Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	apostle_n	believe_v	scripture_n	1,763	5	5.6732	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88653	The tythe-takers cart overthrown or, The downfall of tythes. Proved that they are not to be payd now, either to the appropriate or impropriate parsons or persons. Pen'd for the general satisfaction and easement of all the people of England. By D. Lupton, servant of Christ Jesus in the work of the Gospel.	Lupton, Donald, d. 1676.	1652 (1652)	Wing L3495; Thomason E1380_3; ESTC R209388	17,631	52

honor unto himself says the Apostle Heb. 5.4 If the second then by whom If only from other men and corrupt too then as our Saviour speaks it how can ye believe who receive honour one of another Joh. 5.44 If from Christ and his blessed Spirit of Truth and the Apostles they themselves plead not their Visible Succession of Presbytery or Ordination of Ministers so high as from the two first but from the Apostles times by the Imposition of hands of the Presbytery from Paul and Titus and other Disciples they hold out and make the World believe their perpetuated Visibility and Ordination of Ministers made from time to time and so even to this time by one another And by this Rule their Ordination came in corrupted times and by corrupted persons into the hands of the Popes of Rome which Gangrene spread it self by the Popes policy into all Kingdoms for the Kingdoms of the World have been made drunk with her fornications and so the Popes Doctrine and Discipline advanc'd it self into our Nation and so our Archbishops and Bishops and other Ministers had Ordination by the Popes Power and Keys and these from them Behold we pray you all good people of England the Claim and Title our pretending Presbyters lay hold on to prove themselves lawful Ministers of Christ and so cry out that Tythes all Tythes are due to them as such Ministers and Presbyters Now that their Claim to Tythes may be of no force or virtue we shall lay down some Conclusions against their Calling which being found true and undeniable they cannot have the face to lay claim any longer or to take and rake that which is not their own 1. First Therefore we say That their Ordination it self by a visible descent and grant from one to another is corrupted and against divine Truth How can a clean thing come out of an unclean or a streight from a crooked A corrupted Fountain cannot send forth pure streams nor a rotten Root sound Branches These Parsons come out of the loyns of the Bishops and they from the Popes Authority these men themselves were the pullers down of the Bishops Power as Antichristian which had they been lawful why rejected if unlawful how can our Presbyters be good who proceed from them And then 2. Secondly Their Ordination of one another as they say from the Apostles times holds up a Visibility of the Ministry and by consequence a Visible Church too which is not only Popish but opposes Christs Spiritual Kingdom My Kingdom is not of this World And we believe the Communion of Saints now Faith says the Apostle is of things not seen Heb. 11.1 He himself is called the King Invisible his Kingdom his Office his Ordinances and People are all Spiritual and Invisible and Godliness it self is called a great Mystery and yet our Presbyters and pretending Ministers will be visible and worldly how can light and darkness agree But 3. Thirdly The Prophets of God were called by God and extraordinarily endowed not with titles only but with gifts and graces and sent immediately Behold I send THEE even THEE to the house of Israel says God unto the Prophet Ezekiel Ezek. 2. And after them the Apostles were all called and then sent by Christ Behold I send you as sheep among Wolves But are our Presbyters thus called or sent or are they sent at all Nay they seek places desire places solicit for Preferments do all they can to procure fat Livings and the best Benefices Do not these run think you and God sends them not Yea they climb by Craft and Ambition and come not in at the door Joh. 10. We may know who they are and to whom they do belong And yet further 4. Fourthly Their works and fruits shew they are not of this flock or fold if they be lawfully sent let them shew forth the works of him that sent them the tree is known by his fruits Can we find in these men though they so much cry up Reformation any true Reformation at all Oh could we but with Lanthorn and Candle find an Humble Presbyterian Minister a merciful One a liberal-minded One a meek One endued with the Spirit of Love and but even Obedience to the Civil Magistrate But alas the Pulpits are filled and the Commonwealth too with ambitious and proud Parsons with covetous and contentious seeking not as the Apostle says you but yours your Goods your Tythes not wearing Christs Motto Hereby ye shall be known to be my Disciples if ye love one another We appeal to all England and further too to their own Consciences if this be not so We may say then and conclude with the Apostle Are ye not carnal Are not these men in their sins And then how can we imagine and conclude these men to be not only Followers but true Teachers of Gods Word also whose Actions are diametrically opposite unto those of Christ 'T is said of him Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world Joh. 1. Is he a Lamb and must these be Lions Did he take away sin and shall these keep it and live in it Oh 't is time to distinguish them they have wore their hoods and vails long enough it 's time to unmask them We proceed on and say 5. Fifthly These Presbyterian Ministers confess so much themselves That there is a twofold Calling to the Ministry one Immediate another Mediate now say they the Prophets and Apostles were indeed called Immediately but they only Mediately what have they then we pray you but what any man might have had for money as well as themselves And what is this their Mediate Calling for more they dare not say in truth they have but an Outward Art as a shadow to a body or as sign to the thing it self nothing worth without the Inward Or have these men the Influences and Assistance of Gods holy Spirit more in them then others Or is it promised or given to them more then to others who have not that outward Calling As for their parts and Arts their seeming gifts and shifts too they are by study and other helps acquired their degrees in Schools humane not divine Now this is no safe Conclusion but rather indeed a meer Delusion to say because such and such are Ministers in Arts in a University and have some knowledg in Hebrew Greek and Latin and have by Friends and Moneys too if not by making Feasts or Banquets for some of the Classical Rabbies that therefore if some of these shall lay hands upon them that therefore they are true Ministers of Christ and from that time forward chiefly if not solely they may set their heart and affections to try all ways possible to enjoy a good Parsonage and then demand and command Tythes as true Orothodox and godly Ministers of Christ Oh falshood Oh these men to be layd in the ballance will be found too light And for all this it may yet be asked them Friend how came

