Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	christian_a	church_n	pastor_n	1,389	5	9.1051	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46714	The lawfulnes of tithes demonstrated to the convincing of such of the Quakers as pretend conscience against the payment of them, or, A demonstration for liberty of conscience to the Quakers in the payment of their tithes by W.J.	Jeffery, William, 1616-1693.	1675 (1675)	Wing J523; ESTC R25126	21,989	33

be rob'd why doth St. Paul Gal. 6. where he bids those that are taught in the word communicate unto those that teach them in all good things give warning in the next Verse that they should not deceive themselves as if God might be mock't Now if in point of Right and Propriety God were not concern'd in what Christian people do communicate unto their Ministers how might he be mock't therein For God to be mock't and to be rob'd I think is one and the same thing If you acknowledge that God hath a Right of Propriety in any part or portion of his Blessings unto you Quod debebat Abraham Deo c. What Abraham ow'd to Ged that he pay'd into the Hands of Melchisedek Calvin on the Epist to the Hebr. cap. 7. vers 4. you must needs also grant that his Ministers have a Right to use that part or portion of his viz. of his Gift and Assignment I have prov'd this already Num. 18. at the eight and thirtieth Verse § 2d I have prov'd that Tyth falls not of it self as being inconsistent with the Death of Christ Heb. 7.18 It is not in that respect either weak or unprofitable that it should be abrogated I have prov'd also that our blessed Saviour has not declar'd against it but for it The like I have prov'd by the Apostles saving that they have not us'd the Word Tyth or Tenth in this matter To this you 'l add that they receiv'd not Tythes themselves And in this you triumph against us as if we were contrary to the Apostles That none of the Apostles at any time or in any place receiv'd any manner of Tyth I think is more than you can prove Certain it is that they did receive and that both in a plentiful measure and in an Honourable manner too Of their Receipts they were not only able to maintain themselves but also to succour others They commanded Collections to be made over whole Regions 1 Cor. 16.1 2 3. 2 Cor. 9.1 2 3. and Countries and directed them to be sent to all places where the Exigency of the Brethren did require Relief In short they did as the occasion of their Apostleship did require And the People did by them as the difficulties of those times did permit The People did then pay their Tithes unto others the Jews to the Levites and the Gentiles to the Idol Priests What should the Apostles do in those days with Tithes whenas they were not fixt to any certain Place nor tyed to any certain Congregation of People What should twelve men do with the Tith of the whole World Gal. 4.15 From Jerusalem unto Rome St. Paul was not out of his Parish but all along as he went among the Christians he might command what he pleas'd Acts 4.37 What could the Apostles then have more than to have the People at their Service and what they had at their dispose The People sold their possessions and laid the price of them at the Apostles Feet The Apostles were so far from being Poor that they were in a capacity to provide for the Poor Yea they were beyond the serving of Tables they must have Officers under them for that whilst they should attend a higher work viz. Praying and the Ministry of the Word Acts 6.4 Will you have the Christian Church to be always in its Infancy Will you have the World generally to be either Jewish or Heathen and but a few converted unto Christ Will you have Kings and Princes to be Persecutors of the Christians for being such Will you have Idol-Priests to abound in every place and will you have the People to be Idolaters If so then were there need that your Ministers should be Apostles and you your selves such Christians as those were that laid the price of their Possessions at the Apostles feet Or will you not rather give God thanks that the Church is spread throughout the World that whole Nations are become professedly Christian Kings and Queens are become Nursing-Fathers and Nursing-Mothers Idol Priests vanish't and the People turn'd from Idols to serve the living God In this condition the Church among us hath not need of Apostles but ordinary Ministers not of Apostles to lay the Foundation but of Ministers to build thereon Ministers orderly call'd and ordinarily appointed to succeed one the other in all the Parts and Divisions which are made throughout the Land which Divisions we call Parishes Now will any sober minded man deny a certain known Maintenance to be due unto every man from the place where he is bound to give his Attendance 1 Cor. 9.12 Saith St. Paul to the Corinthans If others are partakers of this power over you are not we much rather So say I If Impropriators and Farmers be partakers of this power of receiving Tythes from Parishes are not we much rather And yet we are only troubled by you that labour among you and are willing to live peaceably Why do you not rather suffer wrong Why do you not rather suffer your selves to be defrauded so willing that we suffer our selves not only to be defrauded but also openly wrong'd and injur'd and with these doings ye applaud your selves for Perfection cry out upon us for Persecution 1 Cor. 9.6 But to the matter in hand The Apostles expected not that the Church in all succeeding Ages should be supplyed with Apostles as they were Saith St. Paul of Christ after his Ascension He gave some Apostles Eph. 411. and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastours and Teachers Though Pastours and Teachers do succeed the Apostles in the Ministry As the Apostles were extraordinarily called and enabled to their Ministry so were they also extraordinarily provided the necessaries of life Which extraordinaries are ceas'd to the succeeding Ministers The like either of the one or of the other is not to be expected again except there should be a new Gospel to be Preacht and new Miracles to be wrought yet in a strict sense are they not Apostles as they were and therefore in diverse Circumstances the same things are not to be expected from them No new Gospel no Revelation no Miracles and therefore neither must they expect from the People such things as the Apostles did viz. to have the People every where at their Service and what things they have at their dispose But as they are stinted in their Ministry viz. to build on the Foundation which the Apostles have laid so are they stinted also in their Maintenance not to command what they please but to receive what is appointed unto them and that not every where but only from the place where they are appointed to serve By that time the Ministry came to be in Pastours and Teachers the Gospel was spread far and near the World was generally become Christian and the Christian Church had Peace and quietness in many Lands and Nations Kingdoms and States then the Christians being thus spread and multiplied

