<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2014-05-14</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed text and corrected markup.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B14765">
<STC T="S">17780</STC>
<STC T="C">S112503</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99847752</BIBNO>
<VID>177805</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A LIBERALL MAINTENANCE IS MANIFESTLY DVE TO THE MINISTERS of the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P>BY IOSHUA MEENE Vicar of <HI>Wymondham</HI> in <HI>Norfolke.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>Thomas Harper,</HI> for <HI>Lawrence Chapman,</HI> and <HI>William Certain,</HI> and are to be &s;old at Chan|cery lane end in <HI>Holborne,</HI> 1638.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 LANG="lat" TYPE="note">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<P>Deo Optimo Maximo Patri, Filio, Spiritui Sancto, Deo Trino &amp; uni;</P>
<P>Cui Eccle&s;ia cognita &amp; chara, tanquam oculi pupilla: &amp; &agrave; quo ejus Mini&s;tri duplici honore digni habentur;</P>
<P>Sacrilegii autem Iudici ju&s;ti&s;&s;imo, vindici infen&s;i&s;&s;imo:</P>
<P>Minuta duo cum vidua illa paupercula in E|vangelio; &s;eu potius minutum unum piae volu~tatis caetera omnia minuta compre|hendens, idem etiam ip&s;um hoc &s;equenti opu&s;culo complexum, in gazophylacium divinum humillim&egrave; mittit humillimus, minimus in Divinis Mini&s;ter.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Jo&s;hua Meen.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="3">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>To the judicious and indifferent <HI>Reader, &amp;c.</HI> A Preface apologeticall.</HEAD>
<P>_THere are &s;undry learned and religi|ous. Treati&s;es extant in the behalf of the Clergie for their competent maintenance, and touching their right unto the tithes.</P>
<P>To omit the Ancients and for|reigne Authours, ob&s;erve how no few of our owne Nation have la|boured in this nece&s;&s;ary and pious &s;ubject: as the right Re|verend Fathers in God, the Lord Bi&s;hop <HI>Andrews,</HI> the Lord Bi&s;hop <HI>Carlton,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Moreover, the right Wor&s;hipfull Sir <HI>Henry Spilman,</HI> Sir <HI>Iames Sempell,</HI> Doctor <HI>Tille&s;lie,</HI> Doctor <HI>Mayer,</HI> Doctor <HI>Rives,</HI> Ma&s;ter <HI>Hooker,</HI> Ma&s;ter <HI>Roberts:</HI> from &s;ome of who&s;e Works in this kinde, I do freely acknowledge my &s;elf to have received no &s;mall furtherance.</P>
<P>There are likewi&s;e other famous Writers be&s;ides, which although altogether unknowne to mee, &s;hall neverthele&s;&s;e with the&s;e &s;poken of, be immortalized by their devout and &s;olid lines to this purpo&s;e. Although alas too true it is, that through the deep-rooted corruption of this deplorate &s;ea&s;on, their excellent endevours this way have not attained a wi|&s;hed event. Wherupon &s;ome may cen&s;ure my pains herein at this pre&s;ent, as audacious and fruitle&s;&s;e.</P>
<PB REF="4">
<P>Yet I conceive it cannot be ami&s;&s;e to continue di&s;cour&s;e in a ca&s;e of that con&s;equence: neither is it rea&s;on to leave our ju&s;t claime, whiles we wrongfully lo&s;e our true right.</P>
<P>Moreover, the bringing of the matter into frequent mention (though in a weaker manner) may proue a &s;uc|ce&s;&s;efull means to make tho&s;e godly and judicious Authours to be better read over and againe revolved, who&s;e argu|ments well con&s;idered will appear &s;ufficient to confound the adver&s;ary, and to end the controver&s;ie. It may al&s;o put men of the be&s;t ability in minde to manage the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Further the manifold dangers of execrable &s;acriledge ought to &s;tirre up every comp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tent per&s;on to devi&s;e and ap|ply all po&s;&s;ible remedies again&s;t her perillous <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ver sprea|ding.</P>
<P>Surely the prophane &s;uppo&s;all that it was never divine|ly appointed for the Mini&s;ters of the Gospell to be mayn|tained with tithes, &amp;c. But to live as it were, upon &s;tipen|darie Almes, in an errour inw<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eded in the minds of no few folks of more then ordinary wealth and place.</P>
<P>And the accur&s;ed contagion therof doth daily diffu&s;e it &s;elfe farre and neer, yea, and that not &s;eldome, into wor&s;er degrees.</P>
<P>In&s;omuch that now no few feare not nor blu&s;h to finde fault with the payment of the tenths, not onely under ca|vill of an obliterate and cancelled Judiciall currant among&s;t the <HI>I&s;raelites:</HI> but al&s;o under di&s;credit of a Leviticall and unlawfull Ceremonie, di&s;anulled at the comming of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>This grievous mi&s;chief in the&s;e perver&s;e times &s;eemes grown to that great height, that now any parcell of a Ser|mon in the right of the Church, though never &s;o properly deduced from the text, and never &s;o piou&s;ly intended, pro|cureth for the mo&s;t part, a common hatred and uncharita|ble &s;candall of a covetous and trouble&s;ome man.</P>
<P>I could exemplifie thus much without travelling farre from my own Pari&s;h, and with no little &s;orrow &s;hew at large
<PB REF="4"> what a world of uncon&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ionable cu&s;tomes, and compo&s;itions are mo&s;t ab&s;tinately, and everpowringly maintained again&s;t the Church, by folkes of eminent wealth, and credit, be&s;ides the ordinary rankes.</P>
<P>Moreover I might mention, that no le&s;&s;e ridiculous then injurious wre&s;ting of the Statute in ca&s;e of tithe wood, that the Mother freeth the Daughter, namely if the body bee above twenty yeares old, then the t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">p, although put to firing mu&s;t be freed from tithing; which mo&s;t unju&s;t ab|&s;urdity findeth notwith&s;tanding no few Patrones, even a|mong&s;t &s;ome of the Law-profe&s;&s;oure, to the extreme preju|dice of the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P>I might yet remember &s;ome wor&s;er matter, namely gl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">be|lands detained by &s;undry per&s;ons of no &s;mall wealth and e|&s;teeme in this world, from the Church, appearing neverthe|le&s;&s;e upon record, Terrie<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">, and other &s;ufficient te&s;timonies, pl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ly to belong thereunto.</P>
<P>Surely whenas I &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">orldly wi&s;edome, wealth and place re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ucent in fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">e of tho&s;e that deale thus unju&s;tly with the Church: Behold the charitable&s;t con|&s;truction, which I can make of their actions, is to feare they are unfort<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ately lap&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d into the fore&s;aid errour again&s;t ti|thing, &amp;c. And &s;o whiles they pretend onely to allow <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> ne|ce&s;&s;aries, they uncon&s;cionably leave us to all extremities.</P>
<P>Finally, the publi&s;hing of this Treati&s;e proceedeth not forth without the private incouragements of &s;ome of my learned brethren of the Clergie.</P>
<P>To conclude, the mo&s;t gracious God &s;eemeth in the&s;e dayes to have in a &s;pecialler manner compa&s;&s;ionately looked upon the calamitous e&s;tate of his oppre&s;&s;ed Church, by &s;en|ding us a Prince very propitiou&s;ly inclined for her good: He hath al&s;o vouch&s;afed us many pious Prelate; noble and honorable per&s;onages, Judges, Lawyers, and &s;ome o|ther Laymen of no little worth, devoutly tendring in their proper ranks, the relief and right of the Church.</P>
<P>Neither is the paternall good will of my religiou&s;ly in|dulgent Dioce&s;an to &s;uccour my di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Vicaridge a mat|ter
<PB REF="5"> of &s;mall moment to animate. Moreover the courteous favour of that learned &amp; vertuous Knight Sir <HI>Nathanael Brent</HI> in this kinde to my &s;elfe in particular, be&s;ides others. I may ju&s;tly adde the good Offices done me this way, by our Right Wor&s;hipfull Archdeacons in this Dioce&s;&s;e, Doctor <HI>Binge</HI> and Ma&s;ter <HI>White:</HI> Al&s;o the free and hone&s;t coun|&s;ell in this ca&s;e of Doctor <HI>Talbot,</HI> indeared unto the Clergy by his affection, and fidelity towards them.</P>
<P>La&s;t of all, the promi&s;ed a&s;&s;i&s;tance of my very worthy friend and wonted refuge, in many malevolent and Sacrilegious projects, and practi&s;es again&s;t me in my Pari&s;h, namely the Right Wor&s;hipfull Ma&s;ter <HI>Thomas Talbot</HI> E&s;quire, &amp;c. the glory of the place were he liveth.</P>
<P>The generall condolement and clamour, through the whole Countrey, of all well affected children of the Church. (which know this mi&s;erable Vicaridge) at the extreme di&s;|proportion betweene the great burden of the Cure, and the poore pittance of the meanes to &s;u&s;taine it with.</P>
<P>Surely; none of the&s;e premi&s;&s;es but have &s;ome force and weight: And therefore all of them con&s;idered together, can|not but prove very ponderous to induce, and per&s;wade mee for Sions &s;ake not to hold my peace, and remaine &s;ilent: But rather (in the willingly acknowledged weakene&s;&s;e and &s;len|derne&s;&s;e of my abilities) to imploy my be&s;t endeavours, as a dutifull Son, in the humble &s;ervice of our holy and venera|ble Mother the Church.</P>
<P>And in all reverence and lo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">line&s;&s;e of mind, I cheere|fully &s;ubmit them unto the Cen&s;ure of my Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Superiours.</P>
<P>Farewell in the Authour of all welfare, Chri&s;t Ie&s;us; to whom, with the Father and the Holy Gho&s;t, three per&s;ons and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ne God, be all honour and glory for evermore. Amen.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Thy Servant in the Lord,</HI> Io&s;hua Meene.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="5">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>1 Cor. 9 chap. part of the 9 ver&s;e.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth of the Oxe that trea|deth out the corne.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THe Oxe knoweth his owner (the Prophet <HI>J&s;aiah</HI> expre&s;&s;eth) I might thus invert the words in a my&s;ticall &s;en&s;e; Many an ow|ner knoweth not his Oxe. For if he did take meet notice of him as he ought, it would be a means to make him change the compa|ny of his cruell muzzles, into competent maintenance.</P>
<P>But as a righteous man regardeth the life of his bea&s;t, &s;o the bowels of the wicked are cruell, <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;heweth. The&s;e times of Church-robberie might in &s;ome &s;ort be &s;aid to re&s;emble the &s;ea&s;on of <HI>Iobs</HI> calamitie; <HI>The Oxen were plowing, and the A&s;&s;es feeding be&s;ides them.</HI></P>
<P>It falleth out in the&s;e dayes of ours quite contrary un|to the di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Gen.</HI> 41. of King <HI>Pharaohs</HI> dreame: for behold the fat Oxen, the high fle&s;hed Bulles of <HI>Ba&s;han</HI> doe eate up the leane ones by devouring their due means. How &s;hould they then be &s;trong to labour, that there be no breaking in nor going out, no complaining in our &s;treets, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 144.</P>
<P>Let us pray the Lord of the great harve&s;t, <HI>Luke</HI> 10. that he would &s;end forth labourers into his field, and into his Barne, and that they may be liberally allowed what&s;oe|ver
<PB N="2" REF="6"> is requi&s;ite for their painfull places. And that through his grace, the men of this world may be drawne and moved to practi&s;e this divine precept; <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corne.</HI></P>
<P>Our Apo&s;tle here appeareth like that excellent hou|&s;holder in the Go&s;pell, which bringeth forth out of his trea&s;ury things new and old: for when as he had alledg|ed, what liberty hee might have ju&s;tly a&s;&s;umed to him|&s;elfe in &s;undry other particulars; loe he proceedeth to a further in&s;tance touching that freedome hee could al&s;o rightly take, by vertue of his mini&s;teriall function, in the matter of maintenance.</P>
<P>To warrant the goodne&s;&s;e of this his claime and inter|e&s;t, he &s;eemeth to fetch ayd and &s;upport out of the old Te&s;tament. For confirmation of this point, to rai&s;e like|wi&s;e fit &s;upplyes of fre&s;h forces to the &s;ame purpo&s;e out of the new.</P>
<P>The &s;en&s;e of the words, and the &s;everall parts of this Text &s;hall receive their di&s;patch together.</P>
<P>Ob&s;erve then fir&s;t the commander, &s;econdly, the per|&s;on commanded: thirdly, the command it &s;elfe: fourthly, the rea&s;on of the command.</P>
<P N="1">1 Touching the Commander. If wee con&s;ider him as he is &s;upreme; behold he is the eternall Law-giver. But if we regard him as he is &s;ubordinate, then we mu&s;t re|member <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> his &s;ervant.</P>
<P N="2">2 Touching the per&s;on commanded in the word <HI>thou,</HI> let us comprehend in this circum&s;tance, primari|ly the children of <HI>I&s;rael:</HI> &s;econdarily, all people.</P>
<P N="3">3 Touching the command it &s;elfe in this clau&s;e, <HI>&s;halt not muzzle the mouth of the Oxe. Aquinas</HI> admoni&s;heth to under&s;tand this &s;entence: fir&s;t literally of Oxen, which <HI>Ain&s;worth</HI> affirmeth, are here named but for an in&s;tance, all other &s;orts of labouring and u&s;efull bea&s;ts being like|wi&s;e meant under that terme: &s;econdly, &s;piritually, of the Mini&s;ters of the word, they may in no &s;ort be muzzled.
<PB N="3" REF="6"> Or as the Chaldee Paraphra&s;t rendreth it, have their mouthes tyed up with the cruell cords of &s;acriledge.</P>
<P>The &s;en&s;e for the Oxen is plaine as the words &s;ound, (&s;aith <HI>Abulen&s;is</HI>) but yet it is not the principall; for the &s;en&s;e which concerneth the Mini&s;ters is chiefe, and e&s;pe|cially intended of the holy Gho&s;t.</P>
<P N="4">4 Touching the rea&s;on of the commande thus rehear|&s;ed, <HI>that treadeth out the corne;</HI> or as others reade it, <HI>when he treadeth, in his treading or thre&s;hing.</HI> In tho&s;e dayes flayles were not in u&s;e, but the feet of bea&s;ts, <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 10. otherwhiles wheeles, &s;ometime &s;tones, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 28.</P>
<P>One of the Hebrew Rabbines recordeth a law currant in that nation, with a penalty upon the offending per&s;on; How the bea&s;t mu&s;t not be hindred from feeding in his plowing, &s;owing, reaping the crop, treading out the corne, carriage of burdens, &amp;c. All which (Expo&s;itours write) mu&s;t be my&s;tically reflected upon the Evangeli|call Prie&s;ts. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth of the Oxe, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>The doctrine from the premi&s;&s;es may be collected in this forme: <HI>The Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell which labour in getting out and exhibiting the graine of Gods word unto the people, mu&s;t in no wi&s;e be debarred from the meanes of their meet maintenance in that re&s;pect.</HI></P>
<P>For proofe of this point: fir&s;t, we will mu&s;ter up toge|ther the arguments of our Apo&s;tle in this pre&s;ent chap|ter: &s;econdly, wee will adjoyne &s;ome collaterall places for confirmation of the premi&s;&s;es&punc; thirdly, wee will ex|pre&s;&s;e the certainty of our propo&s;ition from the nature and exigencie of the place of the Mini&s;tery: fourthly, we will declare the truth of this doctrine from the duene&s;&s;e of tythes by divine right to the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell: fiftly, wee will prove the poynt by di&s;cour&s;e of the une|quall condition of Impropriations: &s;ixtly, wee will de|mon&s;trate our ob&s;ervation from the recitall of &s;undry in|conveniences, which are incurred through defect of its due execution.</P>
<PB N="4" REF="7">
<P><HI>A threefold cord is not quickly broken,</HI> was part of King <HI>Salomons</HI> Sermon, <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;tes</HI> 4. the &s;ame &s;trength in per&s;wa&s;ion befalls this &s;ixefold combination. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1 Wee will mu&s;ter up together the arguments of our Apo&s;tle in this pre&s;ent chapter: wherein wee might not ami&s;&s;e profe&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, how hee uncla&s;peth a double volume touching the ca&s;e; namely, the booke of nature, and the booke of Gods word.</P>
<P>In the booke of nature, fir&s;t we may behold him argu|ing the matter with an a&s;&s;embly of &s;imilitudes gathered together from the vocations of warre and peace, ver&s;e 7. <HI>Who goeth a warfare at any time at his owne charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flocke, and eateth not of the milke of it?</HI></P>
<P>As then &s;ouldiers have de&s;ervedly their due &s;tipends: as husbandmen reape their an&s;werable fruits: as &s;hep|heards receive their pa&s;torall profits: Surely &s;o mu&s;t the &s;pirituall Mini&s;ters, the chariots and hor&s;emen of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> the Captaines of Chri&s;tian companies under the great Generall our Lord Ie&s;us, have their full pay and wages. So mu&s;t the my&s;ticall husbandmen in the Vineyard and Garden of his Church, freely participate of the grapes and fruits of their paines and plantations. So mu&s;t the &s;hep|heards of mens &s;oules receive meet benefit from among their tended flockes, and be fed with the milke of nur|cing fathers and nurcing mothers brea&s;ts.</P>
<P>As the Souldier meriteth his military &s;tipend, the vine|yard-planter his wine, the Shepheard his wooll: So mu&s;t the &s;pirituall Pa&s;tors (repre&s;enting all the&s;e callings in a divers kinde) be thought to de&s;erve, and indeed receive liberall recompence for their labours.</P>
<P N="2">2 Herein we might &s;ee our Apo&s;tle making his matter good from the manner of other Teachers: their example he a&s;&s;umeth as &s;ufficient evidence for him&s;elfe. Since their practi&s;e was to take of the people meanes for their main|tenance,
<PB N="5" REF="7"> and it was a lawfull cour&s;e for them &s;o to doe; The con&s;equence then &s;eemed very good and ju&s;tifiable for him to u&s;e no le&s;&s;e liberty.</P>
<P>Yea being a chiefe Apo&s;tle, a principall Teacher, he ap|peared to have &s;o much the more licence herein then &s;un|dry ordinary Mini&s;ters. Thus ver&s;e 12. <HI>If others be parta|kers of this power over you, are not we rathe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">?</HI></P>
<P><HI>Dux milite major, ratem qui temperat, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nteit remigis officium:</HI> If the common Souldier may ju&s;tly challenge a competent part of the &s;poyle, then may the Generall well expect a richer portion, a prey of divers colours of needle-worke, <HI>Iudges</HI> 5. And if the Marriner can rightly claime any priviledge, then can the Pilot lawfully demand mat|ters of more preheminence.</P>
<P>So where a &s;imple Prie&s;t hath a &s;ufficient intere&s;t, much more an Apo&s;tle, a Prelate hath a title in a higher degree prevalent.</P>
<P N="2">2 In the booke of Gods word, Saint <HI>Paul</HI> doth a&s;&s;ure this matter with an invincible power of divine decrees. <HI>Say J the&s;e things as a man</HI> (he expo&s;tulateth) <HI>or &s;aith not the law the &s;ame al&s;o?</HI> for it is written, he &s;heweth, in the law of <HI>Mo&s;es, Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corne.</HI></P>
<P>Doth God take care for Oxen? or &s;aith he it altogether for our &s;akes? no doubt this is, that hee that ploweth &s;hould plow in hope, and hee that thre&s;heth in hope, &s;hould be partaker of his hope, <HI>ver&s;es</HI> 8.9.10.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle here appeareth with a Prolep&s;is in his &s;peeches; for he preventeth that objection, which &s;ome might perchance oppo&s;e again&s;t the&s;e &s;imilitudes a&s;&s;umed from worldly things, becau&s;e of the difference of humane matters from divine: wherefore hee confirmeth the di|ctate of naturall rea&s;on with the determination of the law of the Lord, <HI>Deut.</HI> 25.</P>
<P>The argument is drawne in th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s place, fir&s;t, from the le&s;&s;er to the greater: if Gods providence be thus good
<PB N="6" REF="8"> and gracious toward Oxen, &s;urely then it &s;hineth in a more excellent manner of care for the children of men.</P>
