Letter about People who Sin Against the Gospel, Text
A Monitory LETTER, about the Maintainance of an Able and Faithful MINISTRY.
Brethren,
IF ever you arrive to Bleſſedneſs, it muſt be by Faith, in the Bleſſed Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who is Revealed and Offered unto you, in the Glorious Goſpel of God: And if ever you Enjoy the Offers of the Goſpel, it muſt be by the Preachers of it: Even by the Miniſtry of men ſet apart, for the Work of Explaining and Applying, the Great Myſtery of Godlineſs among you.
A Miniſtry cannot be upheld without a Maintainance. Now, while ſome of your Miniſters, chooſe to leave their Salaries unto the voluntary Contributions of the People, there are others, who (ſenſible of what the Great Voetius writes, Hominum ſaepe tanta eſt Injustitia, Fallaeia, Lubricita, ac profanitas, ut Expediat, Contractum intercedere,) do make their Contracts with their people, for their Stipends. But it is well known. That tho' the Maintainance promiſed unto the Miniſters among us, be ordinarily very ſmall, ſcarce a Competency: and our Miniſters are moſtly of Calvins mind in this point, (as in all other they are Calvineſts,) Conſilium dedimus ut Ministris tantum Erogaretur, quantum ad Fragalitatem Ordine ſuo dignam, ſufficeret, non quod ad Luxum redundaret; Enough to ſupply them, in a credible and ſuitable Frugality would ſuffice them: nevertheleſs, they are often cheated of much, out of that Little, that has been promiſed unto them. The Miniſters not rarely are put off with a Pay, call'd ſometimes by the Name of, Synecdochical Pay, wherein by a certain Figure of Avaritious & Sacrilegious Rhetorick, the part goes for the whole. There are multitudes, who from one end of the year unto the other, do nothing, towards the Support of the Evangelical Miniſtry; and tho' a Levy do in moſt places Compel ſome to do ſomething, yet that ſomething is done grudgingly, as upon Compulſion, & the whole comes not up to all that had been Engaged. If the Miniſters now ſhould go to take the Remedy which the Law gives them, for the Recovery of their Arrearages, they would find the Remedy worſe than the Diſeaſe, and by uſing the Law, wound the future ſucceſs of the Goſpel While they have been, by the Acts of Aſſemblies, Exempted from Taxes, they have in reality been Taxed above any one Rank of men whatſoever. Nor does any but the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who in his Infinite Wiſdom orders His Holy Servants to Preach under the Croſs, know the Temptation that many of them have endured, when they have been defrauded of the Dues Vow'd unto them, & when a, Res anguſta Domi, has broken their Spirits, and hindred their Studies, & ruin'd the Liberal Education of their Families. It is their comfort indeed, that the Lord Jeſus Chriſt ſaies to the Angels of the Churches, I know thy Works, & thy Poverty, & thy Patience.
Now, Syrs, give leave unto one, who tho' he cannot be called, as Rabbi Tarphon was among the Jews of old, The Wealthy Prieſt, yet is at this Time, as little a Sufferer in this caſe, as perhaps any man in the Country, to Expoſtulare the Caſe a little with you, on the behalf of his more Suffering Brethren throughout the Country.
