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A81789 The Due right of tithes examined: in a letter from a gentleman to his friend, wherein is proved that Jesus Christ did not work as a carpenter, nor did ever command his Apostles or ministers to work for a livelihood: by way of answer to some passages in Mr. Fishers Baby-baptism. By an aged gentleman, who cannot long expect to have the comfort of ministers of their ministery. 1653 (1653) Wing D2441; Thomason E714_16; ESTC R207243 7,019 13

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THE DVE RIGHT OF TITHES EXAMINED In a LETTER from a Gentleman to his friend wherein is proved that Jesus Christ did not work as a Carpenter nor did ever command his Apostles or Ministers to work for a livelihood By way of answer to some passages in Mr. Fishers Baby-Baptism By an aged Gentleman who cannot long expect to have the comfort of Ministers or their Ministery Mal. 3.10 Bring ye all the Tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house and prove me now herewith saith the Lord of Hosts if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing London Printed for Thomas Pierrepont and are to be sold at the Sun in Pauls Church-yard 1654. A Copie of a Letter from a Friend LOving friend amongst the many thoughts which these times doth cause within me nothing doth so much tronble me as that the Adversary of mankinde who transformeth himself into an Angel of light thereby even to deceive the Elect of the Lord if it were possible who hath stirred up in my apprehension many men of parrs and gifts to set themselves against a setled and constant Ministery which God and Christ Jesus hath appointed and promised unto his Church and people for to teach them to observe and do all things whatsoever I have commanded you and said Lo I am with you alway even to the end of the world Matth. 28.20 And this hath lately been attempted by petitioning to the Supreme Power now in being for the taking away of all means and maintenance from those they call Ministers hoping thereby to destroy and put down that Calling which I am perswaded the Lord himself did first institute and ordain And will continue and uphold it even unto the end notwithstanding all their machinations and devices for I am given to understand they are confident that if they can prevail to have all the means taken from them whereby they may have a livelihood that the Ministery will fall of it self that then all gifted men may exercise themselves in their places at pleasure which being but duly considered of all such as truly fear the Lord though themselves at present do not what woful distractions and divisions will follow thereupon my heart even trembleth to think on for if once Maintenance and Encouragement be taken from the Ministery and every man suffered to teach what himself pleaseth and approveth of then may not men teach Atheisme Heathenism Turcism Judaisme Arrianisme Libertimsme Idol-worshipping what else mans corrupt and sensual wils may prompt them unto and vvill not thereby be a fair opportunity given vvith liberty for Jesuites and all Sectaries calling themselves gifted men for to draw Disciples after them and also thereby making men to be factious and causing divisions amongst the people causing thereby disturbances to arise whereby it may be feared but little peace will follow such courses For how can the Lord give a blessing to such disordered doings for God is not the Authour of confusion but of peace And the Lord never appointed but one order worship to his Church people at one time as the whole Scripture testifieth and that the Lord would have men to bestow in his service such temporal things as he had freely given unto them for their use and sustentation wherefore the Lord himself commanded and taught his people at the beginning even before he appointed a Ministery or Ministers for to offer Sacrifices unto him of those clean beasts and fruits of the earth which he had given unto them thereby to manifest themselves his servants and to shew forth their faith and obedience unto him their great Jehovah and Creatour as Gen. 4.3 4. and 8.20 Also Abraham Isaac Jacob and the rest of the Patriarchs offered Sacrifices to the Lord accordingly long before they became a Nation or Common-weal but after that they were multiplied grown by the blessing and promise of the Lord made unto Abraham that his posterity should be a great people and Nation which was accomplished in Egypt from whence the Lord brought and delivered them by his great and mighty power Now the Lord having brought them forth by the conduct of his faithful servant Moses from out of Egype to the Mount Sinai Exod. 19. And the Lord came down upon the Mount Sinai on the top of the Mount And the Lord called Moses up to the top of the Mount and Moses went up And unto Moses the Lord delivered his Law the ten Commandements which are to be kept by all people with the Ceremonial Law appertaining to the Jews And also appointed and commanded Moses to make a Tabernacle with all the utensils thereof and the manner of the Sacrifices and offerings which the people were to offer and to give out of their own proper goods and estates for the maintenance of the Tabernacle and also the Tithes with part of the offerings and fourty eight Cities with their Suburbs which the Lord gave and appointed for the Priests and Levites for the maintenance and subsistance of them and theirs Now if that order and Priesthood of Aaron which was to be abolished had such great maintenance then shall not that order of Ministers which our High Priest Christ Jesus hath set up and appointed over his Church and children have likewise means and subsistence provided for them and theirs in as great a measure they being Ministers under Jesus Christ of his Gospel which is far more glorious then that of the Law And therefore to be provided for as the Gospel teacheth notwithstanding the clamours and petitioning against it by divers who profess the fear of the Lord and seeming to be very forward promoters of the worship of God in the purity thereof but I fear their zeal is not according to knowledge but for their own ends and to set up themselves no nor yet the Gospel-way and let such men declare or shew from Scripture where ever Christ commanded that his Apostles Disciples or Ministers ought not or should not be provided for with means and mainteance if they can or that Christ ever appointed or commanded them to sustain themselves by their own labours or occupations or that Christ Jesus himself ever wrought as a Carpenter And let all such blinde zealous persons take notice what Christ Jesus himself said and did Matth. 4.18 19 20. and Mark 1.17 18. where Christ called Peter and Andrew and said unto them Follow me and I will make you fishers of men and they followed him And can those Zelotes finde in Scripture that ever after that they used the trade of fishing for the maintenance of themselves and theirs but followed their Ministeriall office or Calling Preaching and saying The Kingdome of Heaven is at hand And likewise will it not plainly appear to all men except wilfully blinde that the Apostles Ministers of Christ Jesus ought to be provided for by those to whom they preached as is evident by Christ Jesus his manner of sending