<P>His &s;tatute touching Oxen, Saint <HI>Ambro&s;e</HI> telleth us, was not intended there to &s;tay, and to &s;tretch no further; but it meant more e&s;pecially humane creatures, mo&s;t of all the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P>When as then the eyes of all living wights wait upon the Lord, and he giveth them their meat in due &s;ea&s;on, he openeth his hand and &s;atisfieth the de&s;ire of every crea|ture: he giveth to the bea&s;t his food, and to the young Ravens that cry, hee cau&s;eth the gra&s;&s;e to grow for the cattell, he &s;endeth the Springs into the vallies to give them drinke, and that the wilde A&s;&s;es may quench their thir&s;t. Hee appointeth the fowles of the heaven their ha|bitation, which &s;ing among the branches, the Cedars to make their ne&s;ts, and for the Storke an hou&s;e of firre trees: the high hils a refuge for the wilde Goats, and the rockes for the Conies, as we reade in the P&s;almi&s;t. Be|&s;ides, the Sparrowes, (two of which are &s;old for a far|thing) be under his protection, <HI>Matth.</HI> 6. yea, hee hath vouch&s;afed to make a &s;olemne law and con&s;titution in the behalfe of oxen for their allowance.</P>
<P>Certainly then his plea&s;ure is plaine, his precept is per|petuall, that the &s;pirituall oxen of the Clergie, which la|bour in the field of his Church, mu&s;t never bee muzzled from enjoying the ju&s;t meanes of their painefull places.</P>
<P>If under the example of the Oxe (as <HI>Rabbi Solomon</HI> inferreth) a due provi&s;ion of &s;u&s;tenance for every labou|ring bea&s;t is enacted, and no unequall dealing touching them di&s;pen&s;ed with.</P>
<P>Behold then the Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall toylers mu&s;t doe it in hope, and follow their worke with fruition of reward: yea indeed ruling well, and being diligent in word and doctrine, be counted worthy of double honour, for the Scripture &s;aith, <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the Oxe that trea|deth out the corn, and the labourer is worthy of his reward,</HI> 1 Tim. 5.</P>
<PB N="7" REF="8">
<P>Thus the bruit bea&s;ts (as <HI>Athana&s;ius</HI> and <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> al&s;o conceive) which at fir&s;t were made for the u&s;e of men, are likewi&s;e here mentioned not &s;o much for them|&s;elves, as mo&s;t for their &s;akes. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2 Our Apo&s;tle evinceth his a&s;&s;ertion by undenyable termes of compari&s;on, or he draweth an argument from the greater to the le&s;&s;e: <HI>Jf we have &s;owne unto you &s;piritu|all things, is it a great thing if wee &s;hall reape your carnall things,</HI> ver&s;e 11. As if he &s;hould have &s;aid, if we provide for your &s;oules, it is a poore recompence that you &s;hould provide for our bodies, becau&s;e as the &s;oule farre way excelleth the body, &s;o the food for the &s;oule very much &s;urmounteth the price and worth of bodily food.</P>
<P>If we of the Mini&s;tery bring you bagges which waxe not old, a trea&s;ure in the heavens that faileth not, wher|as neither thiefe approacheth, nor moath corrupteth, <HI>Luke</HI> 12. Then open your earthly pur&s;es, grudge not your tran&s;itory trea&s;ures in that manner which Almighty God hath commanded for our maintenance.</P>
<P>If we bring you <HI>Matth.</HI> 13. that one pearle of great price; that invaluable trea&s;ure hid in a field; lo&s;e it not then by &s;paring of co&s;t, ca&s;t it not away for feare of charge, but imitate that devout and wi&s;e Merchant man there commended, who for&s;ooke and &s;old any worldly thing he had, for to buy that field, to purcha&s;e that good|ly pearle.</P>
<P><HI>Quae vos nobis rependitis nequaquam collatis in vos be|neficiis re&s;pondent: nos aeterna, &s;piritualia, coele&s;tia offeri|mus; vos fluxa, temporalia, caduca, fragilia refertis.</HI> Alas would men make an impartiall e&s;timate in this matter, they would &s;oone then conclude with them&s;elves, that there is no proportionable compari&s;on betweene tho&s;e good things they bring to their Pa&s;tors, and tho&s;e glad tidings brought by their Mini&s;ters unto them, betweene the bread of the earth, and the bread of heaven, between the meat which peri&s;heth, &amp; the meat which indureth.</P>
<PB N="8" REF="9">
<P><HI>Quis ignorat &s;piritualia carnalibus e&s;&s;e multo prae&s;tan|tiora?</HI> what is the temporall tythe which Pari&s;hioners returne their Prie&s;ts, if wee con&s;ider the eternall truth which the Prie&s;ts teach their Pari&s;hioners? what, &s;eemes the &s;heaves of corne to &s;tand in any termes of worth with their &s;entences of comfort? how vile appeare their payments to the vertue of their prayers? how poore are their offerings to the price of their orations? <HI>O fortuna|tos nimium, bona &s;i&s;ua norint, agricolas!</HI> Oh happy coun|treymen if they knew their owne advantage in this change; if they would well count what huge and heaven|ly oddes of gaine they get by rea&s;on of this permutation!</P>
<P>Let me expo&s;tulate a little with them to inform them aright. Is the expence of corruptible Mammon equiva|lent to the purcha&s;e of coele&s;tiall Sermons? Is the gift of glebes of an&s;werable value to the gaine of godline&s;&s;e? are <HI>Lammas</HI> profits of like excellency as the fruits of Para|di&s;e?</P>
<P>Can the contents of this pre&s;ent wilderne&s;&s;e counter|vaile the commodities of the land of promi&s;e? doth dro&s;&s;e equall gold? will water match wines? may earth mate heaven? can vanity compare with eternity?</P>
<P>Surely, I would wi&s;h tho&s;e worldly minded per&s;ons, which pre&s;ume upon &s;uch di&s;proportionable paradoxes, to annoint their eyes with eye-&s;alve, that they may &s;ee, <HI>Apocalyp&s;e</HI> 3. Then they will not onely &s;oone di&s;cerne an infinite di&s;tance betweene the vertue and worth of the&s;e &s;everals, but moreover certainly determine touch|ing this point, <HI>Rom.</HI> 15. If they have been made partakers of their &s;pirituall things, their duty al&s;o is to mini&s;ter un|to them in carnall things, <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3 Our Apo&s;tle fortifieth his ca&s;e with an argument from Gods ordinance in this wi&s;e; <HI>Doe not ye know that they which mini&s;ter about holy things, live of the things of the Temple? and they which wait at the Altar, are partakers
<PB N="9" REF="9"> with the Altar?</HI> even &s;o hath the Lord ordained, that they which preach the Go&s;pell, &s;hould live of the Go|&s;pell, ver&s;es 13.14.</P>
<P>What God the Father primarily con&s;tituted in this ca&s;e, was not afterwards cancelled by God the Sonne, &s;aith <HI>Aretius,</HI> for there is the &s;ame rea&s;on alwayes &s;ub&s;i|&s;ting of con&s;erving the wor&s;hip of God. And that in|deed was among&s;t all nations (he noteth) by a publique maintenance. This publique worke requireth publique wages, <HI>Aquinas</HI> writeth.</P>
<P>Wherefore &s;ome have here &s;uppo&s;ed, how the condi|tion of this place hath a twofold reflection, namely up|on the Prie&s;ts of the Lord, and the Prie&s;ts of the Gen|tiles. <HI>Ip&s;a naturalis ratio hoc habet, ut quis inde vivat un|de laborat:</HI> Saint <HI>Ambro&s;e</HI> affirmeth, how even naturall rea&s;on alledgeth thus much, that folkes mu&s;t look to live of that function, wherein they labour.</P>
<P>By a divine law in the old Te&s;tament, the Mini&s;ters had a publique and certaine provi&s;ion of meanes ordai|ned for their liberall maintenance, therefore much more the Mini&s;ters of the new Te&s;tament, becau&s;e their Mini|&s;tery is the mo&s;t excellent.</P>
<P>The Prie&s;ts of the Heathens had likewi&s;e this privi|ledge; good rea&s;on then that the Prie&s;ts of the Chri&s;tians &s;hould receive herein no le&s;&s;e, but rather a larger allow|ance.</P>
<P>If any would plead, why pretend you the Law of <HI>Mo|&s;es</HI> unto us, who are not now obliged to the&s;e antiqua|ted rules living under the Go&s;pell?</P>
<P>Behold Saint <HI>Paul</HI> in this place oppo&s;eth again&s;t them the divine appointment afre&s;h. But if they replyed when did that appeare? we an&s;wer, even in that &s;ea&s;on, when our Saviour Chri&s;t &s;ent forth his Di&s;ciples, inhibiting them to make provi&s;ion for their owne &s;elves, as mo&s;t due unto them from others in regard of their labour and paines: threatning al&s;o &s;uch as welcomed them not in
<PB N="10" REF="10"> this contribution be&s;ides attention.</P>
<P><HI>Calvin</HI> here collecteth how the Mini&s;ters, &s;hould not live on tho&s;e whom they teach, as depending upon almes (according to the errour of the Anabapti&s;ts) but upon the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P>For the Lord &s;aith <HI>Theophylact,</HI> hath &s;o determined the matter, by enacting in the new Te&s;tament Lawes conformable to the old. So that after what manner hee had anciently &s;et downe, that he who &s;erveth about the Altar, mu&s;t live of the Altar.</P>
<P>So now hee likewi&s;e &s;heweth, how the Evangelicall Preachers, mu&s;t not live barely of the peoples allowance, but of the Go&s;pell, lea&s;t perchance their auditours would wax proud and domineering over them, through a &s;wel|ling conceit, that they had their m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">nes from them, and &s;o were beholding unto them.</P>
<P>The maintenance then of the Mini&s;tery (it is here ma|nife&s;t) ought not to bee elecmo&s;ynarie, or upon bene|volence: but a &s;etled and affi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ed portion: namelie the tith of the increa&s;e of the fruites of the earth.</P>
<P>For the&s;e &s;eeme fitte&s;t by Gods owne ordinance of them; fir&s;t, to the Leviticall Prie&s;thood, and &s;econdly, after the change of that Service, by way of intailement of them to the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell. Whereby (Saint <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> declareth) the Prie&s;ts which by right receive them, may not be upbrayded; and the Pari&s;hioners, who are bound to pay them, mu&s;t not boa&s;t nor bee puffed up.</P>
<P><HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth &amp;c.</HI> wee are now &s;econdly, to adjoyne &s;ome collaterall places for confir|mation of the premi&s;&s;es. I will not bee tedious with in|&s;tances, the tender of this one place unto you, <HI>Galatians</HI> the 6. may &s;eeme &s;ufficient: <HI>Let him that is taught in the Word, communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived: God is not mocked: for what&s;o|ever a man &s;oweth, that &s;hall he al&s;o reape, &amp;c.</HI> Saint <HI>Paul</HI>
<PB N="11" REF="10"> in this pa&s;&s;age appeareth to u&s;e very &s;ignificant &s;peeches for the purpo&s;e. It is not ami&s;&s;e to examine them in a &s;e|rious manner, that we may the more evidently perceive, what a nece&s;&s;ary duty lyeth upon the Laity to render backe a good returne of temporals unto the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t word which hee u&s;eth is <GAP DESC="foreign">, let him communicate; by this terme Saint <HI>Chryo&s;tome</HI> tels us how he intimateth that there mu&s;t bee <GAP DESC="foreign">, a vici&s;&s;i|tude and intercour&s;e, a flux and reflux of heavenly and earthly things, betweene the Prie&s;t &amp; the Pari&s;h. Iu&s;tice it &s;elfe challengeth thus much, for men to expre&s;&s;e their due thankfulne&s;&s;e toward their Teachers, by bountifull recompencing of their Pa&s;torall labours with abundant &s;upplies of all conveniences.</P>
<P>Secondly, hee u&s;eth the word <GAP DESC="foreign">, which terme may be taken for the delivering of any doctrine, by the organ of the voyce to in&s;truct others in the my&s;teries of the Chri&s;tian Religion. The Apo&s;tle therefore in this place, appeareth to put a plaine difference betweene the labouring and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> Mini&s;ters, betweene the diligent Bees and idle Drones, between the indu&s;trious treaders out of the corne, and the voluptuous eaters up of the corne.</P>
<P>There mu&s;t bee <HI>ratio dati et accepti,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Arborem,</HI> a true reckoning on both &s;ides; the Pa&s;tour mu&s;t piou&s;ly imploy his talent, and the Pari&s;hioner mu&s;t profitably re|ply in his element; the Mini&s;ter mu&s;t performe his part, and the Auditour mu&s;t doe his duty: the Sower mu&s;t reape, and the receiver mu&s;t returne a croppe with in|crea&s;e.</P>
<P>Thirdly, we meete with the manner of communicati|on &s;ubjoyned, <GAP DESC="foreign"> in all good things: not in a few, but in all; love, reverence, and maintenance, <HI>A|thana&s;ius</HI> noteth, expre&s;&s;ing al liberalitie towards them, Saint <HI>Chryo&s;tome</HI> ob&s;erveth. Which they may very well
<PB N="12" REF="11"> fulfill (the&s;e Fathers affirme) as receiving much more, then they can returne.</P>
<P>This is a rule &s;aith Doctor <HI>Mayer</HI> to &s;upply the Mini|&s;ters with all nece&s;&s;aries; e&s;pecially (as is mo&s;t agreea|ble to the divine Law) the people are hereby injoyned freely and willingly to communicate in all tho&s;e goods, which bee the &s;everall increa&s;es of their fruites of the earth unto them.</P>
<P>Surely this ver&s;e &s;eemeth very powerfull again&s;t no &s;mall number of covetous worldlings. Some will im|part nothing at all to their Pa&s;tours maintenance, but on|ly perforce: &s;ome will expend in this ca&s;e but a poore and unworthy pittance. Some be&s;ides wretched mi&s;e|rablene&s;&s;e u&s;e wicked deceit &amp; fraud in their payments. They pretend ill trading, how their corne is thinne, thei<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> cattle did not thrive, their fruits were few, &amp;c. the times are hard, their charge is great, their meanes be &s;mall, &amp;c. But this I &s;ay, <HI>hee that &s;oweth &s;paringly &s;hall reape &s;paring|ly, and hee which &s;oweth bountifully &s;hall reape bountiful|ly.</HI> 2 <HI>Corinthians</HI> 3. The&s;e covetous Idolaters carry them|&s;elves cleane contrary to the Apo&s;tles precept: behold hee pleadeth for liberality, but they practi&s;e par&s;imony; he is for &s;incerity, but they for &s;ubtilty; he de&s;ireth plain-dealing, but they delight in impo&s;tures.</P>
<P>Let not then men thus impiou&s;ly erre in this enjoyn|ed communicatio~ of their goods. It is be&s;t for every one to take heede of deceitfull excu&s;es in this kind, <HI>An&s;elmus</HI> admoni&s;heth; becau&s;e although humane creatures may be often deluded, yet the al&s;eeing Lord, the &s;earcher of the heart and the reynes is never gone beyond. The&s;e cunning pretexts may coozen many men, but the Lord doth ea&s;ily di&s;cerne through the clo&s;e&s;t mi&s;t of their Sa|crilegious fal&s;hood, Saint <HI>Hierome</HI> &s;heweth.</P>
<P>This &s;inne is much greater then you &s;uppo&s;e, &s;aith <HI>Aretius,</HI> God is not mocked, there wil follow a doome&s;|day booke, a reckoning &s;ea&s;on, when as &s;uch ba&s;e mind|ed
<PB N="13" REF="11"> Earthwormes &s;hall reape as they have &s;owne; name|ly, for their corrupt and uncon&s;cionable dealing, the proper wages thereof, that is to &s;ay, eternal death and damnation.</P>
<P>The&s;e Church-robbing &s;innes, which now not &s;el|dome mini&s;ter matter of laughter to profane worldlings, and &s;eeme but veniall in their &s;educed imaginations, will then &s;hew forth a &s;carlet colour, a crim&s;on dy of a mournefull and mortall nature among&s;t the greate&s;t and mo&s;t grievous offences. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, wee are to expre&s;&s;e the nature of our propo|&s;ition, from the nature and exigency of the place of the Mini&s;tery. It is the complaint of learned and religious Bi&s;hop <HI>Davenant, Imperita plebecula feriari nos arbitratur totos dies, nec aliquid negotii habere p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t|quam Templ<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> pedem extulerimus:</HI> The ignorant Com|mon people imagineth that wee make many holi-dayes, and that wee have nothing to doe but onely at Church.</P>
<P>Neverthele&s;&s;e, our ca&s;e is cleane otherwi&s;e, for be&s;ides the outward exerci&s;e of our Pa&s;torall function, behold, there is, if not a perpetuall, yet a daily burden of prayer, meditation, &s;tudy, &amp;c. Impo&s;ed upo~ our &s;houlders; &s;o that the truth is, wee never loyter le&s;&s;e, then when wee are thought to be mo&s;t at lea&s;ure.</P>
<P>It is impo&s;&s;ible to &s;u&s;taine the&s;e &amp; &s;undry other paine|full incumbencies, proper to our places without &s;ufficiencie, and affluence of competent mainte|nance.</P>
<P>The want of this, may well occa&s;ion the Clergy to impute the fault of fayling in the&s;e duties unto the ini|quity of the times, and the penuriou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the people, euen as victorious <HI>Annibal</HI> cryed out, <HI>negando &s;upple|mentum, vos retraxi&s;tis,</HI> how he was perforce drawn out of almo&s;t Conquered <HI>Jtaly,</HI> by the <HI>Carthaginians</HI> p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r|nicious
<PB N="14" REF="12"> par&s;imony.</P>
<P><HI>If ver erat aeternum, per &s;e dabat omnia tollus:</HI> the gol|den age were &s;till in <HI>e&s;&s;e,</HI> with a free will offering of all delights and nece&s;&s;aries. If bread and fi&s;h rained volun|tarily downe from Heaven, as is reported to have fallen in the dayes of the Emperour <HI>Otho</HI> the third.</P>
<P>Were the doctrine of the Iewi&s;h <HI>Talmud,</HI> verified for the pre&s;ent in this Iland, touching the free and ready preparedne&s;&s;e of all manner of Victuals. Could wee at|taine to have the Angels our Caters with the Heremite <HI>Or</HI> in the de&s;ert of <HI>Thebaies:</HI> or with another fabulous bird of the &s;ame feather Saint <HI>Alpias,</HI> to live a longer &s;pace here on earth without hunger and thir&s;t.</P>
<P>Were wee able to walke as farre with bread and wa|ter, as the Prophet <HI>Elijah</HI> went 1 <HI>Kings,</HI> 19. Or might our poore and &s;mall mea&s;ure of provi&s;ion miraculou&s;ly multiply like the Widdows little cru&s;e of oyle, and hand|full of meale into many indeficient ve&s;&s;els 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 17. and 2 <HI>Kings</HI> 4.</P>
<P>Or would a few loaves and fi&s;hes &s;uffice to feed thou|&s;ands, and increa&s;e into &s;undry basketful<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> of fragments <HI>Matthew</HI> 14. Could our cloathes (like the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> in their forty yeares travaile through the de&s;erts) continue without waxing old upon us, and our &s;hooes hold good without wa&s;t and decay on our feete, <HI>Deut<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rono|my,</HI> 29.</P>
<P>If a <HI>Manna</HI> honey-dew could &s;till bee gathered, du|ring the terme of our mortall pilgrimage: or &s;uch a &s;weete &s;howre did mellifluou&s;ly drop upon our drow|ping &s;pirits, as <HI>Antoninus</HI> affirmeth to have de&s;cended up|on the Chri&s;tian Ho&s;t, marching out of <HI>Antioch</HI> again&s;t the cruell <HI>Turke Corbonach,</HI> whereby a cheerefull vigour of minde and body, confirmed them in all the occurren|ces of that dangerous expedition.</P>
<P>Were wee Chameleon complexion'd to feed on the ayre; or mouthle&s;&s;e like the Indian <HI>A&s;tomi,</HI> to live by
<PB N="15" REF="12"> odour; Then &s;hould Sacrilegious depredation and &s;poile bee borne with more patience, and not bring &s;o much harme and prejudice. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Moreover, whereas (contrary to Anabapti&s;ts humours, who abide no Books but the Bible, &amp; &s;ome of them not &s;o much as that) a good Library is the mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary Maga|zin &amp; &s;torehou&s;e, for to make meete provi&s;ion of Sacred food for mens &s;oules.</P>
<P>Yea al&s;o to di&s;cover and di&s;comfit the wilde Boares of the wood, the ravenous Wolues, and crafty Foxes; namely Tyrants, Machiavellians, Infidels, Heretiques, Hypocrites, Profani&s;tes, Schi&s;matiques, which continu|ally watch occa&s;ion to &s;urprize, worry, and devoure the Flocke. Were now as ea&s;ie and cheape a way at our wi&s;hes, to get this fame needfull company of meete Bookes; as we reade how once a Ship came floating into <HI>Alexandria</HI> of the owne accord full fraught with Ar|mour to furni&s;h their wants.</P>
<P>Or were not the expen&s;ive precepts of Ho&s;pitality and almes deeds of nece&s;&s;ity to bee performed for di&s;|charge of dutie and example to the flocke.</P>
<P>Or would the Almighty and mo&s;t glorious God, the bountifull giver of all Maj<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;tie, riches and honour, the benigne be&s;towes of all pretious ble&s;&s;ings well plea&s;e and take it, that even not &s;eldome in an ordinary mans hou&s;e there appeares a &s;tately &s;tructure, a faire Cup|board of plate, a &s;umptuous furniture, a co&s;tly table, a &s;eemly attendance, a &s;table of good Geldings, &amp;c.</P>
<P>And yet will hee bee contented that his divine hou&s;e &s;hall remaine, in as bad condition many times as a ruin|ous, fordid, and confu&s;ed cottage; with a cour&s;e carpet, a home &s;punne cloath to cover his holy-board; with a poore Par&s;onage, a beggarly Vic<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">idge, a thred-bare coate, a hungry table &amp;c. With the wor&s;t and mo&s;t re|fu&s;e tith for his tenthes; with poverty, neglect, and ba&s;e|ne&s;&s;e
<PB N="16" REF="13"> for his Service and Mini&s;ters?</P>
<P>Doe ye thus requite the Lord, oh fooli&s;h people and unwi&s;e: <HI>Deuteronomie</HI> 32? Is this unworthy and blind partialty agreeable to the due of his glory, to the dignity of Chri&s;tian &s;oules, to the direction of Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall de|cency, to the excellency of the Clergies profe&s;&s;ion, to the credit of our Religion?</P>
<P>Or were the&s;e and the like particulars, impropriate upon our owne private re&s;pects, and not chiefely con|cerning the honour of God, the propagation of the Go&s;|pell, the welfare of the people?</P>
