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A77137 A defence and justification of ministers maintence by tythes. And of infant-baptism, humane learning, and the sword of the magistrate; which some Anabaptists falsely call four sandy pillars, and popish foundations of our ministry and churches. In which tythes are proved to be due by divine right to the ministers of the gospel. All common objections answered, and divers cases of conscience humbly proposed: with a light to clear them. / In a reply to a paper sent by some Anabaptists to Immanuel Bourne, late pastor of the church in Asheover in the county of Derby: now preacher to the congregation at Waltham in the county of Leicester. With a short answer to Anthony Peirson's great case of tythes, &c. Bourne, Immanuel, 1590-1672. 1659 (1659) Wing B3851; Thomason E1907_1 92,679 184

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Christ and the Petitions delivered to many Parliaments by that Generation of men poor deceived souls confirm this to the full But the Lord hath yet put it into the heart of the Parliament not to destroy but to defend the Faithful and Godly Ministers of the Gospel and their just Maintenance established both by the Laws of God and the Land for which let us praise God and pray to the Lord still to be so present with them as to guide and rule their hearts that our wise Senatours may rather establish and increase the maintenance of the Godly and Faithful Ministers of Christ in the Nation than take away or diminish any part of it for this will be not only for the honour of the Parliament but for the Glory of God and good of the Nation whatsoever seduced Spirits would perswade to the contrary for whom let us pray as Christ did for his Persecutors Father forgive them they know not what they do And my beloved Brethren let us who are the Lords remembrancers give God no rest nor day nor night till he establish his Gospel and Faithful Ministers and their just maintenance and by enabling us by the assistance of his blessed Spirit to perform constantly our duties in our several places that his and our Jerusalem may be made a praise in the earth But if our adversaries the adversaries of the Gospel should prevail against us all should be taken away though they cannot take Christ away nor Heaven away Let us labour to live by Faith and depend upon God who hath provided for many of us when we had lost all preserved our lives when we were in eminent dangers and will preserve us to his Heavenly Kingdom In the mean time Honoured and Reverend Brethren let us labour by wisdom and power from Christ to fulfil our Ministry which we have received from the Lord to preach the Word in season and out of season to Catechise and instruct our people in the first Principles of the Oracles of God and this both publickly and from house to house often to confer with them and to build them up and confirm them in the knowledge of Christ that if it please God they may know the Lord as the truth is in Jesus that they may walke as becometh the Gospel of Christ and manifest the truth of their Faith by fruitfulnesse in all good works that they and we may by our holy and righteous lives put to silence the malevolent spirits of all our adversaries and bring forth abundantly like trees of righteousnesse the planting of the Lord that God may be glorified And for our selves especially let us by the Grace of God endeavour the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace and although our light be not equal in all respects yet let it be far from us by our divisions to rent in pieces the seamlesse coat of our Lord and Saviour but rather in love enlighten and by our frequent communion strengthen one another that though they speak evil of us as the wicked and deceived souls have done of the Prophets and Apostles yea of Christ himself yet seeing our holy lives faithful performance and discharge of our duties in our Ministerial Office they may be convinced and glorifie God in the day of visitation knowing that if we fight the good fight of Faith and keep the Faith and be faithful to the death there is laid up for us the Crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give us at that day and not to us only but to all them that love the Lord Jesus and wait for his appearing Which that we may persevere to do and enjoy is the most humble hearty and daily prayer of London June 18 1659. Your most unworthy Brother and Fellow-Labourer in the work of Christ Immanuel Bourne A Defence Justification OF Ministers Maintenance by Tythes Humane Learning Infant Baptism and The Sword of the Magistrate In a Reply to the Answer of some Anabaptists or Antipedobaptists Declaring their Grounds of Separation For John Darker and Tobias Watson and the Thirty Congregations of Antipedobaptists The blessing of Truth with freedom from Errors and false foundations if it be the will of God in Christ Jesus FRIENDS FOr so I desire you may be in and for Christ hoping better things of some of you and such as accompany salvation although for the present too many of you appear to be Adversaries if not Enemies to the Truth of the Gospel and to the Godly faithful Ministers of Christ in England and in other parts of the Christian world Unto the Paper I sent Novemb. 11. 1658. unto one of you living within the limits of the Town and amongst the People to whom God in his Providence hath called me to preach the Gospel I received your Answer in writing Decemb. 