them forth to preach the Gospel Matth. 10.7 8 9 10. and Luke 10.3 4 5 6 7. For the labourer is worthy of his hire or did Christ ever forbid tithes to be paid to the Pharisees which was for their maintenance but approved thereof for doth not Christ say Luke 11.42 For ye tithe Mint and Rue and all manner of herbs and pass over judgement and the love of God these ought you to have done and not to leave the other undone where they may observe how our Lord Jesus Christ reproved the Pharisees for their passing over judgement and the love of God wherein they should have instructed the people but not for their tithing those small things which lawfully they might but in subordination to the weightier matters of the Law neither can those men who are so earnest to have all Maintenance taken from Ministers shew that either Christ Jesus or his Apostles and Ministers have any where in Scripture forbidden their successors and followers either the taking of Tithes or other Maintenance for to be allowed unto them Nay may it not be said unto those men that Christ Jesus received Tithes The reason for that Abraham gave Tithes unto Melchisedeck of all Gen. 14. which was long before the Lord appointed them to be given unto Aaron his successors for Christ Jesus was not an High Priest after the order of Aaron but of Melchisedeck unto whom Abraham gave a tenth part of all of whom it is said without father without mother without descent having neither beginning of dayes nor end of life but made like the Son of God abideth a Priest continually and in Psal ●●0 and Heb 7. The Lord hath sworn and will not repent Thou art a Priest for sever after the order of Melchisedeck Now for that it plainly appeareth that Melchisedeck was a Priest figure and type of Christ Jesus And his Priesthood unto whom tithes were paid by Abraham the father of all the faithful Let those Zelots from Scripture prove that neither tithes nor other maintenance ought to be given unto the successours of Christ Jesus but that they ought to labour working with their own hands for a livelihood as those men say but I affirm that I never read neither shall those men ever in Scripture read that although Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour was called Matth. 13.55 Is not this the Carpenters son Is not his mother called Mary and Mark 6.3 Is not this the Carpenter the Son of Mary but yet that he ever wrought as a Carpenter the Scripture no where testifieth but the Scripture saith That at twelve yeeres of age he was found in the Temple sitting in the midst of the Doctors both hearing them and asking them questions Luke 2.42.46 48. And his mother said unto him Son why hast thou thus dealt with us Behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing Now will any man but a blinde one from these words of Mary say that Joseph her husband was Christs father I believe not but heare Christ his answer Verse 49. And he said unto them How is it that ye sought me wist ye not that I must be about my Fathers business and they understood not the saying Now if Christ Jesus was thus early about his heavenly Fathers business can any man that hath his understanding believe or think that ever he followed his supposed fathers calling a Carpenter And I would have such men as are so earnest against Maintenance for Ministers and that say they ought to labour with their hands to declare unto the World what outward trade calling or secular employment John Baptist had or that he wrought with his hands to get a livelihood What Scripture-proof they can produce or that any one of the Apostles Evangelists or Ministers did work with their own hands save Paul and Barnabas who did it of their own voluntary accord for they had neither precept nor command from Christ Jesus so to do for if they had surely it would have been mentioned in Scripture And no doubt had there been any but that Paul would have charged Timothy and Titus whom he calleth his sons and those other Pastors and Teachers of the Churches whom he chargeth to feed the flock of Christ Jesus also to have laboured with their hands for a livelihood had there been any such precept or command Nay Paul doth evidently testifie the contrary in sundry places of Scripture for he saith he had power and might have been chargeable as well as other the Apostles of Christ And let all men consider and read seriously what Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 9.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 and 14 Verses how many arguments doth the Apostle there use to prove that Ministers ought to be maintained as first from the power that Christ hath given Secondly from warfare Thirdly from the planter of a Vineyard and feeder of a flock Fourthly from the Law of God Fifthly from Equity Sixthly from the example of those that served at the Altar Seventhly because The Lord hath ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel Eighthly from 2 Cor. 5.20 They are called Ambassadours for Christ and was it ever known but that Ambassadours and Souldiers were provided for and doth not the same Paul 2 Cor. 11.8 say I robbed other Churches taking wages of them to do you service and 1 Thess 2.6 he saith Nor of men sought we glory neither of you nor yet of others when we might have been burdensome as the Apostles of Christ And I pray God that the same minde might be in those men who are so eager against all Maintenance for Ministers that was in Saint Paul Not to seek glory from men nor their followers or admirers by so doing And let these men cōsider what Paul saith Gal. 6.6 Let him that is taught in the Word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things Therefore I say to such men as the Apostle in the next Verse saith Be not deceived God is not mocked nor will not be mocked For whatsoever a man soweth so shall he also reap and 1 Thess 5.12 13. and 1 Tim. 5.18 For the Scripture saith Thou shalt not muzzle the Oxe that treadethout the corn and The labourer is worthy of his reward and Philip. 4.10 Paul saith I rejoyced greatly that now at last your care for me hath flourished again wherein ye were also careful but ye lacked opportunity by all which above-said I am fully perswaded that it is the will of God the Father and of Jesus Christ our Lord Redeemer and Saviour and of the Holy Ghost our Sanctifier that the Ministers and Preachers of the Gospel should be provided for with a competent means and allowance whereby they may cheerfully perform the work of their Ministery and calling without grief of minde and spirit or their working with their own hands for a livelihood although Mr. Fisher in his great book lately set forth against Infants-Baptisme the