IN common expe­rience of this life, & in the vsuall traf­ficke of mens wits, whether it bee in Church or Com­mon-weale, is most clearely seene, as in a Chrystall glasse, the great diuersitie of mens gifts; Mens, because they are giuen vnto men; Gods neuerthelesse, as descend­ing from God, who although he owe vs nothing, yet bestoweth all things of his abundant bountie and superabun­dant grace. In contemplation and view of so many gratious gifts shining round about vs, no man may grudge [Page 2] or complaine against his God, that he hath giuen him nothing; for the poo­rest wretch is inriched with some por­tion of the substance of his grace: no one can glorie or bragge, no not the richest of his creatures, Angels and Archangels, that they haue receiued all things.

This infinit varietie and garnish of Gods gifts doth shew it selfe euerie where, but no where so much resplen­disheth as in the Garden or Paradise of Gods Church heere vpon earth mili­tant; whereby we may gather what is the glorious glistering of the Church triumphant: There are diuersities of gifts,1. Cor. 12. but it is the selfe-same spirit, dif­ferences of administrations, but it is the selfe-same Lord; diuers maners of operations, but it is the selfe-same God which worketh all in all: and all this is giuen to profit withall or edification, which is all in all. To one is giuen the word of Wisdome; to another, the word of Knowledge; to another, Faith healing, Power operatiue, Prophesie, Discerning of spirits; to other, diuers [Page 3] kinds of tongues, or interpretation of tongues: and the Spirit that worketh in euerie one, diuideth to euerie one euen as he will. To some one man are giuen two, or three, or fiue talents of the grace of God, to be well vsed and to be employed to Gods glory, because they are the talents of his Sanctuarie: and when a man commeth to make his audit, the account will be heauie to be made, if the occupier be either a sloth­full and vnthriftie seruant or an euill storer. The incomparable excellency of all such gifts doth eftsoones draw me to the admiration of the gifts, some­times to the praise of God the giuer, who hath giuen such gifts to men, ne­uer to disdaine or reproch the men whom God himselfe hath honoured with such high titles, inuested with such sacred functions and offices gra­tiously vouchsafed of such praeeminent gifts which are for the honour and ser­uice of himselfe, least of all to equall all those men in matter of preferment, whom Gods owne right hand hath gi­uen a precedencie, and made inferiour [Page 4] and vnequall one vnto another by a certaine prerogatiue of his celestiall gifts.

This is certaine, God neuer gaue a­ny such gifts, but he would haue them to be honored; and it is as certaine, the gifts are diuers which are to be honou­red: which because I would haue it the plainer to appeare, I will inlarge a little more of the diuersitie of mens gifts, to make a way to that which followeth in this short Discourse of competencie and incompetence of mens liuings, which is called maintenance; and of equalitie and inequalitie of liuings, which is termed preferments; and con­sequently,1. Cor. 12. of singularitie and pluralitie of Benefices, and of the cause thereof, which is Dispensation; and lastly, of the enemies and friends of the same. As in a great Lords or Princes house, so it is in the Church of God, which is Gods house, there are diuers offices and diuers seruices, and euery one is promoted to an higher or lower place, according to the qualitie of his deserts and gifts; whereupon groweth superi­oritie [Page 5] or inferioritie in euery well-disci­plined house.

In the Oeconomie of the Church there are many orders and degrees of men all tending from imperfection vn­to perfection, that the man of God may be made perfect. Some excell one another in the same gift: Some, and those few, excel in all those gifts. Some are [...], nouices new planted them­selues, and newly implanting others. Some, whose praise is in the Gospel by long continuance and well deseruing: God forbid all should be proportioned to one and the like reward. Some Tea­chers, able to giue milke and not strong meat; other, both milke and strong meat.1. Cor. 2. c. 3. Heb. 5.12.13.14. v. I haue nourished you with milke and not with meat: some haue need of milke, and not of strong meat. Euery one that vseth the milke of Catechisme or instruction is vnskilfull of the word of righteousnesse, for he is a babe in Christianitie, but strong meat belong­eth to them that are strong or perfect, euen those which by reason of vse, haue their wittes exercised to discerne [Page 6] both good and euill.

The Church of Christ alwaies had Readers, Catechists, Preachers: by Readers, I meane not onely Readers in Diuinitie controuersiall, such as are in the Vniuersities; but Readers of the Scriptures, which is an inferior office: And Catechists, whether you take Catechisme for generall instruction, or for summarie teaching of the Articles and principles of faith, which is a com­pendious kinde of preaching, such as Deogratias and Heraclas at Carthage, and also Preachers of the word, which is a more honourable calling: Who will gaine-say these to be all woorthy of reward? Who will say them to be deigned or thought woorthie of the like reward? The Apostles had their Deacons, the Apostolicall men their Euangelists companions and fellow labourers: the ancient Bishops their assistants and coadiutours, but they had not the like honor and the same reward. Neither is it probable they had the like gifts 13. Act. Act. 13. in the Church which was at Antioch, [Page 7] there were certaine prophets and tea­chers, as Barnabas and Simon that was called Niger; and Lucius, and Manahen and Saul; doubtlesse their gifts were diuers, and inequall the one to the other. Yea the Apostles themselues were not indued with knowledge and other gifts all alike; some of them are said to be Columnae, Gal. 2.9. v. [...]. as Saint Iames and Cephas and Iohn pillars of the Church; Paule planted; Apollo wa­tered the Church of God: Apollo is said to be [...], mightie or powerfull and eloquent, or skilfull or ful of perswasion in the Scriptures, but Paule as a wise architect or builder of the Church, or to lay the foundations of many Churches, and to take care of many congregations, or labour more then all. The more laborious the workeman is, the more woorthy of the greater reward; according to the gift and grace of God men doe labour in the worke of the Lord. Euen as it is in the hoste of heauen or firmament of his power, one starre differeth from another in glory, and yet all starres of [Page 8] whatsoeuer magnitude, are Vasa lucis, vessels full of light; so is it in the Hie­rarchy of his Church; all Ministers & Pastors, and Teachers are profitable instruments and necessary implements of the same house, although not all of the same honour and dignitie, nor equall one to other in place or pre­ferment, or like superioritie, or en­dowed with paritie or idenditie of Gods gifts: yet all replenished in some measure with fulnesse, as sanctified vessels with the light of Gods grace: The diuersitie of gifts are in all sorts of men of great multiplicity and variety, and euery one hath not all but as plea­seth God to dispense to euery one: and therefore the like inaequalitie may be amongst Ministers, as amongst other men. Now albeit S. Paule setteth downe As it were a certaine Idaea or a perfect samplar of an absolute Minister for all to aime vnto the same, yet I nothing doubt many more come short, then attaine vnto the same, Tit. 1.5. v. [...], If a man be without reprehension or blame, the [Page 9] husband of one wife, hauing faithfull children, not accusable of riot or vn­tractable, for a Bishop must be blame­lesse or without reprehension, &c. [...], able to exhort in sound doctrine, [...], to conuince the gain-saier: S. Paule vseth the word thrise, 1. Timoth. 3. A Bishop must be blamelesse or without reprehension, that is, both for his doctrine and gifts, and for his life and conuersation, and so in the worde [...] or Bishop, includeth all Mini­sters, who must be perfectly endued with all the enablements by S. Paul in that & other places largely described: yet againe, who doth not know that euery Bishop and Minister cannot be of perfectest knowledge and incom­parable gifts which are there requi­red, as in the point of perfection or that which is Superlatiue, which can agree but to one. Are all Prophets? Are all Doctors? doe all speake with tongues? Do all interpret? My Illatiue therefore is that of necessitie, the Mi­nisters euery where which are tea­chers [Page 10] of the people, whether in mat­ter of beliefe or of vertuous life and the knowledge of the same, can nei­ther instruct nor teach, but according to the proportion of their own know­ledge and of their owne gifts where­with they are endued: And for all to attaine to the point of perfection of gifts is a thing incredible, and to ob­taine the same gift is a matter impossi­ble, and neuerthelesse, they may co­uet after and seeke for the best gifts, at lest set before their eies as imitable and admirable, the Idaea or sampler of a Bishop or Minister, furnished or enriched with all these gifts: Tou­ching degrees of learning and other requisites for the Ministery, it is worth the while to consider, and weigh that which Saint Hierom hath professedly disputed and written of the same:Hierony. ad Oceanu. ep. 83. As Orators and Philosophers (faith he) when they describe what Orator and Philosopher they would wish to haue, do none iniury to Demosthenes or Pla­to, (who perhaps are not so perfect) but describe the things without the [Page 11] persons: So in the description of a Bi­shop, and in the exposition of those things that be written, a glasse Sacerdo­tij of Priesthood or Ministery is set before vs. In that Saint Paul (saith he) requireth a Bishop without a fault, or without reprehension; he compre­hendeth in one all vertues, and requi­reth almost a thing Contrary to nature. And speaking of variety of gifts of Ec­clesiasticall men,Hierony. l. 1. ad Pelag. c. 8. (he saith) Many doe treat well vpon the Gospels, but in expounding the Apostle, are not like themselues: others that very well vn­derstand the new Testament, yet in the Psalmes and old Testament are dumbe: This I say (saith S. Hierom) because euery one cannot doe all. And againe, God hath giuen diuerse pre­cepts and manifold vertues, all which euery of vs cannot haue at once. So it commeth to passe, that which is ex­cellent and perfect in some, is in other but in part: And he that hath not all, is not blameable, nor condemned for that he hath not, but iustified & com­mended for that he hath. An instance [Page 12] he giueth of this in Bishops and Mini­sters: Truely God would haue all Bi­shops and Ministers to be such as the vessell of Election teacheth them to be. First, in that he saith, a Bishop must be without fault; either there is none such, or a very rare man: Who is there that hath not some wart or ble­mish in a body otherwise faire, as Pe­ter himselfe had: then to be the hus­band of one wife, sober, &c. admit you do find them; that which follow­eth [...], he that can teach, with the other vertues ye shall hardly finde: I am of opinion you shall hardlie finde such as shall be accused of none: especially yee shall hardly finde him that is [...], able to resist the ad­uersaries, or conuince erronious opi­nions. So that there is none, or hee is very rare, that hath all that a Bishop ought to haue, and yet though one or two things in the catalogue of Bi­shops vertues be wanting, he shall not thereupon want the name of a iust Bi­shop or fit, neither shall be condem­ned for that he hath not, but shall be [Page 13] crowned for that he hath: for to haue all and want nothing, is his peculiar ver­tue who sinned not, and in whose mouth is found no guile. To want some one or other gift, is ordinary; to be equall or matches one to another, is rare and extraordinary; to excel one another, is commendable; to be infe­riour and one beneath the other, is not dispraisable; to be an exact Preacher and Pulpit-man, is profitable to the Church: scant shall you find two men of the same gift; some haue gracefull eloquution & vtterance, or a sweet de­liuerance; some others, subtiltie and sharpenesse of wit; some make great shew of Reading and Learning; some are able to anatomize the conscience; some better moue and stirre vp affecti­on; some the gift of explication; some of application: all trees are not of one growth or proceritie, all fruits of one ripenesse and maturitie, all flowers of one hue and beautie. All Students in an Vniuersity of one standing and pro­ficiencie, all Ministers of one degree of learning, or of one qualitie in gifts, or [Page 14] in coequality of the preferment apper­teining to the gifts, my collection is out of the parity and imparity of mens gifts, and so by consequence of mens deserts riseth the equality or inequali­ty of mens liuings: howbeit, all must haue competencies; of which I will treat in the next place.

IT is commonly deba­ted, what is a compe­tent liuing for a Mini­ster of the Word, and what is incompetent, and what is the cause of such incompetencie, and whether if any mans liuing be incompetent and insufficient, somewhat may be drawen or deriued from other men their in­creases and sufficiencies, and the same added to the insufficiencie and small maintenance of another: and so to ac­commodat and fit all men as Procustes did his bed for men of all statures by [Page 15] cutting of some, and stretching out the shortest to the length of the other.

As for Competencie of estate and the benefit of contentation, is a matter ge­nerally prescribed vnto all, whether they be of Laity or Clergy, of high or low degree, Counseller or meane per­son, Prince or subiect, and described by the Apostle, hauing victum & vesti­tum, food and raiment, let vs therewith be content. Wherein the rule is, Let euery man stay or remaine in the cal­ling whereunto he is called, and not aspire higher or aboue his degree, as the fashion of some is, to towre loftier still with the wings of restlesse ambiti­on: and Diuines of all other must en­deuour themselues to attaine the be­nefit of this contentation, not desirous of filthie lucre or vnmeasurable pur­chases, or studying nothing els; from which imputations I thinke they are freest of all men: for if we looke into their priuate estates, so many paiments ordinarily in a maner issuing out of their liuing, their hospitalitie extend­ing to the vttermost of their abilitie, [Page 16] their pouertie euery where shewing it selfe with naked face, before and after their deceases; insomuch, that if any of them thriue through his industrie, alwaies foreprised the blessing of God, all their desire and prouidence is, but to saue themselues from reproche of the world and starke beggerie. And I see no cause they should not make ho­nest prouision for themselues and their familie, and thriue in the feare of God, being free and no bond-men, being ci­tizens and no aliens from the Com­mon-wealth in which they liue.

But to returne where I was, with­out apparent digression. All the que­stion is, What is a competent liuing, and what is incompetent and vnfit for a man of the Church? And whether this competencie consist in the quanti­tie and number of Benefices, as of ma­ny, or in the qualitie or goodnesse of a Benefice, as of one? And whether that Benefice which is fit for one able and sufficient Minister, be also competent and fit for another somewhat insuffici­enter person, hauing the same essence [Page 17] or being in the Ministery, because they are both sayd to be of one coat: And further, what square or measure euery one that shalbe so promoted to a com­petent liuing shall be measured by? And lastly, who shalbe Iudge of com­petencie and incompetencie, as of the whole matter?

To beginne with that first, which I proposed last, [...]: The Iudge of all this must be the Law, or the Ma­gistrate who is Lex loquens, I meane the supreame Magistrate who is inter­essed in all Estates, the Prince and other Iudges and Ministers of Ecclesi­asticall Lawes; for if euery man should be Iudge, and not according to Lawes on this behalfe prouided, we should haue an olde a doe to accommodate euery man.

