N00406:101
The principles of the Protestant religion maintained, and churches of New-England, in the profession…
The principles of the Protestant religion maintained, and churches of New-England, in the profession and exercise thereof defended, against all the calumnies of one George Keith, a Quaker, in a book lately published at Pennsylvania [sic], to undermine them both. / By the minsters of the Gospel in Boston, ; [Nine lines of Scripture texts]The principles of the Protestant religion maintained, and churches of New-England, in the profession and exercise thereof defended, against all the calumnies of one George Keith, a Quaker, in a book lately published at Pensilvania [sic], to undermine them both. / By the minsters of the Gospel in Boston, ; [Nine lines of Scripture texts]
printed by Richard Pierce, 1690
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.
That a man may be so Qualified, as to be capable of being Called to the Office of a Minister by a Gospel Church, and yet not truly pious, we fear not to assert, but still we believe that no man can discharge any Office of Trust acceptably to God, without saving Grace. We here presume (and shall have occasion to prove it anon) That there's a mediate Call necessary to introduce a man into the work of the Ministry; since the Apostles times; and they who are to call them, must have some rule of discerning to regulate their Call by, which must be something ⟨p. 42⟩discernible; that their piety cannot be discerned as such, he will anon put us upon proving: If therefore this were necessary to the Essence of the Officer, we could never know who is, or who is not a Minister. But de facto, Christ Himself, condemns the Scribe and Pharisees for Hypocrites, and yet acknowledgeth their Office, Mat. 23. 2, 3. Chri•• Himself made Judas, not only a Minister, but an Apostle; we shall shortly see what he ha• to say against this. As for his Asserting tha• by divine Revelation a Quaker can infallibl• know a mans spiritual estate, it is precarious, presumptuous and false: for tho' Go• knows all mens hearts, yet that He gives infallible Rules to know them by, ordinary•• or immediately cannot be evidenced: the Apostles themselves never pretended to it, but were often mistaken: Judas was not suspected by his fellow-Apostles; Simon Magus past for a while, till he discovered himself; Demas went long unsuspected, & w• in high credit with Paul: We acknowledge that men may discover themselves by such things as are inconsistent with saving Grace and by this way we have too much Cause to be persuaded by Scripture Rules, that G. K is an Apostate and an unsanctified man but all mens sins do not (like his) go before ⟨p. 43⟩to Judgement.
That a man may be so Qualified, as to be capable of being Called to the Office of a Minister by a Gospel Church, and yet not truly pious, we fear not to assert, but still we believe that no man can discharge any Office of Trust acceptably to God, without saving Grace. We here presume (and shall have occasion to prove it anon) That there's a mediate Call necessary to introduce a man into the work of the Ministry; since the Apostles times; and they who are to call them, must have some rule of discerning to regulate their Call by, which must be something