Exceptions Many and Just Against Two Injurious Petitions, Section 2
SECT. II.
THe other motive of prudence to the aboliſhing of Tithes, is that in ſo ding the Parliament wil ingage the hearts of all the honeſt and godly people of this Nation who have been bowed downe under the oppreſſion and who being diſingaged from Corrupt and ſelfe intereſts, will chiefly adventure their Lives and States for their preſervations and the Nations Peace.
Where there are two particulars which deſerve diſtinct conſideration: the one who will be ingaged to the Parliament upon the taking away of Tithes, the other how farre they will be ingaged.
For the firſt they ſay all the Godly and honeſt of this Nation who are bowed downe under the opreſſion of Tithes, and diſengaged from corupt and ſelfe intereſts where they bring in the Godly people with two qualifications of little affinity one with the other, for to be diſengaged from corrupt and ſelfe intereſts, very well agreeth with the ſincerity of of the moſt ſound hearled Chriſtians, but to ſay that thoſe who account Tithes ſuch a burthen as to be bowed downe under them if they ſpeake it either of all, or of greater number of the better ſort of men is as hard to be prooved, as eaſy to be ſpoken, for very many truly religious men are rightly informed and well perſwaded of the Right of Tithes and pay them as dues, to which they are obliged by Juſtice and conſcience, and many of the wiſer ſort of Godly perſons account it their priviledge to have the Miniſters maintained by Tithes whereto they have an ancient and a legall Rightand that they are not put to it as the Chriſtians are in France, to give them pentions out of the nine parts beſides the paiment of the Tenth, to Popiſh Prieſts and hold it a priviledg and liberty of an Engliſh Subject if he have a ſonne ſit for the calling of the Miniſtry to breed him up to that calling, and that when he hath beſtowed coſt upon his education to that purpoſe, and he is both furniſhed with gifts, and imployed in a Miniſteriall office that he ſhould have beneficium propter officium the wages aſſigned to the work and though the number of Miniſtrs be much leſſe then the roſt of the Nation, (as among the Iſraelites, the Levites were not as ſome miſtake the matter the tenth or twelfth part of the poſterity of Jacob, but not ſo much as the ſixtith part of the deſcendants from his Loines) yet they are a very conſiderable part of the Common wealth who in any publique charge pay a bove the portion of other men as hath beeen noted before, and have a capacity and opportunity to ſerve the State more then is incident to the condition of other men, not only in the time of peace but of warre alſo: I had it from a Courtier of good credit, that the laſt king, when a Cour-chapline*Dr R. was rather popular then Courtlike in his Preaching, & his Sermon reliſhed more for the Peoples right then of the Kings prerogative that checking him for it, told him he looked for as good ſervice from his Clergy in the Pulpit, as from his Army in the Field, and he meant it not onelyonly by their prayers (as his Grandmother did when ſhee more feared the praiers of John Knox and his Diſciples then an Army of 20 thouſand*Mr Trap in Acts 10.4. men) but by their inſtructions and perſwaſions of the People. There are yet enough ready to beare witneſſe and worthy to be believed in a cauſe of weight who well remember that the Miniſters who have been of a contrary Judgment to theſe Petitioners in point of Tithes) have done ſuch good offices to the Parliament and the Army, with the People as (to ſpeake modeſtly without upbrading of either) might render them more capable of their protection then of their oppoſition.
The other particular is, how farre they will be engaged, they ſay they will cheerefully adventure their Lives and Eſtates for the Parliaments preſervation, and for the Nations Peace, viz. in ſo doing that is if they will uſe their ſerious endeavours that the oppreſſion of Tithes and forced maintenance may be aboliſhed it is much to be feared as before hath been touched, that the Petitioners here are not diſingaged from corrupt and ſelfe intereſts, ſince ſome of them hope thereby to gaine that which the Miniſter muſt looſe but for the cōdition of their engagement in ſo doeing. It was held a very politique caution in the 3d Article of the late Nationall League & Covenant that they who tooke it were no further bound to preſerve and defend the Kings Majeſties perſon and Authority then in the preſervation and defence of the true Religion and the Liberties of the Kingdome. So that if he ſet hmſelfe againſt either of theſe the ingagement did not oblige to his defence, ſo their ingagement being but conditionall in ſo doing if the Parliament will not doe ſo as they would have them, they are diſcharged from adventnring themſelves or eſtates for their preſervation and the Nations peace, there was never ſuch a capitulation put upon any Parliament, nor ever was the Nations peace put upon ſuch unequall and unreaſonable termes. But ſay the Parliament, ſhould aſſent to their propoſall, would that content and quiet them, would they not moove for ſomewhat more, which the Parliament might conceive to be much worſe for the Nations welfare, and therefore in prudence and conſcience, muſt think it fit to be denied, there be ſome to whom the Anſwer of Sir Walt. Rawleigh to Q. Elizabeth may be applied, who when ſhe asked him when he would give over his begging, he told her Majeſty, not till ſhee gave over giving: So ſome are of ſuch unſtable ſpirits, and boundleſſe deſires, that they make the obtainment of one favour, the inducement to moove for another, and if they ſped in never ſo many, they are all loſt in the laſt, wherein their humor is not ſatisfied.
But it will be a great deale too much to grant what they moove for, in their preſent Petition, for beſides the knot for the lawfulneſſe of Tithes, by Scripture and reaſon, eſpecially for a ſetled and certain maintenance (which cannot be expected without conſtraint) it will not conſiſt, I humbly conceive, with the prudence of the Parliament (after they have incurred the offence of the Royall party, by putting downe Kingſhip, the Prelaticall, by puting down Biſhops, Deanes and Chapters, the ſuperſtitious party by putting downe the Service-Book, the Profane party, by putting down Stage-plaies, December Saturnals commonly called Chriſtmas holidaies, and carnall ſports and recreations on Sabbath day.) by gratifying them herein, to give juſt cauſe of diſcontent, to all Regular and Orthodox Miniſters of the Land, and to all thoſe who are for a ſet, certain, and ſufficient maintenance for them, which I am confident, is the mind of the moſt and beſt of all the people of the Engliſh Nation.
If it be ſaid, that by taking Tithes from the Miniſters; and in giving them to the People (though they conſtitute no other Maintenance that may be required and procured by force of Law, for one they ſhall looſe, they ſhall oblige hundreds. I anſwer, though it would be a great beneficence from the Parliament to the people, to give them the Tithes they never had in Right, nor in poſſeſſion, by theſe Petitioners complaint of them, as unſupportable oppreſſion, they would learne to take them, not as favours, but as juſt Rights, ſince they are bound in juſtice to free them from, or if they ſhould apprehend them as free-will-offerings or donatives that would work upon them, but for a very little while in any way of gratefull reſentment, ſince their manifold Antipathies, under the Tithes now mentioned (being in them mightily predominant above all ingenuity) would ſoone bury it in the grave of oblivion, or ſtifle it with a ſtronger ſent of malignant diſaffection toward them. Whereas if they were kept up as the conſtant Revenue of Incumbent Paſtors, as the ſoules of the people, as well as the bodies of Miniſters, might be better provided for, ſo the State might have better ſervice from them both, of which ſomething hath been ſaid, which the Reader may remember, and apply to this poynt, though I doe not repeat it in the place.