<P>Then <HI>Barbarus has &s;egetes,</HI> we could the better &s;uffer with wronged <HI>Mephibo&s;heth</HI> the Sacrilegious <HI>Ziba</HI> to take all. Then tithes, oblations, and glebes might bee detracted from the Clergy, with a great deale le&s;&s;e griefe and injury to them&s;elves, al&s;o with much &s;maller harme and inconvenience to their Cures.</P>
<P>But now &s;ince proportionable meanes are the nece&s;&s;a|ry nerves of proceeding forward in every function: &s;ince money is the requi&s;ite fountaine, which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eedeth with her &s;upplementall waters each river of humane actions and temporall affaires.</P>
<P>Certainely then the Prie&s;tes Office mu&s;t never bee grudged, nor deprived of that like provi&s;ionall priviledge and allowance which indeed wee u&s;e not to deny our &s;elves, nor others in the exerci&s;e of inferiour profe&s;&s;ions of farre &s;maller con&s;equences; yea wee ought to afford, what is requi&s;ite in this kinde unto our very labouring bea&s;ts. For, <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth of the oxe that treadeth out the corne.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, we are to declare the trueth of this doctrin, from the dune&s;&s;e of tithes by divine right to the Mini|&s;ters of the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P>Sundry well devoted children of the Church, Clergie and Laity have religiou&s;ly laboured in this loudable &s;ub|ject. Their lines to this purpo&s;e would &s;hine as mo&s;t
<PB N="17" REF="13"> cleare and re&s;plendent lights, did not mi&s;erable men when light is come into the world, love darkn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;e ra|ther then light. <HI>Iohn.</HI> 3.</P>
<P>Nothing hindereth a good cau&s;e more from pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">vai|ling, then the perver&s;e uncon&s;cionablene&s;&s;e of covetous minded people, opp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ing the right for their owne re|&s;pects. Commeth not this hence, of the evill lu&s;ts that warre in their members, <HI>Iames</HI> 4.5.</P>
<P>And becau&s;e this naturall corruption, is the very foun|taine of &s;undrie folkes wilful contradiction, I &s;uppo&s;e one &s;trong argument for the duene&s;&s;e of tithes by divine de|cree, might aptly be fetched forth in that regard.</P>
<P>Surely, when as men are bound to honour the Lord with their &s;ub&s;tance. <HI>Proverbes</HI> 3. But they are bold to breake this ble&s;&s;ed Commandement, and u&s;ually preferre their wealth in the place of God, I mervaile not for my part, why the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> hath named covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e Idolatry.</P>
<P>Although then I had much rather referre you to the excellent labours of others: Neverthele&s;&s;e, &s;ince this particular is propounded among the re&s;t for confirmati|on of our collected doctrine: It &s;eemes be&s;t not to pa&s;&s;e it over in &s;ilence, but to afford it a briefe di&s;cour&s;e.</P>
<P>Let us then &s;peake a litle in this ca&s;e of tiths. Fir&s;t, touching their primary intimation, and in&s;titution in the old Te&s;ta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ent. Secondly, concerning their po&s;teriour continuation under the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, touching the primary intimation, and in&s;tituti|on of tiths in the old Te&s;tament. Before the Law, men having not the Law, were a law unto them&s;elves, and &s;hewed the worke of the Law in their hearts, <HI>Romanes,</HI> 2. Many things were pre&s;cribed in the times of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> by direct injunction, which were practi&s;ed of holy men &s;aith <HI>Pererius,</HI> long afore that &s;ea&s;on, by a naturall in|&s;tinct and by divine in&s;piration. The <HI>Iewes</HI> (I have read) &s;uppo&s;ed the oblations of <HI>Cain</HI> not to have beene accep|table
<PB N="16" REF="14">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="17" REF="14">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="18" REF="15"> unto God, for&s;omuch as the eares which he tende|red, were penurious and not repleni&s;hed. <HI>Tertullian</HI> tel|leth that <HI>Cains</HI> offering met with di&s;e&s;teeme, becau&s;e <HI>quod offerebat non recte devidebat,</HI> he dealt it not rightly. But whether hee offended in the number o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> nature, in the manner or mea&s;ure, or in all; I imagine not &s;o nece&s;|&s;ary to determine preci&s;ely.</P>
<P>It is enough for proofe of the point, that wee mu&s;t know, even when the Church was in her infancy, yet thou before the Law, <HI>Cain</HI> and <HI>Abel</HI> were in&s;tructed (either by tradition, or el&s;e by naturall re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;on) that a chiefe part of what&s;oever the earth yielded unto them, was payable to the Lords peculiar wor&s;hip.</P>
<P>The next piece of antiquity to our purpo&s;e, appeareth in the memorable pa&s;&s;ages between <HI>Abraham</HI> and <HI>Mel|chi&s;edech;</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">: The Patriarch with a hearty freene&s;&s;e di|vided unto him a tenth part of al, yea even of the &s;poiles; and the Prie&s;t tithed him as having authority.</P>
<P>The conclu&s;ion is demon&s;trative from the type to the truth, from <HI>Melchi&s;edech</HI> to <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> for the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> of the one is transferred into the <GAP DESC="foreign"> upon this other. As ble&s;&s;ing then, and tithing were extant in the Prie&s;thood of <HI>Mel|chi&s;edech,</HI> &s;o are they mo&s;t evident in the Prie&s;thood of Chri&s;t: which &s;hall more appeare hereafter.</P>
<P>As all &s;inned in the loines of <HI>Adam,</HI> &s;o all are tithed in the loines of <HI>Abraham, Lyra</HI> affirmeth. Behold this Pa|triarch who had the promi&s;es, did by this his action bind all his feed, both the children of his fle&s;h and the children of his faith.</P>
<P>If then we will be happily taken up, into his Pater|nall bo&s;ome after our bodily di&s;&s;olution, wee mu&s;t al&s;o make him a Father of our thankfulne&s;&s;e: if wee receive ble&s;&s;ings in him, we ought not refu&s;e to pay tiths in him. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Old <HI>Jacobs</HI> turne is next: ob&s;erve (as the learned <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">inke) that his Vi&s;ion concerneth his whole po&s;terity.
<PB N="19" REF="15"> It followeth then (they inferre) that his vow of giving &s;urely the Tenth unto God, is no le&s;&s;e largely obligato|rie, yea upon all the families of the earth to bee ble&s;&s;ed in his &s;eed, <HI>Gene&s;is.</HI> 28. The two former points of <HI>Ia|cobs</HI> vow; namely, fir&s;t that the Lord &s;hould bee his God. Secondly, how that Pillar &s;hould be Gods Hou&s;e, pa&s;&s;e without co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">rover&s;ie to bee perpetuall, touching a generall foundation of Religion, and of Sacred hou&s;es for divine exerci&s;es.</P>
<P>But the third particular of conferring tiths to the Lords wor&s;hip and Service, meeteth with much excep|tion again&s;t all good rea&s;on; becau&s;e what would be|come of the two other, if this latter did not &s;upply libe|rall maintenance?</P>
<P>The Lord &s;aith <HI>Ferus,</HI> needed none of <HI>Iacobs</HI> gift<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, neverthele&s;&s;e the holy Patriarch knew it was his duty to conferre toward the maintenance of his divine Service and wor&s;hip; although the precept of tithing was not yet <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ane, yet the law of nature did dictate that wee ought liberally to contribute unto the&s;e Sacred perfor|mances out of our proper goods and &s;ub&s;tance.</P>
<P>Hereupon the Prie&s;ts among&s;t the Gentiles had in all places a liberall &s;u&s;tentation and re&s;pect.</P>
<P><HI>Jacob</HI> hee concludeth appeareth herein, to bee much more piou&s;ly perfect then we are; loe be long afore the written Law uncon&s;trained, of his owne free will, vow|eth tiths unto God. But wee are &s;o far remote off from his devotion, that in &s;tead of paying wee purloine them, in lieu of giving we take away.</P>
<P>Now if any one he addeth, be forward to reply, That the law of tithes did appertaine unto the old Te&s;tament, and &s;o it is now abrogated; he an&s;wereth how the law of nature &s;tandeth &s;till in vigour, which requireth no le&s;&s;e then the performance of our Doctrine. Al&s;o he &s;aith how the law of charity ought to bee of that force, as to give <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ore then the tenths in the times of nece&s;&s;ity: yea
<PB N="20" REF="16"> if occa&s;ion urgeth the whole for Chri&s;ts &s;ake, who hath given him&s;elfe wholy for us.</P>
<P>Neither (as Doctor <HI>Willet</HI> noteth) doth our <HI>Jacobs</HI> vow at this pre&s;ent intimate any neglect of this duty in him before, &s;ince it is lawfull for a Chri&s;tian to tie him|&s;elfe by a new vow to performe that unto God, which he is otherwi&s;e bound to accompli&s;h, and hath bin wont to put in practi&s;e. For by the&s;e meanes we may whet and better our weake and dull devotions.</P>
<P>Finally, the que&s;tion here moved by &s;ome di&s;affected folkes unto the Church: To whom <HI>Iacob</HI> paid his tiths? &s;eemes unnece&s;&s;ary, and indeed not mannerly dealing with the divine word. <HI>Sem</HI> and <HI>Heber</HI> &s;uppo&s;ed by &s;un|dry to bee the men, decea&s;ed long before: But the Al|tars, the &s;acrifice, the wor&s;hip, the &s;ervice of Almighty God (who liveth for ever) were the objects of our thankfull Patriarchs pious vow: And this hee performed unto the Lord, whiles he con&s;ecrated the tenth part of his goods unto religious u&s;es. <HI>Cajetan</HI> and <HI>Mercer</HI> con&s;ent to this purpo&s;e. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth of the oxe &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Tithes and the Law were not twinnes of one time. <HI>Brentius</HI> noteth them for no new invention of the Levi|ticall Prie&s;ts, but a thing long before accu&s;tomed of the Patriarchs, in way of thank&s;giving and devotion.</P>
<P>Yea the very Gentiles, &s;ome by the light of nature, &s;ome by tradition from the &s;onnes of <HI>Noah;</HI> held this for a principle: That they were bound to honour the al-gi|ving God with their riches; whereupon many of them paid tiths.</P>
<P>Thus the Law was but a confirmer, and <HI>Levi</HI> but an ob&s;erver of that maintenance long afore offered, and de|voted unto divine Services. Therefore the&s;e tenths are fondly by &s;ome imagined to bee ceremoniall, and by o|thers judiciall. The men of this world make them any thing, with a mind to pay nothing: but from the begin|ning
<PB N="21" REF="16"> it was not &s;o. <HI>Matthew</HI> 19. The fir&s;t borne were then the Prie&s;ts, and they received tiths due to the Prie&s;t|hood. As &s;oone as that Sacred name is &s;poken of in the holy Scripture, behold there likewi&s;e mentioned the payment of tiths, that calling brought on that conditi|on: the Prie&s;thood and tiths &s;eeme things reciprocate. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth. &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>This &s;ame divinely in&s;pired practi&s;e did afterward pro|ceed into precept. We may heare Almighty God, not in a &s;en&s;e of generality, but in a &s;ignification of &s;peciall pro|priety, claiming them as his owne originall right. <HI>Leviti|cus</HI> 27. <HI>And all the tiths of the Land, whether of the &s;eed of the Land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lords: It is holy unto the Lord. And concerning the tiths of the herd, or of the flocke, even of what&s;oever pa&s;&s;eth under the rod, the tenth &s;hall be holy unto the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Ma&s;ter <HI>Calvin</HI> upon the place concludeth tiths Gods proper right, and royall revenue. Hee hath a common right mo&s;t amply diffu&s;ed in regard of his creation and providence: Every bea&s;t of the Forre&s;t, and the cattle upon a thou&s;and hil<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, the &s;oules of the mountaine, and the wilde bea&s;ts of the field. <HI>P&s;alme,</HI> 50. All are his, and hold of his good plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>But he hath a &s;peciall right unto tiths as his own re&s;erved demeanes: they belong to his Maje&s;tie independantly: &s;o they were &s;olemnely proclaimed in <HI>Sinai</HI> above twen|ty yeeres at lea&s;t afore their a&s;&s;ignation to the <HI>Le|vites.</HI></P>
<P>Thus it appeareth, although he had not appointed them to have beene their portion, yet had they beene &s;till his: he vouch&s;afeth (Ma&s;ter <HI>Calvins</HI> phra&s;e is) to &s;ub&s;titute or &s;urrogate them into his owne place touching the tiths: hee addeth how <HI>Abraham</HI> paid into the hands of <HI>Melchi&s;edech,</HI> what indeed he ought unto God.</P>
<P>Our due acknowledgement of all fruites and increa&s;e to come from the Lords goodne&s;&s;e, is witne&s;&s;ed by our
<PB N="22" REF="17"> tribute of tithes to him, which when he demandeth he re|quireth not ours, but his owne.</P>
<P>The mo&s;t gracious God hath beene plea&s;ed to make a deputation of this right, to &s;uch per&s;ons who mini&s;ter unto him in holy things, throughout all ages, as wel afore <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> as under the time of his Law, moreover in the &s;ucceeding &s;ea&s;on of the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P>So that what his Maje&s;tie procl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">imed. <HI>Numbers</HI> 18. <HI>Behold, J have given the children of Levi all the tenth in I&s;rael for an inheritance, for their &s;ervice which they &s;erve, even the Service of the Tabernacle of the Congre|gation;</HI> It appertaineth unto the whol<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> company of his Prie&s;ts whiles the world endureth in re&s;pect of their Sa|cred imployment.</P>
<P>Although God gave the tith<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> to the <HI>Levito<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> yet did he not fir&s;t found them in that Incorporation, but onely transferred his owne right to that order, &s;o lo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">g <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> it &s;hould continue. And after that expired, let the &s;ame right de&s;cended (as it were by <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">e) to the &s;ucce<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d|ing mini&s;tery of the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P>Since then the Lords certaine right, and d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">nd of tithes hath been openly confirmed by his owne publique Statute: And &s;ince that his good plea&s;ure hath &s;olemnly appointed them for the holy Service &s;ake, unto his divine Mini&s;ters in all times.</P>
<P>How dareth then the conte<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ptible crea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ure di&s;anull the decrees of the incomprehen&s;ible Creatour? What a marvelous impudency &s;eemeth it in humane mortality to tran&s;mute the ordinances of the omnipotent Maje&s;ty?</P>
<P>How audacious doth the vile du&s;t of man appeare, for to vary and alter the cele&s;tiall Lawes of his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ncha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ge<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|ble maker? Loe, he hath required the tenth, but where did he ever remit it? Hee hath bound us in the obligati|on of his precept, but where did he ever cancel it?</P>
<P>Why pre&s;umeth any one to u&s;urpe upon an impious liberty; when <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s his Highne&s;&s;e hath vouch&s;afed no privi|ledge
<PB N="23" REF="17"> nor licence? <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth of the one &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Tiths &s;eeme neither Ceremoniall nor Iudiciall, nei|ther typicall nor civill.</P>
<P>Touching the former: no proofe is made of any re|pute: the ceremonies of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> Law were &s;o ordained, as they did prefigure, and were &s;imilitudes of heavenly things, &s;tanding in meates, and drinkes, and divers wa&s;h|ings, and carnall rites, untill the time of reformation. <HI>Hebrewes</HI> 9 and they lived no longer, then whiles Chri&s;t came, unto whom they looked.</P>
<P>But neyther had tithes any ceremoniall in&s;titution, being &s;eparated for the nece&s;&s;ary u&s;e and maintenance of the <HI>Levites:</HI> neither though they looked toward Chri&s;t, did they breath their l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t ga<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">pe at his ble&s;&s;ed birth, for then might the morall Lawes have al&s;o expired at the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">me period.</P>
<P>Touching the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hey &s;eeme no Iudicial<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, for they con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ern<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d prop<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rly the Common-wealth, and the&s;e were pec<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ar to the Pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;t-hood: they pertaine<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> to po|licy, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ey were <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">udge<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hings Sa|cerdo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="4 letters"> and &s;acred, the&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ad an Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall nature, and a b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ing <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ore the order of <HI>Levi,</HI> and the time of <HI>Mo|&s;es</HI> wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> taken <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span">.</P>
<P>They are con&s;ecrate to God, man may not meddle with them, bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> onely by vertue of his Soveraigne right: when men m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ke u&s;e of them, as of the Lords allowance or wages <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> marke <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">en, that this is not for our naturall or civill wor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e, but for Religion, the divine wor|&s;hip.</P>
<P>Wherefore we mu&s;t not imagine (the tenth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> as things in common u&s;e, but &s;eparate by God him&s;elfe for his &s;pi|rituall &s;ervice and &s;ervants, &s;o they ought to continue without humane rever&s;all.</P>
<P>For what the Lo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d hath once e&s;tabli&s;hed and enacted, and limited within the li&s;tes of no expre&s;&s;e &s;pace of t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">e;
<PB N="24" REF="18"> Behold, that mu&s;t remaine, as the la&s;ting of the Lawes of the <HI>Medes</HI> and <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> are anciently written of, un|changeable for ever, untill the &s;ame God him&s;elfe doth repeale them, who at fir&s;t ratified them.</P>
<P>Whiles his divine Service endureth, the tiths which are appropriate to him, and thereunto deputed by him, mu&s;t likewi&s;e keepe their cour&s;e of continuance. Surely, they which vainely &s;uppo&s;e, that his &s;overaigne &s;tatutes may be dealt with like a no&s;e of wax, or a leaden rule, namely altered and wre&s;ted according to covetous mens corrupt humours, &s;hall verily finde him at length to <HI>breake them with a rod of iron, and to da&s;h them in pieces like a potter<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ve&s;&s;ell: P&s;am.</HI> 2. <HI>Then &s;halt not muzzle the mouth, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, concerning the Po&s;teriour continuation of the right of tiths under the Go&s;pell: that may be entrea|ted of in this twofold manner: namely, either by divine con&s;titution, or el&s;e by humane con&s;ecration.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, touching the continuation of the right of the tithe under the Go&s;pell, by divine con&s;titution. It is e|nough, <HI>Gualter,</HI> waiteth to know, that the duties&punc; paya|ble of old in this kinde, ought to be transferred unto the Church of the New Te&s;tament. For although the Levi|ticall Prie&s;thood be aboli&s;hed, and legall &s;acrifices have cea&s;ed; yet notwith&s;tanding the mini&s;tery of the Go&s;|pell &s;till remaineth, and therefore the m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">nes of their li|ving mu&s;t in no w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">e be dimini&s;hed.</P>
