The Civil Right of Tithes, Ecclesiastical tract · Chapter 6
CHAP. VIII.
THeſe things may ſeem needfull to have been pre-conſidered of gifts, to the intent what follows may not ſeem to have croſſed the generall Doctrine. Among particular inſtances whereof to our purpoſe,A little before the year after Chriſt, 600. begin firſt with the head, that which was to Auguſtine, or in that Auguſtines time whom ſome love to call the Apoſtle of the Engliſh men: who found moſt of this Engliſh part of the Iſle as Barbarous, as the whole is like to be when covetous men may ſave this expence. We cenſure not what the grace or power of God can do, but in likelyhood what he will. Miracles are not to be multiplyed without cauſe, nor he to be put out of his ordinary courſe of By-cauſes; according to which we are likewiſe to expect and judge that will be, in humane probability is by them Like to be. He then found here the land dark as Sodome, the ſouls of men over-ſpread with Atheiſm and Idolatry, and no truth or knowledg of God, which he divulged ſucceſsfully, and took care, (or the bleſſed Providence of God brought to paſs) that the Vine and the Elm were planted and have grown comfortably together, Chriſtian Religion and this acknowledged good ſupport thereof being by one and the ſame Hand here planted and rooted; and as they were born, and have lived, if any be, God grant as Twins they be not taken away together alſo.
But whence does this appear? we ſhould gladly have taken it up from Bede or Malmsbury, or any other creditable ſtory, but we have it from what was more authentick, the moſt ſubſtantiall credit of a ſolemn law: By all mens leave, This ſhall be more creditable then any private Mans words; what is planted and ſhining in any publick paſt law, being leſs ſubject to forgery and ſubornation then any ſingle ſimple mans Teſtimony whatſoever. In King Edward the Confeſſors Laws then thus we finde.
Of all1De omni annona, &c. The Latin is after tranſcribed, pa. 79. Corn the Tenth ſheaf is due unto God, and ſo to be paid. And if any keep Mares, the Tenth Colt; but if he have but one or two, ſo many pence. So if any keep kine, the Tenth Calf; or if one or two, ſo many half pence. He that makes Cheeſes, the Tenth; or if not, the Tenth days milk. In like manner, Lamb, Wooll, Sheep, Butter, Pigs, of all the Tenth. The tenth alſo of the commodity of Bees, and of Wood, Medow, Waters, Mils, Parks, Ponds, &c. the Tenth to him that gives both Nine and the Tenth. He that detaineth, let him be forced by publick Juſtice, (ſo I interpret that called there the Kings and the Biſhops, becauſe their powers were then repreſented together to confirm both ways, Civilly and Eccleſiaſtically:) for ſo preached and taught bleſſed Auguſtine, and ſo was granted by the King, the Lords, and the People.
Thus far that ſolemn Law, the authority of whoſe teſtimony we ſhall2Vid. pa 90, 91, &c. hereafter more fully ſet forth, when, for the ſake thereof, we ſhall ſhew the whole collection to be one of the ancienteſt pieces of the Common law, ſo often called for by the people, confirmed by the King, and entred into the Coronation Oath, &c. In the mean while, by all the credit this teſtimony can give, Auguſtine preached Tythes, the People believed, the King and Parliament granted; for what can be leſs meant by, Conceſſa ſunt à Rege, Baronibus, & Populo? and under the ſpecification of Colt, Lambs, Fleece, Corn, Milk, Honey, and moſt particulars claimed.
Let no man take advantage, by thinking me ſo unadviſed as to ſuppoſe Parliaments ſo early under that name, which I know came in long after, and whatſoever ſhould carry that title applyed in ſtrictneſs to any thing beyond a good way in the Norman times, I ſhould ſuſpect it for Counterfeit: but that Publick meeting which had the power and vote of the Land, conſiſting of the Head and its ſubordinate Members, call it Senate, Gemote, Court, Councell, or whatſoever elſe, the Collection and Congregation of the Land granted this.
