Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	abhor_v	money_n	zion_n	48	3	8.5933	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65358	The saints guide, or, Christ the rule, and ruler of saints manifested by way of positions, consectaries, and queries : wherein is contayned the efficacy of acquired knowledge, the rule of Christians, the mission and maintenance of ministers, and the power of magistrates in spiritual things / by Iohn Webster ...	Webster, John, 1610-1682.	1654 (1654)	Wing W1213; ESTC R17627	36,008	50

contract for none but only to receiv that thankfully of those whose hearts God stirred up to give it freely Thirdly when our Saviour was ascended and the Spirit was descended upon the Apostles and other Believers they did not force nor compel those that were converted to give them so much or so much out of their estates but those that freely would sold them and laid the money down at their feet then distribution was made according as every man had need and while their goods were un●old or not brought into the common pur● they might every one have don with their own as they listed as the Apostle told Ananias and Saphira so that they witnessed that they had no other warant to receive wages by but only what was freely given unto them Fourthly this Rule was not so strict neither that a Minister of necessity must receive it or else offend against the Rule but it was so indifferent that Paul did refuse it in the coasts of Achaia and said that none should rob him of that boasting in those quarters and adds the Reasons why he did so which was not that it was not lawfull for him to have taken what they freely offered as it seems he did in some other places but that he might cut off occasion from those which desired occasion that wherein they gloried they might be found even as he and that he might make the Gospel of Christ without charge for the necessity of preaching it was laid upon him as it is upon all those that are truly sent and therefore whether he received any thing or nothing a wo belonged unto him if he did not preach the Gospel If it be objected That in those days the Magistrates were Heathen and so took no care for those that were Christians yet now in our Nation the Magistrates are Christians and therefore ought and may make a law and appoint wages and maintenance for their Ministers I answer if suppositions were Apodictical proofs then many would make ready conclusions and the way to knowledge would be very facile for it is easie to suppose that all the Magistrates in a Commonwealth inferior and superior are all Christians nay the whole body of the Nation it self because they have a national worship and are all promiscuously called by that glorious name but there is a vast difference betwixt names things being so and being called so It is one thing to suppose and another to prove and but weak from the denotation to argue to the thing as though Iudas might truly be concluded one of the true Disciples of Christ becaus he is called one of the twelve No external forms do not demonstratively prove the verity of internal principles For he is not a Iew that is one outwardly neither is that circumcision that is outward in the flesh but he is a Iew that is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Therfore when the supposition is proved then it may be answered in the mean time ex suppositis suppositio sequitur Again if some of the Magistrates were truly Christians yet Christs kingdom being not of this world but a Spirituall one they ought not to intermeddle with carnal constitutions in his spiritual things which he makes good by his own Spirit Wisdom and Providence and not by the counsel or wisdom of the Princes of this world which comes to nought and his servants are to wait upon him by a simple believing and to walk by faith and not by sight Moreover if they were Believers they might every one of them in his single condition give to him that taught him what proportion of his own good things he had an heart to bestow but not to set down a law to judge over the conscience of his brother because these things ought to be done out of a principle of love and not from the law of an externall command If they were all Christians it was never yet that I could see proved that they had power to settle a maintenance for the Ministery of the Gospel and the contrary to me appears an undeniable truth and that from these grounds 1. Because the Rule of Christ and the practice of his Apostles were only for a free voluntary contribution from the free will offering of those whose spirits were wrought upon by that particular Ministery to which they should contribute now for Christians to pretend to have power to make a law for the maintenance of his Ministry and the good of his cause and walk contrary to the Rule of Christ himselfe to me seems strange that it should be accounted lawfull 2. There is no Magistrate hath any power to make a law of those things he perfectly understands not for how can a right judgment be given where the intellect is not clearly formed Now it no where appears that the Magistrates have the spirit of discerning to know the Ministers of Christ infallibly from the ministers of Satan therefore might as soon maintain advantage the one as the other 3. As was said before it crosseth the way of providentiall confidence and simple believing and waiting upon God and so cannot be lawfull for them to do Consectaries Therfore for a Magistracy by a compulsory law to settle a maintenance for a National Ministery by Tiches Augmentations or in any other way is to act against the ordinance of Christ and to make the Commandements of God of none effect by the traditions of men And therfore they should learn to give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods Then for Ministers to be bred at the Academies and get Orders Licences or Seals from human authority thereby to get fat Benefices and rich Livings is to make the Ministry a meer Trade and to go contrary to the command of Christ and the practice of the Apostles To make bargains with the people to have so much and so much for exercising their Ministry is to preach for pay and not for Christ To press the Magistracy to provide for them is to distrust the promise providence of God and to flie to the arm of flesh and therefore they are doubly accursed both for making the arm of flesh their refuge and withdrawing their hearts away from the living God Hear ye this I pray you ye Heads of the house of Iacob and Princes of the house of Israel that abhor judgment and pervert all equity They build up Zion with blood and Ierusalem with iniquity The Heads thereof judge for reward and the Priests thereof teach for hire and the Prophets thereof divine for mony yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among us No evill can come upon us And when the Ministers preach and cry out If Tythes be taken away and