Now for the Law, it hath alreadie defined who shal haue a Benefice, with cure of soules, whose clearely value is thirtie pound and aboue: and who shall haue vnder the value aforesayd; videlicet, a Preacher duelie qualified with gifts, authorized to preach by [Page 18] the Bishop, or either of the Vniuersi­ties, or graduated in Diuinitie, or shall enioy a Benefice of thirtie pound, or aboue that value: and for other Bene­fices vnder that value, men of meaner gifts, and of vnder deserts, may obtaine the same. All which is so well setled already, that it needeth no innouation which is dangerous, nor further limi­tation or restriction which is incom­modious, if especially this be well loo­ked vnto and executed by the Fathers of the Church and Spirituall Iudges, all is well. As for the norme or square whereby they shall be squared alway, is the paritie and imparitie of mens gifts and merits, obseruing by the way this for a rule, Where no exception is to be taken to the life and conuersati­on of the man, admitting they are both to be preferred to a competent li­uing, and both honest and godly men, the learneder of the two must carry it away. And in case the liuing caeteris paribus, be meane or small, it may be competent and fit for a meane learned man: for if it be absolutely incompe­tent, [Page 19] it is fit for no man: and to make all mens liuings competent a like, and to range them in an equalitie, is a work of the wisest man aliue, whether the proportion of equalitie proue to be A­rithmeticall or Geometricall, it shalbe a worke to busie the wisest man.

To come therefore to that which was principally proposed and in the first place, What is a competent li­uing for an Ecclesiasticall man: I doubt not, if you should assemble an hundred men, they may chance to proue of an hundred mindes: Quot ca­pita tot sensa: So many men so many mindes. How often haue I heard it blaterated by diuers new-fangled fel­lowes, that fortie or perhaps fiftie, or at the vttermost an hundred pound is sufficient for an honest man, or for the honestest of vs all. And by an honest man, as they weigh in their ballance of consideration Honesty it selfe, they meane the grauest Diuine, the lear­nedest Preacher, the profoundest Do­ctor of longest study and continuance: so that by this proportion, if the most [Page 20] reuerend Father of the Primitiue Church were aliue, the learnedest Bi­shop of the auncient flourishing Church, the excellentest Doctor and painfullest Pastours were conuersant amongst them, such as Cyprian Bishop of Carthage, a Bishop and Martyr, such as Chrysostome Archbishop of Constan­tinople, the golden mouthed Doctor, such as Ambrose Bishop of Millaine, such as Epiphanius Bishop of Constantia in Cyprus, a man of incomparable in­dustrie & paines taking in the church, or as S. Austin Bishop of Hippo in A­frique, and an hundred more whom I could rehearse, were amongst them if S. Hierome who was a Presbyter, and: no Bishop, termed Magister orbis ter­rarum, were at their finding, or to be preferred by them: if all the famous men for writing or preaching were a­mongst them, they must haue but a li­uing competent & fitting one of their honest men, and must not haue a li­uing for men of their estate. There is no respect to be had to their Episco­pall honour or Doctorall degree, or to [Page 21] any termes of hospitalitie, or to their attendance & familie, or other things coincident to their callings or estate, or to the furnishing or increasing of their Librarie, which some yeeres may chance to cost them the whole or halfe profits of their benefice: The Minister or Pastour of what qualitie soeuer, gra­duat or vngraduat, must haue no more than one of their honest men, the rest must be exonerat some other way, as matter of superfluitie.

As competent then is all that which is sufficient and enough for the main­tenance of a Minister in his place, so also it is that which is agreeable to the credit and dignitie of his place, and a meet reward sutable to his degree ta­ken in schooles, answerable to the eminency of his gift, and somewhat proportionable to his paines and con­tinuall labour in the Church of God: for if the Minister be called to fight with wants, and encounter with ne­cessities his calling of all other is a la­borious calling, and his worke cannot choose but be often interrupted. If his [Page 22] happe therefore be to arriue vpon a Benefice of 20. l. or 30. l. by the yeere, and that be to small or incompetent for the supportance of his estate, I see no reason why another may not be added to the former for the ampliati­on of his liuing, and bettering of his estate, neuerthelesse with such cauti­ons & limitations of distance of miles, and number of sermons, many or more, as in case of pluralitie the law hath prouided. Heere offereth it selfe to be discussed whether competency consist in the quantitie and number of benefices or in the qualitie and good­nesse of a benefice as of one. The vul­gar opinion and popular error is to ac­count euery two benefices of small va­liditie and little woorth to be two li­uings, or two good benefices collated vpon one man, to be two mens liuings and too much for one: whereas two good benefices ioined together make but one competent liuing. And one benefice aequivalent to two maketh still but a liuing for a learned man. Who would not be glad to haue both [Page 23] his benefices adioine and lie neere to­gether, or in case they lie, to the di­stance of thirtie miles or vnder, dis­ioined the one from the other, so that the dutie of places, in giuing of sa­cred and sacramentall things be al­waies discharged, by himselfe or his sufficient deputie, it amounteth but to one mans liuing still, for pluralities of liuings is an offence or scandall, quate­nus, or in regard that fauour or Indul­gence is affoorded to an vnwoorthy man whom the law should not fa­uour: And non Residence is a faulte, quatenus as men vnder a charge, are de­stitute of instruction or disfurnished of spirituall food and teaching. I will not possitiuely set downe what is com­petent: for that which is competent or sufficient for a man of meane gifts, may be altogether incompetent for a man of incomparably greater gifts. Let this suffise, that magis & minus sunt in Relatione, great and lesse are in re­lation: out of my owne iudgement I will set downe nothing: yet I will re­member what a man of graue iudge­ment [Page 24] and long experience did some­time delineate & set downe for a com­petent liuing for a preacher well stu­died, richly gifted, double or treble graduated in the Vniuersities. Settle

the foote of your com­passe in α that is the center or parish Church, draw your perimeter or circumference β semidi­ameter γ, the parish shall be in circuit and breadth so manie miles as may make a competent liuing in tythes for a learned and Ecclesiasti­call man. Howbeit because this opi­nion shall be neither approoued nor reprooued by me, and because this de­lineation and proiect tendeth to the disbounding and disunion of parishes which is causelesse and to an alterati­on of matters so wel setled, which can­not easily be agreed vpon by the pa­trons of parishes, & is wholly needlesse. Let that stand for competent which the fauour of Princes and Nobles, pri­uiledge of lawes, and act of Parlia­ment [Page 25] doth cast vpon the Ministers. I say all that which the desert of men of learning doth inure or lawfully procure towards the maintenance of their degrees or furnishing of their libraries, or nourishing of their fami­lies, or holding on termes of hospita­litie, and giuing to the poore: In case any liuing be incompetent, as sundrie liuings be, let the blame thereof rest where deseruedly the blame doth lie: Let them surrender that are willing to yeeld vp the Impropriations. Such as the Abbeys dispoiled the Church far and neere, as for the coactiue power of law to enforce a surrender, were summum ius, and for power perswa­siue, it is all in vaine: I say not onely euery learned man indeed should haue two Benefices to make vp the compe­tency of his estate; but men of little woorth, and many vnwoorthy men should haue euery one his single Be­nesice, and of all these crauers not one of them should lacke: But forasmuch for the hardnesse of mens hearts, this is not likely to come into the hands of [Page 26] the holy Church againe from pro­phane hands, and by reason they are bought and solde, by other vnlawfull merchandize chopped and changed, and to speake as men would haue vs to speake, at the lest degenerated into a lay fee; I could in all godly zeale de­sire and wish the proprietaries and leasees of such impropriat liuings, to imitate the godly precedents of some Cathedrall and Collegiat Churches in the Vniuersities & else where, who of pure and perfect deuotion, enlarge the Vicars endowed, with some addi­tion or stipend, or the Donatiue with some more ample contribution, for the labourer is woorthy of his reward: as for the loiterer he is woorthy of no­thing. There is no reason to disrobe learned men of their liuings which they hold by law, and haue continued therein in many Princes times, be­cause the Impropriations leaue not a competencie for the Vicars and Cu­rates of the place. Let it be rather de­falked from those who are ten times woorse then the Abbey lubbers were, [Page 27] for they offended in idlenesse and ful­nesse of bread, and yet relieued with their bread the countrey round about, and did many things to the glory of God, although they erred in the meanes which leadeth thereunto: but the other offend in auarice and pride, and vnmercifulnesse to the poore in all maner of wickednesse and superfluitie of maliciousnesse: A medicine for this shall be, if the Bishop shall prouide for euery such destitute place, a godly Curate, an edifying and instructiue seruice, with some augmentation of stipend from the proprietaries or lea­ses, for certaine sermons in the yeere, for euery such liuing will prooue in­competent for a learned man, as the case now standeth: Leauer (said well) in a sermon in king Edward the sixt daies, Nothing is so Papisticall as impropriations: nothing so Anabaptisticall as pa­rity of liuings.

FRom parity or imparity of mens gifts springeth parity or imparity of mens liuings; for al­though some are so ma­leuolent and iniurious to allot an equa­litie in the assignment of Church li­uings, yet none I hope shall be found so vnconscionable to allow that which is absolutely incompetent for an Ec­clesiasticall liuing. A necessary proui­sion must be made for all, and this ma­xime or rule is generall: He that mi­nistreth about holy things, may eat of the things of the Temple; euen so the Lord hath commanded those which preach the Gospell, to liue on the Go­spell. He that waiteth on the altar, must liue on the altar or partake with altars oblations. No man planteth a vineyard,1. Cor. 9. but eateth of the fruit. No man feedeth a flocke, but eateth of the milke of his flocke. No man goeth [Page 29] to this Spirituall warfare at his owne charge.Deut. 25.4. The law of Nature teacheth this, and Moses law also, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the oxe that trea­deth out the corne. Hath God care of oxen and hath he not much more care of men? If we sow spirituall things, we are worthy of carnall. Consent of all nations is the law of Nature. In the Schoole of Naturall reason this is taught: They that watch ouer vs, and labour for vs, must be recompensed by vs. For this cause we pay tribute vnto Kings; wages or stipends vnto Soul­diers; salary vnto Iudges; tithes vnto Clergy-men: because the King gouer­neth all; the Souldier fighteth for all; the Iudge or learned Lawyer heareth & determineth all; the Leuite & Priest prayeth for & preacheth vnto all, cate­chiseth & instructeth all. Let him that is catechized make him that catechi­seth partaker in all his goods or in all good things.Gal. 6.6. v. Hierom super 3. Mallachy. Hierony. super 3. Mal. Quod qui facere noluerit, Domini fraudat & supplantat. He that will not do this, defraudeth God, &c. We must giue [Page 30] to God that which is Gods:August. 129. serm. super eum locum. giue vnto Caesar that which is Caesars. There is no nation so barbarous that will robbe his Gods, no people or generation so pernicious and hurtfull to godlinesse, that wil professedly robbe the seruants and Ministers of his or their God.

Tithes, oblations, donations are not the goods, or debts of the Church­men or Clergy as they are either good or bad Clergie-men, but as they are, simply Clergie-men: vnlesse therefore Christian men will be worse than hea­then, they are bound in conscience and constrained by the law of God, to pay their due to Gods Ministers, that God may for paiment of the tenth part send downe his blessing vpon the other nine parts: especially open the win­dowes of heauen and powre downe his spirituall raine and blessing. This matter being controuersilesse, That tithes praediall and personall of all and euery sort belong to Church-men by all lawes; that lands, and glebes, and houses, as to the Leuites of olde, cities, and suburbes and fields; so to the Le­uites [Page 31] of the New testament, by the li­beralitie and endowments of Princes and other zealously deuoted persons appertaine, all which maketh for a per­petuitie and establishment of good things thorowout all generations, and for a thankeful reknowledgement that we haue all receiued these and many moe good things from the hand of heauen I will insist no longer in this matter, whereof all books diuine and humane, all stories Ecclesiasticall and prophane are full fraught.

Sithence therefore no question is to be stirred about this, videlicet, That a portion of our substance is due to ho­ly Church and to such as attend the seruice of God: it will rather be que­stioned, What portion is due, and how it should be proportioned which is payable to the Ministers, whether to all alike it ought to be equally distributed, sith all are equally Ministers touching the essence of the Ministery, and do all mi­nister about holy things; or whether some must haue more, and some lesse, sith all are one mans seruants, that is, [Page 32] God and man, the man Iesus Christ, And whether it be not [...], an acceptation of persons or iniustice for Aequalibus inaequalia tribuere aut in aequa­libus aequalia, to distribute to those who are equall vnequall things, or to vne­quall persons equall things; that is to accept the persons of men, which is an opposite and repugnant to distributiue Iustice. First heare, that it may be bet­ter vnderstood, in laying out the equa­litie, and casting forth the line and le­uell of this distribution of liuings of the Church, the eye of ciuill or eccle­siasticall Iustice must bee fixed vpon the magnitude or exiguitie, vpon the greatnesse or smallnesse of mens me­rits, that he that meriteth more should alwayes haue more, he that meriteth lesse should haue lesse reward: of which equalitie the Law it selfe ought to be the keeper and obseruer. And this may be termed a proportionable e­qualitie, not absolute nor Arithmetical which is very neere Anabaptisticall, which distinction is once fit to be layd downe, because there is often vse of [Page 33] the same in the businesse now in hand. Benefices Ecclesiasticall, are like in this to Benefices Military or secular. For as such are giuen to souldiors and seruiters in the warre for their faithfull and trustie seruices, so these Ecclesia­sticall or sacred Benefices to men or­deined to the Ministerie for the better execution of their sacred Ministerie and holy offices, and are also remu­nerations of their painefull studies: In Militarie affaires, all that serued re­ceiued not one and the same reward: but different honour, wages, or sti­pend, more or lesse pay: a common souldior had not like entertainement to a Captaine, to a Lieutenant or Co­lonell and the rest, in and after seruice done, the Generall of the field or Em­perour diuided vnto them as euerie man was more or lesse forward or me­ritorious: witnesses vnto this (after the battell) the maner of the auncient Romanes, which was Ob ciues seruatos, for Citizenssaued in time of warres, to giue garlands or crownes, some laurell, other of oken leaues, or holme or such [Page 34] like, some of golde, or to giue orna­mēts, as iewels, chaines, besides the sti­pend or pay due vnto them:Virgil. aurea pectoribus de­missa monili pendent. Now yee know the service of God is called a warfare, & none ought to go this war­fare on his owne charge, but must be prouided for by the Church, which Church is a vineyard: euery dresser of a vineyard is not of like skill & indu­strie. The Church is a flocke, and Mi­nister a shepheard, but all shepheards haue not like hire or wages, or are of like desert or paines taking; Iacob kept Labans sheepe & his own; and for his painful seruice had double reward and encrease of reward. Some flocks are greater then other, and must be com­mitted to more discreet and watchfull ouerseers: Euen so in Benefices or pastorall charges, the greater cures are to be deliuered ouer to the wiser and learneder persons.

