A93091:85
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. Let our Answer be viewed, and it will appear that we had just cause to premise those distinctions of Forms of Prayer into private and public; and public into such as are imposed by others, or composed and used by Ministers themselves before their Sermons; otherwise we must have involved such in the Position, as we do not condemn. Now if your general thesis justly admit such limitation to public imposed Forms, where shall we find any set stinted imposed Liturgies, but in Churches of the Papacy or Prelacy? no Reformed Churches stinting or imposing their Forms of Prayer, but leaving Ministers and people at much liberty. Only the English Liturgy therefore is such, according to the plain construction of the words.
Answ. Let our Answer bee viewed, and it will appeare that wee had just cause to premise those distinctions of Formes of Prayer into private and publike; and publike into such as are imposed by others, or composed and used by Ministers themselves before their Sermons; otherwise we must have involved such in the Position, as wee doe not condemn. Now if your generall thesis justly admit such limitation to publike imposed Formes, where shall wee finde any set stinted imposed Liturgies, but in Churches of the Papacy or Prelacy? no Reformed Churches stinting or imposing their Formes of Prayer, but leaving Ministers and people at much liberty. Onely the English Liturgy therefore is such, according to the plaine construction of the words.
2 Concerning your minds in the Position, we deny not but you might intend to draw from us an approbation of stinted Liturgies ⟨p. 34⟩in general, that so you might have to stay the separation of people from your Liturgy, whereof you complain: but by that it appears plainly, what your chief scope and aim was in the Position: according unto which we thought it most safe and pertinent for us to answer. And this we did the rather, for our reason mentioned in our letter, because though all of us could not concur to condemn all set Forms as unlawful, yet we could in this, viz. that though some set Forms may be lawful, yet it will not follow, that this of the English Liturgy is, therefore to remove all obscurities, and break all snares, and resolve the question in the true intent of it, we were forced to distinguish of Forms, and so touch the true Helena of this controversy; and therefore if any shall narrowly observe Mr. Ball his large defence of set Forms in general, they shall find those wings spread forth in a very great breadth, to give some shelter and warmth to that particular Liturgy, then languishing, and hastening (through age and feebleness) towards its last end.