Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	faith_n	roman_a	4,619	5	7.9310	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91565	The great case of tythes truly stated, clearly opened, and fully resolved. By a countrey-man, A.P.	Pearson, Anthony, 1628-1670?	1657 (1657)	Wing P989; Thomason E931_2; ESTC R207656	39,708	44

institutae And at this time no regard was had to the nature of the increase but whatsoever did arise in profit whether by trade merchandize or husbandry the tenth was required to be paid for tythes He preaching on Zacheus charity sayes Dedit proprium reddi●ic alienum Graviter ergo peccant qui decimas primitias non reddunt Sacerdotibus sed eas pro voluntate distribuunt indigentibus But still the people had more minde to give them for the poor rather then the priests as may be understood by the complaint of Pope Innocent the third who cryed out against those that gave their tythes and first fruits to the poor and not to the priests as haynous offenders his own words take in the margin Also a generall Council held at Lyons under Pope Gregory the tenth in the yeer 1274. Vt nulli hominum deinceps liceat decimas suas ad libitum ut amea ubi vellet assignare set Matrici Ecclesiae omnes decimas persolverent it was constituted that it should not thenceforth be lawful for men to give their tythes of their own pleasure where they would as it had been before but pay all their tythes to the Mother Church By these it may be seen that though the people who then generally were Papists did believe they ought to pay them yet were they free to dispose them where they pleased till these Popish Councils restrained their librrty Non sunt ferendi qui vaerijs artibus decimas Ecclesiis obvenientes substrahere moliuntur an t qui ab aliis solvendas temere occupant in rem suam vertunt cum decimarum solutio debita sit Deo qui eas dare noluerins aut dantes impediunt res alienas invadunt Praecipit igitur sancta Synodus omnibus cujuscunque gradus conditionis sint ad qu●s decimarum solutio specta● ut ea● ad quas dejure tementur in posterum Cathedrali aut quibuscunque aliis Ecclesiis vel personis quibus legitime debentur integrepersolvant Qui vero cas aut substahunt aut impediunt Exoommunicen●ur Nec ab hoc crimine nisi plona restitutione secuta absolvantur But the great Decree which speaks most plain and till which nothing was given foath which did-directly constitute them but rather still supposed them as due by some former right was made at the Council of Trent under Pope Pius the fourth about the year 1560. And yet that great Council followed the Doctrine of their Father and said they were due to God and had no new Authority for their great Decree which they command to be obeyed under the penalty of excommunication Having thus briefly run over the Ecclesiastical State abroad from the Infant-purity of the Church to the height of the Papal Domination and given a small glimpse through every Age to the point in hand I shall now more particularly return to what may concern this Natition I shall not trouble the Reader with a relation of Ioseph of Arimathea and his eleven Disciples coming into Britaine sent by Philip the A postle in the reign of Arviragus as Histories report nor of the conversion of King Lucius afterwards who is said to give great endowments to the Church Nor of the British Christians nothing at all appearing of the payment of tythes in their dayes But passing by them and those many years wherein the barbarous Saxons over-ran this Nation exercising most cruel persecutions till the very name of Christian was blotted out and those Heathens seated in the quiet possession of a sevenfold Kingdom in this Land About the year 600. or soon after Gregory the first new Pope of Rome sent over Augustine the Monk into England by whom Ethelbert King of Kent was converted and by him and his followers in processe of time other parts of the Nation and others of the Kings were also brought to their faith This Augustine was a Canon Regular and both he and his Clergy for long time after followed the example of former Ages living in common upon the offerings of their Converts those that received them were joined in societies in imitation of the primitive practice having such direction sent him by Pope Gregory that in the tendernesse of the Saxon Church he his Clergy should still imitate the community of all things used in the prituitive times under the Apostles that they might not make their Religion burthensom But afterwards having brought a great part of the Nation to their faith they began to preach up the old Roman Doctrine That tythes ought to be paid and having taught the people that the pardon of sin might be merited by good works and the torments of Hell be avoided by their charitable deeds it was no hard matter when that was believed to perswade them not onely to give their tythes but also their Lands as the outward Riches of those called Religious Houses then here and elsewhere may testifie for in this Nation they and the Clergy had almost gotten the third part of the whole Land and so besotted were the poor ignorant people that had not a Law against Mortmain prevented it a far greater part of the Nation had been in their hands As conceruing Laws and Canons for tythes amongst the Saxons it is reported That in the year 786. two Legates were sent from Pope Hadrian the first to Offa K. of Mercland and Aelfwolfe K. of Northumberland who made a Decree that the people of those two Kingdoms should pay tythes Also that Aethelulph K. of the West-Saxons in the year 855. made a Law That the tythe of all his own Lands should be given to God and his servants and should be enjoyed free from all taxes Great difference is amongst Historians about this Grant few agreeing in the words or substance of it as Selden shews some restraining it to the tythe of his own Demesne Lands others to the tenth part of his Land others to the tythe of the whole Nation At that time the Nation being under groat and heavy pressures by Danish irruptions intestive wars Promeae remedio animae Regni populi great spoiles and miseries he called a Council where were present Bernredus K. of Mercia and Edmund K. of East-Angles and they to remove the heavy judgements then over them grants the tythe of all their Land to God and his servants K. Athelstone about the year 930. K. Edmund about the year 940. K. Edgar about the year 970. K. Ethelred about the year 1010. K. Knute about the yeare 1020. Edward the Consessor and others of the Saxon Kings made several Laws for tythes as Histories report Quoniam Divina Misrecordia pr●vidente cognovimus esse dispositum longe latique praedicante Ecclesia sonac omnium auribus divulgatum Quod Eleemosynarum largitione possunt absolvi vincula peccatorū adquiri Caelestium praemia gaudiorū Ego Stephanus Dei gratia Anglorum Rex partē habere voleus cū illis qui felici commercio Caelestia