<P>Some of the learned have alledged in this &s;en&s;e, our Saviour Chri&s;ts an&s;wer<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Matthew</HI> 22. When as the de|ceitfull Phari&s;ees &s;ought &s;o &s;ubtilly to circumvent him; Render (&s;aith he) to <HI>C<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ar the things that are C<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ars, and unto God the things that are Gods.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> mu&s;t receive his tribute according to the image &s;uper&s;cribed upon the coine, God mu&s;t receive his claime according to the purport of his Law in that ca&s;e provi|ded.</P>
<PB N="25" REF="18">
<P>Wee reade in the 23. Chapter of the &s;ame Evange|li&s;t, how our Lord Ie&s;us reproving the hypocri&s;ie of the Scribes and Phari&s;ees, for making a goodly &s;hew of an upright con&s;cience in their tithing, even of the &s;malle&s;t particulars, when as they omitted the weightier matters of the Law; loe he doth thus at la&s;t conclude, The&s;e ought yee to have done, and not to leave the other un|done.</P>
<P>Saint <HI>Augu&s;tine, Chry&s;o&s;tome,</HI> with &s;undry famous Authours be&s;ides expound this in&s;tance to our purpo&s;e. I mervaile then, how a great many mi&s;erable Earth|wormes mo&s;t vainely imagine to mount up aloft, into the heaven of bli&s;&s;e, comming very farre &s;hort of the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the Scribes and Phari&s;ees in this ca&s;e; when as our Saviour &s;aith, <HI>except your righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;hall exceede the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the Scribes and Phari&s;ees, yee &s;hall in no wi&s;e enter into the Kingdome of hea|ven.</HI></P>
<P>Neither is their cavill of any &s;ufficient force, how the alledged place onely concerned the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> under the <HI>Levit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> Prie&s;thood; Becau&s;e as the Lord Bi&s;hop <HI>An|drewes</HI> ob&s;erveth, whereas other Phari&s;aicall &s;crupulo&s;i|ties premi&s;ed in the chapter meet with a brand of abroga|tion, this &s;till remaineth with a mark of approbati|on.</P>
<P>Neither dare I &s;uppo&s;e, that the intere&s;t of the Lord &s;olemnely e&s;tabli&s;hed in the old Te&s;tament, doth thus &s;odainely expire in the New, unle&s;&s;e his owne &s;elfe had &s;ignified unto us a re&s;ignation of his right.</P>
<P>It is written <HI>Matthew.</HI> 11. <HI>&V;erily I &s;ay unto you a|mong them that are borne of women, there hath not ri&s;en a greater then John the Bapti&s;t: notwith&s;tanding hee that is lea&s;t in the Kingdome of heaven, is greater then hee.</HI> Meaning, that for &s;o much as <HI>Iohn</HI> Bapti&s;t was next un|to Chri&s;t in time, above all the Prophets, which ever li|ved before him, his happine&s;&s;e went therefore beyond
<PB N="26" REF="19"> them in that high re&s;pect for he &s;aw what they de&s;ired to &s;ee, and &s;aw not.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e al&s;o he was of a more worthy calling, for hee might be reported to have pointed out Chri&s;t with the finger of a fuller di&s;covery, which others could not de&s;|cry, but onely afarre off.</P>
<P>Thus likewi&s;e tho&s;e men which &s;ucceeded <HI>John</HI> in this &s;acred Mini&s;tery, namely the Apo&s;tles, and their &s;uc|ce&s;&s;ours to the end of the world, are happier in a higher degree, and of a more excellent calling then <HI>Iohn</HI> the Bapti&s;t, becau&s;e living in the re&s;plendent &s;ea&s;on of the much gloriou&s;er illumination of the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P>Doctor <HI>Downham</HI> examining the particulars of the <HI>Levites</HI> profits, affirmeth, how they amounted to a far greater mea&s;ure for the maintenance of that &s;mall tribe, then all the Bi&s;hoprickes, Benefices, Colledgelands, or what&s;oever other Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall emoluments doe yet re|maine, yea although the Index <HI>expurgatorius</HI> of &s;acrilegi|ous inqui&s;ition had not with that extreme tyranny in|vaded, and over-runne them.</P>
<P>Why &s;hould then the Evangelicall Sunne &s;o marvei|lou&s;ly &s;urmounting the glimmering Moone &s;hine of the Law, in the &s;weet of &s;aving knowledge, &s;uffer &s;o mi&s;&s;ebe|&s;eeming an eclip&s;e in the mo&s;t di&s;proportionable meanes of Mini&s;terial maintenance, &amp; not rather exceed the other in nece&s;&s;ary abundance, as it doth in notable brightne&s;&s;e?</P>
<P>If the mini&s;tration of condemnation be glorious, much more doth the mini&s;tration of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e exceede in glory. 2 <HI>Corinthians.</HI> 3. when as the Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pell hath &s;ucceeded the <HI>Levite</HI> in the Mini&s;tery, and is the Mini&s;ter of a better Te&s;tament, what cau&s;e can bee then conceived, but that he ought al&s;o to &s;ucceed him in the &s;tipend or allowance?</P>
<P><HI>Quntis ratio praecepti tale praeceptum:</HI> the Civilians tell us, it is right that the Law &s;hould not expire as long as the rea&s;on of it remaineth. Moreover rea&s;on, equity,
<PB N="27" REF="19"> and &s;acred Scripture require, that the worthier wages belong to the worthier Calling. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Further ob&s;erve how the 13. and 14. ver&s;es of this Chapter, as likewi&s;e <HI>Galatians</HI> 6. will (if well con&s;ide|red) that the decree touching tiths in the old Te&s;tament is not di&s;&s;olved in the new, but &s;till continued, and the practi&s;e of the former a pre&s;ident for the latter.</P>
<P>For that &s;ame maintenance which the Apo&s;tle Saint <HI>Paul</HI> in tho&s;e places maketh mention of, is mo&s;t aptly expounded by Scripture to be the tenth part.</P>
<P>And though the manner of portion in them places, &s;eeme in &s;ome mens &s;ight left undetermined, yet if wee may explaine Scripture by Scripture (as indeede &s;uch a mutuall intercour&s;e &s;hould bee betweene the old and new Te&s;tament) then doubtle&s;&s;e the cleare phra&s;es of the one may ea&s;ily declare the ob&s;curer &s;peech of the other: And &s;o by the context of holy writ the tenth will &s;oone come to bee di&s;covered, and Gods ordinance there re|peated by the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">po&s;tle, be pre&s;erved inviolable, and car|nall conceits without warrant be di&s;carded, and this di|vine Law endure in force and vigour. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle. &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;eventh Chapter of the Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Hebrewes</HI> &s;eemeth a &s;trong champion in this ca&s;e. Now con&s;ider how great this man was, unto whom even the Patriarch <HI>Abraham</HI> gave the tenth of the &s;poiles.</P>
<P>And verily they that are of the &s;onnes of <HI>Levi,</HI> who receive the Office of the Prie&s;thood, have a commande|ment to take tiths of the people, according to the Law, that is of their brethren, though they came out of the loines of <HI>Abraham.</HI></P>
<P>But he who&s;e de&s;cent is not counted from them, re|ceived tiths of <HI>Abraham,</HI> and ble&s;&s;ed him that had the promi&s;es.</P>
<P>And without all contradiction the le&s;&s;e is ble&s;&s;ed of
<PB N="28" REF="20"> the better. And here men that die receive tiths, but there he receiveth them of whom it is witne&s;&s;ed that hee li|veth. And as I may &s;o &s;ay, <HI>Levi</HI> al&s;o who received tiths, paid tiths in <HI>Abraham.</HI> For hee was yet in the loines of his Father when <HI>Melchi&s;edech</HI> met him. &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Levi in Abraham decimatus e&s;t, quoniam in lumbis ejus fuit, quando decimas dedit &s;acerdoti Melchi&s;edech:</HI> Saint <HI>Augu&s;tin</HI> hath left written that <HI>Levi</HI> was tithed in <HI>Abra|ham,</HI> becau&s;e he was in his loines, when he gave tiths to the Prie&s;t <HI>Melchi&s;edech.</HI></P>
<P>I conceive the &s;cope of this Scripture is to manife&s;t, and magnifie the high and honourable condition of <HI>Melchi|&s;edech,</HI> and con&s;equently of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us. But one maine argu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ent for <HI>Melchi&s;edecs</HI> admirable greatne&s;&s;e, is drawne by our Apo&s;tle from his receiving tiths of him, who&s;e off-&s;pring the tribe of <HI>Levi</HI> (then in <HI>Abraham:</HI> loines) afterward, tooke tiths.</P>
<P>For <GAP DESC="foreign">, he tithed <HI>Abraham,</HI> taking the tenth part of him as his due, and not given.</P>
<P>Neither may wee affirme that <HI>Melchi&s;edees</HI> admira|ble greatne&s;&s;e is &s;ince unhappily eclip&s;ed, and fallen into wane, but rather he is as ample and evident &s;till as e|ver he was, becau&s;e he is the Prie&s;t of God for ever, a Prie&s;t that never dieth; and &s;o his Prie&s;thood and the rights of it never cea&s;e.</P>
<P>But certainely his greatne&s;&s;e in his antitype Chri&s;t, can|not be concluded to be &s;till the &s;ame, if Chri&s;t hath no right to take tiths, for this indeed appeareth the chiefe&s;t, and mo&s;t urged of the two notable arguments to de|clare his greatne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>This argument of <HI>Pererius</HI> may bee &s;aid to concerne the point; The Prie&s;thood of <HI>Melchi&s;edec</HI> hath beene more excellent then the Leviticall Prie&s;thood. But Chri&s;t hath beene a Prie&s;t after the order of <HI>Melchi&s;e|dech:</HI> therefore the Prie&s;thood of Chri&s;t is more excel|lent
<PB N="29" REF="20"> then the Leviticall Prie&s;thood.</P>
<P>The minor propo&s;ition is manife&s;t, <HI>P&s;alm.</HI> 110. and the major is proved by Saint <HI>Paul</HI> in a twofold manner, partly becau&s;e <HI>Melchi&s;edech</HI> ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Abraham,</HI> principal|ly becau&s;e he received tiths of him.</P>
<P>What then was due and paid to <HI>Melchi&s;edech,</HI> is al&s;o due and payable to Chri&s;t, el&s;e he were not a Prie&s;t for ever after the order of <HI>Melchi&s;edech,</HI> if he &s;hould faile in &s;omething to be as <HI>Melchi&s;edech</HI> was: But to grant that &s;eemeth ab&s;urd, becau&s;e he is after his order, as the Prie&s;ts of the Law were after <HI>Aarons.</HI></P>
<P>Since then tiths were due and paid to <HI>Melchi&s;edech,</HI> doubtle&s;&s;e they are due and ought to be paid unto Chri&s;t: And &s;o con&s;equently to his &s;ervants the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell, who are Chri&s;t repre&s;entatively, and in whom he ble&s;&s;eth, &amp; refre&s;heth with the bread and wine of the holy Sacrament, &amp; of heavenly con&s;olations the faith|full, which are weary and ready otherwi&s;e to faint in their &s;pirituall warrefare.</P>
<P>Neither was <HI>Abrahams</HI> payment of tiths voluntary, but of duty: for wee mu&s;t note how <HI>Melchi&s;edech</HI> was the image of Chri&s;t &amp; his Church: <HI>Abraham</HI> figured forth the Congregation of the faithfull.</P>
<P>Although then <HI>Levi</HI> received tiths afterward by a parti|cular grant from God for the time, yet he payd them ge|nerally with the Congregation in the loines of <HI>Abraham</HI> unto the Prie&s;thood of Chri&s;t, here per&s;oned by <HI>Mel|chi&s;edech:</HI> which being perpetuall, and an image of this in the Go&s;pell, may well note unto us, that this duty of tithing ought al&s;o to be perpetuall.</P>
<P>Saint <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> conceiveth <HI>Abraham</HI> to have been herein our Tutour; and whiles he payeth tiths, not to a Prie&s;t offering up Leviticall &s;acrifices, but admini&s;tring bread and wine (the elements of the Evangelicall Sacra|ment) it intimateth &s;ufficiently that men mu&s;t now pay their tiths to the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell.</P>
<PB N="30" REF="21">
<P>Moreover, if the order of Prie&s;thood here &s;poken of be an eternall order, and yet &s;uch an order as to whom the tiths are due (which plainly appeareth in the Chap|ter alledged) &s;urely then, let the Prie&s;t be either <HI>Melchi|&s;edech</HI> the type, or Chri&s;t the Antitype, yet the &s;ame mat|ter mu&s;t remaine &s;till evinced, namely that tiths mu&s;t al|waies continue to the end of the world, being the right|full due of an enduring Prie&s;thood.</P>
<P>To this purpo&s;e may be applyed the&s;e words of Ma|&s;ter <HI>Calvin</HI> on the place; The Apo&s;tle affirmeth the dig|nity of <HI>Melchi&s;edechs</HI> Prie&s;thood to be for ever, and that of the Prie&s;thood of <HI>Levi</HI> but temporary. The life of this latter Prie&s;thood was one day to be di&s;&s;olved, even as the lives of men &s;hould expire.</P>
<P>Yet no Scripture &s;peaking of tiths payd to <HI>Melchi&s;e|dech,</HI> &s;aith any thing of his death, wherefore the right of his Prie&s;thood was not to cea&s;e but con|tinue.</P>
<P>The latter Law did not derogate from the former, the right belonging of old to <HI>Melchi&s;edech,</HI> is not now re|pealed by another Law given of God by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> where|by to turne over that right unto the <HI>Levites.</HI></P>
<P>Saint <HI>Paul</HI> prevented that conceit, <HI>cum dicit ad tem|pus decimas Levitis &s;olutas,</HI> &s;hewing that tiths were paid to the <HI>Levites</HI> but for a certaine &s;ea&s;on, becau&s;e they might not live ever.</P>
<P>But <HI>Melchi&s;edech</HI> being immortall, retaineth unto the end what God hath once given him; namely the digni|ty, duty, yea and the rights of the Prie&s;thood, which are declared to be the tiths, &amp;c.</P>
<P>The 13.14. &amp;c. ver&s;es of this 7. Chapter with &s;ome other pa&s;&s;ages therein, will determine the things &s;poken under the name of <HI>Melchi&s;edech</HI> upon Chri&s;t without que&s;tion.</P>
<P>Behold then he is the rightfull receiver of tiths, in his Evangelicall Prie&s;thood, even by witne&s;&s;e of the new Te&s;tament.</P>
<PB N="31" REF="21">
<P>As under the Law tiths were not &s;o much the <HI>Levites</HI> as Gods in the <HI>Levites,</HI> they receiving them as deputed by him to take this &s;acred tribute.</P>
<P>Even &s;o likewi&s;e before the Law, not &s;o much <HI>Mel|chi&s;edech,</HI> as the Lord in <HI>Melchi&s;edech</HI> did receive tiths. Now under the Go&s;pell, not &s;o much the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell, as he that is our ble&s;&s;ed Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t in the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell, doth by divine right take the tithes.</P>
<P>Mi&s;erable then are tho&s;e wretches which dare defraud him, by depriving his Mini&s;ters, and regard not this pre|cept. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Although whiles Chri&s;t lived on earth, the Leviticall Prie&s;thood being not abrogated, had the tithes. More|over he and his Apo&s;tles leading a kinde of travelling life from place to place, could not conveniently receive them; yet intermi&s;&s;ion for a time mu&s;t not bee thought to infringe their due right; no more then the &s;u&s;pen&s;ion of circumci&s;ion for forty yeares &s;pace in the wilderne&s;&s;e, did di&s;annull that.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tles al&s;o and their primitive &s;ucce&s;&s;ours tooke the price of whole fields, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions of tho&s;e which converted to the Church, and profe&s;&s;ed the Go&s;pell; whereby they had meete meanes to maintaine their owne &s;elves, and the poore brethren.</P>
<P>That cour&s;e continued about two hundred yeares af|ter Chri&s;t, and the practi&s;e of it multiplied into a very great proportion.</P>
<P>Then the &s;tate of the Church being &s;etled, the ancient Fathers taught tithes to be thus due, general councels de|creed them &s;o, and publique authority renewed the pai|ment of them.</P>
<P>To this purpo&s;e the Lord Bi&s;hop <HI>Andrewes</HI> bringeth in <HI>Cyprian, Clemens Alexandrinus, Origen, Augu&s;tin, Chry&s;o&s;tome, Hierome, &amp;c.</HI> Pronouncing the detainers of tithes to be invaders of other mens goods: how ney|ther
<PB N="32" REF="22"> le&s;&s;e nor wor&s;e mu&s;t be paid: how the offenders in this &s;ort have no due feare of God, nor true &s;en&s;e of re|pentance;</P>
<P>Yea to be voyd of all thankfull memory, of the divine liberality and bounty towards them. How &s;uch wretches &s;eeme wickeder then the Scribes and Phari&s;ees, who dur&s;t meddle with nothing for their proper u&s;es, before they had fir&s;t of all &s;eparated the tenthes, fearing el&s;e a cur&s;e to fall upon them for defrauding the Lord.</P>
<P>He al&s;o produceth &s;ome Orthodox Councels, which &s;trictly decreed <HI>decimarum pen&s;iones et paraeciarum divi|&s;iones,</HI> the payments of tithes and divi&s;ions of Pari&s;hes: Al&s;o &s;hew the ordinances of divine Lawes in this ca&s;e, and the Excommunication of refractory offenders in this point.</P>
<P>Hee al&s;o rehear&s;eth &s;ome in&s;tances out of the Canon and Civill Lawes, which anciently accounted Pari&s;hes and tithes, Clergie and tenths &amp;c. to bee <GAP DESC="foreign"> reci|procate and convertible, and they did enjoyne the true payments of them under extreme penalties.</P>
<P>Neither did &s;undry old con&s;titutions, provide onely for hone&s;t dealing in prediall tithes, but al&s;o their care extended to have tho&s;e which are of a per&s;onall nature to be well paid. They had in con&s;cience a notable ground for this, out of that memorable place: <HI>Gala|tians</HI> 6.</P>
<P>From which <HI>Aquinas</HI> affirmeth, how all things what|&s;oever a man po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth, be contained under the carnall things mentioned by the Apo&s;tle, and therefore hee in|ferreth that tithes ought to be paid out of all our goods &amp;c.</P>
<P>Thus much was worthily projected in the raigne of our late King <HI>Henry</HI> the eight, and more largely delibe|rated &amp; allowed by many of the Lords &s;pirituall &amp; tem|porall, be&s;ides &s;undry other eminent per&s;ons, when the la&s;t <HI>Edward</HI> &s;weyghed our Engli&s;h Scepter: who (as
<PB N="33" REF="22"> Ma&s;ter <HI>Studley</HI> writeth) willingly confirmed this religi|ous, ju&s;t, and nece&s;&s;ary re&s;olution, for all men of traf|ficke, &s;ciences, trades, &amp;c. that they &s;hould put in pra|cti&s;e the cu&s;tome of the City of London, for the payment of per&s;onall tithes: Alledging there could be no con&s;ci|ence for Farmours, Plowmen, Shepheards, &amp;c. to re|turne the tenth, and neverthele&s;&s;e that the per&s;ons of this gainfull condition would pre&s;ume them&s;elves to be free and exempted.</P>
<P>It &s;eemes then an imagination voyd of all true con&s;ci|ence and devotion (whether we examine it by the light of nature, or by the brightne&s;&s;e of grace) for any people to pretend, and plead an immunity, from liberall con|tributing to the maintenance of their &s;pirituall Pa&s;tours. It is al&s;o irreverently oppo&s;it again&s;t the opinion and practi&s;e of venerable antiquity, and contrary to my text. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Finally if the words of a few, otherwi&s;e &s;uppo&s;ing Au|tors (whether grave divines or judicious Lawyers bee well pondered) I conceive in effect they &s;peake to the point, I am &s;ure to the purpo&s;e of my text.</P>
<P>For all of them unanimou&s;ly plead again&s;t wronging the Church, and for a liberall allowance to the Clergy, to furni&s;h and maintaine them&s;elves and their families, to keepe ho&s;pitality, to relieve the poore.</P>
<P><HI>Solutio decimarum Sacerdotibus e&s;t de jure divino, qua|tenus inde &s;u&s;tentantur,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Ger&s;on,</HI> they hold them di|vinely precepted in the&s;e re&s;pects.</P>
<P>Yea, the Doctor and Student acknowledge it, to bee grounded upon the law of rea&s;on, that every one is bound to honour God of his proper &s;ub&s;tance, by giving a meet portion of his temporall goods unto the Mini&s;ter, to him of things &s;pirituall.</P>
<P>That treati&s;e further affirmeth, how there is no cau&s;e why the people of the new Law ought to pay le&s;&s;e, to the Mini&s;ters of the new Law, then the people of the old
<PB N="34" REF="23"> Te&s;tament gave to the Mini&s;ters of the old Te&s;tament. For the people of the new Law, bee bound to greater things then the people of the old Law were: <HI>Matthew</HI> 5. And the &s;acrifice of the old Law was not &s;o honorable as the &s;acrifice of the new Law is. For the &s;acrifice of the old Law was onely the figure, but the &s;acrifice of the new Law is the thing that is figured: that was the &s;ha|dow, this is the truth.</P>
<P>To conclude, mo&s;t of them commend the old tithing cour&s;e: In&s;omuch as no few of the&s;e profe&s;&s;e in Ma&s;ter <HI>Perkins</HI> &s;peeches; doubtle&s;&s;e had not God him&s;elfe in the old Te&s;tament taken &s;uch &s;trict orders for the livings of the <HI>Levites,</HI> they had beene put to no le&s;&s;e extremi|ties, then is the mini&s;tery of this age, which is many times &s;o mi&s;erably muzzeled, as no mercifull man would &s;uffer his bea&s;t. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth of the oxe that treadeth out the corne.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, touching the continuation of the tithes un|der the Go&s;pell by humane con&s;ecration. Admit as &s;ome vainely &s;urmi&s;e, that the payment of the tithes were meerely a Mo&s;aicall mandate: from which men under the Go&s;pell are made free; yet becau&s;e nature hath taught men to honour God with their &s;ub&s;tance: and for that the mo&s;t true and &s;ure way to performe thus much, is by making and rendering him payment in kind, out of the very &s;elfe &s;ame riches, which through his gracious ble&s;|&s;ing the earth continually bringeth forth.</P>
