Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A11600
|
The ministers portion· By William Sclater. Batchelar of Diuinity and minister of the word of God at Pitmister in Somerset
|
Sclater, William, 1575-1626.
|
1612
(1612)
|
STC 21841; ESTC S116822
|
29,708
|
56
|
3 Be it granted that this was some reason of their assignement to Levi how concludes this the ordinance in generall For the iniunction of tithing was as old as Abraham l Gen 14.20 when was no place for partition of Gods people by tribes And if this be all they haue to proue them iudicials J shall craue pardon for subscribing to their iudgement Lastly yeeld them Judicials yet if of common equitie if confirmed by positiue law if consenting with law of nature if serving to vphold morall duties binds not the ordinance for ever J conclude therefore sith neither ceremoniall nor iudiciall or if iudiciall yet of commoÌ„ equitie therefore their payment is perpetually to be observed The last reason for I had rather giue reasons by weight then number is taken froÌ„ practise of the church in all times froÌ„ beginning of the world downe to these last daies of reformation ever since God had a ministry in the world tithes were their maintenance Before the law the first borne then the ordinary priests received tithes m Gen. 14.20 For that that Melchisedec was SheÌ„ Noahs eldest son at least by priviledge if not by birth few question none disproue for the time vnder the law is no question For Apostles times or much of them the vse of tithes persecutioÌ„ or scandale forced to be intermitted Yet continued that Ius ever in them and their inferior Presbyters And therefore they vrge yeelding of maintenance such no doubt in their generall aime as was certaine by the word of God such as had bin in vse yea plead for portion n Gal. 6 6. 1. Tim. 5.17 of al goods for double honour After when God was pleased to graunt even but a little rest breathing time to the Churches presently came tithes againe to be the Ministers portioÌ„ Cyprian whose martyrdome fel into the yeare of the Lord 259. according to Eusebius his computatioÌ„ Epist 66. amongst other goods of the church more then intimats tithes to haue bin coÌ„mitted to Bishops as generall stewards by whom they were distributed to inferiour Ministers Vpon occasion taxing Geminius Victor for appointing Geminius Faustinus a presbyter overseer of his will and thereby occasioning distraction from his ministery sets down by way of aggravation the course established in the Church of God for preventing such distractions in the ministry As by Gods owne authority and disposition the tribe of Levi received tithes from the other tribes c. that they might by no meanes be called away or coÌ„strained to thinke or deale with things secular the same course and order is now holden in the Church Vt qui in Ecclesia Domini ordinatione clerica promoventur in nullo ab administratione divina avocentur nec molestijs negotijs secularibus alligentur sed in honore sportulantium fratrum tanquam decimas ex fructibus accipientes ab altari sacrificijs non recedant sed die ac nocte caelestibus rebus spiritualibus serviant this mentions Cyprian as a course in his time received in the Church In the same age a few yeares after was Dionysius bishop of Rome about the yeare 266. Cant. 3. cap. 10. This man as Platina in his life testifieth and as himselfe of himselfe in his epistle to Severus assigned severall Churches to severall Ministers as parishes least one Pastor might defraud another Gratian caus 13. q. 1. the question being then not whether to any but vnto what church tithes were to be paid The conclusion extant at large in the body of the Canon law with some reasons both most coÌ„sonant to his decree it will not be amisse briefly to collect because it is of some vse in this matter of tithes That which is proved there is that tithes are payable to the baptismall Churches and to the Ministers there serving God and ministring to the people After many testimonies heaped vp togither Gal. 6.6 1. Cor. 9. at length it is concluded with this expostulation Quis plantat vineam c. who plants a vineyard eats not of the fruit thereof Nos plantavimus vineam vos vultis edere Item praecepit Dominus per Mosem vt nemo mittat falcem in alienam messem Haec messis nostra est vos vultis falcem in eam mittere Item Apostolus they that serue at the altar liue of the altar sed numquid de eo cui noÌ„ serviunt Qui in sacrario operantur cum sacrario participant sed numquid