounted otherwise.

Thus it is with every Christian: he is a professed soldier of Christ, he hath taken press-money, he hath sworn and taken the sacrament upon it to become the Lord's, he is miles per sacramentum, and miles per conjurationem: and if he forsake his captain and break covenant, the great Lord of Hosts will be avenged of him, as it is written, "Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of the covenant."

'For, continued he, 'although it has been justly held in all nations a matter of scandal and dishonour to infringe the SACRAMENTUM MILITARE, and that whether it was taken by each soldier singly, whilk the Romans denominated PER CONJURATIONEM, or by one soldier in name of the rest, yet no one ever doubted that the allegiance so sworn was discharged by the DIMISSIO, or discharging of a soldier, whose case would be as hard as that of colliers, salters, and other ADSCRIPTI GLEBAE, or slaves of the soil, were it to be accounted otherwise.

'For, continued he, 'although it has been justly held in all nations a matter of scandal and dishonour to infringe the sacramentum militare, and that whether it was taken by each soldier singly, whilk the Romans denominated per conjurationem, or by one soldier in name of the rest, yet no one ever doubted that the allegiance so sworn was discharged by the dimissio, or discharging of a soldier, whose case would be as hard as that of colliers, salters, and other adscripti glebes, or slaves of the soil, were it to be accounted otherwise.