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.

ADƲERTISEMENTS TO THE READER.

TO the Epistle of the Author of this Reply wee say nothing, because it savours (for the most part) of love and desire of unity, which we thank∣fully acknowledge; onely we cannot but take notice of two passages.

1 A complaint made against some standing affected New-England ward, who have carryed it so, as if a chiefe part of holinesse consisted in separation; and that therefore some have separated from all private and pub∣lique communion there; others from all publique, but not from private; others from the Sacraments onely, allowing publique communion otherwise.

To which wee answer, that as the Church fell by degrees into universall pollution, by the Apostasie fore∣told to bee under the Man of Sin; so by degrees it recovers out of it againe: If therefore separation reach no farther then separation from sinnes, and such sinnes of Churches wherein our selves in joyning with them must bee involved, wee suppose such separation

(all due respect and love reserved and professed to the Churches themselves) cannot justly bee accounted un∣warrantable; and 'tis the profession of the Author in his Epistle, to plead for communion with the Chur∣ches of Christ, no farther then they hold communion with Christ: If any transgresse these bounds, either in respect of private or publique communion in Eng∣land, wee must professe openly, that if any mourn for it, wee are (or would bee) companions with them in that griefe. Whose heart bleeds not to see Gods flock scattered, and needlesse rents made? that scarce Truth or errour can now adayes bee received, but it is main∣tained in a way of Schisme; directly contrary to the gathering and uniting Spirit of Jesus Christ: A wide Conscience calls evill, good, and therefore can com∣municate with any evill; a strait Conscience cals good, evill, (as Gerson observes) and therefore can readily separate even from that which is good. When rash and sudden men are grown masters of their Consciences, it troubles not them from whom they divide, nor whi∣ther they run in separate wayes; when weak (yet god∣ly men) are under the tendernesse, (yet much darknesse) of Conscience, being very timorous of wayes that are evill, grow many times shy (at least in simplicity are led) from wayes that afterward are found to be law∣full and good. 'Tis the usuall misery of English spi∣rits, either to spin the Spiders web, and swallow down all corruptions in Churches; or so to breake downe the gap in forsaking corruptions utterly to abandon the Churches themselves: The wine of causelesse separa∣tion hath a spirit in it, (if God graciously prevent not) that hurries men headlong to strange distances, that in separating from publique, they separate from private; in separating from corrupt Churches (as no Churches)

they separate from the purest, even those of their own; in separating from pollutions of Gods ordinances, at last they fall to the storming of some, if not to the utter renouncing of all the Ordinances themselves: we mourne (wee say) for such evills, and could with ben∣ded knees desire our deare Countrey-men to consider, whether this bee the Spirit of Christ Jesus that so car∣ries them; to reject them whom the Lord Jesus hath not yet wholly forsaken; and not rather with one heart, and with bowells of compassion (if any liberty can bee procured) to study how to heale the bleeding breaches, and manifold evills of sick and sinfull Eng∣land, that in their owne recovery from pollutions, the whole may arise and share alike with them therein; tole∣rating with all long-suffering many things amisse, & mour∣ning daily after the Lord, till such times come wherein he wil give his people his ordinances, not only in purity, but also in power; when the Lord shall be one, and his name one, Zach. 14. 9. over all the earth. As for our selves, wee look not upon our departure to these parts to be a separa∣tion (rigidly taken) but a lawfull secession, or a heavenly translation from corrupt to more pure Churches, by the hand of our God; and how far we allow of separation, the ensuing Treatise will declare.

2 The second is, That we dissent one from another as much as others from us, and perhaps the lesser part of us.

Answ. We confesse we know but little, and that but in part, and therefore if we should say, that in some things we did not dissent, we should not speak the truth, nor say that we were sinfull men; yet this we must speak to his praise whose we are, and whom we serve with our spirits in the Gospel of his Son; that although Satan hath been oft busie to make breaches among us, yet the Ministers of Christ have been hitherto generally (if not all) of one

heart and mind in the maine and principall things of his Kingdom amongst us: and (which is observed by many) where ever differences are sown, yet the Ministers ne∣ver disagree: and that although some differences have and doe arise before their convening together, yet they never yet met, but grace hath over-wrestled corruption; peace, trouble; and truth, errour; and so have most sweetly accorded in one; the thoughts of which Christ-like peace∣ablenesse of spirit and love, as it oft sweetens many other sorrows, so we desire to bee spared herein, and that this our crowne may not bee taken from us by such passages, (suggesting great differences) as these be.

Now for the Reply it self, we desire the Reader to consi∣der, that we had neither time, nor Bookes ready at hand to consider some of the quotations made in the margent; and therfore being such testimonies as cast not the ballance one way or another, we have passed most of them by with si∣lence.

It had also been easie for us to have Analysed more or∣derly the words of the Reply, then as they are set downe; but (because we would not doe the least wrong) we have set them down as we finde them in the Book; not every passage (for that were needlesse) but those things wherein there seemes to bee any observable matter of dispute be∣tween us; nor are we conscious of doing the Author the least wrong in setting down his own words, as hereafter you find them.

We confesse, that in sundry of our Answers, we have studied not onely to answer to the Reply, but have taken in what sundry others godly learned object against our principles, but without mentioning (scarce any time) their Names, of which we are sparing for no other rea∣son, but because we honour the men from our very hearts, and could wish (though differently minded from us in

some things) as Melanchthon did in another the like case, to live and die in their bosomes. The name of this servant of Christ now asleep, is an oyntment poured out and pre∣cious to us; we could therefore have wisht it our portion to have answered the Booke without the least reflecting upon him, but the necessity herein is unavoydable. This onely we adde, that whatever weaknesses may passe from us, let them not bee imputed to those servants of Christ, that set us on work, and have wanted leisure to review what is here done; Every one may not bee in all things of the same mind with us, for they may meet us in the same end, though they use not the same arguments, or become fol∣lowers of us in the same path; yet we know wee are not alone in any thing, but may safely say thus much, that what is here defended, is generally acknowledged and received in these Churches of Christ.