In the firſt place, Altho' your Miniſters rarely, if ever, touch upon it (becauſe they would Preach the Lord Jeſus Christ, & not Themſelves,) yet I hope, you are not ignorant, That there is the plain, and clear Commandment of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, for the Maintainance of His Evangelical-Miniſtry. I pray, Do your Miniſters the Right for once, your ſelves to Read, without putting Them to Read, in the firſt Epiſtle to the Corinthians, the Ninth Chapter, from the fourth verſe, to the Fourteenth. You ſhall here find an Inſpired Apoſtle of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, with ſix or ſeven irrefragrable Reaſons, in about nine or ten verſes, proving This, which he makes his concluſion, The Lord hath ordained, that they which preach the Goſpel, ſhould live of the Goſpel. It is then inconteſtably evident, That if you do not your part, that your Miniſters may Live comfortably, you Sin againſt the Ordinance of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt I am aſtoniſhed, that many a man, who calls himſelf a Chriſtian, can invent any way to quiet his Conſcience, before that poſitive word of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, Gal. 6. 6. Let him that is taught in the Word, Communicate unto him that reacheth in all good things. Now becauſe the Deceitful Hearts of men will plead in their own Excuſe, I can't afford theſe Expences, my Family will want, all that I ſhall ſpend that way; the Apoſtle adds, Be not deceived, God is not mocked. q. d. God knows, that you throw away upon your needleſs vanities, what you might much better have communicated unto your Teachers. When our Lord ſent forth His Miniſters, he directed them to expect a Subſiſtence from thoſe to whom He ſent them: And that upon this conſideration, Mat. 10. 10 For the Workman is worthy of his meat: & Luk. 10. 7. For the Labourer is worthy of his Hire. What horrid impudence is it now, for the Wolves to bark at the Shepherds, of our Flocks, by the Name of Hirelings, meerly becauſe they accept a Maintainance from them? Thoſe Pagans, [for none worthy the Name of Chriſtians, would ſo directly & expreſly contradict our Glorious Lord Jeſus Chriſt, the Lord of Glory!] They have certainly forgot what the Apoſtle Paul writes, a Cor. 11 8 about his Taking Wages (or Hire) of other Churches; tho' he forbore to demand any thing of that at Corinth. That Great Miniſter of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, receiving the money, that the Philippians gathered for him, ſaies, Phil. 4 18. It was a Sacrifice, acceptable, well pleaſing to God. God required a Maintainance for his Miniſters under the Old Teſtament; yea, tho' their Tribe, was …ardly a Fortieth part of the people, yet they had, by computation, as much Maintainance as Three of the Twelve Tribes beſide. And when they had part of their Maintainance detained from them, the Almighty God Thundred upon it, Mal 3. 9, 10 Ye are curſed with a Cuaſe, for ye have Robbed me: Let there be meat in my Houſe, and prove me now herewith, if I do not pour you out a Bleſſing. Now the Apoſtle counted it no weak Argument, that was to be fetch'd from the Maintainance of Miniſters under the Old Teſtament, for the Maintainance of Miniſters under the New. Saies he, 1 Cor 9. 13 Do ye not know, that they which Minister about Holy Things, Live of the Things of the Temple! And they which wait at the Altar, are partakers with the Altar? Even ſo they which preach the Goſpel ſhould Live of the Goſpel. The Miniſters of the New Teſtament, are as worthy of a Maintainance, as thoſe of the Old. And yet they don't ask of you, your Tythes, which was but part of the Levitical Maintainance: but if they might have ſo much as a Tenth part of what the Levites had, I am yerily perſwaded, it would richly content many of them. If Moſes took ſuch care for his Miniſters, will any man dream, that Jeſus (the Son over his Houſe) takes no care at all for His? The word of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt requires of a Miniſter, 1 Tim 36 That he be given to Hoſpitality: How is it poſſible for him to be ſo, if you be given to Coveteouſneſs, and given to Diſhoneſty, and Cheat him of his Maintainance!
I beſeech you, Syrs, Let Reaſon and Justice be a little heard, pleading the cauſe of your Neglected Miniſters. Your Miniſters demand not their Maintainance, as making a Lucre of Prayers, and Sermons, and Sacraments, and Spiritual Benefits: They are not the Sons of Simon Magus, to make a merchandize of things that are Spiritual; nor are they unmindful of Simon Peters caution, about, Filthy Lucre. But while they apply themſelves unto Spiritual Services, firſt, it is a vaſt Labour which they undergo. The Miniſtry is a moſt Laborious Employmens, unto all that have any ſenſe of the Account, that they muſt give of their Stewardſhip. And ſure, a Maintainance is one Thing, in the Honour, belonging to them, that Labour in the Word and Doctrine. And then, they are unavoidably taken off all other ways of nouriſhing themſelves and their Families. Had they been brought up unto another Calling, or, would they yet betake themſelves to a meaner Calling, they would probably grow Rich as faſt as you. But they confine themſelves to their Miniſtry; becauſe the Lord has Commanded them to give themſelves unto it, and, Be wholly in it. It is therefore Barbarous to deny them an agreeable Maintainance.