A Benefice therefore (which is by definitionBeneficium estres Ecclesi­astica quae sa­cerdoti vel cle­rico ob sacrum ministerium v­tenda in perpe­tuum concedi­tur. Duaren. l. 2. de sacr. Eccl. Minist. ac Beneficijs. a matter Ecclesiasticall gi­uen to a Clergie-man to be vsed of him perpetually for his sacred ministe­rie) whether it taketh denomination [Page 35] of a benefit receiued, or of a charge or benefit giuen, importeth thus much: That Benefices of what quality or con­dition soeuer, can not be equalled: it followeth then that benefices haue bin alwayes proportioned according to that same proportionable equalitie not strict or absolute, hauing an eye respe­ctiuely looking vpon the deserts of Ec­clesiasticall men. Some Benefices haue title of dignitie, as Bishopricks, Arch­deaconry and the like: some haue cure of soules without dignitie annexed to them, as Parsonages: some neither ti­tle of dignitie nor cure of soules, but simply so called. Amongst which a­gaine, some are of more eminency and ornament, other of inferiour and low­er degre. Such as are more conspicu­ous are prebends or the Canons of Ca­thedrall churches: such as are lesse are rurall Prebends so called. Some Be­nefices haue actual or habituall cure of soules, other haue cure habitually, and are discured actually; other neither actually nor habitually, but vtterly dis­cured: yet neuerthelesse retaine the [Page 36] name of Benefices in a generalitie, as our impropriations. Bishopricks and Archdeaconries are Benefices with ti­tle of dignitie, vnto both which are annexed Iurisdictionall power and au­thoritie: some other Benefices with dignitie, as Deanries, Chantorships, Chancellorships, and Treasurerships, for the most part are dignities (as the custome of the Church doth beare it) without any Iurisdiction: all wich in­equallitie is not disagreeing from Ec­clesiasticall policie or administration, and may serue for the better constitu­tion of Cathedrall churches, and other Collegiat or not Collegiat churches or Parishes: so that many of these are dignities, but none are indignities, whosoeuer shall vndergoe the burthen and charges of them.

If we shall looke into the Aaroni­call race of Priests and into the Leuiti­call order, it was according to impari­tie not paritie. To descend and goe lower, if we shall looke backe vpon the Primitiue times of the Apostolicall men, the times of Martyrs, and the [Page 37] next succeeding times, we shall easilie finde superioritie, and inferioritie, and imparitie of liuings. If we shall vnfold the memorie of former times in our Church, and the ancient practise, we shal plainly see an allotment of church liuings according to inequality, and that by the wisedome and discreet di­stribution of the Bishop: all which is matter worthy the deduction; for the Bishop and all his Clergie liued first in a kind of communitie in the city (for in the cities were Bishops Seas first plan­ted) whereof he bare the name of a Bi­shop. He and they going abroad at certeine most conuenient and requisit times to preach and minister the Sa­craments in the territorie adioyning. At what time all Church reuenues of the whole diocesse, whether lands gi­uen by the liberalitie of Princes, or tithes, oblations or legacies giuen by the people, were in common amongst all, but at the distribution of the Bi­shop to be diuided vnto all according to a proportion of their paines and la­bour: one part was emploied, pro men­sa [Page 38] episcopali, for the Bishops hospitali­ty; another part to mainteine the com-Presbyterie and those of the Clergie; the third, for building or repairing the Churches in the citie and Churches of the countrey; the fourth part for re­demption of Captiues, reliefe of the poore, and for other godly vses. The Bishops then seemed to haue had a large part, videlicet, one fourth part, as much to his owne part as all the Cler­gie had to their part: which part or portion of the Clergies was not so proportioned to euery man equally or alike, but as the Bishop liked, who in reuenewes of the Church in title as a kinde of proprietarie, of himselfe did set downe euery mans part. But after all this, when diuers godly men vpon their zeale and deuotion to the glorie of God and seruice of his Church, and the rather induced and lead thereunto to haue the nomination of a Minister, had erected and endowed diuers chur­ches in seuerall places farre distant in their countreys: insomuch that so ma­ny multiplied seuerall parishes could [Page 39] not conueniently and in due season be so often and orderly respected by those whole speciall attendance was about the Bishop, the generall Pastor of the Diocesse, sauing at certaine times, and that the former communitie beganne, partly by multitude of the Clergie thronged together in one place, and partly for other inconueniences to be no lesse troublesome than enuious. Then followed hereupon in the most parts of the world of Christianitie, a diuision ratable of all Church-reue­nues: so that the Bishop and the Cler­gie which was to remaine in the Ca­thedrall church of the chiefe citie, and the Clergy of the Diocesse besides had their portions allotted vnto them, but not by any Arithmeticall equality. out of which euery one of them seuerally besides their owne maintenance, was afterwards to defray for the fabricke of their Churches, & reliefe of the poore, as their abilities did stretch.

My Illatiue therefore is, the Bishop (as a common Pastor of the whole Di­ocesse, as the common law at this day [Page 40] doth account him) did call other Mi­nisters in partem sollicitudinis, into a part of the charge: the Bishop by instituti­on of them into seuerall Churches, and the reuenues thereof, did inuest them into a title of that part of the glebe and tithes, &c. which was rec­koned as his owne before: Howbeit at the presentation of the Founders or Patrons to whom the Canons gaue the preheminence in regard of their cost bestowed, the Bishops did not in­stitute them who were of equalitie of gifts, the Patrons presented not their Clerks to an equalitie of liuings: It see­meth euery Clerke was accommoda­ted as was fit for euery Clerke. If the originall Patrons did present any, their presentation was no maine bar to other incident preferments. How church liuings fell into so many fractions, I list not now to rehearse: it seemeth the re­medy found out for so many incompe­petencies & insufficiencies of Cler­gie mens estate, was fauor of the law, and the priuiledge of pluralities.

THat euery Clergie man should haue a cōpetent liuing, that is, sufficient mainte­nance, and none be insufficiently proui­ded for, hath beene prooued before: that all Ministers of the word and Sa­craments, should be prouided for a like, and equalled in preferment, can neuer be prooued: that some haue en­ioied more, some lesse, in portion and allotments of tithes, oblations, glebe, &c. which I call an imparity and in­equalitie of Church liuings, is not re­prooued nor disallowed by the Scrip­tures: that singularitie or dualitie of Benefices which is commonly termed pluralitie of liuings (which is more then one) is descended of the auncient practise and custome of the Church & canons approoued: remaineth now [Page 42] to be handled in especiall. The points in order are these: the word pluralitie of Benefices, is not found in so many syllables in the word of God, and yet not repugnant to the word of God. Diuision of parishes or singularitie of Benefices is not laid downe in expresse termes in the word of God, yet a mat­ter deducible out of the word of God: Residence and tarriance vpon a mans Benefice or cure, is a matter praiseable with God and his Church, Non Resi­dence or absence, I meane, not to reside corporally for a time or season, leauing sufficient direction and instruction for the cure, is not a thing vnlawfull or damnable before God & the Church of God.

Singularitie and pluralltie of Be­nefices, that is, Pluralitie and Resi­dence, are not oppositiuely set one a­gainst the other, as either priuately op­posite as light and darknesse, death and life, sight and blindnesse, and such like: or contrary opposite, as white and blacke, vice and vertue, righteousnesse and vnrighteousnesse, or contradicto­rily [Page 43] opposite, as feeding and not fee­ding, preaching and not preaching, gouerning and not gouerning, mini­string and not ministring, teaching and not teaching, catechizing and not catechizing: although in some appa­rence at the first sight it might seeme so: but rather Relatiuely opposite or set one against the other:Relatiua sunt quaecunque hoc ipsum quod sunt dicuntur esse aliorum, aut quaecunque modo ad aliud. Arist. Cati. Benefice or Benefices, one or more, are a be­neficiated man his Benefice or Be­nefices: a Beneficed man whether he take his denomination from one Be­nefice or more, is alway but a Bene­ficed man; and therefore one man to both his Benefices is but, tanquam v­num ad vnum quod est aptissimum, as one to one, which most apt & agreeing.Physic. quae­cunque vni & eidem sunt ea­dem inter se sunt eadem. This vnum (one) is vnum Regimine, vel Cura pastorali, those things which are one and the same to one and the same, are betweene themselues, the verie same. Logicians doe well know that one in abstracto & incon [...]reto ad duo in Abstracto vel in concreto, is not repug­nant: I will not spell Logicke: This is plaine, for neither number is repug­nant [Page 44] to number, nor substance to sub­stance: To resort to the originall & be­ginning of Pluralities: it seemeth that first of al Pluralitie did rize vpō so ma­ny diuisions of parishes, which pari­shes seeme diuided again into so many fractions. Dyonyse Cap. Ecclesias cans. 13. quest. 1. & cap. pa­storal ecclesias singulas singulis Presbyteris de­dimus, parochi­as & caemite­ria eis diuisi­mus ita vide­licet vt nullus alterius paro­chiae terminos aut ius inuadat. Bishop of Rome, was the first as some say, that diuided parishes & appointed euery Presbyter the limits & precincts of parish Chur­ches & Church-yards, and that none should intrude or intromit vpō other: others ascribe it to Euaristus Bishop of Rome, who about the 112. yeeres of Christ, did assigne to euery seuerall Presbyter his pastorall cure apart, with title thereunto, and a certaine limita­tion or compasse to take charge there­of alone, which was drawne into imi­tation and matter of like consequence by all this part of the world of Christi­anitie: for in the Apostolicall writings nothing is set downe, but that they were ordeined in euery great or small citie,14. Act. 23. v. Tim. 1. [...], & [...] thorough euery Church: which words seeme to be equipollent, or of one and the same [Page 45] signification: one thing by the way may be well obserued, that all Pari­shes, or for the most part, grew by se­uerall degrees to a narrower restricti­on then in their first foundation or originall planting they were. Euerie man being desirous to cohabite in as great neerenesse and proximity to the parish Church as might be, was the cause why parish Churches confined so neere the one with the other, and was the begetter of so many incompe­tencies of Church liuings, and occasi­oner of pluralitie in part, or rather of fractions and multiplicities of Benefi­ces:Innocentis & Hostensis post eum in cap. cum ad monasteri­um in glossae nisi ex causae titulo de statu Monachorum & Regularum, extra. Distinction therefore of parish Churches, is of meere positiue lawe not Diuine, and the prohibition to re­taine two parishes or Benefices, was not a matter of Diuine ordinance, but of Ecclesiasticall decree and constituti­on, not of God, but brought in by man, and by the will of him that made the canon, and by a contrariant will may be taken away: agreeable vnto that maxime and rule in law,C. de Legibus L. vltima. Eius est tollere vel interpretari cuius fuit condere: [Page 46] And none other lawes besides the law of man, doth forbid pluralities or re­tention of more parishes then one: it will therefore follow by the former maxime, that whatsoeuer is prohibi­ted by the law of man alone, by the same law may be licensed againe, and that dispensations as thereupon may be, lawfully granted for such things as Gods law hath eternally and inuiola­bly commanded to be obserued, no man may by any Ecclesiasticall or ci­uill authoritie omit, nor that which he hath contrariwise forbidden, by a­ny man be put in vre and practise.

And in case the positiue law of man forbiddeth Pluralities, it doth not thereby take cleane out of the way the graunting of dispensations, for if there were no prohibition, there were no need of dispensations. Now the or­derly giuing of a dispensation for plu­ralities, affoordeth to euery woorthy man according to his woorthinesse, and prerogatiue of his person, which is called by the Canonists Dispensatio Iustitiae, and consequently denieth to [Page 47] the vnwoorthy, that fauour for his vn­worthinesse.

Sithence therefore plurality of Be­nefices is not a thing repugnant to the word of God, I see no cause why vp­pon euery worde of mans reproch and contradiction, it should be dissalowed;C. pe multa extra. execrab. de prebendis. Extrag. fo. 22. de prebend. & dig. especially standing vpon the ground of law, or at the least vpon lawfull dis­pensation which is the favour of law. And heere because I woulde not be mistaken in the matter of pluralities of the simpliest man be he neuer so igno­rant nor of the subtillest Rabbyn be he never so arrogant. I am well witting of this, that some pluralities, which are grounded vpon auarice and ambition are not only incommodious, but plaine odious,Execrabilis quorundam re­ligiosorum & sacrileg. am­bitio quae semper plus ambiens eò magis fit insa­tiabilis, quo sibi amplius indul­getur. and by how much it is more insatiable it is the more execrable. Euery man of meanest skill can easily tell them.C. ordinarij §. 1. caeterum de officijs ordi­narij in 6. He that holdeth two Be­nefices with cure without dispensation is of both depriuable, and to be turned out, as also he that being scarse able to discharge one office, doth not onely seeke being vnqualified and vndispen­sed [Page 48] with to procure vnto himselfe two diuerse Ecclesiasticall dignities but al­so diuers parish Churches. Neither can euery man of meane skill, of no degrees or vnqualified offer himselfe into this Court of faculties or ob­taine his dispensation: for that were as the learned Canonists call it: dissipatio potius quàm dispensatio, Rather a dissipa­tion or wasting of the substance and patrimony of Gods Church, then or­derly giuing and dispensation of the same.Guiliel. Du­ranti. L. 10. particul. de di­spens. qualiter & quondo. di­spens. sit facien­da. C. quia non­nulli, Eyt. de clericis non re­sident. For euery dispensation is or ought to be prouida iuris communis re­laxatio vtilitate, siue necessitate pensata: it is with a prouident deliberation, not a rash or prodigall hand to be dealt, and that for vrgent necessity or apparēt vti­lity, it is to be stewaredly dispensed not wastfully spent or powred vpon euery ones head or altogether:Vit. Dispen­satio est rigoris iuris per eum ad quem spectat canonicè facto Relaxatio. 1.9.7. § nisi rigor c. se & in § gratia. it is a tēpera­ture or mitigation of the rigor or strict seuerity of the common law: it is for the fauour of certaine worthy learned and qualified persons, not a gap wide open for all to make breach into.

Lastly it soe goeth against common [Page 49] right, that it emplieth no Diametrall opposition against common right; but importeth an exception from the rigour of common Right. That which common law or right doth binde pri­uileged right doth vnbinde, in a mat­ter fauourable concerning the partie so priuileged:Priuilegium personale per­sonam sequitur. which being granted to one or few, may not by the like exten­sion of fauour be yeelded to all, for so it should reuert to common right: which common right doth not take a­way, Speciale priuilegium, Reg. Priuilegi­um aliquibus concessum si po­steà concedatur omnib. personis commune priui­legiatorum nil opitulatur. priuileged right, and therefore doth not lie as a maine barre against the right of di­spensation: but rather the one carrieth a subalternation vnto the other, and not absolute contrariety: neither doth any such dispensation make a thing which is simply vnlawfull, to be by the operation thereof lawfull,See the an­swer to the abstract. but sheweth the rigour of some generall positiue law, weighed with all particu­larities of circumstances, and the rea­son thereof to cease or be released at that time, and in that case: all which dispensations (vnto which the Arch­bishop [Page 50] of Canterbury is limited, are not contrary to the lawes of God, or lawes of the land, and hath beene vsu­ally granted vpon qualification lawfull may not be denied to them that sue for it. And farthermore the qualities of the persons to whom he is in those cases to graunt are expressed: And in case the Archbishop would vniustlie deny the dispensation, there is a reme­die otherwise in all equitie prouided.

