Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	act_n	church_n	parliament_n	3,629	5	6.4769	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85957	The fort-royal of Christianity defended. Or, a demonstration of the divinity of scripture, by way of excellency called the Bible. With a discussion of some of the great controversies in religion, about universal redemption, free-will, original sin, &c. For the establishing of Christians in truth in these atheistical trying times. / By Thomas Gery, B.D. and Rector of Barwell in Leicestershire.	Gery, Thomas, d. 1670?	1657 (1657)	Wing G618; Thomason E1702_1; ESTC R209377	93,977	264

In the Old Testament God commanded that the Levites who were the persons set apart to attend upon the service of God in those times under the Law as the Ministers of the word are under the Gospel should have allowance both by Tithes and other emoluments and profits out of sacrifices and oblations as every one knows and moreover they had given them by God's appointment 48. Cities with their suburbs and land annexed and appropriated to every one of them extending in quantity to 2000. Cubits of ground round about every City as it 's recorded in the 25th Chapter of the Book of Numbers and the first verse and so forward Secondly In the new Testament our Saviour Christ sending forth his 70. disciples to preach the Gospel bids them take neither bag nor scrip nor shooes but to eat and drink with those into whose houses they entred for the labourer is worthy of his hire Luke 10.4 5 6 7. verses S. Paul also justifies this at large and several times in 1 Cor. 9.9 10 11. verses He writes thus It is written in the Law of Moses Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corn Doth God take care for Oxen or saith he it altogether for our sakes for our sakes no doubt this is written that he that ploweth should plow in hope and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope If we have sowen unto you spiritual things is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things And then he addeth in the 23. verse Do you not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the Temple and they which wait at the Altar are partakers with the Altar even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospell should live of the Gospell Here is no ambiguity nor obscurity in this Text but a plain and punctual affirmation that they which preach the Gospel should have their maintenance and livelihood for preaching of it But see yet further proof hereof to beat down if it may that unreasonable and unjust desire that is in some niggardly people who would have Ministers do all their work and labour for nothing Gal. 6.6 The Apostle gives this precept Let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth in all good things And again in 1 Tim. 5.17 18. verses Let the elders which rule well be counted worthy of double honour especially they who labour in the word and doctrine For the Scripture saith Thou shalt not muzzle the Oxe that treadeth out the corn and the labourer is worthy of his reward Here then is plentiful proof of Scripture for the justification of this point But now see it proved also by force of reason which I have learned out of Scripture also namely out of 1 Cor. 9.7 8 12. here the Apostle reasons after this manner Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof or who feedeth a flock and eateth not of the milk of the flock Say I these things as a man or saith not the Law the same also And then in the verses following rehearsed before applies it to the Ministers of the Gospel As if he should have said Every vocation and profession from the highest to the lowest from the King to the day-labourer affords some emolument and recompence to them that labour in them this cannot be denied And therefore if all other men live by their functions and callings it 's just that Ministers also should also live by theirs Again I read in Scripture namely in 1 Tim. 3.2 That a Bishop should be hospitable Now if people should afford him no allowance and compensation for his labour and pains but rather subduct that which hath been formerly given both by God as I shall make appear hereafter and devout men to the support of the Ministry I demand which I know cannot be rationally answered by what means a Bishop should maintain hospitallity So that very reason equity and justice claim an allowance to be yielded to the maintenance of the Ministry 2. Now I shall prove That it stands with equity and justice That Ministers have Tithes for their allowance And this I prove four ways or by four Arguments Argument 1. First Because God himself appointed this payment of Tithes first to his Ministers the Levites as was mentioned before in way of compensation for their work of the Ministry And therefore it stands with equity and justice because it hath him for the first Author who doth all things justly Argument 2. Secondly Because the payment of Tithes hath been used and continued here in England many hundred years by the appointment of the supreame Magistrates from time to time without any interruption and hath been also confirmed and established by sundry laws under the Saxon Kings of this Realm long before the Conquest and by many Acts of Parliament since in their several Ages which never yet were repealed Who herein have followed the pattern which God had set them so that to charge them with injustice herein is both against Reason Religion Duty and charity From whence it 's clear that Beneficed Ministers of the Church of England in their several respective Incumbencies have as full just and legal title and claim to their Tithes and as much right thereunto as any Lord of a Mannour Freeholder or other person hath to any of the Lands or Goods whereof he standeth possessed to wit Per Leges Consuetudines Angliae Wherefore seeing it's evident out of the Chronicles and Histories of the Politick Government of this Nation that Tithes have been so long alienated from the Layity and dedicated and given to the maintenance of the Ministry by those persons in supreme power from whom Lay-mens title to their Lands and to the other nine parts of the increase and fruits of the same was derived it 's therefore contrary to all equity and reason that they should claim any property or interest in Tithes now who have been so long time out of possession of them and divested of all interest and property in them Argument 3. Thirdly Because Tithes are assigned to the Ministers in England by the peoples own consent and Vote in Parliament For the Parliaments Vote is their Vote the Parliament being the Representative body of all the people in the Land Furthermore it 's also to be considered for the defence of the justice of the peoples payment of Tithes to Ministers that seeing it 's not nominated in the New Testament where a compensation is allowed and enjoyned for the work of the Ministry what or how much this compensation or allowance shall be therefore there was great equity that the supreme lawful Magistrate and the Parliament should determine and appoint what it should be as being the fittest intermediate Judges between the Ministers and the People For it was neither fit that Ministers should have

