37S A TOPOGRAPHICAL 



baptized, he would very affectionately lay open their duty, pressing 

 sacramental ingagements home to their hearts, with strong argu- 

 ments and authority ministerial." 



He frequently preached at Lectures, at Madeley especially, 

 where he was the principal upholder of a weekly sermon, and a 

 monthly fast ; and was ever ready to assist others in private fasts 

 and other exercises of religion. 



" That he might keep God's servants, of the lowest parts, always 

 high in his own estimation, he would wisely weigh their peculiar 

 serviceablenesse in some kind or other, though they were inferiour 

 in sundry excellencies. Hereupon when one, admiring worthy 

 Master Dod's holy conversation, said, Oh, how well would it be if all 

 ministers were like unto him, Master Ball answered, The Church 

 would be quite undone if all others were like him. For though no 

 man more honoured Master Dod ['s abilities,] (which not many years 

 before his death he witnessed, by listening unto his fatherly coun- 

 sel bare-headed, with his hat in his hand) yet he knew, that other 

 men, much inferiour in graces, had some special way of advantage 

 to the cause, and the people of God." 



Although he conceived that corruptions existed in the church go- 

 vernment and in the administrations of holy worship, yet he had a 

 great dislike to the way of separation from our church assemblies 

 on such pretences. He much lamented the first breakings out of 

 independency in England, and indulged a belief, that, if God should 

 give opportunity and hopes of Church reformation, the brethren 

 of the new separation would be found the greatest obstructors 

 thereof. He called the ways of separation a labyrinth, wherein 

 men tire themselves, and grow giddy, as in a maze, but when all is. 

 done, there is no way out, but that whereby they entered. 



" Being ask'd by one, who much pretended unto immediate in- 

 spirations besides scripture, whether he, at any time, had expe- 

 rience thereof in his own heart ? His answer was this, ' No, I 

 blesse God, and if I should ever have such phantasies, I hope God 

 would give me grace to resist them." 



Other traits of character may be extracted from his life, but we 

 shall confine ourselves to a few remarks in respect of his power of 

 becoming a man of considerable influence with an annuity of 

 twenty pounds, for such was said to be the stipend of his cure, or 

 allowance for his maintenance from the church. This sum might 

 appear to the reader a mean and inadequate allowance, and such 

 it was considered in those days, by his biographer, who terms his 



