Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	know_v	matter_n	2,542	5	5.1820	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57824	Tythes ended by Christ with the Levitical priesthood and therefore no maintenance for a Gospel-ministry, nor lawful for Christians to pay or take under the dispensation of the Gospel : being an answer to two reviling pamphlets written against the people of God called Quakers, because they refuse to pay tythes : the one by C.N. a Presbyterian, and the other by Cress Wheatly, an Episcopal priest : the said C.N. and C.W. are herein justly rebuked for their enmity and lyes against the people of God, and their arguments and plea for tythes considered and fully answered, and the people of God vindicated in their refusing to pay tythes / by the servants of the Lord, T. Rudyard and W. Gibson ; also a postscript by George Watt ; also some brief observations upon some passages in a book, entituled, Christ's call to professors, by W.G.	Rudyard, Thomas, d. 1692.; Gibson, William, 1629-1684.; Watt, George, Lover of the truth. Tythes no Gospel-ordinance.	1673 (1673)	Wing R2183; ESTC R12032	26,888	46

but in the Ages past since the Apostacy have for Conscience sake born their Testimony against TYTHES Wherein is Demonstrated That it is directly contrary to Christ's Commission given to his Ministers and contrary to the Apostles Practice Occasioned through C. N's Unreasonable and Unchristian like Contending for the Lawfulness of Tythes By G. W. a Lover of the Truth He that Justifieth the Wicked and he that Condemneth the Just are both an Abeminaiion to the Lord Prov. 17. 15. Printed in the Year 1673. TYTHES No Gospel-Ordinance MAN by Wisdom knows not God neither can the Things of God be found out by Man's Wisdom but are altogether hid from it they are of too pure a Nature for that Eye to see or for that Heart to receive But there is an Eye that God in his Loving-kindness has opened that can with great Delight behold those Glorious Truth● that he has promised and there is a Heart that can Rejoyce in the sensible Feeling of the opening of that Wisdom that the World by all their Wisdom cannot see or know This was it that caused Abraham to Rejoyce who saw the Day of Christ his Eye affected his Heart he rejoyced at what he saw and blessed Paul counted all things Loss in respect of this True Wisdom and Knowledge which only is to be found in Christ Jesus through the Death of the Cross which crucifies unto all this World's Wisdom and Glory so that Death having past thereon that New Life may be witnessed wherein all things become New and into this Life hath the Lord our God begotten a Remnant which are accounted to him for a Generation unto whom he has revealed his Counsels and his Wisdom is with them and by it are they made able to judge of things that differ and in which Judgment we certainly find where Men's Standings are the Lord being come in Numbers of his Saints to Judge the Inhabitants of the Earth so it was in the Apostles dayes and so it is now in the True Church For the Spiritual Man judgeth all things yet is ●e Judged of no Man and without all Doubt the Apostle in those Dayes by the Wise Men of this World was esteemed a Boaster yet was he certain of what he said knowing that in the True Wisdom of the Spirit of God they could fathom all Men but could not be fathom'd by them that were out of this Wisdom The Wisdom of the Servants of the Lord is in the Light from above but the others is in the Darkness from below which cannot comprehend the Light nor those that live therein Yet Vain Man in this Fallen Wisdom will be a Judging and speaking Evil of the things he knows not among whom is found C. N. although to his great Infamy and Confusion who has wedded the Cause that Antichrist by his Servants has supported against the true Christians in many Ages and hath justified that Ungodly Generation condemned the Generation the Righteous who in the Patience of the Lamb and in his Living Testimony have born their Testimony against that Carnal Imposition and Maintenance of Tythes as do testifie Records in Ecelesiastical Matters witness that Truly Noble-Minded William Thorpe who among the rest of the Testimonies he had for the Lord this was one against Tythes he lived in the dayes of Henry the 4th of England and was persecuted by Thomas Arundell the then Arch Bishop of Canterbury a Man highly infamous for his Envy to the Truth and to those that followed the Lord according to the Measure of Light they had then received where Thorpe openly declared That although Tythes were brought in and ordained by Gregory the 10th yet it was not consonant nor agreeable to Truth nor the Practice of the Apostle Paul whose Example saith he all ought to follow even as he was a Follower