A93091:649
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.
Answ. It is freely granted, First, That baptism is a privilege of the ⟨p. 164⟩Church. Secondly, that such as profess the faith, and have received the Holy Ghost, are members of the Church, (if by Church be meant the Church mystical considered as visible, though not always political) Thirdly, that these may receive baptism by such as have power to baptize them; but immediately to baptize them, none had power but by an extraordinary call of God so to do, as hath bin formerly showed. But it will not hence follow, that ordinary officers have such a power, (wanting such extraordinary call) because the members of the Church Catholic having right unto the seals; yet the immediate fruition of them, they must have by ordinary officers in a political body, the only subject according to order of all such institutions: otherwise we must admit private baptisms, if the extraordinary examples of the Apostles be pressed for our pattern.
Answ. It is freely granted, First, That baptisme is a priviledge of the ⟨p. 164⟩Church. Secondly, that such as professe the faith, and have received the Holy Ghost, are members of the Church, (if by Church bee meant the Church mysticall considered as visible, though not alwayes political) Thirdly, that these may receive baptisme by such as have power to baptize them; but immediately to baptize them, none had power but by an extraordinary call of God so to doe, as hath bin formerly shewed. But it wil not hence follow, that ordinary officers have such a power, (wanting such extraordinary call) because the members of the Church Catholicke having right unto the seales; yet the immediate fruition of them, they must have by ordinary officers in a politicall body, the onely subject according to order of all such institutions: otherwise we must admit private baptismes, if the extraordinary examples of the Apostles be pressed for our patterne.
Reply. Then the Apostles in dispensing seals walked by rules of Scripture and grounds common to us, and then the difficulty remaining is only this: Whether a Pastor may dispense seals to such as have right to them and do orderly desire them, though he be not yet a set member of a Congregation