This is a matter infallibly euer true, that Dispensations from their first ori­ginall haue euerstood, and euer beene withstood by some maleuolent per­sons in the church of Christ: All that which hath bin grounded vpon malice stocke, and doth rise from the enuie & aemulation of the vnlearned against the learned, and of the vnqualified and vn­gifted men, against those of better and more excellent gifts; for the better ap­peasement of such tumultuary spirits, the law hath appointed who shall di­spence and haue power, and who shal aske or sue for such lawfull dispensati­on. The Christian Magistrate or [Page 51] Prince,21. H. 8. 25. H. 8. and those authorized vnder him haue this power, who must doe it in prouidence or prudence for the good of the Church. The parties who are to be dispensed withall, are men of praerogatiue of deserts, who in discre­tion and godlinesse are to sue for it. To giue some too much, and other too little were accepting of persons; to aske more then a man in dutie can wel menage or discharge, were sauouring of couetousnesse, or some worldly hu­mour: for the first and formost of these two, because dispensation is defined, Commensuratio communis ad fingula, Tho. Aq. 2.2. q. 97. art. vito. the faithfull and wise Steward of Gods house, dispensat singula singulis & labo­rem & praemium, & legem vniuersalem ex causa interdum relaxat: I say the steward of Gods familie must distri­bute and deale with the hand of iustice to euery particular, vpon sute or re­quest made, or otherwise, Intuituratio­nis & boni vniuersi & causae propter quam dispensat, Dispensans debet habere intuitum ratio­nis, & boni vniuersi, & causae propter-quam dispen­sat. quae causa in beneficijs po­test esse triplex Necessitas vtili­tas & euidens praerogatiua meritorum c. de multa &c. exposuist. & Panormi. super tertio de prae­bend. & digni­tatibus, Repeti­titio §. qui vere. c. extir­pendae. vpon contemplation as wel of some reasonable cause or circum­stance, and for the vniuersall good of [Page 52] the Church, as for the respect of gene­rall rules and axiomes of law: and so his iudgement proceed as from the face of God, or as the Angell of God, and must mittigate the seueritie of the law sometimes, and vpon some cause, as the wise and discret steward, in ap­pointing euery household seruant his taske and labour, and the congruent wages or recompence of his labour. And as for the second, none are di­spensable but for one of these three, or such like causes, videlicet, vrgent ne­cessitie, apparent vtility, or euident praerogatiue of deserts: other diuide the causes of pluralities into these fiue,Gloss. verb. intitulata Tit. de Electione & Electi pote­state in cap. Dudum 2. none can or ought to haue two Be­nefices with cure of soules, but where either the one dependeth vpon the other, or if the one be annexed to the other, or where a man hath one Bene­fice in title, the other in Commendam, or by way of trust or tuition; or a Be­nefice in Commendam to a Bishopricke of small reuenues, or where the Chur­ches are poore and of meane reuenue, or where there is paucitie or penurie [Page 53] of Clerkes,C. Pris. 56. distinct. by reason of scarcitie of such men, it was permitted, or vnlesse as they then called it, by Apostolique dispensation. For concerning great personages and learned men which are to be honorably respected with greater Benefices as reason shall re­quire, they were thenC. de multa § finali Extr. de praebendis. dispensed with­all. But as for all other, which are notConstitut. Othoboni de institut. seu collationib. §. 1. able to take charge ouer themselues, which doe not reside vpon their cures, which are not within any sacred or­ders requisite to the retaining of such a Benefice, which doe not onely vsurpe many, but infinite such Benefices, which though they would, yet by no possible means are able to satisfie their charge, which by violent intrusion or subtile shiftes and colourable deuises, doe seeke to retaine them, and lastly with­out all lawfull dispensation hold them, all ages and times haue not onely lear­nedly declaimed, but grieuously ex­claimed, lifting vp their voices like a trumpet against them. The necessitie is vrgent or enforcing, to dispense then when many vnfit men are to be found, [Page 54] and fewe fit for the gouernment of Churches, and instruction of soules, which case may sometimes fall out, at which time it shall be necessarie to commit two churches to one man, ra­ther then to suffer them to be destitute of pastorall cure, and spirituall foode and teaching: or in case the churches are poore, and one maketh an incom­petent liuing. The vtilitie is apparent when the churches are infected with schisme and haeresie, vpon the new re­formation of which decaied estate of the church, it is profitable to plant such pastors as are able to diuide a right the word, conuince aduersaries and gain­saiers, and preach sound doctrine: in case the church of Christ had beene tainted with Arrianisme and Pelagia­nisme as of old, or Anabaptisme, and Libertinisme,Circa sublimes & literatas personas, quae maioribus bene ficijs sunt ho­norandae. Durantus l. 1. particul. 1. de dispensationis. or such like poisonable heresies as of late. The prerogatiue of merits is euident, where woorthy men must be worthely rewarded, whose gifts are shining in the church, whose labors are aboundant, the testimonies of whose gifts is extant in the schoole [Page 55] of learning, and therefore their reward must be euidently set downe in the common-wealth, or else none will en­deuour for excellency in learning.C. Vbi personae est bona & in­dustria & lít [...] ­rata, quae meli­ùs sciret, & posset regere duas Ecclesias vel decem, quam alius vnam Inno­cent. 4. cap. cum iamdudum Tit. de prae­bend. & dignit. vid. Simm. Angelic. verb. Benefic. vers. 34.35.36. That such meritorious men are a­broad, and laborious or industrious teachers, may not seeme strange or a paradoxe now, being said long agoe, who can better rule two churches or ten, then some other one church, and such doth the priuiledge of dispensatiō alwaies respect. Euen so the tenor of euery dispensation runneth in the pre­amble, Maiores in sacris literis pro­gressus praemia maiora postulant & plures vitae quotidianae necessitates plura vitae necessaria subsidia requirunt. Vid. Rigist. facult Higher degrees in sacred learning doth aske higher rewards, and more necessities or wants doe require more supplies or helpes. [...]. 1. Tim. 5.17. vers. The Elders Doctorall or Pastorall, are woorthy of double ho­nour, especially they that labour in the word: well gouerning is the cause of double honour, but with this condi­tion, if they labor in the word: where (as I take it) the word Honor, if it signify [Page 56] maintenance requireth double main­tenance, & as for Honor, it presuppo­seth maintenance alwaies, or else it is but single Honor God wote: And as for double, it is more then sufficient to some, for single maintenance may al­so be sufficient, but not to some other, whose vertues, gifts, and degrees must be doubly Honored: And for this cause the Fathers of the Church and cōmon-wealth, although they ought to allow to all their children, meate & cloth, yet out of their indulgence and fauor, & especially for their labor, giue a larger allowance for some respect or due consideration, as Ioseph the go­uernor of Egypt, to Beniamin his bro­ther in messes of meat gaue not dou­ble and treble, but fiue times so much as to any of his brethren, 43. Gen. 34. v. He gaue all (none excepted) change of raiment, but vnto Beniamin he gaue three hundred peeces of siluer, and fiue sutes of raiment. 45. Genes. 22. v. And to dispute with too much curi­ositie, rather then cunning, of the fact of the fathers of the countrey, or [Page 57] of the fauour of the Prince, which is the head, in whom Ecclesiasticall au­thoritie and ciuill is vnited,Sacrilegij e­nim crimen est disputare vtrū dignus sit quem princeps appro­bauit. Dur. L. 1. partic. a de dispen. & C. d. per. Sacri. l. 2. C. de diuer. rescri. L. sacri­legij ext. de &c. is not onely temerity and rashnesse, but im­pietie and sacriledge: or to reason a­gainst that which the Parliament and Synode which are representatiuely the whole Church and common­wealth, hath proportionably laid out for learned mens allowance, in three or fowre religious Princes raignes, and neuer make an end of needlesse refor­mation, vntill all be turned topsie tur­uie, sauoureth of Satanismie or diue­lish audacitie: Who may dispense and be dispensed with, it is hitherto apparent: vpon what cautions they are dispensable it remaineth to shew in a few words, all which maketh much for the equitie of granting pluralitie of Benefices,^b Volumus autem stricteque monemus, &c. Wee will and strictly monish and require, which the law doth require: That in euery such Be­nefice from which the partie dispensed shall occasionally be absent, for the greater part of the yeere, he neuerthe­lesse [Page 58] doe preach 13. sermons in the yere, and in those sermons he do reuerently, religiously and sincerely handle the word of God. And that also in that Benefice, from the which it shall hap­pen the Incumbent for the most part to be absent or away, yet for two mo­neths in the yere he keepe some termes of hospitality and reliefe of the poore; prouiding alwayes a sufficient Minister and Curat, to be allowed by the iudge­ment of the Ordinarie of the place to administer sacred and sacramentall things, and able to expound and inter­pret the principles of Religion, and to deliuer vnto them the Word of God, if the reuenew and profits of the Bene­fice will beare it.

My inference is, if the granting of dispensation in case of pluralities be not repugnant to the Law of God, if it be allowed by the Canon and Prouin­ciall law, if the lawes of the realme vp­on the very beginning of reformation within the realme doe giue due limi­tations to the repressing of the excesse of vnmeasurable pluralities of the Sea [Page 59] of Rome, and doth there set downe a mitigation of former extremities and conuenient allowance for a learned Ministerie, they then do but lose their labor which skirmish with pluralities, or vniustly charge the keepers of the Law with the iniquitie of the same, or calumniate others as breakers of the Law, or denigrate them with the infa­mie of carelesse, and wilfull, and conti­nuall Non-residency from their cures, who themselues haue a relation to their owne flocks committed to their charges, who by other deputed order­ly thereunto, make a prouisionall care who leaue an instructing and edifying seruice alwaies in the place. All which with the circumstances aboue rehear­sed being diligently prouided for, I see no reason to charge pluralities with such odious imputations of absolute Non-residency, or continuall absence or desertion of duetie or relinquish­ment of the military station or place. Finally, no man (notwithstanding ma­ny friuolous obiections and idle colle­ctions which in so many pamphlets [Page 60] haue beene throwen abroad, thereby to make absence from a Benefice hate full, I say no man) as yet on our side did euer defend an absolute estranging of the Pastors from their charge, or in case of absence the Teacher being oc­casionally absent, may not apply him­selfe fruitfully elsewhere and to his owne parish by godly directions.

It followeth vpon the premisses, that such maner of pluralities doth not deduce to Non-Residency, or to a meere priuation or absence from the place, or discharge of the duetie of the place. Here it may be questioned whether Non-residency [...] in some respect for some time and vpon some occasion or cause, be to be termed Non-Residency, [...] absolutely, and whether a man may be absent from his charge, as these peremptory men doe vtterly denie, and we defend in the af­firmatiue part. It seemeth Non-Resi­dencie is not absolutely against the Law of God, or directly opposit, as I shewed before: for if it were simplie impious, then for none occasion, no [Page 61] not for an houre, might a man be a­way, no more than hee may for an houres space vse blasphemie against God. And then it should follow, that at no time, vpon no cause, vpon no commandement of his superiour, no ambassage abroad, for no attendance vpon the Prince at home, for no prose­cution of Law to recouer or keepe his right, for no seruice of the Church, for no pacification of Schisme, nor con­sultation of matters of the church, fi­nally, for no remedy and restitution of health a man may haue a coadiutor or substitute vnderneath him, no not an houre, or be Non-Resident from his pastorall charge. But this is most ab­surd in it selfe to defend, and they who most importunately call for continuall Residencie in other, offend therein themselues, as may plainly appeare by their ordinary practise, in their running vp and downe and absence from their cures, in riding to Sturbridge faire or to the Acte at Oxford, or in visiting their friends in halfe a scoreshires, or in trauelling halfe a sommer from [Page 62] country to country, to confirme the brotherhood, or in lying a dozen weekes or such a trifle at a friends house, or last of al in meeting together in their classical conferencies or synodical assemblies or in Parlament time. There­fore to be Non-Resident is not vtterly vnlawfull, but where the cause is vn­lawfull there it is vnlawfull, to discon­tinue or be away from a Benefice or cure, and that for a time; where Gods law and nature and other positiue and prouinciall lawes, doe dispense with Non Residency (as in diuers cases) it is not vnlawfull, Non-Residency is there in deed a fault, where the peo­ple of God are destitute of spirituall in­struction and that falleth out by way of euent and consequence.

A dispensation for plurality of Be­nefices, being orderly sued for & fauo­rably obtained (with the clauses afore remembred) doth not inure any such dangerous, or impious effects, or a­ny absolute estranging of the Pastour from his flocke, or dissolute Non Resi­sidency especially in a Church as the [Page 63] Church of England so well reformed in such multitudes of the preachers of the Word, which are encreased euery day in time of so much knowledge and vnderstanding of the word, which we haue euery day, so as the world gro­weth inexcusable of their Atheisme and vngodlinesse and prophanesse of life, finallie in the administration and lyturgy of so instructiue and edi­fying a seruice which is read in our seuerall congregations, euery day. All the arguments on the contrary side, if you mustre them are few in num­ber, and weake in force, if they be encountred as they may be with han­die stroke of Sillogisme, or enthy­mematicall conclusion: which is the fayrest & most compendious decision of a controuersy: and without this ma­ner of scholasticall dealing, all kinde of Allegations on the one side and on the other, are but an heape of waste wordes and the further way about. Notwithstanding, those opinatiue men who dispute against pluralities haue litle more to say then this which [Page 64] hath beene an hundred times answe­red and sayd and reanswered againe. A minister, or one minister may haue but one Benefice, Say they, for no man may haue more then he is able to dis­charge, and no man in any measure is able to discharge more then one, and a reason is because he can not preach in season, and out of season to the people committed to his charge, as saint Paul enioineth: or, in this sort, a minister is a sheapeard and his congregation is a floke, and he must attend on his flocke and one shepherd can not attend two flocks, for he must alwaies go in and out before the sheepe of his flocke. Furthermore the ministers are liuing Oracles liuely paterns and samplers of holines, of integrity, and of vertuous life, they are leaders, feeders, guides, instructors, and directers of theire flocks, whereof the holy Ghost hath made them ouerseers, that is to say of their seuerall charges, seuerall congre­gations or parishes, and seuerall flocks. Al which emplieth vnity or singulari­ty of charge, and not a plurality or [Page 65] multiplicity of flocks. Adde vnto this that to be placed in two cures, Say they, Prax. Benefici­orum petri Re­buffi. de dispens. ad plura Be­neficia. is marchandize or filthy gaine, & none should serue two masters, God and mammon. So euery pluralist is a mam­monist by their interpretation. Againe it is to aspire higher and higher, and not to stay in the vocation where­in we are called, which is to transgresse the Apostles rule:1. Cor. 7. last of all because plurality and residency are oposite and contrary the one to the other and irre­concileably disioyned. All these and the like sophistications of theirs, de­duce, as they thinke to necessity of fee­ding, & that feeding one flocke, or to impossibility of feeding, if a man vn­dertake two flockes, or to inconueni­ence or absurdity for him to be away or absent from his floeke, who hath vndertaken a flocke, and therfore must feede. To the first of these arguments a plaine answere is and must first of all be granted that no minister must haue more then in some measure he is able to discharge, that is by himselfe or suf­ficient deputation:Vid. Rebuff. vt supr. in Re­spons. ad argum. Nec obest. quod non possit vtrique seruire per se, quia hoc poterit facere per alium: non enim Paulus administrabat officium perso­naliter in Ec­clesia Philip­pensi. Sed per suos ministros & tamen ab ip­sis procuratio­nem, accpiebat & alimenta, vt ipse testacur. Philip. vltim. as for the deputa­tion [Page 66] it is and euer was lawfull either in ciuill or ecclesiasticall function as when the magistrate or Minister is a­way: and that the Minister may be ab­sent is proued before, or if it be not true in the former cases, then ioine is­sue with vs and make some instance to the contrary, and if it be true then yeeld to the trueth, that by leaue of law and leauing sufficient direction the Minister may be away, and yet receiue wages and procurations and mainte­nance from them as Saint Paule of the Philippians.

