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
A91119	A testimony of the Light within. A glorious truth, which all the holy men of God did bear testimony unto, and from which they spoke forth the Sciptures, and the end of all preachings and writings was to bring to Light within, to worship God in spirit and truth, and to Christ within, the hope of glory. The truth cleared from scandals, and some of the errors and false doctrines of two Cornish teachers laid open and testified against. With a description of the true ministers of Christ, and of the free ministery both under the law and Gospell administration; ... Also a testimony of the dawning of the glorious day of the Lord, ... Here is likewise, in short, declared the differences between the old Covenant, ... & the new covenant, ... Given forth from Christ the light within in love to the souls of all people, ... that they may have union with me in my fathers love ... whose name according to the flesh is Alexander Parker. Written chiefly to the inhabitants of the town and parish of Austell, in the county, of Cornwall, but may serve for any others who are in the same nature and condition with them.	Parker, Alexander, 1628-1689.	1657 (1657)	Wing P385; Thomason E909_6; ESTC R203124	42,617	54

they care not and whether they be believers or unbelievers if they do not put into their mouthes they presently go about to compell them by force which is a shame to hear of in a Gospel Ministery the Ministers of the Gospel are ashamed of such practices and what ever was received by any of the Gospel Ministers it was freely ministred and was to supply their present necessities Phil. 4 10. to the 20. and not to store up and spend upon their lusts as those Teachers do Nay further in the time of the Law when Tythes was paid to the Leviticall priesthood there was a store house and the people were to bring it freely into the store house and the Priests were not to eat alone Mal. 3.19 Deut. 14.32 20 the end 1 John 10 17 18. but the strangers and fatherless and widows were to come and be filled that there might not be a Beggar in Israel and the Priests were to minister freely a figure of Jesus Christ laying down his body freely and when any did preach for hire it was an horrible and a filthy thing and the Lord sent his true Prophets to testifie against such as in Isaiahs time he cryed out against the Idol Shepheards that sought gain from their Quarter as you may read Isai 56.10 11. His Watchmen are blind they are all ignorant they are all dumb Doggs they cannot bark sleeping lying down loving to slumber yea they are greedy Doggs which can never have enough and they are Shepheards that cannot understand they all look to their own way every one for gain from his Quarter And Jeremiah he was against the abominations in his time and against the false Prophets and Priests Jeremia the fifth chapter The Prophets shall become wind and the Word is not in them thus shall it be done unto them I will make my words in thy mouth fire and this people wood and it shall devour them this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart they are revolted and gone your iniquities have turned you away and your sins hath with h●lden good things from you for among my people are found wicked men they lay wait as he that setteth snares they set a trap they catch men as a Cage is full of Birds so are their houses full of deceit therefore are they become great and waxen rich they are waxen fat they shi●e yea they overpass the deeds of the wicked they judge not the cause the curse of the fatherless yet they prosper shall I not visit for these things Shall not my soul be avenged on such a Nation as this is A wonderfull and a horrible thing is committed in the Land the Prophets prophesie falsly the Priests bear rule by their means and the people love to have it so and what will ye do in the end therof Again read Ieremiah the 23 chapter and there you may see how the Prophet was troubled because of the pro●hanesse of the Pri●sts and Prophets My heart within me is broken because of the Prophets all my bones shake I am like a drunken man c. So both Prophet and Priest are prophane but read all the Chapter And Ezekiel the Lords Prophet he crys ●gainst the false shepheards in his time read Ezekiel 34. Chapter Son of Man prophesie against the shepheards of Israel prophesie and say unto them Thus saith the L●r● God unto the sh●pheards of Israel that do feed themselvs should not the sheepheard feed the flock Ye eat the fat ye cloath you with the wooll ye kill them that are fed but ye feed not the flock c read the chapter throughout and there you may see the deceits and works of the false shepheards in those dayes and the Lords promise to gather his sheep from their mouthes and feed them himself upon the tops of the mountains of Israel And Mica the Prophet of the Lord who dwelt in the light of the Lord he was against the hireling Priests in his time as you may read in Mica 3 5. to the end of the chapter Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my people erre that bite with their teeth and cry peace and he that doth not put into their mouthes they even prepare warre against him therefore night shall be unto you that ye shall not have a vision and it shall be dark unto you that ye shall not divine and the Sun shall go down over the Prophets and the day shall be dark over them then shall the Seers be ashamed the Diviners confounded yea they shal all cover their lips for there shall be no answer of God the heads thereof judge for reward and the Priests thereof teach for hire and the Prophets thereof divine for money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord amongst us no evill can come upon us Therefore shall Sion for your sakes be plowed as a Field and Ierusalem shall become heaps and the Mountains of the House as the High places of the Forrest And as Troops of Robbers wait for a man so the company of Priests murder by the way by consent for they commit lewdness Hosea 69. Read Mal. 2.1 2 3 4 Here you may see the testimony of the Prophets of God against the hirelings and false shepheards and greedy Teachers and those that did not minister freely were cryed against and those that did not bring their Tythes into the store-house they robbed God as you may read Mal. 3 8.10 Will a man rob God yet ye have robbed me but ye say Wherein have we robbed thee in Tythes and Off●rings Bring ye all the Tythes into the storehouse t●a● there may be me ●t in mine house and prove me now herewith saith the Lord of Hosts if I will not open you the windows of Heaven and poure you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it Now here you may see that in the time of the Law they had a store house and those that did not bring their Tythes thither it is not said they robbed the Priests but they robbed God But the Priests of England that take Tythes of the peoples have no storehouse to put the Tythes in neither are the Strangers Widows and Fatherless fed but may sterve for them or go a begging so they are not according to the law And I do not read in all the Scriptures of the Gospel-ministers testimony that ever any of the believers in Christ did either take Tythes or pay Tythes much less to go to law and sue people for any outward maintenance so it is manifest that the Nationall and Parish Teachers who take tythes and sue those at law which do not or for conscience sake cannot put into their mouthes are neither according to law nor Gospel And the Ministers of the Gospel did testifie against such as went in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the error of Balam for gifts and rewards Iude 11 And such false Tea hers who

