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

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95679	Gainsayer convinced: or, An answer to a certain scandalous paper, subscribed and sent by certain seduced and seditious people to a minister in the countrey: in which the calling of the ministry of the Church of England, the nature of a visible church, the power of the magistrate under the gospel, the right of tithes, with many other points now in controversie, are briefly, fully and plainly cleared, to the satisfaction of those that are wavering; also much of the spirit and many of the errours of the Anabaptists of these daies (who call themselves saints) discovered and confuted. / By T.T. Preacher of the word at Kemble in Wiltshire.	Thache, Thomas, b. 1616 or 17.	1649 (1649)	Wing T827; Thomason E568_1; ESTC R206240	79,821	83

you Again when or where or which of us have you known to be Beagles to our Reverend Patrons as you call them the Bishops where have we faced about and turn'd again as we were or whom amongst us can you prove to have taken the Bishops Oath with caetera we are able to make your falshood and slanders in this appear to the world that in this County of Gloucester it was generally opposed and refused how base then are these accusations Again whom of us have you known to have layen at the Ale-house three dayes in a week blush for shame Did you know what you did when you were led by the nose to set your hands to such an heap of lyes together which are all from the father of lyes and any one of which we challenge you and all the world to make good against us if you can Does it become the Saints to do such things as these are Me thinks here be fit grounds for you to be ashamed and confounded in your selves Paper In the next place you tell us that certainly if you should see the downfall of our means you should see the downfall of our Ministery that being the grand prop thereof And therefore rather then we will trust God for our maintenance we will take nay force the legall maintenance of Tithes from the people c. Ans I answer First we know that the downfall of our Ministery is that which you look and long and gape after that so you may run on without controul in your villanies But me thinks if you were not wilfully ignorant you might know that Tithes are not the grand prop of our Ministery 'T is a promise of Christ that is the prop of it And that is such a prop that the gates of hell shall never prevail against it he hath promised to be with our Ministery and us in our Ministery to the end of the world And therefore you are not like to see the downfall of it so soon as you think for except you have a revelation as one of your grand Prophets lately had that the end of the world will be very soon your hope in this therefore is but as the hope of the wicked which shall perish and be as a spiders webb If the Lord strip us of that which you call legall maintenance if he bring us to a morsell of bread yea down to sackcloth and ashes yet I doubt not but you shall finde that we shall trust God so farre for our maintenance that while we live we shall preach the Gospel And while we do preach the Gospel we doubt not but we shall live by the Gospel and if our maintenance be in that way which you call legall we shall not desire to keep it if we be not able to justifie it to honester men yea better wits then yours to be lawfull yea under the Gospel And that in the next place I shall undertake to shew you by removing all those silly and ridiculous objections which you in your Paper have layed in against it Paper First you say 't was a legall maintenance 2ly that 't was only given to the Priests under the Law for their service 3ly that 't was given to them as one of the ten Tribes which they took onely of their brethren and that not by compulsion but you say there is no equalitie that our Priests should have it First because they are not the hundredth part of the people 2ly because they have inheritance among their brethren 3ly you say the Priests of the Law had but the 10 th of the increase ours of mens labours 4ly the Priests of the Law were not so covetous as ours be 5ly you say Christ having put an end to the Priesthood hath also changed the Law which you say is Tithes here you urge Hebr. 7. 12. Hence you do farther inferre that to take Tithes under the Gospel is abominable heresie and a denying of Christ come in the flesh 6ly you say you may see God blasting them in our posterity for they generally come to nothing but are miserable Lastly that in this we are Jewish and may be call'd Jews Ans For Answer First whereas you say 't is legall maintenance this is just as you call repentance humilitie obedience and all duties legall graces and duties We need not value such a brand set upon the office or Ministery or maintenance of the ministery of the Gospel when the very graces of the Gospel suffer by you and your companions under the same reproach But to answer you 'T is legall maintenance say you how legall I beleeve your meaning in this is that which you speak more plainly in the 2d as it was paid onely to Priests under the Law therfore legall if this be your meaning as it can be no other here I shall presently shew you your grosse ignorance Were Tithes paid onely to Priests under the Law how false is this you might have seen in Hebr. 7. quoted by you that Abraham paid Tithes to Melchisede●h and Levi himself in Abrahams loins Now the Apostle shews you that the priesthood of Melchisedech was not that of Levi for this is taken away saith he but the order of Melchisedechs Priesthood