Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	set_v	spirit_n	worship_n	4,124	5	8.6355	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79851	A second voyce from the temple to the higher povvers. Wherein is proved that the decrees and institutions of popes and popish counsels, which have been established by the law of the land, and have been continued and confirmed throughout divers ages, by several acts of Parliament, against Jesus Christ, in the way and order of the Gospel (the same yet standing) ought by the present supream authority of this nation to be taken away. Moreover; here is shewed, some particular decrees of popes, which have beeen established by several acts of Parliament, viz. A nationall ministry, tythes, prohibiting men from publick preaching of the Gospel, unlesse elected and ordained after a popish manner, &c. All which as they are the institutions of popes, formerly confirmed by the law of the land, so now, to be abrogated. By John Canne.	Canne, John, d. 1667?	1653 (1653)	Wing C442A; Thomason E710_19; ESTC R207195	25,656	36

forth to the refreshing and comfort of others The light of the Sun if it should be restrained to some particular place or Country would not have the praise which now it hath for so excellent and glorious a creature So to restraine the gifts of the Spirit to particulars as to shine forth from none but Ministers it is to eclipse the honour of Jesus Christ exceedingly 2. If this be more practised truth will more increase errour and superstition dayly be discovered and convinced and the glorious Scepter of Jesus Christ more lifted up and advanced I know it is objected that this libertie for which I plead opens a doore to heresies blasphemie Atheisme and what not And some have with such swelling words formerly so prevailed with the Magistrate as to confirme and keepe up Pope Gregories Decree to wit that no lay man should Preach But to answer this Objection in briefe 1. I doe affirme and will abide by it since it pleased the Lord to draw out the hearts of some Souldiers and others publickly to preach which is not above 10 or 12 yeares the people of this Common-wealth have had more true light and glorious discoveries of Christ and his kingdome then all the Nations Ministers ever before made known to them since first they tooke their calling from the sea of Rome to this day 2. As Nero dealt with the Christians who hurled them to dogs to be devoured and when he saw the Mastives would not touch them he clad the Christians in Beare-skins to kindle the furie of the dogs that they might take them to be beasts and not men So hath the Clergie every where dealt with the Truth that the Magistrate might suspend and stop the passage of it and people be discouraged from embracing the same They hence rendred it odious to the world Clad it with Beares-skins as naming its errour heresie blasphemie c. And no marvaile though they have prospered in such a designe For as children what you give into their hand they put it into their mouth so ignorant and simple people will believe what the Priests tell them be it never so false improbable impossible And here lies the Master-piece of the Scotch Ministers in aspersing the godly of this Nation as to be Separatists Brownists Anabaptists Antinomians c. Hence they keepe up their idle Traditions and formalities and occasion that people to be disaffected to the puritie of Gods ordinances and the power of Godlinesse But 3. Why should not Ministers be suspended from preaching as wel as those that are not in office if it be to prevent the publishing of Errour For the greatest heresies and blasphemies which have been in the world have been broached by them whereas lay men as they call them at the same time have been found in the faith and zealously earnest against such abominable doctrines As I could give many examples both ancient and modern Object If Ministers deliver any unsound Doctrines there is a course to be taken with them by conviction suspension or otherwise Answ The like may be done if private men be exorbitant and offensive and no question but the State will doe so when there is just cause for it Object But to give way that all shall preach who are able and willing will bring Ministers into some contempt and their labours the lesse regarded and rewarded Answ 1. One Reason of the Papists which they give why the Priests at Masse are to have the Wine alone it is to put a distinction between them and the people and to keep them at distance My mind gives me there are some would have none but Ministers to teach the people thereby to keepe up their own reputation as being loth to come into an onenesse and likenesse with their Brethren 2. There is a spirituall Monopolie as what is civil and this much worse and more hurtfull then the other Now to engrosse as it were the whole trade of preaching into the hands of the Clergie it s a Monopolie superlative therefore the State as I conceive is bound to see it supprest as they have don in the case of other Monopolies of far lesse concernment This being the Popes Monopolie as the other from the King I shall now draw to a conclusion I see there is at this time much adoe about Tythes and great thoughts of heart some have for the maintenance of Ministers I could wish in the middest of these things that something were considered and effectually done for the encouragement and enabling of such as are willing to give themselves freely to the work of the Lord to spend to be spent And for their livelyhood to live by faith in the promises of the Gospel That the State would set open the publick doores which the Parish Priests shut against them and disclaim Pope Gregories Decrees Whilest the former Parliament stood we thought it not strange to see a company of precious Christians constrained to be in private houses and there to worship God in spirit and truth Whilest the