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authority_n	church_n	office_n	power_n	5,646	5	5.3580	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47743	An essay concerning the divine right of tythes by the author of The snake in the grass.	Leslie, Charles, 1650-1722.	1700 (1700)	Wing L1132; ESTC R11457	102,000	292

to any Share in the Civil Administration They Pretend that it is at least an Impediment to the office of their Calling which they wou'd have Wholly Abstracted from the World And to Respect only Heavenly things And that they shou'd be Vseless in all other Respects This as I said is a Spice of the MONKISH Superstition For I wou'd Pray these Men to consider Whether the Practice be not as Necessary to a Clergy-Man as the Preaching of Good Drctrine And wherein he can shew his Practice More or so Beneficially as in Assisting to the Making of Good Laws and Preventing of Wickedness from being established by Law In directing the Councils of Princes to Honourable Just and Pious Resolutions And checking the Prophane and Debauch'd who are apt to Creep in there Especially into the Councils of Young Princes who are Inclined to be most Sway'd by those who Administer to their Pleasures It is not thought Un-becoming the Gravity of a Bishop to be Tutor to a Young Prince but rather a thing Desirable for the Publick Good to bring him up in the Fear of God and Instil Vertuous and Honourable Principles into him And is it not as Necessary as Beneficial that he shou'd Stand by him when he comes to the Exercise of these Principles in the Administration of his Government And when he must Encounter with Many Tentations and is Most Liable to be Circumvented by Wicked and Designing Men The Young King Joash did that which was Right in the sight of the Lord 2 Chr. xxiij 2. all the days of Jehoiadah the Priest who had brought him up from a Child But after his Death the King fell into the hands of the Princes Vers 17. who corrupted him and brought Wrath upon him from the Lord and upon the Whole Kingdom whom he and they likewise Corrupted into Idolatry He also grew Tyrannical in his Government and Most Ingrateful Killing Zechariah the Son of Jehoiadah who had Sav'd his Life and set him upon his Throne that had been Vsurp'd from him GOD himself made the Priests the Chief Judges even in Secular Affairs under the Law Deur xvij 8 c. And does not the Reason hold the same under the Gospel viz. That they are suppos'd and ought to be most Conscientious in the Discharge of this Duty And consequently That it is best for the People that the Clergy shou'd have the Discharge of it Do's not the Apostle Argue from the same Topick 1 Cor. vi And think it fit That the Church should Judge of Secular Matters But Christ said who made Me a Judge that is in Secular Matters And Luk xij 14. Joh. xviij 36. My Kingdom is not of this World It is true The Office of Judge in Secular Matters was then in the hands of the Civil Magistrate Which Christ came not to Disturb or Alter or to set up a Temporal Kingdom He gave no Civil Authority at all to His Church But he no where Debarr'd her from it if given by the Secular Power And the Judging which St. Paul speaks of 1 Cor. vi is plainly that of Voluntary Arbitration among themselves and not Incroaching in the Least upon the Office of the Civil Magistrate But this shews That it is no ways Unfit for Clergy Men to Concern themselves in Secular Affairs Else it wou'd be as Un-Lawful for them to be Arbitrators as Judges For it takes up their Time and Engages them in Secular thoughts different from their Studies Yet no Man makes it an objection but thinks it very Becoming the Office of a Clergy-Man to be a Peace-Maker and Reconcile Differences amongst his Flock or Neighbourhood Which is Impossible for him to do without understanding something of Worldly Business And might he not do this with more Advantage if he were Cloath'd with the Civil Authority I have seen the Experience of it and the Country very sensible of the Benefit of a Clergy-Man in the Commission of the Peace where they had that Dispatch and Justice and Protection which they Bemoan'd the want of when he was Remov'd from them Sure no Relation of Land-lord and Tenant or Neighbourhood can create a Concern and Tenderness Equal to that of a Pastor to his Flock And if he be a Good Man and Vnderstanding No Man can be a Fitter Magistrate among them And thereby more Recommend himself as to his Spiritual Office when they See and Tast and Feel his Justice Prudence Beneficence