THis Text relates unto us an holy vowe, made by an holy man, (even the Israel of God) to the Holyest of Holyests, even the Holy one of Israel: in the handling whereof (not to speake more of vowes then my Text shall naturally aftord me) these foure generalls offer themselves to our consideration.

I. Quis, the person vowing, IACOB; and Iacob vowed.

II. Cui, the person to whom the vow was vowed, God; If God will be with me.

III. Quale, the kinde and qualitie of this vow, which is conditionall; If God will be with me, then shall the Lord be my God, &c.

IIII. Quid, the materialls of the vow, or things vowed:

[Page 2]Which are three;

1. That he would acknowledge the Lord for his God.

2. For a testimonie of this acknowledgement, that stone which he had set up should be called Gods house.

3. For the better maintenance of Gods house and wo [...]sh [...]p therein, he would give unto the Lord the tenth of all, whatsoever the Lord shoald give unto him.

And first of the person; vovebat Iacob, Iacob the sonne of Isaac and Rebecca, two holy persons; and although the younger brother by birth, yet the elect and chosen heireGen. 25. 23. unto all those blessed promises which God made to Abra­ham and his seede, and that whilest he was yet unborne: A most just, upright, and religious man, who for his upright­nesse and power with God, obtained the conquering name of Israel; from whence the people of God the IewesGen. 32. 23. afterward tooke their name. This holy man Iacob, mak­ing request unto God for the accomplishment of what God had promised, the better to binde himselfe to obedi­ence, and to testifie his thankefulnesse, makes this vowe mentioned here in this Text: An action and duty, as com­mendable in Iacob, manifesting him a right religious and thankfull person; so is it in the practise of all Christians: it being not onely lawfull, but expedi [...]nt, that as we pray unto God for his mercies; so to vow, not onely the per­formance of the generall vow of Christianitie; but the better to b [...]nde us to obedience, and to testific the truth of our thankefulnesse to vowe the performance of some par­ticular action, whether ind ff [...]rent, or commanded, when it shall please the Lord graciously to heare us, and answer us according to our requests. Thus did Iacob here, thus Hannah, thus Paul, and diverse others of Gods SaintsSam. 1. 1 [...]. Act. 18. 18. in all ages.

True it is, that we denie the use of vowes according to the doctrine and practise of the Church of Rome.

As first, wee denie that there is now, or ever was, any [Page 3] necessitie of making vowes in externall exercises andDeut. 13. 22. out ward things.

Secondly, we denie that vowes made of things not commanded, as meates, drinkes, attire, &c, are essentiall parts of Gods wo [...]ship; much lesse that they bring a man to an higher estate of perfection, then keeping of the Law can doe. We acknowledge them adminicula cultus divini, certaine staics and helpes in Gods wo [...]ship, not ipsum cul­tum, the worship it selfe; the kingdome of God not con sisting in eating and drinking, nor in externall, but in spiri­tuallRom. 14. 17. worship.

Thirdly, we deny the necessitie of keeping and perfor­ming vowes made, especially if they be repugnant to the rules prescribed for vowes, holding that rule of IsiodoreIsiod. Hispal. lib. 2. Synon. cap. 10. Isiod. l'clus. lib. [...]. Ep. 96. infallibly true, In malis promissis rescinde sidem, in turpi vo­to muta decretum, better to faile in a wicked promise then to performe, better to change an unlawfull vow then to keepe it: yea, vowes beeing made the better to enable us for Gods service, though the thing vowed were lawfull in our first act of vowing, yet finding them afterwards an hinderance to the duties of Gods worship, we may justly and lawfully cease further to performe and keepe them; according to the saying of the said Isiodore; Quod inca [...]te Isied. Hisp. ibid. vovisti ne facias; impia est promissio quae cum scelere adim­pletur.

Lastly, we denie the vowes so frequently made and magnified by Papists to be just and lawfull: such is the vow of perpetuall chastitie and single life, the vow of vo­luntary povertie, and Monastique life, &c. and lastly, the vow of pilgrimage for visiting the holy city and se pul [...]hre, the shrines and r [...]liques of Saints; as beeing al­together repugnant to those rules and conditions requi­red to make a vow lawfull.

For hee that will make vowes pleasing unto God (and so lawfull) must bee sure that they bee grounded upon, [Page 4] and regulated by these particular rules and canons fol­lowing.

1. They must bee de rebus lititis & de necessariis, ofC [...]pr. lib. 1. [...]p. [...]. things lawfull and warrantable by the word of God: for the word of God beeing the ground of our faith, and whatsoever wee doe without faith beeing sinne; our vowes must necessarily bee founded thereupon. Againe I say de necessarus, not usually, not frequently, but in case of emi­nencie and necessitie; vowes beeing premissiones ardenter orantis, promises made at the begging extraordinary blessings and graces at the hands of God.

2. They must bee made considerately with deliberati­onHiecon. in histor. I [...]ph [...]a Eccl [...]s. 5. 1. 2 and advise, not rashly and headily; so Solomon, Keepe thy foote when thou go [...]st into the house of God, bee not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy beart bee hasly to utter a thing before God.

3. They must bee made of such things which are in our owne power to doe, and that sub conditione auxilii di­vini [...] [...]. Hisp ib, under the condition of Gods helpe and assistance: it being he only that makes us able both to will and to doe of [...]hil. 2. 13. his good pleasure.

4. They must bee correspondent and agreable to our generall vow of Christianitie, and bee made the better to helpe us in the performance of the same; as when wee vowe to doe some thing [...], or to abstaine from some things in their owne nature law [...]ull, as wine, sleepe, or the li [...]e, either to take pan [...]shment on our selves for some sins com­mitted, or to prevent sinne for the time to come, or to en­able us the better for Gods service, or to testific our thankefulnes to God for such blessings as wee receive from him: as Iacob here in my text.

5. They must bee spontanea, done with chearefulnes and alacritie; for hilarem datorem diligit D [...]us, God on [...]ly [...] ▪ Cor. 9. 7. loves a chearefull giver.

6. The person vowing must bee a Iacob, a person [Page 5] sanctified, a b [...]leeving Christian; in that, first Abels per­son Gen. 4. 4. Hebr. 11. 6. must be accepted before his sacrifice, and without faith it is impossible to please God.

These bee the particular canons required in all vowes; by all which if you will examine the forenamed Popish vowes as they are in use and practise amongst them, wee shall finde them altogether repugnant to them, and so al­together unjustifiable, either in doctrine or in practise. But when vowes are regulated by these rules and con­ditions, then may a Christian lawfully vowe them, and beeing vowed must faithfully performe them.

2. The second generall considerable in this vowe is Cui, the person to whom Iacob vowed this vowe: where it is remarkable that he doth not make it to any of the An­gels whom he saw ascending and descending by the lad­der reaching to heaven; but he makes his vow unto God, and that not to any of the Idol gods of the Gentiles, but to the God of his forefathers, who appeared unto him on the top of the ladder, and made so large and loving pro­mise of love and protection unto him.

And indeede in thus vowing did Iacob vowe aright; for howsoever the making of vowes bee no essentiall part of Gods worship, binding all men to performe them; yet when they are made, they may not without sacriledge bee made to any but God alone.

Thus the Scripture, DEVT. 23. 21. When thou shalt vowe a vowe unto the Lord thy God, thoushalt not slacke to pay it. and PSAL. 76. 11. Vovete & reddite Domino D [...]o vestro.

And howsoever the Church of Rome doth practise the contrarie, yet doe they confesse the same in doctrine: for [...], Can. 2. Cap. de voto thus the Canon lawe defines a vowe, ut Deo dicat factam esse promissionem, a promise made unto God. And Peter Lumbard (with whom agree the Schoolemen) quòd sit te­stificatio Thom. 2. 2. q. 83. art. 1. promissionis spontanea, qua Deo, & de his q [...] De [...] [Page 6] sunt, sieri debet, it is the testification of a free promise made unto God of such things as appertaine to his speciall wor­ship.

And diverse reasons may bee alledged for the proofe of this conclusion.

1. To those onely must wee vowe, to whome onely wee must pray; vowes beeing promissiones ardenter orantis: but wee must pray to God, and to him alone.Psal 5. 15.

2. To him onely must wee vowe, of whome all good things are obtained; vowes beeing made for the obtaining some blessings at the hands of God: but every good giving Iam. 1. 17. and perfect gift comes from God, and him alone.

3. To him onely must wee vowe, who knowes our hearts if wee vowe aright, and is able to punish us if wee faile to performe: but God is onely [...], and to Acts: 1. 21. Hcbr. 1 [...]. him onely doth vengeance belong: To him then, and to him onely must wee make our vowes.

And here wee justly meete with another implety in pra­ctise in the Church of Rome, who as they invocate andBellar. Tom. 2. c. 14. [...]itu. demo [...]h [...]s I [...]m [...]i [...]. 3. de cult [...] san [...]. cap. 9. pray to the Saints departed, so no lesse doe they make vowes unto them; and having vowed, doe no lesse strict­ly, nay oftimes more carefully performe them then the vowes made to God himselfe. Thus one vowes to the Virgin Marie, another to Saint Clare, one to Saint Fraun­cis, another to Saint Thomas, one to Saint Katherin, ano­ther to Saint Clement; yea wee may not onely say in this point of them as Ieremiah of the Israelites, according to I [...] 11. 13. the number of thy cities were thy gods O ludah; nor yet one­ly as it was said of the Romanes, that singulae professiones habebant propria Numina quibus vovebant, every professi­on had their severall Deitie to whome they vowed; but quot bumines [...]ot Numina, almost as many Sain [...]s as parti­cular men, yea as particular occasions. They have Men-Saints, & Women-Saints, Land-Saints, & Sea-Saints, &c. yea for every sicknes, malody. and disease, whether of [Page 7] man or beast, they have some particular Saint unto whom they pray and vowe upon obtaining that they pr [...]y for.

Neither have they onely particular Saints, but they have their Nationall Saints; to whom as they a [...]ct be a power of protection, so doe they both pray and vowe unto them. Thus have they Saint Dennis for France, Saint lames s [...]r Spame, Sairt Paterick for l [...]cland, &c. onely [...]oore Saint George for England have they thrust out of the kalender of Saints. In which particular as wee cannot but laugh at their nalier and envie, yet have wee just cause to praise God for the same; who hath turned their mahce to our Saint George, to the manifestation of the truth of our profession: this beeing our conclusion, That how soever there bee Gods many and Lords many; some by1. Cor. 2. 5. 6. adoption, as Kings; some by nuncupation, as idols &c. yet to u [...] there is but one God the father, of whome are all things and wee in him, and one Lord lesus Christ, by wh me are all things and we by him; and to this God alone, one in essence, three in persons, God the Father, Sonne, and holy Ghost, doe we pray and make our vowes, as our Saviour, Sanctifier, Feeder, and Protector; and to him and his ho­nour onely, beeing vowed, doe wee faithfully performe them.

3. The third generall is quale v [...]tum, of what kinde and qualitie this vowe of la [...]ob is. And here not to stand upon the distuction of vowes, this by the consent of all is of that kinde which they call conditionall: If God will bee with mee &c.

But when If y [...]t is a vowe made sub conditione, wee must not un [...]stan [...] it, as if it were c [...]nd [...]ti [...] obliganti [...], an obligatory conduction as [...]f he would not performe this vowe unl [...] God performed the condition: neither is it cond [...]tio dissi [...]is, as [...]f▪ [...] mistrusted that God would not [...]forme what hee he [...] promised, unlesse hee made this vowe: but it is condi [...]io co [...]side [...]i [...] & gratitudints, a con­dition [Page 8] confident thankfulnesse, a prayer and vowe no wa [...]es arising out of feare and distrust, but out of a full as­surance of faith: being fully perswad [...]d that God would p [...]f [...]e what he had promised, he is not onely bold to beggest Gods hands for them; but out of [...] a [...]urance to obtaine them, he promise [...]h by w [...] [...] th [...]fuln [...]s, that when that time should [...]ome, he would then performe what he here particul [...]ly vowed.

From whence, by the way, we may see the nature and prope [...]ie of true faith most lively expressed, that it is (as the Apostle tells vs) the substence of things hoped for, H [...]b [...]. [...]. and the evidence of things not sec [...]. It makes things that were & are not, as if they were; & things many yeares yet to come, as if they were present. Thus lacob relying up­on the promise of God, and beleeving his word, doth presently assure himselfe of the enjoying, and no lesse con­fidently doth he promise the employing a part of them to Gods worship, as if they had been present with him.

But to come to the particulars of lacobs request (the conditionall part of this vowe) which are foure, answe­rable to his need and distreste;

1. W [...] reas he was now to leave and forsake his fa­thers house, wherein at that time the true worship and service of God was onely established and professed; so that he should be deprived of all ordinary meanes of knowledge in spirituall things: he desires that God would bee with him extraordinar [...]ly t [...] illuminate him with knowledge, and to conten [...]e upon him all manner of sa­ving graces.

2. Whereas by the malice of his brother he was en­forced to this solita [...]e journey, whereby he was exposed to more then us [...]all dangers he desires Gods speciall pro­tection, both against his brothers malice, and all other dangers.

3. Because [...]e was [...] go [...] into a f [...]rr [...] Countrey, and [Page 9] knew not what might be his entertainement, and that without things necessary no man can live; he desires of God that he would provide him bread to eat, and cloathes to put on.

4. Lastly, his fathers family beeing not onely the then present Church of God, but that land where he dwelt being the land of promise, the type and figure of the hea­venly Canaan; he desires that God would in his good time returne him thither againe safe and found.

From all which particular requests of Iacob, we may briefly observe these generall instructions following:

First, that he that would have any blessing from God, must begge it by humble and heartie prayer; yea, though God hath in a speciall manner made promise thereof unto him. Thus Iacob having but immediately before my Text received Gods promise for all these things, yet here he makes together with a vowe a request unto God for them.

And the reasons hereof are diverse:

1. Because God requires the use of the meanes as ful­ly as he promiseth the end [...]; but prayer is the meanes or­dained by God for the obtaining of his blessings: Aske Matt. 7. 7. and yeshall have, secke &c. Hence it is called by the Fa­thers, Rete gratiarum, situlagratie, clavis coeli, &c.

2. The better to put us in minde of our wants, and to make us acknowledge from whom we receive what in this life we enjoy, a thing which we are ready to forget.

3. By prayer both the things themselves we receive,1. Tim. 1. 5. and our persons are sanctified; they unto us, and we unto them: and so we receive and enjoy them with more com­fort and profit.

Secondly, here we learne that a Christian may lawfully beg, not onely for spirituall blessings, but for benefits tem­porall: and the reason thereof (amongst others) is this; because without a competencie of them, we cannot well [Page 10] performe spiritu [...]ll [...] and duties, that being in [...]all [...] ­l [...] [...] Po [...]t, as we [...] as Moralitie,

Our owne experience daily [...]eaching us this truth; that where there is a want of competencie for maintenance, there is but small growth in the knowledge of God, and duties of godlinesse.

