A02990:82
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.
This is a sound and good reason, that lay-men and midwives ought not to baptize, Because God hath coupled together the authoritative preaching of the word and administration of the sacraments; and yet it is no hard matter to assign many particular differences betwixt the word and sacraments. A caviller might easily have found out many particular differences betwixt the sin of the angels and the Sodomites, and those against whom the Apostle writeth; but that had not infringed his argument from those examples. It is a superfluous thing to heap up differences which are nothing to the point in hand. And if we compare this answer with the reasons marshalled to fight against a stinted form of prayer, it doth plainly overthrow and put them to slight. For thus they must needs run, Means of Divine worship not ordained of God are unlawful; to wit, in stinted prayer, but not in forms of praising ⟨p. 56⟩[…] ⟨p. 57⟩[…] ⟨p. 58⟩God. All strange worship is unlawful: But a stinted form of prayer is strange worship, sc. when the minister speaketh alone to God, but not when the congregation pronounceth every word with the minister: for then either a devised form is not strange worship, or all strange worship is not unlawful. Mens inventions in Gods worship are unlawful: what all inventions or devised forms? No, but devised forms in prose, not in verse; when we pray, not when we praise God; when we speak to God, not when we admonish one another. Because this answer cometh often, I desire our brethren to consider, whether any other construction can possibly be made of it then this, and whether ought can be spoken more gross and contradictory to their positions. The discourses that I have seen against stinted forms of prayer in general need no other confutation, but an understanding reader to observe how in this answer they turn the edge of their own weapons against themselves.
This is a sound and good reason, that lay-men and midwives ought not to baptize, Because God hath coupled together the authoritative preaching of the word and administration of the sacraments; and yet it is no hard matter to assigne many particular differences betwixt the word and sacraments. A caviller might easily have found out many particular differences betwixt the sin of the angels and the Sodomites, and those against whom the Apostle writeth; but that had not infringed his argument from those examples. It is a superfluous thing to heap up differences which are nothing to the point in hand. And if we compare this answer with the reasons marshalled to fight against a stinted form of prayer, it doth plainly overthrow and put them to slight. For thus they must needs run, Means of Divine worship not ordained of God are unlawfull; to wit, in stinted prayer, but not in forms of praising