Defense and Justification of Tithes and Infant Baptism, Title page – Dedication 1
A Defence and Juſtification OF Miniſters Maintenance BY TYTHES. AND OF Infant-Baptiſm, Humane Learning, and the Sword of the Magiſtrate; Which ſome ANABAPTISTS falſely call Four Sandy Pillars, and Popiſh Foundations of our Miniſtry and Churches.
In which Tythes are proved to be due by Divine Right to the Miniſters of the Goſpel. All common Objections Anſwered, and divers caſes of Conſcience humbly propoſed: with a light to clear them.
In a REPLY to a Paper ſent by ſome Anabaptiſts to IMMANUEL BOURNE, Late Paſtor of the Church in Aſheover in the County of Derby: now Preacher to the Congregation at Waltham in the County of Leiceſter.
With a ſhort ANSWER to Anthony Peirſon's Great Caſe of Tythes, &c.
Thou that abhorreſt Idols, doſt thou commit Sacriledge? Rom. 2.22.
LONDON, Printed for John Allen, at the Riſing Sun in Paul's Church-yard. 1659.
To the Supream Authority of this NATION, The PARLIAMENT of the Common-wealth of ENGLAND, By the ſpecial Providence of God reſtored to their TRUST.
Chriſtian Senators,
IT is now above twelve years ſince I Dedicated a larger Treatiſe to this Honourable Parliament, then full of pious Members, and full of the Favour of God, and high eſteem in the World; the moſt wiſe and powerfull Lord of Hoſts, the God of all the Armies in the earth, having made you hopeful Conquerors over the Adverſe Party, and given you power to eſtabliſh the Nations upon the ſure Foundation of Truth and Righteouſneſs, and not only to confirm the ſetled Maintenance of the Miniſters of the Goſpel by Tythes, according to the Laws of the moſt wiſe God, and the moſt ancient Law of this Nation, but to have increaſed their Maintenance in thoſe places, where by that abominable Sacriledg of Antichriſt, the Tythes were appropriated to Abbies, Monaſteries, and ſuch ſuperſtitious uſes: and after moſt unjuſtly detained from the right Owners, the particular Pariſh-Miniſters, by King Henry the Eighth, and the Parliament that then conſented to him for their alienation; by occaſion of which; in divers thouſands of Pariſhes, (even ſince the time of Reformation) poor ignorant, yea ſcandalous Miniſters have been ſetled and continued, to the diſhonour of God, our Religion, and ſucceeding Parliaments, A light from Chriſt, leading unto Christ, Printed for John VVright, 1646.multitudes of Souls made ready to periſh for lack of Knowledg (as they are in too many places at theſe dayes.) In the Epiſtle Dedicatory of that Book of mine preſented unto you, I did complain of this miſerable ignorance as a cauſe that ſuch a multitude of poor blind Souls did run to the Kings Standard ſet up at Nottingham, and joyn with that Army againſt the Parliament, which was a ſad occaſion the King did not return, Humble Petition preſented at York.although he was moſt humbly Petitioned by multitudes of his moſt faithful Subjects from ſeveral Counties in this Nation, (which if it had been the will of God he had done) might by Gods b…eſſing have prevented thoſe Rivers of Blood which have been ſhead in theſe inteſtine Wars: and for my own particular, have ſaved me from that moſt barbarous plundering of my houſe and Goods, in which I loſt (with what is ſtill owing me upon the Publick Faith & in other reſpects) above five hundred pounds, which I hoped I ſhould have received before this, having the Engagement of England and Scotland in print, that thoſe who were plundered and loſt their Eſtates for their faithfulneſs to the Parliament, and the Cauſe of God and the Nation then undertaken, and continued faithful, ſhould have their Eſtates reſtored, and be recompenced to the full, or words to that effect; but when the Parliament was Diſſolved, I gave up my hopes as dead; yet ſince God hath raiſed you from the Dead again, and in his Providence brought you to ſit here to perfect the good work was begun, I will not deſpair, but both I my ſelf and others may find that Promiſe of both Nations made good to our comforts in time. And yet Right Honourable, my Spirits have not been a little troubled to hear and ſee a Generation of Seduced Souls, Quakers, Anabaptiſts, and others, cry out ſo bitterly againſt the Godly, faithful Miniſters of Chriſt in the Nation, as all Antichriſtians, to be deſtroyed, and their maintenance by Tythes to be taken away; Ye to ſee thoſe inhumane, I am ſure moſt unchriſtian abuſes are ſtill offered to too many of us till this day. I am afraid leſt if the God of Heaven and Earth find it to be with England as it was with Iſrael, when the God of their Fathers ſent to them by his Meſſengers riſing up betimes, 2 Chro. 36, 15, 16.and ſending, becauſe he had compaſſion on his People, and on his dwelling-place: they mocked his Meſſengers, and deſpiſed his words, and miſuſed his Prophets untill the wrath of the Lord aroſe againſt his people, till there was no remedy: therefore he brought againſt them Forraign Enemies to their deſtruction; the Lord pardon theſe our ſins, and prevent thoſe Judgements if it be his will; Joſh. 6.and I fear if Achans ſin of Sacriledge, the taking away of Gods reſerved part be found in England as it was in Iſrael, the puniſhment of Iſrael may befall us alſo, that our Army, as theirs, ſhould fly before our enemies, and then how ſad our condition may prove, none but God himſelf knows; to prevent this, to the beſt of my power, I make bold moſt humbly to preſent this little Treatiſe to your Honours, in which to the beſt of my underſtanding, Tythes are proved to be Gods Reſerved part, and due to the Miniſters of the Goſpel by Divine right; and the unſetling of this antient Right may prove (I fear) the removing of a houſe built upon a Rock, and ſetting it upon the Sand, or a ſandy Foundation, which may prove the ruine of the Houſe, and of thoſe that inhabit it. Upon my ſtudying of this Queſtion, had I found Tythes unlawful, or the Wages of Unrighteouſneſſe, as my Adverſary-Anabaptiſts in their written paper ſent to me did affirm, or Theft and Robbery as the Quakers; I hope the Lord would have given me ſuch a ſpirit of Contentment, that I ſhould have choſen rather to have begged my Bread from door to door (as old as I am, now almoſt Threeſcore and Ten) rather than to have lived and dyed a Thief and a Robber, accurſed of God and Good men. But as worthy Luther profeſſed when he conteſted againſt the Popes Indulgencies, If any man can ſhew me a more firm and better way of Miniſters maintenance, than by Tythes, which the Lord himſelf in his wiſdom found out to be the fitteſt. I ſhall lye down in the Duſt, and when my Conſcience is ſatisfied, change my mind.
In the mean time not ceaſe to pray the moſt Wiſe God to guide your Counſels, and proſper you in all your juſt and lawfull Endeavours, hoping of your Protection and encouragement for my ſelf, and the reſt of my Brethren the faithful Miniſters of the Goſpel, I moſt humbly Subſcribe my ſelf,
A moſt unworthy Servant, and Ambaſſadour of the Lord Jeſus, and your Honours Servant in Chriſt, and for Chriſt, Immanuel Bourne.