Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	christian_a	church_n	true_a	12,753	5	4.9116	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80688	The countreys plea against tythes. A declaration sent to divers eminent ministers in severall parishes of their kingdome, shewing the grounds and causes wherefore tythes ought to be detained: proving by Gods Word and morall reason, that tythes are not due to ministers of the Gospell; and that the law for tythes was a Leviticall law, and to indure no longer than the Leviticall priesthood did; and that there being a change of the priesthood, there ought to be also a change of maintenance thereof. Written for the generall benefit of all, as well ministers as people. Published according to order.		1646 (1646)	Wing C6572; Thomason E366_9; ESTC R201259	8,425	14

The Countreys Plea AGAINST TYTHES A DECLARATION sent to divers eminent Ministers in severall Parishes of this Kingdome shewing the grounds and Causes wherefore Tythes ought to be detained proving by Gods Word and morall Reason that Tythes are not due to the Ministers of the Gospell and that the Law for Tythes was a Leviticall Law and to indure no longer then the Leviticall Priesthood did and that there being a change of the Priesthood there ought to be also a change of maintenance thereof Written for the generall benefit of all as well Ministers as People Published according to Order LONDON Printed for S. P. 1647. The Countries Plea against Tithes To all Parsons these present SEeing there is much Suite variance and Contention between many Ministers in this Kingdome and their Parishioners concerning the tenth part of corne and other edicimations which they claim as due by the name of Tythes and whereas divers honest sufficient and understanding Parishioners have received certain papers or Shedules from the said Ministers pretending to prove that Tithes are due unto them by Authority of Scripture The Parishioners in the said severall Parishes have made this joynt Declaration of their Opinion concerning Tithes and do prove them to be no wayes agreeable to the Word of God now in this time of the Gospell and doe withall shew what are the grounds which do perswade them to detain them Our present Opinion concerning Tithes is the same now that it ever was though we never did shew it by making any refusall of paying them untill now for we have ever said and held that they were ordained by a Jewish Ceremoniall Leviticall Law and that it ended and ought to end and determine as all other Leviticall Lawes did at the end and determination of the Leviticall Priesthood for whose maintenance it was Ordained which was at the coming of Christ in whom the Leviticall Priesthood with all other Leviticall Lawes whereof that of Tythes was one did take an end and surely had not that Law been then at an end it would have been in use among the Apostles and their successours as all other Morall Lawes were but most certain it is that neither in the Apostles times nor in any of the succeeding ages in all the times of the Primitive Churches that this Law for Tythes was ever in use for the Apostles and their succeeding Ministers of the Gospell for neere about 300. years after Christ his Ascention lived of the free liberality of the people never once taking nor so much as demanding Tythes But when superstition and heresie crept into the Church the corrupted Ministry finding that the Christian liberality of the people failed as well as true Religion then did they bring in Tythes againe by little and little for to maintain their corrupted and superstitious Ministry which otherwise would have wanted maintenance The Ministers know as well as our selves and much better that Origen Cyprian and Gregory doe all witnesse that near three hundred yeares after Christ Vrban Bishop of Rome began to bring Tithes into use for maintenance of his Clergie untill which time there was a community of all things among Christians as Turtullian witnesseth But long after Bishop Vrbans time at the Laterane Councell Tithes were again condemned as Ceremoniall and utterly suppressed as saith D. Carleton and M. Roberts afterwards in the more grosser times of Popery they did winde them in againe by little and little by which afore-named Authors and many more it plainely appeareth that in the very declining times of the Gospell nay even then when the true light of the Gospell began to be wholely obscured there was yet much trouble and a great deale of stirre to bring this old Ceremoniall Law into use againe and much opposition there was then against it and a long time it was before it could be brought to passe We know you have read the Ecclesiasticall Histories and do know much better then we can tell you had you but the conscience to acknowledge it how and in what manner Tythes were brought into use in the Church by the Pope and his superstitious Adherents for you know and cannot deny how that untill the Pope and Popery grew up there were no Tythes in use no nor so much as once required therefore it is not as you say that they were in use and were payed throughout all the times of the Gospell The covetousnesse of the Clergy got them into use by blind folding the poore blind ignorant people when they had brought in as it were a generall ignorance among the people and that they say is the mother of devotion then they brought in Tythes and not before for Tythes they could never bring in untill they had first brought in a generall ignorance of the truth the covetousnesse of the Clergy is it and not conscience that moveth them to endeavour the continuance of them for you all well know that by the Law of the Gospell they are not to be but that another form of maintenance is appoinned for the Ministry in the roome thereof If you will needs have that Law of Tything to be a Morall Law why then doe you not observe it in all the parts thereof In the Leviticall Law they had Priests and Levites the Levites tooke the tenth of the peoples increase and the Priests took the tenth of the Levites tenth part for their portion Numb 18.26 27 28 29 30. c. If you will have a Leviticall maintenance you must have a Leviticall Priesthood and no other if the Leviticall Priesthood be removed and another Priesthood come in place thereof then are Tythes the maintenance thereof removed and another maintenance come in roome thereof also For how can the thing maintaining remaine any longer then the thing maintained doth remaine and so much the Apostle doth set forth in that saying Hebr. 7.12 if there be a change of the Priesthood there must be also of necessity a change of the Law that is of the Law for the maintenance of the Priesthood if that Law of Tythes were a perpetuall Law and to be observed and kept now in the time of the Gospell then must the third years Tythe be given partly to the poore for so the Lord commandeth Deut. 14.28 29. where the Lord saith at the end of three yeares thou shalt bring forth all the Tythe of thy increase the same yeare and shalt lay in up within thy gates and the Levite and the Stranger and the Fatherlesse and the Widdow shall come and eat and be satisfied The like is againe commanded Deut. 26 1● from whence it is cleare that every third yeare the Tythe ought to be said up by the payer thereof and the most part thereof to be distributed to the poore the Levite was to have but onely a share thereof The same was the practice of Tobia and the third yeares Tythe saith he I gave it to whom it was due Tob. 1.6 7 8. and the same was the practice of all