of Jesus Christ who received no Tythes neither did his Disciples but God opened the Hearts of those they went unto so that they had no Lack and some wrought with their Hands that so the Gospel might not be thought Burthensom by any such Care took they of the Gospel The whole Discourse of William Thorpe with Thomas Arundell touching this Matter would be too tedious to insert here although it is truly deserving our Knowledge and may be found at large in Fox's Acts and Monuments in his Universal History fol. 669 700. Thus we may perceive that the Honest-hearted not only in this Age but in several Ages have born their Testimony 〈◊〉 this settled and forced Maintenance as being bad in its Original and that that is Bad in its Root cannot be Good in its Fruits It was a Work brought forth in the fallen Wisdom because directly Contrary to that Way that Christ ordered his Ministers to walk in for when they were to go forth they were not to make any Provision but to relie on the Lord that sent them forth and when they returned their Answer was That they lacked nothing And the Apostles who were the true Ministers in the true Church followed the same Example who had the Lord to take Care of them who alwayes takes Care of his own But the Wisdom of this World hath fashioned out to it self a Church some after one Fashion some after another so that the whole of their Inventions makes up a Spiritual Babel and all her Likenesses and Imitations are truly discerned by those that follow the Lamb her gilded Cup cannot deceive them the Elect of God cannot be deceived it is not possible they should neither canst thee C. N. deceive them although thou appear with a very fine spun Thread of Babel's Wisdom yet in the Wisdom of the Lord which is with his People thou the rest of you that are concerned in this Work are found out weighed in the Ballance of God's Sanctuary found to be of one Spirit with the former Builders of Babel that were in times past whose Names stink to Posterity and thus have brought on your own Heads all the Righteous Blood that hath been shed on this Accompt and it doth cry to God for Vengeance because you have opposed the Righteous Seed in many Ages and still do notwithstanding that the Lord has very eminently appeared for and with his Servants on this Accompt by enabling them in the Virtue of his own life to testifie against the Hireling and his Wayes who cryes to the People Hear the Word of the Lord and they have it not neither hath the Lord sent them But Christ's Sheep knows his Voice and a Stranger they will not follow and therefore it is we cannot follow thee C. N. thy Voice is a Strangers Voice thou savourest not the things that are of God but of the Serpent wherefore we may justly say to thee get thee behind us Satan For what dost thou aim at Is it not to save thy self or is it not that thou wouldst provide for the Hirelings of thy own Fraternity hoping that you shall yet see such dayes as you despise

framed into a Resolve then a Question alledging although others have esteemed T●thes due to God of Divine Right c. thou hopest we are not required nor do we believe them Spiritual Answ I agree with thee we do not nor moral neither under the Gospel But to end this Paragraph thou tellest thy Reader That some think that if they were indeed Spiritual neither we nor the Priests would strive for them Answ A Quaint Observation And must we believe that those Spirituals of thy Cast should only pallate them if they were such If that be thy Judgment why so much Contest about such Carnals But I pass it to thy Fifth Demand Vnto F. H. his alledging That the Law gives no Man a Property but preserves mens Rights c. thou excepts That Laws are made for Maintenance of the Poor c. Answ I answer They are good Laws and 't is Equal and Just the Poor should have Relief And to give to the Poor was a Law before men made a Statute to enforce the Justness thereof which if Tythes had been to a pretended Preacher of the Gospel the Cases had been parallel which now hold no Equality But sayest thou The Author viz. F. H. hath not yet proved why Laws may not be admitted for Maintenance of Ministers as well as Poor Answ To which I answer Thou requirest a meer Absurdity of him What! to prove a Negative Wise Men will tell thee He who affirms must prove Make but good the Affirmity which hitherto thou hast not and we will grant thee the Negative It s a Task I question not when set about will cost thee Pains and there I leave it I have not willingly avoided any Question or Query thou hast put or desired Answer in but according to my Understanding given thee a plain Resolve to whatever might probably remain a Debt or Scruple in the Mind of thee or thy Friends concerning us and our Testimony toward God in this Matter