abides for ever Here then you see that Tithes were paid to some other Priests then onely to the Priests under the Law Farther when you read that Abraham and Jacob paid Tithes I desire to know from you by what law they paid Tithes whether was it by the Law of Nature or by the Leviticall Law or by an Evangelicall Law one of the three must be 't is plain as the Sun that it could not be by a Leviticall Law and by virtue of that for that was not then enacted and by that Law Levi was to receive and not to pay Tithes yet Levi himself in Abraham paid Tithes to Melchisedech Again if they paid by the Law of Nature that Law binds all men still as well now as then And lastly if they paid by an Evangelicall Law that binds also all Christians to pay their Tithes towards the maintenance of Melchisedechs priesthood which endures for ever Pray let me see your Answer to this Paper In the next place you say Tithes were given to the Priests under the Law as they were one of the ten Tribes which they took onely of their brethren and that not by compulsion but there 's no equalitie that our Priests should have it first because they are not the hundredth part of the people 2ly they have inheritance among the brethren Again they had but the tenth of the increase ours of mens labours Ans In Answer to this I must tell you here again your ignorance hath made you very bold and impudent in speaking that which I shall shew to you and to al the world to be very false And it must be under these heads You put me here upon the consideration of these two things first the proportion of the persons of the Priests under the

for their living in their former Trades and Callings but had maintenance by the preaching of the Gospel and had power to receive it And Paul himself tels them there as you have seen that he and Barnabas did not work for this that they had no power to receive maintenance by the Gospel as well as the other Apostles and power to leave working with their hands but they did it for other ends Hence now as you say if you be not quite blinde ye may see that liberall maintenance is due to the Ministers of the Gospel as Ministers for their works sake That they have power to take this from the people and power to leave working with their own hands for their maintenance Let me hear what you have to say to these things Again see 1 Tim. 4. 15. Meditate on these things give thy self wholly to them that thy profiting may be known to all Answer me what doth Paul mean by bidding Timothy to give himself wholly to these things had it not sounded like a contradiction if it had run thus Labour with thy own hands at some trade for thy living and give thy self wholly to reading exhortation doctrine meditation do you see your simplicity and ignorance now in this malicious objection against us Farther yet I hope by this reasonable men may be convinc'd that it is a divine right that Ministers should have a maintenance and that for their preaching the Gospel And for the proportion distribution the manner of the peoples paying and their receiving that maintenance their use and enjoyment of it if you look upon it and we acknowledge it to be of a civill right Then if by the Laws of the Kingdom the proportion of Tithes be allowed us and we by the same Laws hold and possesse them there being nothing in the whole written Word to forbid such a way and such a proportion it appears to rationall men that we have as lawfull a Freehold in our Tithes as any man hath to his Lands and can enjoy and possesse them without being guilty of abominable heresie and without a denying of Christ to be come in the flesh Again as for our receiving so for your paying Tithes know this that it being the Apostles doctrine that Ministers of the Gospel should live by the Gospel And the Ministers of this Kingdom being allowed and authorized by the just Laws and lawfull Magistrates of this Kingdom to receive Tithes of their people and every man being compell'd under the penalty of the Law of this Kingdom to the payment of them there being nothing no not a word in the Word of God to forbid such a law I say Tithes becoming this way due to us by the Law of the Land and the Apostle commanding all Christians Rom. 13. 7. to render to all their dues whosoever shall go about to defraud or to deny their Minister this his due he is in this most impious and sacrilegious Will you be ashamed now of your ignorance and be a little more wary for the time to come how you give liberty to your unbridled tongues and distempered passions to censure misreport or slander or scandalize the persons parts callings maintenance of such men against whom Timothy was not to receive an accusution without two or three witnesses 1 Tim. 5. 19. and to take notice of the ill consequences of the same you do not onely contract the guilt of sin to your selves but you expose your selves in your madnesse ignorance malice and folly to be the object of sorrow and grief to those that know you and pitie your poore souls and the object of laughter to all others that have any knowledge of the truth In your next passage you expresse more of that bitternesse that is in your spirits poore men There be some Symons crept in amongst you which as he did in Act. 8. do bewitch you who seems to you to be some great one and as the people beleeved of him so do many now give heed to many that be abroad as if they were the great power of God whereas indeed in the end they will prove to be but sorcerers And as for all your wicked and false accusations I shall onely say to you as Peter did to Simon Repent of this your wickednesse and