cum illo in quo non operantur c. That I may not spend time paper whiles I doe but actum agere for the next age read what Hierome hath touching practise of the Church in his epistle to Nepotian Ambrose his iudgement in ser quadrages In times succeeding Chrysost hom 18. in Act. August in Psal 146. c calling for tithes and sharply reproving their detainment or spare payment For Councils that one Synode called Matisconensis held anno 580 Cenâ—uriat the second holden at that citty Can. 5. Cent. 6. cap. 9. not only ordaines their payment but sheweth the observation of that duety to haue bin of long standing in the Christian Church Leges divinae consulentes sacerdotibus ac ministris ecclesiarum pro haereditaria portione omni populo praeceperunt decimas fructuum suorum locis sacris praestare vt nullo labore impediti per res illegitimas spiritualibus possint vacare ministerijs Quas lege Christianorum congeries longis temporibus custodivit intemeratas nunc autem paulatim praevaricatores legum poene Christiani omnes ostenduntur dum ea quae divinitus sancita sunt adimplere negligunt Vnde statuimus ac decernimus vt mos antiquus à fidelibus reparetur decimas ecclesiasticis famulantibus ceremonijs populus omnis inferat After this say the Century writers out of Aventine Cent. 8. c. 7. de bonis Eccl. lib. 3. Annal decimas à profanis occupatas Carolomannus suo edicto restitui iubet Tithes vsurped by seculars or as perhaps he names them for their fact profane persons Charlemaine by his edict commaÌ„ds to be restored The same authors out of Crantzius his metropolis lib. 1. cap. 8. talem statum Carolus magnus post impositum iuguÌ„ Christi reliquit in provincia vt liber esset populus à tributorum iugo caeterum Ecclesijs pontificibus iure decimaruÌ„ obnoxius permaneret To leaue forrenners in England Anno Dom. 786. Cent. 8. cap. 9. after accompt of these writers was holden a Synode of all states of the kingdomes and the decrees therof subscribed by the severall kings then raigning and their assessors Bishops Dukes and Cominaltie In the 17 chapter of which Council thus we read De Decimis dandis sicut in lege scriptum est decimam partem ex omnibus frugibus tuis seu primitijs deferas in domum domini dei tui rursum per prophetam adferte inquit omnem decimam in horreum meum vt sit cibus in
a loathnesse to bee informed or obfirmation against all perswasions Yet let vs attempt who knows whither the Lord may be pleased f Act 16 14. to open the heart if but of one Lydia to attend to the things which are spoken Consider therefore I beseech you even in the bowels of Christ Iesus first the hainousnesse of this sinne of sacriledge They erre in g Zanch. de vitiis exter Cult opposit Thesi 3◠Zāchies iudgement that make sacriledge only a branch of theft and breach of the eighth precept yea rather it is a species of irreligion Heare his reasons For whence proceedes it but from contempt of holy things manifest vnreverence towards God himselfe wherefore steales any man things separate to preserue the ministerie but because he contemnes the whole Ministery yea God himselfe to whose worshippe they are consecrated And wherevnto tendes such fraudulent or violent praying vpon holy things but to the vtter overthrow of all religion Sathan knowes well Gods outwarde worship cannot be continued without the Ministerie nor the Ministery without Ministers nor Ministers without Church goods and therefore provokes hee Tyrants and profane men to invade the Churches possessions that by that meanes he may hinder if not wholly overthrowe the state of religion To this purpose Zanchius Shall I adde one other reason The rather because I see men thinke of this theft even those that thinke worst but as of thefts from men they rob not God but Ministers if any while they detaine tithes or other things hallowed Now let them consider that the dominion and propertie of all things hallowed is Gods and such consecration giues him seizure of them in see the vse only is the Ministers h Polan in Ezech 48.14 Quae sanctificata sunt Domino non sunt eorum quibus data sunt sed eius cuius nomine possidentur Things hallowed to God are not so much theirs to whom they are given as Gods in whose title they are possessed Therefore saith the Lord to the Israelites detaining tithes from the Levits Yee i Mal. 3. haue robbed not Levi whose they are in vse but ME in whom is the property and dominion Need any more reasons then the enormity of the sinne Heare then 2 the detestation wherein in al times