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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	answer_n	letter_n	london_n	833	5	7.4937	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57824	Tythes ended by Christ with the Levitical priesthood and therefore no maintenance for a Gospel-ministry, nor lawful for Christians to pay or take under the dispensation of the Gospel : being an answer to two reviling pamphlets written against the people of God called Quakers, because they refuse to pay tythes : the one by C.N. a Presbyterian, and the other by Cress Wheatly, an Episcopal priest : the said C.N. and C.W. are herein justly rebuked for their enmity and lyes against the people of God, and their arguments and plea for tythes considered and fully answered, and the people of God vindicated in their refusing to pay tythes / by the servants of the Lord, T. Rudyard and W. Gibson ; also a postscript by George Watt ; also some brief observations upon some passages in a book, entituled, Christ's call to professors, by W.G.	Rudyard, Thomas, d. 1692.; Gibson, William, 1629-1684.; Watt, George, Lover of the truth. Tythes no Gospel-ordinance.	1673 (1673)	Wing R2183; ESTC R12032	26,888	46

Estate Labour Industry c. is backt with Reason The Law has a Maxime C●ssante rati●ne cessat ipsa lex such as is a Valuable Consideration for his Demands expect no less then that the Right I have purchased will defend me from all other Trivial and Vnjust Claims And except thou findest a good and just Foundation for the first Stablishment and Imposition of Tenths upon us look not to Impose either the Use of former Tenants Custom of the Nation Antiquity of Popes Decretals backt with Humane Laws since all manner of Wickedness Cruelty and Oppression have in one Age or other had as equal Colourable Authority to enforce their Continuance and Imposition upon the People Then which I see nothing offered by thee 4th Head To thy 4th Head What Right by Compact or Release from Man to Man Answ I see no more in this then thy be●ting again the former troden Path The Tenant has the Leaser's Right the Farm is the Tenant's the Rent the Land-lord's and whatever was the Leasor's Right to have is in the Lease as to the Land he holds paying his reserved Rent But the Tenants Strength Labour Industry and Understanding the Encrease of Stock is not by Lease from the Land-lord but by the free Gift of God as was said before of and from whom he holds it If Priest Pope c. have a Tenth of the Land why does he not sow it and improve it to his own Advantage 'T is that only we claim under the Land-lord If he pretends to a Right to the Tenth of our Labour Industry c. let him produce his Title and if it precede or be superiour to our's we shall condescend till then our Land-lord's Title has set us free from Priest Pope Presby●er or whoever claims by from or under them 5th Head What Right by virtue of Possession or Occupancy This sayest thou is a Proper Natural and Just Claim to the first Planters and Possessors of any Part of the Earth not before possessed or planted Answ 'T is well then from the beginning it was not so And how then came this Course to be altered The Great God gave Man the Fruit of his Industry Wisdom and Understanding the Pope took part of it away and gives it to his Creatures was not this Inv●ntion of Man that altered the Course that God had made Evil God's Law made void by Man's Traditions So Tythes entred Man coming to God and his Law again denies Tythes that the Devil had settled contrary to the Pure Holy Law And here 's the Quarrel 'twixt the Priest Pope Presbyter c. the People called Quakers who cannot put into their Mouthes so Priest Pope Presbyter c. prepare War against them And we do respect the Intention of Buyer and Seller Donor and Donee he that made us Possessors and he that would Dispossess and conclude as Christians That in despight of Popes Decrees Priests Canons c. we are free from all their Dark and Superstitious Gifts and Impositions whatsoever And he who will take the Pains to enquire may be well Informed That this Imposition of Tythes was not the Fruit of Christianity but an Effect of the Christian● Apostacy from the Faith of Jesus For the Christians many Hundred Years after Christ knew no such thing as Tythes till the Popes and Prelatick Authority imposed them by their Bulls Decrees and Canons But that these Bulls Decrees and Canons did meet with many Oppositions from the Faithful Martyrs of Jesus is plentifully set forth in History Fox Acts Mon. p. 564 605 607 621. as of many more we may instance John Wickliff John Huss William Thorpe William Swinderly Walter Brint and many others bear their Testimonies against this Antichristian Imposition and all other Unjust and Forced Priest Maintenance which