A Gospel Plea Part 2, Errata 1 – Title page 1
ERRATA.
PAge 68. l. 11. r. luent, p. 141. l. 31. Solemanum, r. Salmurum, Rothingue, r. Rothomag. p. 142. l. 20. Trovomala.
The REMAINDER, or SECOND PART of A GOSPEL PLEA (Interwoven with a RATIONAL and LEGAL) FOR THE LAWFULNESS & CONTINUANCE Of the Antient Setled MAINTENANCE and TITHES Of the Ministers of the Goſpel: WHEREIN The DIVINE RIGHT OF OUR MINISTERS TITHES is further aſſerted: The Magiſtrates Inforcement of the DUE PAYMENT OF THEM BY COERCIVE PENAL LAWS, when ſubſtracted or detained, vindicated: That they are no REAL BURDEN, or GRIEVANCE to the People; the aboliſhing them no Eaſe, Benefit to Farmers, Tenants or Poor-People; but a Prejudice rather; and a gain to None but Rich Land-Lords, cleared: That the preſent Oppoſition againſt them, proceeds not from any true Grounds of Conſcience, or Real Inconveniences in Tithes themſelves, but only from baſe Covetouſneſs, carnal Policy, want of Christian Love, Charity to, and profeſſed Enmity againſt the Miniſters of the Goſpel; Yea, from a JESUITICAL and ANABAPTISTICAL DESIGN to ſubvert, ruine our Church, Miniſtry, Religion; and bring a Perpetual Infamie on our Nation, and the Reformed Religion here profeſſed. By William Prynne of Swainſwick Eſq; a Bencher of Lincolns Inne.
1 Cor. 9 14.
Even ſo hath THE LORD ORDAINED, that thoſe who preach the Goſpel, ſhould live of the Goſpel.
Cyprian, de unitate Eccleſiae.
Domos tunc & Fundos venundabant, theſauros ſibi in Coelo reponentes: at nunc de Patrimonio nec Decimas damus; & cum Vendere jubeat Dominus, Emimus potius & augemus.
Petrus Bleſenſis, Epiſt: 82.
Per Prophetam praecepit Dominus Decimas inferri in horreum ſuum; vos ab ejus horreo jubet is auferri, &c. Quid intereſt Equos rapiatis an Decimas? Niſi quia Decima res ſpiritualis eſt, & ideo enormius SACRILEGIƲM in Decimis committitur quam in Equis, Cum Dominus praecipit Decimas ſolvi, quis contra ejus praeceptum potuit diſpenſare?
London Printed by T. Childe and L. Parry for Edward Thomas, and are to be ſold at the Adam and Eve in Little Britain, 1659.
THE REMAINDER OR SECOND PART OF A GOSPEL PLEA, FOR THE Lawfullneſs and Continuance of the antient ſetled Maintenance and TITHES of the Miniſters of the GOSPEL.
KIng David a holy Zealot aActs 13. 22after Gods own heart, who fulfilled all his will, records this to Poſterity in ſacred Writ, as the moſt tranſplendent Character of his own real Saintſhip, in a Divine Appeal to God himſelf, Pſal. 69. 9. The zeal of THINE HOUSE hath eaten me up. And when our Saviour Chriſt, bMatth. 1. 6. c. 9. 27. c. 15. 22. c. 22. 42, 43, 45. Rom. 1. 3. Rev 22. 16.the Son of David according to the fleſh, out of an enflamed zeal againſt the Sacrilegious Prophanation of Gods Temple in Jeruſalem, made a ſcourge of ſmall Cords, wherewith he drove all that ſold Sheep and Oxen, with their Cattel, out of the Temple; powred out the Changers Mony, overthrew their Tables, and ſaid unto thoſe that ſold Doves, Take theſe things hence, Make not my Fathers Houſe an Houſe of Merchandize: His Diſciples upon this occaſion remembred and applyed this very Scripture to him, The zeal of thine Houſe hath eaten me up, John 2. 15, 16, 17. But the prepoſterous zeal of many Ieſuited Anabaptiſtical qua▪ king pretended Saints, Souldiers, Zealots in our degenerated dayes, is diametrically contrary to this of David, and our Saviour Chriſt, even to devour and eat up Gods Houſe it ſelf, with all his faithfull Miniſters remaining Tithes, Rectories, Glebes, Maintenance at one meal, which of late years, and now again they have proſecuted with ſuch eager Appetites and hungry Stomacks, that they make it their very prime, main, only Buſineſſe, endeavouring to effect it, with ſuch cSee Iohn Cannes Epiſtle, before his ſecond voyce (nor) from (but againſt) the Temple, and many late Petitions againſt Tithes, from Kent, Somerſetſhire, Wiltſhite, and other places.Poſt-haſt, as might anticipate all new printed Pleas for their juſt defence, and fore-judge moſt Miniſters, Patrons, Peoples Rights, throughout our Nation, (even out of Term in a long Vacation, as in Auguſt 1653. and now again) without any Legal Summons, Proceſs, Tryal by their Peers before competent lawfull Judges, meet to decide ſuch a univerſal Right, Title, publike Intereſt, which more or leſſe concerns every particular County, City, Pariſh, Miniſter, Patron, Perſon throughout the Realm; and therefore ought not to be drawn into Queſtion, much leſſe Deciſion, without their General conſent, deſire, petition, and a full deliberate hearing of all Parties intereſſed before a full Legal Parliamentary Tribunal, duly elected, entruſted by all the People, according to d3 E. 1. c. 5. (See Cook ibidem) 7 H. 4. c. 14. 