A02990:305
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.
Christ maketh every believer a king,1 priest, and prophet, to teach, exhort, reprove, comfort, offer up spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise, and to guide and govern in the ways of godliness: But this belongeth not to the spiritual, ministerial power and authority which Christ hath given for the conservation and government of his church. For every Christian man and woman is made a king, priest and prophet unto God to perform all offices required in that relation: but the spiritual power of government with the execution thereof is not committed to every believer in particular, nor to any one. The officers of Christ do neither feed and teach as prophets, nor govern as kings, nor offer sacrifices as priests. The word it self teaching and feeding is one thing, which floweth from Christ as Prophet: the administration of the word, whence also floweth the act of governing, is from Christ as King. It ⟨p. 247⟩is from internal communion with Christ, that the sound, sincere, faithful, and they only are made spiritual kings and priests unto God: but it is from Christ as King, governing externally, as be beareth the similitude of a political head, that his servants do feed, rule and censure in his name. They only are made true kings and priests unto God who have received from Christ the life of grace: but they have received authority from Christ to do service in his church who have not received life of grace nor are made kings or priests unto God. The Kingdom, Priesthood, or Prophecy of Christ doth make no man politically either priest, or king, or prophet: for then all believers should exercise the office of political priests, kings and prophets in the church; which is opposite to the nature of Christs kingdom. Christ according to his Person is neither external King nor Pastor; but doth govern his church externally by pastors and ministers, yet not as by kings or priests political, but as servants only. Pastors and teachers are but officers in the church, and in no kingly authority by participation of Christs kingly office, neither are they as civill governors, though the Lords servants, yet the peoples lords and masters. But it is one thing to be a spiritual king or priest unto God, another to be a pastor or teacher in Gods church: for that is common to all Christians, this peculiar unto them that have received authority of function from Christ.
Christ maketh every believer a king,