Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	pay_v	priest_n	tithe_n	4,836	5	10.3389	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17696	Sermon of Maister Iohn Caluin, on the historie of Melchisedech Wherein is also handled, Abrahams courage in rescuing his nephew Lot: and his Godliness in paying tithes to Melchisedech. Also, Abrahams faith, in belieuing God: comprehending foure sermons. And, Abrahams obedience, in offering his sonne Isaack; in three sermons. Translated out of French, by Thomas Stocker, Gent.; Sermons	Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564.; Stocker, Thomas, fl. 1569-1592.	1592 (1592)	STC 4440; ESTC S112743	137,391	292

through the power of the office and order which was in Melchisedech Abram was blessed thereby to shew that all our praiers should bee abhominable before the maiestie of God and be able to obtaine nothing at his handes without Iesus Christ made intercession for vs which office is attributed vnto him in the holie scripture Now it is here said That Abram gaue tithe of all vnto Melchisedech This therefore declareth a priestly dignitie that was in Melchisedech as is well remembred by the Apostle We must not hereupon certainly collect Hebr. 7.4 whether these wordes haue relation to the spoile or to Abram his owne goods For seeing hee receiued no part of the spoile to benefite himselfe it is not likely that he meant to giue vnto Melchisedech that thing which lee tooke not to be his owne But hee had another maner of reason diuersitie of his acknowledgement vnto God and to apply the benefite vnto his owne vse for the enriching of himselfe Neuertheles how euer it is it is sufficient that wee hold that which i● certain that is to say that Abram protesteth that hee acknowledged Melchisedech to be Gods priest For if he had serued Idols or vsurped any dignitie which belonged not vnto him Abram had done very ill in giuing him tithe because wee know that to offer sacrifice vnto Idols is to honour them and to forsake God This oblation then of Abram must needes testifie and approoue the priesthood of Melchisedech And therefore we see why the Apostle comparing the auncient priesthood of the law with the priesthood of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ saith Hebr. 7.9.10 that Leuy which was yet in Abrams loynes paide tithes that is to say was subiect to that law Wee might also alledge the like of Iudah of whome our Sauiour Christ came Howbeit that is easily answered to wit that Melchisedech cannot be seperated from our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ because hee representeth him and that all the excellency which in him dependeth hereon in that hee is the figure of Iesus Christ And therefore the Apostle by great reason sheweth that hee to whome the right of tithes by the law apperteined was yet notwithstanding vnder Melchisedech We must therfore from hence conclude that our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ is farre more excellent then euer was Aaron or yet all his successors albeit they were in that respect seperated as it were from the companie of men And when the priest had all his priestly garments vpon him it was but to shew that hee was as ●n Angell of God which might come neare vnto his maiestie being a Mediator to blot ●ut the iniquities Hrbr. 8 9 10. and transgressions of the ●eople And notwithstanding that all this was so yet neuertheles the Apostle sheweth that our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ farre excelled him in honour and must bee exalted aboue all the figures of the law that men thereby might see him to bee the very truth and substance of them all And that although men did take all the shadowes that euer were for a time yet should they profite nothing and should be all of none effect except they came to the true paterne Let vs therefore well consider that when Abram offered all the tithes to Melchisedech that it was to shew that although God should establish soone after an order of priesthood in his people yet that it did no whit derogate from the priesthood of our Lord and sauiour Iesus Christ which was alreadie figured in the person of Melchisedech as it was at that time alreadie established Moreouer as concerning the giuing of tithes vnto the priests we see that Abrā did it before there was any law written and therefore it is without all doubt that it was the spirit of God which induced him and pricked him foreward thereunto For Moses doth not recite here this to bee a thing done at rando● without reason but rather declareth that God ratified the office of Melchisedech forsomuch as hee meant to make him his priest and that Abram acknowledged him to be so Howbeit wee must not from hence gather that there was any general law for the same ne yet that the faithfull were bound to paie tithes except that God also had instituted it in his law which was done not only because they should honour him with the fruites of the earth with protestation that they came all of his meere bounteous liberalitie neither was it simply for the maintenance of the Ministers of the Aultar that is to say for the maintenance of those that serued in the temple but because they came of the seede of Abram So that one part of the land belonged vnto them who were to take possession therof Gen. 12.7 as it was said to Abram Thy seed shall possesse the land Leuy should haue bin a chief man in the house of Abram and yet he was thrust out of it in stead of him were two chiefe men made of the house of Ioseph to wit Ephraim and Manasses Here we see that Leuy was depriued of his enheritance albeit ●t was before assigned vnto him by God him selfe And that is the reason why his successors are recompensed with tithes Now God did this for two reasons the first is because they should not bee distracted neither from the seruice which was committed to their charge ne yet from doctrine For God chose not the priests vnder the law for performing of the ceremonies only but for another reason of which the Prophet Malachy speaketh Mala. 2.7 that is he ordeined them to be his Ambassadors to the ende wee should demand from their lippes the true knowledge pure enterpretation of the law Wherefore because the priestes might haue leisure inough to attend vpon the seruice of the Temple and to teach the people the tithes were appointed for them And for that cause also were they dispersed all the country ouer They had no seueral and proper pertition to say that they might dwell in any one certaine country as the rest did but were sowen here and there to the end there should be no corner in the world where God not would haue his messengers lawiers to keep his people in awe Here I saie we see the reason why GOD would haue them to haue the tithes and not busie themselues about tilling and sowing of the earth The second reason is this that if they had possessed the earth God had not been knowne to be Lord and maister as hee was when as Leuiticall priests were become as it were his Receiuers and had sent them in his name to take vpon them the superioritie to demand the homage which was due vnto him vpon the earth And besides although the children of Israel receiued that which was due vnto them by succession and inheritance of their father Abram yet for all that God as it were wold seem to shew vnto them that the earth was his kept the proprietie therof vnto himself