Briefly, Your Miniſters are deſirous to follow their Studies cloſely; and indeed, if they be not Hard Students, it is impoſſible they ſhould be Able Miniſters of the New Teſtament. In their Publick Diſcourſes, they are not fond of an Off hand Preaching; they be not for Spitting of Sermons; they would not give the Lord that which coſt them nothing; they would compoſe well Studied Meat-Offerings, not only for You O People of the Lord, but alſo for the Lord of Hoſts Himſelf, that Great King, whoſe Name is dreadful. It is needful, they ſhould have good Libraries, which, I aſſure you, are Coſtly Things: And it is needful, they ſhould not be like the Clerks, who having large Libraries which they ſeldome look'd into, were by the K. of France compared unto men with Crooked Backs, which carryed a load they never look'd upon; but they muſt ſit much in their Libraries, until they become themſelves walking Libraries. Beſides all this; the Government of their Churches, takes up no little ſhare of their Time. And they muſt Viſit their Flocks, to pray over the Sick, & Comfort the Bereaved, & Inſtruct the Ignorant, & Relieve the Tempted. & give their beſt Advice unto the Unadviſed. Yea, they muſt on frequent occaſions give themſelves to Faſting & Praying in their own Retirements, leſt the Devices of Satan (who Deſires to Sift them) ſhould in any thing prevail againſt themſelves, & their Flocks. Now, Sirs, are any ſo forſaken of all Reaſon, that they will not confeſs it an ineſtimable Benefit unto a Town, for to have a Minister, (a Good man, and full of the Holy Spirit, & Faith,) devoting himſelf unto theſe Divine Services, for them? Or, Is it Reaſon, that a man of worth, ſo Devoted, ſhould by the unworthy Niggardlineſs, of thoſe, whom he ſerves, be left wholly to ſink under his encumbrances? Or, Is all Reaſon gone out of the world?
If your Miniſters are prudently Thoughtful about their Maintainance, 'tis becauſe they have Read that Word, 1 Tim 5. 8 If any provide not for his own, he is worſe than in Infidel. And thoſe men are truly worſe than Infidels, who clamour againſt an Honourable Proviſion for the Miniſtry; the worſt of Infidels do honourably Maintain thoſe that are ſet apart, for the ſuppoſed Service of their Souls.
And that which may make the Reproof to thoſe men, who Rob their Ministers of their Dues, the more pungent is This; That there is a Sacriledge in the Robbery. Tis a Robbing of God. The Lord Jeſus Chriſt, in Heaven ſayes, Ye did it unto me.
Yea, You muſt allow me, to Advance this Aſſertion. Every man owes a Portion of his Eſtate, unto Pious Uſes; he owes it unto the Lord: the Great Lord is abuſed, if that Quitrent be not rendred unto Him. But what Portion of his Eſtate is it, that every man muſt Separate, and Conſecrate unto Pious Uſes, that ſo all the reſt may be clean unto him. I ſhould think, That ſomething about a Tenth part ſeems the Leaſt that can be. I know very well, that many do and muſt give more than ſuch a Portion; and I know the Buſineſs of many to Ly ſo that they can't exactly give juſt this portion. However, ſomething about this portion, ſeems a Good proportion. I find our Father Jacob, ſaying, Gen. 28 21, 22. The Lord ſhall be my God, & of all that thou ſhalt give me, I will ſurely give the Tenth unto thee. (Syrs, This was a long while before Moſes was born!) It ſeems, That man does not enough own the Lord for his God, who is not willing to give ſo much as the Tenth unto Him. Say, Will you not be the Seed of Jacob? They who beguile the Lord of this, are not ſo much as they ſhould be, True Iſraelites. I could never yet ſee an Anſwer, to that Argument; If the Tythes of Abraham, were the Rights of Melchizedek, then the Tythes of Chriſtians, (the Seed of Abraham) are the Rights of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt: For I am certain, That the Lord Jeſus Chriſt is, A Prieſt after the Order of Melchizelek. It may be, I have a little ſurpriz'd you with ſome Fear, that I am going to challenge your Tythes, as due to the Clergy. But I'll put you out of pain as to That; I do not ſo! The Lord Jeſus Chriſt has expreſly provided others, as well as His Miniſters, to be the Receivers of His Rents. The Improvement which I am to make of the Argument, is This. Let your Induſtrious, and Self-denying Miniſters have but One Half, of what one would judge proper to pay to the Glorious Antitype of Melchizedek in Pious Uſes, and I will undertake, it ſhall ſatisfie them. It will be but Righteouſneſs in you; & you'l enjoy more than a little peace in it. Yea, 'Tis poſſible, in many Towns, if you would permit your Ministers, to ſingle out only ſome Two Species, (perhaps, One) of the many Bleſſings that make up your Harveſt, and receive only a Tenth part of thoſe Things, their Maintainance would be better than it is; they would gladly take up with it. This indeed I don't propound, but only argue. Whereas now, they are Expoſed unto ſtrange Hardſhips; and they have over & above given unto them, to ſtudy upon, that clauſe in the Lamentations, Our Wood is Sold unto us!