Parish Priests and unhallowed multitudes had the publick places to doe their will-will-worship in But now seeing we have better men as we have hope so we expect better things namely that these publick places which are the States may be otherwise and better disposed It is not the place we affect for if they were razed to the ground it would be well But considering at present they are the places where the people of the Nation resort to we desire they may be left open to such as will freely declare the mysteries of the Gospel to the people and left no longer to a company of Hirelings who as they use the place in many places it 's a Den of Thieves and Cage of unclean Birds then the gathering together of Saints in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ CERTAIN QUESTIONS Propounded to the LAWYERS who are retained by the Ministers to plead on their behalfe for TYTHES I. WHether by any Acts of Parliament confirming the propriety of Tythes to the Church any man as an Ecclesiasticall person can claim any right or propriety to Tythes that is neither Bishop Priest nor Deacon ordained according to the Law made in that case II. Who by the Law of this Nation are formally and actually Ecclesiasticall persons as to claime Tythes III. Whither those Statutes and Acts of Parliament confirming Tythes to Ecclesiasticall persons do stand with the Rules of justice and equity contained in the morall Law of God and nature or sound naturall reason IV. Whether Bishops Deans Prebends c. and before them Monks and Fryers had not Tythes ratified settled and confirmed upon them by the Law of the Land as firmly and fully as any present Incumbent V. Whether the State in taking away Tythes and other Revenues from Monks and Fryers and since from Bishops c. as their Civil right did justly and lawfully in it VI. Whether the Nationall Ministers can prove themselves or you for them to be legally successors to the Priests in whom Tythes were first settled and vested and how if not whether they fall not into the States hand for want of right Heirs VII Whether there be not just cause of suspition that those who pretend to be Ministers of the Gospel waving to plead their own case in matter of maintenance and seeke to Lawers for Counsel have any thing to say for themselves as in that particular from the word of God VIII Whether those Lawers that are to plead for the Ministers who have retained them cannot justifie by Acts of Parliaments that the Tythes of this Nation are more properly and legally due as a civil right to Popish Priests then to the Ministers they are to plead for and if they were as well feed whether they would not plead for them or why not IX Whether those Lawers who are to plead for Tythes are not bound if not in point of Law yet of conscience truly to declare before the Honourable Committee that neither the Independent nor Presbyterian Ministers who were not ordained Priests and Deacons by the Bishops or have since renounced the same are not by any Act of Parliament confirming the right of Tythes to the Church and ecclesiasticall persons in a capacity to receive Tythes neither doth the Parochiall Tythes legally belong to any such persons X. Whether those Lawers in point of conscience should not first weigh and consider the Reasons before And if they find it plainly proved as easily they may if they know halfe so much of the Gospel as Law that the Nationall Ministry is unlawfull and Antichristian established by Popish Princes against Iesus Christ Whether I say they ought not to give the Ministers their money back againe and let Baal plead for himselfe Though I have done this without any Fee yet not without assurance of profit I shall onely commend to these Lawers the good advise which a great Doctour of the Law gave his Brethren If this Counsell or this worke be of men it will come to nought REV. 18.15 16 17 18 19 20. The Merchants of these things which were made rich by her shall stand afar of for the fear of her torment weeping and wailing And saying Alas alas that great City that was cloathed in fine linen and purple and scarlet and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls For in one hour so great riches is come to nought And every ship-master and all the company in ships and sailers and as many as trade by sea stood afar off And cryed when they saw the smoke of her burning saying What City is like unto this great City And they cast dust on their heads and cryed weeping and wailing saying Alas alas that great City wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costlinesse for in one hour is she made desolate Rejoyce over her thou heaven and ye holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged you on her JER 51.10.35 The Lord hath brought forth our righteousnesse come and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon shall the inhabitant of Zion say and my blood upon the inhabitants of Caldea shall Jerusalem say JER 50.45 Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out FINIS

