Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	believe_v	heart_n	word_n	5,244	5	4.1630	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94380	Tyth-gatherers, no gospel officers. Or, Certaine briefe observations concerning the institution and paying of tythes, whereby it appears that men were never compelled to the payment of them in the Old Testament, nor did ever practice it in the New: that the Gospel contributions were all voluntary accounted as a free gift, not a debt; the apostles themselves, not only choosing to labour with their owne hands, but requiring all their successours to doe the like, that they might not bee chargeable to any of their disciples. Together with some quotations out of Mr. Selden, a Member of the House of Commons, his History of Tythes, for the writing whereof he was much troubled by the Episcopall tythmongers of those times, from whom the Presbyterian church-publicans of these days, have learnt to persecute with far greater violence, all such as doe but speak against their Gospel-taxations, ...	Selden, John, 1584-1654. Historie of tithes.	1646 (1646)	Wing T1307B; Thomason E319_2; ESTC R200552	24,975	30

The Epistle to the Reader Christian Reader THis little Pamphlet would not have needed a preparatory Epistle were there not amongst us a very great generation who are parties in the point I speak of I shall therefore crave leave to propound unto them before they read it whether the Clergy-bellies of these times can bee any whit better Christians than Demetrius the Silver-Smith with his Craftsmen Act 19 19.20 c. whilst they cry out Great is the God of tithes Sacred is the duty of tithes of tythes we fill and swill hold belly hold were it not for tythes learning would be neglected the Ministery despised and wee must take paines like other silly people of the Laity Let us rather cram the Prisons full as wee doe our guts with tythe pigs of all such as sacrilegiously refuse to pay us tythes Let me likewise intreat them to consider whether it were not the same Tyth-spirit the spirit of covetousnesse which caused the Masters of the Damsell out of whom Paul cast the evill spirit Act. 16.16 17 18 19 20. c. not only to hang backe from receiving the Gospell but even to persecute the Apostles for cutting off that Divelish gaine which the evill spirit had wont to bring them Let them interrogate their owne consciences whether they believe it to bee Scripture or good doctrine that a gift blindeth the wise and perverteth the words of the righteous Ex. 23.8 Deut. 16.19 that it destroyeth the heart Ecclesiastes 20.29 corrupting their very understandings in such manner that they even perswade themselves to be in the right when they were never more in the wrong Let such I say who alwayes had and still have the faculties of their soules imprinted with this gift or rather theft of tithes consider and suspect themselves to be no competent Judges how much this Gospel-tithing savors of Judaisme Antichristianisme and is inconsistent with the subjects prop●e●y Being thus prepared I shall desire them with mee to observe that the Levites being excluded from possessing any inheritance in the land of Canaan unlesse the Lord had given them his owne portion and inheritance the tythes Deut. 18 1.2 they must have starved and yet we finde not that the Lord gave them any compulsive power for levying and bringing in this contribution of tythes But under the Gospell where the whole land is open and free to all alike to Clergy as well as to Laity to purchase and keep possession of where the Apostles practice was to labour with their owne hands 1 Thess 2.9 and Pauls expresse command to all in generall that if any would not worke hee should not eat 2 Thess 3.10 for a supposititious illegitimate tribe of Levi who are not above the five hundreth part of the Kingdom there being upon calculation thought to be not above one Clergyman to every 500. men and women to lay claime to and by violence possesse themselves of the tythes of all encrease free of all charges which in valuation is better then if the fifth part of the whole land were divided amongst them for gleab-land whereof most of them have some small pittance besides their tythes is the greatest cheat and robbery which was ever practised I say yet more briefly that if the whole Kingdome were to bee divided into 500. parts the Clergy as I said before being but as one to 500. by computation besides the free denization which they enjoy in common withall other people run away with about one hundred and twenty five shares I mean with about one hundred and twenty five times as much as any of their fellows Oh prodigy of Covetousnesse but I must decipher it more cleerly Suppose there were 500. men and women in a Country Parish and all the land in that Parish to be worth 2000 l. by the yeare the Minister who is but one of the aforesaid 500. pretends 200 l. for his tithes of the abovesaid 2000 l. cleer of all charges which said charges on all arrable grounds one with another for manuring seed-corne and reaping c. or of stocking pasture ground together with the hazard of a small crop or death of cattell is so great as that the land-lords to bee free of paying tythes the tenth sheafe cleere of charges had better give the fifth acre of all their lands for gleab-land unto the Minister Thus then their tythes of 2000 l. amount in valuation unto the fifth part of 2000 l. which is 400 l. this 400 l. for the Minister being taken out of 2000 l. which is the whole revenue of the Parish land there remaines 1600 l. to be divided amongst 499. men and women who are the Parishioners which is not full 3 l. 4 s. 1 d. ½ a pecce whereas the minister devours 400 l. which is more than any 124. of his Parishioners enjoy upon such a calculation supposing them to be all poore or all rich alike And yet the unsatiablenesse of these Clergy-bellies is not here with content but they lay claime to tithes on house rent and the tenth part of whatsoever any person of any profession doth any wayes lawfully advance to be due unto the Minister of the Gospel both by the law of God and man unlesse some speciall custome composition or priviledge of the place allowed by law exempt him They are the very words of that Episcopall Presbyteriall Ambodexterous Tythe-Champion for Tythes are a common motto to both parties Dr. Burgesse an eminent member of this present Assembly in a Discourse of his entituled A new discovery of personall Tythes or the tenth part of mens cleare gaines c. p. 1. as I finde it observed in John the Baptist Chap. 2 about Christs order and the Disciples practice corcerning the Ministers maintenance c. But why tro did not the Dr. with his brethren in covetousnesse as well claime tythes of children as of fruit and personall gaines whereof we finde not the least mention in either of the Testaments Surely they would not continue so indulgent they would not bate us our children could they but get it once enacted that it might bee lawfull for them to sell tythe children in the market as well as tythe pigs and to deale clearly the Leviticall law from whence they seeke to colour tythes subjected every first borne whether it were of man or beast unto this tax of tithes it fell unto the Priests share Lev. 13.2 c. 22.29 Numb 18.15 the Leviticall Priest was to have the first borne of children unlesse they were redeemed and our English Priests could they but get an Ordinance of Lords and Commons for it as well as tythes I should not trust their curtesies Tell me good Reader who ever thou art didst thou ever think these fair pretending Clergymen every one whereof having devoured above 124. of his brethren by divine right as they alleadge their tythe patent which they say God granted thē should be yet thus Canine-like hungry this craving as of their own meer phantasie invention to lay title