Thirdly, hence we l [...]arne, qu [...] mensur [...], in what mea­sure we may and must pray for temporall things: not for supers [...]itie and abundance, but onely for th [...]ngs necessary: for [...]acob requests not for varietie of dishes, or change of ra [...]ment; but onely for bread to eate and cloathes to put on: And the same lesson Paul gives, when he exhortes us not to aske supers [...]uitie, but having food and rayment there [...]. withall to be content: and so our Saviour implies, when he teaching us to pray, bids us only pray for our daily bread: Cui parum non est satis, nihil est satis, him that a sufficiency [...] [...]. sufficeth not, nothing will content. In the begging there­fore temporall blessings, if we wil so aske as to receive, we must either pray with Agu [...], Give us Lord neither povertie Prov. 3 [...]. 8. nor riches, but [...]eede us with foode convenient for us; or with Iacob in my text, for bread to cate, and cloathes to put on.

Fourthly, hence we learne, quo ordine, in what order we are to pray for temporall blessings: not in the first place before spirituall; but first with Iacob here for spirituall, then for temporall: thus Christ in teaching us to pray, directs us first to pray that Gods name may be hallowed &c. and then to pray for daily bread; and Matth. 6. Quarite primùm regnum Dei &c. seeke first the kingdome of God, and the righteousnesse thereof, &c. And this order is ob­servable in the metho [...]e of Isaacs blessing his two sonnes Iacob and Esau; where blessing Iacob he first blesseth him with the deawe of heaven, and then with the fatnesse of the [...]. [...]. earth, as being the nature of heavenly mindes to preferre [Page 11] heavenly [...]ngs before earthly: but [...] blessing Esau, he blesseth him first with the fatnesse of the earth, and then with the deawe of heaven; this being their song, Quaren­d [...] pecuma [...] est, first seeke gold, then God.

Lastly, in that Iacob requests here at Gods hands for all thes [...] particul [...]s; hence we learne, that without Gods speciall blessing we cannot provide for our selves the least things necessary for this [...]; but whatsoever we have and enjoy, we have it from God and him alone: thus S. Iames tells u [...] that we receive all things from above from Iam. 1. [...]7. the Father of lights, aswell the good [...], as the perfect g [...]t▪ he being the author not onely of blessings spirituall, but of bencht temporall▪ giving not onely grace to obey his will but as the Psalmist speakes, Dat [...]am corum, he [...]sal 145. 15 [...] 9. 11. gives us meate [...]n due season; and Solomon tels us, non est pants [...], be a man never so wise yet he is not able of himselfe to sup [...]ly his owne wants, no not so much as with bread; it is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, nor in him that planteth, nor in him that water­eth;2. Cor. 9. 10. sed ipse est qui dat semen s [...]ent [...], & pauem manducan­ [...], he gives us both seed to sow, and he it is that likewise gives us bread againe of that seed: and without his bles­sing all our labour is but lost, and all we get put into a H [...] [...]. 6. broken ba [...]ge.

The use of all which, in a word, is to make us acknow­ledge our owne wants and weakenesse, and to cast our care upon God, as our onely helper; to pray unto him in that measure, after that manner and order, and to that end, as he hath prescribed; and having obtained at Gods hands such mercies and blessings as we requested from him, let1. [...]. 29. 14 us confesse with David, that whatsoever wee have received, we have received [...] at Gods hands; and in token of our true thankefulnesse, with Iacob here▪ vowe unto him not onely our selves, but a part of that he shall or hath given us, to his speciall honour and service.

[Page 12]And thus come we to the last generall part of this text, namely, the matter of Iacobs vowe, or the things particu­larly vowed; Then shall the Lord bee my God, &c.

In which generall, Iacob vowes 3 particulars.

1. That the Lord shall bee his God. 2. That that pillar should bee called Gods house. 3. Because Gods wor­ship and service could not be performed without mainte­nance, hee vowes that of all whatsoever God should give him, he would surely give a tenth unto God againe. In the first hee vowes inward, in the two latter outward worship; in the first hee vowes himselfe, in the two latter his labour and goods.

Then shall the Lord be my God: that is, then will I feare God, and him above all; then will I love God, and him a­bove all; then will I acknowledge God to bee the guider, governour, and giver of all things; of whome I have received whatsoever I shall possesse: and as I will put my trust in him and him alone; so will I pray unto him, and him onely for whatsoever I shal neede. This I take to be the sense and meaning of the words in generall. Neither must wee understand these words spoken de futuro onely, as if Iacob did not in present acknowledge the Lord for his God; but Iacob vowing this particular, vowes the performance of a double duty necessary to bee observed in the practise of all Christians in the manner of rendring thankes to God for his blessings.

First, with what kinde of worship hee would first and principally labour to manifest his thankefulnes; namely, as he begged first at Gods hands for spirituall blessings, so he would principally labour to manifest the truth of his thankefulnes by rendring unto God the inward devotion and spirituall worship of his heart and soule, as being that which God principally requires, and without which all the duties wee performe are no waies pleasing unto him, he beeing, as Saint Ambrose well observeth, non corticis [Page 13] sed cordis Deus, Lord not onely of the body, but chiefly &H [...]b [...]. [...]. 9 [...] 4. 24. [...] 23. 26 [...] 13 [...]. 1 [...] [...]. 46. 47. principally of the soule; hee beeing not onely Pater spiri­tuum, but himselfe a spirit; and therefore must be wor­shiped in spirit and truth; thus wisdome exhorts, thus David promiseth, thus the blessed Virgin practised, and thus must all Christians f [...]llow. FILI MI, my sonne give mee thy heart, it must bee the soul [...] m [...]g [...]icat, the spirits re [...]oycing, with the speciall parts of Gods worship pro­per to the same, whereby and wherewith wee must first and principally praise God our Saviour, Feeder and Pro­tector.

Secondly, Iacob in vowing this particular, voweth what should be the extent and continuation of his thank­fulnes; namely, that the Lord sho [...]led not now onely be his God, when he stood [...]n want and necessitie, when hee stood in extraordinary need of his helpe; but even then when God should bestowe these mercies in such abundance that hee should have whatsoever hee needed, or could desire, yet then should the Lord bee his God: nay further, his thankefulnes shall be answerable to Gods mercie and bles­sings: the more G [...]d trusted him with his mercies, the more would he put his trust and confidence in God; againe, the more God manifested his love towards him in feeding him with his goo [...]nes, the more would hee love and serve God againe; the more God ack [...]owledged him for his [...] by [...]ultiplying his blessings upon him, the more would he feare, [...], and obey him, and with more confidence and assurance pray unto him; yea then he would not onely give unto God the inward devotion of his soule, bu [...] he wo [...]d labour to testifie his thankefulnesse before men, by doing and perform [...]ng these outward actions of building God an house, and of paying unto God a part, a tenth of a [...]l that he should receive from him.

The which two particulars in Iacobs practise, as they serve for a pattern [...] [...]. president to all men in the rendring [Page 14] of thankes unto God for his blessings (these particular practises in him being recorded for our instruction and [...]x­ample); so serve they to rip up and lay open the great im­pietie and unthankefulnes of these dayes; wherein as men offend against the first of these rules (our generall profession of religion, and Christianitie, and practise of holy duties, consisting more in shadow and colour, then in truth and substance, more in the outward duties, then in the inward truth and sincerit [...]e of our heart [...]); so doe wee most evidently testifie the same in sinning against the se­c [...]nd rule obs [...]rv [...]ble in Ia [...]obs practise; being so farre from this constancie, from this squaring our thankefulnes an­swerabl [...]t▪ Gods mercies, that God may more truely say of us then [...] of the Iewes, ailectus meu [...] imp [...]guatus Deut. 3 [...]. 15 recalcitravit. my beloved wax [...]ng satt spurned with his he [...]le against mee. Never any Nation an [...] people so abundantly blest with all manner of bl [...]ss [...]ngs, never any people walking so rebellio [...]sly and stubbor [...]ly against God: our times being no w [...]it unlike the times of the Iewes, where­of the Prophet Isaiah complai [...]es, for we have drunke i [...] Iob. [...]5. [...]6. Isaiah. 5. 18 iniquitie like water, and drawne sinne with cart-ropes; being drunken, nay drowned▪ not onely in the par [...]icular sins of our owne Nation; but we have drunke so deeply of the sins of all o [...]r Nations that we exceed them in their wickednes; so that we may s [...]y more tru [...]ly of these our times, then Saint Bernard of his, that empar [...] per [...]culosa n [...] mo­do instant, sed extant, the perilous times spoken of by ou [...] Saviour Christ are not onely instant but extant. Chariti [...] Mitth. [...]4. never [...]ore cold, iniquity in all places, amongst all sorts, rankes, & degrees never more abounding. I sh [...]ll [...]ot need to particularize: our sinnes are w [...]i [...]ten [...]n o [...]r faces and [...]n cur apparrell; they are written in our goi [...]gs; they ar [...] written on our tables, in ou [...] tra [...]s, o [...] ou [...] wives, children & s [...]r [...]ants▪ our tongues boldly talke them▪ ou [...] h [...]nds confidently act them, our feet r [...]nn [...] swi [...]tly to the execution [Page 15] of them, and our bodies evidently shew them in ugly, pu­trified, and loathsome diseases; yea there is not one sinne that any member can act or contract, whether against God or man, that is not in a shamefull manner, and with an high hand committed in these our daies: all which give us just cause to feare, that as wee are fallen into those evill times Christ prophesied should happen in the latter daies; so the evils threatned in those times should speedily fall up­on us: the which that wee may prevent, let us with all speed call to minde Gods manifold mercies from time to time multiplied upon us, and proportion our thankefulnes according to the same; let us acknowledge with Iacob, the Lord to be our God; and in token that wee do [...] it from our hearts, let us make it apparant by our outward actions; as specially with Iacob, by building Gods house, and return­ing to God the tenth of what hee shall give us, for the better maintenance of his worship and service therein.

And thus wee come to the two last particulars vowed here by Iacob, which I will joyntly handle together.

The first is that that stone which hee had then reared should be called Gods house, that is, the place where he would publickely worship God, and offer sacrifice.

The second, that he would give a tenth unto God for the maintenance of this his worship; and that not of some part of his goods, as of his estate personall, or prediall; but of all whatsoeve [...] God shall give him, hee would sure­ly give the tenth unto God againe. Totum quod es debes ei [...] quo habes omnia: as all that wee have either concerning soule or body we receive it from God, and from him a­lone, so ought we to testifie our thankefulnes with all that we have; it being not sufficient, as Augustine hath well ob­ [...]erved, that we serve God totis votis, with the inward de­votion of the heart aloue; but we must serve and worship him totis vobis, even in and with the performance of those outward actions he requires at our hands, with our bo­dies, [Page 16] and our goods: nay as wee say of faith and workes, There may be workes without faith, though not proper­ly goo [...] yet wheresoever there i [...] [...] it will be e [...]i­dent in the pract [...]se of good wo [...]: so howsoever there may be the outward worship without the inward, yet it the inward be sincere, it will manifest it selfe in the du [...]ies of outward worship: if the heart once s [...]y, ve [...]te, [...]orenn [...], [...]. 95. [...]. com [...] l [...]t us worship; the tongue and knee w [...]ll presently answer, [...]i [...]m & genua s [...]l [...]amus, let us kneel [...] l [...]kewise and fall downe before God: if Davids heart be once fixed andPs [...]. 1 [...]8. prepared, his lu [...]e and harpe will be called presently to a­wake to joyne in the worship of God with him: and if lacob once acknowledge the Lord for his God, hee wil pre­sently resolve to build him an house, and vowe unto him a tenth of all that God shall give unto him.

But to passe from this generall to the particulars here vowed: where from Iacobs practise in [...]y text, I lay downe this conclusion, necessary in the knowledge and practise of all Christians, That the best actions we can do (respecting outward worship) to testifie o [...]r thankefulnes to God for those extraordinary blessings we dayly re­ceive from him, is to build, repaire, and maintaine Churches and Chappells, places for the publicke worship and service of God, and duely and tr [...]ely to pay unto God the teath of whatsoever God shall b [...]stow upon u [...], for maint [...]nance of his Ministers, for the performance of the parts of his worship and service ther [...]in.

The truth of which conclusion will appeare evident by the precepts of God & practise o [...] Gods Saints in all ages, both before the law, under the law, and since, in the times of the Gospell. Before the law, we have the examples ofGen. [...]. 2 [...]. [...] [...]3. [...]8. & 28. [...]. & 35. 1. all the Patriarches, who alwaies erected altars in all pla­ces where they abode, for the offering of sacrifices, and the performance of other parts of publicke worship, and that by Gods speciall command: as when the [...]ord had [Page 17] brought the children of Israell by a strong hand out of E­gypt, and delivered them safe from their enemies hands; the first and principall thing God requires at their hands, [...] 25▪ 2. by w [...]y of thankefulnes, was the building of the taberna­cle; and [...]eing built he gives command, L [...]VIT. 19. 30. and 26. 2. that they should keepe his Sabbaths, an ireverence his Sanctuary, pr [...]mising great blessings upon so doing; & as God commanded, so they laboured to testifie their love & thankfulnes by their bountifull offering to that worke. When the Lord h [...]d delivered David out of all h [...]s trou­bles, and had setled him in peace in his kingdome, he chu­seth this as the chiefest argument to testifie his love and thankefulnes, the building of a setled temple; and there­fore makes a solemne vow, and bindes it with an oath, that he will not enter into the tabernacle of his house, nor come up­on [...]sa [...]. 132. on the pallet of his bed, nor suffer his eyes to sleepe, nor his head to take any rest, until [...] hee had [...]ound out a place, an house for the God of Iacob. When God had setled Solomon his sonne in his fathers kingdome, and had made him many promi­ses of mercy and protection: where beginnes he to testifie [...]. [...], 5. his thankefulnes, but in building the temple, which his father had promised, and from which he was by God pro­hibited? And of all his wort [...]y acts, and honourable epi­thets, none doth more commend him then the building of the temple▪ SOLOMONS TEMPLE.

