An Inspective FOR Spirituall Ingrossures; BEING Presented to a Presbyterian PLURALIST, and FORMALIST.

By THOMAS TOOKEY M. A. Substituted Pastor at Thornhaw in Northamptonshire.

ISAI 5.20. Woe be to them that joyn House to House, and lay Field to Field, till there be no place; that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!

ROM. 2.22. Thou that abhorrest Idols, dost thou commit Sa­criledge?

2 TIM. 6.9. They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and foolish and hurtfull lusts which drown men in destru­ction and perdition.

verse 10 For the love of mony is the root of all evill, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced them­selves through with many sorrowes.

verse 11 But thou O man of God flee those things, and follow after Righteousnesse, Godlinesse, Faith, Love, Patience, and Meeknes.

LONDON, Printed for Giles Calvert, at the Black Spread-Eagle at the West end of PAULS. 1646.

The Presentation; To Mr JOHN YAXLEY Minister to the Church in Cunnington in Cambridg-shire, Parson of Thornhaugh, Vicar of Wainsford, &c.

SIR,

IT is richly known unto your selfe (and I could have desired no other might have known) how that you have covenanted with me to resign up the reserve upon the sight of farther reason. I had thought you could not but have seen how favourably you was lookt upon, when disposed to a stately Parsonage, double the value of that you left. You might have seen how nobly the Earle of Manchester encouraged your first admission with the Estimate of fifty pounds out of the sequestration, upon supposure of your dispoyled condition, when as in truth you robd the people of the summer riches, and sought for me to tend your fleeced sheep, during the stormy winter. And when you sought after me (not I you) though you could not see into my successefull labours in the ministry to Sir John Gell in Derby-shire, nor my sufferings by severe imprisonment in Titbu­ry Castle, and my other losses both before and since I did withdraw from thence; Yet you might have lookt behind you, and have seen the house you left so often battered, robbed, dispoyled: Yea, you might have washt the cruell Cataracts from off your eyes, with streams of blood distilling from my wounds. Yet notwithstanding infinite of such representives to induce a sight of better reason; nothing will please you (till this very day) but a sight of forty pounds per annum, Tax-free; And such violent and frandulent courses taken by you too enjoy the same, as the Sun in its Meridian Altitude of rigid Episcopacy, never saw the like. Neither yet may I injure you so farre as to make the world beleive you look upon [Page 2]Pluralities as lesse then sinfull in themselves, strictly considered: No, you have held forth that light to others with much vehemency. Nor that in exacting the worldly sweet of two distinct congregations, (to one of which you had not for above two yeares together appeared in the per­formance of the least ministeriall duties) you have sinned against your owne light. No, I would willingly judge more indifferently of your selfe, and some others involved in the like condition. That having crept so near Cambridge, you have peept into so much Logicke, got so much So­phistry, as in some distinct, and divers considerations, and various ac­ceptations, Temporaliter, Localiter, Conditionaliter, Respectivè, se­cundum gradum compossibilitatis, & non secundum gradum incom­possibilitatis, not when you could not, but now you can, account both non-residency, and sacred Theevery, dearly l [...]wfull, gainfull, hopefull, need­full. Sir, This Inspective instrument was therefore composed (on pur­pose) to help you see better into those unfound mysterious chinks, and un­sound curious crannies, through which some late metamorphised Mini­sters got safely into new, and kept closely to the profits of their old li­vinge. It is for your turne, I would not for forty pounds a yeare but you should make good use of it.

It wil help your concave Luminaries to discern better through the motes you espied in Bishops eyes, which are grown to beames in you own. To con­clude, if this paper hold forth further reason, you must see it though from

Your poor, SIR, — yet, Fellow-labourer; THOMAS TOOKEY.

The Inspective serving to better Discovering of Spirituall INGROSSURES.

