John Ball

, Son of Will. Ball and Agnes Mabet his Wife, was born of a plebeian family at Cassington alias Chersington near to Woodstock in Oxfordshire, in the beginning of Octob. 1585. and baptized the 14. of the same month, educated in Grammar learning in a private School taught by the Vicar of Yarnton, a mile distant from Cassington, admitted a Student of Brasnose coll. in 1602, where continuing under a severe discipline and Tutor about five years, in the condition, as it seems, of a Servitour, removed to S. Maries hall, and as a Member thereof took the degree of Bac. of Arts in 1608. Soon after he was invited into Cheshire to teach the Children of the Lady Cholmondeley, where continuing for some time, fell into the acquaintance of several severe Puritans, who working on his affections, they brought him over to them. About that time, having gained a sum of money, he went to London with some of them, and made shift to be ordained a Minister there, without subscription, by an Irish Bishop. Soon after he removed into Staffordshire, and became Curate of Whitmore, a Chappel of [•] ase to Stoke, where he lived (and died) a Nonconformist in a poor house, a poor habit, with poor maintenance of about 20 l. per an. and in an obscure Village, teaching School also all the week for a farther supply, deserving as high esteem and honour (as a noted Presbyterian (g)(g) Rich. Baxter in his book intit. An ansavour [•] volume of Mr. Joh. Crandons anatomized. Lond. 1654. sec [•] . 1 p. 6. observes) as the best Bishop in England, yet looking after no [•] igher things, but living comfortably and prosperously with these, &c. The Brethren report him to have been a excellent Schoolmaster and Schoolman, (qualities seldom meeting in the same person) a painful Preacher and a profitable Writer: And tho somewhat disaffected to Ceremonies and Church discipline, yet he confuted such as conceived the corruption therein, ground enough for a Separation. He hath written,

A short treatise containing all the principal grounds of Christian Religion, &c.—Fourteen times printed before the year 1632. and translated into the Turkish Language by Will. Seaman an English Traveller.

Treatise of Faith; in two parts. The first shewing the nature, the second the life of Faith, &c. Lond. 1631. qu. 1637. qu. the third edition. It hath a Preface to it in commendation of the work, written by Rich. Sibbes.

Friendly trial of the grounds tending to Separation, in a plain and modest dispute touching the unlawfulness of stinted Liturgy and set form of Common Prayer, Communion in mixed Assemblies and the primitive subject and first receptacle of the power of the Keys, &c. Cambr. 1640. qu. The rude and imperfect draught of this book was first made for satisfaction of Mr. Rich. Knightley, which, by importunity of Ministers and others, was afterwards enlarged into this treatise. The answer returned to the first conceptions thereof, is briefly examined in some marginal notes annexed, p. 13. 15. 24. 33.

An answer to two Treatises of Mr. Joh. Can, the Leader of the English Brownists in Amsterdam. The former is called A necessity of separation from the Church of England, proved by the Nonconformists principles. And the other, A stay against straying: Wherein in opposition to Mr. John Robinson, he undertakes to prove the unlawfulness of hearing the Ministers of the Church of England. Lond. 1642. qu. Published by Simeon Ash. The Epistle to the Reader is subscribed by Tho. Langley, Will. Rathband, Simeon Ash, Franc. Woodcock, and Geo. Croft, Presbyterians. After our author Ball had finished this last book, he undertook a large treatise of the Church, wherein he intended to discover the nature of Schism, and to deal in the main controversies touching the essence and Government of the Visible Church, of which also 50 sheets of paper he left finished. Notwithstanding all this, yet by what our author hath written in his answer to Jo. Can, and in his Friendly trial, &c. some dividing Spirits of his own party censured him, as in some degree declining from his former profest inconformity, in deserting the Nonconformists cause and grounds, being too much inclined (especially in the last of these two) to favour the times in Ceremonies and the Service-book. Yet if you’ll give credit to what these men deliver, they’ll tell you that he lived and died a strict forbearer, and constant opposer of all those pretended corruptions, which the Nonconformists had commonly in their publick writings disallowed in the Church of England. So that they of his own perswasion would willingly have it believed, that altho he was in these his pieces against aggravating and multiplying conceived corruptions, and that these were not of so great weight, as to inforce the unlawfulness of our set forms, or warrant a separation from our Churches, and publick worship in regard thereof, yet he acknowledged some things blame-worthy in the English Liturgy, which he designed to have evidenced (as these men tell us) in some publick treatise, had he lived but a little longer. For all this he died abundantly satisfied in the justness of that cause, which he so well defended against separation.

Trial of the new Church-way in New-England and Old, &c. Lond. 1644. qu.

Treatise of the Covenant of Grace. Lond. 1645. &c. qu. Published by his great admirer Simeon Ash.

Of the power of godliness, both doctrinally and practically handled, &c.—To which are annexed several Treatises, as, (1) Of the affections. (2) Of the spiritual combat [•] . (3) Of the government of the tongue. (4) Of prayer, with an exposition on the Lords Prayer, &c. Lond. 1657. fol. Published by the aforesaid Simeon Ash, sometimes of the University of Cambridge, Chaplain to the Lord Brook, afterwards to the Earl of Manchester an. 1644. Minister of St. Michael Bashishaw, and at length of St. Austins, in London; who dying 20. of Aug. 1662. being a little before the fatal day of St. Barthelmew, was buried 23. of the same month in the Church of St. Austin beforementioned.

Treatise of divine meditation. Lond. 1660. in twelv. published also by the said Ash. These, I think, are all that have been written by our author Ball, who dying 20. of Octob. in sixteen hundred and forty, 1640 aged fifty and five, or thereabouts, was buried in the Chappel or Church of Whitmore aforesaid, leaving then behind the character of a learned and pious man, and of one, who, by his daily labours, had done eminent service to the private and publick.