When Cyrus [...]ame once to know, and understand, that it was the God of Isra [...]l that had given him victorie over [...]. 3. all [...]is enemies, and made him triumph over so many Na­tions and K [...]ngdomes, p [...]esen [...]ly in token of thankefulnes he releaseth th [...] I [...]we, out of captivitie, commands them with all speede to re [...]d [...]e the Temple, restoring not onely all the v [...]ss [...]ls which Nebuchadn [...]zzar had carried away, but commanding it should be built at the charges of his owne tr [...]surie: And both Cy [...]us, Darius, and Artaxerxes (all which three had their hands in the worke) have their [Page 18] histories recorded by the Spirit of God, to their high re­nowne, and everlasting memorie. When the Iewes come to entreat Christ, that he would goe and heale the Centu­rions servant, what argument doe they bring to moove Christ, but that he loved their Nation? And how doe theyLuk 7. 5. proove it? He had built them a Synagogue. And as for latter ages in the time of the Gospel, witnesse all the curious and wel-built Churches and Chappels throughout all the parts of Christendome, which have beene built by the Saints of God, as arguments of their zeale and devotion, and in thankefulnesse to God for his blessings conferred upon them. Neither have wee the practise of the Saints alone, but the very heathen, who have alwayes account­ed the erecting of Temples as works of greatest holines, and as testimonies of greatest thankefulnesse to the D [...]i­ties; all their Temples being either memoriae sacra, or ho­nori dedicata, built and dedicated to the honour of their idol gods, and by way of thankefull remembrance for such benefits they conceited they received from and by them. And as God hath commanded, and men out of the light both of religion and nature have accounted the ere­cting, repayring, and maintaining the places of Gods worship, as arguments of true devotion and thankeful­nesse to God for his extraordinarie mericies; so no lesse hath God from time to time commanded: no le [...]e carefull have men in all ages been to endowe them and their Mini­sters with large and liberall maintenance, and that with Iacob here, by giving a tenth of all that God from time to time bestowed upon them. Thus the Lord, EXOD. 21. 29 D [...]cimas tuas & primitias tuas, &c. Thoushalt not delay to offer thy tithes, the first of thy ripe fruites, and of thy liquors; the first borne of thy sonnes shalt thou give unto me. LEV. 27. 30. All the tithe of the land, whether of the seede of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lords, it is holy unto the Lord. LEVIT. 27. 32. And concerning the [...]ithe of the heard [...] or of [Page 19] the flocke, even of whatsoever passeth under therod, the tenth shall bee holy unto the Lord. NVMB. 18. 20. 21. Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them; I am thy part and thine inheritance: and behold I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israell for an inheritance for their service which they serve, even the service of the Tabernacle of the congregation. In all which places we finde God claiming the tithes to be his; & that not onely [...]ure creationis, by right of creation, nor jure po­testatis, because hee hath the disposing of all; for so the whole is Gods: but jure proprietatis & reservationis, in re­spect of the very proprietie thereof, and by way of reser­vation; because, having given all the rest to the sonnes of men, hee hath reserved unto himselfe the tenth to bestow where he will; and that he hath bestowed on the Minister se [...]ving at the altar. And hence it is, that MALAC. 3. 8. 9 10. the Prophet tells the people, they were cursed with a curse, because they had robbed God in not paying their tithes a [...]d offertags. And for the practise of Gods Saints; witnes Abraham and Iacob before the law, the practise of the Iewes under the law th [...]oughout their tribes and genera­tions, so long as they walked uprightly with God, and went not a whoring after their own inventions. For witnes here of take one for all▪ 2. CHRO. 31. the practise of the Iewes under the Reigne and reformation of Hezekiah: wherein foure things are re [...]a [...]keable;

1. That so soone as ever Hezekiah had destroyed ido­latry, and ostablished the true worship of God, in the next place hee takes order for the peoples payment of tithes, first f [...]uits, & offerings; as being that without which Gods worship was not perfect, nor God truely praised, vers. 4.

2. The peoples readines and liberall bounty in the per­formance of this duty, vers. 5. 6. And as soone as the com­mandement came abroad, the children of Israell brought i [...] abundance, the first fruits of corne, wine, and oyle, and honey▪ & [Page 20] of all th [...] increase of the field &c. intimating that where the worship of God is sincere, there tithes are will [...]ngly and readily paide.

3. The reason alledged by the Priest why and how so great and abundant store was in so short a time gathered together; namely, that since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, the Lord ad blessed his people; teaching us that the paying of tith [...]s increaseth Gods blessings, and Gods blessings increasing ought to make us increase in that duty. vers. 9. 10.

4. Though there was plenty and abundance, more then the present need required▪ yet Hezekiah & his Princes did not cause it to be carried into their private treasuries and store-houses; but comman [...]ed it should be kept for the use and benefit of the Priests & Levites in the store-house of the Temple, verse 11. 12. If any shall object that this was for the second tithe onely, not for the tithe of in­heritance; I answer, if they were so strict in the payment of this tithe, which was a second full supernumerary tithe ov [...] and above the first; then much more in the payment of the first, which God challen [...]eth as his right of inheri­tance, & which they never omitted to pay when the other were generally neglected, as may bee gathered, NE­HEMIAH 13.

Neither is the Gospell without either precept or pra­ctise for the necessary performance of this dutie; witnes the manner of Christ his reprooving the Scribes and Pha­rises, MATT. 23. 2 [...]. where he infers a necessitie of tything, even in the smallest matters, whether wee under­stand the phrase actively or passively, either in the payer or receiver▪ Woe unto you Scrib [...] and Phari [...], Hypocrites; [...], for you pay tithe of mint, and [...]nise, and c [...]m­mine, & have omitted the we [...]ghti [...] matters of the I [...]; indge­ment, mercie, and faith: These things ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other un [...]one. Neither will it suffice to [Page 21] ob [...]ect against the text, that the Ceremoniall law was then in force, and so Christ [...]ight [...] command it: for first, how will they answere that disti [...]ct [...]on of Augustine; Cae­ [...]em [...]nta [...] [...]9. [...] [...]. 2. [...] Christum n [...]c [...] [...]ra [...], nec mortif [...]rae; [...]ost pr [...]mu [...] [...], & mort [...] [...] mortiferae; inter [...] n [...]m [...] promulgationem, [...], s [...] non mor­ [...]i [...]r [...], The ceremonies of the [...]we before Christ were neither de [...], nor dea [...]ly; after the promulgation of the Go [...]pell, [...] d [...]d, and deadly; betwixt Christs passion and the prom [...]l [...]tion of the Gos [...]ell, dead, but not dead­ly? Where by the p [...]ssion of Christ we understand, not his passion [...], his suffering upon the crosse, when hee breat [...]d out, together with his consummatum est, his life; but the whole time of his suffering here upon earth, especially from the time of Iohn the Baptists beginning to preach, and Christ his Baptisme: at what time the cere­monies [...]. 1. 2. [...]. 103. [...]. [...]. of the lawe began to be dead quoad necessitatem, in regard of the necessary observance of them; howsoever quoad co [...]vente [...]ia & vinculum charitatis, in respect of con­veniencie and to avoide scandall, the observation of them was not deadly; according to that of Christ, MATT. 11. 13. All the Law & the Pro [...]ets prophesica untill Ioha▪ and that of Paul GAL. 3. 24. 25. The lawe was our Schoolmaster to Christ, but after that [...]rth [...]s come we are no more under the School­master. Where by the [...] and the Prophets is understood tot [...] Mo [...]is politia se [...] [...]conomia, & const [...]tu [...]io Sacerdotii, the whole regiment of Moses Lawe, not onely Ceremoni­all an [...] Iud [...]ciall, but Morall likewise, so farre forth as it was to be ab [...]ogate, together with the I [...]gall Preisthood; [...]o that if Christ had held the payment of tithes as a duty of the Ceremoniall law, he would never have set a [...] upon them, and have taught them as a duty necessary, which ought to bee done, and not left undone.

But that I may remoove all scruple, in the second place let us consider that our Saviour Christ makes not the pay­ment [Page 22] of these tithes a Ceremoniall lawe, but a Morall, yea an Evangelicall lawe, of the same nature with judgement, mercy, and faith; distinguishing them onely secundum ma­gis & minus; which, as Logicians teach truely, non variant speciem, differ not the kinde. Besides this of Christ, Paul 1. COR. 9. prooves by nine forcible arguments the neces­sity of the Ministers maintenance now in the time of the Gospell, & how it ought to bee done. An [...] GALAT. 6. 6. seconding Iacobs vow in this place, Let him that is taught communicate unto him that teacheth, not in some particular kinde, nor yet in grosse a competency out of the whole; but [...], in all his goods, or in all good things. And as for practise, witnes the liberality of the Saints in the very dayes of the Apostles; who are said to sell all theyAct. 4. had and to lay the price at the Apostles feete, for their maintenance, and releife of the poore distressed brethren. And in succeeding a [...]es as the Churches increased and ob­tayned peace, so did the Saints according to the rule of Gods worde, and practise of the Saintes, establish a setled maintenance of tithes for Gods Ministers, as that portion of inheritance which God had allotted them, and which might not bee detained without sacriledge. The truthConsule Do­ctore Tile [...] ­ley in Catal whereof will appeare by the unanimous consent of all the auncient and truely religious Fathers of the Church in all ages, with the generall practise of the Saints in all pla­ces, where and so long as religion was purely and sincere­ly taught and professed. Neither have we onely the con­sent of holy Church both in doctrine and practise, but of the very heathen, enforcing the necessitie of this duty; Thus Festus, as epitomized by Paulus Diaconus, speaking of the customes of the Romanes, tells us that decima quae­que veteres Diis suis offerebant, the auncient gave tithe of all unto their Gods. I know the Tithes-Historian together with Ioseph Scaliger, feare not to accuse Paulus Diaconus of barbarisme and falsification of Festus, and to [Page 23] correct his authority; the one putting out quaeque, and so denies the generality of tithes of all thinges given by all men, restrayning both persons and tithes to some particu­lars;Seld. pag. 29. the other changing Di [...] suis into uni tantùm Hercu­li, as if tithes were payd by the Romanes to Hercules on­ly: but by what authority or sound ground I know not: for mine owne part, I see no reason why Paulus Diaconus should not bee as worthy of credit as either, yea as both of them; sure I am the world, and the learned of those times wherein he lived, accounted him a man of as great knowledge and judgement, and as worthy of credit, as either is Divine Scaliger, or Antique M^r. Selden. Be­sides, say the Romanes had given tithes to Hercules onely; yet Festus speakes not of the custome of the Romanes onely, but of other Nations likewise: and howsoever by his silence he seems to consent with Scaliger in the corre­ction of Paulus Diaconus for uni tantùm Herculi, yet him­selfe confesseth, that neither the Romanes, nor their nextPag. 27. neighbours did tithe onely to Hercules; but these their arbitrary vowes and thankesgivings (I speake in the Histo­rians language) were sometimes also payd to other Deities, whereof hee names diverse particulars. Next to the au­thority of Festus, hee brings in the practise of the Greci­ans, for generall consent. Thus Harpocration, who saith that the Grecians used to tithe the spoyles of warre [...],Pag. 32. to the Gods. And another, It was a Greeke custome to consecrate the tithes of their abundance [...], to the Gods in generall, without exception, or limitation either [...] ▪ de a [...]. I [...]r. Civ. Rom. [...]m [...] [...] of things or persons, by whom or to whom, as gene­rall every whit as Festus. And the same Deities (as Ca­tolus Sigorius hath well observed) beeing worshipped a­mongst the Romanes, which were amongst the Grecians and the Romanes no whit inferiour in superstitious pietie to the Grecians; it is not likely, but as they devoted them­selves to their Gods, so they worshipped them with the [Page 24] selfe same worship, and payd them tithe as fully as the Grecians. Many other particulars might bee alledged out of heathen stories to inforce this point, as how those who gave not of their increase were called [...], irreligious peo­ple, not serving God, without piety, who never escaped pu­nishment for their Atheisme: yea wee shall read of many fearefull judgements that fell upon such persons who were negligent in the performance of this duty to the Gods. But I referre the Reader to M^r. Mountague, and M^r. Sel­dens owne history, where you shall finde sufficient in this kinde. And the reason of these strange punish­ments inflicted upon those that robbed the heathen Gods is well given by Lactantius; God (saith he) punished this Instit. 2. c. 4. sinne of sacriledge among the heathens, because though hee cared not for an injurie done to an Idol, yet he would make men afraid of withdrawing any thing from him, whome they in their blinde judgement tooke for the true God. But to passe from these instances, and come to the answering of such objections as are brought against the necessity of performing of what Iacob here vowes, The first objection is made against the necessitie of the place of Gods worship the second against the payment of tithes. The first is this; God is present in all places, and hath not Christ taught us, that God dwells not in temples made with hands, but wheresoever two or three are gathered together in his name, there will he be in the mi [...]st of them? To what end and purpose then need wee build Churches and Chappels, for Gods worship to bee performed in? First wee confesse that of the Schoole to be most infallibly true, that enter, praesenter Deu [...] hic & ubique potenter, all things are com­manded by Gods power, all things are open to his sight, all things are filled with his presence, hee is present in hea­ven by his glorious Majestie chearing and blessing his glo­rious Saints and Angels; he is present in hell by his power and justice, punishing the wicked sinners and devils; he is [Page 25] present in all the world, feeding & ordering all both good and bad by his providence: yet suscepimus Deus misere­cordiam Psal. 4. 9. tuam in medio templitus, his Church, his Sanctuary, that is his Curia Gratiae his gratious court of mercie; ther­in after a more diverse way, and therein after a more speciall manner is he present to and with his Saints upon earth, then in all other places whatsoever. Againe true it is, that Deus non habitat templis manufactis, God is not circum­scribed within Temples made with hands, but ubicunque wheresover men are met together in his name, he will heare and answer them: yet at Ierusalem is his Sanctuary, Psal. 7 [...]. at Salem is his Tabernacle; that is the place which hee hath chosen for himselfe, wherein to put his name; that is the place whereunto the people shall resort to worship him; not only to oster their sacrifices and prayers to obtaine his blessings, but to praise him for his benefits received from him. Neither let any man object and say non nunc ut olim, this was true of the materiall Temple and Tabernacle before Christ his comming, but not so now: for God hath not left his Church, he hath not forsak­en his Sanctuary; but as Christ himselfe on earth, honou­red the Temple and the Synagogues with his presence and preaching, and as the Saintes of God since (and that no doubt by the direction of Gods Spirit) have erected and dedicated places to and for his speciall worship; so is God in a speciall manner present in them more then in others: nay, as wee have a common saying of the win [...]e, that if there bee any stirring it is most evident about the Church; so if there bee any slatus spiritús, If God bee any where present (as hee is every where) hee is specially pre­sent to and with his Saints, at such time as they are as­sembled together in his Church and Temple, to heare his holy word, to receive his blessed Sacraments, by prayers and prayses to worship him for his blessings: Thus how­soever the erecting of Churches &c. are not necessary ne­cessitate [Page 26] absoluta, because in time of persecution omnis locus est Deo sacer, all places are his, bee it in house or fiel [...] ▪ where his Saints are assembled: yet are they neces­sary necessitate conditionata; when wee may enjoy them, wee must provide them, and beeing provided, honour and reverence them, even as the house of God, his holy Sanctuary.

The second objection is made against the Ministers maintenance, and that not in generall; for there is none so impiously sacrilegious, that will denie (at least in words) the necessity thereof; but the question is about the rule of proportion and law, whereby they are due to God, and from him to his Ministers; whether by the Divine Morall law of God, or by vertue of humane lawes and Ecclesiasti­call constitutions; whether secundum totam, a proportion answerable to the Leviticall Priesthood, or whether se­cundum quotam, in the same full due & kinde as they were paid to the Leviticall Priesthood. The adversa [...]ies of God and his tithes, hold and maintaine the law for tithes abro­gate, as Iudiciall, and Ceremoniall; and so the paiment in that quota to be voide, and the law for paiment onely Ci­vill and humane.

For answer hereof wee confesse, that if they speake of the maintenance of the Leviticall Priesthood in generall, we deny not but there were some things in their quota partly Ceremoniall, partly Iudiciall, and so to us are now abrogate; such were their primitiae taken in the strict sense, their part [...] of sacrifices, their speciall & particular Cities, their ha [...]ing their tithes gathered and brought home at the costs and charges of the owners▪ their parts and porti­ons in the second annuall tithe, and in the tithe of every third yeare; but for the first tithe, which is the tithe called the ti [...]he of inheritance, that is, the tithe of all increase (nine parts d [...]ely and truely deducted) which was given by God to th [...] Priests and Levites; to say this is abrogate, [Page 27] as being a Ceremoniall or Iudiciall law, tying men to the paiment thereof during onely the time of the Leviticall Priesthood, and continuance of the Iewish Politie, is most false and erroneous. And that I speake no more then I shal be able to proove, I will lay downe three Conclusions;

First, that the law for paiment of the tithe was not sim­ply Ceremoniall or Iudiciall, binding the paiment onely to the Iewish Priesthood.