pray God if perhaps the thoughts of your hearts may be forgiven you For 't is easie for a Christian to perceive that these are the expressions of those who are in the very gaul of bitternesse and bond of iniquity Look upon some of them and you your selves shall be Judges Paper You say peremptorily that we strike at the very foundation of Truth as he that is spirituall may easily discern c. Ans I answer First I will not undertake to judge your spirits but this I must tell you that how spirituall soever you pretend to be that spirit that charges us with striking at the very foundation of Truth is a spirit of envie hatred malice reviling evill speaking lying and slandering and what spirit this is I leave it to your selves to judge 2ly Me thinks you should not so cruelly have condemned us for this but you should have told us what truth we did ever strike at you have quickly forgotten your own rule but now given to us concerning heresie and hereticks you told us that the Gospel way was first to prove men such and then to reprove but it seems you walk not in the same Gospel way Remember here that of Paul Rom. 2. 1 3. Thou art inexcusable O man whosoever thou art that judgest for wherein thou judgest another thou condemnest thy self for thou that judgest doest the same things And thinkest thou this that judgest another and doest the same things that thou shalt escape the judgement of God you should first prove us such and then condemne us 'T is your own counsell and therefore I hope will not be rejected by you I desire that this may be proved against us else surely 't will condemne you 3ly I doubt not but in the end and upon the tryall it shall be made appeare that in those very things wherein you rashly condemne us for striking at the foundation of truth the Lord himselfe whose eyes are upon the truth and all that are acquainted with any of the truths of God will acquit and justifie us as contending only for the truth that was once delivered to the Saints and striving for the faith of the Gospel which is now invaded and miserably wounded by those spirits that are already whom as the Apostle fore-told the way of truth is evill spoken of Paper In the next place you charge us with deceiving the hearts of the simple and endeavouring to deceive the very elect that we make truth looke every way like Janus faces that you have need of the wisdome of God to discover us and the depths of Satans deceipts and wiles that the Lord who hath begun to uncover unvayl unmask uncloath c. will do it fully and

yet heard or read of or have spoken with I doubt not but to make it appear to you that these are onely the fancies and devices of Phanaticall Enthusiasts and not to be deduced from Scriptures who because they be dissolute would have no bonds of Laws because they are Schismaticks would have no discipline in the Church and because they walk inordinately they would have no coercive power of the Magistrate to restrain them This is onely the spirit of those Schismaticall Teachers who under a pretence of spirituall freedome will lead you into all carnall libertie prophanenesse sacriledge and faction And have they nor you nothing else to prove Magistracie to be Antichristian and to have no footsteps in the Gospel but Rev. 13. 7. 15. 16. Poore men did not I tell you but now what miserable Expositors and applyers and wresters of Scripture you were to your own destruction will you see how ridiculous you are in this place and how simply and sinfully you abuse Scripture The text alledged plainly shews that power was given to Antichrist to wage warre with the Saints and by his Armies to overcome them and this you bring to prove that the Sword of Justice in the hand of the Civill Magistrate under the Gospel is Antichristian oh miserable ignorance and impudence he that thus teacheth you to understand and apply Scriptures is a blinde leader of the blinde and if the Lord open not your eyes the sooner you will both fall into the ditch Again you urge Revel 12. 11. where the text saith that the Saints overcame Satan by the blood of the Lambe and the word of their testimony and this you bring to prove that the Power of the Magistrate under the Gospel in restraining and punishing errors and maintaining truth is an indirect and an Antichristian way may not he that hath but half an eye see how grosly absurd you are in these things The plain meaning of the place is no more then this That by the death and sufferings of Jesus Christ the Lambe of God slain the devill and all his Angels all the enemies of mans salvation are overcome and the Saints are said to overcome him by his blood as they have their garments washt in the blood of the Lambe as they are justified and sanctified by his blood and by his Word the victory of Christ over the devill and his Angels being obtained not in his own name but for us we that beleeve in his blood and the word of his testimony are said in him to have overcome Satan and his Angels the enemies of our salvation Do you see now how simply you have quoted Scripture here and how little to your purpose Surely this is no small fin thus to abuse and wrest the Word and the truth of God to the maintaining of errors therefore repent for it Again you say the power of the Magistrate under the Gospel is an Antichristian way and you have fairly prov'd it Let me tell you just thus did John of Leyden in Munster all Power of the Magistrate amongst Christians was by him and his followers cry'd down as Antichristian and persecution of tender consciences till he himself had gained power by his seduced ones to murther and banish