Object. I know well what may be ſaid to the contrary: as that Bede who lived ſoon after, and reports that ſtory of Converſion at large,Vid. Hiſt. Eccleſ. lib. 1. cap. 26. in fiu. & cap. 27. Interog. 1. and is moſt authentick for thoſe times and the following, ſayes nothing of any ſuch thing: not when he had juſt occaſion ſo to doe: for he ſpeaks both of Auguſtines entertainment (a few lands) and his ſending back to Rome about Church-maintenance in generall, and how it ſhould be divided, but not a word of TYTHES.
Whereunto I anſwer, True this: but, what then?
Anſw. 1. Negative teſtimonies are the weakeſt of proofs, upon the matter no proof at all; as ſilent witneſſes that ſay nothing.
If Bede had ſaid any thing we ſhould have much liſtened, and that whether he had ſpoke againſt or for us; but ſaying nothing he is but a mute, and no more to be regarded ſtrictly, then he that is called, comes in, and is ſilent.
2. As to his yet mentioning other things neer, the time of both was but when yet things were raw: when he had not preached, nor the people beleeved, or in reward ſetled what they may have afterwards. Time does much, nothing is begun and perfected at once; the ſtory is plain, the queſtions ſent to Rome, of which we have account, were, the firſt return of Auſtines ſucceſs: and petition for ſupply of Councel thence, and ſo might prevent what was after done, and it be too ſoon there to mention what was not till after, granted.
3. And the firſt of thoſe queſtions was onelyonly of oblations, as a part, and whereof might be the greateſt doubt, not excluſive of other things.
4. Neither were thoſe oblations all that was, poſitively: for Auſtine had then other things, & ſo that expreſſion not ſo full and comprehenſive as to infer any thing from it as compleat. For the King had given him1Dedit ergo eis manſionem in Civitate Dorovernenſt (quae imperii ſui totius erat Metropolis) Eiſque ut promiſerat, cum adminiſtratione victus temporalis licentiam quoque praedicandi non abſtulit. cap. 25. good intertainment at firſt, (no doubt continued) and2Nee diſtulit quin ipſis ſuis doctor bu… locum ſedis eorum gradui congruum, in Dorovernia Metropoli ſua donaret, ſimul & neceſſarias in diverſis ſpeciebus poſſeſſiones conſerret, id. cap. 26. afterward, befitting his degree, as one to whom he had intruſted his ſoul, another place3Donatuſque à Regeurbe regia Cantuaria in Epiſcopalem fedem, & aula Regia in Eccleſiam Cathedralem Chriſto erigendam: ſic ut aemulari Rex videtur quod ab Imperatore Conſtantino Magno factum perhibent. Vita ſancti Auguſt. apud D. Spelman. Concil. p. 91. I think his own palace in Canterbury, with needful accommodations of ſeverall ſorts. What thoſe Neceſſariae in diverſis ſpeciebus poſſeſſiones, were, I know not: I beleeve they could not be comprehended within the oblations in the queſtion mentioned, and ſo that not comprehenſive of all was allowed.
5. 'Tis yet liker they were Tythes, in ſpecie, for King Alured ſeems to have borrowed ſuch a law from this King. My reaſon is, becauſe when after he compoſed a body, with a preface as from Leviticus, wherof one branch is for Tythes, he ſays of the whole, that he thought it4Has ego Aluredus Rex ſanctiones in unum Collegi, atque eaſdem literis mandavi, quarum bonam certè partem majures noſtri Rel…gioſè coluerunt, multa etiam &c. Ac quoniam temeritatis videatur exſuis ipſius decretis quenquam plura literarum monumentis conſignare, tum etiam incertum ſit qualem apud poſteros habitura ſint fidem quae nos magni facimus, quaecunque in Actis Inae gentilis Mei, Offae Merciorum regis, vel Etheiberti, (qui primus Anglorum ſacro tinctus eſt baptiſmate) obſervatu digna deprehendi, ca collegi omnia, reliqua planè omiſi: Lamb. Arch. p 22. Spelm. Concil. p. 363. too great preſumption for him to attempt any ſuch thing firſt anew, and therefore he modeſtly borrowed, with the advice of his Councell, from his Anceſtors Ina, Offa, and this Ethelbert, Qui primus Anglorum ſacro tinctus eſt Baptiſmate, the firſt of Chriſtians. Now for Ina we are ſure enough of him, by the laws extant, he had none ſuch; if Offa had, then either this was that Alfred related to, or it was not. If it were, then has Offa's Law much confirmation in this of Alfred: If it were not, there could be no other to relate to, but this of Ethelbert.
