A Gospel Plea Part 2, Text
Ten Conſiderable Quaeres concerning Tithes, and the New Petitioners, Petitions, concerning their aboliſhing.
I. WHether Nine parts of Ten of the preſent cager Petitioners againſt our Miniſters Tithes (if ſtrictly examined by the poll) will not appear to be poor mecanical perſons, of ſuch mean inconſiderable fortunes, eſtates, condition, (without any Tithable lands, livings, eſtates,) as are no ways intereſſed nor concerned in the payment of Tithes? And ſo fitter to be puniſhed as factious, ſeditious, ſchiſmatical; than thanked, encouraged as zealous, conſcientious, well-affected perſons, by thoſe in preſent power?
II. Whether all or moſt of theſe Petitioners, be not really greater Enemies to our *See John Cannes ſecond Voice from the Temple, 1653.Miniſters and their Miniſtry, then they are unto their Tithes; petitioning purpoſely againſt their Tithes in order to the ſubverſion, extirpation of their Miniſtry, Function, and thereby of our Proteſtant Church and Religion? And that by the inſtigation, ſollicitation of thoſe diſguiſed Jeſuits, Popiſh Prieſts, Monks and *See My Quakers Unmalked. My New Diſcovery of Romiſh Emiſſaries. And true and perfect Narrative.Romiſh Emiſſaries, (the original broaches of this Doctrine, that Tithes are not due to Miniſters by Divine Right, and may be detained from them by the people, to gain them to themſelves; as you may read in Mr. Seldens Hiſtory of Tithes, p. 166, 167, 170, 171. who now bear chief ſway in moſt Separate Congregations of Anabaptiſts, Quakers, and other Antagonists now attempting the preſent abolition of Tithes? If ſo; (as will appear upon an impartial Inquiſition) whether ſuch perſons will not be fitter to be baniſhed as Antichriſtian, rather than Tithes, and to be taken into publike conſideration before the debate of Tithes?
III. Whether there be not above One hundred religious well affected Proteſtants, perſons of Honor, Quality, Eſtate lyable to the payment of predial Tithes, and moſt concerned therein, who deſire the conſtant payment and continuance of them for the maintenance of their Miniſters, to every one of thoſe Tith-payers who now petition againſt them as a grievance, though the Tithes the moſt of them pay be not conſiderable? If ſo, (as is moſt apparent, by comparing the paucity and quality of the Petitioners, with thoſe who refuſe to joyn with them) Whether it can bee conſcionable, equitable, juſt, reaſonable, *See Clauſ. 28. E. 1. m 3. dorſo.Parliamentarie, to admit of any debates for the aboliſhing, or altering the payment of Tithes, upon the Petitions of ſo few malecontented Sectaries, and unvaluable perſons; againſt the wills, conſents, deſires, of the Generality and moſt conſiderable part of the Nobility, Gentry, Farmers, Citizens, Freemen of the whole Nation? And that during the abſence & forcible ſecluſion of moſt of thoſe Knights, Citizens, and Burgeſſes they duly elected to repreſent their perſons, and give both their free Ʋotes, Opinions, Aſſents, and Diſſents, to whatever publike buſineſſes ſhould be propunded and ordained in Parliament: Therefore to this of Tithes which is ſo univerſal, and ſo highly concerns both our Religion and Proprieties?
IV. Whether it will not be an apparent breach of the Great Charter of England, ch. 1. & 29. That the Church of England ſhall be free, and ſhall have her whole Rights and Liberties inviolable; That no Freeman ſhall be diſſeiſed of his Freehold, or Liberties, or Free-Cuſtoms, or be outlawed, …led, or any otherwiſe destroyed, nor ſhall we paſs upon him nor condemn him, but by the lawfull Iudgement of his Peers, and by the Law of the Land: And of above 40. other Statutes for its confirmation fince, (ſome of them in the laſt long Parliament, now revived in pretext:) for thoſe now fitting to take upon them, the debating and voting down of Tithes, or altering their uſual way of payment in any kinde (being the Inheritance, Right, Liberty, Free-hold of the Church of England, of every particular Church, Patron, Miniſter, Impropriator, and many thouſands of Freemen in all parts of the Nation) without any lawfull ſummons given to them to appear before them, to defend, maintain their reſpective Inheritances, Freeholds, rights, intereſts in them, (ratified by preſcription time out of mind; by ſundry Acts of Parliament both under our antient *See Mr. Seldens Hiſtory of Tithes, c. 8. Raſtals Abridgement, Title Tithes.Saxon, Norman, Engliſh Kings, and many late Ordinances (to which thoſe now convened gave their Votes, as fully as others now ſecluded) as well as by Divine Right, Inſtitution both before, under the Law, and Goſpel too) without any lawfull judgement, hearing, tryal by their Peers, or by the Law of the Land? And whether this will be a conſciencious real performance of their defence of the Church of England, expreſſed in the Writs by which they were elected; or of their printed Declaration, May 9. 1659 We are reſolved (by the gracious aſſiſtance of Almighty God,) to apply our ſe…ves to the faithfull diſcharge of our Legal Truſt, to aſſert, eſtabliſh, and ſecure, the Property and Liberty of the people in reference unto all, both as Men and Chriſtians? Therfore of all Patrons, Miniſters, Members as well as others, unleſs they repute them neitehr Men, nor Chriſtians.