<P>And &s;ince that be&s;ides, Scripture hath left us an evident example of that particular proportion, which for morall con&s;iderations hath beene determined mo&s;t fit and meet by them, who&s;e wi&s;edome could be&s;t of all judge. Fur|thermore, &s;eeing that the Church of Chri&s;t hath long a|go entered into the like obligation of tithing; me thinks then in the&s;e daies this que&s;tion &s;eemes vaine and &s;uperfluous, whether tithes be due by divine right or no?</P>
<PB N="35" REF="23">
<P>Doctor <HI>Downham</HI> accordingly declareth that tithes are due to Chri&s;tian Mini&s;ters by vow: Chri&s;tian Common|weales and Councels having con&s;ecrated them to God, and his Church: neither is it now meet time, after vowes to make this manner of enquiry, nor to endea|vour for to alter them without divine di&s;pen&s;ation and &s;ufficient &s;atisfaction.</P>
<P>For grant at the fir&s;t that it might have beene imagi|ned a doubtfull and di&s;putable matter, yet now our ca&s;e appeareth to hold a cleare corre&s;pondence with theirs unto whom Saint <HI>Peter</HI> &s;pake <HI>Actes</HI> 5.</P>
<P><HI>Whiles it remained, was it not thine owne? and after it was &s;old, was it not in thine owne power? Why ha&s;t thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou ha&s;t not lyed unto men, but unto God.</HI></P>
<P>If then it were not lawfull for <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira</HI> under pretence of Religion to &s;ell their Land, as if they would have given it to the Church, and yet concealed and detracted part thereof, for which we read their hor|rible tragedy in the afore&s;aid Chapter.</P>
<P>Then is it much more unlawfull to detaine and with|hold any part from the Church, which wee never gave, but it was rightly the Churches ju&s;t po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion before we were borne.</P>
<P>The generall current of grave authority runneth this way, that what&s;oever hath beene lawfully given to reli|gion, can never be taken away againe, unle&s;&s;e redeemed with a greater price, <HI>Leviticus</HI> 27.</P>
<P>The rea&s;on is ea&s;ily thus rendered, becau&s;e the goods of the Church are holy things, and therefore not to bee prophaned, which offence is then committed, when as they are withdrawne from the Lords Service.</P>
<P>The 250 cen&s;ers of the &s;editious &s;inners. <HI>Numbers</HI> 16. might not be prophaned becau&s;e they had beene hallow|ed, for by the Lords owne direction <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> appointed <HI>Eleazar</HI> to take them out of the burning, and to make
<PB N="36" REF="24"> of the~ broad plates for a covering to the Altar, alledging their con&s;ecration and offering up before him.</P>
<P>Neither can the evill lives of &s;ome Mini&s;ters (much le&s;&s;e incroaching &s;acriledge) ju&s;tly alienate tho&s;e tithes, glebes and oblations, which have beene hallowed and offered up unto Gods Service.</P>
<P>For certainely although in &s;ub&s;tance the tithes, the glebes, and other goods of the Church, &s;eeme the &s;ame that all other are, out of which they be taken.</P>
<P>As for example &s;ake, the water, the bread and the wine in the Sacraments, are all one with other water, bread, and wine; yet in regard of the u&s;e thereof, behold we mu&s;t conceive no &s;mall difference: &s;ince they are made holy and &s;acred by dedication.</P>
<P>Therefore as it were horrible villany to abu&s;e the ele|ments in the Sacraments: &s;o is it execrable robbery to prophane the tithes, the glebes and other goods of the Church, and to pervert them from the religious end of their fir&s;t in&s;titution, unto &s;ecular (and &s;o &s;acrilegious) occa&s;ions.</P>
<P>The title and right then which man had in any of the&s;e things (which &s;eemed in his owne arbitrement either to give or re&s;erve) before his donation of them to the Church, doth by the act, and from the time of any &s;uch dedication, remaine the proper po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of God untill the worlds end, unle&s;&s;e him&s;elfe renounce or relea|&s;eth it.</P>
<P>Good rea&s;on it &s;hould be thus, &s;ince equity hath taught us, that every one ought to enjoy his owne, and what is ours no other can alienate from us, without our delibe|rate con&s;ent.</P>
<P>No man having pa&s;t his voluntary agreement or deed may at his plea&s;ure change it to the prejudice of another. Should wee then wickedly dare to deale wor&s;e with our good God, the~ his gracious Maje&s;tie hath permitted any other men to deale with us? When our tithes &amp;c. might
<PB N="37" REF="24"> probably have appeared our owne, wee h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d faire colour of liberty to u&s;e and di&s;po&s;e them as our &s;elves thought good; but having once made them his who&s;e they are, having con&s;ecrated them to his wor&s;hip and Service; Let us wi&s;ely be warned by other folkes fearefull exam|ples, what a hainous crime it is, even but to wa&s;h and clip that coine which carrieth on it the marke of God, the token of his divine in&s;culpture.</P>
<P>Hee reckoneth all the&s;e by the forme of his owne &s;peeches for his owne po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions. It mu&s;t needs then be a mo&s;t dangerous matter for the children of men &s;acrile|giou&s;ly to invade them, and to de&s;poile his Mini&s;ters (un|to whom he hath deputed them) from the fruition of them. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Moreover it &s;eemes a point of no &s;mall moment, and a thing very worthy our con&s;ideration, that the true meaning of all &s;uch as honoured the Lord with their &s;ub|&s;tance, was to inve&s;t him with the propriety of what they dedicated unto him.</P>
<P>Witne&s;&s;e the &s;tile of ancient grants. Thus in <HI>magna charta:</HI> wee have given unto God, both for us and our heires for ever. Thus <HI>Charles</HI> the Great; we know that the goods of the Church are the &s;acred endowments of God: To the Lord our God we offer and dedicate what|&s;oever we deliver unto his Church.</P>
<P>Thus the Lawes Imperiall make &s;ome-things to be|long by right of nature, indifferently to every man; &s;ome to be the certaine goods and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions of Common|weales, &s;ome to appertaine unto &s;everall Corporations and Companies, &s;ome to be privately mens owne in par|ticular; &s;ome to be &s;eparate quite from all men.</P>
<P>This la&s;t branch comprehendeth things &s;acred and ho|ly, becau&s;e thereof God alone is owner.</P>
<P><HI>Nullius autem &s;unt res Sacrae, et religio&s;ae, et Sanctae; quod enim divini juris e&s;t, id nullius in bonis e&s;t:</HI> Sacred, religious and holy things can never bee in the right of
<PB N="38" REF="25"> Lay-mens incroachment. That which is the Lords ought to be free from &s;ecular claime and u&s;urpation. Thus we might read in the Lawes of <HI>Charles</HI> the Great: There is not an Act more honourable, then by all meanes to defend and amplifie the patrimony of Religion: Nor a|ny more hatefull and impious Con&s;titution, then to im|paire tho&s;e po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, which devout men in former times, when they gave them unto holy u&s;es, were wont in the mo&s;t &s;olemne place of Gods Church, and in the pre&s;ence of their Gho&s;tly Superiours, to make (as they thought) inviolable, by words of fearefull execration in this wi&s;e.</P>
<P>The&s;e things we offer to God, from whom, if any man take them away (which we hope no man will attempt to do.) But if any &s;hall goe about it, let his account bee without favour in the la&s;t day, when he commeth to re|ceive the doome, which is due for &s;acriledge again&s;t that Lord and God unto whom we dedicate the &s;ame.</P>
<P>Oh con&s;ider this ye that forget God and his Saints, in the frequency and &s;en&s;ele&s;&s;ene&s;&s;e of this foule and cur&s;ed &s;inne, le&s;t hee teare you in pieces, and there bee none to deliver.</P>
<P>Thus the be&s;t and mo&s;t renowned Prelates of the Church of Chri&s;t, have rather in this con&s;ideration &s;u|&s;tained the cruell wrath, then yielded to &s;atisfie the &s;acri|legious de&s;ire of their greate&s;t Commanders on earth, co|veting by evill advi&s;e and Councell, that which mo&s;t willingly they &s;hould have &s;uffered God to enjoy, &amp;c. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Some per&s;on may chance move this que&s;tion; can the goods of the Church, the&s;e con&s;ecrated things in no ca&s;e be alienated? I an&s;were, certaine cau&s;es there are, where|in it is not ob&s;cure, but the Lord him&s;elfe doth licen&s;e &amp; warrant how we may &s;afely pre&s;ume him as willing to forgoe for our benefit, as alwaies to u&s;e and convert to our benefit, what&s;oever our religion, hath honoured him withall.</P>
<PB N="39" REF="25">
<P>But here is an intollerable mi&s;chiefe, under this may be, many things which by no meanes mu&s;t be, pa&s;&s;e for currant and without controll in this &s;acrilegious world.</P>
<P>We deny not but occa&s;ions of many con&s;equence may &s;ometimes be incident, wherein the welfare and danger of the Church bee al&s;o involved with the Common|wealth occurrences. Wee al&s;o &s;uppo&s;e the &s;afety of the people in &s;undry ca&s;es to be a &s;upreme Law.</P>
<P>Wee know that Kings and Princes, are the breath of our No&s;thrills: Wherefore Church &amp; Common-wealth mu&s;t concurre in nece&s;&s;ary care, and loyall duty towards them.</P>
<P>Thus the learned apply the&s;e examples of <HI>Ahimelech</HI> the Prie&s;t, giving unto <HI>David</HI> the hallowed bread, &amp;c. Of <HI>Hezekiah</HI> giving the &s;ilver in the hou&s;e of the Lord, and the gold of the doores of the Temple to <HI>Senacherib</HI> King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> for to purcha&s;e his owne, and peoples peace.</P>
<P>Thus our Saviour Chri&s;t, in defence of his di&s;ciples plucking the eares of corne &amp;c. alledgeth <HI>the Sabboth was made for man, and not man for the Sabboth Marke</HI> 2.</P>
<P>Thus Saint <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> did cau&s;e the very con&s;ecrated ve&s;&s;els of the Church to be broken and coined, for the re|liefe of the poore, in a time of extreme nece&s;&s;ity and famine.</P>
<P>After this manner the ancient Bi&s;hop <HI>Acacius</HI> redee|med &s;even thou&s;and captives, out of mo&s;t mi&s;erable bon|dage. All which and the like &s;avour of Chri&s;tian chari|ty, but they di&s;&s;ent from the common cour&s;e of accur&s;ed Church-robbery.</P>
<P>Finally, we wi&s;h that tho&s;e which obiect &s;ome divines again&s;t the divine right of tithes, would for the &s;afety of their con&s;ciences, but faithfully ob&s;erve and practi&s;e tho&s;e hone&s;t rules, which the learned men do &s;trictly propound in this point.</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="40" REF="26">1 <HI>That there mu&s;t be ju&s;t cau&s;e of &s;o doing.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3 <HI>What is alienated mu&s;t bee imployed to &s;ome good u&s;e in the Church or Common-wealth.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3 <HI>There mu&s;t be re&s;erved a &s;ufficient (not a &s;urmi&s;ed) maintenance for an able Mini&s;tery and reliefe of the poore.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4 <HI>No good member of the Church, can in con&s;cience &s;eeke the harme and hinderance of the &s;ame. Then would my text be better obeyed. Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth of the oxe that treadeth out the corne.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5 <HI>I am to make good the truth of our mentioned doctrin, by di&s;cour&s;e of the unequall condition of Impropriations.</HI></P>
<P>Now as the doctrine doth induce this &s;ubject into que|&s;tion, &s;o I intend my following &s;peech hereof at this pre|&s;ent, onely according to the drift of my doctrine, name|ly, again&s;t tho&s;e unju&s;t and irreligious Impropriatours, which debarre the labouring Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell, from the meanes of their meet maintenance.</P>
<P>Tithes (we may collect) continued in &s;acred e&s;teeme and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion &s;ome foure thou&s;and yeares afore our ble&s;|&s;ed Saviours Incarnation. After his happy birth pa&s;&s;ed al&s;o about &s;ix hundred moe, afore the prophane handes of impious &s;acriledge dur&s;t invade, and violate the&s;e Eccle|&s;ia&s;ticall rights.</P>
<P>Then, <HI>horre&s;co referens,</HI> I tremble to relate it; there happened a di&s;a&s;trous &s;ea&s;on of hatching hatefull mon|&s;ters. Behold <HI>Mahomet</HI> acted the fal&s;e Prophet in <HI>Ara|bia, Boniface</HI> played the Antichri&s;t in <HI>Rome, Phocas</HI> mo&s;t cruelly murdered his Ma&s;ter <HI>Mauritius</HI> in <HI>Con&s;tantino|ple,</HI> and traytrou&s;ly u&s;urped the Empire: At which time likewi&s;e <HI>Carolus Martellus</HI> in the We&s;terne parts un|der colour of defence, incroached in this kinde upon the Church.</P>
<P>And notwith&s;tanding, his faire promi&s;es (as credi|ble Authours affirme) to re&s;tore the tithes, &amp;c. lent and entru&s;ted (we are cold) unto him, during the <HI>Barbari|ans</HI>
<PB N="41" REF="26"> cruell incur&s;ions, he fal&s;ifyed his faith, and fru&s;trated the Clergies hope, by a wicked and wrongfull aliena|tion.</P>
<P>The old &s;aying, <HI>nulla fiaes pieta&s;que viris qui ca&s;tra &s;equuntur,</HI> touch military mens infidelity and propha|ne&s;&s;e appeared abundantly, verified in this martiall and ambitious Prince.</P>
<P>The city <HI>Tours</HI> upon the <HI>Loyre</HI> continueth a la&s;ting trophy of his mo&s;t triumphant victory. But his high tow|ring humour reciprocating with the <HI>Babylonian</HI> bea&s;t for their own re&s;pects, &amp; binding his &s;oldiers to his a&s;piring &s;ervice with the unlawful nervs of the Church, remaineth a notorious monument of irreligion not of liberalitie.</P>
<P>The very <HI>Sara&s;ins</HI> whom he &s;lew, would have exclai|med again&s;t &s;uch evill dealing with their Prie&s;ts. Sun|dry writers of that time, &s;uffered him not to e&s;cape with|out &s;harpe cen&s;ure, yea &s;ome of them pur&s;ue the chace of him untill a fearefull vi&s;ion of infernall paines and tor|ments undertooke him, great pitty it was that &s;o glori|ous a Commander blemi&s;hed his illu&s;trious &s;elfe by gi|ving &s;uch occa&s;ion. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth of the oxe, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>There was an age when Chri&s;tian Religion ranne a &s;trong byas of building Mona&s;teries, and endowing them with large revenues: a firme opinion of the piety and charity of tho&s;e which were cloy&s;tered in them procured this ample benevolence.</P>
<P>Their laudable beginnings in devotion, ho&s;pitality, and &s;undry alme&s;deeds were an&s;werable. But in proce&s;&s;e of time, their idlene&s;&s;e bred luxury to undoe their devotion, and their luxury ingendred avarice to de&s;troy their charity: and then many whole Benefices &s;eemed not &s;eldome too few for one Mona&s;teries de|vouring &s;wallow. Men of no worth &s;erved their Churches, and &s;pared them wages.</P>
<P>The&s;e men (&s;aith one) never of Gods making, but
<PB N="42" REF="27"> meere creatures of the Pope, notwith&s;tanding his Father|hoods protection. and no few opportunities of free cor|ruption, did not yet &s;o deeply degenerate, but that one of their utter enemies, Ma&s;ter <HI>Leaver</HI> in a Sermon be|fore King <HI>Edward</HI> the &s;ixth, &amp;c. yeelds them this te&s;ti|mony.</P>
<P>Whereas fifty tunne bellied Monkes filled their paunches, kept up their hou&s;e, and relieved the whole country round about them: There hath &s;ucceeded in their place and generation of greedy guttes, devouring the whole hou&s;e, and making great pillage throughout a whole country, yet cannot be &s;atisfied.</P>
<P>He mentioneth al&s;o a world of faire preten&s;es of good workes at the&s;e Mona&s;teries di&s;&s;olution, vani&s;hed into nothing but delu&s;ion, and depravation.</P>
<P>Moreover as at the fir&s;t the Monkes tooke but a &s;mall pen&s;ion for them&s;elves from the appropriate Churches, and left all the re&s;t to the officiating Vicars; but <HI>reditus tantum &s;uperfluos,</HI> a few overplus rents which might well be &s;pared &s;aith <HI>Panormitan, quando fructus &s;unt &s;ufficientes et abundantes Clerico,</HI> when the other pro|fits are abundantly &s;ufficient for the Incumbent: <HI>non am|plius quam quinquage&s;imam partem,</HI> no more then the fiftieth part, is a rule in a certaine Councell of <HI>Toledo.</HI></P>
<P>So when as they waxed exorbitant and immoderate, their holy Father him&s;elfe (as they held him) inhibited and confined their in&s;atiable greedine&s;&s;e, as tending to the di&s;credit of the Papacy, the ruine of Pari&s;h Churches, and decay of religion in all places.</P>
<P>Hereupon Pope <HI>Alexander</HI> the third, commands in <HI>Yorke</HI> and <HI>Worce&s;ter</HI> a reformation, and that the Bi&s;hops &s;hould admit none of their pre&s;entation, without a libe|rall provi&s;ion for the Vicars u&s;es.</P>
<P>The contrary he calleth <HI>extirpanda con&s;uetudinis viti|um,</HI> a wicked cu&s;tome to be rooted out.</P>
<P><HI>Clement</HI> the third proceeded further again&s;t them, and
<PB N="43" REF="27"> in ca&s;e they did not provide and pre&s;ent accordingly, he then ordered from them that power to the Ordinarie.</P>
<P><HI>Clement</HI> the fourth confirmed and inlarged the former decrees. <HI>Clement</HI> the fifth, whetted &s;till a &s;harper edge upon the former Con&s;titutions, and threatned Eccle&s;i|a&s;ticall cen&s;ures upon the per&s;i&s;ting delinquents.</P>
<P>Moreover it is knowne, how the Popes (for feare of others negligence) had their Apo&s;tolicall Con&s;ervators in the Vicars behalfes. Neither pa&s;&s;ed any Appropriati|ons from the Sea of <HI>Rome</HI> without &s;peciall provi&s;oes for the&s;e purpo&s;es, as <HI>Petrus Rebu&s;&s;us</HI> witne&s;&s;eth. And this text was frequently alledged again&s;t them, <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the month of the oxe that treadeth out the corne.</HI></P>
<P>You may &s;oone &s;ee then by that which hath beene &s;aid, how mo&s;t of our moderne Impropriatours come far &s;hort of the very Monkes and Popes in piety and hone&s;t dealing toward the Church.</P>
<P>That learned man above mentioned, termed the&s;e &s;orts of &s;acrilegious abu&s;es in his time, <HI>perniciem et exitium to|tius Reipublicae Chri&s;tian<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">,</HI> the b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters"> and de&s;truction of the whole Chri&s;tian Common-wealth.</P>
<P>Surely, if hee had lived in this wor&s;er age of ours, and beheld the cunning and cruell multiplication and in|crea&s;e of this direfull mon&s;ter, he would have fallen into mo&s;t bitter exclamation again&s;t it, and in &s;ome manner have re&s;embled it to the abomination of de&s;olation &s;tand|ing in the holy place where it ought not.</P>
<P>Alas, it hath waxed apace to the wa&s;te of the Church: It hath quickly augmented into a viperous brood, no le&s;&s;e deformed then ravenous, which make no meete con&s;cience (according to divine command) of the wel|fare of our holy mother the Church, and of the mainte|nance of Chri&s;ts Clergy therein, the &s;pirituall Pa&s;tours; but take to them&s;elves the hou&s;es of God in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion. <HI>P&s;alm.</HI> 84. with a helli&s;h greedine&s;&s;e. Neither &s;eemed
<PB N="44" REF="28"> the light of this &s;erpentine Mon&s;ter any better a&s;pected then this bodily compo&s;ed &s;hape: For certainely if his evill eies had well heheld the Sonne of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &s;uch a gracious influence of &s;upernall illumination &s;hould the~ have &s;hined upon the~, as they would never thus (con|trary to the light of divine religion and naturall rea&s;on) have in&s;atiably coveted to muzzle the mouth of the pain|full oxe, and &s;uffer &s;ome &s;low-bellyed Cretian bea&s;tes to devour the graine.</P>
<P>Nor allow the layterers the reward of the labourers: nor &s;tarve the indu&s;trious workeman, and pamper up the idle per&s;on with his appointed portion.</P>
<P>The rules among&s;t the be&s;t Lawyers, in this ca&s;e run with a primary re&s;pect unto the Service of the Churches before any others nece&s;&s;ities. The Vicar which excri&s;eth the Cure mu&s;t be preferred above all other per&s;ons, whi|ther exempt or not exempted. Religious or Laicke, Ec|cle&s;ia&s;ticall or Secular, Cloy&s;ter and Chapter, &amp;c. be the words of <HI>Bowichius</HI> and <HI>Rebuffus.</HI></P>
<P>Neither do they &s;uppo&s;e a bare &s;u&s;tentation to be &s;uf|ficient; perchance they write he &s;hall not be driven in|to the extremes of want: yet neverthele&s;&s;e the portion may be much incompetent, if we regard a due and de|cent fa&s;hion (according to the conveniency and dignity of the Mini&s;teriall calling) in their meate, drinke and clo|thing and other congruencies.</P>
