Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	great_a	time_n	world_n	5,204	5	4.2496	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50892	Considerations touching the likeliest means to remove hirelings out of the church wherein is also discourc'd of tithes, church-fees, church-revenues, and whether any maintenance of ministers can be settl'd by law / the author J.M.	Milton, John, 1608-1674.	1659 (1659)	Wing M2101; ESTC R12931	33,775	176

Melchisedec proper to Christ only not of Aaron as they themselves will confess and the third priesthood only remaining is common to all the faithful But they are ministers of our high priest True but not of his priesthood as the Levites were to Aaron for he performs that whole office himself incommunicably Yet tithes remane say they still unreleasd the due of Christ and to whom payable but to his ministers I say again that no man can so understand them unless Christ in som place or other so claim them That example of Abram argues nothing but his voluntarie act honor once only don but on what consideration whether to a priest or to a king whether due the honor arbitrarie that kinde of honor or not will after all contending be left still in meer conjecture which must not be permitted in the claim of such a needy and suttle spiritual corporation pretending by divine right to the tenth of all other mens estates nor can it be allowd by wise men or the verdit of common law And the tenth part though once declar'd holy is declar'd now to be no holier then the other nine by that command to Peter Act. 10. 15. 28 whereby all distinction of holy and unholy is remov'd from all things Tithes therefor though claimd and holy under the law yet are now releasd and quitted both by that command to Peter and by this to all ministers above-cited Luke 10 eating and drinking such things as they give you made holy now by thir free gift only And therefor S. Paul 1 Cor. 9. 4 asserts his power indeed but of what not of tithes but to eat and drink such things as are given in reference to this command which he calls not holy things or things of the gospel as if the gospel had any consecrated things in answer to things of the temple v. 13 but he calls them your carnal things v. 11. without changing thir property And what power had he not the power of force but of conscience only whereby he might lawfully and without scruple live on the gospel receiving what was given him as the recompence of his labor For if Christ the master hath professd his kingdom to be not of this world it suits not with that profession either in him or his ministers to claim temporal right from spiritual respects He who refus'd to be the divider of an inheritance between two brethren cannot approve his ministers by pretended right from him to be dividers of tenths and free-holds out of other mens possessions making thereby the gospel but a cloak of carnal interest and to the contradiction of thir master turning his heavenly kingdom into a kingdom of this world a kingdom of force and rapin To whom it will be one day thunderd more terribly then to Gehazi for thus dishonoring a far greater master and his gospel is this a time to receive monie and to receive garments and olive-yards and vinyards and sheep and oxen The leprosie of Naaman linkd with that apostolic curse of perishing imprecated on Simon Magus may be feard will cleave to such and to thir seed for ever So that when all is don and bellie hath us'd in vain all her cunning shifts I doubt not but all true ministers considering the demonstration of what hath bin here prov'd will be wise and think it much more tolerable to hear that no maintenance of ministers whether tithes or any other can be settl'd by statute but must be given by them who receive instruction and freely given as God hath ordaind And indeed what can be a more honorable maintenance to them then such whether almes or willing oblations as these which being accounted both alike as given to God the only acceptable sacrifices now remaining must needs represent him who receives them much in the care of God and neerly related to him when not by worldly force and constraint but with religious awe and reverence what is given to God is given to him and what to him accounted as given to God This would be well anough say they but how many will so give I answer as many doubtles as shall be well taught as many as God shall so move Why are ye so distrustful both of your own doctrin and of Gods promises fulfilld in the expèrience of those disciples first sent Luke 22. 35. When I sent you without purse and scrip and shooes lackd ye anything And they said Nothing How then came ours or who sent them thus destitute thus poor and empty both of purse and faith Who stile themselves embassadors of Jesus Christ and seem to be his tithegatherers though an office of thir own setting up to his dishonor his ex●cters his publicans rather not trusting that he will maintain them in thir embassy unless they binde him to his promise by a statute law that we shall maintain them Lay down for shame that magnific title while ye seek maintenance from the people it is not the manner of embassadors to ask maintenance of them to whom they are sent But he who is Lord of all things hath so ordaind trust him then he doubtles will command the people to make good his promises of maintenance more honorably unaskd unrak'd for This they know this they preach yet beleeve not but think it as impossible without a statute law to live of the gospel as if by those words they were bid go eat thir bibles as Ezechiel and John did thir books and such doctrins as these are as bitter to thir bellies but will serve so much the better to discover hirelings who can have nothing though but in appearance just and solid to answer for themselves against what hath bin here spoken unless perhaps this one remaning pretence which we shall quickly see to be either fals or uningenuous They pretend that thir education either at schoole or universitie hath bin very chargeable and therefor ought to be repar'd in future by a plentiful maintenance whenas it is well known that the better half of them and oft times poor and pittiful boyes of no merit or promising hopes that might intitle them to the publick provision but thir povertie and the unjust favor of friends have had the most of thir breeding both at schoole and universitie by schollarships exhibitions and fellowships at the publick cost which might ingage them the rather to give freely as they have freely receivd Or if they have missd of these helps at the latter place they have after two or three years left the cours of thir studies there if they ever well began them and undertaken though furnishd with little els but ignorance boldnes and ambition if with no worse vices a chaplainship in som gentlemans house to the frequent imbasing of his sons with illiterate and narrow principles Or if they have livd there upon thir own who knows not that seaven years charge of living there to them who fly not from the government of thir parents to the license of a