Secondly, that the tenth is that proportion which is simply due unto Gods worship and service.

Thirdly, that the paiment of tithes for the qu [...]ta is a Divine Morall law, yet standing in force to binde all Chri­stians to pay them unto the Evangelicall Priesthood.

That the law for paiment of tithes was never simply Ceremoniall &c. is thus prooved;

If the law binding to pay the tenth for the quota, were barely Ceremoniall or Iudiciall, then were tithes onely due to the Leviticall Priesthood: but the tenth was not onely due to the Leviticall Priesthood: ergò, &c. The con­sequent of the ma [...]or is undeniable, the minor is thus proo­ved; That which of due was paid to another Priesthood, and that by the Leviticall Priesthood, was not onely pro­per and due unto them: but tithes were paide by the Levi­ticall Priesthood of due to another, even to him that was the type of the Evangelicall Priesthood: therefore not due onely to the Levites. The minor is thus prooved; That which was paid by Abraham to Melchisedeck, was paid by the Levites to another Priesthood: but tithes were paid by Abraham to Melchisedeck: ergò, &c.

This argument Paul urgeth, Hebr. 7. where compar­ing the Priesthood of Christ with Aarons, he makes this one argument to proove Christ his Priesthood the greater, in that Levi in Abraham paid tithes unto M [...]lchisedeck, who was th [...] Typicall Priest of the New Testament. Whereas the Historian objects that Abr [...]ham paid tithes [Page 28] onely of the spoyles of warre, not of all his substance, the word [...] signifying onely the tithe of such spoyles;

First, I answer that both the text of Genesis, Chap. 14. 20. and HEBR. 7. 2. speake in generall tearmes, that Abraham gave tithes of all; and as for the word [...], to signifie onely the spoyles of warre, the Tithes-Histo [...]i­an is not a [...] a [...]y ag [...]ement with himselfe (neither indeed can he bee; the word bearing a larger signification); and therefore I will not stand to a [...]wer it. But say we should graunt that at this time when Abraham met M [...]l [...]hise deck, he gave the tithe onely of the spoyle of warre; yet that infringeth not, but at other times hee paid tithes of all. And that may appeare first by the emphasis of the A­postle, Hebr. 7. 4. where he speakes of the paiment of these tithes of the spoyles, as of a greater and more emi­nent action then the paying of ordinary tithes of his ground, saying, Now consider how great this man was, unto whom the Patriarch gave the tenth, not onely of his ordina­ry substance, but [...], even the tenth of the spoiles. Neither will that allegation suffice that is made by M [...]. Cartwright in his Annotations upon the Rhemes Testament, that the paiment of tithes was a cere­moniall thing, whereby was signified that wee in a tenth offered to Christ doe declare that all we have is his.

For first, if he meane particularly of Abrahams action, then Abraham di [...] it either with warranti [...] or without, if with warrantie, then was there some law commanding tithes before Mos [...]s▪ if without warranti [...], then no [...] law­full, and so not commendable, and so co [...]sequently not a fit type to signific the duty of the faithfull to Christ.

S [...]cond [...]y the Apostle in that place bringes not in Abra­ham paying tithes in the person of all the faithfull, but in the person of Levi; though true it be that all paid in Abraham.

Thirdly, if it was (as we denie not) a ceremoniall rite [Page 29] signifying and declaring the dutie of all the faithfull to Christ, then it should appeare to be the first quota, and proportion whereby to testifie and declare our subjection, thankef [...]ln [...]s and obedience: And then I aske what wrong hath Christ d [...]ne us under the Gosp [...]l▪ that we should not still testifie our obedience and thankfulnes, in and by pay­ing at least the same proportion; seeing we are not onely the faithfull children of Abraham, and have no law for bid­ding, but all enforcing the same duty. And here by the way observe with mee two other passages in those Anno­tations upon the aforenamed place;

The first is a relation of Possidoni [...]s in the life of SaintAug in Ser. de temp. 2 [...]9 In Dom. 12▪ post Trinit. Hom. 4 [...]. in­ter 50 Ser. in Psal. 146. Augustine; wherein h [...] would make Saint Augustine an enemie to the custo [...]e of paying tithes in the quota, dire­ [...]ly against his owne perempto [...]y assertion in all his Tra­cta [...]s.

The second is a misconstruing of Saint Ierome, no [...] only against his generall text, but the sense & r [...]les of G [...]āmer: for whereas [...]. Ierome inveighing against the covetousnes and licentiousnes of the Cleargie in those times, thus con­cludes, Si quasi Levita & sacerdos vivo de decimi [...], & al [...]ari Ad Nepot. de vit. [...]ler. [...] iens altaris oblatione sus [...]tor, habens victum & vestitum his c [...]n [...]en [...]us ero▪ which in r [...]ght English is, that so long as I live as a Levite and Priest, upon tithes, or other offerings due to chose that serve at the altar, I will rest my selfe contented, though it onely suffice for food and raiment: i [...] ­t [...]m [...]ting, that as long as he lived upon Go [...]s allowance, it should su [...]fice, were it never so small; assuring himselfe o [...] Go [...]s [...]l [...]s [...]ing in and upon his owne ordinance. There the construction of Saint Ieromes minde is this;

That if lesse then a tenth will finde him things ne­cessary for his honest maintenance, Ierome will not stand upon a title of tithes.

2. The tr [...]th of this may appeare in the practise of Ia­cob in this vowe: for Iacob vowes not this of paying [Page 30] tithes de novo, as a worke not formerly done, no more then he doth the other, that the Lord shall bee his God; but he vowes that which according to the auncient lawe of God, and practise of his fathers, he was to performe, when God should bestowe these blessings upon him; only by this vowe he bindes himselfe to a more strict & care­full performance of what he ought; it being lawfull to make vowes, not onely in things indifferent, but in things necessary and commanded.

The second thing which I propounded to proove was, that the tenth, even for the quota, is the certaine rule of proportion due unto the Ministers of God which serve at the altar, and which without sacriledge cannot bee de­tayned from them: the which I thus proove;

That for which we have the precept of God by autho­rity of his word in time commanding, the practise of all people in all places, and that in all ages, and that of du­tyVox populi, [...] e [...] vox [...]; Cic. [...] 1. readily performing for the maintenance of Gods wor­ship; that must necessarily bee the rule for the practise of all men, nor may it be altered till we have precept to the contrary: but of this nature hath beene the practise for the payment of tithes: therefore &c.

By all ages I understand, 1. Before the laws, as in the ex­ample of Abraham and Iacob. 2. Vnder the lawe, where we have both precept and practise. 3. In time of the Go­spel, when and where the Gospel hath beene knowne, and embraced.

By all persons I understand both faithfull and insidels; te­stimonies whereof you have heard already.

By all places I understand, 1. the severall and particular Kingdomes of Christendome; not some one or fewe, but all 2. not some heathen, as the Romanes alone, or Grecian only, but both, nay all whosoever are recorded to acknow­ledge a Deity or at least we read of none that did not with out punishment; Quis enim aesos impune putarit esse Deos?

[Page 31]But against this argument there are brought diverse instances: first, against the practise of the heathen; second­ly, against the practise of the Church of God.

For the heathen, these objections are made. 1. They had no compulsary law to compell them. 2. They paide not ne­cessarily,Seld. pag. 28 but arbitrarily. 3. They paid not annually, nor of all things, not to all Deities, nor by all men. For answer of all which, in a word; first, what needed they any law to compell them, when as they were a law to themselves, drawne thereunto either by the law of nature, more force­able then any humane law; or else by traditionall custome from the practise of their forefathers, which to us is above all, and to them was alwaies in the nature and force of a law, they not having alwaies their lawes written (as we now) further then in the customary practise of the coun­try? Secondly, for the making of lawes for the paiment of tithes, they well could not, in that they paid tithes to severall Deities; so that to have made a law for one, had beene to draw the envy of another Deitie upon them. As for the second, that they paid them not upon necessitie, but voluntarily, we shall finde the contrary confessed by the Tithes-Historian, pag. 31. where recording the vow of Cypselus of Corinth, he saith that Cypselus had speciall regard to the tenth part of the goods of the Citizens, as competent to a Deitie; and in the same page (relateing out of Herodotus the practise of Cyrus) tells us that Cyrus being admonished of Croesus, would not have the goods of the Lydians ransact by the souldiers, because [...] they were necessarily to be tithed to Iupiter; and that not only as a vow, but as a custome: otherwise (as Mr. Moun­tague observeth) it would have beene a poore argument to have made the souldiers desist from their right in the spoile.

And as for annuall paiment he confesseth, pag. 30. that it was a custome to bring unto Apollo yearly first fruits in [Page 32] tenths; and a little before, speaking of the Syphnians, he saith that they gave yearely the tithes of their mines which they found in the Isle. And Mr. Mountague furtherPag. 493. addeth, that when covetousnes made them leave paying that tribute of tithes, the sea brake in among them and swallowed up those mines; a just vengeance of God upon detainers of divine right, by dishonouring God to loose all. And in the last place where he averreth all paid not, nor of all things, nor to all Deities, let him or any shew as much in the negative, as wee have shewed in the affirma­tive, and we will yeeld the bucklers: and yet I see no rea­son why the proofe of a negative after the affirmative prooved, should stand good against Gods right, that will not stand good against an earthly Kings, no not against the right of a private person.

But graunt that all this were true that is alledged, that they paid not yearely, nor of all things &c. Were they not heathen, in whome the light of nature being darkened, might faile in the perfect performāce of such things as na­ture required. Certainly if we faile, having a greater light, in the performance not onely of this duty, but of things of greatest moment, especially when gaine and profit come in our way, let us not expect perfection from them, though in naturall things; howsoever, what they did prooves the truth of my former conclusion, in that they paid neither an eighth, ninth, eleventh, or twelfth, but alwaies a strict tenth, or at least nomine decima; demonstrating thereby the tenth to be due de jure, howsoever they failed de fallo to pay it in the full proportion or quota.

The reasons brought to infringe the practise of tithes under the Gospel, are two; both taken from matter of fact. The first is the practise of the primitive Church in the daies of the Apostles, who neither received tithes, nor challenged them; together with the setling of the paiment of tithes in all particular countries where the Gospel hath [Page 33] been received; which paiments have been setled according to the particular lawes & customes of particular countries.

First for answer, we say that a facto ad jus non valet con­sequentia, it was not done thus and thus, and therefore it ought not to have been otherwise, is no good consequence either in Logicke or Lawe, much lesse in Divinitie.

Secondly, the Church in those times of the Apostles, and many yeares after, was not setled, but was in great persecution, and so not a fit time for Ministers to be for­ward in urgeing that question, least, as Saint Paul spake of himselfe, they should have seemed to have sought theirs more then them. And to reason thus, we may as well say that the Israelites paid no tithes in the wildernes, nor in their captivities; therefore they were not due at any time.

Thirdly, those that were not converted paid according to their auncient customes unto their Idoll-Gods; those that were, willingly brought all and laid them at the Apo­stles feete: but the Church was no sooner setled, but tithes were demaunded, and readily by way of thankefulnes to God paid when and where the Gospel was from time to time received and embraced, as the particular graunts spe­cified by M^r. Selden himselfe will sufficiently witnesse.

The second reason opposing the practise for the times of the Gospel, is grounded upon the doctrine of the School­men, and practise of the Church; first set abroach by A­lexanderSeld. p. 158. Hales. Their doctrine was, that tithes for the quota are not due now in the time of the Gospel; either by the Morall lawe, or the lawe of Nature; but onely jure Ecclesiastico, by the judiciall lawes and constitutions of the Church, beeing grounded upon the equitie of a mutuall distribution betwixt the Ministers and the people; that as the one gives spirituall things, so the other should afford unto them of their temporall things. The practise of the Church was in suffering the conveyances of Parochiall rites in tithes to bee diverted unto the maintenance of [Page 34] Monkes and Friars in their cloysters, which (saith the Tithes-Historian) the Church would never have suffered,Pag. 159. had they formerly held tithes due to be paid by divine right, either lege scriptâ, or natâ.

But these reasons to them that will understand reason, are easily answered; for first, the Schoolemen and Friars are contrary to themselves and one to another, for which I referre the Reader to Gregory de Valentia in his Title of tithes.

Secondly, what is the judgement of a few Monkes and Friars, who by their niceties and subtilties have obscured the truth, rather then explained it, being compared with all the auncient Fathers of Gods Church in all ages, which have sealed to the truth of their doctrine by shedding of their bloods?

Thirdly, let all honest Christians consider the end that these Schoolmen aimed at, with the miserable event that followed their doctrine and practise. For their ends, they were two;

The first was to encrease the maintenance of the Mini­stery,Thom. 2. 2. qu. [...]7. art. 1 & to draw it to a greater proportion, by how much the Priesthood of the Gospel was more excellent thē that of the Law: for lesse then a tenth they never yeelded unto.

The second was, by maintaining them due onely by po­sitive lawe, and not divine, they laboured to drawe them from their Parochiall Ministers unto the maintenance of thē & their Cloisters: which they effected even to the im­poverishing of the Ministers serving at the altar, allow­ing unto them only a smal competency of personall tithes.

Lastly, for the event of this doctrine, it was most fatall; giving not only occasion to Wicklife and others to broach that heresie of maint [...]ining tithes to be meere almes; but gave occasion also to the civill power, to take from the Church not onely the jurisdiction of tithes, but to alienate them in the end from the Church and Churchmen to a [Page 35] me [...]re civill use; as your Prohibitions, Inhibitions, Im­propriations at this day witnesse at large, not onely here but in all places.

And as for the practise of the Church suffering the ali­enation of them; First, it was not by generall consent of all: for the Canonists of those times were against it. Second­ly, suppose the whole Church had erred in this particu­lar at this time, yet doth it not infringe the right of them by generall consent before nor since, in that the whole Church hath erred in matters of greater weight and mo­ment then the point of tithes, as in the heresie of Arrianus, when totus mundus factus erat Arrianu [...], the whole world were become Arrians, some sewe particular persons one­ly excepted. And in the times of Popetie before the daies of Martin Luther, when there was no poi [...]t of divinitie free from either addition or subtraction in any one Church of Christendome. And for the allegation of particular pre­scriptions and customes, let them first proove tithes due by humane constitution onely, and that God hath relin­quished his right, otherwise it is not onely idle, but wick­ed, to plead custome, or prescribe against God.

