Selected quad for the lemma: end_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
end_n	law_n	priesthood_n	tithe_n	1,449	5	10.7437	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77147	Something concerning the proceedings of Thomas Willmate, vicar of the parish of Bromsgrove, in the county of Worcester, against me John Boweter, (who am a prisoner for the testimony of Christ Jesus) with a salutation of love to my loving and kind neighbours.	J. B. (John Bowater), d. 1704.	1681 (1681)	Wing B3870B; ESTC R221226	6,599	9

Something concerning the Proceedings of Thomas Willmate Vicar of the Parish of Bromsgrove in the County of Worcester against me John Boweter who am a Prisoner for the Testimony of Christ Jesus with a Salutation of Love to my loving and kind Neighbours MAny have been the Troubles of the Righteous but the Lord hath been their Deliverer who said I will not leave you Comfortless He hath been a Comfort unto us in the time of our Affliction who hath made a Prison like a Palace unto us as in faithfulness we have given up all for his Name-sake and suffered the spoiling of our Goods chearfully we have not lost our Reward we have had peace in the Lord when our Adversaries have been tormented and the Promise of Christ in the World to come which is Life Everlasting And the Apostle Paul who had a part in sufferings said I reckon the Sufferings of this present Life is not to be compared to the Glory that shall be revealed This is that which makes our Sufferings comfortable unto us this Recompence Moses had an Eye unto who refused the Glory of Aegypt chusing rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God than to enjoy the Pleasures of Sin for a season counting the Reproach of Christ greater Riches than all the Treasure of Aegypt But some may say Ye Quakers thrust your selves into Sufferings What matter of Conscience is it to detain your Tythe from a Minister To this I Answer Some years ago Thomas Willmate Vicar of the Parish of Bromsgrove a profest Minister of the Gospel but not in the Practice of the true Gospel Ministers in the primitive Times in which Parish I have had my abode from my Childhood he sending to me to demand Tythe I not being satisfied in my Spirit concerning paying Tythe in these Gospel times I went unto him expecting he might have satisfied me or he have been satisfied with my Proposal which was this If he could prove himself a Minister of the Gospel and Tythe a Gospel Maintenance I would pay him Tythe But being he neither did nor could make out to me by the Scripture I refused to pay him because Christ who is a Priest unto God and hath put an end to that Priesthood that Tythe was to be paid unto said Every Plant that my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up Mat. 15.13 I never read in the Scripture of the New Testament that Christ ever ordained Tythe to be a Maintenance for his Ministers neither was Tythe established by his holy Apostles for a Maintenance for Ministers but rather in the time of Popery when that Apostatizing Spirit was entred of which Jude spoke Jude 11. Who run greedily after the Error of Balaam for Reward who were not content with such things as were set before them stirred up the Rulers to make Laws to compel a Maintenance being departed from that purity that was in the primitive Church and so not content to receive freely of the Lord and so to administer freely but in the steps of those Christ spoke of That should come in Sheeps Cloathing but inwardly ravening Wolves Tythe was not a Maintenance appointed by Christ nor his Apostles for Ministers for it belonged to the Tribe of Levi in the time of the Law who were for the offering up of Sacrifices they were to set open their Gates that the Widdow Fatherless and Strangers might be relieved But Christ being come and offered up became the compleat Sacrifice to God for us and a Reconciler betwixt God and Man and so no need of that Priesthood now The Priesthood being changed there is made of necessity a change of the Law also Heb. 7. But some may say Did not Christ say in Luke 11.42 Ye Tythe Mint Rue and all manner of Herbs these things ye ought to do Answ This was not spoke to his Ministers nor to Christians to establish Tythe amongst them but to those that were under the Law and were boasting of their Righteousness under the Law for Christ said Wo unto you Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites for ye pay Tythe of Mint Annis c. and omit or neglect the weighty matters of the Law Mat. 23.23 These were not Christians but were