all the Magistrates in Munster and John himself was got up into the Throne of Soveraignty made and proclaimed by them his followers to be King of the new Jerusalem in Munster where he exercised a great deal of most barbarous and unheard of cruelty and then Magistracie was no longer Antichristian when the Saints there as they call'd themselves were once become Magistrates I onely minde you of this story because the Town and Countrey Note that Giles Hancox one of the Subscriters hath since this taken his Oath for Iustice of the Peace and now executes that office in Cirencester speaks it that some of you that have here subscribed Magistracie to be Antichristian are designed and appointed and are ready to undertake the office of being Magistrates among your neighbours I hope when you your selves come to be Magistrates and Justices then Magistracie will no longer be accounted Antichristian amongst you when the Sword is once in the Saints hands But that I may not discourage you in your young undertakings I will take a little pains to inform your ignorance and to shew you what foot-steps the Magistrates executing of Justice upon transgressors both against the first and second Table hath in the Gospel I hope I shall make it appear plainly to you that 't is so farre from being Antichristian that it is Gods own ordinance and that under the Gospel and you shall see 't is onely ignorance that makes you so impudent as to say that this hath no foot-steps in the Gospel In the first place let me tell you that all the best reformed Churches in Christendome do renounce and detest these Anabaptisticall dreams of yours and most harmoniously and willingly confesse and acknowledge it to be Gods will that the world be governed by Laws by the way remember that the Church is within the Common-wealth and God himself hath appointed the Civill Magistrate and hath delivered to him the Sword to the protection and praise of good men and for punishment on the evill And by this bridle mens vices and wickednesses should be restrained whether committed against the first or against the second Table 2ly They confesse the Power and Authoritie of Magistrates to be the ordinances of God himself appointed as well to the manifestation of his own glory as to the singular profit of mankinde That by reason of the will of God himself revealed in his Word we must not onely suffer and be content that they should rule but also to love them fear them and withall reverence and honour and embrace them as the Embassadors and Ministers of the most high God being in his stead and preferr'd for the good of their Subjects that we should poure out prayers for them pay tributes to them and in all businesses of the Common-wealth which are not against the Word of God to obey their Laws and Edicts 3ly They beleeve also and do willingly acknowledge that every lawfull Magistrate being by God himself constituted the keeper and defender of both Tables of the Law may and ought first and chiefly to take care of Gods glory and according to his place to preserve Religion when pure and to restore it when decayed and corrupted and to this end to restrain and punish as well Atheists Blasphemers Hereticks and Schismaticks as the violaters of Justice and Civill peace Now by what spirit you are led to run out of and to cry down the opinions and practises of all the Churches of Christ in this point as Antichristian every man may judge And the Lord help you timely to see whither you are running headlong not onely beyond the Churches of Christ but into ab●urdities and extremities which even the Law of Nature teaches poore Pagans and Heathens to avoid who have

Law and 2ly the proportion of their maintenance and to compare it with ours now If you will look upon these two things in Scripture you shall finde how falsly and absurdly you do argue in your Paper I will shew you first for their persons that it will not be hard to prove that the Tribe of Levi under the Law were not the fourtieth part of the people 2ly for their maintenance they had three times as much as any one Tribe First for their persons look upon the numbring of them and compare See Dr. Reynolds Exp Psal 110. pag 477 478 c. Numb 1. 46. with Numb 3. 39. and you shall finde that the other Tribes were numbred from 20 yeers old and upward to all that were able to bear Arms which was to the age of fifty yeers as Josephus reports for at that age they were supposed to be unserviceable for war and yet being thus numbred but from 20 to 50 yeers their number amounted to six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty men able to go to war On the other side the Levites were numbred from one month old and upward and yet the whole number amounted but to two and twenty thousand Now conjecture the number of those in the other Tribes who were under 20 yeers of age and who were above fifty yeers to be but half as many as the rest as it cannot be supposed that they were lesse yet the whole number of the Tribes reckoned from their infancie upward will amount at least to nine hundred two thousand men of which number the number of the Levites is just the one and fourtieth part If you say that the Tribe of Levi increased to a mighty number afterwards as may be found 1 Chron. 23. 3. I say that the whole people increased accordingly for the Tribe of Judah which was before but seventy foure thousand was then five hundred thousand and in Jehosaphats time eleven hundred thousand See 2 Sam. 24. 9. and 2 Chron. 