Exceptions Many and Just Against Two Injurious Petitions, Section 8 – Section 9
SECT. VIII.
The Petition.
Wee are therefore emboldned in Conſcience towards God and you, to preſent theſe our juſt deſires, for the wellfare and preſervation of the Commonwealth, which will be eſtabliſhed by righteouſneſſe, and therein implore your ſerious indeavours, that this unjust oppreſsion of Tithes and forced maintenance, may be aboliſhed, as a teſtimony of your reſolution, to inſtate this Common-wealth in all their juſt rights, and Liberties, and in ſo doing, you will ingage the hearts of all honeſt and Godly people of this Nation, who have been bowed downe under this oppreſſion, and all being diſingaged from corrupt and ſelfe intereſts, will cheerefully adventure their lives and Eſtates, for your preſervation, and the Nations Peace, being the juſt end of our Warre, the proper and long hoped for fruits of Righteouſneſſe, bringing glory. to God in diſcharge of your truſt to him, and to this wearied Common-wealth, in looſing the bonds of wickedneſſe, and ſetting us free from Antichriſtian tyranny.
ANSWERE.
Here are many things of ſeverall ſorts jumbled together, by the Petitioners which muſt be reduced to a Logicall Analyſis, that they may be diſtinctly anſwered, though by them confuſedly compoſed or put together, we ſhall martiall them in this method, the whole containeth two principall parts. 1. A Motion. 2. The Motives ſubjoyned to procure it ſuch acceptance and ſucceſſe as they deſire.
1. For their Motion, it is, that the Parliament would uſe their ſerious endeavour, that this unjuſt oppreſſion by Tithes, and forced Maintenance may be aboliſhed. As motives hereto, they make it matter, 1. Of Conſcience, 2. Of Juſtice, 3. Of Piety, 4. Charity, 5. Of Prudence. 1. Of Conſcience, for Conſcience toward God and the Parliament, mooved them to preſent the motion unto them. 2. Of Juſtice, for they call it their juſt deſire, and make freedome from Tithes, one of the Peoples juſt Rights and Liberties, and the juſt end of our Warre, and the diſcharge of truſt repoſed in the Parliament. 3. Of Piety bringing glory to God. 4. Of Charity, in eaſing them, who have been bowed downe under this oppreſſion, and ſetting them free, from the yoake of Antichriſtian tyranny, and bring ſuccor to this wearied Commonwealth, and a meanes of its welfare and preſervation, in looſing of the bond of Wickedneſſe. 5. Of Prudence, hereby you ſhall honour your ſelves, by giving teſtimony of your reſolutions, to inſtate this Commonwealth, in all their juſt rights and Liberties.
2. You will ingage all the hearts, of all the honeſt and Godly people of this Nation, who being diſingaged from corrupt intereſts, will cheerefully adventure their Lives and Eſtates for your preſervation, and the Nations peace. This being the ſumme of their deſires, aimes, and hopes, wee ſhall now make a more particular and punctuall anſwer thereunto.
And Firſt, of their motion they implore, Their ſerious endeavours, that this unjuſt oppreſsion of Tithes, and forced Maintenance may be aboliſhed. That it is neither Oppreſſion, nor Injuſtice, for Miniſters to take Tithes of the People, and to require them according to the Law, hath been made manifeſt before, that it is a Forced Maintenance, is their fault, who will not doe right unleſſe they be forced to it. But whoſe Maintenance doe they meane, whether the Miniſters only, or theirs alſo, who live upon, and are maintained by Impropriations, they cannot in reaſon except againſt the one, and accept of the other nor ſhould they think the latter, an oppreſſion, rather then the former, unleſſe becauſe there are more of them, then of Impropriations: and on the other hand, they ſhould leſſe grudge the allowance, of thoſe that labour for it as Miniſters doe, then thoſe that labour not, but if they intend the taking away Tithes from all that claime and receive them from the people as their right: then I demand of them, 1. Whether that either or both of them ſhall have any thing given them as a valuable conſideration, for that which is taken from them, they ſeeme to incline to neither, for with them both, the one and the other are unſupportable oppreſſions, ſo farre they are impartiall, if ſo they may find it, a more difficult matter, to take away Tithes, then they are aware of: For though Miniſters obliged to an higher degree of ſelfe-denyall then other men, for the things of this World, and having a right to Tithes, but for terme of life, and no heires or ſucceſſors in ſight, to lay hold on the intereſt that is taken from them, may quietly ſuffer themſelves to be deprived of them, and ſome endowed with a greater meaſure of grace, may be affected, like to thoſe Religious Chriſtians, who took joyfully the ſpoyling of their goods. Heb. 10.34. yet Lay-Impropriators, being about*Of 9000 Livings in this Kingdome, there are above 4000 ſo caſtrated by Sacrilegious Impropriators. So he who writes in an Apology for D. Featly in a Book which he calls Sacra Remiſſ. Sect. 10. p. 63. Sir Henry Spelman reports the Miniſters to be but 3845 that is 55 fewer then the former number yet a great one. Sir H. S in his Apology for his Book De non temer. Eccleſ. p. 10. Foure thouſand, many of them, Noblemen and Gentlemen civill corporations and others, beſides Colledges in both Univerſities, who account their right in tithes, as ſure as land of Inheritance to themſelves, their heires, executors and Aſſignes, will not be ſo tame if they be taken from them, unleſſe by a juſt and ſatisfactory rate, they be purchaſed of them, the coſt whereof will amount to ſo great a valew, as may puzzle the wiſeſt heads how to find out any way, without a farre more inſupportable oppreſſion, then theſe Petitioners complaine of: to redeeme them from the hands of thoſe who at preſent are poſſeſſed of them, and if that could be done, and were done, and the Miniſters portions taken from them, as if they were ſtolen goods in the hands of Fellons, without any recompence or certain meanes of temporall ſubſiſtence, how abominable and ſcandalous, partiality and tyranny would that appeare to be, to all truly Religious and Conſcientious Chriſtians.