The last thing to be prooved for the payment of tithes is, that the lawe of tithing was and is a divine lawe, standing still in force, which may not be abrogate without speciall law to the contrary: which will appeare by these reasons following;

1. To whome the selfe same power and duty of bles­sing belongs, as did to Melchisedeck, to them from the blessed ought the same duty to be performed, which Abr [...] ­ham performed to Melchisedeck; that is, the tithes of all: benedicere & decimas accipere & dare beeing set downe byHebr. 7. 1. 2 the Apostle as relatives, quorum uno posito, ponitur & alte­rum, & [...] contrà: otherwise the Apostles argument is of no force; but the Ministers of the Gospel have the same power and right of blessing the people, as had Melchise­deck: [Page 36] ergò, &c. If any shall object that parents doe and may blesse their children, and children their parents,Gen. 24. 60. Iosh [...]a 22. [...]. Psal. 129. 8 Ruth 2. [...]. and Kings their subjects, yea all Christians ought to blesse one another; and yet cannot challenge a propriety in tithes: I answer, that there was and is a great difference betwixt their blessing and the blessing of the Priest and Minister.

For first, the Priests had a speciall commission andDeutr. 10. 8 command, as being set apart by God for that purpose.

Secondly, to them was given a prescript and certaine forme of blessing, which was not to others: The Lord blesse Numb. 6. 24. 25. 26. thee and keepe thee, the Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and bee gracious unto thee, the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace.

Thirdly, there was a promise of a speciall blessing an­nexed unto the Priests blessing, which was not made toNumb. 6. 26 any other; others onely praying for a blessing, but they pronouncing it also.

Lastly, God hath annexed the blessing of the Priests and the paiment of tithes by the people, as necessary de­pendants. D [...]VT. 10. 8. 9. At that time the Lord separa­ted the tribe of Levi to beare the arke of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord, to minister unto him, to blesse in his name unto this day: wherefore Levi hath no part nor in­heritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance, accor­ding a [...] the Lord thy God promised: and what this promise was, we read, NVMB. 18. 21. And be [...]old I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israell.

If it bee objected that this was a ceremoniall action be­longing onely to the Leviticall Priesthood, the answer is negative, that it was not a Ceremoniall, but a Morall duty. 1. Because it was in practise before the lawe of ceremonies or Leviticall Priesthood, as in the example of Melchisedeck, G [...]N. 14. 19. 20. He blessed Abraham, and received tithes of all. 2. Christ himselfe practised it, MAR. 10. 16. LVK. 24. 50. 3. Christ commanded his [Page 37] disciples to doe the like, LVK. 10. 5. promising to second it upon such who should readily receive them, and kinde­ly entertaine them. 4. The Apostles practised it after Christs ascention and their receiving the holy Ghost, blessing the people with that Evangelicall forme of blessing mentioned 2. COR. 13. 14. The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the holy Ghost be with you all; Amen. According to which forme, the Ministers of God in all ages since have conti­nued to blesse the people: the which forme, though it dif­fer in words from that used under the Lawe, yet is it the selfe same for sense and substance: and that both more sweete, by how much the sweete name of IESVS is therein mentioned; as also more plaine, in that the three persons of the blessed Trinitie are therein distinctly ex­pressed, which in the other are onely closely implied under the triple iteration of the name and title of LORD.

The truth and confirmation of this whole argument is apparently prooved, HEBR. 7. 12. where Paul thus rea­sons;Arg. 1. If the Priesthood be changed, then must there be a change of the Law, and so [...] contrà, where the Priesthood is the same, the Law must bee the same: but our Priest­hood is the same for blessing with Melchisedecks, yea with Aarons: and therefore the Law of our Priesthood for receiving tithes must be the same.

That law, the abrogating whereof dishonours God,Arg. [...]. and makes the Ministers of the Gospel inferiour to the Ministers of the Law, cannot be temporary, but of divine constitution, which cannot be abrogated: but to main­taine the law for the right of the tithe in kinde to be ab­rogate and not in force, tends to the dishonour of God, and making the Ministers of the Gospel inferiour to them under the Lawe: [...]rgò, &c. The ma [...]or is thus proo­ved; That law, the abrogating whereof leaves the Mini­sters of God under the Gospel without a certaine rule for [Page 38] maintenance, dishonours God in making him more re­gardlesse of his Ministers under the Gospel, then under the Law, and makes them inferiour to the Leviticall Priest­hood: but to maintai [...]e the Law commanding tithes for the quota to be abrogate, is to leave the Ministers of the Gospel without a certaine rule for maintenance: ergò &c. The major is evident by two reasons; 1. Because mainte­nance is one of those foure necessary duties required of all men towards their Ministers now in the time of the Go­spel; the other three beeing loue, countenance, obedience. 2. In regard of those manifold mischieses and inconveniences which must necessarily follow, in leaving them to a volun­tary stipende or contribution of man, without a certaine rule given by God himselfe: as,

1. Flatterie, or suspition of flatterie, in beeing thought to have some persons in admiration, because of advantages which cannot be in tithes.

2. Dissimulation and deceit, in making as though they received little when as they have much; which cannot be in tithes.

3. By this meanes the poorer sort are either much dis­graced in regard of that little they haue, or else are forced to straine themselves above their abilitie to their utter ru­ine, as wofull experience makes too evident in such places where Ministers live on contribution; whereas in the pay­ment of tithes every man rests content with Gods bles­sing.

4. Ostentation in some, in giving much, and disdain­ing those that give lesse; which cannot be in tithes.

If it be objected, that all this may be amended by a sett stipende arising from goods proper to the Church; I aske what they understand by Church goods: If they meane tithes which are the proper goods of the Church; how can any man proportion a stipende better then God him­selfe hath done, to give every Minister the tithes of those [Page 39] people committed to his charge? If by goods proper to the Church, they understand such voluntary offerings as shall be brought in by the faithfull into the common trea­surie of the Church, or otherwise shall bee rated by au­thority upon every particular person; then I demande what contribution can be so sure, what stipend established by man so certaine, but that either by the wickednes of the Magistrates who have power to establish, or inconstan­cy of those by whome it is bee paide, or covetousnes of those by whome it is to bee collected and gathered, is subject either to change, or else to enforce Gods Mi­nisters to the former evils: as is evident in all places, where Ministers live either upon such voluntary contribu­tions or set stipends. But more of this hereaster.

The minor is thus prooved; If there bee a lawe or rule, it is for more, or lesse, or the same certaine due; if it bee for more, why doe they withhold it? if for lesse, then are we in worse case then the Levi [...]es: but whether it be for more or lesse, let them shew us the rule, and we shall wil­lingly consent; if they cannot then it remaines necessarily, that the same rule & lawe must stand in force for us now under the Gospel, which was in force for the Priesthood under the Lawe.

If they say that Paul sets downe a rule and law. 1. COR. 9. GAL. 6. 6. I say then, it is a divine lawe, not humane; for more honourable maintenance, not for lesse: as all the reasons plainely [...]n [...]orce; and so whosoever with­holdes the tenth is sacrilegious, unlesse they will main­taine Code and Statute above Scripture, and the lawes and constitutions of men, above the lawes and comman­dements of God. But the truth is, that neither of those texts are rules or lawes simply, but onely comments up­on the first lawe, first imprinted in mans heart, and after­wards given by God himselfe unto Moses, and alledged by Paul for backing the same; as not onely the reasons [Page 40] there alledged necessarily imply & enforce, beeing groun­ded upon the lawe of Nature, and the lawe Morall; but verse the 14 he concludes it to bee the same law, saying, [...]ic enim constan [...]t &c. Even so [...]ath the Lord ordained that they which preach the G [...]sped, should live of the G [...]spell. Let men then either shew some other statute law given by God, or else they must necessarily gra [...]nt, that Paul [...]n [...]orc [...]h no other but the first lawe.

[...]. But because such is the corruption of mans nature, that they are more drawne to the practise of holy duties by the feare of punishment, then allured by the force of [...]recept and hope of reward; take in the last place a reason enforcing this duty, drawne from the manifold judge­ments denounced and threatened by God, and no lesse inflicted upon such who have any waies beene detainers of his tithes in all ages, or any thing else truely dedicated to [...]oly use for the better maintenance of his worship and ser­vice; where wee shall finde that such things have beene fearefully fatall to all the actors and abettors and their posterity after them: And here not to speake of that great punishment of the Iewes mentioned MAL. 3. nor yet of those notorious Sacrilegists of auncient times and in other countries; but to keepe our selves at home, and to speake onely of such particulars as are fresh in our memory, of that great sacriledge begun and [...]econded in the daies of King Henry the eighth, with the successe of it in all the actors and abettors of the same.

And first to begin with Cardinall Wolsey the president for future sacriledge, in demolishing certaine petty Mo­nasteries and religious houses, though to a good intended use, for the building of two Colledges, the one in Ox­ford, the other in Ipswitch: both which, as they stand to this day unfinished as a witnes against him of his sinne; so not long after suddenly and unexpectedly followed his ruine and overthrow. From him come to the Lord Crom­well [Page 41] the instigator of the King to the dissolution of the rest re [...]a [...]ning, though to an happy ende, even the roo­ting of Pope [...]y, Superstition, and Idolatrie out of this kingdome (which could never have beene so easily effe­cted if those places had beene left in their beeing and glory); yet for neglecting to bee as carefull to tender un­to God his due by restoring unto him and his Church his tithes and other due rites, as bee was to roote out super­stition and take away such places and particulars as were dedicated and given to such idolatrous uses, gathe­ring into his owne hands a great part of those possessions; they prooved not onely fatall to himselfe, as his fearefull (though lamentable) ruin [...] shortly after made apparent; but those possessions have beene no lesse fatall to his stock and posteritie who by vertue of his right have still inhe­rited them: Yea take a veiw of the whole Gentry of England into whose hands the revenues Church were then by w [...]y of exchange or otherwise divolved, and wee shall finde they have beene like to Tholosse gold, orAulus. Gell. lib. 3. 6. 9. Prov. 20. 25 those holy things spoken of by Solomon, which have not onely ensnar [...]d the soules of their possessors, and perish­ed themselves in their use; but with themselves have de voured other faire and ample possessions: So that either the face or the name of our Gent [...]y then in being is wholly changed, or else there is none remaining who are succes­sively possesso [...]s of those tithes to a fourth generation; or, if there be any, either they want meanes of maintenance answerable to their births, or at least they want heires of their loines to continue those inheritances in their names: either of which prooves that generall assertion both of religion and nature in [...]allibly true, that de male quasitis non gandet [...]r [...]i [...] heres, of goods ill gotten the third heire shall have small cause to rejoyce. I might in­stance the like satall successe of those r [...]v [...]ues even in R [...] ­gia stirpe, in the succession of King Hemy the eighth. And [Page 42] the onely happines that our late gracious Soveraigne IAMES of blessed memorie, had in the remainder of those holy things, was this, that he was so happie as to ridde the crowne of them; and from my soule I wish that (as I have often heard it was his desire) so for Gods glory, his owne honour, the future happines of his posterity, & of his kingdomes, he had been so further happy as to have resto­red Gods part in his tenths unto the Church againe. And howsoever those who now possesse such tenths thinke they shall and may more safely and freely enjoy them, because they are perswaded they have paid more dearely for them: yet caveat emptor, l [...]t such buyers beware least before an­other third generation come, they proove not as fatall to them and to their posterity, as they were to their pre­decessors; for if once sacriledge, ever; our God from whome wee receive the whole, and to whom the tenth is ever due, being the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Thus to conclude this point, By all [...]se reasons it is apparent, that howsoever the lawes whereby men at this day pay their tithes unto their Ministers, be the lawes po­sitive, and customes of Churches and severall Kingdomes wherein they live; yet the lawes whereby they are prima­rily due, an [...] by which the true Church hath ever and doth yet challenge them, is the divine lawe of God.

And for the lawes Imperiall, and Canons Synodall and Pontificiall with the particular graunts and lawes of par­ticular Kingdomes concerning tithes, they were made from time to time in favour of the Church, for the main­tenance of divine right, and repressing the wickednes of such as would not have paid them, had not the feare of the law of man beene more powerfull with them then the lawe of God.

The truth whereof will appeare evident, if we take but a view of those Graunts, Lawes, and Chartelaries menti­oned by Mr. Selden himselfe in his eighth Chapter, made [Page 43] & graunted by the Kings of England, where we shall finde them all grounded, and that onely upon the divine right; as in the generall Synode held in the yeare 706. under Offapag. 199. King of Merc [...]land, and Elfwolde King of Northumber­land, with the full consent of all the Lords both spirituall and tempo [...]all, grounding that law of tithing upon that text of MALAC. 3. they thus conclude, Nemo justam el [...] ­ [...]mosynam de his qu [...] p [...]ssidet, facere valet: nisipri [...]s separa­verit Domino, quod à primordio ipse sibi reddere delegavit: ac per hoc plerunque contingit, ut qui decimam non tribuit, ad de­cimam revertitur: unde etiam cum obtestatione pracipimus, ut omnes studeant de omnibus qua possident decimas dare; quia speciale Domini Dei est; & de novem partibus sibi vivat, & [...]l [...]mosynas tribuat &c. No man may give almes out of any thing he doth possesse, though upon never so just cause, before such time as he hath first set apart that to the Lord which he from the beginning reserved to be rendred to himselfe: for by this meanes it often comes to passe, that he which neglects to pay the tenth, is himselfe brought to a tenth: therefore we adjure all men that they studiously endeavour to pay the tenth of all that they have, because that is in a speciall manner the Lords: and to maintaine themselves and give alines out of the other nine parts o [...]ely.

The like graunt he mentions of Ethelulph, anno 855. who gave with the consent of all the Lords both spirituall and temporall, the tithes of all his Kingdome to the Churches and Ministers of the same; free from all manner of Regal or secular service: in the conclusion of which graunt is added, Qui autem augere volu [...]rit nostram donati­onem, pag. 209 a [...]geat omnipotens Deus dies [...]us prosperos: si quis ve­rò minuer [...] v [...]l mutare pr [...]sumps [...]rit, noscat s [...] [...]te Tribunal Christi r [...]dditurum ration [...]m, [...]isi pri [...]s satisfactione emendave­rit, If any shall augment this our donation, the Lord make his dayes many and prosperous: if any shall presume either [Page 44] to lessen or change the same, let him know that hee shall give an account thereof before the Tribunall of Christ, unlesse before that time he make full satisfaction for the same.

The like of the graunt and generall law made by Kingpag. 213. Athelstan, grounded, as he co [...]fesseth, upon the example of Iacob, and text of ho [...]y Scripture. pag. 214.

The like of King [...]dmund, Decimam pra [...]ipimus omni Christiano super Christianitatem suam d [...]re. 215. we com­mand all Christians to pay their tithes upon fo [...]f [...]iture of their Christendome.

In the lawes of King Knout. pag. 223. Reddantur Deo debita rectitudines annis singulis, Let God have his due right yearly provided him. And then followes the lawe of tithe in kinde.

In the lawes made by King Edward the Confessor, h [...] ving set downe the particulars what tithes ought to bee paid, this is the ground, D [...]cima pars [...]i reddenda [...]st qui [...]o ve [...] partes simul cum decima largitur, The tenth ought to be paid to him, who together with the tenth gives us freely the other nine parts. And so of the rest.

In roome whereof I wil adde the opinion of the Divines of the whole Vniversitie of Oxford touching personall tithes, against the doctrine of one Friar Russell, who deni­edpag. 225. tithes to be due jure divino▪ against which opinion they thus conclude, Quic [...] que hanc sententiam tenuerit, & per [...]inaciter def [...]nderis, apud reputationem [...]ostram hareticus est censendus: & quia à sancta doctrina Ecclesia est divisus, a corpore [...]jusdem Ecclesi [...] vel [...]t putrid [...]m membrum est pra­scind [...]ndus, Whosoever shall perversely hold and main­taine this ass [...]rtion, let him upon our credi [...]s bee held an heretique: and because he hath rent himselfe from the ho­ly doctrine of the Church, let him be cut off from the Church as a rotten member of the same.

