A93091:724
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. We deny not but the best Churches through weakness and temptation may spend too much time in the most necessary administrations of censures or other affairs: but to possess the world with such fears upon so little ground may argue the authors charity concerning our wisdom and christian care of the Sabbath was not very great.
Answ. Wee deny not but the best Churches through weaknesse and temptation may spend too much time in the most necessary administrations of censures or other affaires: but to possesse the world with such feares upon so little ground may argue the authors charity concerning our wisdome and christian care of the Sabbath was not very great.
Reply. As for the Covenant it self, &c. but if ye constrain men to meddle with things that belong not to them, and wind them up higher then God, would, and strain every thing to the pitch you seem here to do, a godly sober mind may well pause before he make such a promise.
Reply. As for the Covenant it selfe, &c. but if yee constraine men to meddle with things that belong not to them, and winde them up higher then God, would, and straine every thing to the pitch you seeme here to doe, a godly sober minde may well pause before hee make such a promise.
Answ. If the author had not strained and aggravated things beyond our meaning in the answer, and our practise, this would not have come to so high a pitch to trouble a sober godly mind: we are persuaded that generally sober godly minds, that have their pride and self-willednesse in any good measure mortified, do count the yoke of Christ (according to our practise of this point) to be both easy and profitable; neither do we require such a promise of any (as was said) but if any stumble at the fourth branch of the first reason from the nature of the Covenant, let us a little here clear that scruple: when we reason from the nature of the Covenant, and branch our reason into four things, it is not to be so taken, as if every one of those four things were made a distinct promise in our solemn Covenant, for the fourth is but an inference from the three former, as is easy to observe and indeed it was never made by us a part of the Covenant or a distinct promise of it, either in our judgement or practise. If because we extend our watch to the removals of brethren, it be taken for granted that we require such a promise; it will no more follow, then that we require promises in admissions in a thousand cases to which our watch also extends.