Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	aaron_n	altar_n	levite_n	29	3	9.3730	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41067	A touch-stone, or, A perfect tryal by the Scriptures, of all the priests, bishops, and ministers, who have called themselves, the ministers of the Gospel whose time and day hath been in the last ages past, or rather in the night of apostacy : they are tried and weighed by the Scriptures of truth, and are found out of the life and power of the scriptures, and out of the spirit and doctrine of them that gave them forth, and quite contrary to their principle and practice, both Papists and Protestants : unto which is annexed, Womens speaking justified, &c.	Fox, Margaret Askew Fell, 1614-1702.	1667 (1667)	Wing F639; ESTC R7178	82,431	96

and by this Power of Darkness that hath lodged in this ●ody of Teachers and Preachers who have called themselves Christians both Papists and Protestants in this Night of Apostacy that the True Church of God hath been in the Wilderness and the Witnesses prophesied in Sackcloth this hath been a Night of Darkness but the Day is Springing Glory to the Lord for ever I say for this Seeds sake we shall proceed to mention some particular Heads of their practice and try them by the Scriptures And the first is that which they call their Studying and their placing the very Foundation of their Call and all their practices in that Function in that which they call Learning which thing we never finde neither in the Old-Testament nor New that they who were called to the Office of the Priesthood that obtained it by such wayes and means as they use viz. That which they call their Studies and Fountains of Learning which is their Universities and in them so many several Orders and Degrees to ordain and appoint such as belong to that Function of the Ministry which we do not finde in the Old-Testament that either Aaron or his Sons or those that were of the Tribe of Levi were ordained after such a manner and by such Orders as they pretend to theirs for when the Lord spake unto Moses for the setting up of the Tabernacle and after what manner he should do all things about it he said Thou shalt set the Laver betwixt the Tent of the Congregation and the Altar and thou shalt put water therein and thou shalt bring Aaron and his Sons unto the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation and wash them with water and thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy Garments and anoint him and sanctifie him that he may minister unto me in the Priests Office and thou shalt bring his Sons and cloath them with coats and thou shalt anoint them as thou didst their Father that they may minister unto me in the Priests Office for their Anointing shall surely be an everlasting Priesthood throughout their Generations Thus did Moses according to all that the Lord commanded him for he set the Laver between the Tent of the Congregation and the Altar and Moses and Aaron and his Sons washed their hands and their feet thereat as the Lord commanded Moses Exod. 28 29. chap. Levit. 8. Moreover the Lord said unto Moses Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them and thus shalt thou do unto them to cleanse them sprinkle water of purifying upon them and let them shave them all their flesh and let them wash their clothes and so make them clean then let them take a young Bullock with his meat offering even fine Flowre mingled with Oyle and another young Bullock thou shalt take for a sin offering and thou shalt bring the Levites before the Tabernacle of the Congregation and thou shalt gather the whole Assembly of the children of Israel together and thou shalt bring the Levites before the Lord and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord for an offering for the children of Israel that they may execute the service of the Lord and the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the Bullocks and thou shalt offer the one for a sin-offering and the other for a burnt-offering unto the Lord to make an atonement for the Levites and shalt set the Levites before Aaron and before his Sons and offer them for an offering to the Lord thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel and the Levites shall be mine and after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation and thou shalt cleanse them and offer them for an offering for they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel instead of such as open every womb even instead of the First-born of all the children of Israel I have taken them unto me for all the first-born of the children of Israel are mine both man and beast in the day that I smote the first-born in the Land of Egypt I sanctified them for my self and I have taken the Levites for all the first-born of the Children of Israel and I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his Sons from among the children of Israel to do the service of the children of Israel in the Tabernacle of the Congregation to make an atonement for the children of Israel that there be no plague among them when they come nigh my Sanctuary And Moses and Aaron and the Congregati of Israel did unto the Levites according as the Lord commanded them and the Levites were Purified and they washed their Garments and Aaron offered them as an offering before the Lord and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them and after that the Levites went in to do their service in the Tabernacle of the Congregation before Aaron and before his Sons And the Lord spake unto Moses saying This is it that belongeth to the Levites from twenty years old and upwards they shall go in to wait upon the service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation and from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof and shall serve no more but shall minister with their brethen in the Tabernacle of the Congregation to keep the charge and shall do no service thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge Numb 8. Now here is nothing of Studying or going to the Universities nor diving nor divinining into the Body of Darkness which defiles and polutes but here was Washing and Cleansing and Purifying and an Offering of two Bullocks one for a Sin-offering another for a Burnt-offering the Levites being offered with the Offerings and they laying their hands upon the heads of the Offerings and Moses making an Atonement for them to Cleanse them before they could be admitted into the Service and then they were to wait from twenty five years and upwards unto fifty years before they might cease waiting and then they were to minister with their Brethren in the Tabernacle but they did not wait at the Universities and at the Schools of Learning but they waited upon the Service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation for the Lord had called them for that end that they might make an Atonement for the Children of Israel that there might be no Plague among them So that it is strange that Ministers that profess Christianity and profess themselves to be Ministers of Christ and Ministers of the Gospel should run into such extravagances being that they profess the Scriptures and that they should not walk in by-paths but they go quite opposite to what the Scriptures of Truth hold forth concerning both the First and Second Priesthood It is true indeed the Lord complaineth by his Prophets when Israel was gone