As for the reason he can not preach [...] in season and out of sea­son if he be corporall absent, as when a man doth personally reside: a man may preach by word, by ensample, and hos­pitallity and by substitution of a care­full curator or deputy, when he shall happen to be away. the rectory and gouernment of small Villages, or townships, or country parishes is not as the administration or diocesses of whole cities and Territory, which im­porteh Titus and Timothy to preach [Page 67] seasonably and vnseasonably to the obseruation of a straiter measure: be­cause it was then supposed that in ci­ties all things necessary being more plentifull then in the Country, they might by one Benefice be sufficiently prouided for and honestly maintained or els shew some pregnancy of reason, why in very good measure, a prudent and diligent, and well exercised prea­cher one actiue man may not dis­charge two cures, being not farre di­stant, and preach, as shall be sufficient for both. But if in rigor of constructi­on, you will needs vnderstand that which passeth al wise mens vnderstan­ding, that a Preacher vpon his cure must continually preach, then shall not a man haue any time to Catechize his people, or baptise Infants, or mi­nister the Sacrament of the Supper of the Lord, or be allowed any time To pray, Luk. 18.1. which he is also willed continual­ly to pray, and neuer to ceasse, then shall there be no cause allowed of be­ing away, no not for an houre, which must needs be absurd: as for that per­petuall [Page 68] metaphore, or strong allegory, videlicet, a minister is a shepheard, and the congregation a flocke, and that the shepherd must attend vpon his church or flocke, should not the shepheard feede the flocke? it may be likewise granted, but in some sense that Princes are shepheards,23. Ierem. 2. Ezech. 34.2. and the people com­mitted to their charge, may be termed sheepe:1. Reg. 22.17. All Israell was scattered as sheepe vpon the mountaines, that had no shepheard, that is no King: And so is Cyrus called my pastor or shepheard;44. Esay 28. that is, my gouernour or king: how­beit for the illatiue heereupon, that one shepheard can haue in charge but one sheepe-flocke, may not easilie be granted; for Iacob in the 30. of Genes. kept Labans and his owne flocke of sheepe,30. Gen. 36. v. and put them in diuers pastures, which businesse might the better be vndertaken by his vnder-shepheards. And for a shepheard to goe alwaies in and out before his flocke is not euer true,1. Sam. 17.20.28. for Dauid left his fathers sheepe with a keeper, and ran into the campe, and so standeth charged with leauing [Page 69] his sheepe in the wildernesse by his brother Eliab, which neuerthelesse were safely left with a keeper. As for that which is vsually inferred heereup­on, that they are diuers flocks or di­uersity of charges: It is but one charge, as committed vnto one, for it is al­waies Regimen animarum, one regi­ment, or cure of soules, one in regimēt, and for that cause not the hauing of them both, but not hauing care of them, is a matter woorthy of blame, if they be not looked vnto, neither is it simpliciter, absolutely euill to haue more charges, or congregations then one, for so Saint Paule should fall into this reprehension, who seemed to haue or beare a care of all congregati­ons, although Saint Paule were Apo­stle of the Gentiles Christ his other sheepe. Concerning that the Mini­ster should be liuing Oracles, and liue­ly patterns of holinesse and perfection to their flockes, and lampes of light to their seuerall parishes, it may not be denied: but that (if they for a time be absent) or leaue a Curate sufficient, [Page 70] personally to reside in their place, all the light of their doctrine to be extin­guished and goe out, and all example of holy and righteous conuersation to be defaced, I shall vtterly denie: Ti­mothee whether an Euangelist or Bi­shop, [...], was a patterne of righ­teousnesse, as well absent as present: and so both the Person or Pastor and the Curate in his place, may be both samplers of comelinesse and honestie to their flocke. It is the Image of ver­tue that serueth for imitation, not the corporall resiance, and that this to be most true is manifest in Christ and all holy Christians and Saints of God, who haue left ensamples of them­selues, although they be not corporal­ly present or resident amongst vs: En­sample in this case is much, but dire­ction and instruction doth counter­uaile as much, which being sound­ly deliuered, may serue for the good of seuerall flockes and disioyned places.

Now to come to that obiection which is often obiected, and as often [Page 71] refelled in euery place, where most plausibly it dareth to shew his face: God forbid that euery man of plurali­ties of Benefices or multiplicitie of gifts should be the seruant of Mam­mon: it is but rashnesse of iudgement of the factionists of our time, to con­demne so many woorthy men and learned (incomparably honester and better learned then any of themselues) of auarice and ambition, and other wordly humors. We haue not recei­ued Spiritum mundi, sed Spiritum Dei, 2. Cor. 1. the spirit of the world, but the spirit of God, and by the grace of God are the seruants not of Mammon, but of the high God. And as for filthy gaine, that should grow out of this seruice and paines taking: [...], Godlinesse is great gaine, together with the benefit or gaine of contentation, if we rest contented with that which lawe doth cast vpon vs, or the fauour of lawfull dispensation, or any godly priuiledge. And concerning the winning vnto Christ, and gaining of soules, it is nei­ther chopping nor changing, nor mer­chandizing [Page 72] of mens soules, but rather there where somewhat commeth be­tweene party and partie of simoniacall compact, and of vnlawfull cheuisance which the lawes of this land doth most seuerely both restraine & punish, ma­king them depriueable, incapable, irre­gular, excommunicable, which offend therein; whether it be to aspire higher & higher, or breaking off from our vo­cation & calling, for an Ecclesiasticall man to better by purchase of dispensa­tion for pluralitie, his estate, being the same estate, let euery wise & vnpartiall man heerein be the iudge: In a setled estate of the Church, & prosperity of the same, why any man should stand at a stay, & craue no other blessing then onely one at the hand of God, hither­to I finde neither cause nor reason. To acquit all singularitie of Benefices, of auaricious desire, is no matter of aequitie, or to accuse Plurality of co­uetousnesse, and that which is called [...], crauing or hauing of more, is the like iniquitie,Summa an­gelica v. Be­nesscium. for Vt fructus lu­crificiat, sibi ad vtilitatem priuatam, vel [Page 73] ad augendum patrimonium, vel vt lautius vivat, vel vt faciliùs ad Episcopatum, vel maiorem dignitatem possit ascendere: cùm tali intentione etiam vnum Beneficium habere de se est inordinatum, quod est contra rationem. They that procure di­spensation to retaine more Benefices, to make gaine and priuate commodi­tie, or to encrease their patrimony, or to liue more gallantly, or to climbe the sooner to a Bishopricke, or some other dignitie, they are in fault, and to ac­quire or obtaine any one Benefice with such intentions or purposes, is a thing inordinate or of the like fault, sprouting out from the like root of ambition and couetousnesse in any man whatsoeuer.

Finally, touching the opposition betweene pluralitie and residency, or that same [...] or great or migh­tie gulph or infinite distance betwene the one and the other, and irrecon­cileable contrariety, as some in their phantasies vse to depaint: it is onely imaginary and not verifiable and true: for such lawfull pluralitie may stand [Page 74] with prouisionall Residency; neither is it the corporall abode or personall residency on a place, but the discharge of duetie, that shall make answere vn­to God: neither is it the pinning of the Pastour vpon their sleeues, or any such like indefatigable residēcy of the Rector vpon his Rectory or Parson on his charge, but the well gouerning of the people and laboring in the Word, which shal saue their soules. Where a mans imployment is any way benefi­ciall, the same is praiseable and thanks­worthy with God, yet it followeth not that they must be affixed to the place; for neither the Leuites of olde (whose attendance was required in the Tem­ple) did lie in the Temple, but had their seuerall habitations, and waited in their course: nor the Leuites of the New Testament are so narrowly tied to a continuall residency, as if law and nature could not dispense with their occasionall absence. Yea shepheards, who are said to watch ouer their flocke by night and by day are permitted to be sometimes away. The Exchequer [Page 75] men must of conueniency dwell neere to Westminster-hall, and the Singing men of Paules neere there about, but doth it follow they must neuer go out of their place?

To conclude this question, plurality and absence from a Benefice with cure of soules is lawfull, with leaue and license of the law, with orderly deputa­tion: neither doth it inure Non-Resi­dencie, as some would vtterly infame it, neither is it any sinne or scandall as perhapps some would misdeeme at the first: in case the same be an offence or scandall, we can not doe with all, there are many scandalls of the world, and woe be to the world for many scan­dals at home & abroade: they that are childish or rather babish will be scan­dalized with euery little or offensiue thing, they who are proud & pharisai­call will be scandalled also, euen at the best & well disciplined things, all emu­latory men as these of the faction will take offence at or vpō euery light cause or no cause giuē. There is nothing can be so well deuised for the good of gods [Page 76] Church but by the malice of Satanists may in time be ouerturned, to the prae­iudice, hurt, and dammage, of good men and to the great disaduantage of God and the Churches cause.