1 H. 5. c. 1. 1 H. 6 c. 7. 10 H. 6. c. 2. 23 H. 6. c. 11. 32 H. 6. c. 15. 9 H. 8. c. 16. 27 H 8. c. 26. 35 H. 8. c. 11. Cook 4 Inſtit. c. 1.our Laws; This being an undoubted principle of Nature, Law, Equity, common Juſtice, and Reaſon, e2 Sam. 16. 18, c. 19. cl. 33 E. 1. m. 4. dorſ. 43. Brook Parliament, 101, Cuſtoms 6. & 32. Grotius De Jute Belli, & Pacis, l. 2. c. 15. ſect. 3. c. 6 ſect. 1 to 7. c. 13. ſect. 14. 33 H. 8. c. 17.Quod tangit omnes, ab omnibus debet approbari: Et Populi minor pars, Populum non obligit. This their preproperous ſpeed, and prepoſterous proceeding, neceſſitated my Stationer (at the importunity of ſome Miniſters in September 1653.) to thruſt out and publiſh to the World, an imperfect Piece, and beginning only of my Goſpel-Plea, for the Lawfulneſſe and Continuance of the Antient ſetled Maintenance and Tithes of the Miniſters of the Goſpel, without this Remaining part, (then ſent up together with it) or any Errata to it, or Notice given to the Reader if its incompleatneſſe, ſome few dayes before the great Debate of our New Legifers (Septemb. 1653.) concerning the future standing or down-fall of Tithes; which would have been finiſhed, and quite paſt before the whole could poſſibly be printed; and ſo have rendered the entire Plea leſſe ſeaſonable, ſerviceable, beneficial to our Church and Miniſters, than the publiſhing of a Fragment of it in that nick of time proved to them, through Gods bleſſing on it. This unexpected ſodain publication thereof upon that inevitable occaſion, as it cauſed an Omiſſion of ſome part of the ſecond Chapter in confirmation of the ſecond Propoſition, touching the Divine Right of Miniſters Tithes, and of the 3. enſuing Chapters: So it hath neceſſitated me to publiſh this Subſequent Appendix to that Chapter by way of Supplement, as a neceſſary Introduction to the Remaining Part, here printed with it, for the Readers better ſatisfaction in this publique Controverſy, and ſtopping the clamorous Mouthes of all Gain-ſayers. Which had been publiſhed, ſoon after the former, in the year 1653. had not my former Stationers long Infirmity, Sickneſſe, Death, retarded its progreſſe at the Preſſe, and enforced me to ſeek out another Midwife to bring it into the world, at this inſtant time, I hope not as an Abortive, out of Seaſon, the former Oppoſites to our Miniſters and their Tithes, being ever ſince and now again as Malicious againſt them as ever, waiting only for a freſh oportunity to ſuppreſs them, ever ſince their then ſodain defeat in this their Impious Sacrilegious Deſigne, when almoſt ripened to accompliſhment in their Hopes and Votes, unexpectedly daſhed in a moment. There being ſince this their diſappointment, a new diſguiſed Antichriſtian ſect of Quakers (introduced by Jeſuits and Franciſcan friers, as I have *In my Quakers Unmasked, 1655. and New dſcovery of Romiſh. Emiſſaries 1656.elſwhere evidenced) ſprung up amongſt us, more virulently oppoſite to our Miniſters and their Maintenance by TITHES, than any other, which they not only decry in all their Pamphlets, but totally ſubſtract and detain from them with ſuch wilfull obstinacy, that many of them chuſe rather to lye in priſon, upon mean Proceſſe, or Executions, than ſet out or pay their TITHES, or appear to Actions brought for their recovery; and now combine with the Anabaptiſts, and other ſectaries in freſh Petitions and Proſecutions both againſt TITHES, and Miniſters, endeavoring their total and final Extirpation, by the power of their Confederates, in the Army and Weſtminſter Juncto, ſodainly called in again, and owned by them as a Parliament (after their former ſix years ſecluſion) to *See my true and perfect Narrative, p. 14. 20. 41. 49. 60, 61, 62, 63.accompliſh this their deſign, and root our Law and Goſpel, Lawyers and Miniſters together, as their freſh *From Somerſetſhire Wilſhire and other places.Petitions, Addreſſes to them for that purpoſe clearly demonſtrate, beyond contradiction. Which occaſioned this publication, after ſo long a ſuſpenſion thereof.