amongst all men christians or heathen this sin was holden To omit the bitter invectiues every where obvious consider the punishments appointed for the sacrilegious k Cent. 9. cap. 1. Charles the great in his time made this decree that whosoever should invade or waste or by any cunning meanes presume to alienate the goods of the church he should legally be punished by the Iudges as an homicide or sacrilegious theefe excommunicated by the Bishops deprived of burial yea as if his almes were infectious or accursed none must receiue it Amongst the heathen no tortures were thought sufficient for this sin l Lactant. de orig Error c. 3 scourgings burnings rackings hangings any thing whatsoever their furie could devise to inflict m Plutarch de his qui serò a numine puniūtur At Delphos they vsed to cast them headlong from a rocke which they called Hyampeia The Aethiopians had an herb they called Ophiusa as of vnpleasing aspect so of farre more dangerous effect taken into the body It so affrighted with phantasmes of dreadfull serpents that such as drāk it made away themselues n Plin. hist nat lib. 26. cap. 17. Obid saith Pliny cogebantur sacrilegi illam bibere for that cause were church robbers forced to drinke it Amongst our selues breaking vp of churches stealing the least trifle aggravates the theft makes the offender culpable of death If the Philosopher were now aliue would he not laugh at the spectacle To see the great theeues lead the smaller to the gallows How is it a sin more hainous to violate a temple then to alienate Church maintenance from the worship of God 3. If none of these moue oh yet let the blood of so manie soules perishing by this if not as a cause yet as a greate occasiō waken vs. Many motions I haue heard of made for a learned ministery that every congregation might haue o Ier. 3.15 a past or to feed them with knowledge and vnderstāding For my part I say as p Gal. 5.12 Paule in another case vtinā excindantur I would they were cut off that hinder it But amongst all how is it that the point of maintenance comes not to be consulted It were to be wished that the Apostolique zeale burnt now in Ministers that rather then soules should starue they would freely giue what they haue freely receaved But hee was q Perkins in Iob. 33. 23. an holie man that said men are men and must be allured by such arguments as may prevaile even with flesh and blood It was Gods great wisdome in the creation first to provide food before he made the Animal creatures And it 's ashame to the Church in the daies of peace to see men of best gifts therefore divert their studies to other arts because the ministery affords not maintenance for our Church most where Gods allowance is so liberall were it not that sacrilege did intercept it 4 May J not adde the mischiefe temporall it hath brought vpon the land Complaints are frequent amongst our people against inclosures the decayers they say of husbandry by which saith Salomon even kings are maintained I dare say that peculatus if J may so tearme it hath not beene more hurtfull this way then hath this sacrilege Cornefields were wont to laugh in our Gentlemens now pastures but tithes seeme more compendious to the ground of housekeeping then the toilesome tediousnesse of tilling the earth And scarfe a great man now adaies though but niggardly hospitall that can keep open dores without a Parsonage It were wel me thinkes amongst so many delicates they would once in their liues eate one morcel of their own bread Lastly if these perswade not yet let that terrour of the Lord prevaile with vs r Prov. 20.25 It s a curse saith Salomon to devoure holy things a cursed practise that brings downe Gods vengeance vpon the sacrilegious Examples we haue seene many and read of more even kings themselues haue not gone vnpunished The ſ Zech. 5.4 flying booke of Gods vengance Enter saith Zecherie into the house of the theefe and consumes it with the timber and the stones thereof leaues scarse a monument where hee hath beene Is God thus sharpe against petite thefts and will he leaue sacrilege vnavenged Search records divine humane where findest thou a rob-God without his vengance obserue these sacrilegious amongst our selues it s much if they prosper to the fourth generatiō much though God be much in sparing if hee either leaue not them childlesse or their children gracelesse by one meanes or other makes them not vomit those morsels of holy things that they haue devoured Tithes with lay men are as the