under the Law which Law Christ came to fulfill and did fulfill the Law which was a Shadow of the good things to come Now Christ who is the Substance being come the Shadows were to pass away And so Christ being the end of the Law for Righteousness sake to every one that believes Rom. 10.4 Who being nailed to the Cross became a Sacrifice acceptable with the Father And so this acceptable Sacrifice being once offered up for all there is no need now of those former Shadows nor Ceremonies that were in the time of the Law No need now of those Priests to offer up Sacrifices No need now of offering as formerly for Christ is the Offering acceptable with God whom God raised up from the dead he hath led Captivity captive and given Gifts unto men by which Gifts of his holy Spirit many were furnished for the Work of the Ministry and were faithful Labourers in the Work and Service of the Lord not seeking their own Honour but the Honour of God and the Good of Souls Not coveting any mans Silver Gold or Apparel but labouring to bring them unto the Lord These freely received of the Lord and as good Stewards of the manifold Grace of God administred freely these did not seek after the Fleece but to gather the Flock and to Feed the Flock of God taking the Oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy Lucre but of a ready Mind not as Lords over Gods Heritage but Examples to the Flock But there were some in those dayes began to creep in amongst the Apostles such as Christ spoke of That should come in Sheeps Clothing but inwardly were ravening Wolves whom the Apostle said were Enemies to the Cross of Christ whose end was Destruction whose God was their Belly whose Glory is their Shame who mind Earthly things And the Apostle Peter in 2 Pet 2.23 said There were false Prophets amongst the People even as there shall be false Teachers amongst you who privily shall bring in damnable Heresie even denying the Lord that bought them who with feigned Words and fair Speeches and through Covetousness make Merchandize of you as the said Thomas Willmate hath of me in hunting after me with Writ upon Writ and hurrying me from Prison to Prison who contented not himself in keeping me a Prisoner in Worcester-County-Goal about a year and a half because I for Conscience towards the Lord could not pay him Tythe and Offerings to the Value of Six Shillings I could not so far deny my Lord and Master to be come in the Flesh as to pay Tythe and Offerings now in these Gospel times Christ being come who is a Priest forever and the Offering acceptable with the Father But this Merciless man hath removed me to London to the

Fleet-Prison that my Children might be as it were Fatherless who had need of a Father to counsel them though I never eat of his Bread nor imploy'd him in any Business neither received any thing from him but he like the false Prophets in Micah 3.5 And he that putteth not into their Mouthes they even prepare War against him And as Ezekiel said Ezek. 34.2 3 4. Wo be to the Shepherds that do feed themselves Should not the Shepherds feed the Flocks Ye eat the Fat and clothe you with the Wool but the Diseased strengthened they not neither have ye healed them which were Sick but with Force and with Cruelty have ye ruled them The Lord said He was against the Shepherds that did feed themselves and he will deliver his Sheep from their Mouthes that they may not be a Prey unto them any longer And I may say out of the hands of such unreasonable men the Lord deliver me yet I can truly say Father forgive him Lord lay not this Sin to his charge I am a Prisoner at the Fleet-Prison and am one that loves the good of Sion and desireth the Prosperity of Israel and prayeth That Truth Righteousness may be set up in the Earth London the 26th of the 10th Moneth 1681. John Boweter A Salutation of Love from a Prisoner for the Testimony of Christ Jesus to his loving and kind Neighbours FRiends and Neighbours in and about Bromsgrove amongst whom I have had my abode from my Childhood I understanding many of you are concerned for me and dissatisfied concerning my present Sufferings which with a Spirit of Meekness and Moderation I shall endeavour to satisfie if it may be Now Friends we have all one Master that we must either stand or fall to for we must all give an Account to God of our Deeds done in the Body whether they be Good or whether they be Evil which I desire to stand Approved before And although some may account my Sufferings Frivolous or out of a Stubborn Will I do desire to appeal unto the Lord who knoweth