them with Laws and Penalties to clap upon them and so force them by compulsion And thus they have laid a weight of Oppression upon poor people ever since the dark Night of Apostacy came on and have taken from them the tenth part of their Lands and a tenth part of their Flocks and Herds and the tenth part of their Labours and thus poor people been made a prey unto their wolvish mouths And in this they have not done justly neither according to the Priesthood under the Law nor under the Gospel For the Children of Israel when they were to come into the Land of Canaan they were utterly to destroy all the Places where they worshipped their Gods and they were to overthrow their Altars and break down their Pillars and burn their Groves with Fire and hew down their Graven-Images and these Priests we are now speaking of set Images up and they were to come unto the Place which the Lord their God was to chuse out of all the Tribes to put his Name there and saith the Lord Thither shall you bring your Burnt-Offerings and you Sacrifices and your Tythes and your Heave-Offerings of your hand Deut. 12. And at the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the Tythes of their encrease the same year and to lay it up within thy Gates and the Levite because he hath no inheritance with thee and the Stranger and the Fatherless and Widow which are within thy Gates shall come and shall eat and be satisfied that the Lord thy God may bless thee Deut. 14. 28 29. and chap. 26. 12. But these Tythe-Mongers of the Gospel Times have neither fed Widows nor Fatherless but what they could get of them they have taken from them and many poor Widows have been cast into Prison because they could not for Conscience sake pay Tythes and many poor fatherless children have had their goods taken away for the same but this is none of Christ's nor his Apostles Example And as they have taken up ways that have been neither according to Law nor Gospel so let them stand Usurpers as they are and Lorders over Gods Heritage But let them know for all this that they must come to Judgement and the Lord will plead with them in his day and time For when Christ Jesus sent forth his Disciples their great business was not to look after their Bellies for they were not to provide neither Gold nor Silver nor Brass in their Purses for they had received freely and they were freely to give Matth. 10. 8 9. Also when he sent out the Seventy they were neither to have Bread nor Money Luke 9. And the Apostle Paul when he took leave of the Churches he told them He knew that after his departure would come among them grievous Wolves not sparing the Flock he saith I have coveted no mans Silver or Gold or Apparel Ye your selves know that these hands have ministred unto my necessity and to them that were with me I likewise shewed you all things how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus how he said It is more Blessed to give then to Receive Acts 20. 33 34 35. But the Ministers in these dayes think it more blessed to receive then give for they accustom the one more then the other And again the Apostle saith Let a man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and the Stewards of the Mysteries of God Moreover It s required of a Steward that he be found faithfull For I think God hath set forth us the Apostles as it were appointed to death for we are made a Spectacle unto the World to Angels and to Men We are Fools for Christs sake but ye are Wise we are Weak but ye are Strong ye are Honorable but we are despised Even unto this very hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling place and labour working with our own hands being reviled we bless being persecuted we suffer it being defamed we entreat we are made as the filth of the world and as the off-scouring of all things unto this day 1 Cor. 4. This is far different from those that have called themselves Gospel Ministers they will be sure of certain abiding places and instead of working with their hands they make all people work for them So this Scripture tries them and thir Practice Moreover when the Apostle writeth to the Thessalonians he saith Your selves Brethren know our Exhortation was not of deceit nor of uncleanness nor in guile but as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel even so we spake not as pleasing men but God which trieth our hearts For neither at any time used we flattering words as ye know nor a cloak of covetousness God is witness nor of men sought we glory neither of you nor yet of others when we might have been burthensom as the Apostles of Christ but we were gentle among you even as a Nurse cherisheth her children So being affectionately desirous of you we were willing to have imparted unto you not the Gospel of Christ onely but also our own souls because ye were dear unto us For ye remember Brethren our labour and travel labouring night and day because we would not be chargeable to any of you we preached unto you the Gospel of God Ye are Witnesses and God also how holily and justy and unblameable we behaved our selves among you that believe As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a father doth his children 1 Thes 2. Here was a dear and faithfull Minister of God that abhorred to be burthensom or chargeable even to them that believed as he manifesteth in his next Epistle where he saith For ye your selves know how ye ought to follow us for we behaved not our selves disorderly among you neither did we eat any mans bread for nought but wrought with labour and travel night and day that we might not be chargeable to any of you Not because we have no power but to make our selves an Example for you to follow us For even when we were with you we commanded you that if any would not work neither should be eat 2 Thes 3. This is hard Doctrine for our Lords Deans and Deacons who are got so high that many of them are almost the greatest men in our Land so that it will be no easie matter to bring them down into the Apostles Steps and Paths that they were in But however it may let them see that they are gotten up to the highest Pinacle of the Temple whither the Devil carried our Saviour and would have had him to have cast himself down but Jesus was too strong for his Temptations and said It is written Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God Matth. 4. But it is to be feared that those who have climed so high have been taken with