that they possessed the same with this cōdition that what soeuer they had they must hold as of him shew the same also in deed in effect to be so And therwithal also that there should be oblations bestowed vpon the poore of those tithes for it is not said that the priests shuld eat and drinke vp all but keepe themselues within compasse thereby to shew that they were not exempt from the generall law but were beholden to God for the food which they did eat and that all came from his pure meere goodnes We see then how that the tithes which were conteined in the law were especially for the people of Israel And yet notwithstanding the tithes were verie common amongst the Heathen euen for kings princes and noble men Wee see likewise by prophane histories that they were also exac●ed and that in some countries they exacted more then in other some according to the ●ertilitie and goodnes of the soile for it was ●ot so great a charge to the husbandmen ●hat had fatte soyles and plentifull bearyng groundes to pay the eight part as it was to ●hose that had but leane and barren ground to paie the tenth part But bee as bee may this worde Tythe or Tenth hath beene a common and ordinary amongst all nations And all Princes and great men as I haue alreadie saide sithens the Ghospell was receiued haue bestowed part of the tithes towardes the maintenance of the Ministers of the worde as is verie great reason according to the saying of Saint Paul That they which ministred at the Aulter in the olde Testament were mainteined that they which at this daie sacrifice vnto God after a more excellent manner that is which winne soules vnto him to make of them sacrifices vnto his maiestie that they should also bee as well prouided for and mainteined and although GOD hath not quallified how nor by what manner of reuenue they should bee mainteined yet is there a lawe for it Now then sith God hath been knowne through the preaching of the Ghospell a Christian order and lawe hath been made for the giuing and bestowing of one part of tithes And herein wee may see the deceit of the Pope and of his shauelings for when they handle the lawe of tithes in their Canons they take it as if it were transferred to them after that Iesus Christ had put an end vnto the priesthood of Leuy All these are very leasings falsefying the holie scripture wickedly corrupting the same For we see to the contrary as hath been before shewed that it is long ago sithence that it was not knowne what the paying of tithes was by vertue of the lawe of Moses and they were always paide either to the Emperour or to some other perticuler great men But now sith the thing hath bin so ordeined so therin be no abuse and to make men belieue contrary to all truth that it came from the holy scripture but to be taken for a politike law Let vs hold that rule which Saint Paul setteth downe 1. Cor. 9.9.10.11.12.13 to wit That wee musle not the mouth of the Oxe when hee trauelleth to feede vs and therefore it standeth with a far greater reason that they which preach the doctrine of the Ghospell ordeined in so excellent an estate shuld not be abridged and depriued of their maintenance but be verie well waged Now as I haue alreadie saide when tithes and such like are bestowed vnto a good vse we must not so straightly looke into the matter as to aske the cause why it is so as many fantasticall fellowes will who at this day could bee contented to turne the whole world vpside downe saying O it is no time now to paie tithes for seeing the thing hath been so long abused it is no reason it should any longer continue Then must wee by their saying scrape out all for they think that Christianitie consisteth in changing the colour of the Sunne and the Moone But if there be any thing that is to be amended as I haue said as if the Papists haue brought in any false opinion let that be vtterly abolished But in the meane while let vs hold vs vnto al good ordenance to wit let the tithes and all such things that are for the maintenance of the poore and the Ministers let these thinges bee reduced vnto their lawfull vse and let not vnsaciable wide gullets deuour all Let them not consume them vpon their superfluities in pompes drunkennes and other dissolutenes but let them know that these are holy goods which ought to be reserued for the vse of the Church as well for the maintenance of the poore as I haue alreadie said as also for the feeding of those which serue God and his people Thus wee see that it was fit wee should touch by the way the lawe concerning tithes and let vs now go on with that which followeth Moses now returneth to the king of Sodome of whō he had before spoken and ceaseth to speake of Melchisedech Hee saith that the king of Sodome would haue nothing els but the personnes and leaue all the spoyle to Abram As if hee would haue saide that hee demaunded no whit of that which was taken from him by his enemies for hee knew verie well that Abram had wonne it by conquest he onely required but the persons and his dwelling place Wee know not whether he did this hipocritically yea or no considering that all was in Abrā his hands or whether hee thought in truth that hee was worthie of all and that it was inough that hee and his people were rescued from the handes of his enemies But how euer it was it is saide that Abram refused that offer that hee would take nothing that was his no not so much as a thread or a shoolatchet That is to saie not the worth of a pinne as wee commonly say saue that saith hee which the yoong men haue eaten for they came not thither to paie any reckoning and besides they could haue no lesse reward for ventring their liues to deliuer the Sodomites Well sir as for that which they haue eaten let that I say alone but as for those that came with mee Aner Eshcol and Mamre they must needes haue their portion of the spoyle for I will abridge them of no whit of their benefite neither is it for mee to impose a law or matter of necessitie vppon them I am liberall and therefore I can in no wise straighten nor measure them Let them then take their shares as for mee I will haue nothing And for the better confirming of his speech hee saith I haue lifted vp my hand vnto the Lord the most high GOD possessor of heauen and earth as if hee would haue said that hee had sworne and would performe it because it was not lawfull for him to call backe his word and so thereby stoppe his mouth about the matter Wee see heere that Abram his meaning was to eschue all offences when