A93091:34
A treatise of liturgies, power of the keys, and of matter of the visible…A treatise of liturgies, power of the keyes, and of matter of the visible…
A treatise of liturgies, power of the keys, and of matter of the visible church. In answer to the reverend servant of Christ, Mr. John Ball. By Thomas Shepherd, sometimes fellow of Emanuel-College in Cambridge, and late pastor of Cambridge in New-England.A treatise of liturgies, power of the keyes, and of matter of the visible church. In answer to the reverend servant of Christ, Mr. John Ball. By Thomas Shephard, sometimes fellow of Emanuel-Colledge in Cambridge, and late pastour of Cambridge in New-England.
London: printed by E. Cotes for Andrew Crooke, 1652
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
And if we might obtain that of our dear Brethren, which we humbly crave, viz. That our Doctrine and practise might be taken candidly according to our plain meaning, and declarations, and not represented unto the World under such shapes and forms as make it seem rigid (all one with the most rigid Separatists, Donatists, Arminians, Socinians, &c.) we should hope that we shall go for lovers and friends to a godly and general Reformation, not for disturbers of the same; but the contrary dealing we meet with too too oft through the mistakes of Brethren; This learned Author Mr. Ball, though in the Epistle he desired us to rest assured, that although he had conceived such thoughts of us as leaning to separation, yet he would gladly receive every syllable from us that should dislodge such thoughts, yet against our plain profession sometime he will needs fasten the opinion of separation upon us, and very frequently sets Mr. Robinson in a parallel with our opinions, (as if we generally went that way in those things) which are well known to be the Doctrine of many of our godly and best reformers.
And if wee might obtaine that of our deare Brethren, which wee humbly crave, viz. That our Doctrine and practise might be taken candidly according to our plaine meaning, and declarations, and not represented unto the World under such shapes and formes as make it seeme rigid (all one with the most rigid Separatists, Donatists, Arminians, Socinians, &c.) we should hope that we shall goe for lovers and friends to a godly and generall Reformation, not for disturbers of the same; but the contrary dealing we meet with too too oft through the mistakes of Brethren; This learned Author Mr. Ball, though in the Epistle he desired us to rest assured, that although he had conceived such thoughts of us as leaning to separation, yet he would gladly receive every syllable from us that should dislodge such thoughts, yet against our plaine profession sometime he will needs fasten the opinion of separation upon us, and very frequently sets Mr. Robinson in a parallel with our opinions, (as if we generally went that way in those things) which are well known to be the Doctrine of many of our godly and best reformers.
The Learned may plainly see, how easy it had been for us and upon better grounds to have filled our margents with quotations out of Papists and Prelates as parallel with many passages of this Reply, but we have purposely abstained from so doing, that we might not cast any blur or provoke the spirits of brethren.