for Conscience sake towards God they could not no more then we submit unto yet in all their Conversation towards Men were Blameless whose Faithfulness will be had in Everlasting Remembrance with them that fear the Lord and bear Witness to his Holy Name which is set up as a Standard to the Nations and those that put their Trust in him is he pretious although a Stumbling-Stone and a Rock of Offence to all such who have and do wilfully D●spise his Tender of Mercy and this his Day of Visitation In case thou beest an Enquirer I doubt not thy Information if an Imposer upon others I do not in the least suppose its Prevalency with such whose Hearts are towards God However if there yet remains a Spirit in thee to oppose us take the Pains to consult the Learned Rabbies of thy Party and Perswasion and fairly state this Case of Tythes and plainly tell your Opinions and Iudgments 1. Whether Priest Pope or who else have Right to them 2. Who are to pay them and for what 3. By what Authority whether of God Holy Scriptures Edicts and Decrees of Popes Princes Parliaments or Councils by which of them are they to be payed who hath set them up and when set up Let us understand the Title plainly by which they are claimed And if upon a solid Stating the Question and sober Resolve we are found detaining that which of Right belongs to a Just Proprietor whether of our Daily Labour the yearly Produce of the Earth or Encrease of our Herds or what else God has made us Stewards of here we shall be ready to receive Instruction and exercise our Conscience in being content with our own which according to that Wisdom God has given us hitherto we have of which the Lord is our Witness And until we have otherwise learned we must believe 't is rather thy Mistake than our Just Desert that censures out Sufferings as the meet Reward of Thieves and Robbers who have in this Case kept a Conscience void of Offence towards the God of our Peace with whom we have Peace and Satisfaction although in the World we a●others who have been alike Faithful in this Matter have had Trouble Thy Friend Thomas Rudyard London 3d Moneth 1673. An Answer to C. Nedham's second Letter FRIEND THy Former came to me in Manuscript as I intended its Answer this Latter in Print before which I neither saw or h●ard of it However it may please thee or thy Party it s against my Desire to trouble the Press and whatever thy Hopes may be in sowing such Seeds of Contest sure I am thy Joy will be small in Harvest I have not backt thy Question though as subtil as our Enemy could forge it For I am sure Reason and Truth 's on our side which hath and yet will plead our Innocency and prevail whatever Dirt thou attemptest to cast upon us Thou informest in thy Second That thou hast read the Case of Tythes reviewed by F. H. written in 1655. to which thy main Objection is That there 's not therein any one Argument or Reason to prove the People's Right to Tythes Answ Consider but what Tythes are and 2d F. H's

framed into a Resolve then a Question alledging although others have esteemed T●thes due to God of Divine Right c. thou hopest we are not required nor do we believe them Spiritual Answ I agree with thee we do not nor moral neither under the Gospel But to end this Paragraph thou tellest thy Reader That some think that if they were indeed Spiritual neither we nor the Priests would strive for them Answ A Quaint Observation And must we believe that those Spirituals of thy Cast should only pallate them if they were such If that be thy Judgment why so much Contest about such Carnals But I pass it to thy Fifth Demand Vnto F. H. his alledging That the Law gives no Man a Property but preserves mens Rights c. thou excepts That Laws are made for Maintenance of the Poor c. Answ I answer They are good Laws and 't is Equal and Just the Poor should have Relief And to give to the Poor was a Law before men made a Statute to enforce the Justness thereof which if Tythes had been to a pretended Preacher of the Gospel the Cases had been parallel which now hold no Equality But sayest thou The Author viz. F. H. hath not yet proved why Laws may not be admitted for Maintenance of Ministers as well as Poor Answ To which I answer Thou requirest a meer Absurdity of him What! to prove a Negative Wise Men will tell thee He who affirms must prove Make but good the Affirmity which hitherto thou hast not and we will grant thee the Negative It s a Task I question not when set about will cost thee Pains and there I leave it I have not willingly avoided any Question or Query thou hast put or desired Answer in but according to my Understanding given thee a plain Resolve to whatever might probably remain a Debt or Scruple in the Mind of thee or thy Friends concerning us and our Testimony toward God in this