As for other ordinary obiections which may also be more worthily re­iected, it shal not be amisse to giue pla­them their answere; let no Clerke be ced in two charges, saith the 2. councell of Nice, 15 C: for it is filthy marchan­dize &c. no man can serue two masters: impudent men to euict their purpose will not refuse omne genus testium: any witnesse whatsoeuer euen the corrupt and depraued, 2 councell of Nice, out of which councell they may also proue adoration of reliques, & inuocation of saints, worshiping of images with the same worship, that the Trinity is wor­shiped as well as reproue pluralities of Benefices; let them take better counsell and consider that which is in the end of the Canon: in Regia ciuitate: let no man be placed in moe great cities then one; in other Townships and Villages it is lawful,Cans. 20. quaest. 1. cleri­cus. & so Gratian expoundeth, [Page 77] and the counsell of Chalcedon, and the glose. A man may be intituled to two Churches if they be poore, & with dis­pensation, or by way of trust and Com­mendam. Touching that impertinent allegation: no man in very deed can serue two masters that is contrary ma­sters, God & Beliall, Christ and Mam­mon: the meaning is in plainnesse, and truth, let no man be placed in two charges without hability to discharge them both; or let no man make a filthy lucre of his charge, as mechanicall and trades-men, and vsurers, and simoners are wont to do. Furthermore let him that hath an office wait vpō his office;Rom. 12. and the ministery is an office: what of this? The Ministery is an office, ergo he must wait vpon the Ministerie, and consequently he may not haue two offices: and if not two offices, ergo much lesse two Benefices; this Paralo­gisme is easily descried. He that hath an office must attend his office: this is foorth with graunted, ergo he may not haue two offices, this is plainly to be denied. He that hath an house must [Page 78] looke vnto his house, or repaire his house, ergo, he may not haue two hou­ses to repaire: or he that hath a childe, must looke vnto his childe, ergo, hee may not haue two children to looke to their education, This is childishly inferred: a Physician hath a pacient, and a Lawyer his client, ergo, may not haue two patients, or two clients to giue attendance vnto. Concerning the inferencie, A man may not haue two Offices, ergo, not two Benefices: although I may iustly denie the ante­cedent and consequent both, because a man may retaine well and with a good conscience two Offices or two Iudiciall places, if they be subalternate or subordinate one to the other, and the one be not an hinderance or retar­dance to the execution of the other, yet I will insist vpon the deniall of the Argument: for if it were in speciall termes forbidden in Scriptures, the holding of two offices, which I can not finde, yet the lawfull holding of two Benefices or the equitie thereof (vnder terms of Aequipollency) which [Page 79] is [...] and [...] is not forbidden, but rather comman­ded: if all the question be, how many mens soules shall make vp a charge, or what quantitie of ground in citie or countrey shall be the bounderie of pa­rishes, this is a matter of indefinit li­mitation. In case any Clergie man in­tromit vpon more than hee is able to discharge, he must feare the Apostoli­call Vae mihi nisi Euangelizem: of which they would haue vs to be afraid. As for the other, which is the Propheticall Vae 1. Isay. Wo be to them that ioine house to house, and land to land, vntill there be no place for the poore, that they may be placed alone vpon the earth: what stir would there be if any such cleare place were extant against two Benefices, as if the Holy ghost had stinted them and no body els. Yea but the Holy ghost commandeth a Minister to giue attendance vpon the flocke: Attendite vobis & vniuerso gre­gi: Attend or take heed to your selues and to the whole flock wherof the ho­ly ghost hath made you ouerseers. The [Page 80] charge is controuersilesse in generall to the Bishops of the prouince in a ge­neralitie to take heed, to the generall flocke that is to to many flocks: or if it be to the Bishops and superinten­dents of the flocks, and to make them continue their attendancy, & to warne them of Non-Residency and to ex­clude them from pluralitie of charges & flocks, what meaneth the apostle to send for them frō their seueral charges, or to withdrawe them from their par­ticular cures or flockes allthough for a season? Therefore all this must be vn­derstood with the lawfull exceptions and due limitations of the Apostles words, and sentence of the holy Ghost: howbeit to vrge a litle further, and to argue on their behalfe, is not a Bishop or Minister a Pastor or sheapheard? and the people sheepe of the pasture? & is not this commande­ment of feeding perpetuall and inuio­lable, and should not therefore as Ese­chiel speaketh, a sheapheard feed his flocke? True it is that the Prophet allegorizeth strangly by a perpetuall metaphor a­gainst [Page 81] all shepheards that feed them­selues, and feed not their flocke: it is most true that a shepheard should feed his flocke: and how must hee feed them? and feed them himselfe. How many must hee feed? All that are committed vnto him: as many as Christ, with the purchase of his bloud, hath dearely bought: Christ biddeth Peter feede his sheepe, the sheepe of circumcision, the number is promiscuous: or a numberlesse num­ber for his charge was Apostolicall. Peter is not forbid to feed the sheepe of diuers sheepefolds which were but one flocke. Our Sauiour saith Pasce, feed: what is that? feed, or cause them to be fedde,23. Psal. The Lord is my shep­heard, I shall not want, he maketh me, or causeth me to rest in greene pa­sture, and leadeth me by the still wa­ters: Hee leadeth me in the pathes of righteousnesse for his names sake: and therefore to feed, is alway to feed by himselfe, and to cause them to be fedde: which is aequiualent in the phrase of feeding:21. Ioh. 15.16.17. v. now in that our Sa­uiour [Page 82] saith to Peter, Louest thou me more then these: Feed my Lambes, and so the second and third time feed my sheepe: it is more then euident that Christ committed to his charge diuers sheepefolds belonging to that flocke of sheepe, for sheepe & lambes seldome goe in one pasturage, but are diuided and sorted by themselues. which not to be absurd is also as eui­dent by the words of our Sauiour:10. Ioh. 16. v. Other sheepe I haue also, which are not of this fold, them also must I bring and they shall heare my voice: so that sheepe of diuers folds, may not incon­ueniently heare the shepheards voice: whose pains is the greater in resorting to them: for which cause two distinct and seuerall parishes recommended to one man, maketh but one flocke, though two foldes. Which distin­guishment of parishes the positiue law Ecclesiastical hath deuised, for if Gods law had separated them, then no man by vnion (which is pretended) may conioine them, as on the contrary side that which God hath conioined, no [Page 83] man may separate. And whereas it may be farther said, euery naturall bo­die hath his naturall head, and one head cannot be set vpon two bodies, and therefore it is as vnfitting in a po­liticall bodie to haue more then a po­liticall head, or two bodies to haue one head. It is easie to call these two flockes after they are incorporated in­to one, and vnited togither, one bodie and one flocke to that intent and pur­pose: but this is an vnproper Deno­mination, to call either parts homoge­neall, or heterogeneall of an entire bo­die, or the lest member or parcels of Christs mysticall body, by the name of an absolute or politicall body: and it is al as improper to call the Pastor of a parish by the name of an head. The head of the mysticall body which is the Church, is Christ which is the head, and he is the essentiall head, by whom the whole body being cou­pled and knit together in euery ioint, for the furniture thereof, receaueth an encrease. Next vnder Christ his pri­macie, the king hath supremacy:4. Ephes. 15.16. v. Af­ter [Page 84] whom the Archbishop in his pro­uince, and the Bishop in his Diocesse may be tearmed a Ministeriall head: but for euery Pastor or Parish in coun­trey and citie to be so called by the name of a body or head, is a most abu­siue or catachresticall maner of spea­king: for they are but members of the Diocesse, whereof the Diocesan is the head, and the whole prouince or Dio­cesse is the Ecclesiasticall body: so that the belonging of two Benefices to one beneficed man, is as two charges to one gouernour, and two foldes to one Pastor, two companies to one leader, two families to one father, not two bodies to one head. Adde vnto this the many disproportions betweene a naturall and politicall both head and body, and the manifold absurdities if such conformitie be vrged in all re­spects between the one and the other: for if they were correspondent ech to other, and that in euery point, then as when the head is deadly wounded, the bodie naturall dieth: so when the king who is the politicall head dieth, the [Page 85] common-wealth should die. And that no king should be king ouer three kingdoms, which are three bodies po­litike, because no head can be an head of three naturall bodies: Marke this argument of theirs, and the con­sectaries thereof, whether it striketh not at the very head. The conclusi­on of all is, either two parishes may be committed to one sufficient man, which is that we call pluralities, or they may not be committed, by rea­son of some strong impediment, or or barre against it in the law of God: not in Gods law; for nothing is set downe of distinction of parishes in so many sillables in the word of God: for all is of meere positiue law of man: nei­ther is there any iust measure or stan­dard of euery ministers liuing, laide downe in the Scriptures, but all run­neth on in those termes of sufficiencie, of competencie, of maintenance, of reward, of recompence, of participa­tion of al good things, of reaping tem­porall or carnall commodities of ho­nor and double honor, and such other [Page 86] allotments for the ministery and doing of their office. But if they may be per­mitted, videlicet, two seuerall parishes to one sufficient man, then also dispen­sations are to be tolerated and permit­ted thereupon, which is that we de­fend; or else a learned Ministery shall lacke maintenance, (as the state of things now standeth) if they should not be permitted: if one Benefice be not a competent liuing, it shall be law­full with the circumstances aforesaid, to adde another thereunto, for the bet­tering of a Church-mans estate. A Be­nefice now a daies is nothing lesse then a Benefice, and an Ecclesiasticall liuing nothing lesse then that which affoor­deth liuelihood or sufficiency of li­uing; especially if you speake of singu­larity or of one Benefice: and so (a few Benefices excepted) all benefices may be resembled to the counsels of cer­taine Orators in Demosthenes daies,Demost. Philip. which he compareth to the diets of sicke men: [...]. which neither giue a man life, nor suffer him to die. The pittances [Page 87] are so small, the annuities, pensions, contributions, impositions are so ma­ny in comparison of that which was paid in former times: and as for that which is now paid, it is either long de­tained before it can be paid, and so paid vnwillingly, or if it must needs be paid, after extreeme delaies, & expen­ces, after so many prohibitions, which are common and easie, and consultati­ons which are seldome and not so easy to be had, with an euill conscience at the length they are paid, that the olde said sawe is verified still: Laici semper sunt non modo infensi, sed infesti cleri­cis: The Laitie is alwaies offended with the Cleargie, and ready to hurt what they can: they must view and re­uiew, & inuiew the proceedings of the Church: Some few Honorable and wise, & learned amongst them excep­ted out of this number: Contra mansue­tos terrae res fraudulentissimas excogi­tant, all their deuise is to disgrace and deface and put downe them God would haue aduanced.

ALthough it bee most true which the mouth of trueth hath spoken, a man hath enemies those of his owne house: Yet it is no lesse true that it is most difficill and hard to finde who are a mans friends, and who are his eni­mies, both within and without the doore of his house: such is the in­sinuatiue hypocrisie and colourable dealing of one man with another that it is an harde peece of worke to di­scerne friends from foes, euen in the Church of God, which is Gods house: Notwithstanding bicause (if the visour of hypocrisie and other counterfei­sance be taken from their faces) it is [Page 89] easier found out, my enquirie or in­uestigation shall be of those onely who are either dissembled friends, or professed foes, whereof the one dance in a net, and suppose themselues to be seene of no men, and are seene of all men, the other are such, whose can­kred malice, and shamelesse hostilitie against the mount of Sion and walles of Ierusalem, and the builders thereof, as the sunne at noonetide shining is most euidently and cleerly to be seene. The friends and enimies of Pluralities and Ecclesiasticall dignities, are of di­uers sorts: our friends are fewer in number then our enimies: Howbeit more preualent then our enimies: and so indeed more with vs then against vs: and therefore first her late sacred Maiestie, and his most excellent Ma­iestie, and other godly and religious Princes before them, their principall spirits of wisedome illumined with Gods trueth, together with the heroi­call prudent spirits of certaine Hono­rable personages of the Nobilitie and Counsell, and other industrious lear­ned [Page 90] men, affecting a prouident care of the posteritie of the church, and patro­nizing the present estate of Church di­scipline, haue euer stood our friends, and euer resisted the priuate spirits of these new-fanglists, or contentious and quarrelous men: all which eni­mies of Pluralities and dignities are or may be digested into their seuerall rankes, so that we may reckon vpon this diuision, all to be either enimies or friends, excepting such as thinke Pluralities to be requisite and fit remu­neration for learned men, but they will not giue any man a second Bene­fice that hath one already, which scru­ple ariseth vpon this, that they suppose too great distance of Benefices with cure to be inconuenient, or for some other consideration best knowen to themselues, or perhaps they thinke themselues onerated in conscience for the trust reposed in them by the prince and state to giue and bestow vpon e­uery one, one Benefice, vntill all be prouided for, and not before, against whom I will not argue, sith they are [Page 91] no way our enimies or neutrally af­fected, but apter a great deale to be our friends.

Amongst the multitude of them who are enimies, I may number those who haue no liuing at all, or haue li­uing too too much: they who haue no liuing at all, are certaine penurious and greedy, or hungry companions, who will not stay their time, but must be preferred in haste, and commonly before their desert, and creepe into the world before they are ripe, or flitter before they are flush, or runne awaie as the Lapwinge with their shels vpon their head out of the Vniuersities, as soone as they see a man haue two Be­nefices, their enuious eie is fastened vpon one; which is much to be misli­ked. They who haue too much liuing are those whose lippes are sweetened with thc fatte of impropriations, and they would haue more. They take vp all with the angle, they catch it in their net,1. Abakuck. and gather it in their yarne whereof they reioice, and are glad, therefore, they sacrifice vnto their net [Page 92] and burne incense to their yarne, be­cause by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous: shall they there­fore stretch out their net and that continually to slay the nations?

I write not this to the praeiudice of those who haue any or many impropri­ated Benefices, and lawfully hold them although I may boldly maintaine it more lawfull of the two, to hold two Benefices with cure of soules then two discured or impropriated liuings as the world esteemeth them; and how they are esteemed void of all cure the Lord knoweth, but my disputation is dire­cted against those who vnder a co­lour of opposition against pluralities, giue a secret blow to all Ecclesiasticall preferments and liuings, would haue the tithes brought home from Gods barne to their owne, and reduce all to pensions, and would sweepe the Church cleane: these are the most pestilent enginers against the Bishop and clergy, against the Deane and Chapter, that is the Ecclesiastical senate and other prebends at large, all which [Page 93] is couertly vndertakē for the most part by the impugners of pluralities, the practise whereof springeth from this originall, not so much from hatred of pluralities or duplicities of liuings, but from an intention forsooth to reduce and bring backe all to the primitiue and Apostolicall simplicity, which without Apostolicall and primitiue and extraordinary gifts reduced toge­ther with it, is a fond conceit, and a vaine intention. As for Platonicall cō ­munitie or Anabaptisticall confusion which is the daugther of parity or any such monasticall conuersation, which some would haue to be Euangelicall perfection, I hope they not so much as dreame of, albeit they dote vpon some such like phansied Church pol­licy, and gouernment of the Church. But rather as I touched before, ariseth from a detestable and implacable ha­tred against all Ecclsiasticall superiori­ty & such like imparities▪ they would haue one man as good as an other, which is as much as they said in Tuscu­lans questions. Nemo de nobis vnus ex­cellat, [Page 94] let non of vs be better then o­ther. And in case any such one be bet­ter in gifts, better in liuelehood, better in place, or superior in dignity, or in Ecclesiasticall authority: omnem exupe­rantiam virtutis odimus, all betternesse or preheminency of vertue (say they) let vs hate. Howbeit first let them vnderstand what this superioritie is, and let them vnderstand vs, and let vs vnderstand one the other, and then let them become enemies to that which they knowe: oderunt nos gratis, if they hate vs causeleslie so let them hate. That one Minister may haue more liuings then an other and better meanes to liue by the Church. I haue shewed before, that in the Mi­nistery some must be both preferred in liuing and higher placed in authoritie, in a well ordered Common-wealth, and well disciplined Church, I haue in part declared, and will now enlarge somewhat more, for the satisfaction of curious men.