V. Whether *See his Second Voice from the Temple, 1653.John Canne, with other Adverſaries to and Petitioners againſt Tithes as Iewiſh and Antichriſtian; ought not firſt to prove them ſuch, by clear unanſwerable Scriptures, Evidences, Demonſtrations, to the conviction of the Iudgements, Conſciences of the generality of the Engliſh Nation, and all now ſitting? And to anſwer all the Arguments Authorities, Scriptures, Reaſons produced by Tyndarus, & Rebuffus, in their Treatiſes de Decimis, Dr. George Carltons, Tithes proved to be due by a Divine right, London 1606. Dr. Robert Tilleſlee, his Animadverſions on Mr. Seldens Hiſtory of Tithes London 1619. Sir Iohn Sempil his Sacrilege ſacredly handled, London 1619. Stephen Nettles his Anſwer to the Jewiſh part of Mr. Seldens Hiſtory of Tithes, Oxon. 1625. Richard Mountague his Anſwer to the firſt part of the Hiſtory of Tithes, London 1628. Dr. William Sclater, his Miniſters portion; Foulke Roberts, The Revenue of the Goſpel is Tithes, due to the Miniſtry of the word by that word, Cambridge 1613. Richard Eburne, his Maintenance of the Miniſtry, London 1609. R. G. his Truth of Tithes diſcovered; or the Anatomy of Annanias and Saphiraes Sacriledge, London 1608. My Goſpel Plea (interwoven with a Rational and Legal) for the Lawfulneſs and continuance of the ancient maintenance and Tenths of the Miniſters of the Goſpel, London 1653. & others, to prove Tithes Due by Divine Right to the Miniſters of the Goſpel, and neither Jewiſh nor Antichriſtian, nor illegal, nor burdenſom to the people in the leaſt degree, being allowed in all Leaſes, purchaſes, before they be voted down, aboliſhed, and quite abrogated as ſuch, upon their clamorous, ſcandalous Petitions, Suggeſtions, void of all truth?
VI. Whether the preſent, and future pretended eaſe of the people in their Tithes to their Ministers, (if effected) will not be recompenced with an Augmentation or Duplication of their Monthly Taxes to the Army, or in Fines, Rents to their Landlords, to a far greater value than they now pay to their Miniſters, and be levyed with greater rigour and harder compoſitions, if deteined, than now they are? according to Saint Auguſtines prediction, Sermo 219. De Tempore, If thou wilt not give thy Tithes, Dabis impio Militi, quod non vis dare Deo & Sacerdoti; Hoc tollis Fiſcus, quod non accepit Chriſtus: Thou ſhalt be ſure to give that to an impious Souldier, which thou wilt not give to God, and a pious Minister: The Exchequer takes that away, which Chriſts hath not received; as ſome Pariſhes have found by experience to their coſts and grief.
VII. Whether it be not a moſt arrogant, high, inexcuſable preſumption for a few giddy▪pated Innovators in this Age, to condemn, cenſure, not only the practiſe, wiſedom, piety of Abraham, the Father of the Faithfull, and all the people of God in the Old Teſtament, before and under the Law, and of moſt Chriſtian States, Churches under the Goſpel in paying, preſcribing Tithes, as the moſt equal, rational, juſt, convenient maintenance for the Prieſts and Miniſters of God of all others; but likewiſe of the wiſdom, prudence, providence of God, who is aProv. 8. 1, 14. c. 9. 1.Wiſdom it ſelf, and bRom. 16. 27. 1 Tim. 1. 17. Iude 21.God only wiſe, c1 Cor. 11. 25.whoſe very Folly is wiſer than men, in inſtituting, commanding ſuch a conſtant, ſetled maintenance for them in his Word, as the beſt, fitteſt of all others; wherein both Miniſter and people equally loſe, gain, and ſympathiſe with each other, which they cannot do with ſo much indifferency, equallity in any other way, which human wiſedome could hitherto invent?
VIII. Whether it be not an infallable evidence, that thoſe have neither the Faith nor Piety, and by conſequence are not the Sons of Abraham, the Father of the Faithfull, in a Spiritual or Goſpel ſence, who refuſe to do his dIohn 8. 39, Rom. 4. 7, to 15.works and follow his ſteps, in paying Tithes of all their ſpoils of Warr to Chriſt himſelf, a Prieſt for ever after the order of Melchiſedeck, Heb. 7. 4. as other Soldiers by his example did both amongſt Iſraelites, Christians and Pagans too, Num 31. 26, to 54. 1 Chron. 26. 26, 27, 28. Mr. Seldens Hiſtory of Tithes, c. 1. 3. and endeavour to ſpoyl them of all other Tithes due from themſelves, and others too; reputing it an eminent degree of their Saintſhip? And whether this their practiſe be not likelier to bring them into Hell torments, than into Abrabams boſome in concluſion, if they repent not of it? Luke 16. 23. to 31.