8. in one sheet of paper with a Confession of thirty Congregations and I conceive you have consulted with your Church as you esteem it and other Congregations of your opinions to give answer unto my Demands and it was my desire you should so do that I might know your strongest Arguments or Grounds of your Separation from our Reformed and Reforming Congregations that if it be the will of God I might convince you by the help of the Spirit of Truth of the weakness and error of your Grounds and your eyes might be enlightned to see you have been deceived and now be per●waded to return and joyn with our Reformed and Reforming Congregations for your edification in the Truth of the Gospel and good of your Souls which I pray for And friends I have read your Answer and am sorrowful to see such pride of spirit self-conceit and vain boasting That your foundation-principles of the Church of God as you esteem your selves have Scripture proof as clear as the Sun at noon day without the help of Consequences or Illustrations with such rash censurings and uncharitable unchristian expressions telling me I alledge Scripture out of ignorance or weakness and that I am like the Tempter who brought Scripture against Christ and that the old Romish principle groweth still in the hearts of many of us to make Reason to be our Rule and cast away the Scriptures And your comparing me to Popish D. Story in his plea against Philpot the Martyr But whether your vain boasting be a truth or falshood Thil. 1.27 and whether your rash censurings and unchristian charge be as becometh the Gospel of Christ I leave to God and your own better enlightned consciences to judge and the Christian Reader to consider Anabaptists Answ First you say You have received some lines of my writing which I sent you upon the Eleventh of Novemb. and having weighed them in the ballance of the Sanctuary you find them very light Mr. Bour●● Reply To which I reply Certainly you were mistaken it was not the Ballance of the Sanctuary in which you weighed my lines for God requireth his people should have
all that is therein 2. Again God hath a special right in the creature or part of the creatures and the increase of them which he reserved for his own proper use and service And this special right he hath never given away but hath his special right still which he did and hath reserved in all ages of the world for the outward maintenance of his worship and service and for encouragement and livelihood of his laborers and servants whom he calleth and imployeth in his own work for his own glory and the good of his Church and children First the Scripture tells us that although the Lord gave to our first parents the creatures upon the earth with every herb bearing seed and the fruit of the tree yielding fruit for meat yet he reserved some part for himself for his own service according to his own will and pleasure G●● 12.16 20. Of every tree of the garden thou mayest eat freely saith God to Adam but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die And wherefore did God forbid Adam upon pain of death to eat of that tree of knowledge of good and evil Learned and holy Augustine brings in Adam reasoning with God in this manner If the tree be good why may I not touch it Si bona est quare non tango si mala quare in paradiso ● Ideo in paradiso est quia bona est sed nolo tangas quia obedien em te volo and if it it be evil why is it in Paradise● And he answers the question as in Gods stead It is therefore in Paradise because it is good but I will not have thee to touch it because I would have thee obedient The Lord would have Adam know that he had reserved the Royalty to himself and that although he gave Adam an inheritance in the rest of the earth and the fruits thereof to hold to him and to his posterity upon their good behaviour yet he should hold it of him as chief Lord and to touch any part of what God had reserved for his own service was no less a sin then Sacrilege it self and to be punished with death This was the penalty for the breach of that Divine law as Adam and all his posterity since have found by sad experience Again this forbidden tree in Paradise was not all the part of the world which God reserved for himself and his service For if you read Gen. Gen 4.15 c. 4. you shall find that not only that tree of Knowledge of good and evil planted in Paradise was Gods reserved part or rather a part of it but part of the increase of Corn and of Sheep also This is witnessed in those sacrifices and divine services of Cain and Abel Cain brought of the fruit of the ground and Abel of the firstlings of his flock and the fat of them And without controversie Col. 2.23 this was not a will-worship of their own invention odious to God but that which was of Divine institution and so of Divine authority As to acknowledge their homage to God the Soveraign Lord of all so to typifie forth the sacrifice of Christ that seed of the woman Gen. 2.15 Joh. 1.29 which God had promised them should break the Serpents head That Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world Thus a part of Cain's Corn fruit of the ground by tillage and of Abel's increase of his Sheep was the Lords portion reserved and due to the Lord by Divine right for the maintenance of that Divine service which God had appointed our first parents 