I know M [...]. Selden goes about to weaken these authori­ties,pag. 201. [Page 45] especially of the Synode held under Offa and Elf­wold, by calling into question the faithfulnes of the Cen­turiators, from whence he recites it; because the record of t [...]at Synode is no where [...]lse to be found, as he saith. And for the censure of the Vniversitie of Oxford, he affirmes that they were too vehement and too confident in thepag. 174. point. But I leave to the censure of his owne Profession, with what indiscretion and more vehement confidence they would censure a poore Postillian Divine that should goe about to call into question the faithfulnes of Ployden, the Lord Dyer, Sir Edward Cooke, Rastall, &c. because that all particular originall recordes of judgements and statutes recorded by them in their Commenta­ries, Cases, Reports, Abridgements, are not come to his view, or it may be cannot be found, as being stollen by some siltching hand, or perished by antiquitie of time, or the negligence of those that had them in custody: or, after that all the Iudges of the Land, together with all the Lawyers of all the Innes of Courts, after long and serious arguing, had determined a case in Lawe; some puny Bar­rester should censure them all to be too vehement and confident in their determination.

And that all the world may see that the dull ignorance and ignorant confidence is not so proper to the poore Di­vines of these times, but Mr. Selden may shake hands even in these things wherein he would make the world beleeve he had no equal; take into your consideration his peremp­tory conclusion upon these two graunts and records fol­lowing, alledged by him to proove that decima and deci­matio are not alwaies taken for a tenth, but sometimes for a farre lesse portion: as also that the free disposing of theCap. 10. tenth, was in the power of the owner to give, what, to whom, and to what use he pleased, without the consent of Bishop or Incumbent.

The first▪ though second in the history, is a graunt of [Page 46] Robert de Hessel to the Monastery of Gisburne in York­shire whereby hee gives, duas garbas de tota terra quam de novo colui in territorio de Hessell post quam illam tenui; aut quam ego de catero colam, vel haredes met; ita ut decimatio hac cedat in fabricationem Ecclesiae novae de Gisburne: here the gift of two sheafes onely out of all his land (saith he) is called decimatio▪ the which if he would make good, I would willingly give him yearely the price of a Ploydens Commentaries, and yearely gaine by the bargaine. But the truth is, he is much mistaken; for by duas garbas, wee may not understand two sheafes onely of his whole land new tilled; but as Doctor Tilesley observes, duplam deci­mam: and yet not two sheafes of tenne, but duas decimas garbas, or primam & secundam decimam, two tenth-sheafes, or two sheafes of tenth; the custome of tithing in that ground and territory being this, That the Collectors for that right of the Abbey of Gisburne, received, and doe still, the tenth and twentieth sheafe, and the Minister or Incumbent the thirtieth sheafe, or third sheafe of tenth; so that garba there, is the same with decima. The like custome to this I remember to be in the Parish of Hurst­per-poynt in Sussex, payable to the Abbey of Lewis: but whether it be of lands aunciently belonging to that Mo­nastery, or otherwise a donation, as this of Hessell, I can­not well remember.

Further, it must be remembred concerning this custome, that the land newly to be tilled was a wood; some of it standing to this day: and all of it called the Wood-sield: and so was not lyable formerly according to the custome of England to pay any tithe.

Secondly, in liew of this the Incumbent receives annu­ally out of that portion of Gisburne, nine threaves of corne, to wit, soure of wheate, if there be so much grow­ing upon the ground, and the rest of barley. The which threaves may amount sometimes neare to the losse in the [Page 47] double tithe given from him, and then no doubt did, much of it beeing lately converted from wood to arable; by which it appeares, that the alienation and graunt was not without the consent of the Bishop and Incumbent, but with consent of all parties.

The other is the customary payment of foure threaves of corne of every plough-land in the East-riding of York­shire, given, as he saith, by King Athelstan to the Church of Saint Iohn of Beverley (which came not, as he affir­meth, neere to the tenth) which threaves are stiled deci­mae in a bull of one of the Pope Gregories, as if decima in one notion had signified any kinde of revenue devoutly of­fered to holy uses.

For answer hereof, I must confesse I cannot fully re­solve my selfe of this custome by all the enquiry I have made; yet I shall be able I hope to enforme my reader so much, as shall proove the Historian much mistaken in this allegation.

First if they who have skill in the Saxon dialect may be beleeved, we may as well by [forne thraue] understand the fourth threave of every plough-land, as simply soure; and then here was a greater quantity then a tenth. But take it as it is alledged, yet it is not so base and contemptible a portion as he would make it seeme to bee; for every threave beeing soure and twenty sheaves, and an hide orIf Caracu­ [...]a (as him­selfe confesseth) signifi­eth an [...]i [...]e or plough land. plough-land being usually not above thirty sixe acres, and in many places lesse; and part of this being medow, part pasture, and part yearely fallow; fourescore and sixteene sheaves, and that of the principall come, as wheat and barley, was not so contemptible a portion as the Tithes-Historian would seeme to make it. But the truth is, I cannot learne or heare of any of the Laity that hold or enjoy any temporall land that paies, or ever paid any such portion to S. Iohn of Beverley, either by the gift of Athelstan, or any other King; nor that ever King A­thelstan [Page 48] had any such portion in the East-riding, payable unto his Avenary by custome of the Country from the Laitie. True it is that there is a custome in the East-riding called the payment of threaves; but of another nature and foundation, and that begun in the daies of Saint Iohn of Beverley, under the raigne, & by the permission and favour of King Athelstan. The story by tradition is this; The East-riding, especially the parts about Beverley and Hol­dernes, in regard of the woods and waters, were much annoyed with the hurtfull beasts called Beavers, Wolves, Otters &c. which destroyed dayly their young cattell: the destruction whereof the Bishop having first endea­voured at his owne cost and charges, and in the end find­ing the charge to bee too great to be borne by himselfe, called to his aide & assistance all the Cleargie of the East­riding; who gave certaine threaves of corne (every one according to the valuation of his living) some more, some lesse; the which was first paid in kinde as it grew upon the ground, and brought home either to Beverley, or to places appointed, where men and dogges and horses were main­tained for this purpose; in the ende the evill of beasts be­ing by this meanes remooved, and yet this evill custome for the Cleargy remayning, it was changed first into the payment of certaine quarters of corne, after into a pecu­niary payment, which in valuation is a double tenth, twice so much as wee pay annually to the King for tenths, and so may not unfitly be called decimae.

Howsoever, graunt it were more or lesse, yet beeing paide onely by the Cleargy, and that out of the tenths of the Church, Pope Gregory might call it fitly a tenth, and yet no whit diminish the propr [...]ety of decimation, but stil under that tearme is intimated a tenth in some one quota or other.

By which particulars it appeares, that the Tithes-Hi­storian hath not beene so carefully industrious to informe [Page 49] himselfe of the truth of things, or not so faithfull to relate them as he doth confidently confesse and protest, but hath taken what may serve for his owne turne and purpose, to frame an history according to his owne intention, & not to the truth: the truth, or true history of tithes beeing no other then that which is contained in holy writ, and which is no whit subject to the Lawes Imperiall, or Canons ei­ther Synodall or Pontificiall; but containes a law given by God, even like himselfe, which may not be changed, but must remaine one and the same throughout all gene­rations.

The use of all which, as it serveth to enforce the truth of my generall conclusion, so to manifest, and manifesting to reprehend the sacrilegious impietie of these times, wherein men are so farre from holding it a duty of religi­on, a point of devotion, an argument of thankefulnes to God for his manifold blessings, to follow Iacobs example in building and repairing Gods house, and truely paying the tenth of what God bestowes upon them, that they thinke they can doe God & their Countrie no better ser­vice then in pulling downe his Churches and Chappels, to rob him of his tithes, and abuse & wrongfully disgrace his Ministers. We have a common Proverbe, that PA­TER NOSTER built Churches, and OVR FA­THER puld them downe: This I confesse is contrary to our Profession; but if we will looke to the practise of these times, we shall finde it truely verified: for if we consider the practise of former ages, (I meane not those of the lat­ter times of Popery, whose devotion was superstition) but those first times of the Church of Rome, and those times of other Churches; if, I say, we shall compare their devotion in erecting and building Churches and Chap­pels, their zeale in decking and adorning of them, their bounty and liberality for the maintaining of them for time to come, and compare it with our practise in these our [Page 50] dayes; we shall finde that they were not so devout to build them, as we have been, and still are, to pull them downe; they were not more zealous to adorne them, then we are to deface them; they were not so forward and li­berall to maintaine them, and the worship of God in them, as we are to pill and poll from them. For witnesse where­of, how many places of this Land may a man come to, where he shall finde most goodly and glorious houses, wrought both within and without with most curious workes of the most ingenious Artists, environed about with all the delights and pleasures of man; and in the same place or parish shall finde God served in a thatched Church, or wooden Chappell? nay, with griefe let it bee spoken, how many such houses be there, that have been built with the stones and morter of the ruines of Gods house? how many Churches and Chappels may be found in this Land, which are turned into barnes and stables, and to more base offices? how many are there againe in this our Land, which are hardly content with the most curious needle-workes, the purest linnen, and the massiest gold and silver for their owne tables, whiles in the meane time, Gods table must be content with some peice of linsey▪ woolsey for a carpet, course linnen for a table cloath, & if they will be at cost for a silver chalice, for other vessels God must rest content with brasse and pewter, & in many places hardly that. It is recorded of the Iewes in the third of Ezra, that at the building of the second Temple, they amongst them that had seene the first Temple, and compa­red the glory of it with that they were now to build, burst forth into mourning and lamentation: so if we should passe through the parts of this our Countrie, and compare the Churches that are now built, with those that were built in former ages, or those that were built former­ly, with that we may reade or see them to have been; it would make the stoniest heart to grieve, and the driest eye [Page 51] to shed some teares, to behold so great a desolation in Gods Sanctuary.

And as such and so great is the evill will that men have to Gods Sion, in respect of the place of his worship; so no lesse, nay more in the matter of maintenance and respect to his Ministers, which are speciall meanes to encourage and to enable them for the performance of the parts of his publicke worship in those places.

Not to speake of any Symoniacall contracts, impro­priations, appropriations, customes, compositions, pre­scriptions, prohibitions, inhibitions, as things that never trouble mens consciences, and by which they have, and doe daily rob God and his Church of the best part of his spirituall inheritance: but to speake onely of that small portion of maintenance which the iniquitie of times hath left yet remaining to the Church; and it is strange but to imagine, what thifts, trickes, and devises men have, and all to coosen God of his right; what shifting, what chop­ping and changing from field to field, Parish to Parish, kinde to kinde; thinking every little too much that the Minister enjoyes, and all well gotten that they can deceit­fully get from him: or if their envying that little we have, or the private coosening of us of what is our due were all, yea if we might have but faire proceeding at the Law for what is violently detained from us, we could hold our selves well contented; but to have it violently wrested out of our hands (or rather Gods) by perjurie, crueltie, and oppression, is an height of impietie more then heathe­nish.

For witnes of the truth hereof, how often falls it out that a Parishioner discontented with his Minister, it may be because he cannot have his tithe at his owne rate and pleasure, or it may be for just reprehension of him for with-holding Naboths Vineyard, or keeping his brother Phillips wife, or some other such like crying sinne; this [Page 52] discontented person by way of revenge instantly detaines some part or the whole of his tithe, puts the poore Minister to a long & tedious suit, forceing him thereby to come to a cōposition for his owne, & so as to stand to his worships courtesie; but if it fall out that he cannot get his desire, he calls in his Tenants, friends, and neighbours, pleading a prescription and customary paiment of some kinde of tithe, and that not for himselfe, but the whole Parish, adviseing them to joyne and holde with him; who, either out of feare of his person, or hate to their Minister, or rather covetous desire of what they ought not to have, cry, [...]aciamus im­pietatis pari [...]tem unum, habeamus etiam omnes unum marsu­pium: and having thus impiously smitten hands to hold together, least the Minister should get the day (which of all other is held the greatest disgrace, be his cause never so good); their next care is to suborne witnesses, which usually goe accompanied with these two good properties, old men, who have forgotten to speake truth, or else think they may speake what they list, because they thinke none can controll them: swearing oftentimes for many yeares before they were borne: or secondly, poore and needy per­sons, such as are ready to [...]ell themselves for a morsell of bread; so that if they should be prooved perjured, the poore Minister should have no redresse against them, but to get an obdurate eare and a perjured tongue, unsavory and unprofitable morsells for distressed soules, and a poore recompence for so great a losse. From these honest witnes­ses it goes to a jury of laymen, and those usually picked out of purpose, men of more law then conscience; who, knowing that the Iudge must of necessitie give sentence according to their verdit, instead of examining the cause, crie, [...]am nostra res agitur, it is this mans cause to day, it may be ours tomorrow; let us take heed how these black­coates get the day of us; and so never making more enqui­ry either into the nature of the evidence given by the [Page 53] Iudges, or the qualitie of the witnesses brought in to proove their evidence, crie with one consent, Billa vera, all is true that is alledged against the Minister; and, which is not the least of evills, when hee is thus doubly forsworne out of his right, yet he must undergoe the censure of a troublesome factious fellow, which would not rest con­tented with what his predecessors enjoyed before him.

Never any age wherein men were more forward to call upon their Ministers for the performance of their duties, never any wherein they were more subject to censure them upon the least omission, never lesse regard had either of their places or persons, men never envying the happines & prosperitie of any other profession, so they can keepe the Ministers of God poore enough. For evident proofe whereof, take into your considerations another particular.

A Minister holding two benefi [...]es (carefully providing to have them both served, & paying for these ordinarily or extraordinarily toward the necessary affaires of the King and Kingdome, and giving more to the releese of the poore then it may be his whole Parish, or the best Iustice in the Country about him) this is held a great impietie, a roar­ing sinne of these dayes: and yet in the meane time, for a layman to hold foure, five, sixe, or eight spirituall livings, the least of them (it may be) worth both the others; and out of all these [...]ardly allowing so much as would suffici­ently [...] an able Minister, nor yet paying any thing toward the necessary affaires of the King or Kingdome, is by no man maligned or envied.

True it is, that to cloake all this impietie it is pretended that conditionally every Minister would be content with one living, and every Church and Chappell might be pro­vided of an able preaching Minister, they could wish that there might be a competency allotted out of all livings, impropriations, and other, for the better and sufficient maintenance of Ministers therein. A faire cloake I must [Page 54] confesse, if the cloth were answerable to the colour; but quadam videntur & non sunt, all is not gold that glistereth. Give you mee leave therefore a little to examine this com­petency, and to aske the question;

1. Of what nature it should bee: whether they will provide for all Ministers portions alike, equall or une­quall. If to all equall, then would they doe wrong to God and his Ministers, who, as he bestowes upon some greater gifts, will have them served and rewarded with a double1. Tim. 5. 17. portion; according to that of the Apostle, Hee that ruleth well is worthy of double honour &c. if they say their porti­on shall bee unequall and answerable to mens deserts, then in the second place give mee leave to aske, By whome shall these portions bee proportioned? by whome shall mens gifts bee judged? by whome shall these portions bee conferred and bestowed? doe wee not thinke that a Brother, a Sonne, a Kinsman, a Friend, a vel­vet Gowne, a Coach and all other necessary furniture, nay three or foure hundred peeces will be are as great a stroke, and worke as feelingly in the bestowing a pension of an hundred pounds per annum certaine without further charge, as now in bestowing a living of that value & rate uncertaine. If Christ had foretold, that in the latter daies chari [...]ie should abound, and iniquitie grow cold, there might have beene some hope that with the change of the forme the evill might have beene avoyded▪ but Christ ha­ving told the contrary, it is against hope to expect it.