and Charity as well as Hear him Discourse of it from the Pulpit When he can Contribute and Vote and Act for the Support of the Poor and be their Remembrancer and Advocate every Assizes and Sessions as well as Recommend it in a Sermon When he can Brow-beat the Audacious and Prophane and if not Convert them yet keep them within Decency that their Infection spread not among his Flock When a Debauchee dare not Swear 2 or 3 Rappers in his face Burlesque the Holy Scriptures or speak some Obscene Beastly Stuff to put a Jest upon the Parson without meeting with what he deserves the Correction of the Stocks This in an Heathen Country was Part of their Persecution and they must Bear it But in a Christian Nation sure it cannot be Mis-becoming the Character of a Clergy-Man that he be Enabl'd to Preserve Religion and Morality from the Insults and Outrage of these Sons of Belial without being Forc'd to Sue for it where he may be more Laugh'd at and see what is Sacred turn'd to Ridicule What Witch-craft is it that has Raised in Us this Contempt Jealousie and Disdain against the Clergy Are they not our Sons Brothers and Relations like other Men Do we not Expend Money for their Education to fit them for that Profession And do we then Grudge them the Comfort of it to Live like other Men If we Bind a Son to any the Meanest Trade we Wish his Thriving Are the Clergy then More Vicious than other Men I think we cannot with Justice say so But a small Blot in a Clergy-Man is More Scandalous as it ought to be than Much More in Another Man And this shews them to be Generally of Stricter Lives than other Men Whereas Many Liberties which wou'd give no Offence at all in Another wou'd be very ill taken in a Clergy-Man They do not All live up to the Sacredness of their Character nor Ever did But we have put them under several Disabilities which have been spoke of Therefor we ought to Bear the More with them And let all the Prudent Means that can be contriv'd for their Reformation be set on Foot They cannot be too Good But however as to the Subject in hand I think it wou'd be no In-convenience for the Publick if ther were Provisions for several Thousands of our Children More than ther are among the Clergy And this being Join'd with other Great Advantages before Mentioned which would Accurue to the Whole Nation by Restoring the Ancient Patrimony of the Church ought to be no

Deceiv'd in After Ages who through Covetousness and Distrust of God did forbear to Pay their Tythe Till by a long Custom of Sinning Men began to lose the Sense of their Sin who yet Durst not Plead for the Lawfulness of it As the Jews the whole Nation of whom subtracted their Tythe Mal. iij. 9. and were Cursed of God for it yet none can think that this was a S●● of Ignorance in them that they Disputed or Forgot the Positive Commands of the Law for Tythe But they were not Willing and so had Forg●● to Practise it Which was the Case of those Careless and Diffident Christians who at first only Grudg'd to Pay their Tythes then Forbore it and at last Forgot it but began not till the later most Corrupt Times to Dispute against it II. When the Papacy had grown Great upon the Ruins of Episcopacy and the Bishop of Rome Appropriated the Stile of Apostolical to his See alone Assuming to himself the Supremacy over all other Bishops and sought to swallow up all their Authority and Center it in the Plenitude of his Power And that for this End it was necessary to Usurp the Revenues as well as Authority of his Colleagues whereby he might be Enabled to Maintain the vast Swarms of Regulars whom he had set up and Exempted from the Jurisdiction of their respective Bishops to Depend wholly upon Himself and by this he Un-measurably broke the Episcopal Authority For the Seculars only were left under that small Remainder of the Episcopal Power which the Pope had left as a Fiocco to those Bishops whom he had subjugated But he Cherished the Regulars as his Life-Guard And like a Conquerour he seiz'd upon the Estates of those whom he had overcome as justly Forfeited and bestowed them upon those who fought on his side The Tythes of the Church which All belong'd to the Bishops and their Secular Clergy the Pope took upon him to Alienate and let in the Regulars as Sharers with them And thus He founded Monasteries and Abbies Innumerable and Endowed them with the Tythes of the Neighbouring Parishes to the Lessening of the Bishops Jurisdiction Impoverishing the Secular Clergy who Depended upon them and plentifully