THat any Minister of the Gospell should at one time gripe in to both his hands the wordly sweet of two or more Distinct Congregations, his ministry being exercised but upon one of them; is so farre from the Judgement and Practice of Protestant well-refor­med Churches, that we cannot easily finde those so much corrupted Prelates retaining to Rome to al­low it as absolutely lawfull in themselves: But that chiefly for Di­vers pretended Causes and Confiderations, they suspense with it, as with many other Sinnes under Dawbing Notions, and Qualifications, subtile misteries of these Iniquities.

It is therefore strictly to be considered, whether those circumstan­tiall Respects, both Old and New fashioned Spirituall Ingrossures thereon Depending, may not be both alike unfound.

We shall find no End of those many Accidents which are drawne in to encourage Pluralities. Yet, most (if not all) of them will fall in, as appertaining either first to the Parties between whom, secondly the Places whereat, or thirdly the Times wherein those Ingrossures are Acted. And in this Order may the Inspection be Disposed.

Inspection to the subjective Respects.

REspects appertain to the Parties, as Super-intendents, or Substi­stutes. For the first, the Prelate; Arguments are drawne either from his Excellencies, or his Deficiencies.

If Respect being had to the Minister's Excellencies, or Deserv­ings, would justifie his Ingrossings; Then from the chiefest of all at­tainable: (viz: the great and large Indowments of Gods Spirit ina­bling him to the work of the ministry, (between which and the Dig­nities of humane Sciences, or the Honours and Qualifications of Earthly Potentates, there is no more Competition then between Michahs Annuall Pittance to his mercenary Idoll Priest, and the double Portion of the Spirit derived from Eliah upon Elishah) yet [Page 4]this more gracious Qualification, extended even to a Paul's Propor­tion, leaves the Minister insufficient for a full Discharge of Duties to the meanest Church in the christian world. 2 Cor. 2.16.

Much lesse shall he be in a capacity of any other Considerates, to supererrogate for himselfe, or derrogate from the fruits of others la­bours.

Secondly, Respects being rightly had to the Ministers deficiencies, may properly diminish, not multiply Beneficencies: yet a Minister ha­ving sowne much spirituall seed upon a People and growes deficient (through Age. or sicknesse, to continue the same) He may surely Reap (as of the fruits of former labours) means for his subsisting from those People; in case hee bee wholly Destitute, and have not wherewith to live. But Debts, Necessities, and such like Indigencies, must re­ceive an orderly reparation by propitious fruits arising from that Church where Gods Providence hath set him down to labour. The spirituall warrier must expect costs from them for whom he goes the warfarfare. 1 Cor. 9.7.8, 9, 10. He had safer cast himselfe into any extremity through which the pressures of want will drive him, then to fall upon the rock of the sanctuary. He had better surely joyn any house to house (which also is wofull, Isai 5.20.) then to ingrosse Gods Temples. It was certainly a great distrust of Gods sufficiency that drew both Ananias and his wife Saphyrah into that Reserving, which occasioned their lying, and thence their punishing. A prophane Es [...] may as deeply sinne, in reaching to himselfe more then his own, as in selling of his own. They that will be rich (so they that will free them­selves of poverty too hastily) fall into temptation and a snare, and in­to many foolish noysome lusts which drown men in Destruction and Perdition. 1 Tim. 6.9, 10.

But the party substituted is unworthy; who shall judge of that? If the Prelate, then none shall be worthy but himselfe, though hap­pily the most unworthy. But if the substitute be unworthy, why should he have any thing to doe there? But the substitute is an able godly minister; The more right to the entire means. Why is such a one wronged? we should not rob from a rogue, much lesse from a good man. Why is that good man so ill rewarded, discouraged, temp­ted to halfe it with the peoples soul? unto whom he through want of means and power must needs be in great measure subjected. Notwith­standing the liveliest encouragements, & swe [...]est quicknings the best and forwardest Ministers too soon grow dull, and fagge in their spiri­tuall duties; so needlesse and gracelesse are those reservings that break the bruised Reed, and quench the flaming Flax, and damp the high aspiring sparks of burning Zeale.

Inspection to the Locall Respects.

