Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	according_a	church_n	true_a	2,752	5	4.8734	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77158	Tithes re-mounted and advanced by the VVord of God, for the ministers of the Gospell. Proving, that tithes are due to the ministers of the Gospell, as to the priests and Levites under the law. In answer to a late scandalous and seditious pamphlet intituled, The ordinance of tithes dismounted. Dedicated to the right honourable the Lord Mayor. / By Martin Bovvne. Imprimatur. John Dovvname.	Bowne, Martin.	1646 (1646)	Wing B3889; Thomason E341_3; ESTC R200895	11,819	21

TITHES Re-mounted and advanced BY The Word of God FOR THE Ministers of the GOSPELL PROVING That Tithes are as due to the Ministers of the Gospell as to the Priests and Levites under the Law In Answer to a late scandalous and seditious Pamphlet intituled The Ordinance of Tithes dismounted Dedicated to the right honourable the Lord Mayor By MARTIN BOVVNE Imprimatur JOHN DOVVNAME 1 Cor. 9.11 If we have sowen unto you spirituall things is it a great thing of we reap your carnall things LONDON Printed for Thomas Bates at the Mardenhead on Snovv-hill neare Holborne Conduit 1646. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THOMAS ADAMS Lord Mayor of the honourable City of LONDON My very good Lord I Doe understand and perceive that there is a Pamphlet exhibited unto your Lordship intituled An Indictment against paying of Tithes unto the Ministers of the Gospell and therein are alledged Reasons seeming by their Allegations to prove them unlawfull by the Word of God and therein it doth appeare unto me they speak they cannot tell what or els they care not what J doe therefore humbly beseech your Honour to accept my poore endeavours in this ensuing Treatise which doth concerne the lawfulnesse of paying Tithes to the Ministers of the Gospell and to give it your honourable favour so farre as the truth of the Word of God doth approve of it and no further Your Honours humble Servant Martin Bowne TITHES Re-mounted and advanced BY THE WORD OF GOD FOR THE Ministers of the Gospell In answer to a late scandalous and seditious Pamphlet intituled The Ordinance of Tithes dismounted THere is a great controversie now adayes and hath beene a long time about the maintenance of the Ministers Instruments of Gods Worship and Service the derogation therof hath hindred the propagation of the Gospell and the Reformation of Religion in a most miserable manner And that in these respects First in taking away the greater tithes of manie Parishes in this Kingdome and making manie impropriatitions from the Church where there hath not been maintenance or meanes for a Preaching Minister in those impropriate Parishes so that in manie places there hath not been meanes for a bare reading Minister much lesse for a preaching Minister for Christs Ministerie is a preaching Ministerie and not onely a reading Ministerie and therefore cannot be maintained with a little as some do suppose they may as Brownists Anabaptists Antinomians Familists Independents and such like that have out of pride and covetousnesse devised those errours and broached them in the Church to pester and hinder more the Gospell of Jesus Christ then to further it any way They forsooth will have no tithes paid unto the Ministers of the Gospell but they should labour in some other calling for their living say they as others do and as the Apostles did some were Fishermen and S. Paul was a Tentmaker But I answer there is a difference between the Apostles who had their immediate calling by God and our Ministes who have their mediate calling by God also but by meanes of schooling and thereby to get learning that they may attaine to the Ministeriall function and so consequently by study whose labour is greater then handy-craft trades or husbandry and therefore it is a base opinion in those that said Ministers of the Gospell should labour in some manuall calling I thinke their diligent study and preaching is labour enough for them we need lay no greater burthens upon their backs Againe it is fit for religious people professors of the Gospell to consider that there is difference betweene a setling Church and a setled Church Now the Apostles had worke enough in setling the Church in their time as well in matters of faith as in manners of life according to the truth of Gods holy Word and Will and yet the Apostles doe give rules and commands for Ministers maintenance as you shall heare anon OBIECT But what Tithes did the Apostle receive in that time when they were upon the earth ANSW I answer What Tithes did the Priests and Levites receive as long as they were in the wildernesse It is true God did command Tithes to be paid then but the payment of Tithes was not performed untill the Children of Israel came into Canaan the Land of promise where everie man did receive his portion in possession For the time they were in the wildernesse they had no setled portion in possession to pay Tithes withall for God did feed Priests Levites and People and all in an extraordinarie manner as with Manna from Heaven for as long as the children of Israel were in the wildernesse God was setling his Church what they should do when they came to their promised place and portions for all things commanded was not nor could it be done in an instant by men So the Lord our God in the time of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ when he came he did as it were new mould the manner of Gods worship and service That whereas before in the time of the Law Gods worship and service was by all externall means as killing of Beasts and making of Sacrifices and all Offerings and outward performances in the worship and service of God But now and since the time our Saviour Jesus Christ came upon the earth hee ordained by the will of his Father that his worship and service must be spirituall and internall unto the end When God had made an end of describing the manner of his worship and service as he would have it performed in the time of the Law as we may find in the Books of Exodus and Levitieus So at the end of the Book of Leviticus Chap. 27. the Lord by Moses had reserved the maintenance of his worship and service to himselfe as namely Tithes of those things that are spoken of in the foresaid Chapter And after this the Lord gave the Tithes unto the Priests and Levites as wee may read in the Book of Numbers 18.21 24 26 28. And not only to the Priests and Levites in the time of the Law but also to the Pastours Teachers and Ministers in the time of the Gospell of our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ for it was given for an inheritance for ever If one of those adverse parties should have the inheritance of a peece of land given him I verily beleeve he does expect it as a right to him and his heires for ever only by this title of Inheritance And if any one should offer to take from him this land which hee so holdeth by this title of Inheritance hee would hold himselfe greatly wronged and oppressed You will say it is true Then I say consider the words of our Saviour Jesus Christ Whatsoever you would that men should do unto you even so do you for this is the Law and the Prophets Matthew chap. 7. vers 12. Then consider what you would other men should do unto you so do you unto other men but especially unto your Pastour and Minister who doth watch