Maintaining what Numbers he pleas'd of the Regulars who were Implicitly at his Command And to countenance and make way for these Horrid Sacrileges and Vsurpations the Popish Canonists were first Corrupted who forgetting the First and Chief End of Tythes which was as a Worship and Tribute Due to God and Insisting only upon the Secondary Consideration that of being a Maintenance to the Clergy They though they own'd Tythes to be Jure Divine yet gave the Pope Power as Sovereign Disposer of the Revenues of the Church to Alienate Commute and Appropriate them as he thought fit But this was a Dangerous Tenure For while Tythes were own'd to be Jure Divino the Pope's Alienations might be Disputed Therefor the School-Men who were generally Monks made a new Scheme about the Year 1230 and said that the Divine and Moral Law extended only to a Competency for the Clergy but as to the particular Quantity of a Tenth that this was only of Ecclesiastical Institution But ther is no stop in the Art of Encroachment For having brought ●●own Tythes so Low the Begging-Friars after this got up and they made Tythes to be perfectly Arbitrary ●t the Will and Pleasure of the Giver ●nd not Due to the Secular Priests ●ut that they were nothing else than ●here Alms and consequently might ●e given to any Religious Beggar This ●as a shameless Preaching only for ●heir own Bellies and to rob their ●nemies the Secular Clergy But to Conclude The Popes as ●ithful Treasurers of the Church have ●n several Ages taken upon them to ●●ll the Tythes of the Church to Lay-men to the best Bidder And have Infeodated the Tythes all over Italy to the Secular Princes insomuch that I was told by an Understanding Gentleman and a Rom. Cath. who liv'd many Years in Rome that ther is not an Inch of Tythe now paid to the Church in all Italy All is sold to the Laity or Appropriated to the Monk And the like though not in so gre●● a Degree is done in France Spai● and other Popish Countries SECT XI Tythes Dedicated by Particul●● Vows in England THE General Obligation 〈◊〉 Tythes being Established th●● needed no Particular Application as 〈◊〉 England But I find that we ha●● Here added the Sacred Sanction 〈◊〉 Vows to that General Obligation u●der which we were bound with 〈◊〉 the Rest of the World And the 〈◊〉 may be done and I suppose has been in most Christian Countries yet let me shew it as to our selves 1. Tythes have been Established by all the Authority both Ecclesiastical and Civil that this Nation cou'd afford and Dedicated to God by Express Vows of Kings and Parliaments with the most solemn Imprecations and Curses upon Themselves and their Posterities who shou'd Retract or take back any Part of the Tythes so Dedicated This is so well known and so many Acts of Parliament Confirming it that I need but Name it Yet for the Satisfaction of those who are not so well vers'd herein I will set down a few of the most Ancient Records which Mr. Selden himself has afforded us that they may be liable to the less Exception C. 8. n. 2. p. 199. he Recites the 17th Chap. of the Great Council of Calcuth A. D. 786. where he says Convenerunt omnes Principes Regionis tam Ecclesiastici quam Seculares All the Great Men of the Nation as well Ecclesiastical as Temporal were Conven'd So that this was a full Parliament according to the Constitution of those Days And p. 203. he supposes it Extending through the whole Kingdom And as to the Truth of the Matter of Fact he Quotes several Authors wherein it is Printed and says p. 202. Neither can it be suspected by any Circumstance in the Subscriptions which being so many might have by Chance soon go● among them a Character of Falshood had it not been Genuine This Chapter of it which he Quotes is De Decimis dandis sicut in Leg● scriptum est Concerning the Payment of Tythes according as it is written in the Law And they Infer as the Ancient Fathers before Quoted that the Command in the Law of Moser for the Payment of Tythe was still in Force and obligatory upon Christian●● and Quote Mal. iij. 10. c. for it And it is Recited in the said Chapter ho● the King Elfwald the Dukes Lord● Senators and the People did All with one Consent Devoverunt Bi●● themselves by a solemn Vow to Pa● the Tythe to God 2. Mr. Selden p. 208 209. s●● down a Charter of King Ethelwolf A. D. 854. wherein he grants Decimant partem terrarum per Regnum nostrum The Tythe of All the Lands in his Kingdom to the Church And it concludes thus Qui autem Augere voluerit nostram Donationem Augeat omnipotens Deus dies