A02990:351
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
Chapter 13: An examination of sundry positions laid down by Mr Jacob in his Exposition of the secon…
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.
yea, the performance of these duties is a thing of that nature, that by violence and unjust courses, holden by wicked men, we may be hindered from it without any fault of ours. Now that it often falleth out through the prevailing of factious,1 seditious and turbulent men, that the best part is unjustly and undeser• […] cast ⟨p. 295⟩out of the visible church is a thing so plain and confessed that it needeth no proof. In times of grievous and hot persecution, under which the church hath laboured, the faithful have been compelled to meet in woods, dens, and caves, some in one place, some in another, as opportunity was offered; their societies have been broken, and set congregations dispersed and scattered; when yet they continued the true church wherein salvation was to be had, and enjoyed the ordinary means of salvation. And if we speak of a visible ministerial church, as it is here meant by you, the faithful who professed the truth of the Gospel entirely, and did communicate in the ordinances of worship for the space of this fourteen hundred years and upward had not means, or at least did not unite themselves into a visible ministerial church of Christ: And if out of this your church ordinarily there be no salvation, no means leading to everlasting life, the Christian world for these many hundred years hath wanted ordinary means to bring them to life and salvation, and been in that state in which no salvation ordinarily can be expected. If we detest the consequence as dreadful, not standing with the promises made to the church of the Gentiles and the tender mercies of God vouchsafed to his people, we must acknowledge the position from whence it followeth undeniably to be most rash and inconsiderate.
yea, the performance of these duties is a thing of that nature, that by violence and unjust courses, holden by wicked men, we may be hindred from it without any fault of ours. Now that it often falleth out through the prevailing of factious,1 seditious and turbulent men, that the best part is unjustly and undeser• 〈…〉 cast ⟨p. 295⟩