But to goe on a little further; why should any man goe about to prescribe God his allowance, when God himselfe hath allotted and proportioned it' Is not this for men to make themselves wiser then God? Or is it likely that they who now make no conscience of breaking Gods law in taking from him and his what he hath allotted and given, will make any conscience to change their owne lawes to lessen, or wholly take from God and his Church what they [Page 55] themselves shall allow?

God hath given and allotted us the tenth: the tenth we challenge as Gods and our owne proper due, which no man can detaine without sacriledge: let them give us that, as God hath given it, and I dare say the Church will not onely carefully provide for every Parish an able and suffi­cient preaching Minister, but wee shall all rest our selves satisfied with one cure of soules: yea let us have our tenths duely and truly paid as God commanded, and as we have prooved due; so farre shall they finde us from covetousnes, that wee shall be willing to resigne up all our temporal­ties (the royalties and dignities of the Church onely ex­cepted:) and yet wee dare maintaine that the Church hath as good right unto them, as any temporall Lord hath to his temporall possessions, though he can claime them from the donation of Brutus (if any such were) first King of great Britaine.

But for men to talke of a competencie to have every Parish provided of a sufficient preaching Minister, and every Minister content with one cure of soules, and yet they to keepe any part or portion of the tenth in their owne use and possession, is an evident signe that how soever this plea of competency beare the shew of religion (and I am perswaded many wish and desire it out of a good heart) yet it is a plaine sleight of the Devill for the utter overthrow of all pietie and religion by bringing into the Church an equality, by equality to bring in poverty; from whence as followes necessarily a contempt of the persons and calling of Gods Ministers, so no lesse a con­tempt of their doctrine, according to that of Saint Bernard, Cujus persona despicitur, ejus doctrina contemnitur.

And that I may speake no more then the truth, I desire men to consider of the present respect given, and uncivill dealing by men of all sorts to and with the Clergy of Eng­land; as their supercilious lookes, their scornefull and op­probrious [Page 56] tearmes and titles, their pilling and polling, their posting of us from wall to kennill, from the hall to the parlour, from session to assise, with twenty other such disgracefull abuses; the base estimation of our callings and labours, thinking no men so easily come to their learning & living as the Minister, no m [...]ns paines lesse then the Mi­nisters; equalling, nay preferring of [...]entimes their Clarke, Horskeeper, or Hun [...]smā before their Chaplaine & Pastor; thinking twenty pounds per annum with a lease in reversi­on for the benefit of wife and children to be but a reason­able allowance for the one; whilest bare twenty pounds per annum without either live [...]y or lease in reversion is held a Lordly allowance for the Minister. An evident demonstra­tion of the large competency we should have, if we should leave Gods claime and our right of [...]nheritance in tenth, to come to mans allowance.

I [...]enie not, b [...]t some men will use some Prophet [...] kind­ly▪ this man, because he is a good fellow and good compa­me; another, because h [...] is well bo [...]ne and well friended, such an one as is better able by his pu [...]se and friends to bestead his neighbours, then they him. Others, more daintie eared then ten [...]er conscioned, are all for [...]o [...]gue and [...]loquence; other [...], discon [...]ted with that little glo­rie and m [...]intenance the Church hath yet left, if they [...]n meete with a discontented Separatist, doe h [...]nour h [...]m like a S. Paul, or S. Augustin [...]: and indeed, as these time, goe, the more fact [...]ous, the more in some mens bookes. But to finde a m [...]n that loves, respects, and ent [...]tain [...]s a Prophet in the name of a Prophet; this is a taske for which a m [...]n had neede, with Diogen [...], to use a l [...]ntho [...]n at noone day. So that as one h [...]th w [...]tt [...]ly defined a Papist, to be such an one as loves his Neighbour, and cates his God; another a Puritane, to be such an one as loves God, but hates his Neighbour: so may I no les [...]e truely define a common Profes [...]our of these times, to be such an one as [Page 57] loves preaching, but hates the Preacher. Never more calling upon them for Se [...]mons at all hands, never les [...]e re­spect had unto their persons or maintenance; dealing with the Ministers, as Pharaoh with the Israelites, doubling our taske, but lessening our straw; or giving us by their good wills nothing but straw for all our great paine and perilous labours.

Neither are these all the evils that attend the Clergy of these times, but there bee two particulars more which much helpe to encrease their miseries.

The first is the consideration of the reasons alledged why they are not so religiously devoted and affected to­wards Gods house and Ministers as formerly; namely, for feare least we should grow rich and proud, and trample upon the Laitie, as in times of Poperie; or least if they should be curious in decking Gods house, pious in main­taining and reverencing his Ministers, they should make way to bring in Poperie and superstition.

For answer, I deny not but the Clergie in times of Po­perie were too covetous, too proud, too superstitious; but because they then fleeced the Laitie, must the Laitie now needes fl [...] the Clergie? because the Pope in his pride trampled on the necke of Kings, must every ordinary per­son, who hath but a little more wealth or honour then his neighbours, trample on the heads of our greatest Clergy? because they were too curious and superstitious, must we needs be carelesse and irreligious? It stands not with our profession, much lesse with our religion. And as for bringing in of Poperie by this meanes, it is so little to be feared, that I dare say, the neglect of these forenamed particulars, is and hath been the cause to hold up the head of Poperie so much in these Kingdomes: it being a princi­ple, not onely in Religion, but Nature, that where there is a neglect of Gods house, a contempt of his Ministers, either in withholding that honour and maintenance, or [Page 58] withdrawing that respect and countenance which is due unto them, the profession of religion in such persons c [...] never be sound or sincere.

The second evill aggravating the misery of the Church and Churchmen, is the confideration of the persons who have been & are so injurious unto them, who are not one­ly Lay-men, FILII ALIENI, Ammon and Ama­leck, the Philistins, and those of Tyre, who take the houses of God into possession, whose sole and greatest part of patri­monie consists of the revenues of the Church: (for it is no wonder that those maligne us, seeing that as a th [...]ese or murderer hates none so much as the persons and friends of them whom they have robbed or murdered; so it is im­possible that these men should looke upon the thinne cheekes, bare cloathing, & base respect of Gods Ministers, and compare them with their owne well furnisht tables, rich and gorgeous attire, great estimation and account, and all this arising out of the Ministers maintenance, but that, their owne consciences accusing them with theft and murthe [...], the persons of Church-men of all other should be most hatefull unto them:) these, I say, are not onely of our backe-friends, but Perditio [...]ua ex teô Israel, there are d [...] nobis, such who have made an entrance into sacred or­ders, and so are, or at least ought to be of us, to maintaine the honour, credit; rites and priviledges of God in his Church against the enemies and adversaries thereof; yet feare not both by pen and preaching publickely and pri­vately to seeke the ruine, destruction, and overthrow of the same. I know generally, and for the most part these are onely your fratres sportulantes, your Fryer mendicants, stipendary Preache [...]s, together with your rambling crue of wandring Levites; who though they seeme to hate no­thing more then a Bishop, and double benefice, yet would they willingly [...], be busie Superintendents over all the Parishes in a Countrey. Whose maintenance [Page 59] ariseth as they can raise faction; and whose faction en­creaseth by setting the Pastor and the Parish together by the eares; and no better way & meanes for these purposes, then to equall or preferre their private meetings & places thereof, with or before the publicke meetings of Gods Church; denying the payment of tithes to be due jure di­vino, leaving their maintenance to every mans particular bountie, and goring the sides of their fellow Ministers by false and scandalous accusations and aspersions; by which meanes they have so scrued themselves into the affections of the Laiti [...] (who had rather give twelve-pence of bounti [...] to a stranger, then two pe [...]ce of dutie to their owne Pastor) that no men live so richly, none more con­tentedly; whilest in the meane time, the Parsons & Vicars live no where in more disgrace, in no places so unquletly and discontentedly, as where such kinde of teachers live, and are frequent. But if these men did rightly understand what belonged to [...] cure of soules, nay if they preferred not their owne glory before Gods, and the filling of their owne purses before the feeding of mens soules, making their gaine their godlinesse; it is impossible that they should write, preach, and doe so opposite, not only to the text of Gods word, but the testimoni [...] of their owne consciences, which cannot but convince them either of wilfull ignorance, or obstinate er [...]or, in running such irre­gular and irreligious courses. Neither are these onely our backe friends (who I may truely say are amongst us, but not of us) but there are (the greater our misery) ex no­stris, such who know the Law, that they who doe such things are worthy of death; more, who are placed in high place in the Church, for the protecting of it, and the rites thereof, and to punish those that doe contrarie; yet these men, either do [...] the same things, or at least are patrons, and savourors of them that doe them. So that the Church, or God for his Church may justly [Page 60] take up that complaint of the Prophet, It is not mine ene­mie that doth me this wrong, but my familiar friend that eates at my table, yea whose table I have filled with a full hand; he hath lift up his he [...]le, tongue, hand, and all against mee.

But when I speake in these generall tearmes I would not be thought to be like Eliah, that I onely were left a friend to Gods house and his inheritance; nay there are (the Lord be bles [...]ed for it) many thousands in the Church of England who have not bowed their knees to Baal, who have not yet put to their hands for the pulling downe of Gods Sanctuary, the robbing God of his tithes, or abusing his Ministers. And here I may not forget that mirrour of pietie in this kinde, I meane K. Iames our late Soveraigne, ever of blessed memory; who for his zeale to Gods house, his care for the advancement and increase of true religion, and for his love to Gods Ministers, may well be called an­other Solomon: witnes his care in his first settling, to settle religion as the foundation of his other buildings, and to establish to this end all things in order and peace in the Church, with his constant course for the maintenance and increase of the same: witnesse his forwardnes, not onely to provoke others by command, but by example, by his owne purse and bounty to repaire Churches in divers parts of this Kingdome, to restore and endow, yea to raise Bishop­prickes and other maintenances for the Clergi [...], both in Scotland and other parts of his dominions: witnes [...]e his love in restoring Bishops and others to their auncient pri­viledges and dignities, to be not onely à sacrts, but secreti­oribus consil [...]is, of his sacred, but most secret and private counsells: witnesse his readinesse and forwardnesse of all hands to doe the Church any good; even to the restoring of her right in tithes. In all which particulars had the hearts of his Subjects beene upright with God and him, as were Solomons in the dedication of the Temple; I doubt [Page 61] not, but as in other things, so in this I may truely call him another Solomon. Neither are our hopes any whit lessen­ed in his Kingly Sonne Royall King Charles our most gra­cioas Soveraigne, who is the lively image of his Royall Father for interiour vertues and endowments of soule and minde, especially those which have been the greatest glo­ry of Christian Kings, and wherein his Royall Father pla­ced his highest pitch of content and happinesse, to be the Defender of the Christian faith, a Nurse of Gods Church, a Patrone and Protector of his worship, with all the pla­ces, persons, and rices thereunto appertaming and belong­ing. To there two tall Cedars of the worlds Libanus may we adde many strong and goodly Okes of our English Ba­san, as many a I [...]ho [...]ada, Obediah, Centurion, Reverend Bishops, Right Honourable Counsellors, with other Nobles of high ranke and degree, truely borne Gentry, who neither leaning to su [...]st [...]on o [...] t [...] right hand, nor to faction on the left h [...]nd, but wa [...]king up rightly with their God [...]n tru [...]h [...]nd sincerit [...] of true religion, labo [...] to t [...]sti [...]ie the sa [...]e by their b [...]uary to Gods house, and re­sp [...]ct to [...]is M [...]n st [...]r [...] ▪ and I wo [...]ld these were not [...]rmed your stat [...] ▪ P [...]stan's, your tempo [...]iz [...]ng professors, nay friends and [...]betters of P [...]p [...]ry and su [...]t [...]ion: yea Ce­s [...]rea [...] a [...]ornel [...]u [...] ▪ [...]o [...]pa a Simon, [...]p [...]s [...]s a Priscilla, &c. [...]a [...] G [...]t [...]n [...] are their [...] many p [...]r [...]s of this king­dome, who for the good of Gods house and [...]is Mini­st [...] would w [...]ll [...]gly pl [...]ck [...] [...]ut their owne eyes; and howsoever the world accounts of them, yet I do [...]b [...] n [...]t ba [...] at the generall d [...]y of account [...] these shall passe freely with a Scio and Place [...] for me [...] t [...]ely w [...]e and r [...]igious, when their sco [...]ners shall be stayed with a Nes [...]i [...] and a No [...] placet, as being unworthy of any degree or place in the Kingdome of heaven. Thus I say there are some of all ranks, orders, and degrees, who like Ioseph and Iacob bring Gods blessing, and with Mo­ses [Page 62] in the gap withhold Gods hand from his fierce judge­ment: who (maugre all the spight and malice of Satan and his abettors, the enemies of God and his inheritance) are and will be liberall towards the maintenance of his house, respectfull of his Ministers, willingly and liberally honouring them both with maintenance and countenance. But alas these are but as a gathering after vintage, and a gleaning after harvest, if you come to Ʋoxpopuli, the ge­nerall cry of the generall number, who either can or will cry no other song then that of the Caldeans at the sacking of Ierusalem, Downe with Churches, away with tithes, let us trample both them and their Priests downe to the ground.

All which duely considered, as it gives all true hearted Christians just cause to lament and bewaile the wretched and miserable estate and condition of men in these times; so gives it us no lesse cause to feare, that God hath some extraordinary plague or other in store for us, which with­out repentance will speedily and suddenly fall upon us; yea Gods judgments, as a just punishment of this sinne, are al­ready fal'n upon us. And that it may appeare to others▪ that this feare is not causelesse, this assertion truthlesse, let us take into our consideration these three texts of Scrip­ture: the first is that of Deut. 28. 15. 16. 17. &c.

From whence I make this inference, that if he which keepes not all Gods Commandements shall be obnoxious and lyable to all these curses (many of them fitly squa­ring with the evills of these times;) why should not the committing of that sinne which at once breakes seaven of the ten Commandements? For what man can truely say he loves, feares, or trusts in God, when hee regards not his house, nor his Ministers; but robbs both him and them of that maintenance which he hath reserved to him­selfe for that purpose? or how can God bee worshipped with holy worship▪ how can his Sabbaths be duely & ho­lily [Page 63] kept; how can we be sayd to honour our parents, when our spirituall Fathers are not onely contemned, but rob­bed of those things which God hath alloted for their bet­ter maintenance? and lastly, if to covet not onely Gods, but the Ministers house, wife, maintenance &c. to robbe God of his tithes▪ and that to the grinding of his Em­bassadours faces▪ be not a breach of the 6, 8, and 10 com­mandement, impossible it is that they should bee broken▪ I say, all these considered, why may not this sinne which thus at once violates 7 of the 10, bee the very cause, or at least one of the principall causes of all the evills that are lately fallen upon us?