THE Tythe-Takers Cart. Overthrown OR THE DOWNFALL OF TYTHES Proved that they are not to be payd now either to the Appropriate or Jmpropriate Parsons or Persons Pen'd for the General Satisfaction and Easement of all the People of England By D. LUPTON Servant of Christ Jesus in the Work of the Gospel They all look to their own way every one for his gain from his quarter ISAI 56.11 London Printed by J. M. for R. Harford at the Bible and States arms in Little Britain 1652 THE Tythe-Takers Cart Overthrown MAnifold have been the Petitions and not without just cause for the putting down and taking away of Tythes and some men have already set forth their Judgment in print against them so that methinks I hear these Corn-takers bewail their unstable condition and to cry out as once the Silver-Smiths did at Ephesus that this their Craft is in danger to come to nought and indeed they may more earnestly lament because by this Craft they have their wealth and to lose their beloved adored Silver Diana their Wealth this cuts deep Now there be two sorts of people who both stiffly pretend a right unto Tythes viz. the Appropriate and the Impropriate Parsons and Persons The first of these will perswade men if they please to believe them that they are true Levites and that they have their right even from Melchizedec or at least can prove their title from Aaron and to speak truth they savour a little too much of the Jewish Condition and Profession and these have partly by peoples ignorance and partly by their false alledging of Scriptures with the strength of secular Authority hitherto for confirmation of their demands forc'd a conceit in many mens opinions nay and Consciences too that it is a damnable sin to refuse to pay Tythes The second sort which are the Impropriators of whom we may say justly that they are known to be hard men reaping where they have not sown and gathering where they have not strawed Mat. 25.24 And these challenge a Right also unto Tythes partly by Royal Donation partly by a long continued Purchase ever since Henry the eighth dissolved the Abbies and Monasteries who either gave them to such as first beg'd them or bought them at his and Courtiers hands so these hold all to be their own which was by Prerogative given them or what they or their Ancestors easily purchased or layd hands on and hereupon these as eagerly as the other press and oppress the poor Commons of this Nation for the payment of Tythes and do run to and fro and grudg if they be not satisfied or if they get not what they come for and this Trade they have long set up and grown fat and rich by it also almost without controul But now of late mens wits and wills are both set against them people begin to grow wiser by paying too dear for their own goods and hard labours and thousands of pious solid and well-affected Subjects of this Land are resolved and have good hopes to see them effected to do their best to remove this Antiquated Jewish or Popish Relique for better it is not clear out of this Nation To the helping forward of whose desires and satisfaction this Subject took courage to give both Appropriate and Impropriate a Memento and a little to try question their proceedings and to shew to all men upon what a weak and sandy foundation their long and seemingly strong Tythe-taking hath been erected and upheld We intend to handle both these sorts as well the Appropriating Tyther as the Impropriate And because the first of these stands like another Goliah and scorns and bids defiance to all Encounters and hopes that Moses and the Prophets the Canon Law Civil Law and common Law the Casuists and Schoolmen will all warrant them to take Tythes without doubt or scruple we will therefore first say unto them 1. That the pretending Levites Priests Presbyters or Ministers have not any just claim or right unto Tythes 2. That Tythes though they conceive themselves lawfully called and sent into their Function are not now in genere suo in that kind to be paid or demanded 3. That sundry and manifold are the Evils Abuses and Inconveniencies by paying Tythes 4. Ministers in other Reformed places have none nor did Christ or his Apostles demand any For to begin with the first 't is known Posito fundamento ponitur fundatum sublato tollitur the Foundation is all in all no building without it either safe or comely We call them pretending Ministers and Presbyters because they seem and are not Therefore seeing they glory much and hold all their Interest to Tythes quatenùs tales i.e. as such men as Ministers of Christ and his Gospel we demand therefore of them That before they take mens Corn and Goods c. under that notion and term of Tythes due to them by vertue of their Calling whether or no it be not just and fitting that they first prove themselves the men lawfully called and lawfully sent unto and into that Office and Employment that there may be no mistake of the person for the mistaking in this is the miscarriage of all We doubt that all these who so receive Tythes are not the Servants of Christ We know that though a debt be due to be paid to another yet he that pays it will be sure that he pays it to that man only who hath a sole proper and just right unto it and in it Now in this case though Parsons lay claim to Tythes as a due to them as they say they are Ministers yet the doubt and question still is whether they be the Ministers of Christ or not And we do desire them not to be offended that this scrutiny is made seeing they are bound to satisfie the weaker Consciences in any scruple they can and therefore specially in this for if they be not such men as they profess 't is not fiting they should longer deceive men under such a pretence and so render themselves obnoxious to scandal if they make not this first doubt free from doubting 'T was a question put to John Baptist almost to this purpose Who art thou Now he did not deny to give a speedy answer I am not the Christ and so upon further demands gave further satisfaction by not assuming to himself either a false Office or a feigned Person but manifested from the Word of God who indeed he was and to what Office he was by Divine Designation layd out for We desire these Parsons to take some pains to vindicate their Authority and Office also if they can from Gods Word 't will make men a great deal the more willing to allow them a liberal Maintenance were they throughly satisfied who put them upon this Employment and by what Authority they do these things for either they assume it to themselves or else 't is given if the first of these then 't is Arrogancy unrighteous and unlawful No man takes this