A TESTIMONY OF THE LIGHT WITHIN A glorious Truth which all the Holy Men of God did bear testimony unto and from which they spoke forth the Scriptures and the end of all Preachings and Writings was to bring to Light within to worship God in Spirit and Truth and to Christ within the hope of Glory The Truth cleared from Scandals and some of the Errors and false Doctrines of two Cornish Teachers laid open and testified against WITH A Description of the true Ministers of Christ and of the free Ministery both under the Law and Gospell Administration and how those that preached for Hire and filthy Lucre were testified against both by the Prophets Christ and the Apostles Wherein the Nationall and Parish Teachers in England and else where who preach for Hire and set Maintenances and sue people at Law for Tythes and Maintenance are clearly proved by severall Scripture examples to be contrary to Law and Gospel both in Doctrine Practice and in the steps and wayes of those whom the true prophets Christ and the Apostles testified against Also a testimony of the dawning of the glorious day of the Lord and his appearing in power in the hearts of his people which makes the world to wonder and formall Professors to rage and persecute the appearance of Christ in power with severall Scripture Examples shewing how the Lord sent his Servants to testifie against such who had the Form but not the Power of Truth And how the Servants and Messengers of God in former ages and generations who were in the Life and Power of Truth were hated and persecuted by those who had the Form but were not in the Life of Truth as they are now in this Generation Here is likewise in short declared the difference between the Old Covenant where the Law Temple Sabbath Circumcision and other Services were without and yearly offering up Sacrifice for sin but did make nothing perfect the new covenant where the Law and Spirit and Circumcision and the life and and substance of the shadows are witnessed within and sin and iniquity done away and the bringing in of the better Hope known which makes perfect which is Christ within the Mystery and hope of Glory Also an Exhortation to all people to cease from Man and all their carnall and dead Observations without them which doth not satisfie and to turn their minds to the true light and wait for the appearance of Christ within who gives rest and peace and satisfies the hungry thirsting Soul With a few words to those Dear ones who are torn to see the deadness of the formall profession who are waiting upon God whose faces are turned Syon-wards Given forth from Christ the light within in love to the souls of all people who are groping in the dark without that out of death and darkness they may be brought turned to the true light that they may have union with me in my fathers love who am redeemed and brought forth of Pharoah's Court and do count it greater riches to suffer affliction with the despised people of God rather than enioy the pleasures of sin for a season Whose Name according to the Flesh is Alexander Parker Written chiefly to the Inhabitants of the Town and Parish of Austell in the County of Cornwall but may serve for any others who are in the same Nature and Condition with them London printed for Giles Calvert at the Black spread-Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1657. To all You to whose Hands this shall come OR To whom soever it shall be committed to to read AND To all in whose hearing it shall be read IT is not that I desire to be seen in Print that was the cause of my writing of that which here doth follow if otherwise I might have been cleared But thus it was upon the sixth day of the weeke being the seventh day of the ninth month 1656. there was a Lecture so called at the Town of Austel in Cornwall and as I lay upon my bed in the morning of the day aforesaid the living power of the Lord did arise in me and a great burden fell upon me and waiting in the fear of God where the secrets of the Lord are known it was laid upon me to go to the Steeple-house at the place aforesaid and I knowing the terror of the Lord durst not withstand nor consult but gave up my self in obedience to the Lord and to his protection though I knew the people to be a wicked gainsaying rebellious people yet I knew him who limits and sets bounds to the raging Sea that it cannot passe its bounds and my life being given up in the service and work of the Lord not fearing what man could do unto me in the power and dread of the Lord I went to the Town and so into the Meeting-place where were two of the professed Teachers and in meekness and patience I waited though under much burden of Spirit untill the Priest had ended his confused gathered in imagined stuffe And afterward I standing up to speak and to clear my Conscience and the Truth from his Lies and other things spoken at that time by him both the Priests began to pass away and would not stay though in the Name of the Lord I charged them to stay and answer for I had some thing to speak unto them but notwithstanding all this they would not stay but went away and left me amongst the rude and ungodly people where like ravening wolves they haled and punched both me and other of my friends that were there that so it was I could not clear my Conscience nor ease me of that burden which was laid upon me concerning them though much was spoken at that time but little received after a little time without much harm I and my friends came away But my burden was not taken off though some of my friends seeing their rudeness perswaded me to let them alone and not to come any more amongst them But on the first day of the week af●er our meeting was ended I passed down to the Town with some friends and having written to the Priest after one Letter was burnt another was delivered to him though at that time he would not read it neither was very free to speak with me Yet notwithstanding though there was little freedom I passed to the Priests house accompanied with one of my friends where coming to the house I found them very light and scoffing and little freedom I had to clear the Truth though much was spoken it was but like water cast into the Sea And after some little time I shaked off the dust of my feet as a testimony against them and came away But I was not eased of my burden though I laboured to put it off seeing I had been amongst them but it lay still upon me and I waited on the Lord and on the second day of the week at night lying on my Bed I was commanded to write and so