A30189:402
An answer to two treatises of Mr. John Can, the leader of the English…An answer to two treatises of Mr. Iohn Can, the leader of the English…
An answer to two treatises of Mr. John Can, the leader of the English Brownists in Amsterdam the former called, A necessity of separation from the Church of England, proved by the Nonconformists principles : the other, A stay against straying : wherein in opposition to M. John Robinson, he undertakes to prove the unlawfulness of hearing the ministers of the Church of England ... / by the late learned, laborious and faithful servant of Jesus Christ, John Ball.An answer to two treatises of Mr. Iohn Can, the leader of the English Brownists in Amsterdam the former called, A necessitie of separation from the Church of England, proved by the Nonconformists principles : the other, A stay against straying : wherein in opposition to M. Iohn Robinson, he undertakes to prove the unlawfulnesse of hearing the ministers of the Church of England ... / by the late learned, laborious and faithfull servant of Jesus Christ, John Ball.
London: printed by R.B., 1642
Chapter 1 › Section 8 › CAN. Necess. of Separ. Page. 234. › ANSWER.
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.
ANSWER.
Here you play the Rhetorician, and make show what you could do, but that you will for the present take some compassion upon the Non-conformists. Whereunto I will return no other answer, than what you have made to my hand. As for your mincing figure of extenuation, (I could hence manifest) I like it not. For you do here none otherwise than if a ⟨p. 129⟩Thief, when he hath stripped a man out of all that he hath, would fain yet be counted merciful, in that he doth not murder him or bind him, as some others have done. Let any indifferent man read your writings, and he will say, you have not spared your opposites, but shot at them Arrows of bitter words, and made them as odious and vile as man can do. But blessed is he that is not offended at the truth for such things. Look upon your self in that which you say against your opposites. You refer your self to their Principles, and they make nothing for you, as it hath been already showed, and you might see your self, if you did not shut your eyes.
Here you play the Rhetorician, and make shew what you could doe, but that you will for the present take some compassion upon the Non-conformists. Whereunto I will returne no other answer, than what you have made to my hand. As for your minsing figure of extenuation, (I could hence manifest) I like it not. For you do here none otherwise than if a ⟨p. 129⟩Thiefe, when hee hath stript a man out of all that hee hath, would faine yet bee counted mercifull, in that he doth not murder him or binde him, as some others have done. Let any indifferent man read your writings, and he will say, you have not spared your opposites, but shot at them Arrowes of bitter words, and made them as odious and vile as man can do. But blessed is hee that is not offended at the truth for such things. Looke upon your selfe in that which you say against your opposites. You referre your selfe to their Principles, and they make nothing for you, as it hath beene alreadly shewed, and you might see your selfe, if you did not shut your eyes.