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In fine dierum in the end of days Gen. 41.1 A year of days and those their postetity And this in process of time or at the end of days as the Hebrew word may well be rendred that is at the end of the year when they had gathered in the fruits of the earth 3. The same custom or duty we find continued in after-ages as well as in that first age of the world Read Gen. 8. Gen. 8.20 and you shall see that Noah after the Flood when the waters were abated from off the earth and Noah and his family with the rest of the creatures went forth of the Ark he remembers God had a part due to him who had in mercy saved all Therefore he taketh of every clean beast and of every clean sowl and offered up a burnt-offering to the Lord and the Lord smelled a sweet savor that is the Lord accepted of Noah's sacrifice which he would not have done if it had been a Will-worship and not been his own institution his own Divine Law and appointment as a service due to him by Divine right who is Lord of all for Joh. 4.24 God is a Spirit and he will be served in spirit and truth according to his own will not the will of men Fourthly The Sons of Noah Shem Ham and Japhet and their posterities by whom the whole earth was peopled they had so much light even of nature or of that Law of God given to our first Parents and to their posterity before and continued after their fall as to know that God the great Creator had a part of the Creature and their increase due to him as a yearly chief Rent to he disposed at his own pleasure for his Worship and Service which even the Gentiles of the Sons of Noah did pay at every years end It was a custom among the Gentiles that the antient Sacrifices and Assemblies to that end were after the gathering in of the Fruits at the years end witness our learned Country-man Ainsworth in Gen. 4. ex Arist Ethic. lib. 8. Cum multis aliis c. as some antient Writers do record But you will say Objection Though some part might by the Sacrifices of Adams sons and of Noah's sons seem to be God's yet what is this to the Tenth or Tythe which the Ministers of England do seek after every one from his Parish where he liveth and preacheth to the people I answer Answer First for the posterity of Noah Shem and his off-spring we find that long before the Levitical Priesthood or that Levie was born that what was the special part or the Lords portion was declared by that great Patriark and excellent Christian Joh. 8.56 faithful Abraham called by the Apostle the Father of the faithful Rom. 4.11 Gen. 14.18 19 20 21. or of all them that believe Rom. 4 and this is that memorable action of his recorded Gen. 14.18 When Abraham came from smiting Chedor-Laomar and the Kings that were with him Melchisedec 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Omnibus dedecima● The Tenth of all Heb. 7.12 who was a Priest of the most high God met him and brought him bread and wine and blessed him c. and he gave him the Tenth of all the same is repeated
benefit of their labors and receive Gods part the Tenth which the Lord hath reserved for them Th● Apostle proceeds with other arguments from the equity of this duty v. 11. No man goeth to war without wages c. We are Ministers of Christ fig●● for you plant you feed you c Ergo It is your duty to pay us wages fruit and m●lk Sir James Sempill of Sacrilege since Gospel p 53. If we have sown unto you spiritual things is it a great thing if we reap your carnal things If we communicate to you the Gospel-gladtidings for the nourishment of your souls is it a great matter that we receive Gods part from you for the nourishment of our bodies In a word this he confirms by analogie and similitude with the maintenance of the Priests and Levites before Christ If the Priests and Levites who did minister about holy things of the Temple did by Gods appointment live of those holy things namely of Gods reserved part the Tythes and of Gods consecrated part As Levi lived by the Law so must our Ministry by the Gospel but Levi lived of holythings by the law viz tythes Ergo so must Ministers live of them in he Gospel Sir J. Semp. p. 58 As Levi lived by the Law so must we by the Gospel but Ievi lived by a certain maintenance by the Law viz tythes Ergo so must we live by a certain maintenance in the Gospel and why not by tythes Idem p. 56. things dedicated and freely given to God by the people then certainly the Ministers of Christ who in like manner so preach the Gospel should according to Christs appointment live of the Gospel yea of Christs reserved part the tenths of all and of those free gifts where tythes are not sufficient for their comfortable maintenance in and for their attendance upon the service of Christ their Lord and Master Thus doth the Apostle though not name tythes yet require as much in effect as a duty from the people to communicate tythes or an equal maintenance for and to the Ministers of Christ And this from the Lords ordinance for the paiment of that certain reward for their labor Luke 10.1 2 3 c. which the Lord hath appointed And of this certain reward or wages we read not in the Scripture what part it is but the Lords portion of tythes which was and is Gods part as we prove before Fourthly Gal. 6.6 If you consider that command of the same Apostle Gal. 6.6 it will make this yet more evident Let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in omnibus bonis in all goods Our