A93091:411
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.
Argum. 4. Lest we seem to stand alone in this controversies, let the arguments produced by Didoclavius, and him that writes concerning Perth Assembly against private Baptisms, be considered, and it will ⟨p. 113⟩be found that most of them do strongly conclude against administration thereof to any but Church-members.
Argum. 4. Lest we seem to stand alone in this controversies, let the arguments produced by Didoclavius, and him that writes concerning Perth Assembly against private Baptisms, be considered, and it will ⟨p. 113⟩be found that most of them doe strongly conclude against administration thereof to any but Church-members.
Argum. 5. The learned Author Mr. Ball in this his dispute against our Conclusion: yet in his Discourse let fall sund•y▪ things that confirm it; as when he describes the Catholic Church to be the Society1 of men professing the faith of Christ, divided into many particular Churches. Whence we argue, if the Catholic church existeth only in these particular Churches, the seals must only be given to them and the members thereof; also, That Baptism is a solemn admission 2into the Church of Christ, and must of necessity be administered in a particular Society: Whence three things will follow; First, that Baptism sometimes administered privately by the Apostles is not an ordinary pattern. Secondly, that Baptism is not to be administered to believers (as such) immediately, if of▪ necessity it must be administered in a particular Society. Thirdly, joining to some particular Society being an Ordinance of God of so great concernment; & if Baptism must be administered in it, why ought not, why may not such join to that Society? (at least as members for a time.) Also when he saith divers times, That men are made members of the Church by Baptism, (speaking of such Churches as choose Officers over them;) yea, that the Apostles constituted Churches by Baptism, and the like, (which we shall note in the answer;) Now what do these argue but a yielding of the cause? for if the Apostles made members, and constituted Churches by Baptism, this was only sacramentally, and if so, then of necessity they must be really members of such Churches before Baptism.