Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	egypt_n	famine_n	pharaoh_n	1,741	5	10.4102	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61095	Tithes too hot to be touched certain treatises, wherein is shewen that tithes are due, by the law of nature, scripture, nations, therefore neither Jewish, Popish, or inconvenient / written by Sr. Henry Spelman ... ; with an alphabeticall table.	Spelman, Henry, Sir, 1564?-1641.; Stephens, Jeremiah, 1591-1665.	1640 (1640)	Wing S4931; ESTC R19648	146,054	238

to keep his perpetuall Sabbath And so likewise all the fruits of the tenth age which was that of Noah for he was the tenth from Adam he took wholly to himself making the evill parts as a sacrifice of his wrath to honour him by their destruction and the better parts which were saved in the Ark of his Church to glorifie his name by their preservation so that in this time of nature the full tenth of all things was paid unto God as a propitiatory sacrifice for of the ten ages from Adam hee had the fruits of one whole age which is all one as if he had had the tenth part of every particular thing as it grew due in every particular age and so the Church expoundeth in that Canon of the Councell of _____ where it is commanded that the CAP. XXIV The time of Nature after the fall LEt us take a view of the state of Religion before the Law and from thence unto the calling of the Levites to the service of the Tabernacle The time before the Law was the kingdome of sin and of death having no means propounded whereby to escape but what the light and law of nature taught unto men who finding themselves fallen from the favour devised by invocation and beating of the heavens with continuall odours and savours to seek for mercy at Gods hand and by sacrificing of bullocks and brute beasts to ransome themselves as far as they might from his heavy displeasure Therefore in those times though every man might offer oblations and sacrifices that would yet because the order thereof might bee the more certain and reverent both the children of God and the Heathen also ordained to themselves particular persons of greatest worth wisdome and sanctity which they called their Priests to take care of these things to see them performed in such manner as might make them most acceptable to God Hereby grew the reputation of Priesthood to be above all dignities that in those days the Kings themselves in all Nations affected it as the greatest and immediate honour under God himself Yet because necessity required so great a number of Priests for the service of God as there could not be had Kings enough for that purpose therefore other inferiour persons were also called to that excellent function yet such as in one respect or other were still the noblest that were to be found Therefore even in that time I mean before the Law was given God promiseth the Israelites that if they will hear his voice indeed and keep his covenant they shall not only be his chiefest treasure upon earth but they shall be unto him also a kingdome of Priests Exod. 29.5 6. Of these kingly Priests two are mentioned in Scripture before the Law Melchisedek Priest and King of Salem and Revel or Jethro Prince and Priest of Midian Exod. 16. 〈◊〉 Of other Priests it appeareth in Exod. 19.22 24. that there were many Let the Priests saith God that come to the Lord be sanctified and again Let not the Priests break their bounds c. Touching these Priests we finde no mention either how they were called to their function or how they were maintained in it neither of them that executed that place after the Law was given till the calling of the Levites which though it were a short time as not above a year and some months yet must they have some maintenance and means to live on even during that time The Priests of Aegypt had not onely lands for their maintenance but they also had a certain part appointed them by Pharaoh to live upon and though it appeareth not by the Scripture what this part was yet it is plain that it was such and so bountifull as when all the other Egyptians sold their land to Joseph for Pharaoh to save their lives in the famine they lived upon this part and kept their lands The children of God no doubt came not behinde the Heathen in devotion and consequently not in their bounty to their Priests therefore though we have no authority to demonstrate unto us the particular means wherein they were provided for before the Law yet we may very probably conceive it to be much after the manner of the Heathen Priests of that time for that the Priests and children of God being then scattered amongst the Heathen as Melchisedek among the Canaanites Jethro amongst the Midianites could use no rites nor ceremonies in the worship of the true God but the Heathen would have the same in the service of their gods insomuch as nothing is mentioned in the Scripture concerning the same before the Leviticall Institutions but it is particularly found among the Gentiles first touching both their Priests and manner of sanctifying of them as also touching their offerings altars and sacrifices and the manner of feasting at the sacrifice of thanksgiving used by Jethro Exod. 18.12 I infer therefore that seeing the Heathen took their originall manner of holy rites from the children of God that therefore what originall rites the Heathen had in their service of their religion that the same were in use also among the children of God though they be not mentioned in the Scripture and consequently that insomuch as the Heathen universally paid Tithes and first-fruits unto their Gods and Priests that therefore the children of God did so likewise from the beginning to the true God And to this agreeth Hugo Cardinalis saying It is thought that Adam taught his sons to offer first-fruits and tenths unto God so that the children of God borrowed it not from the Heathen or the Heathen from them but both the one and the other from the law of nature for as Ambrose saith God therefore by Moses followed not the fashion of the Gentiles Non ergo Deus per Mosem Gentilium formam sequutus est sed ipsa naturalis ratio hoc habet ut quis inde vivat ubi laborat in Epist 1 Cor. ca. 9. C. 41. Col. c. And as the examples of Abraham and Jacob do plainly confirm it to be done by them so doubtlesse was it also done by other of the Hebrews even before the Leviticall Institutions and even then holden and taken to be a duty belonging unto God as plainly appeareth by Gods own mouth in 22. Exod. 29. when hee saith and that before the Leviticall Institutions Thine abundance and thy liquor shalt thou not keep back which all Interpreters agree to be spoken of the Tithe and first-fruits of corn oyl and wine and therefore Jerome doubted not so to translate it viz. Thy tithes and first-fruits shalt thou not keep back wherein the word keep back non tardabis is very materially to be considered as evidently shewing that it was a custome of old to pay these tithes unto the Lord and therefore that he now required them not as a new thing but as due unto him by an ancient usage That the word non tardabis thou shalt not keep back or delay implieth a thing