Yea, I have been told, That when ſome of our Miniſters, have been viſited by the Hand of God with Sickneſs, and mourning for two or three months together, with the Sighs of Heman, I am ſhut up, and I cannot come forth! the people have gone to Substract ſo much of their yearly Maintainance, as their Sickly months would have come to. Alas, my Friends, common Ingenuity would cry, Shame, upon ſuch doings: And Chriſtianity would have beſpoke rather an Addition to, than a Subſtraction from the Maintainance of your Miniſters, who are in your Service, and only by the Calamity of Sickneſs interrupted in the Service
But, Sirs; what can you imagine to get, by thus witholding more than is meet? Oh, That you would Believe that word of God, Prov. 11. 24, 25. There is that withaldeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to Poverty; whereas, The liberal Soul ſhall be made Fat If the Spirit of Judas, cauſe you, to begrutch, all that is laid out upon the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and His Ministers, it is time for you, to conſider, what Spirit ye are of. And if the Impiety of Pinching and Starving your Miniſters, be aggravated, by your breaking your Covenants with them, [for oftentimes, men are ſo much worſe than the Phariſees, that they neither pay Tythes nor keep Faith!] I entreat you, to ponder ſeriouſly on that awful Word, Jam. 5. 4. Behold, the Hire of the Labourers which is of you kept back by Fraud, Cryeth: and their Cries are entred into the Ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 'Tis a Crime, you ſee that Cries to God for Vengeance: And I am aſtoniſhed, That the Impoverſhing Diſpenſations of God, which have been upon us, do no more put us, upon doing as that People, of old were call'd upon, Hag 1 5, 6, 9. Thus ſaith the Lord of Hosts, Conſider your ways: ye have ſown much, & bring in little: ye look'd for much, & lo, it came to little: why? ſaith the Lord of Hoſts: Becauſe of mine Houſe that is waſt Your injured Miniſters, eſpecially the more Deſerving ones, do make as little Complaint as ever they can, againſt their Neighbours, or unto them. They ſay with Job, As for me, is my Complaint unto man? If it be, is to little purpoſe. But, when they ſee Debts oppreſſing of them, & the Neceſsaries of Life hardly allowed unto them & their Families, while their People can throw away upon Pride, & upon Drink, and upon their Diverſions, the Money that would have been a thouſand times better aſſign'd unto any Vertuous Uſes in the world, Then they are Overwhelmed, & they pour out their complaint before the Lord. They mourn before the Lord, in Secret places, & cry out, Lord, I am Oppreſsed, undertake for me! But an incredible wrath from the Jealous & Wronged Lord Jeſus Chriſt, breaks forth againſt the People, that are guilty of ſo great an Oppreſſion ▪ I tell you truly, Except it be the Blood of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, Crying againſt a People, I know not, whether any Cry more terrible can go up to Heaven, than the Crying wants & Straits of His Holy Ministers. I have been told, That if the Tavern-keepers in many Towns, would bring in true Accounts, of what Money they have received in the Needleſs viſits of their Neighbours to the Taverns, the Sum would vaſtly exceed all that is in thoſe Towns laid out upon the Houſe of God. This is a Thing that Cryes to Heaven, for the Removal of a Deſpiſed Goſpel; Believe it, Sirs, Believe it.