They who would haue paritie a­mongst the Ministers, would likewise [Page 95] mainteine them to be all equalled first either in equalitie of gifts, and equali­tie of liuing: or all to be of inequalitie of both gifts and liuings: or els to be vnequall of gifts and equall in liuing: or vnequall of liuing & equall of gifts; for these are the parts: To make them who are sutable and equall in gifts by a positiue or generall law, to be inferi­or and behinde one another in li­uing, were against the lawe of distri­butiue iustice, at the least against e­quitie: To make them who come short of the best gift, equall in pre­ferment, were greater iniquitie: To defend all to be equall in gifts and e­quall in liuings, simul & semel, were impossibilitie: To mainteine inequa­litie of both gifts and liuings, is the matter we seeke for, and by argumen­tation and reason, is deduced from the authoritie of Scriptures, and praxis of the Church. The enemies of pluralities and friends of paritie, are for the most part haters of all eminencie of gifts, & sworne enemies vnto all standing supe­rioritie of Ministers ouer Ministers in [Page 96] the church of England, and are in a ma­ner the same, accusing alwayes the in­equalitie & rule which are exercised in the church for order and Christian policie of arrogant dominion or Anti­christian tyrannie. For so the fashion is of these discontented persons, to tra­duce in their speeches all Archiepisco­pall iurisdiction in the Prouince, or e­piscopall authoritie in the Diocesse, or archidiaconall power, or any other subordinate authoritie in their limits, or whatsoeuer els branch of ciuil pow­er & superioritie annexed to their pla­ces, for the well being of the same, and to sprinckle it with such aspersions of domination & proud lordlinesse, as if those callings did affect nothing else than terrene glory and worldly ho­nours, and minde earthly things. The Bishops are the successors of the Apo­stles, and are of the better sort and con­dition of citizens, for they are citizens of the Common-wealth they liue in, and are not nor ought to be without all rule and superiority, or other ciuill honour, if it be cast vpon them. And as [Page 97] for any ciuill iurisdiction which Bi­shops or some ecclesiastical men haue, it is not claimed by them as due to their functions, but imposed by the Prince as vpon subiects seruiceable for the Realme, and for credit to their pla­ces, as Counseller, Embassador, Iustice of Peace, and the like: although some of the Presbyteriall faction do call for it as due, and that Ministers and Eccle­siastical persons may & in respect they are wise and learned ought to be of counsell of Princes in affaires ciuill of the Common-wealth, and to giue spe­ciall direction euen in setting vp and deposing of Princes, L. 3. De politia ci­uili & Ecclesiastica, which chalenge of theirs proceedeth from a distempered humour, and abominable arrogancie. And because there are many resem­blances betweene Ecclesiasticall and ciuill authoritie, and the exact laying foorth of ciuill authority serueth aptly for the vnderstanding of the other, and for the clearing of the Bishops and o­ther that exercise Ecclesiasticall iuris­diction these many yeeres, both be­fore [Page 98] and sithence reformation in the land, of the imputation of dominion or tyranny ouer their inferiours, I thinke it not amisse (if it may not seeme tedious in so short a discourse and the rather because I was lately called be­fore a Right Honorable presence of Lords & other of his Maiesties Coun­cell by commandement, to satisfie the scrupulous consciences of certaine dis­contented persons, who proposed ma­ny things against the authoritie and gouernment of Bishops, but in fine, would neither oppose nor answer in the doubts which thēselues proposed) and I will distribute ciuill or temporall authority into his parts & differences according to Aristotle & other learned politicians. Authority ciuill or tempo­rall as the cōmon phrase of speech is, is either oeconomicall as that which is exercised within the limits of a family, or politicall ouer a great societie, oeco­nomicall is either [...], of the hus­band ouer the wife, being the most moderate of al; or [...], of the father ouer the children being more ample [Page 99] and large, or [...], which is of two sortes, either of the master of the hous­hold, ouer such as be of condition free men, and is lesse milde then the other two, or of the Lord ouer bondmen and villains, which is most seuere and absolute of all other: Now for Politi­call authoritie, it is either supreme or so­ueraigne, or else subordinate and delega­ted. Soueraigne or supreme is either absolute called [...], which is of two sorts, [...], that is called seig­neuriall, such as Augustus and Nerua and Traian, and Adrian, and Marcus Aurelius and other Emperors had and vsed, who though they had all autho­ritie in them without restraint, so that their word was a law, yet did they vse it according to the rules of ciuill ho­nesty, & according to law: or [...], tyrannous, where not onely their will became a law, but they also abuse it, contrary to all rules of ciuill honestie and moderation of the law, as the em­pire of Turkes and other Barbarians who reuerence not Christ and his Gospell: or otherwise limited by cer­teine [Page 100] bounds of lawes: That which is soueraigne and yet limited, is also of two kindes, either vniuersally limited as is the authoritie of ordinarie chiefe magistrates in all free cōmon-wealths, as the Dukes of Venice & such other as come neere it: or restrained but in part, as for the most part in all Christi­an monarchies and kingdomes: for al­beit kings and such soueraigne mo­narches, are so tied to lawes, that they cannot dispose of their subiects liues or liuelihood and goods contrarie to the lawes, yet they are at libertie to al­low or disallow lawes to be made, to enhance or decrie the price or stan­derd of their coines, to pardon offen­ders condemned by law, and to make warre or peace, truice or league. As for those which haue subordinate or delegated authoritie by the supreme Magistrate, they may not exercise nor claime more then is allowed them, ei­ther by commission or by law▪ of all these authorities there is none simplie forbiden, or altogither vnlawfull, but the tyrannicall gouernement which [Page 101] maketh selfe-will a law, and that is vt­terly forbidden in ciuill and Ecclesia­sticall policy to all good Christians. Now to apply this to the purpose in hand, videlicet, to the authoritie that Bishops haue in this Realme, a matter of superioritie, so much oppugned by these pert or rather malepert compani­ons, it cannot be resembled to oecono­micall authority (albeit a Bishop in some sense, as a Bishop is called a fa­ther of those in charge, and the hus­band of that Church in a kinde of sig­nification whereof he is Bishop) and that for two causes: first, in that his au­thoritie is not conteined in the pre­cincts of one family, but stretcheth it selfe ouer many congregations, which comprehendeth many families. An other cause is, for that the Bishops authoritie (which the factionists sup­pose to be so transcendent and illimita­ble, is tied by the lawes, not onely what not to doe, but he is also directed and appointed what to doe: whereas oeconomicall authoritie hath no pub­like lawes positiue, commanding a man [Page 102] how to gouerne his family, but onely Negatiue, what they may not doe in that gouernment, as not to hurt nor kill, neither childe, wife, nor seruant, and such like inclusiue prohibitions: and as for supreme power, whether ci­uill or ecclesiasticall, absolute or limi­table authoritie, our Bishops neither vse nor claime. It is that which they condemne in the Pope, as well for that as successor of the Apostles, he claim­eth both swords, and earthly king­domes to be his to dispose, si non actu saliem habitu, as Bellarmine distinguish­eth to his owne great confusion, as al­so for that in matters Ecclesiasticall, he chalengeth to himself, & vsurpeth not onely seigneuriall, but euen tyranni­call authority, for he may iudge al, and be iudged of none, may carie millions of soules vnto hell, and none may say to him, Domine cur ita facis? may com­maund angels to carrie and recarrie soules at his pleasure, may pardon sinnes past and to come: yea in mat­ters Ecclesiasticall, may doe what he list, as his owne flatterers and claw­backes, [Page 103] haue sometimes said and now would vnsay; all this Lordly absolute tyrannous and vsurped authoritie is condemned in the Scriptures. There remaineth then to the Bishops of the Realme, none other but subordinate and delegated authoritie, which they haue partly from God, and partly from the Soueraigne Christian magistrate: and this is the point which is not well vnderstood of the vulgar sort, or is commonly mistaken of many sortes of people, but principally or perhaps wittinglie or maliciouslie miscon­strued of those who band themselues against the orderly gouernment and fatherly iurisdiction of the Bishops of England. From God they haue their authority to preach and minister the Sacraments, and not from the Prince but from Christ himselfe, 28. Mathew Goe teach all nations Baptising them &c. Onely the Princes giueth them publique liberty, without let or distur­bance, to doe that which Christ hath commanded: all that Princes giue in this respect, is not by way of commis­sion [Page 104] but by a free permission that with peace and praise, with diligence and alacritie they may doe their duties. From God they haue also either first to plant or else to gouerne, and direct Churches planted already, to ordeine Ministers and Deacons, and likewise the vse and power of the keies, either by loosing the penitent, according to the Scripture, or binding the impeni­tent; the last of which is done by fiue meanes: first by admonition; second­ly by reprehension; thirdly by suspen­sion; fourthly by excommunication; and fiftly by Anathematisme, which is the greatest of all: The three first, of which censures Ecclesiasticall are in vse and practise, common to all Ministers, so farre as suspension is taken for the debarring of notorious, detected, or conuicted persons frō the Lords Supper: The last two though by all practise of antiquity in purer times, they were principally attributed vnto Bishops, yet not so, but other Mi­nisters of the word, vnto whom the keies are annexed, might not vnlaw­fully [Page 105] heerein concurre, if the lawes of the Church for weighty causes do not otherwise dispose, which they haue done heere in England as I conceiue, by reason of sundry ciuil effects, which excommunication & anathematisme by lawe doe worke, and are such as without great inconuenience and con­fusion cannot be permitted to euerie Minister in his cure or charge, that haue but slender skill, no direction of law in that behalfe, none authentique seales to certifie of record, nor tempo­ralities to be sued, for not performance of the kings write, that lieth in such ca­ses, as De cautione admittenda de excom­municato deliberando, &c. And these for­mer be the points wherin Bishops au­thoritie is from God, and not of man: But now from the soueraigne Prince by the mediating of lawes, Bishops haue set downe vnto them the places where the compasse of the Territorie how farre, the maner how, with other circumstances, of executing both the former authorities, and also their Iu­risdiction, which although it be origi­nally [Page 106] founded in the word of God, yet all Bishops haue the assistance of their iurisdiction Ecclesiasticall, sundry waies from the Prince and his lawes, for the founder execution thereof, and restrai­ning of offenders, as to burne an here­tique, to imprison a person stubburnly and obstinately remaining excommu­nicate aboue forty daies, and such like: Lastly, the Bishops of this realme haue the heads and matters wherein their iurisdiction is conuersant, by, & from the Princes authority, in whom as su­preme gouernour al iurisdiction with­in his highnesse dominions, as well temporall as Ecclesiasticall, by the law of God, and by mans lawe is inuested. Such matters in the Church of Eng­land, attributed to Bishops, are causes beneficiall, videlicet, for tithes and maintenance of Ministers, vpholding of Churches & Church-yards, causes matrimoniall, contracts and diuorces, matters diffamatorie, where there is breach of charitie, and no action lieth in ciuill Courts, as also Testamentarie causes, which euen at the common [Page 107] law of the land hath alwaies bin made Ecclesiasticall, both because that lawe hath litle direction in those causes, but such as is borrowed from the ciuill and Ecclesiasticall lawes, and for that mens last wils (at least were wont) doe con­teine sundry demises for Churches, or­phans, poore, captiues, and such like good vses, whereof the Church had the fourth part, and wherein Bishops are intended to be most carefull to mi­nister right, indifferently to all for the true performance of the deads will. Finally the punishing of diuers crimes termed Ecclesiasticall, being such as are not punishable at all at the com­mon law, or else are left by law to be punished by either authoritie: and in this respect may this part of Episcopall authority and function, not vntruely be said to be deriued from the Kings supremacie which they haue vnder God. By which matter that I haue hi­therto at large deduced, may planely appeere the vndutifulnesse of popish Bishops and peeuish consistorials: the first wherof deriueth their iurisdiction [Page 108] Ecclesiasticall within all Christian kingdomes from the Pope; the se­cond will needs deriue their iurisdi­ctionall authoritie immediately from God, and not from the Prince, and in a larger manner, and in moe matters then Bishops in England may any wise exercise or intrude vpon, & make their Consistory or Presbytery a court of Conscience and Aequitie, a tran­scendent court beyond his Maiesties high court of Chauncery, and put other courts to a perpetuall silence.

And on the contrary side may eui­dently appeare to the World the duti­full carriage of our Bishops, the B B. of the Gospell, who draw neerest to the ancient and orthodoxe Bishops, as lineally deducing their doctrine and discipline, their gouernment and obe­dience, and other conformities from the Apostolicall and Primitiue and pu­rer times. And concerning papall Bi­shops (which is one of the extremi­ties) they deriue all that from the Ca­pitoll of the Pope which they well know, can not fetch his deriuation [Page 109] from God, that is, borrowe of Anti­christ his horne or power, which they can not deriue from the Head which is Christ: but for factious consistorials and presbyteriall men (which is the o­ther extremity) they without any war­rantise of the Word with a Luciferian pride (as if they were to ride vpon the cherubins) draw immediatly their iu­risdiction from the emperiall seat of God, and will not fetch that which is to be deriued vnto them from the Christian magistrate or Gods lieute­nant vpon earth.

The former of these will be exemp­ted from Princes, whereas no Priest nor Prelate is exempted frō their tem­poral sword, much lesse hath any pow­er within or without their Realmes iu­dicially to depose them, least of all to inuade them, or to discharge their sub­iects from their allegiance, or to war­rant their liege people to rebell a­gainst them, but rather are subiect to their power for reformation and cor­rection of their errours in faith, abuses in discipline, disorders in life, and all o­ther [Page 110] Ecclesiasticall enormities, as ap­peareth plainely by the publicke lawes andSee the L. Bishop of Winchesters boooke of the difference betweene Christian sub­iects, and vn­christian re­bellion. acts of Constantine, Theodosius, Iu­stinian, Carolus, Ludouicus and Lotharius, and other godly and woorthie gouer­nours abroad, as also by the lawes of Canutus and other religious Princes at home. The later of these, although they challenge no exemption at all from the Kingly gouernment, yet so munite themselues, and aduance their Puritanicall iurisdiction, as to attribute therein no more to their souereigne Prince, but to be gouerned or ruled in that behalfe by them, that is, to be o­uerruled when they list, and to defend the exercise thereof by their temporall sword when as they shalbe called vpon by them.

If these extremes be leadden, then is the mediocritie golden which our re­uerend Fathers & Bishops of the land do perpetually obserue and keepe: for albeit the Bishops are Spirituall Iudges and Ministers of the lawes, yet do they not make any new Ecclesiasticall de­crees or lawes, without the Princes au­thoritie [Page 111] both praecedent and subse­quent, and in the whole course of their function are tied strictly and precisely to obseruation of due course of law: which if they shall either negligently or wilfully violate, it is remediable by appellation. The last resort, wherein is to the Souereigne Prince himselfe, who heareth and finally determineth by his Iudges delegated. The summe of all is this, That our Bishops neither claime nor yet exercise any ciuill au­thoritie at all as Bishops, though it is wholly vnfit they should be without it: and that their authoritie Ecclesiasti­call is but subordinate vnder God and the Prince, moderated as much as any other thing, in the whole Kingdome and State, Exactly, both positiuely and priuatiuely by good and wholesome lawes, deriued for the most part from the Prince, and reformable by his Ma­iestie, and that it deserueth no such slanderous aspersion of Supreame or of Absolute, of Tyranicall, of Signeuriall, of Lorldly power or superioritie, accord­ing to the rulers lust. Let them rather [Page 112] looke to this deserued reprehension, who claime and exercise more abso­lute authority than the Bishops, name­ly, to haue their Consistoriall iurisdi­ction not deriued from the Kings au­thoritie, but supreame vnder God, and that in all causes of doctrine or maners so farre as apperteineth to conscience, to make lawes and orders Ecclesiasti­call, without the knowledge and con­sent of his Maiestie, to sit and deter­mine as themselues best iudge, with­out any guiding of the law; and where a case hapneth with iust and equall de­cision to determine contrary to lawe, to haue their sentences once giuen, to stande in force (though they be ap­pealed from, vntill they be in the last instance reuersed, to excommunicate their Soueraigne, and consequently to discharge themselues, for that time of all actuall obedience, to call their Sy­nods and classies without the Princes writtes, and to haue the last appellati­on, not runne vnto the Prince, but to a Nationall Synode. All which if you rightly scan them, are true notes [Page 113] and charecters of soueraignty in iuris­diction, or at the least [...], Lordly or Seigneuriall, if not tyranni­call, and condemned by the censure of our Sauiour. And let no man replie that the bare title of Lords to be giuen to Bishops, for the same without anie authority in that respect is giuen to them: for the Scriptures giueth not lawes to wordes, but to the matters themselues. That is lordlinesse indeed, when they practise and band them­selues, & confront the kings suprema­cie, and wil haue him to throw downe his scepter, and to licke the dust of the feet of their Church, videlicet the pres­byterie, an Epitome or compendiarie representation of euery seuerall con­gregation and church. All that I haue hitherto discoursed, tendeth vnto this, that the standing superiority of Bishops ouer ministers, and the other impari­ties and inaequalities amongst Mini­sters of the word, both for gifts and li­uings (which are so odiously traduced) may be iustly defended against the ad­uersarie part, and that the bitter ene­mies [Page 114] to pluralities are fiercest enemies to all dignitie, superioritie, and autho­ritie in the Church, for ought that I can perceiue by many yeeres obserua­tion, whose hatred is insaturable, whose malice is cancred, whose indig­nation is implacable against this set­led & prosperous estate of the church. Their meaning is to haue a base and beggerly and vnlearned and con­temptible cleargie in the lande: for this cause their ordinary declamations are against Episcopall authoritie and other subordinate iurisdiction in the land: insomuch that he thinketh him­selfe the properest man nowe a daies, that, although he otherwise be a seely man and vnskilfull in his owne faculty of lawe, or other profession, as com­monly falleth out to be so, or vtterly deuoid of Vniuersitie learning, and true knowledge of Gods law & other prouinciall constitutions, yet com­meth in place with a praemeditated speech, or some impolished oration, and that conned by heart, against Bi­shops, Archdeacons, Chauncelours, [Page 115] and officials, thorough out the land, and for two or three mens sake worthy of reprehension, is pleased to sprinckle with the aspersion of reproch all what­soeuer Ecclesiasticall Magistrates and Iudges, and so thorough the sides of two or three euill handlers of the spi­rituall iurisdiction is contented to wound the whole body of Ecclesiasti­cal administration and gouernment of the Church. Were it well done (trow you) for the greedinesse and extortion of 2. or 3. officers in a court, if there were any such, to exclaime against the Exchequer, or any such court, or for the auarice and exaction of one or two badde Iustices, therefore to complaine against the whole bench: but this is the fashion of the world, of certeine factious men, and other whose orato­rie, is but Canina eloquentia, they must for lacke of matter be euer babling, though it bee but barking against the Moone: it is held amongst thē perhaps a point of good pollicy to vse inue­ctiues & declamatory speeches against Pluralities of Church men and against [Page 116] the faults of other men, that in the meane time, their owne both misde­meanors and misgouernances, may passe vncontrolled, or at the least vn­espied: now the Bishops are in high court of Parliament, and in lawfull Synode assembled, let them exhibite complaints to their Lordships, that there may bee reformation of that which is amisse, or else with modestie and good maners hold their peace and heereafter shut vp their pipes.