had finished his Office upon earth by offering up himself through the eternal Spirit a sacrifice without spot unto God did not look back to the Ordinances of the former Priesthood but testified an end was put unto them and witnessed against the temple wherein the priests ministred for which Stephen was stoned to death against circumcision saying It was not that of the flesh against the Passeover priests c. and preached up Christ Jesus and his Doctrine the new and living way which was not made manifest while as the first tabernacle was standing Nor did they go about to establish the Law by which tythes were given in the former Priesthood but freely they preached the Gospel which they had received and did not require any setled maintenance but lived of the free offerings and contributions of the Saints who by their Ministry were turned to Christ Iesus At Jerusalem and thereabouts such was the unity of heart amongst the Saints in the Apostles time that all things were in common Acts 4.3 4. and none wanted and as many as were possessors of Lands or Houses sold them and brought the price and laid it down at the Apostles feet and it was distributed unto every man according as he hast need So the Church gathered by Mark at Alexandria in Aegypt followed the same rule as the Saints did at Ierusalem Hieron in vita Marc. having all things in common And Philo Iudeus a famous Author of that time reporteth that not onely there but in many other provinces the Christians lived together in societies In the Churches at Antioch the Saints possessed every man his own estate so likewise in Galatia and Corinth where the Apostle ordained that weekly offerings for the Saints should be made by every one as God had blessed him Acts 11.29 and by these offerings which were put into the hands of the Deacons of the Churches were all the services and needs of the Church supplied 1 Cor. 16.2 By example of these the course of monethly offerings succeeded in the next Ages Vide Synod Gangr Can. 60. not exacted but freely given at the bounty of every man as appears plainly by Tertullian in Apologet. ch 39. where upbraiding the Gentiles with the pietie and devotion of Christians he saith Whatsoever we have in the treasury of our Churches is not raised by taxation as though we put men to ransome their Religion but every man once a moneth or when it pleaseth himself bestoweth what he thinks good and not without he listeth for no man is compelled but left free to his own discretion and that which is given is not bestowed in vanity but in relieving the poor and upon children destitute of parents and maintenance of aged and feeble persons men wracked by Sea and such as are condemned to the Mettal-mines banished into Islands or cast into prison professing the true God and the Christian Faith And this way of contribution continued in the Church till the great persecution under Maximinian and Dioclesian about the yeer 304. as Eusebius testifieth Euseb lib. 4. ch 22. which also appears by the writings of Tertullian Origen Cyprian and others About this time also some lands began to be given to the Church and the revenue of them were brought into the treasury of the Church and belonged to the Church in common and was distributed as other offerings by the Deacons and Elders but the Bishops or Ministers medled not therewith for Origen saith It is not lawful for any Minister of the Church to possess lands given to the Church to his own use And called to the Ministers Let us depart from the Priests of PHAROAH who injoy earthly possessions to the Priests of the Lord who have no portion in the earth 16 Homily upon Genesis fol. 26. ch 3. And in another place he saith It behoveth us to be faithfull in disposing the rents of the Church that we our selves devour not those things which belong to the widows and the poor and let us be content with simple dyet and necessary apparel And Vrban Bishop of Rome Anno 227. did declare That the Church might receive Lands and Possessions offred by the faithfull Vrban 1. in Epist c. 12. q. 1. e. 161. but not to any particular mans benefit but that the Revenues thereof should be distributed as other offerings as need required Cyprian Cyprian Epist 27.34.36 Bishop of Carthage about the year 250. also testifieth the same and sheweth that the Church maintained many poore and that her own Dyet was sparing and plain and all her expences full of frugality Prosper also saith Lib. 21. de vita contemplativa That a Minister able to live of himself ought not to participate of the goods of the Church for saith he They that have of their own and yet desire to have somewhat given them do not receive it without great sin The Council at Antioch Con. Ant. cap. 25. Anno 340. finding that much fault had been amongst the Deacons to whom it properly belonged did ordain hat the Bishops might distribute the Goods of the Church but required that they took not any part to themselves or to the use of the Priests and brethren that lived with them unlesse that necessity did justly require it using the words of the Apostle Having Food and Rayment be therewith content In these times Hom. 11. in Acta Tom. 6. edit Saviliana pag. 897. in many places the Christian Converts joyned themselves in Societies and chose a separated life selling what they had and living together in common after the example of the former Saints about Jerusalem as Chrysostome notes who lived about the yeer 400. by whose writings it also appears that there was not the least use or practise of the payment of tythes in these former Ages The Church now living altogether by free offerings of Lands money and goods the people were much pressed to bountiful Contributions for holy uses as may be seen by the Writings of Hierome Homil. 43. ad Epist 1. ad Corinth in cap. 16. Chrysostome who brought the Jewish liberality in their payments of tenths for an example beneath which they would not have Christians determine their charity where Chrysostome sayes he speaks these things not as commanding or forbidding that they should give more yet as thinking it sit that they should not give lesse then the tenth part Hierome also doth earnestly admonish them to give bountifully to the poore Ad cap. 3 Malachia and double honor to him that labors in the Lords work not binding at all to offer this or that part leaving them to their own liberty but pressing they might not be more short then the Jews were Ambrose who was Bishop of Milan about the year 400. preached up tenths to be offered up for holy uses Tom. 5. Serm. fer 2. post dom 1. quadragesima vide Serm. in Ascens Danivi as the phrase then was as may be