Tis a wonderful Damage, that you do your ſelves, if it were no more than This; That by taking off your Miniſters from their Studies, you Stunt their Abilities, & Cramp their Accompliſhments, & looſe the vaſt Good that would thereby accrue unto your ſelves. It ſeems, you would have your Miniſters to be the Stars, rather than the Lamps of the Churches, & like Stars, to Shine, without the ſupply of any Earthly Contributions: But they are Lamps; and how ſhould they do any other than Burn Dim, if you don't ſupply them? Antigonus admiring to ſee, the Diligent Philoſopher Cleanthes, grinding his own Corn at the Mill, Cleanthes told him, I must either grind or Starve: whereupon Antigonus noted it as a great Indignity, that the Hands whereby Excellent Things had been written, ſhould be galled with Mechanick Labours. But how often do the people cauſe the Hands which have Baptized them, and which break the Bread of Life unto them, to be Galled with Inferiour Labours, for the getting of Bread? They muſt either Plough, or Starve. This muſt needs render their Ministry, leſs Edifying, to you, than it would have been. Yea, your Unrighteouſneſs towards your Ministers may be puniſhed by the Righteous God with Spiritual Plagues; and God may give you up to ſuch a Spirit of Slumber, that their Miniſtry ſhall never more be Profitable to you: for the moſt Lively Miniſtry in the world, will do good no further than that the Bleſſing of God accompanies it. When people are call'd upon to Maintain their Miniſters, tis added, Gal. 6. 8. He that ſoweth to the Spirit, ſhall of the Spirit reap life Everlasting. If you begrutch a ſmall Pittance of of your Eſtates, for the Maintainance of them that are to Feed your Spirits, God may be ſo provoked, as to Reſolve, that you ſhall Reap no Spiritual Advantages from their Miniſtry, but remain Barren Figtrees, till you are Cut down for the Fire of His Burning Indignation. Yea, Sirs, If ever you did get Good by your Miniſters, one would think, you could not think any thing too Good for them! And what if the provocation ſhould have this Effect alſo, That God will Take away your Excellent Miniſters, & then, either leave you a long while Deſtitute, & perhaps Divided; or ſend Succeſſors, that ſhall not be men of ſuch Good Principles & Properties, as thoſe men of God, that went before them? National Synods of the French Churches complained, That the Ingratitude of people refuſing to Contribute unto the Subſiſtence of their Miniſter, threatened the Churches with a total Diſſipution; and they Ordered, The Sacraments to be Denied unto the Ungrateful, if they remained Obſtinate. And the Primitive Churches, I find paſſed their Conſures on ſuch Offenders. We have no ſuch Method of proceeding in our Churches: But the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, after a dreadful mann…r takes the work into His own Hand: He Chaſtiſes an Ungrateful people, with Depriving them of Sacraments; and of Ministers too. And, as the French Churches … Suffered a Total D…ſſipation, Let us beware left Our Churches alſo do for their Ingratitude, come under a Total Diſſipation This I remember▪ Twas the complaint of Auſtin … his Time, That the Parſimonious Coldneſs of the Chriſtians, which diſ…oſed them to Rob God, & withdraw the Maintainance of His Miniſters, was a grand Preſage of the Calamities coming by Wars, upon the African Churches: With Souldiers, he ſays, Rapine will take, what was grudged for the Lord Jeſus Christ, and His Miniſters. God Avert the Omen.
But you, Brethren, who in Maintaining your worthy Miniſters, will Do justly, & love mercy, & walk humbly with your God, ſhall find your … no looſers by your Equity Do but make an Impartial Obſervation, of others, whether thoſe perſons & thoſe places, which Do beſt for the Maintainance of the Evangelical Miniſtry, do not Thrive moſt, under a very ſenseble Benediction of God, Yea, Do but make a Critical Experiment on your ſelves, whether if you'l Do more the next ye… towards the Maintainance of the Evangelical Ministry, y… don't at the years End, find that you Have more, than you ha… before. However, you may hope, that God will Eminen…ly Proſper unto you, that Miniſtry, which you Liberally Suſtain; & by that Miniſtry, He will convey to your Souls, thoſe Benefits, the Gain whereof is better than fine Gold. God will ſtrangely Hear the Pr…yers of your Obliged Miniſters for you, on frequent occaſion, in this world. And in the world to come, you are likely to be the Crown of your Ministers, & They your Joy, before the Lord Jeſus C…t, in thoſe Fruit…s, which Eye hath not ſeen, & Ear hath not heard. With theſe Intimations, I remain,
An Unknown, but Hearty, Servant of the Churches.
End of the text · Cotton Mather, Letter about People who Sin Against the Gospel (1700)