I. WHether Nine parts of Ten of the present eager Petitioners against our Ministers Tithes (if strictly examined by the poll) will not ap­pear to be poor mecanical persons, of such mean inconfiderable fortunes, estates, con­dition, (without any Tithable lands, livings, estates,) as are no ways interessed nor concerned in the payment of Tithes? And so fitter to be punished as factious, seditious, schismatical; than thanked, encouraged as zealous, conscientious, well-affected per­sons, by those in present power?

II. Whether all or most of these Petitioners, be not really greater Enemies to our See John Cannes second Voice from the Temple, 1653. Ministers and their Ministry, then they are unto their Tithes; petitioning purposely against their Tithes in order to the subversion, extirpation of their Ministry, Function, and thereby of our Protestant Church and Religion? And that by the instigation, sollicitation of those disguised Jesuits, Popish Priests, Monks and See My Quakers Un­masked. My New Discove­ry of Romish Emissaries. And true and perfect Narra­tive. Romish Emissaries, which bear chief sway in most Separate Congregations of Anabaptists, Quakers, and other Antagonists now attempting the present abolition of Tithes? If so; (as will appear upon an impar­tial Inquisition) whether such persons will not be fitter to be banished as Antichristian, rather than Tithes, and to be ta­ken into publike consideration before the debate of Tithes?

III. Whether there be not above One hundred religious well affected Protestants, persons of Honor, Quality, Estate lya­ble [Page 2] to the payment of predial Tithes, and most concerned therein, who desire the constant payment and continuance of them for the maintenance of their Ministers, to every one of those Tith-payers who now petition against them as a grievance, though the Tithes the most of them pay be not con­siderable? If so, (as is most apparent, by comparing the paucity and quality of the Petitioners, with those who re­fuse to joyn with them) Whether it can bee conscionable, equitable, just, reasonable, See Claus. 28 E. 1. m. 3. dorso. Parliamentarie, to admit of any debates for the abolishing, or altering the payment of Tithes, upon the Petitions of so few malecontented Sectaries, and unva­luable persons; against the wills, consents, desires, of the Generality and most considerable part of the Nobility, Gentry, Farmers, Citizens, Freemen of the whole Nation? And that du­ring the absence & forcible seclusion of most of those Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses they duly elected to represent their persons, and give both their free Votes, Opinions, Assents, and Dissents, to whatever publike businesses should be propounded and ordained in Parliament: Therefore to this of Tithes which is so universal, and so highly concerns both our Religion and Proprieties?

IV. Whether it will not be an apparent breach of the Great Charter of England, ch. 1. & 29. That the Church of Eng­land shall be free, and shall have her whole Rights and Liberties in­violable; That no Freeman shall be disseised of his Freehold, or Li­berties, or Free-Customs, or be outlawed, exiled, or any otherwise destroyed, nor shall we pass upon him nor condemn him, but by the lawfull Iudgement of his Peers, and by the Law of the Land: And of above 40. other Statutes for its confirmation fince, (some of them in the last long Parliament, now revived in pretext:) for those now sitting to take upon them, the debating and voting down of Tithes, or altering their usual way of payment in any kinde (being the Inheritance, Right, Liberty, Free-hold of the Church of England, of every particular Church, Patron, Minister, Impropriator, and many thousands of Freemen in all parts of the Nation) without any lawfull summons given to them to appear before them, to defend, maintain their re­spective Inheritances, Freeholds, rights, interests in them, (ratified by prescription time out of mind; by sundry Acts [Page 3] of Parliament both under our antient See Mr. Sel­dens History of Tithes, c. 8. Rastals A­bridgment, Title Tithes. Saxon, Norman, English Kings, and many late Ordinances (to which those now conyened gave their Votes, as fully as others now se­cluded) as well as by Divine Right, Institution both before, un­der the Law, and Gospel too) without any lawfull judgement, hea­ring, tryal by their Peers, or by the Law of the Land? And whe­ther this will be a consciencious real performance of their printed Declaration, May 9. 1659 We are resolved (by the gra­cious assistance of Almighty God,) to apply our selves to the faithfull discharge of our Legal Trust, to assert, establish, and secure, the Property and Liberty of the people in reference unto all, both as Men and Christians? Therfore of all Patrons, Ministers, Mem­bers as well as others, unless they repute them neither Men, nor Christians.

