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A65877 The pernicious way of the rigid presbyter and antichristian ministers detected and several weighty matters (in controversie, betwixt Sion and her adversaires, or between the true church and the false) discussed : to inform both magistrates, ministers, and people, Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723. 1662 (1662) Wing W1945; ESTC R22439 27,993 34

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THE Pernicious Way Of the Rigid PRESBYTER AND ANTICHRISTIAN MINISTERS DETECTED And several weighty Matters in Controversie betwixt Sion and her Adversaries or between the true Church and the false discussed To inform both Magistrates Ministers and People against the Spirit of Antichrist and Persecution Partly upon occasion of a Book entituled The QUAKERS LIBEL Answered by Creswel Whately who calls himself Minister of the GOSPEL To which is annexed Something concerning the true Christ and his being in his People In answer to Matthew Caffin his great Error and Mistake of the Quakers in his Book entituled Faith in God's Promises the Saints best Weapon LONDON Printed for Robert Wilson 1662. The Pernicious Way of the rigid PRESBYTER and Antichristian Ministers detected I. Touching Ministers Maintenance by Tithes and whether they be now of Divine right or no SInce that we have seen several of the National Ministers have let fall their Plea for Tithes upon a divine account and only have fled to the National Law and pleaded a civil Right to them they not being able by the Scriptures to maintain their Plea for them to be now of Divine Right due to the Ministry I find one Creswel Whately who calls himself a Minister of the Gospel who to shew his Ignorance and Confusion more than many others hath taken it upon him in his Book to vindicate Tithes upon a Scripture account as to be of Divine Right due to them And therefore let us a little in the first place see what he saith for them The said Creswel Whately saith Did not God appoint heretofore that there should be Tithes payed of all they had and in the Gospel he hath no where repealed that Command and that the Apostle upheld the Right of Tithes though he did forbear to take them in pag. 2. 17. of his Book To which I answer This would both make the Apostle a Transgressor if there were such a Command in force which he did not obey as this implies as also it would make him false in what he said in his Epistle to the Hebrews touching the change of the Priesthood that took the Tithes and the change of the Law and disannulling of the Commandement which the Sons of Levi had for Tithes which Priesthood Law and Commandement the Apostle plainly sheweth the change and end of as is apparent in that of Heb. 7. And as for God's ordaining That as they that Ministred at the Altar were partakers with the Altar even so hath ordained That they that Preach the Gospel shall live of the Gospel to which C. W. adds Is it not plain that as the Levites did partake with the Altar by taking Tithes even so must they that Preach the Gospel live of the Gospel namely by taking Tyths also To which I answer This is an absurd Argument and that which the true Ministers would be ashamed of for the Priests under the Law partaking with the Altar and the Ministers of Christ their living of the Gospel are two distinct things relating to several states and dispensations and living of the Gospel is not living of Tithes though as it was an Ordinance of God under the Law the Priests should partake with the Altar of Tithes and Offerings so it is an Ordinance of God under the Gospel that Christian Ministers should live of the Gospel which is a further state than the other and as the Gospel is free so living of it and being maintained according to it is not a living by Tyth●s and forced Maintenance neither do●h it follow that because God hath ordained the Livelyhood of both the Priests under the Law and Ministers of the Gospel that therefore the Ministers of the Gospel must be maintained as the Priests under the Law were as this pretended Minister of the Gospel hath implied For if it were so the Ministers of the Gospel must live by Tithes and Offerings as the Priests under the Law did Num. 18.9 10 24 26. which no true Minister will own And now to prove the Ministers taking Tithe-Corn Hay Calves Foals Wool Lambs Geese Hens Pigs c. C. W. instanceth Luk. 11.42 Of the Pharisees to whom woe belonged Tything of Mint Annis and Cummin c. To which I say this doth not at all make for their taking Tithe now as this man vainly imagines for it was in the time of the Law before either it or the Priesthood shadows under it were fulfilled or ended by Christ seeing it was before he was Crucified that he spoke these words Luk. 11.42 Mat. 23.23 So that in arguing for Tithes from that of Luk. 11.42 the Priests come very poorly and feebly off as C. W. hath done in his saying That all Tythes ought now to be payed as well as heretofore if we will follow the Rule of Jesus Christ under the Gospel c. This then would make the Apostle Paul and the rest of Christs Ministers Transgressors against Christ for they did not take Tythes nor forced Maintenance and this Priest VVhately hath confessed That Paul did forbear to take Tythes pag. 17. and so his words do tend to make Paul a Trangressor and a Hypocrite if he owned one thing in words and another thing in practice and certainly had the Apostle been of this Priests opinion that it was a Rule of Christ to take Tithes he would not have transgressed the Rule for there were several of the Churches to whom he Ministred that had been able to have payed him them had they been due under the Gospel And to that of Heb. 7.12 C. VV. answereth thus p. 16. It is here said there must of necessity be a change of the Law it is not said there must of necessity be a change of Tithes c. See what a false Gloss he would put upon the Scripture he would maintain Tithes as due by that Command by which they were upheld in the Law and yet the Law is changed which gave them What confusion is this If the Law for Tithes be changed where is the Command of it in force to uphold them now But the Apostle saith the Commandement is disannulled and the Law is changed and Christ is not a Priest after the Law of a carnal Commandement but after the Power of an endless Life Heb. 7.16 But saith C. VV. The Law which must of necessity be changed is the Ceremonial used under the Levitical Priesthood where there were many Types and Shadows of Christ c. all which and many other things that were Types of Christ are indeed abolished under the Gospel as Offerings and many other things c. but there is no resemblance between Tythes and the Lord Christ Tythes were no Type of Christ at all but a maintenance for the Ministers of Christ under the Law and so they ought to be a Maintenance for the Ministers of Christ under the Gospel c. I answer If Offerings that were under the Law were Types and Shadows of Christ then were Tithes for it was commanded that
