A80626:104
A modest and clear answer to Mr. Ball's discourse of set forms of prayer.…A modest and cleer ansvver to Mr. Ball's discourse of set formes of prayer.…
A modest and clear answer to Mr. Ball's discourse of set forms of prayer. Written by the reverend and learned John Cotton, B.D. and teacher of the Church of Christ at Boston in New-England. Published for the benefit of those who desire satisfaction in that pointA modest and cleer ansvver to Mr. Ball's discourse of set formes of prayer. Written by the reverend and learned John Cotton, B.D. and teacher of the Church of Christ at Boston in New-England. Published for the benefit of those who desire satisfaction in that point
London: printed for H. Overton, 1642
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.
The Second Commandment, in forbidding Images, forbiddeth not only bodily Images, (Graven or Molten, or Painted) but all spiritual Images also; which are the Imaginations and Inventions of men, whether they be ordained for worship (as Apocrypha Scriptures, and the Laws of men binding the Conscience) or for helps and means of worship (as significant Ceremonies, to teach and stir up to spiritual Duties) or finally, for forms, and manner of worship, yet when we speak of helps and means of worship invented by Men, and forbidden by God, in this Commandment we do not speak either of natural or artificial helps to help the natural sense in Gods worship; (such as Scaffolds be to mens hearing) nor of the helps of Tongues and Arts which the wisdom of God hath given for an help to the mind and understanding in all knowledge: As if God commanded the people to read in his Word all their days, and to read with understanding the Translation of Scripture into the Mother-Tongue of each Nation, is a necessary help to this end, & the knowledge of grammar, & tongues is a necessary help to such a translation.
The Second Commandement, in forbidding Images, forbiddeth not only bodily Images, (Graven or Molten, or Painted) but all spirituall Images also; which are the Imaginations and Inventions of men, whether they be ordained for worship (as Apocrapha Scriptures, and the Lawes of men binding the Conscience) or for helps and means of worship (as significant Ceremonies, to teach and stir up to spirituall Duties) or finally, for formes, and manner of worship, yet when we speak of helps and means of worship invented by Men, and forbidden by God, in this Commandement we doe not speak either of naturall or artificiall helps to help the natural sense in Gods worship; (such as Scaffolds be to mens hearing) nor of the helps of Tongues and Arts which the wisdome of God hath given for an help to the mind and understanding in all knowledge: As if God commanded the people to read in his Word all their dayes, and to read with understanding the Translation of Scripture into the Mother-Tongue of each Nation, is a necessary help to this end, & the knowledg of grammer, & tongues is a necessary help to such a translation.
And so if God command the people to join together, as well in voice as in heart, to sing Psalms, and to sing them with understanding; seeing Psalms are a kind of holy Poetry, even