V. Whether See his Se­cond Voice from the Tem­ple, 1653. John Canne, with other Adversaries to and Petitioners against Tithes as Iewish and Antichristian; ought not first to prove them such, by clear unanswerable Scrip­tures, Evidences, Demonstrations, to the conviction of the Iudgements, Consciences of the generality of the English Nati­on, and all now sitting? And to answer all the Arguments Authorities, Scriptures, Reasons produced by Tyndarus, & Re­buffus, in their Treatises de Decimis, Dr. George Carltons, Tithes proved to be due by a Divine right, London 1606. Dr. Robert Till [...]slee, his Animadversions on Mr. Seldens History of Tithes London 1619. Sir Iohn Sempil his Sacrilege sacredly hand­led, London 1619. Stephen Nettles his Answer to the Jewish part of Mr. Seldens History of Tithes, Oxon 1625. Richard Mountague his Answer to the first part of the History of Tithes, London 1628. Dr. William Sclater, his Ministers portion; Foulke Roberts, The Revenue of the Gospel is Tithes, due to the Ministry of the word by that word, Cambridge 1613. Ri­chard Eburne, his Maintenance of the Ministry, London 1609. R. G. his Truth of Tithes discovered; or the Anatomy of Annanias and Saphiraes Sacriledge, London 1608. My Gospel Plea (interwoven with a Rational and Legal) for the Lawfulness and continuance of the ancient mainte­nance and Tenths of the Ministers of the Gospel, London 1653. & others, to prove Tithes Due by Divine Right to the [Page 4] Ministers of the Gospel, and neither Jewish nor Antichristian, nor illegal, nor burdensom to the people in the least degree, be­ing allowed in all Leases, purchases, before they be voted down, abolished, and quite abrogated as such, upon their cla­morous, scandalous Petitions, Suggestions, void of all truth?

VI. Whether the present, and future pretended ease of the people in their Tithes to their Ministers, (if effected) will not be recompenced with an Augmentation or Duplica­tion of their Monthly Taxes to the Army, or in Fines, Rents to their Landlords, to a far greater value than they now pay to their Ministers, and be levyed with greater rigour and harder compositions, if deteined, than now they are? accor­ding to Saint Augustines prediction, Sermo 219. De Tempore, If thou will not give thy Tithes, Dabis impio Militi, quod non vis dare Deo & Sacerdoti; Hoc tollit Fiscus, quod non accepit Christus: Thou shall be sure to give that to an impious Souldier, which thou will not give to God, and a pious Minister: The Exchequer takes that away, which Christs hath not received; as some Parishes have found by experience to their costs and grief.

VII. Whether it be not a most arrogant, high, inexcu­sable presumption for a few giddy-pated Innovators in this Age, to condemn, censure, not only the practise, wise­dom, piety of Abraham, the Father of the Faithfull, and all the people of God in the Old Testament, before and under the Law, and of most Christian States, Churches under the Gos­pel in paying, prescribing Tithes, as the most equal, rational, just, convenient maintenance for the Priests and Ministers of God of all others; but likewise of the wisdom, prudence, provi­dence of God, who is Prov. 8. 1, 14. c. 9. 1. Wisdom it self, and Rom. 16. 27. 1 Tim. 1. 17. Iude 21. God only wise, 1 Cor. 11. 25. whose very Folly is wiser than men, in instituting, commanding such a constant, setled maintenance for them in his Word, as the best, fittest of all others; wherein both Minister and people equally lose, gain, and sympathise with each other, which they cannot do with so much indifferency, equallity in any other way, which human wisedome could hitherto invent?

VIII. Whether it be not an infallable evidence, that those have neither the Faith nor Piety, and by consequence are [Page 5] not the Sons of Abraham, the Father of the Faithfull, in a Spi­ritual or Gospel sence, who refuse to do his Iohn 8. 39, Rom. 4. 7. to 15. works and follow his steps, in paying Tithes of all their spoils of Warr to Christ himself, a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck, Heb. 7. 4. as other Soldiers by his example did both amongst Israelites, Christians and Pagans too, Num 31. 26, to 54. 1 Chron. 26. 26, 27, 28. Mr. Seldens History of Tithes, c. 1. 3. and endeavour to spoyl them of all other Tithes due from themselves, and others too; reputing it an eminent degree of their Saintship? And whe­ther this their practise be not likelier to bring them into Hell torments, than into Abrabams bosome in conclusion, if they repent not of it? Luke 16. 23. to 31.