Faith Judgment and Mercy that at the same time and as it were in the same Paragraph where he saith that the one ought to be done he saith also that the other ought not to be left undone How you may understand this speech of our Saviour I know not but Bishop Andrews saith that the Primitive Church did generally understand it to be spoken in Confirmation of Tyth-paying To the Proof of which he quotes St. Chrysostome speaking for the Greek Church and St. Augustin for the Latine The speech indeed was design'd first and principally for Faith Judgment and Mercy but then it was accessorily and additionally for justness and exactness in paying of Tyths If he had not meant that Tythes should be pay'd he would either have oppos'd them as he did many Traditions and Ceremonies or else at the least he would have said nothing of them thereby to suffer them to fall of themselves Now remains only the third part of the Proposition to be prov'd viz. That Tyth-paying was not declar'd void by the Apostles If the Apostles declar'd Tyth-paying null and void then that Declaration of their's is to be found either in their Acts written of them or in their Epistles written by them But it is to be found neither in the one nor in the other Therefore not at all The Minor proposition I leave to be disprov'd by you viz. By shewing where such Declaration of the Apostles is to be found They do declare against Circumcision Sacrificing the Priesthood of Levi making a Difference in Meats and Drinks and Dayes c. These were shadows of things to come whereas Tyth was nothing else but a Political Maintenance assign'd of God to the use of those that did serve at the Altar If you say that as the Altar is now down so must the Maintenance go down with it I answer that as the Gospel is up in the room of the Altar so must the Maintenance stand up with it though not in such things as were but Occasional and did belong unto Sacrificing yet in such things as are Fundamental and do relate unto Blessing Though Levi's Sacrificing be past and gone yet Melchisedek's Blessing is still in being If you allow that those which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel In Tyth men pay not according to what they have not but according to what they have which is the greatest Equity that can be there the Rich is not spared nor the Poor opprest The benefit viz. without a blessing which might be made of the ceasing of Tyth-paying whose should it be the Landlords or the Tenants I will not determine because I think the thing it self in this Nation is hardly to be suppos'd and that upon many and several accounts though the Clergy only are upbraided by the Envious and Prophane and among the Clergy those that labour most in the Word and Doctrine and yet deny Tyth-paying can you shew any other way that may be more just and equal than this and no less certain and stedfast A Fixt-Ministry such as that of the Gospel is must have also a Fixt-Maintenance As Princes and Rulers are God's Ministers in things of Justice so are Gospel-Preachers God's Ministers in the things of Religion and Worship Now as Tribute is due to Princes for their continual Attendance on the things of Justice So is a just Maintenance due to Gospel-Preachers for their continual Attendance on the things of the Gospel Render to all their Dues Tribute to whom Tribute custom to whom c. Rom. 13. As Incumbent Ministers are confin'd to a certain Place so are they also confin'd to their Calling It is not free for them to shift themselves out of it as others may do out of theirs They are barr'd from having Trades as St. Paul had yea from using of Merchandise or any other means of Lively-hood being confin'd to this one thing And would you pretending to be Tender Christians for a man cannot be a great Christian but that he must be tender too would you I say that Princes and Rulers that are Christians should be so unreasonable as to confine men free born freely educated and brought up with much cost and expence to a certain Calling which is for the good of all men and not provide that they may live thereof as may become that calling But you will not have Princes and Magistrates to appoint unto you in this matter There are many things lawful not only to be done by Christians but also to be commanded them by their Superiors that have less Authority from the Scriptures than Tythes may have From some mens impertinent requiring of scripture for every humane Ordinance Doctor Sanderson observes that the mis-understanding of the Doctrine of the perfection of the Scriptures occasions much of Errour relating unto things indifferent specially in things of Prudence and Policy As if Magistrates might not ordain in these things but what they can shew Scripture for whereas it is enough that they ordain nothing against the Scripture you will be free in the things of God viz. to Rob him if you please As if it were not the chiefest concern of Princes to provide and see that God be not rob'd either of the truth of his Service or of the just Maintenance that belongs thereunto Shall some few private men perswade them that a blessing can rest long upon this Nation without a Ministry or that to Oppress and Beggar the Ministry be the way to continue the Blessing which this Land has so long enjoy'd I think they will not incur that Sentence against themselves viz. That those which despise him shall be lightly esteemed 1 Sam. 2.30 Shall God himself appoint unto you in his own things Or hath he not done it already If that which we contend for be not of his appointment shew any thing else that he hath appointed in the place of it Tyth to be once his appointment you acknowledge shew where and how he hath quitted that Right of his and what he hath taken in exchange of it i. e. what he hath ordain'd to succeed Tyth in the Maintenance of the Ministry Either Tythes are God's Right of propriety still or else he hath taken something else in exchange of them Saith Doctor Williams God hath commanded the Tenth of all the increase of Goods to be pay'd out thereby to shew that he reserves a Chiefery of every thing unto himself Of the sufferings of the Saints p. 29. or else he hath no propriety at all and consequently he hath nothing now wherein he may be rob'd And if there be nothing wherein God may be rob'd then is there no such sin as Sacriledge Oh how fain would prophane Misers that Sacriledge should be no sin Whereas St. Paul makes it to be as great a sin if not greater than Idolatry Rom. 2.22 There is no sin that blasphemes the Name of God more than this If God had now under the Gospel no propriety wherein he might