A85315:261
Stablishing against shaking
Stablishing against shaking: or, A discovery of the Prince of Darkness (scarcely) transformed into an angel of light, powerfully now working in the deluded people called, Quakers: with a sober answer to their railings against ministers for receiving maintenance from their people. Being the substance of one sermon preached Feb. 17. 1655. at Shalford in Essex. / By Giles Firmin (pastor of the church there) upon occasion of the Quakers troubling those parts.Stablishing against shaking: or, A discovery of the Prince of Darknesse (scarcely) transformed into an angel of light, powerfully now working in the deluded people called, Quakers: with a sober answer to their railings against ministers for receiving maintenance from their people. Being the substance of one sermon preached Feb. 17. 1655. at Shalford in Essex. / By Giles Firmin (pastour of the church there) upon occasion of the Quakers troubling those parts.
London: printed by J.G. for Nathanael Webb, 1656
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.
Try us then for abilities, if you can, all you Quakers and Separatists in England; then see what is required by the Apostles example to bring us into the Ministry, and prove we have it not.
Trie us then for abilities, if you can, all you Quakers and Separatifts in England; then see what is required by the Aposties example to bring us into the Ministery, and prove we have it not.
Object. You are Ordained by Bishops.
Answ. To this I have answered at large in another Book, though it be false of abundance of us, we received no Ordination from the Bishops; yet I wish that the Separatists would think of one thing, in Rev. 6.9, 10, 11. there is mention made of many slain for the Word of God, &c. these had white robes given them, &c these who were slain must needs fall under the X Persecutions under the heathen Emperors, and may well in a special manner look to that horrible butchery under Diocletian, but if you know those times, you will find there were abundance of Bishops slain in those times (I mean Bishops who were above Presbyters in the Church) and you shall find abundance of ceremonies, humane inventions in those times in the worship of God, yet we find God doth not show such disdain of them as you do now, he gives them white robes. Thus Bp: Cranmer, Ridley, Hooper, and abundance of Ministers ordained by those Bishops, but suffered gloriously for the testimony which they held, the Lord will own them with honour in the Day of Judgment; how then you come to cast off so many Ministers of Christ, so able in the work of the Gospel, (as none have been more able since the Apostles days, no nor so able) so godly in their conversation, to whose Ministry God hath sealed, in the spiritual children he hath given them, and only because they were ordained by Bishops, (who yet were Ministers and did Ministerial work) do you provide to answer for this at that day.