Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A07316
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A nevv eight-fold probation of the Church of Englands divine constitution prooved by many pregnant arguments, to be much more complete then any Geneuian in the world against the contrary assertion of the fifty three petitioner-preachers of Scotland in their petition presented in the later Parliament to the Kings most excellent Maiesty. With a ten-folde probation of the same churches doctrine touching one of the most important points of our creede, which is of our sauiours descending into Hell. By Iames Maxvvell. Master of Artes, &c.
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Maxwell, James, b. 1581.
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1617
(1617)
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STC 17704; ESTC S103373
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82,870
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119
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Saint Iohn writing vnto the Angels or Bishops of the seauen Churches of Asia calleth them Priests like as the foure and twentie Elders in heauen doe call themselues Priests and Iesus Christ himselfe is called a Priest yea more an high or chiefe Priest and consequently must haue inferiour Priests vnder him And such are the Ministers of the Gospell in England the which stile whilest our Genenians cannot endure no more then the white Surplisse and the artificiall singing I wonder what they meane to do in heauen where Saint Iohn saw so many Priests so many white habits and heard such harmonie and musicall melodie Now the honourable titles that God hath vouchsafed his Ministers doe show that it is his will Deut. 10 9 12 19 24 23 25 Numb 18.12 13 17 18 19 20 21 2 23 24 1. Cor. 9.7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Heb. 10. 1. Tim. 5.17 18 they should haue a more honourable maintenance then Geneua doth allow them in their beggarly contributions The Priests and Ministers of the Gospell haue succeeded into the roome of the legall Priests and Ministers of the Tabernacle and therefore they haue succeeded to their maintenance and so much the more because these serue him in a more excellent manner then the other did And if hee would not haue his Ministers to begge vnder the law or yet to depend vpon popular beneuolences shall wee thinke that hee would haue his Ministers vnder the Gospell to be subiect to such a beggarly condition Euery prouident wise master prouideth for his houshold and seruants Leuit. 27.30 31 32. Deut. 12.17 18 19 14 22 23 27 29 26 Numb 18. Nehem. 10.35 36 37 38 39. Iosh 13.14 33. 2. Chron. 31.4 5 6 7 8 Ezech. 44 28 29 30 2. Tim. 2.6 Luk. 10.2.7 1. Tim. 5.18 Mat. 9.37 38. wherefore it followeth that God who is the most prouident and wise Master of all other hath prouided for the maintenance of his houshold seruants and we know none other but first fruites and tithes all labourers haue certaine standing wages the Ministers of the Gospell are Gods labourers therefore they ought to haue their standing wages likewise and wee read of none other except first fruites and tithes And therefore we see how our Sauiour forbiddeth his Apostles to goe from house to house telling them that the workeman is worthy of his hire And truly if hee would not haue his Apostles to goe from house to house euen in that time when tithes were withholden from them by the Iewish clergie shall we thinke that now when the Iewish clergie is abolished he would haue his Ministers of the Gospell to goe from house to house or yet to send from house to house to begge the peoples beneuolences Those that withheld from Christs Apostles and Ministers the duty of first fruites and tithes were such as persecuted both them and Christ and crucified him in the end Deut. 10 9 12 19 14 23.29 2. Chron. 31.4 Prouerb 3.9 10. and such God spoiling Gospellers as doe now adaies withhold the Church-rents from Churchmen what doe they else but persecute Gods Ministers and crucifie Christ daily in his members The ends of paying first fruites and tithes vnto Gods Priests are perpetuall to wit that the Ministers of God may bee maintained and not forsaken but more and more encouraged in the seruice of God that God may be honoured with our riches and acknowledged to bee our great Land-lord and good Lord that we may learne to feare the Lord and that hee may blesse vs in all the workes of our hands that so our store may be increased and our barnes filled with abundance are not Christians Gods tenants farmers and vassals as well as were the Iewes and doe we not hold all that we haue of God as well as they and are we not bound to pay our annuall rents vnto God as duly and truly as they and what reason haue Christians to forsake their Ministers more then the Iewes had and doe not the one deserue aswell to bee liberally maintained and encouraged in their worke as the other and haue not Christians as great cause to learne to feare God as the Iewes had finally doe not Christians desire as earnestly as the Iewes did to be blessed in the workes of their hands and in the encrease of their store wherefore it followeth necessarily that we Christians must pay our Tithes as truly and duly as did the Iewes 1. Tim. 5 17 18. 1. Cor. 9.7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. And therefore the blessed Apostle as he commendeth vnto Christians the honourable and liberall maintenance of the Mininistery right diligently writing to the Corinthians and euen prooueth by the law of Moses the right that the Ministers of the Gospell haue vnto our carnall things and euen vnto such carnall things as both Moses doth prescribe in his Law and the Apostle himselfe doth mention entreating of this matter comprehending them vnder these two kinds the fruits of the field and the flockes of the fold so writing to the Galathians he enioyneth in expresse words Heb 13.7 Galat. 6.6 euery one that is taught in the word to make him that hath taught him partaker of all his goods The people must giue a part of their goods vnto their Pastours as the Apostle prescribeth and all doe acknowledge to be reasonable now this part must either be equall vnto the Leuiticall part or greater then it or else smaller To giue them a smaller were a most vnreasonable indiscretion and a more then beastly ingratitude and if they will not nor cannot bestow a greater such as indeed it ought to be 2 Cor. 3.6 7 8 9 10 11. for looke how farre the ministerie of the Gospell is more excellent then that of the law so much the more ample and liberall ought to be the maintenance of the Ministers of the Gospell then was that of the Ministers of the Tabernacle yet at least for shame they must giue an equall portion with that of the legall Priests Lastly to shut vp this our reasoning for the perpetuitie of tithes for the honourable maintenance of Christs seruants for hereof wee haue written more amply in a worke published some fewe yeares agoe called the Golden art or the right way of Enriching dedicated to the two most famous and royall Cities of these two kingdoms I say that the holy Scripture setteth downe the paying of these yearely Church-rents amongst morall duties and accounteth of Sacriledge not as if it were the transgression of a ceremoniall ordinance but euen the violation of a morall law Will a man spoyle his Gods saith the Lord God by his Prophet Malachie yet ye haue spoyled me in tithes and in offerings Malacha 3 8. Prouerb 3.9 10 20.25 Honour the Lord saith Solomon with thy riches and with the first fruites of all thine encrease so shall thy barnes bee filled with abundance and thy presse shall burst with new