A Defense of the Answer Made Unto Nine Questions, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
Concerning the Title.
WHereas it is called a new Church-way; wee little expected that Brethren ſtudious of Reformation, who have been ſo exerciſed with imputations of novelty, would have ſo readily, and in the frontiſpice caſt the ſame upon us, who with them deſire to walk in the firſt wayes of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt and his holy Apoſtles; but as in moſt ſubſtantiall points of Church-order, wee goe along with the beſt reformed Churches, ſo wee doubt not to make it good that wherein wee (preſſing after further Reformation) ſeeme to differ from them; yet wee build upon Scripture grounds acknowledged by many godly and Learned Reformers, in our Engliſh and other reformed Churches▪ which, if the Lord have in mercy given us further …ight, (or rather opportunity to practiſe) then they had, let it not bee imputed to us for novelty.
A new edition of the old Church-way of godly Reformers, in ſome things perhaps corrected and amended, is no new Church-way; or if it be thought the mending of ſome crooks in the old way make a new way, wee anſwer with Junius in a caſe not unlike; Ʋt cunque n…vam eſſe vide…tur, … quaecunque ſunt vetera, Jun. lib. 1. paral. 6.fuerunt nova, ac non propter…a nov…tat… nomine vitioſa, niſi forte novam pro renovatâ & reſtitutâ accipitis; quo ſenſu… novam eſſe hanc viam agnoſci….
One thing more in the Title page the Reader is to take notice of, that whereas it is ſaid, This Treatiſe of Mr. Ball was penned a little before his death, and ſent over 1637. it ſeemes to bee a miſtake of the Printer; for the Nine Queſtions themſelves were ſent over 1636, the anſwer returned 38, but miſcarrying, another was ſent 39. from which time wee longingly expected a return, but partly for the reaſon rendred in the Epiſtle, and what elſe wee know not, wee never in ſo many yeares received any, till this printed Reply by a Friends meanes came occaſionally to our hands, 1644.
Concerning the Epiſtle to the Reader.
Whereas the publiſhers of this Treatiſe impute unto us, or ſome related to our Cauſe, That we are the Volunteers, ſuch as cry up this way, and forward to blow ſuch things abroad in the world, which preſſed them to make this Controverſie publique.
1 Wee may truly profeſſe before the world, that our Epiſtle ſent with our former Anſwer, proceeded from a ſpirit of love and peace, with an humble willingneſſe to receive further light, by the holy and juſt Animadverſions of our reverend and bel…d Brethren, which wee earneſtly expected as men … after the truth.
2 That wee were altogether ignorant of the … of that our Anſwer; and in that it was publiſhed then, was not without our utter diſlike; wee have neither ſounded trumpet, nor ſtruck up drum to any (if any ſuch) volunteers, wee heartily grieve that there are any differences between Brethren, much more that they ſhould bee publiſhed; moſt of all, if before they bee privately debated, and brought to ſome head by mutual conſent, are thought fit to be ſent out to publique conſiderations.
3 For our Brethren in England, we know no reaſon to queſtion the truth of that Apology of our Brother, Mr. Thomas Weld, in his anſwer to W. R. pag. 2. Obj. 3. Anſw. 1. where he profeſſeth in the name of himſelfe and others of our way, a lothneſſe to appeare in the caſe, and that although they had Bookes of this ſubject ready for the Preſſe, yet by joint conſent they ſuppreſſed them, (happily to the detriment of the Cauſe) being unwilling to blow a fire; and whether they appeared in Pulpit or Preſſe without inſtigation, and how ſparingly, hee appeales to all the godly to judge.
4 Laſtly, wee deſire our Brethren to conſider the date of Mr. Ball his Booke printed for ſtinted Liturgies, (one chiefe part of this controverſie) and the Printed anſwer to the Nine queſtions, and let that reſolve the queſtion, who of us came firſt Volunteers into the field; and if any through weakneſſe, or zeale without knowledge, have been too clamorous to cry up New-England way, with reproach to others; wee deſire the world to take notice, that they have neither patent nor patterne from us ſo to doe, who came not hither proudly to cenſure others, but to reforme our owne.