translators render it in all good things But if it be in all good things that he must make his Teacher partaker of yet whose must they be And if they be his own good things and then of his own goods why should the Apostle require this as a duty Let him that is instructed make him that instructeth him partaker of all his goods And why this as a duty to Christs servants if Christ hath not a right in them But what part must he make him partaker of Question Certainly the Quaker or Anabaptist will not say of the sixth part Answer nor of the seventh nor eight part And we will not say of the fiftieth or fortieth or twentieth part of his yearly increase that in most places will be too little for the comfortable maintenance of a Minister of the Gospel and to provide for his family them of his own house which he ought to take care of otherwise he denieth the faith and is worse then an infidel Agree that Christ hath a right to some part witness this Apostle 1 Tim. 5.8 Let us agree then that Christ hath a right to some part whatsoever part the Lord himself in his infinite wisdom hath set down and determined as his own reserved part for the maintenance of his Ministers that is the most fit the most equal and just part to be paid and given from him that is taught the Gospel of grace to him that teacheth him Gen. 14.8 ch 28. And this is the Tenth of all This tenth Abraham paid to Melchisedec and Jacob vowed this tenth to God before the Levitical Priesthood was in the world This tenth part he gave to Levi for an inheritance for his service in the Sanctuary during the life of his Priesthood and this tenth is due to Christ who is a Priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedec and good reason the Ministers of Christ should partake of this tenth and receive it for Christ as Christs part for their service to the end of the world Thus you see what may be the sense of the Apostle Let him that is instructed make him that instructeth him partaker of all goods or in all good things of Christ in his possession For if Christ have no right why should he pay his Servants wages of that which he had no right unto certainly he would not do it But some Quaker or Anabaptist or others Object will yet object If the tenth be Christs and his Ministers Mat 10. Luke 10. then wherefore did not Christ direct his Disciples when he sent them abroad to preach the Gospel to require the tenth of the people nor his Apostle Paul neither in that 1 Cor. 9. nor in this place Gal. 6.6 command and expresly require their tythes as due to Christ and his Ministers by divine right and to be paid upon pain of damnation Luk. 10. Mal. 3.7 8 it being no less sin then sacriledge to rob God or Christ of them as is taught by some godly men both in antient and latter times I answer Answer 1 First for Christ the Tythes were then in his time and when he sent sorth his Disciples paid to the Jewish Priests and Levites of Aaron's or Levi's order as is evident in the Pharisees practice Luk. 18.12 And if Christ had commanded or directed his Disciples to demand Tythes it would have occasioned a controversie not easie to be decided Besides Levi's Priesthood was not then ended and therefore Tythes were then due to them and so ought to be paid as our Saviour himself tells the Pharisees Matth. 23.23 Therefore there was no reason Christ should then have commanded his Disciples to demand Tythes Again If Tythes had been to have ended with Levi's Priesthood and never to have been received by any of the Ministers of Christ then we may demand on the contrary part wherefore did not Christ our Saviour give an absolute prohibition to his Disciples and to preach it to all that should be converted to Christianity that they ought never to take any Tythes but that Tythes should be declared to end with Levi's Priesthood and this would have ended the question and settled a great deal of quiet in the Church if Christ had declared what maintenance his Ministers should have instead of Tythes
of these those duties are not required to be admitted Infant-members of the Church But when they grow up in the knowledge and faith of Christ then a declaration of their faith and repentance is necessary before they be admitted to the Lords Supper that great and distinguishing Ordinance of Christ in which there is a sweet communion of members with Christ their Head 1 Cor. 10 16 17. My Book pr. 1646. Mr. Marshall pr. 1646. M. Blake pr. 1653. Mr. B●xter print 1656. and one with another I refer you further to my own Book recited before and to the labours of so many Learned and Godly men who have writ of this Subject to godly and learned Mr. Marsha his Sermon for proof of Infant-Baptism learned and laborious Mr. Blak●'s Treatise of Birth Priviledge and Covenant Holinesse of Believers in answer to Mr. Tombes Learned and laborious Mr. B●xer's ●lain-Scripture-Proof for Infant-Baptism ●r Cook 's Font Uncovered And the Reformed Churches in their Harmony of Confessions and Profession of pure and holy Faith in all the Kingdoms Nations and Provinces of Europe Allowed by publick Authority and Imprinted by Tho. Thomas Printer to the University of Cambridge 1586 now about 72 years since The Anabaptists Doctrine denying Infant-Baptism is condemned and Infant-Baptism is approved as lawful in the Churches of Christ Thus the Churches of Helvetia we condemn say they the Anabaptists who deny that young Infants born of