IX. Whether all the Inconveniences objected againſt Miniſters maintenance by Tithes, be not rather fictitious, imaginary, than real, ariſing from the malice, covetouſneſs, impiety, fraud, bypocriſie, injuſtice, rapine, perverſeneſſe, litigeouſneſſe of the wilfull Deteiners, Oppoſers of them, rather than from Tithes themſelves? ſince many Miniſters heretofore, and of late years, have lived all their lives without any ſutes for Tithes with any of their Pariſhioners, and might doe ſo ſtill, would they make a Conſcience to pay them without any ſute? Whether thoſe who refuſe to pay Tithes in kind to Miniſters now, out of a pretext of Conſcience; will not upon the ſame Pretence reſuſe to pay them any other maintenance that can be invented, and make it more litigious, contentious, uncertain than their Tithes, ſince every Innovation in this kind ingenders new ſuites & diſputes, when all legal Controverſies, ſuites for Tithes have been long ſince ſetled, reſolved over and over, both in Parliaments, and other Courts of Juſtice?
X. Whether the admiſsion, permiſſion of thoſe few Commoners now acting without their Fellows, (being ſcarce the TENTH PART OF THE HOUSE) to vote down, or take away the Miniſters Tent…s, or reduce them into one publick Treaſury, to divide and diſtribute them at their pleaſures, though amongſt the Miniſters themſelves at firſt, will not be a dangerous leading Preſident and encouragement to them (upon any pretended neceſſity) to diſpoſe of theſe Tenths and the other *1 Sam. 8. 14, 15, 16, 17. 18. … See I…. Calvini Hom. 29. in 1 Sam. …. 8. p. 155.nine parts of every Mans eſtate, and reduce the profits of them into their publick Treaſury, for the neceſſary defence, and preſervation of their New-Commonwealth, and the Armies pay, as they did others ſequeſtred eſtates heretofore, becauſe Tithes, though *See Mr. Seldens Hiſtory of Tithes, ch. 11. The 2. part of my Goſpel plea.originally dedicated as a peculiar portion, inheritance, and rent-ſervice to God himſelf and his Church, as the Soveraign Lord of all mens Inheritances, ſpecially reſerved by him for his own immediate honour, ſervice, homage, tribute, for all the other nine parts they enjoy by his free grace and liberality; may be thus alienated and diſtributed at their pleaſures; therefore much more the nine remaining parts alotted unto men alone, for their own private, and the Publick good; over which they have a greater probabler, legaller Juriſdiction, than over Gods own peculiar portion, which might neither be alienated, exchanged, redeemed by any human powers, but only by the Prieſts conſents in ſome ſpecial caſes for their advantage, Numb. 18. 20. Levit, 27. 28, 29, 30, 32, 33. Deut. 12. 17. c. 14. 22, 23. Mal. 3. 8, 9. Ezech. 48. 9 to 15. Which if once reduced into a new publick Treaſury, the Miniſters are like to have no other ſhare nor better account of them, then of the Tithes of Southwales for ſom years laſt paſt, or of the Deans & Chapters impropriations for the augmentation of incompetent livings, ſwallowed up for the moſt part by the Treaſurers and their Inſtruments, with little or no advantage to the publike, and leſs to the Miniſters, by reaſon of their unfaithfullneſs; far different from thoſe *2 Chron. 31. 11. to 20.Treaſurers for the Tithes and Firſt fruits brought to Ieruſalem, appointed by King Hezekiah, over whom Coniah the Levite was ruler, who faithfully brought in and diſtributed to their brethren, the Oblations, TITHES, and dedicated things, as well to the g…cat as the ſmall, without ſubſtraction or defalcation. The Statutes of 27 H. 8. c. 20. 32H. 8. c. 7. 2, & 3E. 6. c. 13. ſtyle thoſe evil diſpoſed Perſons, not regarding their Duties to Almighty God, and to the King their Soveraign Lord, who out of an ungodly and perverſe will and mind detain all or any part or parcel of their Tythes and Offerings, enacting ſtrict penalties againſt all Substracters and Detaine…s of them. How then they can now be reputed conſciencious Godly Saints, unleſſe inrolled for ſuch in the Roman Kalendar, is worthy reſolution: ſome of them (as the Quakers) beginning of late to work on the Lords day, denying God one day in ſeven, as well as the Tenth of their annual increaſe, deeming both Jewiſ… and Antichristian, as they deem our Miniſters. Ex cauda draconem.
FINIS.
End of the text · William Prynne, A Gospel Plea Part 2 (1659)