the Integrity of my Heart and that knoweth all things that it is not in a Stubborn Will nor in contempt of Authority but in obedience unto the Lord to bear a Testimony against those who profess themselves Ministers of the Gospel walk contrary to the command of Christ and Examples of the true Ministers in the Primitive Time Now it may be said That every Soul ought to be subject unto the higher Powers which my Soul desires to be and to submit to Magistrates in their places so that I may keep my Conscience clear unto the Lord and to pay Tribute to the King who is set over us as a Ruler to defend our Just Rights in outward things but our Conscience we must keep clear unto the Lord for he must rule there for God must have his Due as well as Caesar his We do not read in the Scriptures that it belonged to Caesar to chuse Prophets or Priests in the time of the Law that was God's Due and Work and belonged unto him who made use of Aaron to be as a Mouth and Priest unto Israel and chose the Tribe of Levi to perform the Priesthood under the Law and gave them the Tenth of the encrease who were to have no other Inheritance amongst their Brethren but the Tenth was their Portion in the old Covenant who stood untill the time of Reformation and remained for the offering up of Sacrifices untill Christ the acceptable Sacrifice was offered up Who offered himself up once for all and put an end to that Priesthood under the Law which continued not by reason of Death and so stands as Priest forever who ever liveth to make Intercession for us Heb. 7.23 24 25. And so this Priesthood which was maintained by Tythe is Changed and that Law also vers 12. For Christ is to be Prophet Priest and Lawgiver and it is he only and alone that chuseth Ministers and fitteth them for his Use and Service and sends them forth and takes care of them who sent them forth as Lambs amongst Wolves and were not to take thought what to eat or what to put on but to enquire Who was worthy and to eat such things as were set before them They were not to Compel a Tenth of Peoples Labours for they had no such Command for that Priesthood that took Tythe was to cease Christ's Ministers received Freely of him and were to administer Freely And so it was not Caesars due nor place to chuse Ministers appoint Maintenance for them but God's and Christ's Due And so we must give Caesar his Due in outward Things and God and Christ their Due in spiritual Things and in chusing Ministers for themselves and appointing them a Maintenance The Apostle said He was not made a Minister by the Will of Man nor received his Gospel from Man neither was taught it of Man but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ Gal. 1.1 11 12. And the holy Ghost said Separate Barnabas and Saul for the Work I have for them to do and they were sent by the holy Ghost Acts 13.2 3 4. And these whom the Lord chose were not sent to Schools to learn Latin Greek and Hebrew to make them Gospel-Ministers which are but Natural Languages and then to a Colledge to take their Degrees as Batchelors of Art and Masters of Art for Christ commanded his Ministers not to be called Masters Mat. 23.10 and Batchelors of Divinity and Doctors of Divinity and if they can make Friends with Money or otherwise they may be made Lord Bishops or Deans and have Hundreds or Thousands by the Year which all is come in since the Apostles days and since Popery came up in the dark night of Apostacy For we do not read in the Scriptures of Truth of a Lord Bishop they were not to be Lords over Gods Heritage 1 Pet. 1.1 2 3. There you may read they were not to compel a Tenth of Peoples Labours but to feed the Flock of God taking the oversight thereof not by Constraint but Willingly not for filthy Lucre but with a ready Mind And when the chief Shepherd shall appear they shall have a Crown of Life that fadeth not away But these who are made Ministers by Man taking their Degrees from Schools and Colledges they exercise Lordship over People he that for Conscience-sake cannot answer their corrupt Greedy Mind they soon make use of a Law against them and it may be for the value of Five or Six Shillings will cast a man into Prison and there keep him it may be Moneths Years or for term of Life We do not read of such Proceedings amongst the true Christians And they will tell us It is the Law that takes hold of us like the Jews who were stirred up by the chief Priests against Christ our Lord Master to put him to Death Pilate finding him a Just Man and nothing worthy of Death they said We have a Law and by