THE Antient Testimony OF THE Primitive Christians AND MARTYRS of JESUS CHRIST Revived against TYTHES Or A RELATION of the Sufferings of WILLIAM DOBSON of Slade-end in the Parish of BRIGHTWELL in BARKSHIRE because for Conscience-sake he could not pay Tythes unto RALPH WHISTLER Tyth-monger of the same Parish And for Thirteen Years was much Exercised by Imprisonment and loss of Goods And the last Day of the 3 d. Month call'd May 1677. Dyed a Prisoner for the same To which is anexed A short Account of the Sufferings of Michael Reynolds of FARRINGDON in the same County because he could not for Conscience-sake pay TYTHES to ROBERT PYE. Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for Us in the Flesh Arm your selves likewise witâ— the same mind For he that hath suffered in the Flesh ceased from Sin For the time paâ—… of our Life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles when we walked in wantonness Lusts Drunkenness and abominable Idolatries wherein they think it strange thaâ— you run not with them to the same Excess of Ryot speaking evil of You who shall give account to him that is ready to Judge the Quick and the Dead 1. Pet. 4.1,2,3,4,5 Having a good Conscience that whereas they speak evil of You as of Evil Doers theâ— may be ashamed that falsly accuse your good Conversation in Christ 1 Pet. 3.16 He that oppresseth the Poor to increase his Riches shall surely come to want LONDON Printed in the Year MDCLXXX To the Moderate READER FRIEND HOw great have been the Sufferings that many honest men yea such as truly feared the Lord and hated Covetousness have sustained and undergone and what spoil and havock have been made upon many peoples Goods within this 25 years and some have died in nasty Goals and Prisons whereby their VVives have been made VVidows and their Children left Fatherless Because they could not for Conscience-sake pay Tythes to Parish Ministers and Impropriators which is all one in the ground as hath been plainly manifested by many Testimonies that have been published which are extant in Print thaâ— Tythes as they are now forced and paid are Antichristian though there waâ— a time under the Law in which the Levitical Priesthood had a command tâ— receive Tythes of their brethren But after Christ Jesus came in the Flesh aâ—… was offered up which fulfilled the Law and first Covenant and put aâ— end to that Priesthood VVe find no President in the Holy-Scriptures of tâ—… New-Testament for the payment of Tythes but the contrary as may be sâ—… Heb. 7th chap. and so forward where the Apostle speaks much concerniâ—… the first Covenant Priesthood and Offerings appertaining thereunto aâ—… saith he The Priesthood being changed there is made of necessity â— change of the Law and so goes on speaking of Christ Jesus the one offâ—ring and everlasting High-Priest to them that believe as is largly treaâ—ed on there which the Reader may do well to peruse who desires satisfactioâ— therein And although the Children of Levi which received the office of that Priesâ—hood had a command to take according to the Law Tythes of their Brâ—thren yet we do not find they sued men at Law and took three times the valuâ— or ten times the value of such as refused to pay as some do now adays wâ—… can have no reasonable pretence to be of the Tribe of Levi but rather of thâ—… whom the Lord sent his Prophets to cry against who preached for hire aâ—… sought for their gain from their Quarter and cryed Peace Peace to such 〈◊〉 put into their mouths and them that put not into their mouths they preparâ—… VVar against as it is at this day And Christ Jesus when he sent forth his Ministers to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to heal the Sick cleanse the Leapers c. He bid them provide neither Gold nor Silver nor Brass in their Purses But freely ye have received freely give To preach freely the Gospel to all Nations and he that sent them out provided for them so that they wanted nothing And the great care of the true Ministers of Christ was that they might not make the Gospel chargable but rather wrought with their hands They did not settle themselves in large Benifices and make a bargain with the People for so much a year to be their Minister or Sue People for Maintainance but witnessed against such an hireling Ministry and their forced Maintainance also whose Testimony the Lord hath again revived The Martyrs likewise many of them did bear Testimony against Tythes and it was an Article amongst others for which some suffered in the burning Flames by the merciless Papists in Queen Maries days worthy of the remembrance of all true Christian Protestants So it is no new thing that the People of the Lord called Quakers have suffered so deeply for but the ancient Testimony to the Coming Death and Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ which they that plead for Tythes in this gospel-Gospel-day do in effect deny And as for our Friend William Dobson deceased we have this to say That his Neighbours and Country-men yea his very Enemies can tell he was an honest man a peacable quiet man And many who for many years were fellow Prisoners with him in Redding Goal can testifie from a certain knowledge if need were much concerning his Integrity to the Lord and his blessed Truth for he loved the Prosperity thereof and was a zealous Contender for the same a very plain man and of a quiet frame of Spirit very cheerful and loving and not given to change and in all his Exercises and Sufferings we never heard him in the least to murmur or complain but always freely given up in his Testimony for the unchangable truth wherein he was concerned being very well satisfied therein This in short is written not desiring to multiply Expressions in praise of our Friend but proceed to give an account of his Sufferings for the Truth sake and leave it upon Record to Posterity Published by some of the People called Quakers in Redding who were his Fellow-prisoners for many years THE Antient TESTIMONY OF THE Primitive CHRISTIANS And Martyrs of JESUS CHRIST Revived against Tyths c. IN the year 1664 which was not long after it pleased the Lord to reveal his truth and way everlasting unto William Dobson he was arrested because he conscientiously refus'd to pay Tythes at the Suit of R. Whistler and in the month called October was had to Redding Goal and kept 15 weeks and then some related to him without his knowledge paid R. W. his Demands and so was released for that time But the next year he was arrested again at R. W's Suit for Tythes and had to Redding Goal in the 11 month 1665 and kept there near 15 weekâ— and then was removed to Westminster London and made a Prisoner at the Fleet and in a short time after brought before the Court in Westminster where he was falsly accused with