Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	number_n	perfection_n	unsearchable_a	63	3	16.3162	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A21107	The maintenance of the ministery VVherein is plainely declared how the ministers of the Gospell ought to be maintayned: and the true and ancient practise of our Church in this case, shewed to be agreeable to the word of God, and all antiquity. Necessary in these times to be read and considered of all sorts of Christians, but specially of such as liue in townes and citties. By Richard Eburne, minister of the word.	Eburne, Richard.	1609 (1609)	STC 7470; ESTC S100246	159,156	190

times the thousandth part of the goods to be enough for God maintenance sufficiēt for his Church ministers therof 4 And as God by expresse law required the best and fairest to be offered vnto him So in many things men haue obserued how truely I leaue to others the tenth as it were naturally to be the best the very croppe and principall Insomuch that in old Plautus the word Decumanus is vsed for magnus that is the tenth thing for a great one of that kind and as scholers doe know in other Authors Decumana oua decimus fluctus decumana porta and decumanus limes are vsed for or accounted of others the greatest So that God requiring the best and the best and goodliest being naturally the tenth it seemeth that in demanding the best he meaneth the tenth 5 Some thing there is also to be considered in the very number it selfe For it is certaine that not onely men indued with religion and true knowledge of God but euen heathen wise haue respected much the Numbers of 3. of 7. and of 10. which probable it is they haue done by a certaine secret and speciall instinct of natures light suggesting vnto them 3. as a number mysticall because of the Trinitie 7. as a number of holinesse because of the seauenth day and 10. as a number of perfection contayning in it and vnder it al other numbers as which in the speech and reconing of all nations vnder heauen take their nomination and proceeding still by 10. and from ten to ten Now as one saith well Three being the mysticall number of Gods vnsearchable perfection within himselfe 7. the number whereby our owne perfections thorough grace are most ordered and Ten the number of natures perfections for the beautie of nature is order and the foundation of order number and of number ten the higest we can rise vnto without iteration of numbers vnder it could nature better acknowledge the power of the God of nature then by assigning vnto him that quantitie which is the continent of all she possesseth 6 Law or expresse word of God whereby he had reuealed to man that he required the tenth rather then any other part till Moses time we find none but when as we read that long before Moses the tenth was paide to God may we not with good probabilitie gather that they knew that God accepted that part gratefully required it rather then any other parte at their handes Let vs also see the other cause viz. that which concerneth the Church of God and that is That so hee might haue wherewith to maintaine those that should attend his Ministerie and seruice in all ages and in all places the world thoroughout It cannot be denied but that God from the beginning of times required of al men to be publikely worshipped serued thereupon it is not possible to name that nation vnder heauen which liuing in any forme of humane societie hath not by the meere instinct light of nature professed a publicke solemne honor worship of God So that whether they haue done it rightly as did the Patriarks Church of God frō time to time or erroniously corruptly as the heathē that knew not the true God nor true form of diuine worship yet they haue al alwaies agreed in the matter viz. that God was publikely to be worshipped howsoeuer they disagreed and varied in the manner viz. in what sorte that ought to be done Secondly it is as clear and out of all question that for the due better celebratiō of that his publik worship seruice God ordained from the beginning a publike ministery and priesthood and would not that any should presume to intermeddle in that function and vndertake that worke but such as he himselfe had either ordinarily by men or extraordinarily by himselfe called and chosen thereunto And reason For if among men Princes Lords c. will not be serued and attended on but by men of their owne choise is it not more probable a great deale that the King of Kings and Lord of all Lords will not be serued in his Church but by such as himselfe hath thereunto elected and appointed Now as God would euer haue publicke worship of his owne description seruants and attendaunts therunto of his owne ordination so it was his will and his wisdome to reserue vnto himsel●e a parte of the goods increase and profits of the world that so he might haue of his owne wherewith to maintaine those his owne seruants This I take to be cleare by Gods owne speach vnto Moses when hauing set his marke vpon diuers things calling them mine offerings mine hallowed things my tithes c. he addeth These haue I giuen to the sonnes of Leui Why for the seruice which they doe me in the Tabern and It viz. the tithes offerings c. is your wages for your seruice vnto mee Which words doe plainely show that God would that such as attended him and serued at his altar should receiue those things as his pay and not as mens as from his hand and not from man in lieu of the wages and reward which for their seruice it was fit and necessary that he their maister Lord should allow them Whereupon he ●aith not to the people The maner of speech is much to be noted you shal giue them your offerings c. for the seruice they doe you but I haue giuen them mine c. as who say You shall pay it me and as mine from my hand shall they receiue it that so I may pay them out of mine owne purse with mine owne hands of mine owne goods and not they serue mee or I retaine them at other mens cost That they haue they haue it of me and from me it is mine and not yours Which if you yeeld not to them as I haue commanded you you rob and defraud me your God aswell as them my seruants To this accord the words also of the Prophet Malachie cap. 3. 8 where God speaketh thus Will a man spoyle his Gods yet haue yee spoiled me But yee said wherein haue we spoyled thee in tithes and offerings Yee are cursed with a curse for ye haue spoyled me euen this whole nation Bring yee all tithes into the storehouse that there may bee meate in mine house c. Where the Lord againe challengeth al tithes offerings properly and in right to be his calleth the Priests barne his barne the Priests house his house and sheweth plainely that he hath allotted those his duties to them as their mainetenance for the seruice they doe him It was the least thought the people had to defraud God they accounted they had but pinched a few fat bellied priests that had no neede thereof and kept shorte a sorte of lazie Leuits vnworthy of it but God tells them that in abusing them he was abused in defrauding them he was spoyled because those things which they