6. Yet more likely, for that before Any other Act paſſed (this of Offa or any other, that we read of) here were tythes ſaid to be paid: For5In an Epiſtle to Cuthbert Archbiſhop of Canterbury, de corrigendis vitiis Anglorum, about the year 745. id pag. 240. Boniface Archbiſhop of Mentz, blames the then Clergy here for neglecting their Cures, yet Lac & lanam ovium Chriſti oblationibus cotidianis ac decimis fidelium accipiunt. Now he lived about the year 745. and before Offa, or any other Act we read of but that of Ethelbert.
This ſure: we have here a plain affirmation, in a clear law, and ſo not raſhly to be left for any private conjectures, or blinde preſumptions, and that in ſuch a place, that, ſave in Domus-Dei book, or a few other, we might not look for more authentick from the tendryes of that age. Some credit uſes to be given to places; we leaſt ſuſpect forgery in a Church-window, or Palace-Inſcription; and an hiſtorical truth ſhall never ſhine with that evidence, light and credibility to my ſoul from Tacitus or Tranquillus, as caſually let fall or ingraven in the face of a Roman-law, or publikly inſcribed in the commanding Pandects or Novells. Eſpecially ſith, here was ſaid to be a conſent of King and people: which laſt if they had not conſented, here would have been worke enough: every ſimple man would have been a ſingle accuſer, & every neighbour at hand a ready witneſs: Kings Acts may have many eyes upon them; but to father any thing upon the people undone or untrue, were to create a Commonalty of enemies at once, every one with his accuſation ready to clamor loud enough againſt the forgery.
We will ſay then, Auſtine preached tythes; and the King, Barons, and people beleeved, and obeyed and conferred them: And obſerve thereon, their date began with the Bibles entertainment; tything and preaching went together at the firſt, from the firſt and alwayes. 'Tis uncourteous to part old friends, hard to ſlope the skin from the fleſh, dangerous what hath long gone and grown together. Accuſtomed food proves lightly wholſomeſt, they that change for better often fall ſick of their remedy, and to be weaned from that an aged man hath been accuſtomed to, and found wholeſome from infancy, cannot but create much danger to the body by change, if not utter diſſolution. Which 'tis eaſie to apply here; and ſith, miniſter to Chriſt, and live by Tythes, are ſo intwined together among us as they are, and alwayes have been, God grant the event extend not beyond good mens deſires, intents, doubts, or fears, that the whole frame of the long continued Church, ſink and fayle, upon ſtirring (if they ſhould be ſtirred) this united and neer co-incorporate pillar that hath hitherto outwardly ſuſtained it. If it be charge or trouble, it may be born by the experience of a thouſand years: If men love their eaſe now, ſo they did heretofore: If they are now wiſe, they were not then altogether deſtitute of wiſdom: Lay together, that the clear policy of the Old-Teſtament went thus all along, the generall practiſe of the New-Teſtament hath been according; Here with us ever ſince the bright ſhine of the Goſpel diſpelled heatheniſh darkneſs, and from the very day-break of Chriſtianity to this inſtant, it hath been judged beſt, and is; what new plots would do is uncertain, and may have the accompanying danger of experiment upon ſick or ſound bodies to diſturb what is ſtrong, or ruine what is decaying.