rules of equity and justice but devised by Satan and Antichrist to support their Kingdome and carry on their interest against the Lord Jesus Christ 3. The taking away of Tythes is so far from doing injury as that it will ease the people specially the Husbandman from one of the forest burdens and greatest opression and Tyranny that lies upon them This by other hands is already manifested and abundantly proved and therefore I shall let it passe and the rather because my purpose is to prove the unlawfulnesse of paying Tythes to the Nationall Ministers upon another ground For the other Objection How irreligious a thing it will be to abolish Tythes which are the Ministers maintenance their livelyhood and subsistance and to leave them destitute of all provision other then what their new Congregations shall voluntarily bestow upon them Answ 1. It is worth the noting how handsomely they beg the Question 1. That they are the Ministers of Christ for so I think they would be understood 2. That the Ministers maintenance is to be by Tythes thus Fallacia alia aliam trahit one falshood or suttlety bringeth in another But this is too much to grant all at once As all the reason Laban could render Jacob in cozening him with the elder Sister for the younger was but pleading the custome of the Countrey Gen. 29.26 So it is now with our sticklers for Tyth Jus divinum is laid aside its antiquity and custome that they flye unto But this plea I believe will be too weak to deceive our State thereby But 2. Why must it be irreligious to take away Tythes Are Tythes the props and foundation of Religion Wee know before the Priests had Tythes Religion did flourish and doe believe when they are abolished the truth shall prosper more then now it doth 3. I doe not yet see by any thing they can say that it is irreligious to abolish Tythes and the Priests too Indeed when Hezechiah had put down the high places and the Priests of Baal he was charged by Rabsaketh with irriligion and sacriledge as if he had committed a grievous crime but the Scripture commends him greatly for it so possibly it may be that the Parliament in abolishing tythes and dis-owning the National Ministerie shall be cryed out against as irreligious men and Enemies to the Church but the Lord will commend their zeale and love them for it But I may not here omit the example which is brought to prove the abolishing of tythes to be an irreligious thing I shall deliver it in their own words These sort of people never red nor heard of the historie of those two great persecutors of the Church of Christ in the primitive times the one under Diocletian the Emperour the other under Julian the Apostata This Diocletian intending to root out and utterly to extirpate Christianitie murdered all the professors and Preachers of the word of God but the historie tels us that the more he killed the more did Christian Religion increase and flourish For the bloud of the Martyrs proved to be the seed of the Church But though this persecution was barbarous and horrid yet that which followed did more mischiefe for Julian intending the same thing tooke another course For he laid violent hands upon the Revenues of the Church robbed and spoyled the spirituall persons of all they had to live upon and this proved more destructive to Religion and Christianitie then the other For in short time insued great ignorance of the true worship and service of God and consequently a great decay of Christian profession Trallianus reports of a woman who continually kept her hand shut least the world which in her opinion was between her fingers might escape her by opening the same It is no marvaile that tythes are held so fast they would perswade us that all Religion is folded up in them but this is no other then a melancholy conceit like Oromazes enchanted egg which had as he boasted inclosed in it all the happinesse of the world but being broken there was found in it nothing but wind But to answer 1. That such great ignorance should follow upon the taking away of the Revenues of the Church it may easily appeare what kinde of men these spirituall persons were in that time some Pluralists Non-Residents Parsons and Vicars gotten into great livings such as served not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own belly For had they been such Pastors and Teachers as were before in the Primitive Church they would have continued teaching and instructing the people though for their livelihood they had wrought with their own hands But 2. we have not onely read and heard of the history of Julian but of Constantine too and doe perceive that either these men are not well vers'd in the history of the Church or they are like the unjust Steward in giving us but fiftie for the hundred Therefore to undeceive the ignorant I shall set down what is truth concerning the Revenues of the Church as we have received it by tradition When Censtantine first began to endow the Church with a set maintenance of lands and possessions a voyce was heard from heaven saying Hodie venenum Ecclesiae est immissum that is this day is poyson powred into the Church And indeed it was just so For thereupon most of the primitive Institutions Orders and Customes were broken and men began to run mad in ignorant devotion and thinking that true pietie stood in workes of that nature made themselves slaves to the Priests then called the Church by giving away not onely their Lands but their goods and labour under the name of tythes And then men of evill and corrupt mindes entred into the Ministerie that were not fitted nor qualified with gifts and graces for that calling nor ever minded the glory of God nor the good of the people but looked at their own self-ends to make themselves great among the people and to live in pomp and ease upon the labours of the poore people Thus you have in short what was the effect in endowing the Church with a set maintenance of lands and possessions viz. idlenesse pride riot covetousnesse c. in the Priests and ignorance and grosse superstition in the people It is true Julian afterward tooke away some lands and possessions from the Clergie But I deny that it tended to the hinderance of the Gospel or power of godlinesse it rather occasioned such as were sincere and upright to doe the more good in a private way Some by this meanes were pluckt down from their pomp pride excesse and their beastly lies and vanities not so publickly practised as before But wherein did the truth suffer for this What! Because the just hand of God was upon the covetous and ambitious Priests Besides if there ensued great ignorance of the true worship and service of God upon this action of Julian It was not so much occasioned by Julian as through the idlenesse and basenesse of the