<P>It is not fit they &s;hould be inforced to feed <HI>fabis et ali|is vilibus cibariis,</HI> with cour&s;e fare and meane dyet; nor yet their garments to bee of the lowe&s;t ranke: <HI>nec &s;ibi debent coquere,</HI> neither may they want nece&s;&s;ary and &s;eemely attendance of &s;ervants. For as that Benefice is incompetent, which doth not well &s;uffice to the main|tenance of the Incumbent, and tho&s;e which are nece&s;&s;a|ry to &s;erve about him.</P>
<P>So the&s;e grave and judicious Authours affirme, that when&s;oever the Vicars portion commeth in que&s;tion,
<PB N="45" REF="28"> <HI>con&s;iderabitur in iis hone&s;tas, ut honoretur in iis officium &s;acerdotale,</HI> the excellency of the Prie&s;thood with the due requi&s;ites, mu&s;t be worthily con&s;iderd and honoured, <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Hen dedecus ingens!</HI> Fie then upon it, when the Im|propriatour boa&s;teth that hee knoweth how to abound, but the Incumbent is compelled to bewaile that hee knoweth how to be aba&s;ed; when as the Impropriatour laugheth that he knoweth how to be full, but the Incum|bent mu&s;t lament, that hee knoweth how to bee hungry and &s;uffer need.</P>
<P>This is a mo&s;t unequall parting of Saint <HI>Pauls</HI> entire &s;peech, <HI>Philippians</HI> fourth and again&s;t the tenour of my text.</P>
<P>It &s;avoureth of no good piety nor con&s;cience, that the Prie&s;t like <HI>Plinies</HI> fi&s;h Lutarius, &s;hould performe a great deale of labour for food; But the Impropriatour, like the Egyptian fi&s;h <HI>Sargus;</HI> &s;hould ravine up the meat.</P>
<P>The &s;acrilegious would verifie the &s;aying of the wo|man of <HI>Canaan Matthew</HI> 15. upon Clergy men; <HI>The Dogs eate of the crummes, which f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters"> from their Ma&s;ters table:</HI> And &s;o farre as they can, transforme the Mini&s;te|ry into the Ie&s;uite <HI>Aco&s;taes</HI> poore fi&s;h <HI>R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">mbos,</HI> which is faine to &s;u&s;taine it &s;elfe upon tho&s;e refu&s;e pittances, that &s;lippe out of the dovouring mouthes of the in&s;atiable Ti|buron<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</P>
<P>It was an old and authenticall plea in the behalfe of the officiating Mini&s;ters for their preeminence, <HI>Vicarius agit de damno vitando, mona&s;terium vero de lucro captando:</HI> how the Vicars labour for the good of the &s;oule, but the Impropriatours endeavour for the goods of the world.</P>
<P>What &s;igne of equity can then be &s;een in &s;o &s;trange and &s;mi&s;ter, <HI>&s;ic vos non vobis;</HI> for the Clergy Bees to do all the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e in collecting the honey and compo&s;ing the combes, and the Impropriators drones, <HI>ignavium pecus,</HI> to con&s;ume and devour up all the honey, the reward of
<PB N="46" REF="29"> the others worke?</P>
<P>For the &s;pirituall Shepheards to keepe and to feed the flockes, and neverthele&s;&s;e, the carnall Impropriatours to carry away the fleeces, to reape the profits?</P>
<P>For the&s;e birds of the Altar to &s;ing, and waite upon the Altar, and yet tho&s;e banes of the Altar to goe away with the benefit of the Altar? For the&s;e Oxen of the Prie&s;thood to plow painefully, and yet the prophane Im|propriatours to muzzle them &s;hamefully? <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>The Emperour <HI>Augu&s;tus Cae&s;ar,</HI> hearing how cruelly King <HI>Herod</HI> had dealt with his hopefull children, affir|med that it was better to be one of <HI>Herods</HI> Swine the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> his Sonne, becau&s;e Hogges had their priviledge in <HI>Iudea</HI> inviolably pre&s;erved, but <HI>Herods</HI> children were tyran|nou&s;ly murthered, again&s;t that prerogative which God and nature had given them.</P>
<P>Thus might we profe&s;&s;e in like manner, that the con|dition of the Impropriatoure, oxen &s;eemeth much more fairely tollerable, then the &s;tate and fortune of their Vi|cars and hirelings. Tho&s;e have commonly their meet &amp; convenient provender to &s;trengthen them unto their ap|pointed ta&s;ke and bu&s;ine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>But the ordinary portion of the&s;e is to &s;erve &amp; &s;terve, to worke and want, to bee earne&s;t in &s;ea&s;on, and out of &s;ea&s;on, yet without any due re&s;pect, &amp; rea&s;on had of them in that de&s;erving regard.</P>
<P>We may ju&s;tly complaine at the mi&s;erable indignity of our ca&s;e, with the word<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> of <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ildad, Iob.</HI> 18. where|fore are we counted as bea&s;ts; and reputed vile in your &s;ight? or rather, why are wee wor&s;e contemned and ba&s;elier reckoned of then b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">uit creatures?</P>
<P>The&s;e pittile&s;&s;e &s;orts of oppre&s;&s;ours re&s;emble <HI>Pharaoh Necoh,</HI> killing tyrants indeed, to grant the&s;e I&s;raelites no &s;ufficient &s;traw, and yet to exact the full tale of the bricke<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, as when they had it; to bereave tho&s;e Church-lampes
<PB N="47" REF="29"> of their requi&s;it oyle, and yet to remit nothing of their contin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">all burning.</P>
<P>To <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ppe o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the helpe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ll wings of the&s;e &s;acred birdes, and yet to inforce <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">m unto wonted flight of mini&s;te|riall offices; to cut a&s;under the u&s;efull &s;inewes of the&s;e men of God, and yet to call upon them to runne the race that i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;et before them: to di&s;arme the&s;e Soldiours of Chri&s;t from their nece&s;&s;ary provi&s;ion and weapons, and yet <HI>in pralia tr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">dere enormes,</HI> to urge them into warfare, and thru&s;t them upon the front of the b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">tell.</P>
<P>To deny fit tooles and meet materials, and yet to con|&s;traine the&s;e my&s;ticall <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> for to toyle and build, as if they hath abundance <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> to &s;uppre&s;&s;e the mea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters"> of all decent performance, and yet <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> pre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">e the practice of all manner of duties; whith holdes no good quarter with the rule of my texts <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Vpon a &s;trange &s;urfit whi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h &s;ome<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> temp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">d Clergy <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">en, once <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">oke by a &s;odaine ove<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">ow <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">ward pro|&s;perity, after a long time of per&s;ecution, aro&s;e the pro|verb of the Churches daughter riches which undid her Mother.</P>
<P>Here was need to reforme the di&s;orderly and peccant members, but not to remove the divinely appropriate meanes, to apply a remedy, not to oppo&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ru<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ne.</P>
<P>What an uncon&s;cionable and cruell inequality is then di&s;cernable in the Impropriatours cour&s;e, which by on<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ravenous mouth of &s;acriledge, do devour both mother &amp; daughter; &s;poyling Chri&s;t and &s;wallowing up his Spou&s;e; robbing the Lord, and ruinating the la|bourer?</P>
<P>What cares the Athei&s;t for hone&s;t payment of his tithes, when as he hath de&s;pi&s;ed all true religion? What faithfulne&s;&s;e may wee find in the Papi&s;ts touching this point of tenths, &s;ince that he di&s;ta&s;teth our pre&s;ent reli|gion?</P>
<P>But the Prote&s;tant Impropriatour &s;eemeth to &s;urpa&s;&s;e
<PB N="48" REF="30"> them both in exce&s;&s;e of Church robbery; For he teacheth that a man &s;hould not &s;teale, and yet him&s;elfe &s;tealeth, be abhorreth idols, and yet he committeth &s;acriledge: hee &s;aith a man &s;hould avoid adultery, and yet he runneth a whoring after his owne inventions: he maketh his boa&s;t of the Law, and yet thorow breaking of the Law hee di&s;honoureth God, and cau&s;eth his Name to be bla&s;phe|med among the Gentiles, <HI>Romans</HI> 2.</P>
<P>Will a man rob God? yet they have robbed him in his tithes and offerings, and &s;o are cur&s;ed with a cur&s;e: <HI>Malachi.</HI> 3.</P>
<P>This was at the &s;iege of <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> one of <HI>Io&s;ephus</HI> grie|vous expo&s;tulation<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> again&s;t <HI>Iohn</HI> and others of the &s;editi|ous; if any man &s;hould take from thee thy daily food, no doubt, but thou woulde&s;t account him thine enemy: can&s;t thou then hope that God, whom thou ha&s;t depri|ved of daily Sacrifice will a&s;&s;i&s;t thee?</P>
<P>The&s;e Impropria<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="4 letters">s, which debarre the labouring Mini&s;ters of the word, from their liberall maintenance, deale no better with the Lord touching his wor&s;hip and Service; what favour then can they flatter them&s;elves with to finde at hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> hand, without heartie repen|tance?</P>
<P>Time and cu&s;tome with &s;ome colour of authority have taken away the &s;en&s;e of this &s;inne, and turned the re|mor&s;ele&s;&s;e offenders into the bra&s;en faced impudency of <HI>Solomons</HI> harlot, <HI>Proverbs</HI> 30. <HI>Such is the way of an adul|terous Woman, &s;he eateth and wipeth her mouth, and &s;aith, I have done no wickedne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Some &s;erpentine Patrons of the&s;e u&s;urpers upon the Clergies patrimonie are content to permit (where they cannot prohibite) a continuation of tithes &s;till to the Mini&s;tery&punc; <HI>per vim exemplarem,</HI> by imitation of the Ie|wi&s;h &s;tate ordered by the Almighty; but not <HI>per vim obligativam,</HI> by any binding force under the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>Our divine right to the tithes is already (in a&s;tipulati|on
<PB N="49" REF="30"> to our propounded doctrine) manifoldly made good. But admit we had (as they faine and &s;ugge&s;t) no obli|gatory warrant, but onely an exemplary vertue to plead for our intere&s;ts, yet this &s;eemes enough to &s;hoote &s;uch Iulianizers through with their owne &s;haftes.</P>
<P>For where can the Impropriatours &s;hew &s;o much co|lour to countenance their &s;ecrilegious incroachments?</P>
<P>Did ever the Iudiciall Lawes of the <HI>Iewes</HI> afford them any &s;uch exemplary matter, to maintaine their ca&s;e with? No &s;urely, for Nature, Law, Go&s;pell, <HI>Iew</HI> and <HI>Gentile, Grecian</HI> and <HI>Barbarian</HI> have often given the voyces of their practi&s;es and prote&s;tations, again&s;t all &s;uch invaders of the Prie&s;ts inheritance.</P>
<P>And yet, (tell it not in <HI>Gath,</HI> neither publi&s;h it with|in the wals of <HI>A&s;kelon,</HI> let not the uncircumci&s;ed know of it) there are many per&s;ons named Chri&s;tians, who to mount up them&s;elves into the highe&s;t roomes of world|ly Magnificoes, make no con&s;cience to dimini&s;h and ca&s;t downe the Mini&s;ters of the word, into the lowe&s;t cen|ter of mi&s;erable mendicants.</P>
<P>No &s;mall &s;candall to our Religion is this contumacy a|gain&s;t the divine Injunction, <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> affirmeth <HI>Rom.</HI> 15. <HI>that the &s;trong ought to beare the infirmities of the weake,</HI> this is a gene|rall rule concerning all &s;orts,</P>
<P>But the Impropriatour (who&s;e brow is bra&s;&s;e, who&s;e necke is an iron &s;inew, and who&s;e heart is as hard as flint) he regardeth it with the lea&s;t, although it bindeth him with the mo&s;t. He rampeth like a &s;trong Lion upon the prey of the benefit, but he leaveth the whole burden to oppre&s;&s;e the weake Incumbent.</P>
<P>Wee are told <HI>Deuteronomy</HI> 22. <HI>Thou &s;halt not &s;ee thy brothers a&s;&s;e, or his oxe fall down by the way, and hide thy &s;elf from them; thou &s;halt &s;urely help him to life them up again; yea, be they the bea&s;ts of him that hateth thee. Exo.</HI> 23</P>
<PB N="50" REF="31">
<P>But alas, there are too many Savage bea&s;ts in other pla|ces be&s;ides <HI>Ephe&s;us.</HI> 1. <HI>Corinthians.</HI> 15. Namely cruell and bruiti&s;h men (<HI>Theophylact</HI> and <HI>Prima&s;ius</HI> interpret the words) which practi&s;e nothing more then to op|pre&s;&s;e downe the painfull <HI>Pauls</HI> of the Clergy, and to let them lie in all extremity.</P>
<P>We read 1 <HI>John</HI> 3. <HI>Who &s;o hath this worlds good, and &s;eeth his brother need, and &s;hutteth up his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ow<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ls of com|pa&s;&s;ion from him, how dwelleth the love of GOD in him?</HI></P>
<P>Neverthele&s;&s;e, whiles the&s;e impious <HI>Bel&s;ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">zars</HI> may drink and quaffe with their companions in the golden &amp; &s;ilver ve&s;&s;els taken out of the hou&s;e of God <HI>Daniel.</HI> 5. whiles this mercile&s;&s;e brood, may with the rich glut|ton, be cloathed in purple and fine linen, and fare &s;ump|tuou&s;ly every day. <HI>Luke.</HI> 16.</P>
<P>They have &s;mall compa&s;&s;ion at the <HI>Lazarus</HI> of the &s;poyled Mini&s;tery, which want not &s;eldome, the refute, that fall from their rich Tables: yea they have &s;mall ro|mor&s;e at the <HI>Lazarus</HI> of many fami&s;hing &s;oules; &s;terved through the accur&s;ed meanes of their execrable &s;acri|ledge.</P>
<P>They have &s;mall re&s;pect at the grievous con&s;equences of their corrupt example, becau&s;e upon the opening of this bottomele&s;&s;e pit, a gro&s;&s;e and di&s;mall &s;moke ari&s;eth, by rea&s;on of which the Sunne and the aire are darkened. <HI>Apocalyp&s;e.</HI> 9. <HI>fug&ecirc;re pudor, verumque, fide&s;que; in quo|rum &s;ubiere locum fraude&s;que dolique, infidiaeque, et vis, et amor &s;celeratus habendi:</HI> All true devotion and pious af|fection to the Church con&s;umed away; and there pre&s;|&s;ed into their place all manner of covetous circumventi|on and &s;acrilegious rapine. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Behold from hence al&s;o a &s;werving world of le&s;&s;er Church theeves tooke heart afre&s;h to commit manifold &s;poyle upon the Clergy. They excu&s;e them&s;elves by the
<PB N="51" REF="31"> Impropriators ravening up totall Benefices, to purloine &amp; invade &s;maller parcels of tithes and glebes.</P>
<P>Like the Pirate, who ju&s;tified his robbing of the mea|ner Sea-faring pa&s;&s;engers, with a few Gallies; becau&s;e <HI>Alexander</HI> the Great, with huge Armies and Navies pil|laged &amp; preyed upon whole Kingdomes and Provinces.</P>
<P>No mervaile then that this Impropriation Mon&s;ter, meeteth with &s;o bad mention not onely among grave Divines, but al&s;o great Lawyers.</P>
<P>The Lord chiefe Iu&s;tice <HI>Cooke,</HI> that late was, ob&s;erved out of Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Hi&s;tory, how <HI>Iulian</HI> the Apo&s;tata having a purpo&s;e wholly to ruine the profe&s;&s;ion of Chri|&s;tianity, from which him&s;elfe had fouly revolted; u&s;ed not the &s;word (as other per&s;ecutors did) but tooke a|way the meanes of the Mini&s;tery, &amp;c.</P>
<P>This crafty Fox well knew that the depriving them of the&s;e, would nece&s;&s;arily draw on the de&s;truction of the other. And thus diveli&s;h is the prophane Impropriatours dealing.</P>
<P>He uttereth at la&s;t this propheticall &s;entence, the de|cay of the revenues of the holy Church, will one day bee the &s;ubver&s;ion of the Service of God, and of his Religion.</P>
<P>Learned <HI>Plowden</HI> in his Commentaries writeth of this ob&s;ervation long &s;ince by our reverend Iudges, how the Mo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">lies perfidious purloining all the chiefe profits to them&s;elves, from the poore Vicars, u&s;hered in a world of wicked abu&s;es. And this is the prophane Im|propriatours impious ca&s;e.</P>
<P>He addeth, as the revenue of the Pari&s;h Church de|cayed, &s;o likewi&s;e did preaching. The Emperour <HI>Ju&s;ti|nian</HI> was wont to affirme, that from the beggery of the Mini&s;tery, followes the &s;ubver&s;ion of that holy order, and con&s;equently of true Religion. But herein the notori|ous Impropriators mu&s;t be appealed as grievou&s;ly guilty.</P>
<P>The&s;e &s;acred hor&s;e-leaches which never are &s;atiated, <HI>Prover.</HI> 30. they have little regard to the fearefull judge|ment
<PB N="52" REF="32"> of God, who, at length without repentance and re&s;titution, will verifie upon them <HI>Solomans</HI> divinely in&s;pired &s;aying; <HI>It is a &s;nare to the man who devoureth that which is holy.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The King will que&s;tion how they came in hither, not having a wedding garment? And bids his &s;ervantes bind them hand and foote, and take them away, and ca&s;t them into utter darkene&s;&s;e, there &s;hall be weeping and gna&s;hing of teeth.</HI> Matthew. 22. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth of the oxe that treadeth out the corne.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. We demon&s;trate our ob&s;ervation from the reci|tall of &s;undry inco~veniences which are incurred through defect of its due execution; when as the painfull Mini|&s;ters are deprived of their competent maintenance.</P>
<P N="1">1 We &s;et down the decay of true Religion. Doctor <HI>Andrews</HI> a Prelate of famous memory, di&s;covereth an indi&s;&s;olvable combination between &s;acred manners, &s;a|cred meanes, &s;acred per&s;ons, and &s;acred revenues.</P>
<P>The&s;e he accounteth &s;o clo&s;ely connexed, as the de|vouring of the one is the violation of them all. And whiles the Laitie would &s;wallow the la&s;t, they &s;ubvert the re&s;t.</P>
<P>It may be granted indeed to come for the mo&s;t part to pa&s;&s;e, that when the portions of the Levites are not given them, they flee every one to his field, <HI>Nehemiah</HI> 13. A|las, in their ab&s;ence, where is the teaching Prie&s;t? but the wants of him bringeth men to be without the true God, and without Law, 2. <HI>Chron.</HI> 15:</P>
<P>For <HI>Romans</HI> 10. <HI>How &s;hall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how &s;hall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard? and how &s;hall they heare with|out a Preacher? and how &s;hall they preach except they be &s;ent?</HI></P>
<P>And how may we pre&s;ume that the Lord will vouch|&s;afe to &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nd them which bring glad tydings of good things, and preach the Go&s;pell of peace, unle&s;&s;e men
<PB N="53" REF="32"> thought their feet more beautifull, and gave them better welcome.</P>
<P>But verily if this indignation happen, then <HI>Proverbs</HI> 29. <HI>There is no vi&s;ion, then the people mu&s;t needs peri&s;h. For behold, then the days come, &s;aith the Lord God, that I will &s;end a famine into the Land, not a famine of bread, nor a thir&s;t for water, but of hearing the Word of the Lord. And they &s;hall wander from Sea to Sea, and from the North even to the Ea&s;t; they &s;hall run too and fro to &s;eeke the Word of the Lord, and &s;hall not finde it,</HI> Amos 8.</P>
<P>Mon&s;trous then is the mi&s;chiefe and mi&s;ery of this in|&s;atiable and direfull voracitie of &s;acred revenues, &s;o con|&s;equently of &s;acred per&s;ons, of &s;acred manners, of &s;acred means: And in the execrable ravine of them, loe, the&s;e my&s;ticall Canibals &s;wallow up al&s;o humane creatures &s;ouls.</P>
<Q><L>&mdash; Quis talia faendo Myrmidonum,</L>
<L>Dolopun<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ve, aut duri miles <HI>Vly&s;&s;i,</HI></L>
<L>Temperet a Lachrymis?&mdash;</L></Q>
<P>What &s;tony hearted per&s;on would not di&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ll down &s;howres of teares at &s;uch a &s;pirituall de&s;truction? <HI>Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord? P&s;.</HI> 14.</P>
<P>Honour is the nur&s;e of good Arts; Preferment is the promoter of Vertues: a liberall &s;tipend allureth the va|liant Souldiers unto &s;ervice: good wages attract the greate&s;t labourers be&s;t diligence: the richne&s;&s;e of the prize addeth winged &s;peed unto the runners of a race; the &s;ufficient furniture of the rack &amp; manger doth &s;treng|then the work of the toyl&s;ome oxen: the plants of the Sanctuary will not well pro&s;per, without the waters of the Sanctuary &s;upple and refre&s;h them: <HI>Ezech</HI> 47.</P>
<P><HI>Hezekiah</HI> commanded the people that dwelt in <HI>Jeru|&s;alem</HI> to give the portion of the Prie&s;ts and the Levites, that they might be incouraged in the Law of the Lord.</P>
<P><HI>Demo&s;thenes</HI> told the <HI>Athenians</HI> how they mu&s;t not