goods but as Abraham did also to Melchisedek present unto them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very top and chiefest part thereof following Abraham in offering the fat and abhorring to give the carrion things unto God like the sacrifice of Cain And that it may be no disgrace to the honourable Ministers of the Church to live thus ex sportula let me note by the way that the Kings and Princes of the world are likewise said to live ex sportula for their Exchequer or Treasury hath thereupon the name of Fiscus which word as appeareth by Ascanius is all one with sportula Strigelius in leg lib. 2. pag. 307. Fisci fiscinae fiscellae saith he sportea sunt utensilia ad majoris summae pecunias capiendas unde quia major summa est pecuniae publicae quàm privatae factum est ut fiscus pro pecunia publica inde confiscare dicatur a little before he saith Sportae sportulae sportellae munerum sunt receptacula And let me also remember that in the Easterne Empire the Master of the Store-house and Wardrobe as well Palatine as Ecclesiastical was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Codin p. 5. Suidas and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a Canistro vel Sportula Touching Lands though the Churches at this time had little yet were they not altogether without any as appeareth partly by that which Eusebius reporteth of Paulus Samosatenus that under Aurelian the Emperour i. e. about the yeare 274. he wrongfully invaded an house belonging to the Church of Antioch But more amply by the edict of Licinius Apud Euseb l. 10. ca. 5. and Constantine where it is expresly commanded that all Lands and places which belonged to the Christians as well for their publique use as in their private possession that had been taken from them in the persecution of Dioclesian should be restored to them Platina saith that Vrbane Bishop of Rome anno 227. first instituted that the Church might receive Lands and possessions offered by the faithfull and then sheweth to what end she might enjoy them namely that the Revenues thereof should be distributed by portions to every man and that no man should have them to his particular benefit Vrbane himself in the Decretall Epistle attributed unto him affirmeth this usage to be more ancient saying also that the Bishops within their Diocese and other faithfull persons appointed by them both did and ought to distribute these Revenues in manner before mentioned adding further that they were called the oblations of the faithfull for that they were offered unto God and that they ought not to be otherwise employed then to Ecclesiasticall uses the relief of Christian brethren living together in common and of the poor people for that they are the vows of the faithfull the price of sin the patrimony of the poor and delivered over unto the Lord for the performance of this work Many account this Epistle Apocryphall I will therefore strengthen it with the opinion of Origen a Father of those times who in his 16. Homily upon Genesis disputeth it to be utterly unlawfull for the Ministers of the Gospel to possesse any Lands to their own use for so I understand him confessing himself not to be faultlesse herein and therefore exhorting others to joyn with him in Reformation thereof he saith Festinemus transire à sacerdotibus Pharaonis let us make haste to depart from the Priests of Pharaoh who enjoy earthly possessions to the Priests of the Lord who have no portion in earth for that the Lord is their portion fol. 26. col 3. And to shew to what end the Church enjoyeth her goods and in what manner they ought to be divided amongst her Ministers and poor children in his 31. Homily upon Matthew he saith Opus habemus ut fideles simus pariter prudentes ad dispensandos ecclesiae reditus c. It behoveth us to be faithfull in disposing the rents of the Church Faithfull that we our selves devour not those things which belong unto the widows and that we be mindfull of the poor and because it is written The Lord hath appointed that they which preach the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.14 should live of the Gospel that we therefore take not occasion to seek more for our selves then our simple diet and necessary apparell retaining a greater portion to our selves then that we give to the brethren that are hungry and thirsty and naked and which suffer necessity in secular affairs Discreet as to minister to every man his portion according to his rank and dignity remembring that which is said Blessed is he which considereth the poor and needy Psal 41. for it is not sufficient for us simply to give away the goods of the Church so to keep our selves clear from devouring or stealing of them but we must wisely consider every mans necessity how he falleth into it what his dignity is how he came by it how much he needeth and for what cause he needeth it We must not therefore deal alike with them which were pincht and hardly brought up in their infancy and with them who being nourished delicately and plentifully are now fallen into necessity Neither must we minister the same things to men and to women nor like quantity to old men and young men nor to sickly young men that are not able to earn their living and those which have somwhat of their own to maintain themselves withall It must also be considered whether they have many children and whether those children be idle or industrious and how far forth they are insufficient to provide for themselves to bee short there is great wisdome required in him that would well dispose the Revenues of the Church and that by being a faithfull and discreet disposer hee may become an happy man Thus far Origen to which purpose Cyprian also in his Epistle to Eucratius lib. 1. Epist 10. sheweth that the Church maintained many poor and that her own diet was frugalioribus innocentibus cibis sparing and plain and all her expence sumptibus parcioribus quidem sed salutaribus full of frugality but sufficient for health The persons by whom this distribution of Church goods was made were chiefly the Bishops as appeareth by the former Epistle of Vrbane and Deacons appointed under them as in the times of the Apostles Acts 6. Therefore Origen in his 16. Homily upon Matthew fol. 31. col 4. taxing the unfaithfull Deacons saith Diaconi autem c. But the Deacons which govern not well the tables of the Ecclesiasticall money that is the goods and Revenues of the Church but doe always purloin them not distributing that which they give according unto judgement and so become rich by that which belongeth unto the poor they are the Exchangers whose Tables Christ will overthrow For the Apostles in their Acts teach us that the Deacons are Governours of the Tables of Ecclesiasticall moneys or Revenues c. and again after unusquisque diaconorum Every one of