IX. Whether all the Inconveniences objected against Mi­nisters maintenance by Tithes, be not rather fictitious, imagi­nary, than real, arising from the malice, covetousness, impiety, fraud, hypocrisie, injustice, rapine, perversenesse, litigeousnesse of the wilfull Deteiners, Opposers of them, rather than from Tithes themselves? fince many Ministers heretofore, and of late years, have lived all their lives without any sutes for Tithes with any of their Parishioners, and might doe so still, would they make a Conscience to pay them without any sute? Whether those who refuse to pay Tithes in kind to Ministers now, out of a pretext of Conscience; will not up­on the same Pretence refuse to pay them any other mainte­nance that can be invented, and make it more litigious, con­tentious, uncertain than their Tithes, since every Innovation in this kind ingenders new suites & disputes, when all legal Controversies, suites for Tithes have been long since setled, resolved over and over, both in Parliaments, and other Courts of Justice?

X. Whether the admission, permission of those few Commoners now acting without their Fellows, (being scarce the TENTH PART OF THE HOUSE) to vote down, or take away the Ministers Tenths, or reduce them into one publick Treasury, to divide and distribute them at their pleasures, though amongst the Ministers themselves at first, will not be a dangerous leading President and encou­ragement to them (upon any pretended necessity) to dispose of these Tenths and the other 1 Sam. 8. 14, 15, 16, 17. 18. See I0. Calvi­ni Hom. 29 in 1 Sam. c. 8. p. 155. nine parts of every Mans estate, [Page 6] and reduce the profits of them into their publick Treasury, for the necessary defence, and preservation of their New-Commonwealth, and the Armies pay, as they did others se­questred estates heretofore, because Tithes, though See Mr. Sel­dens History of Tithes, ch. 11. The 2. Part of my Gospel Plea. originally dedicated as a peculiar portion, inheritance, and rent-service to God himself and his Church, as the Soveraign Lord of all mens In­heritances, specially reserved by him for his own immediate ho­nour, service, homage, tribute, for all the other nine parts they enjoy by his free grace and liberality; may be thus alienated and distributed at their pleasures; therefore much more the nine remaining parts alotted unto men alone, for their own pri­vate, and the Publick good; over which they have a greater probabler, legaller Jurisdiction, than over God's own peculiar portion, which might neither be alienated, exchanged, redeemed by any human powers, but only by the Priests consents in some spe­cial cases for their advantage, Numb. 18. 20. Levit, 27-28, 29, 30, 32, 33. Deut. 12. 17. c. 14. 22, 23. Mal. 3. 8, 9. E­zech. 48. 9 to 15. Which if once reduced into a new pub­lick Treasury, the Ministers are like to have no other share nor better account of them, then of the Tithes of Southwales for som years last past, or of the Deans & Chapters impropria­tions for the augmentation of incompetent livings, swallowed up for the most part by the Treasurers and their Instruments, with little or no advantage to the publike, and less to the Mi­nisters, by reason of their unfaithfullness; far different from those 2 Chron. 31. 11. to 20. Treasurers for the Tithes and First fruits brought to Ierusalem, appointed by King Hezekiah, over whom Coniah the Levite was ruler, who faithfully brought in and distributed to their brethren, the Oblations, TITHES, and dedicated things, as well to the great as the small, without substraction or defalcation. The Statutes of 27 H 8. c. 20. 32 H. 8. c. 7. 2, & 3E. 6. c. 13. style those evil disposed Persons, not regarding their Duties to Almighty God, and to the King their Soveraign Lord; who out of an ungodly and perverse will and mind detain all or any part or parcel of their Tythes and Offerings, enacting strict penalties against all Substract­ers and Detainers of them. How then they can now be reputed con­sciencious Godly Saints, unlesse inrolled for such in the Roman Ka­lendar, is worthy resolution: some of them (as the Quakers) be­ginning of late to work on the Lords day, denying God one day in seven, as well as the Tenth of their annual increase, deeming both Jewish and Antichristian, as they deem our Ministers. Ex cauda draconem.