what they would demand for then it's probable some would have too much nor yet that people should give them but what they pleased for then it's more then probable they would give too little It remains therefore that the payment of Tithes to Ministers as the case stands here in England is both equal and just as being justified both by the Law of God and man and by the peoples own assent and Vote in Parliament And that therefore all Opposers of the same are by necessary consequence Opposers both of the Law of God and the lawful Magistrate and their own Vote Argument 4. I come now to a fourth and last argument for proofe of this point of the Clergies just title to Tithes which though it will be most cavilled at by Gainsayers yet to such as are truly religious and not possest with prejudice it will be of very great force to bend and bind their consciences to a free and a full acknowledgement of this truth I find in Scripture by comparing one Text with another that God himself in his first general Grant to Adam and his posterity of a Soveraignty over and a free use of these inferiour creatures mentioned Gen. 1.28 did reserve a Tenth out of the fruits of the land to himself which afterwards namely when he had instituted a Ministerial and Sacerdotal function for the performance of the publique duties of his own worship and service he gave to those that did officiate therein And therefore to that Function they belong still and are not alienable from it by any power on Earth because annexed appended and appropriated to it by a Divine Donation To make good this Argument I have two things to prove First that God reserved to himself a Tenth out of the increase and fruits of the Earth when he conferred upon Adam a power and property over these things below Secondly that he assigned and gave the same Tenth to the Priesthood for the support of his own Worship and Service For proof of the former I bring these three Texts of Scripture The first is in Gen. 28.21 22. Where I find the Patriarch Jacob vowing these two duties to God 1. His faith and affiance in God in these words Then shall the Lord be my God 2. His payment of Tithe to God in these words and I will surely give the tenth unto thee By which latter speech it appears that the Tenth of his increase was due to God For if it be objected that the payment of the Tenth to God might be a voluntary oblation and not a due or duty formerly belonging unto God To this I answer that the former branch of his vow being a necessary duty which he did owe unto God it 's very probable that this latter branch which is coupled with it should be a voluntary oblation but most probably that it was a duty of right appertaining to God as well as the other The second proof of Scripture which I produce is in Levit. 27.30 Where the Lord himself speaks thus to Moses All the Tithe of the land whether of the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree it is the Lord's it is holy unto the Lord. Here we have a special and peculiar appropriation of Tithes to Almighty God signified from his own mouth The third proof is in Mal. 3.8 where God again speaks after this manner Will a man rob God yet ye have robbed me but ye say wherein have we robbed thee in tithes and offerings This appropriation of Tithes to God in both these latter Texts argues undeniably a more special and peculiar right and property in them then appertains to him by his general right of creation which in all probability was a reservation of them to himself when he granted to man a Lordship and property in and over these sublunary and inferiour creatures And these he reserved as appeared by his disposal of them afterward for the maintenance and support of his own solemn worship and service as fore-seeing how penurious tenacious and strait-handed people would be in contributing to the support and furtherance of the same And that this is so may more clearly appear these two ways or by these two considerations First Because this claim was made by God before his institution of the Levitical function to which he gave the Tithes afterwards so that God could not then claim them in any reference to the Levites as otherwise might have been supposed because they were not appointed to their Sacerdotal office till afterwards as is manifested by the story following in the first and third Chapters of the book of Numbers where their first institution is recorded 2. Secondly Because God could not have claimed them as his own in this distinct way and sense from the rest if he had given them before to Adam And therefore this peculiar claim and property which God challengeth to Tithes which is in effect a denial of them to belong to man speaketh his reservation of them to himself when he first passed his original grant of all things here below to Adam 2. Secondly I have yet to prove that God gave these Tithes which he had reserved to himself to the Priests and Levites And this I prove by three Texts of Scripture First I read in Gen. 14.18.19 20. verses That when Melchi-zedek the Priest of the most high God had blessed the Patriarch Abraham he gave him Tithes of all that is Abraham gave Melchi-zedek the Priest the tenth of the spoyls that he had gotten in a battel as it 's expressed Heb. 7.4 This we may not imagine to be done by Abraham without special warrant from God though the Scripture makes no mention thereof as who is so highly commended in Scripture for his faith and upright walking with God And by this fact it appears that God appointed Tithes to be given to his Priests this being the first mention that is made of them in Scripture Secondly It 's clearly proved by a manifest of God's donation of Tithes to the Levites in Numb 18 21 24 25 26. verses where the Lord tells Aaron three several times that he had given the tithe of the children of Israel to the Levites Thirdly It 's affirmed by the Apostle Heb. 7.5 where we find it thus written And verily they that are of the sons of Levi who receive the office of the Priest-hood have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the Law Now from the premises I collect that Tithes are due to God's Ministers by divine right as who have a just title unto them by a special donation and grant from God himself to whom they primitively belonged as hath been demonstrated And that therefore to alienate them from the Ministry and to put them into the hands of the Laity is apparent and manifest sacriledge I will make a short answer to the ridiculous objections of some irrational unjust and covetous people against the payment of Tithes and so conclude 1. Objection