A Second query to be reſolved by them, may be this, whether they intend, that the Tithes ſhould be taken from the preſent owners of them, and the right, and the diſpoſall of them, devolved into the hands of Feofees or Committees Authorized by the State, to receive them, to ſet or let them, and the Monies made of them, made up into a common ſtock for publique uſe, if ſo, ſuch a courſe may give them more cauſe of complaint for oppreſſion, then the Miniſter ever did or could doe, ſince they will have to doe with their ſuperiors in power, who may make them pay what they pleaſe to impoſe, and they may impoſe more then is right, upon the wrong report of ſome malitious neighbour, who may overrate their portion, beſides ſome quick courſe may be taken with them, for ſpeedy payment, perhaps before hand (as in ſome other caſes) ſo that they ſhall not have credit enough, to runne behind in Arrears one year or two, as many are wont to doe with their Miniſters: or whether they would have every one, who hath a right to the nine parts, to be endowed with the tenth alſo, which heretofore they had not, if this be their mind, they will ſhew themſelves no good friends to the Parliament, nor to many of theſe, who in moſt doubtfull and dangerous times, have moſt faithfully adhered to them, ſince by the ſpoyles of the Miniſtry, thoſe generally ſhall be moſt gratified, who wiſh no good ſucceſſe, nor proſperity to the publique affaires, untill Royalty, Prelacy, Ceremonies, Superſtition, the Service Book, confuſed Communions at Eaſter, Mad and Pagan Revels at Whitſontide and Chriſtmas, as Papiſts or Pyetide, as ſome Anti-papiſts call it, be reſtored.
SECT. IX.
NOw from their motion and their meaning in it, to their motives, which wee will take in the order premiſed.
The Firſt is, their conſciences towards God and the Parliament. Conſcience towards God? To robb God of his right, when they ſhould honour him with their own ſubſtance Prov. 3.9. And the labourers in his harveſt of their hire, that crying ſinne Iames 5.4. Is this Conſcience? If it be, it is of too neer affinity to theirs, who think it matter of Conſcience, and think they doe God good ſervice in killing of his ſervants, Ioh. 16.2. And was it their duty, a duty of Conſcience, to petition the Parliament, to Vote the Miniſters into a miſerable condition (by taking from them and theirs their maintenance) whom they ought to protect in all their juſt rights and Priviledges, as well (if not more tenderly, then any Subjects of th…s Nation: Is not this ſuch a Conſcience as the Jewes had (ſuch in intention, but I truſt will never be ſuch in ſucceſſe) when they ſtirred up devout and honourable Women, and the chiefe of the City of Antioch, and raiſed perſecution againſt Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coaſt. Act. 13.50.
Their Second motive is, that it will be an Act of Juſtice to take away Tithes, for as they juſtly deſire it, ſo ſhould the Parliament in juſtice grant it, reſtoring to the people, their juſt rights and Liberties, according to the juſt end of our Warre, and the truſt they have undertaken: Wherefore they cannot faile without injuſtice. And all this is juſt nothing, ſince the juſtice of the Miniſters cauſe againſt the Petitioners Criminations, is already ſufficiently cleared in Section 6th.
The Third motive is taken from Piety: To take away Tithes will bring glory to God, as they conceive it, but they are as much miſtaken in the end, as they were in the beginning of their malevolent motion, Conſcience ſtirred them up to Petition, and in Petitioning their aime was, and the end of their deſires, if not denied, would be the glory of God, as much belike as it was to the glory of King David, to have his Servants beards cut, coats curtaild by Hanun the Ammonite, 2 Sam. 10.4. their piety in this is much like their Conſcience, as but now was obſerved.
4th Motive to induce putting downe of Tithes is, that Charity requires it, for it will be a lifting, and holding up of thoſe, who are bowed downe under the oppreſſion of them, a ſetting of them free from the yoake of Antichriſtian tyranny, a bringing of ſuccour to this wearied Commonwealth, and a meanes of its well-fare and preſervation, a looſing of the bond of wickedneſſe. To all theſe particulars, I have formally or virtually anſwered before, ſo that I need doe no more here, but to direct to their place of refutation, which is Sect. 6.