A02990:212
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.
One reason alleged to prove the lawfulness and necessity of Separation from our public service in particular is this, That the prayer-book in question is corrupt in many things:1 which is thus amplified; The matter of some petitions is such as we cannot say Amen to it in faith; as in the collect on the XII. sunday after Trinity it is prayed that God would forgive us those things whereof our consciences are afraid, and give unto us that our prayers dare not presume to ask, &c. To omit divers others, the very •itting of Collects to certain days, for holy fasts and feasts not sanctified by God, savour of superstition; as special prayers for Lent, serving to countenance the keeping of it as a religious fast, &c. the manner of praying, vain repetitions, as the often repeating of the Lords prayer, and GLORY TO THE FATHER, and LORD HAVE MERCY UPON US, &c. disorderly responsories,2 the clerk taking part of the prayer out of the ministers mouth, &c. Moreover, the book perverteth the right use of the scriptures, dismembereth and misapplieth them for making of gospels, epistles, lessons, and collects appointed for feasts of mens devising, and derived from the Papists; and it retaineth a corrupt translation of the psalms, and bringeth into the church Apocrypha writings ⟨p. 158⟩and the errors contained in them. To them that look at all humane Liturgies as images forbidden by the second commandment, this objection is of small force; because the thing it self, and not the corruption cleaving to the Liturgy, is disallowed. But lest this accusation should breed scruple in the minds of some not altogether disaffected to stinted forms of prayer or Liturgies, I will examine not the quality of the exceptions whether justly or unjustly taken, but the weight of the reason, if the particulars should be granted. For this objection it self doth free the Liturgy from gross errors, either fundamental or such as border thereupon, respecting faith or practice, in the prayers themselves or that which concerneth the administration of the sacraments. For the corruptions objected, are Misapplication of some text si of scripture, Frequent repetitions of the same things, Disordered responsories, and Breaking petitions asunder, &c. and these not dispersed throughout the whole book, but in some passages only;