A85315:65
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.
To gather up all then: since Christ in his word, hath commanded that we should be maintained; since the Magistrate being Christian, hath long since appointed us maintenance, and that such as none can call his own, but the Ministers, are we the covetous persons who require that which is our due by the Law of God and Man, or are you the covetous persons, yea and sacrilegious, who deny it? Certainly if people were not acted by a very Satanical spirit they could not thus open their mouths, in such base language against us, as they do. Why do you not charge us rather with idleness, if you can, and so in that respect prove we ought not to be maintained? Why do you not speak against the Impropriators? You pay tithes to them without such clamours, only the Ministers are they who trouble you; but we know whose hand is in all this, Hell and Rome would be glad if your designs might prevail.
To gather up all then: since Christ in his word, hath commanded that we should be maintained; since the Magistrate being Christian, hath long since appointed us maintenance, and that such as none can call his own, but the Ministers, are we the covetous persons who require that which is our due by the Law of God and Man, or are you the covetous persons, yea and sacrilegious, who deny it? Certainly if people were not acted by a very Satanicall spirit they could not thus open their mouthes, in such base language against us, as they doe. Why doe you not charge us rather with idlenesse, if you can, and so in that respect prove we ought not to be maintained? Why doe you not speak against the Impropriators? You pay tythes to them without such clamours, onely the Ministers are they who trouble you; but we know whose hand is in all this, Hell and Rome would be glad if your designes might prevaile.
So much for the Ministers maintenance, which because my Chapter gave me so fit an occasion, I have first answered.