But because generall threats take small place in remoo­ving particular and accustomed sinnes, in the next place view and consider HAG. 1. and MALACH. 3. the one concerns Gods house, the other his tithes, both his Mini­sters respect and maintenance; where if wee compare the sinnes and punishments there mentioned for those sinnes, with these times, wee shall finde them in many points fit­ly to answer one another.

For first for the sinnes, was there ever any age wherein men might more truely be sayd to dwell in seiled houses, and Gods house ly wast; whena [...] the houses of every or­dinary Esquire, for glory without and rich and costly fur­niture within, is answerable to the ancient mansions of Nobles, yea pallaces of Kings, whilest Gods house was ne­ver lesse glorious without, never more poore and bare within? Or was there ever any age wherein men might more justly be accused for robbing God of his tithes and offerings, then this of ours; who robbe him not onely of superstuities, but of his very tithes of inheritance; allow­ing in many places hardly a tenth, nay not a twentieth part even of that which he hath wholly reserved for him and his?

And for the punishments, they are no lesse answerable: [Page 64] let [...]e give you a bill of so [...]e particulars: and! [...]in, not to ascend higher, then since the time that that mysterie of iniquity the History of tith [...]s was first revealed to the world, since which time the sinne of sacriledge hath tur­ned Catholik-christian, a warrantable sinne, if not a com­mendable vertue▪ but yet not impunè▪ for was there ever any age wherein hath been no [...]ed more frequent exportations of English commodities, especially of the fruites and en­crease of the earth, but with lesse accrument and advan­tage either to the exporters, or to the kingdome? and hath not experience taught us of late times, that our barnes some yeare [...], have scarce ever beene fuller of straw, and yet at the very selfe same time our garners seldome emp [...]ier of corne? have not our fields some times laughed and sung as it were with a promising harvest, and yet our sh [...]af [...]s when they came to undergo [...] the threshers flayle, have wept as it were and shrunke away, not fearing so much the blow of Tribulation, as conscious to themselves of their owne inability to satisfie the husbandmans labour & expectation? And why may not this (to passe all others) be a very pithy and satisfying reason, viz, God seeing men hug and fat themselves in their owne conceits with hopes and expectations of great increase, but like the hog under the tree never looking up to the Author of their welfare, grudging God a cut of his owne loafe▪ and basely deny­ing, as their man [...]er is, the repaimēt of a tenth for the frc [...] donation of an hundred fold; why I say might not this be [...] just inducement to Almighty God to blow upon their harvest, and so sometimes frustrate their greatest expecta­tions? And againe, was there ever any age, wherein the most pregnant men have more beate their braines by new projects and devises, to fill both the publicke treasury and their owne private purses, but with lesse successe and ho­nour to their enterprizes? so that it may truly be said as it is in HAGG. 1. 6. They have so [...]n much and brought in [Page 65] little; eaten, but not had enough▪ drunken yet not b [...] sa­tisfied; they have fit as it were upon addle egges, taken up their Inne at the Labour in vai [...] ▪ their wages and earning [...] have been trussed up in a broken bag.

To adde to these, hath not the Turke, and D [...]nkirk, and other enemies (as our haven-Townes too well know by experience) much destroyed and endamaged us abroad? and at home have not our informers, projectors, monopolists, that hellish brood of state-horsleatches, sucked out almost the very hearts of the subjects purses▪ if not of the King [...] treasury? hath not the Lord thundred diverse [...] from heaven, shot out his arrowes of wrath and indigna [...], the arrow I meane that flyeth by night, and devoureth thou­sand [...] at noon [...] day, and no doubt for our reformation and a [...]endment as well of this crying sinne of sacriledge, as of any o [...]her grosse enormities whatsoever? Is not our king­dome at this present involved and perplexed with many perilous and hazardous engagements, the successe where­of in likelyhood depends upon the reformation as well of this as of any our other intolerable impieties? And lastly, how ever dulc [...] b [...]llum inexp [...]rtis, warre was the votes and desires of many men during the times of quietnes and peace; yet upon this little experience we have had of late, we quickly perceive how great a devourer warre is both of the publicke and private stock; and consequently a pu­nishment upon a kingdome, though never so justly and ne­cessarily [...]ndertaken. To these might bee added many more; but I had rather d [...]ale [...]y instances in this kinde by weight then number.

Neither will▪ it serve for excuse to say that the defacing of Gods house and the al [...]nation of his tithes to the dis­ [...]onour of God, and the prejudice of his Ministers, was an act of our forefathers done many yeares since, and it is not like that God after so long a time will punish the sinnes of the fathers upon the children: or if it were a sinne, it was [Page 66] done by the exemplary practise of the Church, who suffer­ed them to be so al [...]enated: that our Ministers are not so many as were amongst the Iewes, and those not so good in these times as to deserve so great a portion for their maintenance as the tenth of the whole land and king­dome.

For to answer each in a word; For the first, I say it will not excuse the edging of the childrens teeth that their fa­thers have eaten sowre grapes; & how soever God doth not alwaies punish the sins of the fathers in and upon the children▪ [...] if the children live and continue in their fathers sinne [...], wickedly to possesse that which their fathers wick­edly gott, in the punishment of the child the fathers sins are not forgotten, though it be to a fourth generation.

Neither in the second place can the Churches practise in times past be any warrant or excuse for the practise of these times: for if they speake of the first alienation in the times of the Schoolmen, though they were al [...]enated from the true use of parochiall right, yet not altogether from the use of the Church; Mon [...]st [...]ies, whether of Monkes, Friers or Nun [...], whether regulars or seculars, being ac­counted the greatest and principall amongst Churchmen in those times.

Againe, how weake a reasoning is this, to reason from the corrupted times of the Church, the dayes of cove tousnes and ignorance, wh [...]n Popery and superstition were at their height, to maintaine the selfe same practise in these dayes, these glorious daies of the glorious light of the Gospel? Wee hate to follow them in all other do­ctrine and practises, why should we go [...] beyond them in this?

If they speake of the times of the dissolution in the Reigne of King Henry the eighth, I answer more then what I have sayd in this particular before; that I never heard any understanding man either Protestant or Papist, [Page 67] though he can be content to hold tithes by vertue of the practise of the Church in those times, but he accounted of the taking away of the tithes as a thing in its owne na­ture wicked, a practise neither warrantable by the rules either of religion or reason. And howsoever the Ministers of these times are not so many as were the Levites for pro­portion with the rest of the people, and these not all so good as were to be desired, yet God who demaunds the tenth, and from whome we receive the whole, is no changeling, but alwaies one and the same both to us and them: or if there be any odds, it is on our part, in that what we want in number we have double in the excellency of our ministery and ministeriall function with the glad ti­dings we bring men: and let them make the worst of us they can, they ca [...]not make us worse then were the Priests and Levites in the dayes of Malachi and of our Saviour Christ, yea I dare say there are now in these kingdomes more and more able men for the worke of the ministery, and more conscionable for the performing their duties, then ever were since the first settling of the Gospel in these parts. And lastly, for the length of time since the first aliena­tion of them, whether they understand it of the time of Alexander H [...]les, or the dayes of King Henry the eiphth, I answer, Nullum [...]e [...] pus occurrit Reg [...], time will not prescribe the title of an earthly King, and shall it stand good against the right and inheritance of the King of hea­ven? Secondly, God hath not altogether deferred to pu­nish us in all these times, but hath sent amongst us many, and those extraordinary punishments, though wee have sleightly regarded them, or at least not accounted them as punishments for these sinnes principally amongst others. But say God had not hitherto, yet now he hath: and it is not usuall wi [...]h God to punish sinne alwaies at the first, but onely in his dearest children: as for obstinate sinners, he lets them go on in their sins till they come to their full height, [Page 68] that so he may punish them with more severity. And if this sinne of sacriledge were at the height in any age, Church, or Kingdome, we may truely say these are the times, in that, notwithstanding the glorious light of the Gospel hath shined so many yeares together amongst us, notwithstand­ing the glorious example of a religious King, the great number of able Ministers, and the daily endeavour of these Ministers (yea of Lay-men themselves, the more theirS [...] Hen. Spil­man. S [...]. Iames Sempill. honour) both by preaching and writing to withdraw men from this sinne, by drawing them to give God his due both in his house and inheritance; yet men grow worse and worse, their hearts in this sinne more and more hardened; yea so impudent and brasen faced are men growne, that they dare maintaine it not onely by private practise, but publicke pen, shouldering God and his servants out of their owne, either by plaine force of armes, or trickes of playing legerdemaine. All which considered gives us just cause to beleeve that this sinne is not only one cheife cause of the present evils in & of these times, but that God hath some other great plague to punish us withall, without our speedy and hearty repentance; that God should take from us the light of his Gospel, & send us a famine of his word as he hath of other his blessings, the next step to the utter destruction both of soules and bodies: from which evill the Lord for his mercies sake long keep & defend us! And that wee may the better hope and expect his mercy therein, let us every one in his particular ranke, order, quality, and condition, labour for the good of Gods house, and give unto his Ministers that countenance and maintenance he hath given them, and requires on their behalfe at our handes towards them.

And first, right honourable Iudges the pillars both of Church and common wealth, let mee intreat you in the name of God and his Church, that as your lawes and judgments flow from the seas of Gods lawes and statutes, so [Page 69] they may returne thither againe in streames, to the main­tenance of the same with all the parts and persons be­longing thereunto; that you would bee pleased in your cir­cuit to take a viewe of the ruines and decayes of Gods house, the place where his honour dwelleth; and amongst other particulars of your charge, helpe forward mens backward devotion, by teaching them the dues, and be­wailing the ruines of the same.

And seeing that the sinne of sacriledge is growne to that height, that men feare not by perjury to hazard their owne soules for the committing of it, that you would be pleased to suppresse the great number of prohibitions graunted in that case, the cause of this evill to the damning of many a soule; and that you would consider in the case of prohibitions and suits of this kinde, the nature, quality, condition, both of witnesses and jurors, enforming them not onely of the truth of the evidence, but of the nature of the finne both of sacriledge and perj [...]ry with the judge­ments of God necessarily following upon the same.

And seeing wee that are God; Ministers doe not with­draw our selves from the secular yoke and power, but ac­knowledge our selves to be bound in all obedience to our civill Magistrates, both King as supreame, and his Mini­sters under him; that you would be pleased to enforme all men of the quality and condition of our persons and pla­ces, to teach them the bounds and limits of their power, that so we may not be made a dayly pray to the insulting humour of every man in inferiour place and office.

And as I have beene bold to make this request to your Lordships, so give mee leave to second the same to all, that every one in his severall ranke and degree endeavour the reformation of these sinnes and abuses both in them­selves and in others. And to this end, let us not looke so often on our stately built houses, so well beautified with­out, and so well furnished within, and seeing Gods house [Page 70] having neither glory without, nor beauty within (the Gos­pell excep [...]ed;) but lying ruinated and in the dust; let us call to minde what a sinne it is for us to dwell in our seiled houses, and Gods house lye wast; and so to our severall qualities and abilities cast some few mi [...]es into the treasu­rie of the Sanctuary for their repaire and maintenance. So often as you looke upon your rich tapestry carpets, pure and fine linnen, rich and well furnished cubboards of plate of all sorts and [...]ashions, thinke it a shame for you to bee thus richly and abundantly stored, and Gods house and [...]a­bl [...] in the meane time so basely & contemptibly provided; and spar [...] something out of your superfluiti to Gods ho­nour for the beautifying of the same. So often as you walke into your well growen fields abounding with all sorts of graine and other things necessary for your corpo­rall sustenance, your garners full abounding with all man­ner of store, your sheepe and oxen bringing sor [...]h thou­sands and ten thousands in your pastures, your sonnes growing up like young plants, your daughters like poli­shed corner-stones, your selves and servants and cattell healthfull and strong to labour for the daily increase of your states; call to minde from whom (namely God alone) you receive all these blessings and abundance; and thinke it a shame to detaine from him and his that small portion of tenth that hee hath reserved for himselfe and his Mini­sters for the better feeding and nourishing of your soules. And that the Merchant and Tradesman may not thinke himselfe exempted from this duty, because his gaines are not so easily knowne and descryed; so often as he viewes his ship [...] come safe from sea, full richly stowed with all manner of choice & time-serving commodities, filling his warehouse and returning to his coffers an hundred fold for his outsent adventures; so often as he beholds his shoppe thro [...]ging with chapmen for the venting of those his farre fe [...]cht or home made commodities, so greatly enriching▪ [Page 71] his estate that he is able yearely to adde house unto house, land unto land, lordship unto lordship, till he know no end of his wealth; rising, as in estate so in honour, from the lowest to the highest ranke and degree for the place wherein he lives: let him seriously call to minde from whome he receives all these blessings, and thinke it a shame, yea a sinne to receive all this from the hands of God dayly, and in the meane time to returne him thankes with a two penny dole at Easter, or if he stretch himselfe to a ten shillings gift (for due he will acknowledge none) to hold it a worke of supererogation, for which God and his Minister are bound unto him all the yeare after in all things to be at his command, whilest in the meane time his poorest tenant in the country, who sits upon rackt rents, and hath no more besides his handy labour but a Cowe, Goose, and Sowe for the maintenance of himselfe and family, shall returne God by way of thankefulnes double his proportion, and blesse God that he hath it to render him by the hands of his Ministers.

And howsoever we your poore Ministers are but men subject to the same infirmities with your selves (yea, as Saint Chrysostome affirmeth, [...] Chrysost. Hom. 1. in cap. 1. Tit. quan [...]ò celsior dignitas, tantò Sacerdotis majora sunt pericula) who in re­gard of the excellency of our callings, and opposition of Satan against us in the same, are subject to more dangers then others, and so our slips and falls more and more noto­rious then of those in other callings; yet remember we are Regale Sacerdotium, we are Gods Embassadours, beseech­ing you in Christ his stead, representing his person; and so afford unto [...]u [...] that due honour that our places and cal­lings require; though not for our owne, yet for his sake that sent us: and in a word to conclude all with that saying of holy Nazianzene; O yee sheepe, take not upon you to pre­scribe rules and lawes of maintenance to your sheapheardes; [Page 72] neither incroach upon their priviledges and possessions; let it suffice you that you are rightly fedde; take not upon you to [...]udge your judges, nor give lawes, to your lawgivers; remem­bring alwaies that not you nor wee our selves, but God hath made u [...] th [...] Pastors of your soules: or to use the Lords owne [...]li 20. 23. wordes HAG. 1. 8. Goe up to the mountaine and bring wood, and build the house, and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorifyed [...] and MALACH. 3. 10. 11. 12. Bring yee all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be mea [...]e in my house, and proove me now herewith, if I will not open you [...]e windowes of heaven, and powre you out a blessing that there shall not be roome enough to receive it; And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruite of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruite before her time in the fields of the Lord of hosts: And all nations shall call you blessed; for you shall bee a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hostes. Of which blessings that we may bee partakers, he graunt us to doe what he commands, even the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, to whome be glo­ry and honour from generation to generation.