THe circumstantiall disposition of Places in regard of the Propin­quity or near adjoyning distance of Parishes is next considerable. For where two parishes are so near together, as the labour of one Mi­nister may with much conveniencie extend unto them both; and the rather where the sweet complyance of a truly willing people addres­sing themselves so each unto other, that the exercises of the ministry may be as powerfull and effectuall, as if but one. It may be with these as with the two branches, Ezechiel 37.16.17.

Particular Churches being parishes in great Brittaine, were very strangely cut into unequall shreds (some think) by the mangling shears of Popish shavelings, and no lesse unevenly torne into peices and splinters by our first Reformers; so that were they permitted to shed and congregate themselves, there could not easily be lesse equality in proportions. For some parishes are so small, and in many respects so inconsiderable, that as they say of Vicaridges in Lincolnshire, they are such nimble ones, that two or three might be borne upon one mans back, without danges of breaking; and others again are so vast, and so remotely [...], that though but one parish, yet the Minister there­to will necessarily fall into the sinnes and deficiencies of a Non-resi­dent, or Pluralist. For where people live at that distance, that the Mi­nister (having but one soule, one body, and that limited) cannot infi­nitely extend his labours unto all of them, nor the people with respect to the spirituall rest in sanctifying the Lords day (especially the aged, lame, and sickly) cannot possibly, profitably, reap the benefit of his labours, those people though accounted one parish, cannot rightly at one and the same time be the sheep of that one shepheard.

Inspection to the Temporall Respects.

THe accidentall condition of the times is the most prevalent Re­spect with the novell Pluralists of our times. The constitution of times is either meanly or extreamly disposed. For the first the indif­ferencie of times hath little influence as to alter or to take any thing valuable from the nature of that act, which in it self is meerly sinfull.

Extremity of times is either to good, or evill; too true it is that times extreamly flattering, Haleyon calmes, and Sun-shine gleames operate with wanton stirring wits, as with full-fed beasts, makes them gad up and down in their own, and often out of their own into [Page 6]others Pastures: But to speak strictly, those times are not therein ac­counted prosperous.

Times extreamly evill, tempestuous dayes, may indeed force silence upon the prudent, Amos 5.13. and so for a time admit the absence of a Minister from his people; and yet neverthelesse receive fruits from those people, in relation to what he hath sowen formerly, and in regard of what he stands cordially ready to perform, he being not ingaged to another people; but keeps at distance only for safety, hovering still about the forsaken (like the bird about the nest of us young) and would lives fain come near, but dares not for feare of the vermin, whose prey they are become.

But to take the advantage of the distemperature of the present times, with some inferiour respect to security, but greater regard to profits (which over-poyzing respects will easily bee discovered by the value of the Ingot) then to mount himselfe upon the Backs of a people deserted by their former Minister, and to exact from them the fruits of that living, together with all or any of the sweet of his former place arising since his forsaking them, he being no otherwise authorised to this ingrossure, but by the temporary distemper. The evill of those times are so farre from salving the evill of such Sacrilegious Acts, as that both the Acts and the Times, are made worse thereby. Yea more, were the act not sinfull in it selfe; yet the design of promo­tion and advancement diametrically crosse to Gods proceedings in humbling times, would taint with impious impurity; such like was urged with vehemency against Baruch in his secular aspiring. Jer. 45.

1. In whipping times we should bee graciously carefull to keep pure from all sins as they expose to the lash; but especially from those sins, for which the rod was brought forth.

2. In reforming times we should take speciall heed that we nei­ther retain old sins, nor fall into new ones.

3. As our timely readinesse to ingage and vow reforming, may be admitted in the way of withholding judgements due to our former offendings; so the breach or slow performings of those vowes may een force those judgements both for our former fallings and latter failings.

4. In times when many are running, others going, some but creep­ing to perfection, we should not block the way by so huge a scandall.

5. At that very time to hold in Prelacy and Superintendency, when God is visibly fighting them out, (to them that see any thing clearly) is no lesse then to fight against God, his word, his sword.

FINIS.

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