<PB N="54" REF="33"> expect to finde &s;uch men, who to do them &s;ervice, would be willing to undo their own &s;elves.</P>
<P>Neither is it to be thought, that men of excellent parts and eminent hopes can be readily wonne unto this di|vine profe&s;&s;ion (Ma&s;ter <HI>Perkins</HI> complayneth) whiles the &s;acred Mini&s;tery is &s;o frequently compelled to per|forme a laborious travaile in the &s;hamefull and tedious pathway of beggery, and much contempt over-clow|deth the Clergie.</P>
<P>God in his Law (he further &s;heweth) took a &s;trict or|der to prevent this mi&s;chiefe touching the livings of the Levits. If he had not &s;o ordained, it is like the corruption of men might have driven them to no le&s;&s;e extremities, then are the Mini&s;ters of this age, who now (under the Go&s;pell) be left much unprovided, although de&s;erving to be be&s;t rewarded.</P>
<P>He commendeth the children of this world (meaning the Papi&s;ts) as much wi&s;er in their kinde concerning this point, then the Church of God, which he affirmeth to be a notorious blemi&s;h unto the reformed profe&s;&s;ion, likewi&s;e a lamentable eclyp&s;e unto the beauty &amp; bright|ne&s;&s;e of Religion.</P>
<P>Le&s;t therfore the number of able Pa&s;tors &s;hould de|crea&s;e apace, and the knowledge of the Go&s;pell among us decay with them as fa&s;t: hee doth earne&s;tly wi&s;h and admoni&s;h both Superiours and Inferiours to be carefull and jealous in their &s;everall places for providing a &s;uffi|cient remedy again&s;t this dangerous inconvenience.</P>
<P>For <HI>Panormitan</HI> well ob&s;erveth, <HI>Ad tennitatem Bene|ficiorum nece&s;&s;ari&ograve; &s;equitur ignorantia &s;acerdotum:</HI> An unlearned and di&s;able Mini&s;tery is for the mo&s;t part oc|ca&s;ioned from the poorne&s;&s;e of Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Livings.</P>
<P>And Pope <HI>Alexander</HI> the Third blaming the horrible avarice and abu&s;e of many Impropri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ting Monks, addeth this as the cur&s;ed fruit of &s;o vile and impious a practice, That in tho&s;e Regions &s;carce could there be found any
<PB N="55" REF="33"> Parochiall Prie&s;t, who had even &s;o much as a &s;mall porti|on of skill in the liberall Arts. From whence (Pope <HI>Cle|ment</HI> the Third truly declared) <HI>pericula imminent ani|marum,</HI> the grievous dangers of humane creatures &s;oul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> do grow on apace.</P>
<P>I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> men held in as deer a regard their immortall &s;ouls, as they generally do their corruptible bodies, then would they never thus ba&s;ely grudge unto the Pa&s;tors of them a liberall affluence of all nece&s;&s;aries: &s;o that no want of worthy re&s;pect, nor of time, nor of means, might di&s;|courage them from making meet and manifold provi&s;ion to lead, to feed, to fold to defend their flocks.</P>
<P>But wheras the needfull &s;prings of the&s;e due &s;upplyes become dry or diverted, Behold there the very life of the Mini&s;ters duty, and the peoples edification langui|&s;heth.</P>
<P>The &s;heep will range and &s;catter up and down at their own plea&s;ures: <HI>Sardent quae po&s;&s;unt &s;emper haberi,</HI> All their longing is for &s;trange Novelties, with unworthy neglect of their own Pa&s;tors, and &s;o through their &s;ides they wound Religion.</P>
<P>The Shepheard (who&s;e living is little better then an Almes) is over-much loden with the &s;tudy of looking for him&s;elf and his family, he cannot care as hee ought, for his Cure. Hereupon his owne pre&s;&s;ures and exigences confine the precious liberty of his place into ob&s;equious &s;lavery.</P>
<P>Thus whiles they fear to be thought enemies for tel|ling the truth, they fall by flattery to trade for untru&s;ty friends: they act the fawning Para&s;ites in &s;tead of faith|full Preachers: &amp; not daring to profe&s;&s;e them&s;elves hone&s;t Freemen of <HI>Verona,</HI> they appear the &s;ervile va&s;&s;als of <HI>Lon|don</HI> and <HI>Placentia:</HI> becau&s;e compo&s;ed to prai&s;e and plea&s;e, but not to reprove and pierce.</P>
<P>The &s;word of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 6. they bear in vain, for they have no courage to
<PB N="56" REF="34"> cry aloud, not to &s;pare, to lift up their voices like trum|pets, and to &s;hew the people their tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, <HI>E|&s;ay</HI> 58.</P>
<P>Nece&s;&s;itie in&s;inuates a &s;afer &s;eeming cour&s;e, namely, to &s;ooth up their &s;ins, who&s;e benevolence they always need, and who&s;e evill will they are not able to undergo. Thus they proclayme peace, and there was no peace: and one built up a wall, and lo others dawbed it with untempe|red mortar, and &s;ow pillows to all arm-holes, <HI>Ezech.</HI> 13. to the di&s;honour of God, to the ruine of Religion, to the de&s;truction of &s;ouls.</P>
<P><HI>Hinc prima mali labes:</HI> this pe&s;tilent mi&s;chief &s;prung from the impious neglect of this precept: <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>I alledge two profane derogation from God, fir&s;t in his honour; Becau&s;e, when as 2. <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. <HI>We are Amba&s;&s;adors for Chri&s;t,</HI> it followeth then according to our Saviours &s;aying, <HI>Luke</HI> 10. <HI>He that heareth you heareth me, and hee that de&s;pi&s;eth you, despi&s;eth me, and hee that de&s;pi&s;eth me, de&s;pi&s;eth him that &s;ent me.</HI></P>
<P>Earthly Princes (in re&s;pect of them&s;elves intere&s;&s;ed) be never wont to di&s;pen&s;e with wrongs and di&s;graces done their Me&s;&s;engers, but expect in all places their wor|thy entertainment: witne&s;&s;e <HI>David's</HI> revenge upon <HI>Ha|nun</HI> the King of the children of a <HI>A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">on</HI> for this abu&s;e: Al&s;o for the like offence, the utter &s;ubver&s;ion of the fa|mous City <HI>Corinth</HI> by the <HI>Romans.</HI></P>
<P>Surely the Almighty Lord mu&s;t bee imagined much more &s;en&s;ible of contempt and inj<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ries onered again&s;t tho&s;e whom he &s;endeth, in regard of his &s;upreme Maje|&s;ty intere&s;&s;ed with his delegated &s;ervants:</P>
<P>Behold in his &s;peech unto the Prophet <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">, What he &s;aith unto all his Mini&s;ters: <HI>they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me.</HI> He that honoureth the Prie&s;t, honoureth God, and he that de&s;pi&s;eth the Prie&s;t, by little and little falleth to this al&s;o, that he will u&s;e reproach a|gain&s;t
<PB N="57" REF="34"> God him&s;elf, Saint <HI>Chry&s;ostome</HI> &s;heweth.</P>
<P>But how &s;hould this requi&s;ite honour be duly perfor|med without his meet and appointed Mini&s;ters. Again, how &s;hould tho&s;e Mini&s;ters of his &s;ufficiently attend their Function without an&s;werable mayntenance? But &s;acriledge de&s;poyling them of that, doth con&s;equently derogate from God in his honour.</P>
<P N="2">2. It derogateth from God in his rightfull clayme and intere&s;t. <HI>The earth is the Lords, and the fulne&s;&s;e therof, the world and they that dwell therin,</HI> P&s;al. 24. <HI>Con&s;ideret homo quod omnia Dei &s;unt per quae vivit, &s;ine terra, &s;ine flumina, &s;ine &s;emina:</HI> Saint <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> advi&s;eth man to re|member, that all the means of his life come from God. Yea, he induceth his Maje&s;ty thus expo&s;tulating this ca&s;e; <HI>Meus e&s;t homo quem feci; mea e&s;t terra quam colis; mea &s;unt &s;emina quae &s;pargis: mea animalia quae fatigas: mei &s;unt imbres &amp; pluviae: &amp; ventorum flamina mea &s;unt: meus e&s;t Solis calor: omnia vivendi aliment a mea, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Mine is the Man whom I have made; mine is the Land which the labourer tilleth; mine are the &s;eeds which the Husband men &s;ow: mine are the bea&s;ts which be toyled and wearied in the work: mine are the &s;oaking &s;howres and refre&s;hfull rains: the cheri&s;hing windes receive al&s;o from me their welcome wings; the comfortable heat of the Sun is mine; I am likewi&s;e the Lord of all the Ele|ments wherby thou live&s;t.</P>
<P>Since then God is the &s;upreme owner of all, and from his free bounty flows our totall maintenance, the duty of ju&s;tice and gratitude bindeth us to render &s;omething back for a token of his Soveraignty, and a te&s;timony of our thanks.</P>
<P><HI>Irenaeus</HI> writeth, that it was the u&s;e of the Church through the World in his time, and received from the Apo&s;tles; to offer &s;ome things of the ble&s;&s;ings that they lived by, as the fir&s;t-fruits therof to him, who gave the&s;e things unto them.</P>
<PB N="58" REF="35">
<P>Now <HI>qui dignatus e&s;t totum dare, decimam &agrave; nobis di|guntur repetere,</HI> God that vouch&s;afed to give us the whole, vouch&s;afeth al&s;o to require back again the tenth. This mo&s;t munificent be&s;tower of all the re&s;t, re&s;erveth only but that part unto him&s;elfe (for that his holy Word proclaymeth to be his inheritance, &s;eparate to his &s;ervice) and a portion out of the other nine parts to relieve and &s;upply the poor.</P>
<P>Who&s;oever therfore (&s;aith the &s;ame <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI>) is de|&s;irous either to gain unto him&s;elf a gracious reward; or to intreat an indulgent remi&s;&s;ion of his &s;ins; let him con|&s;cionably pay the tenth to the Clergy, and out of the re|&s;idue parts, let him charitably compa&s;&s;ionate the poor.</P>
<P>Oh mankinde (hee further addeth) empty of zealous devotion, but full of perfidious defraudation, &s;ince thou can&s;t not but know, that all good things which thou en|joye&s;t are the Lords, what an unthankfull heart then ha&s;t thou oh unworthy wretch, to return nothing back again of his own to the giver of all things demanding it? Lo what hee requireth is a due debt and tribute: thou can&s;t not deny it, thou mu&s;t not dimini&s;h it, thou may&s;t not delay it, <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. This &s;acrilegious u&s;urpation of the Mini&s;ters main|tenance doth derogate from God in his wi&s;dome: There are many learned per&s;ons (and &s;ome of their opinion<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ex|tant in print) although not &s;o re&s;olutely holding tithes to be d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e by divine right, yet they conceive no cour&s;e el&s;e &s;o apt and indifferent for the Clergies provi&s;ion as by the payment of them.</P>
<P>And this is the rea&s;on which they alledge herein, be|cau&s;e every politike Law is to be &s;uppo&s;ed the more right and equall, by how much it re&s;embleth and approcheth neerer to the Law of the &s;ame kinde, which the Lord hath ordained among&s;t the <HI>Hebrews.</HI></P>
<P>But it i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> certain that the Law of God among the <HI>I&s;rae|lites</HI> was for the payment of tithes unto the Mini&s;ters
<PB N="59" REF="35"> which officiated in holy duties, as well in one place of that Countrey as in another: and therefore the conti|nuance of them &s;till to the &s;ame purpo&s;e &s;eemeth very requi&s;ite.</P>
<P>Moreover, it is a common maxime, <HI>Vetus lex nulla an|tiquanda e&s;t, quae neque imbecillis &s;it, neque inutilis;</HI> no old Law is to be abrogated, which neither is too weak nor unprofitable.</P>
<P>When as therfore no want of worth, no wa&s;te of &s;trength, no wane of utility can be di&s;covered in this di|vinely enacted Statute touching tithes for the Mini|&s;ters.</P>
<P>For <HI>Gualteron Matthew</HI> 23, &s;aith, <HI>Qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ju&s;tior ratio exc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">gitari pote&s;t alendi <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;tros, qu&agrave;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ut ex decimis is vi|vant?</HI> What ju&s;ter cour&s;e can be devi&s;ed? what better rea&s;on may be imagined for the Clergies maintenance, then to receive the meanes hereof by the payment of tithes?</P>
<P>Surely then it favoureth of no good di&s;cretion nor con&s;cience in man (as if he pre&s;umed him&s;elf wi&s;er than his Maker) to di&s;anull this Law. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. I urge that the withholding competent mainte|nance from the labouring Mini&s;ters is contrary unto le|gall right in &s;undry re&s;pect.</P>
<P>Doctor <HI>Rives</HI> ob&s;erveth that both the ancient grants of Appropriations, and the formes of confirming them from <HI>Rome</HI> run in this manner; &s;aving the &s;u&s;tentation of the Vicar, and the right of the Bi&s;hop; re&s;erving to us and our &s;ucce&s;&s;ors free power, when as it behoveth, of &s;upplying and augmenting the Vicars portion, out of the tithes, &amp;c. for his better undergoing the burthen of his Cure, and charges payable therout,</P>
<P>Yea, he inferreth <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">t of <HI>Ludavicus Romanus,</HI> that the Solution of procurations was <HI>pro modo facultatum Eccle|&s;iae,</HI> as the Church hath ability to &s;pare them. For thus is
<PB N="60" REF="36"> the minde and words of the Law &s;aith <HI>Ho&s;tien&s;is, ut Ec|cle&s;ia ultra po&s;&s;e non gravetur,</HI> the vi&s;itor mu&s;t beare his owne charges, rather then bee grievous unto the Church.</P>
<P>Moreover how the Lawes of the Land con&s;ent here|with in favour of the di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Vicar, he alledgeth &s;ome Statutes in the reigne of <HI>Edward</HI> the third, <HI>Richard</HI> the &s;econd, and <HI>Henry</HI> the fourth, that the Dioce&s;an of the place, in the conce&s;&s;ion of any Appropriation &s;hould di&s;|creetly and piou&s;ly ordaine a yeerely &s;umme of money for reliefe of the poore, and the Vicar to be well and &s;uf|ficiently endowed.</P>
<P>At length he profe&s;&s;eth, that he could never know of any Statute made &s;ince the Abbey-di&s;&s;olution either a|brogative or derogatory, to the Common Lawes in this ca&s;e.</P>
<P>And when as tho&s;e mona&s;ticall hou&s;es, &amp;c. were put downe, the King and his heires for ever were by the &s;ta|tute to hold them, in the &s;ame ample manner as the Ab|bot then had in the right of his place: And &s;aving to all per&s;ons, Bodies politique and their Succe&s;&s;ours, all &s;uch right, claime, title, intere&s;t, po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, rent-charges, An|nuities, Lea&s;es, Farmes, Offices, Fees, Portions, Pen|&s;ions, &amp;c.</P>
<P>The&s;e words &s;eeme of much efficacy and extent. I in|ferre from them; a Vicar had at the time of di&s;&s;olution, right, claime, and intere&s;t to &s;o much of the Appropri|ate Rectory as was requi&s;ite for his congruous, and com|petent maintenance: this right is therefore &s;till re&s;erved to him and his Succe&s;&s;ours.</P>
<P>Had the Mona&s;teries continued, this action had beene good again&s;t them: and that they well knew, and there|upon &s;ought to fortifie them&s;elves again&s;t it, by the In|cumbents oath, bond, and by purcha&s;e of the Popes pri|viledge.</P>
<P>So now they being di&s;&s;olved, the action holds &s;till good
<PB N="61" REF="36"> again&s;t the Impropriatours &s;ucceeding in the Abbots place.</P>
<P>The Dioce&s;an likewi&s;e at that &s;ea&s;on, had a right of power, and Iuri&s;diction in him&s;elfe, when&s;oever the Ab|bot pre&s;ented a Clerke unto him for in&s;titution, not to admit him without a convenient portion, a&s;&s;igned for his maintenance. Which if the Abbot performed not within the time limited, then had the Bi&s;hop right in him&s;elfe to collate the Vicaridge, and to make a fit al|lowance at his di&s;cretion, out of the &s;eque&s;tred fruits and profits of the Appropriation.</P>
<P>And in ca&s;e of relectancy and di&s;obedience, the Di|oce&s;an, might compell the Abbot by Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall cen|&s;ure, &amp; if he &s;tood refractory, there followed impri&s;on|ment by the &s;ecular power, without-baile or mainprize, untill the order were obeyed.</P>
<P>And if hee pre&s;ented not at all, the Bi&s;hop then had that right devolved unto him as in ca&s;e of lap&s;e. There|fore this right remaineth &s;afe unto the Dioce&s;ans &s;till a|gain&s;t the Impropriatours: And they indeed, as with no good con&s;cience, &s;o again&s;t ju&s;t law incroach, and u&s;urpe upon all the&s;e rights. Moreover, it &s;avoureth of a di&s;po|&s;ition both unequall, and unmercifull in the&s;e Impropri|atours, to oppo&s;e a new augmentation of Vicaridge en|dowments; becau&s;e (be&s;ides &s;o many damnable cu&s;to|mers defalcations) the rates of all things are now in|haun&s;ed unto higher prices: in which re&s;pect, day la|bourers are allowed by Law to rai&s;e their wages: Fur|ther, although King <HI>Henry</HI> the eight di&s;&s;olved the Mo|na&s;teries, yet hee continued that Religion &s;till, that brought the Vicars (beyond their portion) a great part of their maintenance, in oblations, altarages, confe&s;&s;ion, profits, Ma&s;&s;e-moneys, and &s;uch like Fees.</P>
<P>Seeing therefore that now a pious reformation, hath put the&s;e out of date and u&s;e, ju&s;t rea&s;on and equity re|quire a &s;upply, and recompence to the Vicars in lieu of them.</P>
<PB N="62" REF="37">
<P>Finally, &s;ince tithes were given in con&s;ideration of preaching the word, and mini&s;tring the Sacraments, un|to the payers of them: <HI>Beneficium non debetur ni&s;i prop|ter officium,</HI> &s;pirituall benefices &amp; &s;pirituall offices &s;hould be relatives.</P>
<P>What Iu&s;tice then appeareth, for the people to be dri|ven for to pay unto the Impropriatours, the tenth which never doe Mini&s;ter unto them, in the &s;acred exerci&s;es of the Service of God; And tho&s;e, of that divine function which performe the&s;e parts towards them, are put off with &s;o poore and ba&s;e a parcell; as that learned and pi|ous Civilian Docter <HI>Rives</HI> hath in regard thereof, this written wi&s;h;
<Q><L>Our hor&s;e-boyes wages are not great,</L>
<L>Would God our Vicars were no wor&s;e.</L></Q></P>
<P>Woe unto him that coveteth an evill covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e to his hou&s;e, that hee may &s;et his ne&s;t on high: he hath con|&s;ulted &s;hame to his hou&s;e, and &s;inned again&s;t his &s;oule. <HI>For the &s;tone &s;hall cry out of the wall, and the beame out of the timber &s;hall an&s;were it. Habakkuk.</HI> 2.</P>
<P>Let the perver&s;e u&s;urpers of tithes, glebes, &amp;c. plea&s;e their fancies and prevaricate with others, under a mi&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|terme of their turning into Chattels and Lay-fees. If they had quite lo&s;t (through their forced alienation) the quality and nature of Church duties and goods, why were the prophane intruders upon them faine to be ena|bled by favour of a Statute in the three and thirtieth of <HI>Henry</HI> the eight, to &s;ue for them in Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Courts, and not have recovered them at the Common Law?</P>
<P>Surely then they cea&s;e not their continuall cries again&s;t the unrighteous detainers of them, with the &s;tone in the wall, with the beame out of the rafter, and with the hedge unto the field; this is not our place, let us returne, &amp;c. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="4"><PB N="63" REF="37">4. I object further, this prophane defrauding of the Mini&s;ters in their maintenance, appeareth wilfully to &s;hut the eyes again&s;t the light of naturall rea&s;on, which &s;hineth forth with the lu&s;ter of this conclu&s;ion, that the workeman ought in equity to have his wages, and the labourers de&s;erve to receive their reward.</P>
<P>This &s;eemeth a character &s;o deeply ingraven in com|mon rea&s;on, as although the direfull hands of impious &s;acriledge, be &s;hamefully audacious to incroach upon the &s;ub&s;tance of the tithes, &amp;c. yet are they not &s;ufficiently able to extingui&s;h the &s;tampes of it's truth.</P>
<P>Namely, that the excellency of the Clergies labour (being in quality and indu&s;try, in place and paines &s;u|pereminent above others mu&s;t needs aptly challenge the mo&s;t worthy &s;tipend and be&s;t remuneration.</P>
<P>To this purpo&s;e the Lord Archbi&s;hop <HI>Sandes,</HI> affir|meth that there is no &s;tate (though of that heigth, as feare, honour, obedience and tribute is due to it) which may more rightly challenge a competent and &s;ufficient living, then the Mini&s;ters of the word of God.</P>
<P>Wherfore tho&s;e which repine at the rea&s;onable maintenance of them, they &s;eeme to have put out the ve|ry light of nature in them&s;elves.</P>
<P N="5">5 Becau&s;e this hinderance and detraction of the &s;piri|tuall Pa&s;tours portion is very aver&s;e, and degenerate from the conceit and cour&s;e of venerable Antiquity.</P>
<P>For <HI>decimae erant ante legem &s;ub con&s;ilio; in lege &s;ub praecepto, po&s;t legem in libertate Spiritus,</HI> the payment of tenthe, before the Law &s;eemed to &s;ub&s;i&s;t under coun&s;ell, and in the time thereof they &s;tood firme by precept, and when as that was once expired, &s;till they are good in the Evangelicall liberty of the Spirit.</P>
<P>As in the &s;ea&s;on of the old Law, the affection of the faithfull people unto the Temple and Service there &s;pared no expences: yea, &s;ome of the chiefe&s;t Princes of the <HI>Gentiles, Cyrus, Artaxerxes, Darius, Alexander Mag|nus.
