A93091:727
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. If any shall not meddle with every business of this kind, as questioning ⟨p. 182⟩whether it do belong to him or no, or not ask the advise of the whole society, as knowing the most be unfit to counsel in such a case, doth he break his Covenant therein, and so commit a sin in a sort like the sin of Ananias and Sapphira? Judge your selves if in other cases you would not censure this to be an high encroachment upon Christian liberty, and a strict binding of mens consciences by humane constitutions.
Reply. If any shall not meddle with every businesse of this kinde, as questioning ⟨p. 182⟩whether it doe belong to him or no, or not aske the advise of the whole societie, as knowing the most bee unfit to counsell in such a case, doth hee breake his Covenant therein, and so commit a sinne in a sort like the sinne of Ananias and Saphira? Iudge your selves if in other cases you would not censure this to bee an high incroachment upon Christian libertie, and a strict binding of mens consciences by humane constitutions.
Answ. To extend our watch so far as hath been said unto these cases of removals from a Church, to prevent sin in abrupt breaking off and forsaking fellowship, and to prevent the hurt and damage which the sheep of Christ oft fall into in their unadvised breaking out of the fold the Lord hath placed them in, and to further their best good in their removals; whatever is thought of it, we count it no breach of Christian liberty, but a privilege of the Saints to be under such a watch, and therefore if any shall neglect any duty that one owes to another, (so far as it tends necessarily to those ends) we may well reckon it as a neglect of our Covenant; but because it is offensive to compare this with the sin of Ananias, &c. we entreat our reverend brethren and the Christian Reader to consider, that in the answer, this stands in the third thing noted in the nature of the Covenant, and hath reference to the duties of the Covenant in general, and is not applied to this particular case by us, nor well appliable in the manner here expressed. Secondly, it is moderated in the answer which saith (in some sort he shall commit that sin.) If these things do not satisfy, we wish it expunged, or any other seeming harshness, rather then offence be given to any. Lastly, that you may not impute unto us the infringement of Christian liberty herein, we would acquaint all men with these two things. First, that removals from one town and Church to another and from full to new Plantations, are frequently practised amongst us, with consent and approbation. Secondly, that we find in experience, that as there is in sheep a wandering disposition, so in this large Wilderness, (wherein the Lord hath exercised his people with various temptations, by liberties, by offers of large outward accommodations, by wants and straights, by various opinions vented by Satan and his instruments, &c.) In these respects the Sheep of Christ are so subject many times to outrunnings, that we find more then ordinary need of care and wisdom in this point of our watch in many cases; and many that have broke loose from the counsels of their officers, friends, and