A93091:511
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.
Reply. TO the third consideration, this whole reason as it is propounded makes only against it self; who ever thought that the Seals were not proper to confederates, or the Church of God; of old visible believers in the Covenant of grace were of the visible Church, and in Church order according to the dispensation of those times, though not joined to the society of Abraham's family: to exclude Job, Melchizedek, &c. because not of the visible Church, is wellnigh a contradiction, and so to debar known approved Christians, &c.
Reply. TO the third consideration, this whole reason as it is propounded makes onely against it selfe; who ever thought that the Seales were not proper to confederates, or the Church of God; of old visible beleevers in the Covenant of grace were of the visible Church, and in Church order according to the dispensation of those times, though not joyned to the society of Abrahams family: to exclude Job, Melchisedeck, &c. because not of the visible Church, is welnigh a contradiction, and so to debarre known approved Christians, &c.
Answ. That this reason makes not against it self, Mr. Ball himself hath cleared, when he stated our consideration truly in the words following, as will appear, however here he somewhat troubles the waters needlessly, that the ground may not appear, for there is nothing in our answer which deny Melchizedek, Job, &c. to be of the visible Church according to the manner of those times, ⟨p. 137⟩indeed we instance in them as persons under the covenant of grace, not mentioning their membership in family Churches, as being enough for our purpose, if they had not right to Circumcision by virtue of their right in the covenant of grace, except they joined to the Church at first in Abraham's family, and so after to the same Church in Israel; and the more special Church relation in Abraham's family was required to Circumcision, the stronger is the force of our reason, not the weaker. For so much the rather it follows, that seals are not to be dispensed to believers (as such) though visibly professing the faith, except they join also to such a form of the visible Church, to, or in which the seals are instituted and given.