Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	penny_n	pound_n	sum_n	26,410	5	12.5513	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01958	The anatomie of Ananias: or, Gods censure against sacriledge With a breife scholie vpon Psalm. 83. concerning the same subiect. By Roger Gostvvyke Batchelour of Diuinitie, and minister of Sampford Courtnie in the countie of Deuonsh.	Gostwick, Roger, b. 1567 or 8.	1616 (1616)	STC 12100; ESTC S103327	99,971	192

whom God will one day repaie in like kinde punishing their sinne of greedines with the greedines of sinning 4. An other maine obiection is laid hold vpon either by gentlemen that haue trauailed or Ministers that relish a little too much of the Geneua fashion that other Countries doe not mainetaine their Ministers by Tithes but contributions poore salaries such as the pollicie of men or the iniquitie of times haue left vnto them But wee are here to dispute not de facto but de iure not what is but what should be done Viuendum legibus non exemplis it is not the deedes of men but the doctrine of God that should be our guide for the same Countries allow of tolerations shall I say or commixtions rather of all kinde of religions But whatsoeuer other doe either vpon errour or necessitie non fuit sic à principio the syncerest times and primest Churches haue better presidents For many haue enthralled theit liuings and liberties together to the importunities of their troubles or abitrement of their Kings as the French to Carolus Martellus saith Gaguine and the Churches of Saxonie saith Aventine who to redeeme their liues gaue all the Church demeanes vnto the Turke though they were redeemed by Arnulphus Duke of Bauoir And some haue thought that what the Bishops in that case haue done is good against themselues but it is to childish to change the most naturall and wise order of the world for an idol of a trauellers braine seeing it can neither be bettered nor paralled with the like some in inequalitie must be confessed which might be redressed which is accidentall no deformitie that is substantiall And so much of Lay mens vsurpations which needed not so much proofe as reproofe CHAP. IIII. Against the exemptions that some Cities and great Townes doe clame in Church duties THere is an other sort of men that albeit they lurch not the Church lands nor count them Antichristian yet enfranchise themselues with a false priuiledge that they are as free from the commandement of God in this case or any other ordinance of man concerning that matter as from the rescripts of the Sheriffe of the out-shiere to pay nothing for the maintenance of the Minister more then their owne mind shall voluntarie condescend vnto or order taken vpon their agreement at the Hall shall make them liable vnto And therefore it seemes a thing most absurd and verie vnreasonable that Personall Tithes of Artificers trades-men and Merchants should be demaunded By which meanes they sad and dull the hearts of their Ministers by a couetous and vnconscionable prescription to allow him nothing but his two-pennie offrings at Easter and a verie small quillet not to be accounted of beside But they must vnderstand that first at least a personall Tithe is due which that poore portion no way doth counteruaile by a thousand part Secondly if not in act yet in equitie some proportionate summe vnto that which God and man hath indifferently set downe And of this assertion I haue these reasons beside those I haue set downe in generall 1. It is the dictate of nature and positiue law of God to honour God with our riches and the good things of this life as is Gods ordinance and as the holy men of God haue done Abraham Iacob and all the holy nation and all our countrie beside What charter then or charitie what custome or conscience can be pretended to free vs from that which all the Christian world nay all the Vniuersall world are bound vnto They may obiect that one man may serue that turne for a whole Citie or Towne and for one man their maintenance may be sufficient First it is not credible or possible that any one should feed more thousands with a morsell of bread then euer Christ fedde with 7. loaues and 2. fishes Besides what Stento●s voice or Eolus lungs or iron sides may be sufficient to stretch to so many thousands but that is as grosse as all the rest that he that should take so much paines should haue no more then that slender reward 2. Will not God at his generall Audit obiect this vnto such that labourers in the Countrie and fishermen in poore Townes of the coast whom he neuer honoured with the tenth of their ease the twentieth of their opportunity the hundreth part of their happines yet returne him by Tithe a couuenient portion of their labours his blessing but these that ought to haue been manie miles before them in godlines come short of them many leagues in gratefullnesse The parable of the talents is well knowne and remembred but not euer practised and therefore God many times sends vs other remembrancers Pirats at sea and prowlers at land to consume our substance bringing men ofttimes from the wealth and pride of the Cittie to the want and drudgerie of the Countrie for such forgetfullnesse and contempt 3. The seruice vnder the law was a costly seruice where men were to allocate the third part of their estate to the ministration of the Tabernacle what by sacrifices of all sorts what by peculiar charges rising on some occasions but vnder Poperie this charge was doubled and trebled where the third part of the land went to the blinde and the lame Clergie From the first we are freed by Christ from the second by Christian Princes What to be exempt as by a Magna Charta from all suit and seruice that belongs to God No but wee are still tied to performe to God an honorable seruice that his Gospel may be continued his praier perpetuated his ministers maintained his houses repaired his members comforted his infanterie nursed his seruants saued What pittie is it then to see so many sheep without shepheards so many shepheards without meanes that of so many parishes as are many times found in such places all the wages of single and double halls together not able to amount to one sufficient stipend of a good Minister that is to say where the most housholders shal giue a matter of two shillings two pence to his Minister by the yeare and the best but fowre shillings fowre pence I speake within compasse vnder 5. shillings and yet some of these men by their owne esteem and other mens worth many thousands and as they are merchants may gaine many hundreds of pounds that yeere And where I may be challenged that euen this in all the Towne and Citie through may rise to more then a competent liuing for one man though I spake of no more then the parish maintenance I will put all the Lecturers wages in beside it will not so bee more then enough or competent when all can accrew hardly to 200. pounds by the yeare and that to such a man as I speak of and they should labour for yet scarce competent for why should we not value a godly learned well borne man and Minister in equal ranke with the best merchant when as in such an one the