<PB N="64" REF="38"> Ptolomeus Philadelphus, Antiochus Epiphanes,</HI> &amp;c. &s;hewed them&s;elves in this &s;ort exceedingly bounteous.</P>
<P>So &s;ince the birth of our Saviour Chri&s;t, the pious mu|nificence of Emperours, Kings, &amp;c. al&s;o the jealous de|votion of Chri&s;tian people ran in the current of conti|nuall addition to the Churches patrimony, but not in &s;ub&s;traction from her propriety.</P>
<P>The Clergy held their Lands free from Taxes and Im|po&s;itions, their chidren held their Inheritance with like freedome in honour of their Fathers Prie&s;t-hood.</P>
<P>But now a long time, &s;ince helli&s;h iniquity hath a|bounded, the holy love of the mo&s;t part of our Chri&s;tian World is waxed cold: the dolefull tune of the de&s;olate Churches Song is thus &s;ad and lamentable, <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 24. <HI>My leanne&s;&s;e, my leanne&s;&s;e, we unto me: the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherou&s;ly; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherou&s;ly.</HI></P>
<P>King <HI>James</HI> of excellent memory imployed in &s;ome places of his Realmes, pious wi&s;dome and power for a relief of our Sions &s;hamefull di&s;tre&s;&s;e. Hee gave more|over many thou&s;and Acres of good ground to the <HI>Iri&s;h</HI> Churches, an illu&s;trious monument of his religious libe|rality.</P>
<P>Our now mo&s;t gracious King (God be thanked) fol|loweth the devout foot-&s;teps of his happy Father in pa|ternall protection and favour of his Clergy. His Maje&s;ties Sovereigne power and &s;anctified di&s;po&s;ition is able and willing with the precious balme of heavenly ju&s;tice, to cure this otherwi&s;e unrecoverable and inveterate ulcer, and to compell the due practice of this divine precept: <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the month, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. I alledge when the maintenance of the Mini&s;ters lyeth at &s;uch a low ebbe, it u&s;ually occa&s;ioneth Schi&s;me in the Church, and Faction of the State; e&s;pecially (as for the mo&s;t part commeth to pa&s;&s;e) where poore beneficed Pa|ri&s;hes are mo&s;t populous.</P>
<PB N="65" REF="38">
<P>Among&s;t &s;undry wi&s;e and learned per&s;ons &s;acriledge hath been concluded the prophane mother of the&s;e de|formed daughters.</P>
<P>It is no le&s;&s;e lamentable then &s;hameful to con&s;ider &s;ome Clergy men (through defect of a legall provi&s;ion) being &s;tung with the &s;mart of want, and put to extremity, they are forc'd to &s;ubmit their necks unto a &s;lavi&s;h yoke of &s;er|vile dependance, and ba&s;e engagement unto their weal|thier people, who are able to &s;uccour and &s;upport them.</P>
<P>They are bound to the ba&s;e peace of ob&s;equious flatte|ry by the cruell chaine of intolerable nece&s;&s;itie: &s;o they dare not but quietly dige&s;t, what&s;oever the&s;e in ord<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nate|ly do, either in conver&s;ation of life, or by confu&s;ion at Church, either in the rudene&s;&s;e of their works, or by the irregularity of their wor&s;hip.</P>
<P>Neither dur&s;t they refu&s;e to &s;tand as they &s;et them for &s;ingle Cyphers, and &s;uffer them patiently to number their &s;ummes (at their own plea&s;ures) with the figures of &s;uch idolized Mini&s;ters as they mo&s;t fancy, whether <HI>Paul</HI> or <HI>Apollo,</HI> or <HI>Cephas:</HI> yea, I wi&s;h there wanted cau&s;e &s;ometimes to adde, be he <HI>Martin Mar-prelate,</HI> or <HI>Julian,</HI> or <HI>Iudas,</HI> or Satan transforming him&s;elfe into an Angell of light, they may &s;carce murmure at his prefer|ment.</P>
<P>Moreover, whiles the Clergy remayneth mi&s;erably oppre&s;&s;ed with poverty (which contempt of their per|&s;ons, and neglect of their Mini&s;tery u&s;ually accompany) &s;o long doth that nece&s;&s;ity of theirs, being of an active nature, &s;eeme to call in many of them a continuall &s;cruti|ny of devi&s;es and &s;hifts for the &s;uccour and reliefe of it &s;elfe.</P>
<P>And becau&s;e tho&s;e cour&s;es which &s;wimme again&s;t the common &s;tream of government, and neverthele&s;&s;e carry an externall countenance of piety and &s;incerity, have e|ver appeared mo&s;t prevalent for the promotion of &s;ini&s;ter
<PB N="66" REF="39"> de&s;ignes: they palliate their &s;ubtile practice under this &s;pecious habit.</P>
<P>Thus they declaim again&s;t the corruption of the times, and bitterly inveigh again&s;t the Ceremonies and Polity of the Church.</P>
<P>It is their u&s;uall property to &s;peak evill of tho&s;e which are in Authority: chiefly they draw out the &s;harp &s;word of Schi&s;maticall cen&s;ure again&s;t Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Supe|riours.</P>
<P>The drift of their whole doctrine concerning them &s;oundeth always with this Anabapti&s;ticall accent, down with them to the ground.</P>
<P>They never preach again&s;t Church-robbery, nor pre&s;&s;e in any Sermon the true payment of tithes. But for their own peculiar intere&s;ts (without any due di&s;tingui&s;hment of different &s;ea&s;ons) they per&s;wade this Paradoxe, how when the Church is poore&s;t, &s;he is pure&s;t.</P>
<P>And wheras the ancient Fathers determined out of the &s;acred Scriptures, that God is to be wor&s;hipped with &s;ome liberall return of his own bounty. And how hee mu&s;t be thankfully acknowledged for the munificent Lord and Donor of all ble&s;&s;ings, by a devout and free-hearted reflux, and rendring back again a meet and &s;uffi|cient portion of the good things and benefits given us, to his honour and &s;ervice.</P>
<P>Such &s;entences they in&s;imulate to &s;avour of Popi&s;h &s;u|per&s;tition, and whiles they are &s;ure God hath no nece&s;&s;i|ty, they are as &s;ecure to do him no dutie: condemning for an errour in opinion to offer unto him, but commend|ing as a mayn ingredient of Reformation to take away from his Church.</P>
<P>Thus having by the&s;e plau&s;ible in&s;inuations skrewed them&s;elves into a world of the peoples affections, unto whom nothing for the mo&s;t part, is wont to be more gratefull and plea&s;ing, then liberty of cen&s;ure, matter of
<PB N="67" REF="39"> innovation, di&s;order, &s;ingularity, and Religion at their owne price (which is next co&s;t nothing) lo, They get private gains out of the publike lo&s;&s;es: &amp; having brought conformable Mini&s;ters out of a good conceit into an e|vill e&s;timation with their Pari&s;hes, they climbe up by their breaches, and &s;upply them&s;elves with benevolences ari&s;ing out of the others ruines.</P>
<P>The&s;e crooked practices have already had their dange|rous con&s;equences: the world hath &s;eldome been with|out many bleeding witne&s;&s;es hereof. <HI>Germany</HI> in parti|cular may bewayle not onely her &s;lain thou&s;ands with <HI>Saul,</HI> nor ten thou&s;ands with <HI>David,</HI> but her hundred thou&s;ands.</P>
<P>For Schi&s;me is not accu&s;tomed to &s;tay long confined in the Church, but &s;hee is likewi&s;e wont to di&s;&s;eminate Faction in the State.</P>
<P>Archbi&s;hop <HI>Sands</HI> (of excellent memory for the cau&s;e of the Go&s;pel) preached at <HI>Pauls</HI> Cro&s;&s;e, that by rea&s;on of the want of worthy wages unto the&s;e workmen for &s;alvation, this mi&s;chief &s;preadeth wider, and regardeth as little the Throne of <HI>David,</HI> as the Chaire of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> the Scepter as the Book, the Prince as the Prophet, the Civill as the Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall State.</P>
<P>Thus as unity and peace between the Soveraigne and the Subjects, and withall the people mutually among them&s;elves, comprehends the true and proper glory of earthly Kingdomes, typically figuring the cele&s;tiall unity in ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e and eminency of the Triumphant Church of God.</P>
<P>So Schi&s;me and Divi&s;ion of any people into variety of opinions and affections, is the bane and &s;ubver&s;ion of a Church and Nation, re&s;embling the confu&s;ions and per|turbations of Satans infernall Regiment.</P>
<P>But the&s;e will never be totally &s;uppre&s;&s;ed, nor can there want wicked in&s;truments to incourage the Subjects for
<PB N="68" REF="40"> to run a cour&s;e of contrariety and oppo&s;ition to the laws and per&s;onall practice of the Prince him&s;elfe, in matters conver&s;ant about the exerci&s;e of Religion.</P>
<P>Neither &s;hall we be free from the hazard of perillous Faction in our State by occa&s;ion hereof, untill the e&s;ta|bli&s;hment of a proportionable mayntenance for the &s;pi|rituall Pa&s;tors doth arme and animate them by example and doctrine to teach and practice (without pu&s;illani|mous dread or dependance upon any man (religious and loyall obedience; <HI>the giving to God the things which are Gods, and unto</HI> Cae&s;ar <HI>the things which are</HI> Cae&s;ars: the feare of the Lord, and the honour of the King. <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="7">7. I alledge the divine cur&s;es again&s;t bad and di&s;hone&s;t tithing; therfore &s;till rather where a requi&s;ite &s;upply and provi&s;ion for the &s;ufficient mayntenance of &s;pirituall Pa|&s;tors is wanting.</P>
<P>It is manife&s;t, <HI>Malac.</HI> 3. that as upon the performance of this duty, a marvellous pro&s;perity of the &s;everall fruits of the ground, a gracious opening of the windows of Heaven, and the pouring down plentifull &s;howres of ble&s;&s;ings are promi&s;ed: So for the neglect and contempt of this notable pre&s;ent, con&s;ider in the &s;ame Chapter mo&s;t grievous maledictions threatned.</P>
<P>Our Elders (Saint <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> expre&s;&s;eth) had a happy abundance of all good things, becau&s;e they were faith|full in the paying to God his tenths, and unto <HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> his Tribute. But &s;ince that devotion of tithing waxed cold, &s;acrilegious per&s;ons have by their covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e in that kinde, defrauded them&s;elves of a double ble&s;&s;ing; name|ly of the promi&s;es of this life, and of the life to come.</P>
<P>Other exactions ari&s;e to puni&s;h their execrable ava|rice: what is &s;toln from the Church cannot be pre&s;erved in the che&s;t, what is grudged towards the Sanctuary is urged into the trea&s;ury: when men murmure to give
<PB N="69" REF="40"> the tenth they are made to forego the totall.</P>
<P><HI>Dabis impio militi quod non vis dare Sacerdoti,</HI> whiles men deprive the carefull Mini&s;ters, they become a &s;poyle to the cruell &s;ouldiers. The Lord is always ready and li|berall to ble&s;&s;e, but the wicked perver&s;ne&s;&s;e of man op|po&s;eth wretched impediments to hinder it: for he would have God be&s;tow all things upon him, and yet hee will offer nothing againe unto this bountifull owner of all things.</P>
<P><HI>Quid faceres, &s;i novem partibus &s;ibi &s;umptis tibi decimam reliqui&s;&s;et?</HI> What coulde&s;t thou doe, if hee took all the nine parts to him&s;elfe, and left the tenth onely unto thee?</P>
<P>Thus indeed he not &s;eldome dealeth when as he with|holdeth his former and latter raine, to wither and wa&s;te away thy wi&s;hed harve&s;t with a wofull drought: or when hee &s;miteth thy fruits with un&s;ea&s;onable &s;tormes of hayle: or bla&s;teth them with extremitie of untimely Fro&s;ts.</P>
<P>And &s;o thou grievou&s;ly faile&s;t of thy covetous and greedy computation, the nine parts being taken away from thee, becau&s;e thou refu&s;ed&s;t to pay the tenth which the Lord required.</P>
<P>For this is his mo&s;t righteous cour&s;e to turn them un|to the tenth, which will not offer to him the tenth: to puni&s;h them with want, which fami&s;h tho&s;e which worke.</P>
<P>Witne&s;&s;e either the proper experience of offending per&s;ons, or el&s;e the events of their po&s;terities, <HI>Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corn.</HI></P>
<P>The u&s;e of the whole premi&s;es is to admoni&s;h all &s;orts of Chri&s;tians to practi&s;e the doctrine of my text: to tithe and conferre towards their Mini&s;ters mayntenance, ac|cording to the rules of holy Writ, within the compa&s;&s;e
<PB N="70" REF="41"> of their &s;everall vocations.</P>
<P>Private per&s;ons mu&s;t apply them&s;elves unto Chri&s;tian patience: they properly have no warrantable power to redre&s;&s;e and alter publike inconveniences.</P>
<P>Neverthele&s;&s;e they mu&s;t not omit the duty of diligent, and zealous praier unto God, who is able and willing to helpe and &s;uccour. They mu&s;t appeare likewi&s;e cheare|full and forward in any legall cour&s;e, to procure a reme|dy again&s;t the&s;e &s;acrilegious incroachments and u&s;ur|p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tions.</P>
<P>They ought faithfully herein to ayd and further their Mini&s;ters by liberall contribution, and all other ju&s;tifia|ble a&s;&s;i&s;tances, they (poor men for the mo&s;t part) are lea&s;t able to undergoe expences: And as the nature of their Calling affordeth commonly &s;mall ley&s;ure, &s;o concer|ning temporall affaires they have but litle &s;kill and expe|rience.</P>
<P>Oh how liberally doe the wi&s;e children of this world in their generations, fee their Lawyers in matters apper|taining to their outward e&s;tates; yea not &s;eldome in &s;trifes and co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tentions, which come from the evill lu&s;ts that warre in their members.</P>
<P>Moreover if a &s;ickene&s;&s;e &s;eizeth on their bodies, they &s;pare neither hor&s;es, nor Caroches, nor peeces, no travail nor co&s;t for a Phy&s;itian.</P>
<P>Is it po&s;&s;ible then that &s;uch a multitude of them will &s;hew their &s;elves &s;o ba&s;e and blocki&s;h, as to grudge and repine almo&s;t at every penny that they part with, to the heavenly Phy&s;itians of their &s;ouls? when as notwith|&s;tanding the certainty is, that upon the health and happi|ne&s;&s;e of the &s;oule, all the good promi&s;es, all true welfare of body and e&s;tate depend.</P>
<P>Let none then mi&s;erably pinth and &s;pare in ca&s;es of this binde, which indeed be Gods cau&s;e, and wherein the pro&s;perity of their &s;oules, their bodies, their po&s;terities
<PB N="71" REF="41"> be very deeply intere&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>Per&s;onages of Superior place and ability, as they have the be&s;t meanes, &s;o in no wi&s;e may they &s;lacke behind in cheerefull imployment of them, in every loyall and law|full occa&s;ion, to releeve and right our holy and venera|ble mother the Church. They will finde at length, no|thing to bee more noble, pious, nor remunera|ble.</P>
<P>Finally, I be&s;eech all &s;ortes, touching the reverend Clergies maintenance, to take into &s;erious con&s;iderati|on, that the God of equity hath in hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> divine wi&s;edome, and goodne&s;&s;e built his ordinance hereof, upon a faire foundation of equality in all points, and for all per|&s;ons.</P>
<P>We cannot &s;tray if we &s;werve not from it: wee &s;hall not goe wrong, if we regard this rectitude, and erre not through the crookedne&s;&s;e of our owne inventions.</P>
<P>The goods peradventure, of halfe the Chri&s;tian world con&s;i&s;t neither in Pa&s;ture nor Tillage, neither in corn, nor pul&s;e, nor cattle, nor Fruits. A prophane madne&s;&s;e it is to imagine &s;uch a manifold number, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">po<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">lous multitude to be free, &amp; exempted from this manner of &s;acred payment.</P>
<P>As if they acknowledged no &s;upreme Head, of whom to hold their riches and &s;ub&s;tance in Chief; nor yet con|&s;idered, how they had their &s;oules under the cu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e of his Highne&s;&s;e Deputi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">.</P>
<P>Behold then both p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">iall and per&s;onall tithers, mu&s;t yearely be yeelded to &s;upply the Lords Service, with the Mini&s;tery thereunto, and to &s;atisfie all folks with a cour&s;e of indifferency.</P>
<P>Now although the Clergy ought to endeavour care|fully, not to be overcome with evill, but to overcome e|vill with goodne&s;&s;e. And (as Saint <HI>Cyprian</HI> chargeth) the Prie&s;ts receiving the tithes of the increa&s;e, &amp;c. ought not &s;luggi&s;hly to retire from the Al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">, <HI>&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">cte dieque
<PB N="72" REF="42"> &s;piritualibus in&s;ervire,</HI> but night and day to attend upon &s;pirituall things; and that under extreme penalties &s;peci|fied in the holy Scriptures.</P>
<P>For (to remember us of our duty, and to cut the combe of Church robbery) <HI>Panormitan</HI> witne&s;&s;eth, <HI>Iu&s;titutio Benefici<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rum fundamentum &s;u&s;cepit finaliter propter cul|tum divinum, implicantem divinorum mini&s;terium de&s;er|vientium in divinis eo loco ubi in&s;tituuntur,</HI> the finall end of the in&s;titution and foundation of Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Bene|fices hath beene for the divine wor&s;hip, and the Mini|&s;tery that &s;erve therein, in tho&s;e places, whereas Church-livings are ordained.</P>
<P>Yet dreame not, that the unworthine&s;&s;e of the Pa&s;to|rall Incumbent, will di&s;charge the Laytie from the&s;e du|ties; for if this rea&s;on were currant, it mu&s;t in like man|ner runne upon all other rankes in their kinde, and &s;o rai&s;e a ruinous confu&s;ion upon all degrees.</P>
<P>Remember therefore the ca&s;e is not onely mans, but Gods e&s;pecially. Marke how this eternall well-&s;pring of mercy, and goodne&s;&s;e demandeth backe againe an hone&s;t returne of this litle portion; and that (without que&s;tion) not to benefit him&s;elfe, but to do us the more good, &s;aith <HI>Augu&s;tin.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Oh homines &s;tulti, quid mali imperat Deus, ut non mere|atur andiri?</HI> Oh fooli&s;h men in&s;en&s;ible of your owne profits, what hurt doth the Lord command, that you hold him not worthy the hearing?</P>
<P>That litle which he a&s;keth, he allotteth to the Mini|&s;ters of his Word and Sacraments unto us. Now &s;ince the&s;e actions and agents bee not of mans invention or plea&s;ure to con&s;titute, but of his owne Divine appoint|ment and choi&s;e; why &s;hould we then make any doubt or &s;cruple, but that his glorious Maje&s;tie will likewi&s;e have meanes and revenues, tithes, and offerings of his owne re&s;erved to him&s;elfe, for to &s;u&s;taine the&s;e holy du|ties,
<PB N="73" REF="42"> and &s;acred Officers.</P>
<P>Have a care then every Chri&s;tian per&s;on, (according to thy e&s;tate and calling) to di&s;charge thy con&s;cience in paying thy tithes faithfully. Which Saint <HI>Ambro&s;e</HI> termeth neither le&s;&s;e nor wor&s;e, out of thy Corne, thy Wine, thy Oyle, thy Fruites, thy Cattell, thy Garden, thy Trafficke, thy Hunting, &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Quicunque recognoverit in &s;e quod fideliter non dederit decimas emendet quod minus fecit.</HI></P>
<P>Who&s;oever can call to minde that he hath failed in any particular, he is bound in con&s;cience to amend, and to his power for to make re&s;titution.</P>
<P>Delay not, pay &s;peedily, <HI>Exodus</HI> 22. Grudge not, mur|murre not, <HI>Deuteronomy</HI> 26. Doe it with gladne&s;&s;e: <HI>Ec|cle&s;ia&s;ticus</HI> 35. Be a cheerfull giver, 2 <HI>Corinth.</HI> 9.</P>
<P>Pretend no &s;acrilegious cu&s;tomes for thy excu&s;e: the Popes them&s;elves allowed this for a Principle, <HI>Revocatur privilegium, &s;i ex po&s;t facto incipit enormiter e&s;&s;e nocivum,</HI> An abrogation of their own priviledges when they grew to be very grievo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s and hurtfull.</P>
<P>A wrongfull po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion cannot be warranted by any pre&s;cription of time. What is not right at fir&s;t becom|meth &s;till more crooked by continuance. Cu&s;tome a|gain&s;t the Divine and Naturall Law is no better then corruption.</P>
<P><HI>Con&s;uetudo non prae&s;tabit ubi per jus expre&s;&s;um repro|batur:</HI> it ought to be of no validity, wheras it affron|teth equity and piety.</P>
<PB N="74" REF="43">
<P>I will not &s;ay in the words of a learned Civilian, All have robbed, and therfore all are bound to make re&s;titu|tion; but it behoveth every per&s;on to put the hallowed things out of his hou&s;e, <HI>Deut.</HI> 26. to u&s;urpe nothing to the offence of his con&s;cience, to the hinderance of Reli|gion: in no wi&s;e to dimini&s;h but rather to augment the Mini&s;ters mayntenance, remembring evermore this di|divine precept, <HI>Thou &s;halt muzzle the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the Corn.</HI></P>
<CLOSER>Soli Deo, Laus &amp; Gloria.</CLOSER>
<CLOSER>AMEN.</CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 LANG="lat" TYPE="note">
<PB REF="43">
<P>REcen&s;ui librum hunc cui Titulus e&s;t <HI>(A liberall Mayntenance due, &amp;c.)</HI> nec in eo quicquam reperie qu&ograve; minus typis mandetur.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Sam. Baker.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><DATE><HI>Feb. 6. 1637.</HI></DATE> Ex adibus Lond.</DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