That any of our Perswasion in London should have their Reason vanquisht in the Strength of thy Arguments as thou affirmest I assure thee it appears to me strange if not incredible I must be plain to tell thee I rather judge the Over-Fondness of thy own new Notions occasioned thee to mistake the Persons or their Judgments in this Case of Controversie And however thou mayest conceitedly term our Sufferings in this Cause Acts of Prodigality we know it s not for Self but for the God of our Life that we undergo such Spoil and Hardship from our Merciless Enemies And I must tell thee That I have not only weighed thy Arguments against our Testimony which have their Answer but also that Address thou makest to our Friends which without due Observation I cannot let slip the reading whereof brought to mind that Parallel of Judas his Salutation of our Saviour when he betrayed him into the Hands of the Priests Hale Master and kissed him So it pleaseth thee to give us the Appellation of thy Dear Friends and with smooth words to tell us Thy Soul truly pitties us when alas 't is but a Mask to cover that Face that would either Blush or wax Pale at such Actions The Wise Man tells thee He that Hateth Dissembleth with his Lip● and layeth up Deceit within him Prov. 26. 24. Whose Cause pleadest thou against us Into whose Hands wouldst thou betray us after thy smooth Salutation Is it not into such Hands as Judas did his Master why tellest thou us not Art thou ashamed in plain words to discover yea not improbable that's in secret reserve But it s not difficult to guess who desires to be Executioner What! thy Dear Friends and yet charging us p. 13 14. That under a disguise of Godliness for many years we have been highly guilty of those Wicked Sins of Stealing Slandering and Lying and what not yea insinuating That we are more Criminal before God and Man then Common Notorious Thieves And shall not we know what Mercy thou hast in store for thy Dear Friends after all yea sayest thou Malefactors suffer Death by Law for stealing things of small Accompt but your Robbery is oft of great Value p. 14. Here 's the Judgment which thou wantest a New-England Law to execute For the Laws here sayest thou are very Favourable Yes they extend only to the depriving us of our Civil Liberty Imprisonment of our persons and Confiscation of our Goods and Estates Life excepted too easie a requital for such Facts as thou wouldst make thy Dear Friends guilty of What shall be said to this but as the Wise Man That Violence covereth the Mouth of the Wicked and his Tender Mercies are Cruel Prov. 10. 6. 12. 10. If this be Entertainment for thy Friends what Quarter must Enemies expect at thy hands Much more might be added or returned upon thee but whether we or thou and thy Party have uttered a Reproach or Slander or are guilty of Lying Stealing and bearing False Witness against our Neighbour let God's Witness in the Unpr●judiced amongst them that have heard thy Charge and our D●fenc● give a Judgment And now I must tell I take it well from thy Hands or the Printer that have been so kind to place J. Wilfford's Letter to close thy Discourse notwithstanding it seems to thee as nothing to the Question I am satisfied the Simplicity of his will wound wher● thy Sophi●ry cannot and shall have a place in the Consciences of such who are at this day real Enquirers after the Good Old Way and Promised Land And now since I have been so fair to answer thy Question What Right the People have to Tythes judge it not an Unreasonable Demand to answer me Who has that Right thou denyest us Let 's know whether it be the Popish Episcopal Presbyterian c. Cause thou pleadest If thou be an Advocate to a Just Cause never be ashamed of thy Client How consonant the Cause is to thy late Profession in Civil or now Religious Matters I leave to thy own Consideration I shall forbear Reflection and request thee That if any thing yet remains wherein thou mayest suppose Writing or the Press Serviceable to thy Interest rather chose solid Arguments then severe Reflections to convince the Reader nor let thy Prejudice pass Judgment upon a supposed Offender till thou hast heard his Plea and Defence 't is possible his Innocency may correct that Prejudice which leads to False Judgment And to conclude remember the Wise Man's words It is an Honour for a Man to cease from Strife but every Fool will be meddling Prov. 30. 3. If thou hast done Foolishly in lifting up thy self or if thou hast thought Evil lay thine Hand upon thy Mouth the forcing of Wrath bringeth forth Strife Prov. 30. 32 33. This at present may suffice till I have thy Reply from him who is a Real Friend to thee and all Men Thomas Rudyard TYTHES NO Gospel-Ordinance OR A Justification of all those whonot only in this Age