again Some other he diuerteth from the Gospel with too much abundance for when the word of God is plentifully taught many fall a loathing and neglecting of it and fewe will set their sonnes to schoole or to diuinitie but apply them rather to more gainfull trades It is not then without need that Paul warnes all Auditors to communicate with their Pastors in all their goods it being sit and equal to requite spiritual things with temporall But both Court and country towne and citie doth abuse this doctrine at this day vnder colour thereof to inrich themselues In Poperie great summes were giuen vnto the Priests for masses dirges trentals and such trash begging Friers had likewise their shares besides that which pardons indulgences and other Antichristian merchandize carried away from these and a number more the like extortions we are freed by the Gospell but we are so farre from thankefulnesse to God that of prodigall giuers we are become sacrilegious takers and grow lame-handed for bestowing any thing vpon the religion and Saints of God which is an infallible token that men haue lost both the word and saith and all goodnesse together for it is impossible for such as are religious indeede to see their Pastors liue in want and necessitie For as much then as they ioy to see their ministers bare and poore keeping their liuings from them or not paying them so sincerely as they should it is more then manifest that they are worse then the very heathen But they shall feele ere long what will followe vpon this in gratitude by the losse both of temporall and spirituall blessings for it is impossible but this sinne must bee both speedily and heauily auenged and I am perswaded that the Churches of Galatia Corinth and the rest were so pestered with false Apostles for no other cause but the small account they made of their true teachers for it is a iust reward that they that wil not giue a penie to God the author of all blessings and goodnesse should giue pounds to the deuill the author of all euill and euerlasting miserie and that hee that will not serue God with a little to his owne eternall renumeration should serue the deuil with much to his vtter and ineuitable confusion Neuerthelesse it is not the Apostles meaning that men should giue away all that they haue but onely such liberall maintenance that their Ministers may liue in honest and decent fashion And this he prosecuteth further adding a fearefull commination to his former reproofe and exhortation saying God is not mocked where he toucheth to the quicke the peruersenesse of men who proudly and profanely despise their ministers and make themselues sport with their miseries as great men for the most part doe that make their Pastors their very abiects and vassals so that if we had not a godly Prince we had long ere this been driuen out of the Country For when the Pastors demaund their dues or complaine of their wants the fashion of men is to exclaime that Priests are couetous and would haue they know not what no man is able to satisfie their asking if they were true Gospellers indeede they should possesse nothing but in great perfection follow their master Christ Therefore the Apostle grieuously threatneth such mockers and blasphemers so despitefully and inhumanely scorning and insulting on their poore ministers yet forsooth will seem great gospellers as if hee should say Beware you despisers although God deferre his punishment for a season yen in his good time he will finde you out and punish you for this profanenesse and hate against his ministers you deceiue not him but your selues and your wrong will not pertaine to him but returne into your bosome And yet our proud Gentlemen and Citizens are little mooued with these dreadfull threats who at their death shall well vnderstand that they haue not mocked vs but themselues in the mean time howsoeuer superciliously they laugh at our present admonitions we will speake this to our owne comfort knowing it is better to receiue then to infer wrong for patience is euer ioyned with innocence and God will not suffer vs to want but when the Lions shall lacke we shall haue enough Thus far that great and worthie man of God D. Luther whose pen and paines God did so powerfully vse and blesse in the worke of the restauration of the world Vnto whom I will adioyne another great instrument of Gods glorie and the light of his Church Iohn Caluin whose name hath terror attending on it in the Kingdome of Poperie to this day Where let me obserue one thing very remarkeable that these great Saints so mightie in word and deed yet hauing done what was in men to doe against false doctrine yet could neuer put out this inbred irreligion as if this sinne were in the Church as it is written of the heart in the bodie primum viuens vltimum moriens or like death the first and last enemie we should encounter But what saith M. Caluin we must needs confesse that our bowels are of iron and our hearts of brasse that are no more touched with the reading of this story where the faithfull giue so bountifully that which they had whereas we at this day cannot be content to hold our owne hands from giuing any thing onely but most iniuriously take away also that which is giuen by other they did simply and honestly dedicate their owne we deuise a thousand euill shifts to hooke and catch that which other haue bestowed they laid downe theirs at the Apostles feete we take from thence that which is giuen to God there men sold their possessions to giue to godly vses here wee buy and purchase all we can then euerie one gaue somewhat to the Church and the poore now men are so inhumane that they enuie the poore the commonest things of this life the very Elements of nature this must shame vs and teach vs another lesson c. so M. Caluin Last of all that famous man of worthie memorie M. William Perkins whom I may terme in some sort the Father of the Prophets or at lest a learned man that finished that worke of his but out of his notes as I take it complaineth in this manner We may hence collect saith he the great want of deuotion in the most men of these dayes for as the c●ie of the poore in the streetes is an argument of the lacke of mercie among vs so the number of the needie and wandering Leuites which offer themselues to serue for a morsell of bread and a sute of apparell is a pregnant proofe there is no deuotion for the maintenance of religion especially in those that are so straight laced in bestowing any thing for the good of Gods Ministers and yet in keeping of hounds and hawks and worse matters players and iesters yea fooles and flatterers are lauish and profuse This hath bin the practise of the world and the condition of the Ministers in all times