A02990:160
A friendly trial of the grounds tending to separation in a plain and modest…A friendly triall of the grounds tending to separation in a plain and modest…
A friendly trial of the grounds tending to separation in a plain and modest dispute touching the lawfulness of a stinted liturgy and set form of prayer, Communion in mixed assemblies, and the primitive subject and first receptacle of the power of the Keys: tending to satisfy the doubtful, recall the wandering, and to strengthen the weak: by John Ball.A friendly triall of the grounds tending to separation in a plain and modest dispute touching the lawfulnesse of a stinted liturgie and set form of prayer, Communion in mixed assemblies, and the primitive subject and first receptacle of the power of the Keyes: tending to satisfie the doubtfull, recall the wandering, and to strengthen the weak: by John Ball.
Cambridge: printed by Roger Daniel printer to the University of Cambridge for Edward Brewster, 1640Cambridge: printed by Roger Daniel printer to the Universitie of Cambridge for Edward Brewster, 1640
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
As it were a ridiculous thing for a child,1 when he would ask of his father bread, &c. to read it to him out of a paper: so it is for the children of God,2 especially for the ministers of the Gospel in their public ministrations, to read unto God their ⟨p. 117⟩requests for their own and the churches wants out of a service-book, wherein they are stinted to words and syllables.
As it were a ridiculous thing for a child,1 when he would ask of his father bread, &c. to reade it to him out of a paper: so it is for the children of God,2 especially for the ministers of the Gospel in their publick ministrations, to reade unto God their ⟨p. 117⟩requests for their own and the churches wants out of a service-book, wherein they are stinted to words and syllables.
- 1Object. 7.
- 2Robinson, Against Bern. pag. 475.
It is a common saying,1 Similitudes agree not in all things; and a rule as general, That to argue from a bare similitude is the loosest kind of reasoning: which may be applied to cover or countenance any error or abuse whatsoever. Therefore this objection might well have been passed over (as it is omitted by the most that have written of this subject, that I have seen) but that colours and shadows do often take more with some then that which is substantial. If a man would set himself to plead for superstitious abuses and idolatrous practices, errors and unwritten traditions, is it not an easy matter by some similitude to cast a fair gloss upon them? And it is a strange thing, that such as with so much earnestness set themselves against all humane inventions and devises in Gods worship, should by their form of reasoning open the flood-gates wide for all superstitious, idolatrous, antichristian devises and impieties, as this reason doth. I need not instance: every man that knoweth what is principally alleged in defence of any popish, vain, unprofitable, superstitious or idolatrous practice or custom, or will take pains to look, must needs see this to be so. But to look upon the objection it self; If a child being to ask many particulars of his father for himself and others should write them in a paper for the help of memory or some other reason, and having committed them to memory as they are registered in his paper, should in that form of words digested