do professe the Gospel leave of pride and covetousnesse there would not be such variances among professors of the Gospell as there is which doth breed and bring a great scandall to the truth It maketh ignorant people to speak idlely and harshiy of Religion and say there be so many Religions that we cannot tell which way to take when indeed there is but one Religion that is the truth that must bring us to true faith true feare and the true love of God So amongst many differences here is one about Tythes for the maintenance of the Ministers of the Gospel which the Apostle doth prove by the Law of God 1 Tim. 5.17.18 and so doth reason the case in a faire exemplary way in the 1 Cor. 9. the 9.10.11 and 12. vers and in the 13. and 14. vers he cometh close to the matter in these words do you not know that they which minister about holy things live or feede of the things of the Temple and they that wait at the Altar are partakers with the Altar Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel I hope you are not ignorant how the Priests and Levites the Ministers Jnstruments of Gods worship and service how they did live so if you will not heare and learne what the Law of God saith then heare learne and practice what the Apostle doth tell you do you not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the Temple and they that waite at the Alter are partakers with the Altar As if the Apostle should have said you have a sufficient precident before you how our predecessors before us were maintained howsoever we differ in title they were Priests and Levites we are Apostles Pastors and Teachers their worship and service to God was externall and temporall and our worship and service to God is internall and spirituall you see though the manner of Gods worship and service is changed yet the maintenance of Gods worship is not changed the Apostle goes on in the 14. vers That as he said even now that as they which minister about holy things live of the things of the Temple and they that waite at the Altar are pertakers of the Altar even so saith the Apostle hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel marke I pray you the Apostles words even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel they and none but they I would very willingly know of any one that doth deny this truth that the Ministers of the Gospel should not receive Tithes for their Maintenance where they can prove that God hath ordained maintenance other wayes for an inheritance then in the 18. Chap. of Numb the 21. and 24. And if any shall say that is ceremoniall for all that which hath been spoken before Then I say they are wilfull and will have their own will being perverse in judgment and understanding Mehuge like proup and will teach God how he should maintaine his Pastor and the Ministers of his Gospel This doth savour both of Pride and Covetousnesse First of pride in thinking themselves to be such as have attained to so much knowledge in the Scriptures as they can convince any that say Tithes do belong to the Ministers of the Gospel when as indeed they say nothing Secondly it savours of Covetousnesse for there are many that think if they can save their Tithes to their own use they have gotten a great Booty and much benefit to themselves when as indeed it maketh the other 9. parts to be accursed It is like unto Achans Babilonish Garment and his wedge of gold and silver that he stole Josuah 7. a deed that will never prosper or as a woman that byes a peck of meale and divides it into 9. parts and puts a tenth part of Rats-Bane into the 9. parts and see how that will prove you will say that will poyson as many as use it and have part of it And so will the Tithes that cometh of the owners that doth or shall retaine them Therefore heare and consider Experimentall knowledge is the best knowledge I have knowne those that would not indure paying of Tithes in kynd to their Pastor and Minister at no hand except they may buy their Tithes of their Minister and so to have it for halfe that it was worth they have let land lye still because that he shoud have nothing but the Lord who gave those Tithes tooke them to himselfe and layd such a curse upon the other nine parts that they in their dayes nor their posterity did ever prosper Nay now shall we think that God doth not see into this sinne as well as into other sinnes yes certainly and hath and will punish it too The Lord by the Prophet Malachi saith 3.7 8 9 10. Even from the dayes of your Fathesr ye are gone astray from mine Ordinances and have not kept them returne unto me and I will returne unto you saith the Lord of hosts but ye said wherein shall we returne vers 8. will a man rob God yet ye have robbed me but ye say wherein have we robbed thee in Tythes and Offerings vers 9. ye are cursed with a curse for ye have robbed me even this whole Nation vers 10. Bring ye all the Tithes into the Store-house that there may be meate in myne house and prove me now herewith saith the Lord of Hosts if I will not open the windowes of Heaven and power you out a blessing that there shall not be roome enough to receive it This portion of Scripture doth deserve a good Commentary to be made upon it for further instruction and stirring up of people to the duty of paying their Tithes the right way and not to Church-Robbers viz. to private men dumb dogs idle drones and non-Residents But to faithfull painefull and diligent Ministers that have a Pastorall charge over a Parish or Congregation whereby the Soules of Gods people may be fed with spirituall food unto eternall life For the true and sinceere preaching of Gods word is the means of faith and true faith doth bring us to Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is the way to eternal life in Heaven If it had pleased God in the beginning of King James His Raygne that all Impropriations had been called in and a faithfull diligent Minister placed over every Congregation in a Pastorall charge and the Tithes of every severall Congregation paid unto every severall Minister that had such a Pastorall Charge and the true dissipline and reformation of the Church had then been established as it was then hoped it should have been at the coming in of King James Then had this misery that is now upon this Land never come but the time of Reformation was not then come and God had a Controversie with this Kingdome and therefore this Land was not fitted for such a good