A30189:577
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 4 › Section 2 › ANSWER.Chapter 4 › Section 2 › ANSVVER.
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.
ANSVVER.
IF this reason be ought worth, not only such as would build a spiritual house to the Lord for his Majesty to dwell in, but such as would preserve it being built, must be an holy people, holy in truth, and not only in the judgement of charity: for he is an holy God, who will not be worshipped of the hypocrite or profane, will not take the wicked dissembler by the hand, will not hear the prayers of them that with delight look unto iniquity. If the Temple was built from the very foundation with costly stone, hewen and prepared, after it was built, it must be kept from all pollution. And then if the Temple was a type of the visible Church in such sense as this reason affirmeth, it must be gathered of a people truly holy and separated from the world, and only of such, so that if any hypocrite shall craftily creep into it, or any wicked person be tolerated afterwards, it must cease to be a Church: 1which is directly contrary to the whole current of Scripture, and to that which your self many times affirm. The Temple is thought to be a type of Christ, of a Christian, of the Church, but whether of the true Catholic Church, whereof every member is a living stone, elect and precious, or of the visible congregational assembly, consisting of good and bad, sincere and hypocritical professors, it may well be questioned: For the visible Church is not built all of costly stones, hewen and prepared: Therein many persons inwardly polluted do offer, though outwardly they appear clean, and some may be suffered to offer, which inwardly and outwardly appear to be unclean.
IF this reason be ought worth, not only such as would build a spirituall house to the Lord for his Majestie to dwell in, but such as would preserve it being built, must be an holy people, holy in truth, and not onely in the judgement of charitie: for he is an holy God, who will not be worshipped of the hypocrite or prophane, will not take the wicked dissembler by the hand, will not heare the prayers of them that with delight looke unto iniquitie. If the Temple was built from the very foundation with costly stone, hewen and prepared, after it was built, it must be kept from all pollution. And then if the Temple was a type of the visible Church in such sense as this reason affirmeth, it must be gathered of a people truely holy and separated from the world, and onely of such, so that if any hypocrite shall craftily creep into it, or any wicked person be tolerated afterwards, it must cease to be a Church: