Defense and Justification of Tithes and Infant Baptism, Argument and answer 36
Anabapt. Anſwer. Fourth ſandy Pillar and Popiſh Foundation.
I Am now at laſt come to your laſt Sandy Pillar and Popiſh Foundation which ſo much troubleth you, and cauſeth you to ſeparate from our Reformed and Reforming Congregations, and this is (you ſay) The Sword of the Magiſtrate, which (ſay you) the Prieſts have in all generations run unto; Take that away, and then, you tell us, we would be in danger to ſtarve amongſt thoſe we call Chriſtians.
Mr. Bourns Reply.
For Reply. I cannot but wonder you ſhould dare to ſpeak againſt the Magiſtrates ſword, ſince you enjoy ſuch Liberty of Conſcience, and ſuch Protection under it. I had thought Tertullus Oration before Felix, might rather have befitted you, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietneſſe, Acts 24.2, 3.and that very worthy deeds are done unto this Nation by thy Providence, we accept it alwaies and in all places moſt noble Felix with all thankefulneſſe: much more living under Chriſtian Magiſtrates: A Chriſtian Parliament, and Chriſtian Judges, and Juſtices, ſuch as have been, and are ſo tender over, and for truly tender Conſciences, and of peaceable ſpirits, though of different Judgements in their Worſhip of God through Chriſt Jeſus according to the Scriptures. Can you juſtly deſire more than you have, except you would have all in your own power? and if ſo, then we have cauſe by your expreſſions of your minds to fear it would be very much againſt the Godly-faithful Miniſters in England, and their eſtabliſhed Maintenance, both by the Laws of God and the Nation, as we hinted before. But I believe I may gueſs at your meaning, you are not offended at the Magiſtrates Sword as it is a defence unto you and your peace; but as the Magiſtrates (bleſſed be God for it) by their Power defend Us and Our Maintenance by Tythes, according to the Law and preſent Government eſtabliſhed; and why I pray you may not we have protection by the Magiſtrates Sword as well as You? Is this a Peaceable and Chriſtian behaviour to deſire and be well-pleaſed with Liberty of Conſcience, and quietneſs for your ſelves, and to deſire and endeavour the ſame may be denied unto us? yea to have us denied our ſetled maintenance by Tythes, and We and our maintenance to be baniſhed the Common-wealth as Antichriſtian? Is this according to our Saviours rule, Mat. 7.12.to do as you would be done unto? certainly no; this rather diſcovers a ſpirit of Antichriſt, a perſecuting ſpirit rather than a ſpirit of love and peace, ſuch as becometh Saints.
But let me reaſon the caſe a little with you Is not the office and calling of a Magiſtrate an Ordinance of God? Rom. 13.1, 2, 3, 4.read Rom. 13. and conſider it well; Let every ſoul …e ſubject to; the higher Powers, for there is no power …ut of God, and the Powers that be are ordained of God, and he that reſiſteth the Power, reſiſteth the Ordinance of God, and they that reſiſt ſhall receive to themſelves damnation; for Rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evill. VVilt thou then not be afraid of the Power, do that which is good, and thou ſhalt have praiſe of the ſame: for he is the Miniſter of God to thee for good, but if thou do that which is evill, be afraid, for he beareth not the Sword in vain, for he is the Miniſter of God, a Revenger to execute vengeance upon him that doth evill, wherefore you muſt needs be ſubject not only for wrath, but alſo for Conſcience ſake.
But your conſcience is againſt the faithful Miniſters of God in England, and their maintenance by Tythes, and therefore You cannot be ſubject; and what if Yours be an erroneous, deluded, deceived conſcience? do You not then ſin in refuſing to give obedience to the Chriſtian Magiſtrate, and good Laws of the Nation, which require the payment of Tythes? certainly you will confeſs you do if there be chriſtianity, or conſcience, or ingenuity in you; but if you do not, can you well ſay, why ſhould any Miniſter appeal unto, or make uſe of the Magiſtrates Sword to compel you to do your duties; are you not free, and have Liberty of Conſcience? I anſwer: if it were demanded, would you not have liberty not only from Tythes, but from Taxes alſo if it were in your power? You will anſwer as theſe thirty Congregations, (the Faith of which you ſent me) do in the Poſtſcript of that Book, That you do own a Magiſtratical Power for the governing this our Engliſh Nation; You do own it but with a limitation: I ſay nothing to your limitation, I am ſure for what I know, you have no reaſon but to own the preſent Powers, and to ſubmit and obey the Magiſtrates, and all other in Authority, when they upon complaint do command the payment of Tythes to Miniſters according to Law, as in all other lawful commands; and as Magiſtrates have a lawful power to compel, ſo the Miniſters of Chriſt may lawfully appeal to them for Juſtice and Right; and although I would not have any of my Brethren to be contentious for trifles, or ſmall matters, yet it is their duty to defend, and not to loſe the juſt Rights of the Church for ſucceeding ages, eſpecially in theſe dayes, when Sacriledge is by ſo many accounted no ſin, as if God had no ſpecial right now to any thing in the world, and ſo men could not rob God of any part of the Creature which is his either by Reſervation, or Conſecration, for maintenance of his worſhip and ſervice; but if this were ſo, why doth St. Paul writing to his converted chriſtian Jews at Rome (ſuch as were called to be Saints, Rom. 1.7.) demand the queſtion, and reaſon the caſe with them, Rom. 2.22. Thou that abhorreſt Idols, doſt thou commit ſacriledg? ſacriledg ſure then might be found to be a ſin committed amongſt Chriſtians, for ſuch were theſe to whom St. Paul writ; it is ſome queſtion what kind of ſacriledg the Apoſtle means: but the Greek word uſed by the Apoſtle, Rom. 2.22. foreign Sacrilegium committo, foreign, Proprie …ſt Templa Despolione, Gerh. in Loc. M. Leigh upon the Romans. Calvinus in Rom. Hac ratione Ovidius metamorpho. 3. Sacrilegum appellat lycurgum ob contemptu Bachi ſacra & in faſtes ſacrilegos manus quae numen veneris violarant.ſignifieth to deſpoil and …ob Temples, or to deſpoil holy things, things conſecrated to Divine worſhip, or maintenance thereof, as if St. Paul had held as good a falſe Religion as a ſpoiling Religion, and although Sacriledg is not worſe, yet it is as bad as Idolatry, as that learned man Mr. Leigh well obſerves upon the place. And godly learned & judicious Mr. Calvin in his Commentaries, The Apoſtle (ſaith he) underſtandingly oppoſeth Sacriledg to Idolatry, as a thing of the ſame kind, (certainly both a like odious to God) for Sacriledg is a prophanation of the Divine Majeſty, (or of a worſhip and ſervice) or any thing that belongeth thereunto. And this ſaith Mr. Calvin was not unknown to the Ethnick Poets, who called thoſe ſacrilegious who contemned the holy things of their Heathen Gods; and what can it be but ſacriledg, or a robbing of God, when men violate and take away that which is Gods, reſerved by him for the maintenance of his worſhip and ſervice; for the taking away of that which belongs to God for the maintenance of his worſhip, certainly is a ſin which the Magiſtrate may take notice of as well as other: eſpecially when as it is a ſetled maintenance by the Laws of the Land, as well as by the law of God; and certainly the Miniſters of Chriſt may lawfully appeal to the chriſti…n Magiſtrates for Juſtice, as well as the bleſſed Apoſtle Paul did appeal to Caeſar (a Heathen Emperour) againſt his unjuſt adverſaries, as you may read, Acts 25.10, 11. I ſtand at Caeſars Judgement-ſeat, where I ought to be judged; to the Jews I have done no wrong, I appeal unto Caeſar. I might ſhew you at large how good Kings and Magiſtrates have comforted and encouraged the Prophets of God: The Levites they taught the people the good-knowledg of God before Chriſt, witneſs good King Hezekiah, the 2 Chron. 30.22. He ſpake comfortably to the Levites, and commanded the people to give the portion to the Prieſt and Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord, 2 Chron. 31.4. and good J…hoſhaphat before him honoured the Levites, as you may ſee, 2 Chron. 20. And Nehemiah that good Magiſtrate contended with the Nobles in Judah for prophaning the Sabbath; and whe… he perceived that the portion of the Levites had not been given them, he contended with the Rulers; and then brought all Judah the Tythes of the Corn, and the Newwine, and the Oyl unto the Treaſury, that the Levites might be ſupplied, and they might be diſt…ibuted to them according to their right, as is recorded Nehemiah 13.10, 11, 12. And we hope that as God hath formerly, ſo God will bleſs and honour this preſent Parliament to be a defence to all the godly faithful Miniſters in the Nation, though too many deſire they may be their deſtruction.
What need I tell you of Conſtantine the Great, that firſt chriſtian Emperour, what great reſpect he had to the Miniſters of Chriſt, Euſebius in vi…a Conſtantini.witneſs Euſeb…us in the life of Conſtantine: or of thoſe many chriſtian Princes alſo, who endowed, and according to conſcience & duty as they believed, gave and ſetled Tythes for the maintenance of the Miniſters of Chriſt; I have given a Catalogue of many before; I might vindicate at full, and juſtifie the authority of Parliaments, chriſtian Kings and Magiſtrates for puniſhing of offenders, and their coercive power to compel refractory men to do their duties according to the juſt and good Laws of God and men eſtabliſhed; but I refer you and the Reader to that learned VVork of that learned and laborious man, William Prynne of Lincolns-Inn, Eſq Entituled, The Sword of the Magiſtrate ſupported, That's a Book not anſwered, nor anſwerable, ſo as to deprive the good Magiſtrates of their juſt Power given them by God, and the laws of the Nation, over which the Lord in his wiſe Providence hath placed them; and thus I have done with your laſt ground of ſeparation, which you are pleaſed to call, A Sandy Pillar, and Popiſh Foundation, that is the Sword of the Magiſtrate, Rom. 13.1, 2, 3, &c.but it is Gods Ordinance, and that which you ought to obey, even for conſcience ſake, as we proved before.
And we muſt tell you, that we do not make the Sword of the Magiſtrate the Fundamental of livelyhood (as you imagine) though we do bleſs the Lord, that our good Mag…ſtrates are not againſt us, but for us; yet we live by Faith, and we hope the Lord will ſtrengthen our Faith to depend upon him, Hab. 2.4. Mat. 28.20. Heb. 13.5.who hath promiſed to be with us to the end of the world, never to fail us, nor forſake us; nor do we fear ſtarving amongſt thoſe we call chriſtians, when Tythes and all we had, were plundered and loſt; we found by experience the goodneſs of God in opening chriſtian hearts to communicate to our neceſſities, and doubt not but if the Lord ſhould ſuffer us to be brought to the like ſtraights again, Rom. 8.28. 2 Tim. 4.18.yet we know all ſhall work together for our good, God is the ſame God ſtill, and will provide for us here, what he ſeeth beſt, and preſerve us to his Heavenly Kingdom.