17. latter end here then ye see how ye are mistaken in the proportion of the persons of the Levites They were so farre from being a tenth part that they were not so much as the fourtieth part of the people And in the next place look into the proportion of their maintenance and you shall see your selves more mistaken there one would think that the fourtieth part of the people could require but the fourtieth part of the maintenance in proportion Paper You say they had no inheritance amongst their brethren and that they had but the tenth of the increase onely Ans How durst you thus belye the Scriptures do you do it ignorantly or wilfully First you shall finde that they had the tenth of all the increase of seed and fruit and great and small cattell See Levit. 27. 30. and 32. ver 2ly though they were not the fourtieth part of the people they had 48 Cities with suburbs for cattell and for gardens See Numb 35. the 7 first verses which Cities were next to the best and in many Tribes the best of all in Judah Hebron in Benjamin Gibeon both royall Cities so that those Cities with about a mile suburbe to every one of them can come to little lesse then the wealth of one Tribe alone in that little Countrey which from Dan to Beersheba was but about 160 miles long 3ly They had all the first-fruits both of clean and unclean beasts see Numb 18. 13. of the fruits of the earth and of the fleece of the sheep Deut. 18. 4. Nehem. 10. 35. of men to be redeemed Numb 18. 15 16. 4ly The meat-offerings the siu-offerings the trespasse-offerings the heave-offerings and the wave-offerings were all theirs Numb 18. 9 10 11. 5ly They had all vows and voluntary oblations and consecrations Numb 18. 8 9. 6ly excepting the Holocaust they had either the shoulder or the breast or the skin or something of every sacrifice which was offered Numb 18. 18. Deut. 18. 3. Levit. 7. 30 31. 7ly The males were to appear three times a yeer before the Lord and they were not to come empty handed Exod. 23. 15 17. Lastly unto them did belong many recompences of injuries which was the restitution of the principall and a fift part Num. 5. 7. 8. Now put the Tithes the Cities and these other constant revenues together and you shall finde that the Priests and the Levites who were but about a quarter as many as one Tribe had yet about three times revenues of any one Tribe And thus you may see how falsly how blindly and groundlesly you argue from comparing the revenues and the numbers of the Priests under the Law with the Ministers of the Gospel and their Tithes And whereas you say they took it not by compulsion how simple and silly is this where did the people deny it or where did they refuse the payment of it was it not a command of God Doubtlesse had there been denyall there had been compulsion in this as in other Laws Paper Your next objection against us why we should not receive Tithes is because we are covetous we bring into our store-houses but we do not give to the poore Ans I onely ask you here again how ye dare how ye are not afraid to judge others thus how came you to have that searching eye to look into mens hearts and to see how covetous they are Certainly though ye pretend to beleeve what 's written in the Law and the Prophets your practise shews that you make little conscience of making that your rule to walk by or else you have learnt the trick of many now a dayes to slip the collar and to lay by so much of the Word as doth in any way tend to the bridling or restraining of you in any of your unruly lusts Paper In the next place you charge us with abusing that place of Scripture Mala. 3. 10. which you say was lawfull then but not now and you prove it thus Christ having put an end to the Priesthood hath also changed the Law Hebr. 7. 12. which Law you say was Tithes And hence you conclude that to take Tithes under the Gospel there being not the least syllable for it is abominable heresie and a denying of Christ come in the flesh c. Ans I answer First for your charging us with abuse of Scripture I may say to you as Christ to the Pharisees judging others Matth. 7. 3. Why beholdest thou the moat in thy brothers eye and considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye Thou hypocrite first cast out the beam out of thy own eye what a beam there is in the eye of your judgement plainly appears to the world in the very next line to this in which you charge us with abusing Scripture And that is in your text cited Hebr. 7. 12. where the Apostle saying that the priesthood of Aaron and Levi being changed there is of necessitie a change of the Law you very boldly and impudently say

that by the word Law there the Apostle means Tithes And hence you conclude that the right of Tithes is changed abominable ignorance and abuse of Scripture If this be not that wresting of the Scripture which St. Peter speaks of let the understanding judge Me thinks it would be incredible if I had it not under your hands that men who pretend so much to the spirit as you do and are led by such spirituall men as you are should be thus blind I 'le take a little pains here too to shew you the Apostles meaning and your own grosse mistakes The scope of the Apostle in severall Chapters here is onely to draw off the Hebrews from the sacrifices of the Law and from seeking perfection in them and to bring them to Christ crucified and offered up now a sacrifice for the sins of those that beleeve in him and to the seeking of perfection justification sanctification and life in him To this purpose the Apostle sets forth to them the excellency of Christs priesthood and sacrifice above the priesthood and sacrifices of Aaron and Levi. In this Chapter he sets forth the honour and excellency of