the tenth of the Tithes should be offered an Heave-offering unto the Lord Num. 18.26 and the Tithes were given to the Priests for their Service at the Tabernacle Ver. 21. which Service Christ the One Offering hath ended And out of the Tithes the Fatherless Widows and Strangers were to be relieved and satisfied Deut. 14. and they were counted Robbers of God in the time of the Law who with-held their Tithes from the Store-house Mal. 3. where the Widows Fatherless and Strangers were to be relieved and not to lye begging in the Streets as they do here in this City and other places of the Nation but now Christ who is the end of the Law for Righteousness and of that Priesthood that took the Tythes he is the living Bread of Life which is known in the Fathers House and the Fruit of the Vine is known in him and received in his Kingdom by which they that come into his Light to believe and walk in it shall be fed and satisfied more than by the Tithe-Corn Wine Oyle and Firstlings of the Flocks which were but Types and Shadows of this living Bread which is in the House of the Lord by which they that have been as Widows without Christ the Husband and as Fatherless and Strangers may come to be fed relieved and satisfied as they come into the House of God And to tell of Tythes being a Maintenance for the Ministers of Christ under the Law and for the Ministers of Christ under the Gospel These are unsound expressions for the Ministers of Christ under the Gospel are come to a further state than the Priests under the Law who were Ministers of the Law and not called in Scripture Ministers of Christ for Christs Ministers are come to the end of the Law and of the Types and Shadows under it And as to C. W. his saying in pag 17. That the Levitical Priesthood is changed into the Priesthood which is after the order of Melchizedech which is never to be changed and that Melchizedech took Tythes who was the Type of Christ From whence he argues That therefore Tythes ought to be payed as well now as heretofore c. I answer 1. The Scripture doth not say that the Levitical Priesthood is changed into the Priesthood of Christ which is after the order of Melchizedech as in effect this Priest VVhately hath affirmed for Christ came of another Tribe than that of Levi for he came out of the Tribe of Judah of which Moses spake nothing concerning Priesthood Heb. 7.14 2. He granting that Melchizedech was a Type of Christ then Christ is the Substance and end of that Type and must the Type then be Preached up And no where do we read that Christ's Ministers did take Tythes or plead for them upon any such account or otherwise 3. Melchizedech his receiving the tenth of the Spoyle when Abraham did freely give it him this is no warrant or proof for the Priests receiving the tenths of mens Estates Increase and Labours whereby they oppress many poor labouring men 4. And Mechizedech receiving once the tenth of the Spoyle from Abraham when he returned from the slaughter of the Kings is no warrant or example for the Priests receiving Tythes every Year viz. Tithe-Corn Hay Calves Foals Wool Lambs Geese Hens Eggs Pigs Bees Apples Plumbs c. nor for their suing men at Law for Tithes nor for their compelling them from poor Husband-men for it was a free gift from Abraham that he gave to Melchizedech when Melchizedech met him with Bread and Wine Gen. 14. by which he relieved his men and it was the tenth of the Spoyle and not any thing forced from him by a Law nor a robbing the Poor So that if you Priests do take Melchizedech for your example why do you not follow him and here it is evident that you have manifested your selves to be Preachers up of Types and Shadows for your own ends and Bellies and so no true Ministers of Christ the Substance who is the end of them And Christ being a Priest after the Order of Melchizedech in that he was King of Righteousness and of Peace and Priest of the most High God and upon that account like unto the Son of God this is no Rule for Christ's Ministers either receiving Tythes of Spoyles taken in War or Tithes of mens Estates So that you who have upon this account pleaded for Tithes have shewed your selves to be in a Popish Practice and Institution which by the Papists was set up since the dayes of the Apostles and never commanded nor practiced by the Apostles And from that of 2 Cor. 11.8 C. VV. accuseth the Apostle with being chargeable and that he did make the Gospel chargeable pag. 6. 17. wherein he hath wronged the Apostle for though as by way of reproof to the Corinthians he saith He took wages of other Churches to do them Service which Churches were not of the World such as the Hirelings of this Age are chargeable to yet the Apostle saith VVhat is my reward then verily that when I Preach the Gospel I may make the Gospel of Christ without charge that I abuse not my Power in the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.18 2 Cor. 11.9 and so he kept the Gospel without charge contrary to this Priests accusation against him And as for C. VVhately his accusing us with refusing to pay Tythes as doing it rather for or out of covetousness than from a rectified conscience c. To which I need say little but the sad sufferings which we have sustained from the Priests many of us by long Imprisonments in nasty holes some till they have dyed in Prisons and the great Havock and spoyle they have made of many mens Goods because they could not for Conscience sake pay Tithes which is not unknown to the Nation These sad sufferings may all witness against this accusation to be false and against him as a slanderer that so accuseth us for refusing to pay Tithes out of covetousness II. Touching a settled Ministry And whereas C. VV. pleads for a settled Ministry and that when the Gospel was planted Elders in the Churches and in every City were chosen Act. 14.23 Tit. 1.5 Rev. 1. 2. Chap. 1 Pet. 5.1 To This I answer 1. If the Ministers of England were Planters of the Gospel as the Apostles and true Ministers were they would have the same Power to chuse and appoint Elders that would be able to take the care and over-sight over the Flock of God and then they would not settle themselves in Parishes great Livings as they do who are not willing to suffer any to preach there but themselves such as are brought up at Colledges for the Elders in the true Church were such as were to feed the Flock of God not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind and such gifted and qualified men did the Apostles approve of for that end 1 Pet. 5.2 3. 1 Tim. 5.17 Tit. 1.5 6 7.