faithful Parents are to be baptized for according to the Gospel theirs is the Kingdom of God and they are written in the Covenant of God and why should not the sign be given to them Thus the Church Reformed in Bohemia confesseth they baptize their children And the Reformed Church in Bel●ia Commending Baptism they conclude Therefore here we do detest the errour of the Anabaptists who are not content with one only Baptism and that once received but do also condemn the Baptism of Infants yea of those that be born of faithful Parents Thus the Reformed Churches in France The English Confession The Reformed Church in Saxony We baptize Infants because Christ saith Suffer little children to come to me for to such pertaineth the Kingdom of God And Origen writeth upon the sixth to the Romans that the Church received the custom of Baptizing Infants from the Apostles and say they Many things are written and published in our Churches by which the Anabaptists are refuted I let pass the Confession of the Reformed Churches of Wittenberge and others of the same Judgment By which it is evident that the Opinion of the Anabaptists then springing out was condemned in all the Reformed Churches now above threescore and ten years ago And these are but a spawn of that horrid sect which did work mischief in Germany and have been long since condemned by the Churches of Christ And whatsoever is written to the contrary either by your chief Teachers or by other your miserable ignorant and scribling later Pamphlets it is already answered or replyed unto by such Reverend Learned and Godly men before mentined and others of our Judgment and that with sufficient Scripture-proof and full evidences from the voice of the Spirit of God speaking in the holy Scriptures far better than your false and non following consequences you have brought against Infant Church-membership and Baptism although you find fault with us for consequences Read your best Teachers and see if you can find one proof or shew of proof against Infant-membership of Believers children or their Baptism without a Consequence or Illustration This is the proof of your writers against it by consequences Read Mr. Tombes Mr. Haggar Mr. Gosnold and the rest And if you use consequences against Infant-Baptism and consequences which will not follow why may not we use consequences to prove the lawfulnesse of Infant-Baptism Pr. by J. S. 1657. Read your late friend Mr Gosnold as honest and learned as any of you his discourse of the Baptism of water and of the Spirit read his first Chapter to prove a Truth That water-Baptism is to continue he proveth by a consequence That which was once commanded by Jesus Christ and never repealed by him is still in force and to continue but water Baptism was once commanded by Christ and never repealed by him therefore it is still in force and to continue Thus I may argue against you for Infant-Baptism That which was once commanded by Christ and never repealed by him is still in force and to continue But an outward sign and seal of the righteousness of Faith and priviledge of Church membership was once commanded by Christ and appointed for Believers and their infant-children Gen. 17.7 viz. circumcision to Abraham Isaac at eight daies old and never repealed by Christ Therefore a sign and seal of the righteousnesse of Faith and priviledge of Church-membership is still to continue to Believers and their children And if children must have the same sign with their Parents then what but Baptism but you cast off our consequences though you make bold with them your selves I urged this argument twelve years since therefore I leave it off Again read John Gosnold his second Chapter where he labours to prove the manner of Baptizing that it was by dipping the whole body in water his seeming proof is by consequence 1. From mens testimony And 2. From the nature of the word signifying to dip though the word doth not only signifie to dip and no Scripture saith that they did dip the whole body in water And if they had yet a circumstance in Baptism may as lawfully be changed as the time of celebration of the Lords Supper was changed which was a circumstance Read his third Chapter in which if he could he would prove the subjects of Baptism to be grown persons fitly qualified and not Infants His seeming proofs are by consequences and false consequences too like those it seems you borrowed of him requiring those qualifications for Baptism all which are only requisite in men and women of ripe years not of Infant-children of Believers to admit them to an Infant-membership in the Church And what are his arguments and answers in his Book but consequences not one place of Scripture as clear as the Sun at noon-day as you boasted in your answer And if both use consequences and agree in the use of these wherfore is there such bitterness of spirit because we cannot agree in Opinion Wherefore are you so violent to deny us to be Ministers of Christ to affirm us to be Ministers of Antichrist and our maintenance Antichristian as if you would destroy us and our Calling out of the Nation If you have such liberty to live ●uietly in the Land wherefore do you think us unworthy of it The Lord heal our breaches and unite our spirits in Christian love if it be his blessed will A DEFENCE OF Humane Learning I Come now to another sandy Pillar and Popish Foundation as you term it Third sandy pillar The