Christs priesthood above that of Aaron and Levi under the Law by shewing the excellency of Melchisedechs priesthood above that of Aaron and Levi he having avouched and declared before that Christ was constituted and made a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech first here he shews that Christ is a Priest after the order of Melchisedec as from a testimony of David in Chap. 5. from that absolute agreement betwixt Melchisedech and Christ the parts wherof are these 1. As Melchisedech was King and Priest of the most high God so Christ 2ly as Melchisedech was King of righteousnesse and Prince of peace so was Christ 3ly As Melchisedech his parents kindred beginning and ending of life are not recorded so Christ as man without father as God without mother kindred beginning or ending of life therefore Christ is truly a Priest after the order of Melchisedech Secondly having shew'd that Christ is a Priest after the order of Melchisedec he comes to shew that Melchisedecs priesthood is more excellent then that of Levi and then 't will follow that he who is a Priest after his order as Christ is is greater then Levi. This the Apostle proves because he was greater then Abraham in whose Joins Levi was he proves him to be greater then Abraham in that Abraham payed Tithes to him and in that Melchisedech blessed Abraham and without all contradiction the lesse is blessed of the greater saith he The Apostle having thus proved the person and priesthood of Christ to be before and above that of Levi and Aaron in the 11. verse he shews that the priesthood of Levi was but imperfect in respect of Christs priesthood and therefore must justly now cease and be abrogated when the priesthood of Christ is come According to that of the Apostle in another case 1 Cor. 13. 10. When that which is perfect is come that which is imperfect is done away Now to prove that the priesthood of Levi is imperfect he shews it because perfection viz justification sanctification and life eternall could not be obtained by the Leviticall Priesthood viz by their offering sacrifices of buls and goats and rams and lambes c. for under their Priesthood the people received that Law And he goes on to shew that this perfection was not to be found in that service for if it could have been found there there had been no farther need that another Priest should have risen after the order of Melchisedech which was a more excellent order then th●t of Levi. But seeing another priesthood more excellent then that of Levi or Aaron viz that of Christ is risen in which there is perfection viz justification sanctification and eternall life to be found in the 12. verse he shews them that the Priesthood is changed and therefore that Law which they were tyed to under Aaron and Levi viz of offering sacrifices of buls and goats c. is of necessity changed and therefore must cease to them This Law he saith is changed because the Priesthood is changed under which this Law was executed and now another high Priest is risen viz Christ who hath offered a sacrifice once for ever So that by the Law here the Apostle plainly means those services which pursuing the same argument he cals in the next Chapter the old Covenant and a temporall Covenant which was establisht and ratified upon the legall priestood And in this 12. verse of this 7th Chapter he shews the mutuall relation betwixt the Leviticall priesthood and the old Covenant that the Priesthood ceasing when the priesthood of Christ did rise the Law also that old Covenant must of necessity cease being establisht and ratified upon the Leviticall Priesthood T is as much as if Paul had said Your Priesthood being imperfect and abrogated by Christ your law by which you were bound by those Priests to offer sacrifices for sin doth now cease too Christ having once for all offered himself a sacrifice for the sins of his people Now whether the words of the Apostle here can by any but such as your selves be wrested to have any reference at all to Tithes I leave all the world to judge And I tell you in your bold expounding the word Law here to be understood of Tithes you have arrogated to your selves more new and strange light then ever any man yet did that undertook to expound this place of Scripture since the Apostle did write it Oh glorious revelation Paper In the next place you say there is not the least syllable for it in the Gospel and the Apostles never owned it Ans Pray shew me where is the least syllable against it in the Gospel or where did ever Christ or his Apostles disown it if your texts be no other against it then what you urge Hebr. 7. 12. though it may passe amongst your selve● and your silly women who understand not Scripture yet you will be laught and his't at for your simplicitie by those who have any knowledge Shew me I say where the Law for paying Tithes is abrogated in the new Testament whether it be not rather confirmed at least in the equity of it for Christ speaking of tithing mint and cummin saith These things ye ought to do and not to leave the other undone Luk. 11 42. You 'le say perhaps that the priesthood of the Law being ended Tithes also which was their due are ended in them This I know is your argument you trust to But for Answer I have shewed you already that the paying of Tithes did not belong onely to the Leviticall Priesthood they were paid long before that Priesthood was constituted Again in that Melchisedech received Tithes from Abraham which the Apos●le in Hebr. 7. takes speciall notice of foure or five times ye may observe Melchisedech being a type of Christ that Christ is a receiver Dr.