IT is a true axiome which is read in Ari­stotle: Facilius est de­struere quam construe­ere: a man may pull down more with one hand, than he can build with two: or is it easier to plucke downe many churches then to build one. And for­asmuch as many Churches are built to [Page 117] our hand, which is the honor of the kingdome, especially the Cathedrall and Collegiat Churches, the honor of which churches is the orderly gouern­ment and gouernors of the same: Let vs doe our Christian endeuour to sup­port and vphold that fabrique of the Churches which our forefathers left vnto vs, and as neere as we can keepe and obserue Saint Cyprians rule for matter of doctrine and Discipline, that is well setled already, Vt nihil quod tra­ditum est innouetur, and to keepe the vnity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The crafty enginers against the con­struction and fabrique thereof, are of sundry sorts, by themselues, for of him I will say nothing, who was principal in this machination: Sceleris fabricator Epaeus, our late Church-wright, but of the accessors somwhat may be spo­ken. There lacketh not a number of those, who would haue the Cathedrall Churches plucked downe, and vnder a colour of erecting or making of euery such great Church, three or foure les­ser Churches, and of three or foure les­ser [Page 118] parochiall or countrey Churches would enlarge or make one bigger Church, but of endowment or reue­newe they talke nothing at all: they would reduce all to pensionary per­sons: forsooth their meaning is to bee discharged from paying tythes. Some doe onely repine and mutter, other vtter their malicious stomacke against the iurisdiction of Bishops ouer Pres­byters, and of one Presbyter setled in gouernment ouer another, as if any of vs went about to make Bishops Lords and masters ouer the Church, and all the rest to be their seruants, or that some did ascribe so much power vnto Bishops and superior Ministers, as that ordinary Pastors had no power ouer the seuerall flockes. As for the Bishops, first they haue no charge but pastorall, no power but paternall: they haue superiority but no Impery, they haue authoritie legall not regall, their praeeminence is fatherly not masterly ouer the people and presbyters; of which consequence is all other Eccle­siasticall inferiour power or subordi­nate [Page 119] iurisdiction, ouer Gods heritage and the Lords flocke: the cleerenesse and lawfulnesse whereof being such as no maligners can well ouerthrow or expugne, they hold another course to impugne and giue the onset, first vpon the Deane and Chapter, and Archi­diaconall, and peculiar iurisdictions of Praebendaries and the like. As it was my happe to be in hearing when one saide, that Bishops hee did allowe with all his heart, and did giue them the honor and reuerence that was due vnto their places, but concerning Deane and Chapter, which is the Ec­clesiasticall Senate, and the true Pres­bytery (if there be any such thing in verity or analogie) he could not abide nor digest reputing al that superfluous and needlesse, and not woorth the re­taining. Needlesse it shall be to refute this phansie, which falleth to the ground of it selfe, as a ludibrious follie of the man. As if he would haue said, a king is lawfull, but his counsell of state is superfluous, and may well bee spared, a Maioralitie is not vnlawfull, [Page 120] but the Aldermen are not needfull, a Chauncellor is a necessary office in the Vniuersitie, but congregations of the Masters or conuocation of Regents, & not regents, is a needlesse thing, a Bi­shop is good, but cōsultation is naught or assistance in matter of the church: as who would say, it will be easier for vs to be plucked downe, one by one, then many, and as if when the members are cut off, the head could stand vpon the shoulders: or as if one did stand alone vpon the stage of their enuie and ob­murmuration, he were able to stande alone or withstand so many gainsaiers which would rise against him. Sem­blably they giue good allowance of Episcopal dignitie & their iurisdiction but they vtterly disallow and would gladly infringe Archidiaconall power and weaken that first. They will make the head so monstrous and bigge that all the body shall be the woorse, and al this to be done by reducing or bring­ing backe all Church censures to the Bishops againe, whom they will fauor so long, and vntill they may tread the [Page 121] one and the other vnder-feet, at least set them in opposition each against o­ther, whereof (as I thinke) wise men will beware, and a word of admoniti­on shall be sufficient to any wise man, whensoeuer this matter shall be most plausibly proposed, for it may be such kinde of men will appeare forwardest in this stratageme, who care neither for Bishop nor Arch-deacon, nor Church nor Chapter, and are like to those soldiors who woulde crucifie Christ, so they might haue his clo­thes, that is care not for any religion so they may haue the spoile. Neuerthe­lesse what they woulde haue or not haue, it skilleth not at all: that which we in all zeale require, is, that the Church of Christ may be still cheri­shed, and if by Kings that haue beene the nourishing fathers, and Qeenes that haue bin the nourishing mothers, then by her owne children it is most congruent and fit she should be reue­renced: and in case we honour God who is our father, we may not offer dishonour to the Church which is our [Page 122] mother: and if we credit Saint Cyprian, we cannot haue God to be our father if we haue not the Church to be our mother. The Churh is our mother saithAugust. epist. 38. de Baptis. l. 1. c. 10. idem in Psal. 57. & 30. Epist. 203. Saint Austen, she conceiued vs of Christ, and nourished vs with the milke of faith: she conceaueth by the Sacraments, as by the seed of her hus­band: thou wast conceaued in that thou receauedst the name of Christ, and againe, she is a most true mother, which openeth her bosome to all nati­ons when they shall be newe borne, and offereth her teates when they are borne. Whether we take the Church for the number and company of men regenerated by the Word and Sacra­ments, truely seruing God according to the Gospell of his sonne, and sealed by the spirit of grace against the day of redemption: or whether we take the Church by Synechdoche for the go­uernors and presidents of the Church, that is, men so qualifiedChrysost. su­per 5. Math. as Chryso­stome doth take, or whether we accept it for a citie or house, not built with hands,August. de verb. apost. serm. 22. 1. Timoth. 3. August. 1. 5. 7. epist. quaest. sup. Leuit. l. 3. c. 57. Psal. 137. which is founded by belee­uing, [Page 123] erected by hoping, made perfect by louing, or lastly whether we cal the Church the Temple, where the people which are called the Church are con­tained, that by the name of the church the people which is conteined, we sig­nifie the place, which conteineth, or as the same Austen speaketh els where; The Church is the place, where the Church is assembled, for men are the Church; that is, for a materiall house, and built with hands: The Church is highly to be honored of euery one of vs,1. King. 8. c. 2. Chro. 5.6. for it is the place where the Honor of God dwelleth, and which he reple­nisheth with his glorie, it is the house which is built to his name, and wherin he will haue his name to be called vpō for the obtaining of his blessings or the turning away of his curses: In which soeuer of these significatiōs the church is taken, and because Christ raigneth in his Church by his word and spirit, which is called his kingdome, citie, and house, (whereby we learne that it is furnished not onely with persons, but with all things needfull for the [Page 124] seruants Citizens and people of God, to the conuerting and sauing of their soules:) many honorable things may be spoken of it, many duties paie able vnto it. Giue to all men their dutie, tribute vnto whom tribute, custome to whom custome, feare or reuerence to whom feare, honor to whom honor appertaineth: Saint Paule biddeth the Hebrues remember their rulers or lea­ders that goe in and out before them, 13. Rom. 7. v. 13. Heb. which haue spoken to them the worde of God: many duties belong vnto them. For the well being of the church they are to be remēbred in di­uers respects: Foure things the church may not want as requisites for the good & establishment of the church: Honor, authoritie, reuenew, and trea­surie or stocke, without the which, the very frame of the Church will fall downe: Whether the world will ho­nor men of the Church or not honor them: honor consisteth tam in honora­to quam in honorante. Their gifts, ver­tues, paines, or diligence, and places are to be honored of all good men, yea [Page 125] God himselfe wil honor those that ho­nor him: if you shall deuest them of authority they shal fall into contempt, yea the very abiects of the world will make no regard of them: the basis of honor is authoritie amongst the peo­ple: Reuenew is necessary, and the si­new of Ecclesiasticall maintenance: they may not goe a begging or behol­ding vnto others: Episcopus habet pecu­niam, non vt seruet, sed vt eroget, saith S. Austen, The Orator could say, [...].Olynthiac. 1. As for [...] the loue of mo­ney the Apostle forbiddeth, but bid­deth or chargeth the rich of this world to do good, to be rich in good works, to be ready to distribute to other, and communicate, which is the true end of all riches and reuenues in laitie or cler­gie men:44. Eccles. for Abraham the father of the faithfull was rich (and as one translati­on readeth) they were also rich and a­ble to comfort other, or mighty in po­wer. Last of all, the Church must haue a treasury or stocke, which is the ready way to make prouision for the father­lesse [Page 226] and widdowes, captiues, and the poore: In the corruptest time of the Church, or Iewish synagogue, the [...] was not taken away but re­mained amongst them, in the time of Christ conuersant vpon earth, how much more requisite is the treasu­rie to bee vpheld nowe, or Churches stocke, in such infinit swarms of poore people, maimed soldiours, indigent persons, sicke and distressed members of Christ: Here offereth it selfe a great ocean sea of matter to enlarge vpon, but I will conteine my selfe within the narrowes and streightes of this my dis­course, which now admonisheth me to be short, & draw to an end: enough hath beene dilated of the imparitie of the gifts of men of the Church, some­what of competency, & sufficiency of their liuings, somewhat of inaequalitie, or of their Ecclesiasticall preferments to much, (it may be in the opinion of some) of the Pluralitie of Benefices or Beneficed men, a little of the superiori­tie of Bishops ouer Ministers, and of Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction ouer all the [Page 127] rest, a great deale against the contem­ners and breakers or scorners of the same: what is due to holy Church is apparent, videlicet, tithes, oblations, glebe-land, reuenues, and possessions &c. that God may be honored, his Mi­nisters & seruants mainteined, Chur­ches repaired, the poore relieued, his Gospell and the trueth published, his word multiplied, his name magnified vnto the ends of the world: what is due from Church men, is by the way de­clared. The Ministers of the Gospell which will liue of the Gospell must at­tend their Ministerie which they haue receiued of the Lord, the preachers of the worde must preach in season and out of season: the shepheards must at­tend and watch their flocks by night and day, and must feed their flockes whether they be sheepe or lambes, all must be fedde, least their bloud be re­quired at their hands, all must be Ca­techized, all must be comforted by themselues, and by a prouisional care taken for them, they that are babes in Christ must haue milke & not strong [Page 128] meat, they that are men must haue strong meat, that they may growe vp to the measure of the age of the ful­nesse of Christ, as he with his spirit shall replenish them. They who affect Pluralitie and Multiplicitie of liuings, must likewise effect labour and more paines taking: or else it is discommen­dable to vndertake that charge which they minde not to discharge, or to feede themselues and starue their flockes.

They who desire superioritie and Episcopall charge which carieth with it honor, and dignitie, and authori­tie, because they desire a good worke, must ouer and aboue that they go­uerne well, labour in the word, and so they may be woorthie of double honor, teach orthodoxe and sounde doctrine, conuince the aduersaries, stoppe the mouth of the gain-saier, clense the Church from Schisme, and keepe it from heresie, defend by wri­ting and preaching the Discipline of the Church. And for that they are to ouersee many flockes, to see (where [Page 129] want is) euerie place of their Dio­cesse, as much as lieth in them to be supplied with able Ministers, and with an edifying and instructiue seruice: And farther, where impropriations are, and the Vicarages endowed with small portions, and the Donatiues with smaller pensions, they would in­terpose their fatherly helping handes, for some encrease of stipend or other augmentation to be gotten from the proprietaries and leassees, for the su­stentation of the poore Ministers of those places, if there bee no other way or meane to better their estate, which I referre to the grauitie and wisedome of my superiors, writing this vnder their Honorable reformati­ons. Last of all, because it may not be saide, tempus offerendi, time of offering is past, tempus auferendi, of taking a­way is come: or as our aduersaries more bitterly then truely speake, our doctrine to be negatiue, our religion to be ablatiue: Let euery one doe his best for the supportance and vphol­ding of the fabrique of the Church, [Page 130] which is Gods house, for it is not loo­ked for in these daies, that anie newe Churches will be built: it is therefore to be praied for, that we may keepe these churches which we haue, which by the singular prouidence and good­nesse of God are left vnto vs, by the most famous Princes and Prelates of the land, that haue gone before vs, and left such precedents and samplers as will hardly be imitated. The destructi­on and abominable desolation of the Churches of neighbour nations and kingdomes, may serue for a document and instruction to vs and those that come after vs, to giue no grounde to any such as gape after the like pray, or would so much as make the lest breach vpon the walles of our Church, by ei­ther rupture or interrupture, as Sanbal­lat the Horonite, and Tobiah a seruant an Ammonite sometimes enterprized against the walles of Ierusalem, who would haue the walles that Nehemiah built to be so weake, and in derision of them spake & thought so, as if a foxe goe vp he shall euen breake downe the [Page 131] frame of their stony wall, but rather if such foxes as thēselues would aduen­ture to climbe vp, they might breake their necke: Who were also sore grie­ued as som now adaies, that there was come a man, as now the like is come, after so gracious a woman as our late reli­gious Gouernesse, (whose memorie be) blessed, which seeketh the wealth of the children of Israell, our zealous Ne­hemiah: To conclude, let euerie one of what degree or dignitie, of whatso­euer calling amongst laitie or clergie, Let him, I say, do his best for the main­tenance of the fabrique of this faire or­der and oeconomy, this decency and comelinesse of Church policie and discipline: And let vs all ioine in one with vnanimitie of consent against Church-theeues, and sacrilegious per­sons, against robbers, and spoilers of Cathedrall Churches, and against all couetous Patrons or Latrons, the de­uourers of parochiall or Countrey Churches, the very authors & fautors of all Atheisme and ignorance, of all prophanesse and vngodlinesse of the [Page 132] land, and against al those who wicked­ly in their harts, or with their lips say, Let vs take the houses of God into our priuate possessions: Let vs holde our selues to the sacred anchor of the set­tlement of those things which we now enioy, and (and maugre all our ene­mies ancient or vpstart, open or secret, forreine or domesticall) shall long en­ioy, to the glory of God, and prolong the ioy, vntill the comming of our blessed Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ.

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