Matter That any of our Perswasion in London should have their Reason vanquisht in the Strength of thy Arguments as thou affirmest I assure thee it appears to me strange if not incredible I must be plain to tell thee I rather judge the Over-Fondness of thy own new Notions occasioned thee to mistake the Persons or their Judgments in this Case of Controversie And however thou mayest conceitedly term our Sufferings in this Cause Acts of Prodigality we know it s not for Self but for the God of our Life that we undergo such Spoil and Hardship from our Merciless Enemies And I must tell thee That I have not only weighed thy Arguments against our Testimony which have their Answer but also that Address thou makest to our Friends which without due Observation I cannot let slip the reading whereof brought to mind that Parallel of Judas his Salutation of our Saviour when he betrayed him into the Hands of the Priests Hale Master and kissed him So it pleaseth thee to give us the Appellation of thy Dear Friends and with smooth words to tell us Thy Soul truly pitties us when alas 't is but a Mask to cover that Face that would either Blush or wax Pale at such Actions The Wise Man tells thee He that Hateth Dissembleth with his Lip● and layeth up Deceit within him Prov. 26. 24. Whose Cause pleadest thou against us Into whose Hands wouldst thou betray us after thy smooth Salutation Is it not into such Hands as Judas did his Master why tellest thou us not Art thou ashamed in plain words to discover yea not improbable that's in secret reserve But it s not difficult to guess who desires to be Executioner What! thy Dear Friends and yet charging us p. 13 14. That under a disguise of Godliness for many years we have been highly guilty of those Wicked Sins of Stealing Slandering and Lying and what not yea insinuating That we are more Criminal before God and Man then Common Notorious Thieves And shall not we know what Mercy thou hast in store for thy Dear Friends after all yea sayest thou Malefactors suffer Death by Law for stealing things of small Accompt but your Robbery is oft of great Value p. 14. Here 's the Judgment which thou wantest a New-England Law to execute For the Laws here sayest thou are very Favourable Yes they extend only to the depriving us of our Civil Liberty Imprisonment of our persons and Confiscation of our Goods and Estates Life excepted too easie a requital for such Facts as thou wouldst make thy Dear Friends guilty of What shall be said to this but as the Wise Man That Violence covereth the Mouth of the Wicked and his Tender Mercies are Cruel Prov. 10. 6. 12. 10. If this be Entertainment for thy Friends what Quarter must Enemies expect at thy hands Much more might be added or returned upon thee but whether we or thou and thy Party have uttered a Reproach or Slander or are guilty of Lying Stealing and bearing False Witness against our Neighbour let God's Witness in the Unpr●judiced amongst them that have heard thy Charge and our D●fenc● give a Judgment And now I must tell I take it well from thy Hands or the Printer that have been so kind to place J. Wilfford's Letter to close thy Discourse notwithstanding it seems to thee as nothing to the Question I am satisfied the Simplicity of his will wound wher● thy Sophi●ry cannot and shall have a place in the Consciences of such who are at this day real Enquirers after the Good Old Way and Promised Land And now since I have been so fair to answer thy Question What Right the People have to Tythes judge it not an Unreasonable Demand to answer me Who has that Right thou denyest us Let 's know whether it be the Popish Episcopal Presbyterian c. Cause thou pleadest If thou be an Advocate to a Just Cause never be ashamed of thy Client How consonant the Cause is to thy late Profession in Civil or now Religious Matters I leave to thy own Consideration I shall forbear Reflection and request thee That if any thing yet remains wherein thou mayest suppose Writing or the Press Serviceable to thy Interest rather chose solid Arguments then severe Reflections to convince the Reader nor let thy Prejudice pass Judgment upon a supposed Offender till thou hast heard his Plea and Defence 't is possible his Innocency may correct that Prejudice which leads to False Judgment And to conclude remember the Wise Man's words It is an Honour for a Man to cease from Strife but every Fool will be meddling Prov. 30. 3. If thou hast done Foolishly in lifting up thy self or if thou hast thought Evil lay thine Hand upon thy Mouth the forcing of Wrath bringeth forth Strife Prov. 30. 32 33. This at present may suffice till I have thy Reply from him who is a Real Friend to thee and all Men Thomas Rudyard TYTHES NO Gospel-Ordinance OR A Justification of all those whonot only in this Age