of Christ as Eusebius in the life of Constantine Ambrose Oratio in Obitum Theodosii Baronius in his Annals and Speed in his History of Great Britain p. 156. record Whence she was stiled in antient Inscriptions Venerabilis ET PIISSIMA AUGUSTA both for her extraordinary Piety and her converting of Constantius her Husband to the love and protection of the Christian Religion and the Professors of it who by her means creeping out of the Dens and Caves wherein they were hid began to exercise their Devotions publickly and TO RE-EDIFIE THE OLD RUINATE CHURCHES which Dioclesian the persecuting Emperour had levelled to the very ground in all places and TO ERECT NEW She herself at her own cost erecting a Stately Church over our Saviours Sepulchre at Jerusalem famous till this very day 4ly With the first Christian Emperor in the world even that famous Constantine the Great born and elected Emperour in this Island educated in the Christian Faith by his pious Mother the best the Greatest Nursing Father the Church of God ever yet enjoyed in the world For first He destroyed the two Grand Persecutors of the Christian Religion Maxentius and Licinius with their Adherents and demolished all the Idol-Gods and Monuments of Idolatry throughout his Dominions 2ly He reduced all the exiled Christians driven out of their Countries into desolate Islands Caves Dens Desarts restored them their lost Possessions established Christian Magistrates throughout his Empire encouraged protected the Christians in all places in the publick Profession of their Religion and suppressed the Heresies and Schismes that sprung up amongst them by Councils and publick Edicts 3ly He caused all the Churches in this Isle and elsewhere which by the Decrees of Dioclesian were levelled in all places to the very ground which some Atheistial Anabaptists and Jesuitical Incendiaries even in these pretended glorious times of Piety and Reformation endeavour to do again to be re-edified and new ones to be founded throughout his Dominions himself erecting most Magnificent Temples to Gods honour as King David did out of holy zeal and love to God not Popish superstition as some now censure it 2 Chron. 22 5. c. 29.1 2 3. both in Rome it self Ierusalem Hostia Neapolis Hirapolis Constantinople and other Cities endowing them with ample possessions and all other Churches with convenient Glebes Mansions and Revenues 4ly He encouraged protected advanced Godly Ministers Learning and Religion by setling a competent maintenance on them both for their livelihood and encouragement most preferring esteeming rewarding the best deserving of them And by this means so laid the foundation of the Christians security and the Churches maintenance that the same hath stood under the Protection of Christian Kings and Princes ever since And albeit many Caesars his Successors have often attempted to shake it by their Authorities and the sharp Instruments of Heretiques have dangerously undermined it yet hath it born out the storms of all their boisterous assayes and stood in the strength that this Emperor first laid it as Speed and others observe And for these blessed fruits of this prime Nursing Father of Gods Church he had then and ever after these most Glorious Titles conferred on him by the Christians and Ecclesiastical Writers Most Blessed Emperour most Pious Sacred Divine Most happy Redeemer and Restorer of Romes City and the whole World from Paganism Tyranny Persecution and founder of the Churches Peace Which those shall never enjoy who labour to demolish and extirpate what he thus founded and established 5ly God hath blessed our Church and Isle as Io. Capgrave in his Prologue Sir Hen. Spelman in his Epist Dedicatory to his Councils and the Author of Fasciculus Temporum record with more Kings Queens who for their extraordinary Piety incredible Zeal liberal Alms manifold works of Mercy incomparable Humility and contempt of the World their munificent magnificent and admirable Bounty to the Ministers and Saints of God and in building adorning endowing Churches with Tithes and Glebes and some of them for suffering Martyrdome for defence of Religion by Pagan Invaders were justly Reputed and Kalendred in the Church of God for Saints though infected with some superstititions of those blinder times which the age wherein they lived may excuse and their other vertues over-ballance and delete than any other Isle Region or Kingdom throughout the world how Great or Populous soeber There being no less than Twelve of our antient Saxon Kings Crowned with Martyrdom by Infidels and Ten of them Canonized for Saints for their transcendent Holiness and no less than thirty Kings and Queens within 200 years space who laying down the Height of their worldly Power Crowns and Glory that they might gain heaven by force betook themselves to a devout retired religious Life according to the devotion of those times in some private Monasteries for the most part builded and endowed by themselves or else went as Pilgrims to Rome then reputed famous for Her Piety Besides multitudes of the Royal Progeny who followed their examples both in their Piety Charity and Bounty to the Church And amongst others of our antient Kings King Ethelwolfe gave not only the Tenth out of all his goods and Chattels but likewise of all the Lands and Houses of his whole Realm to the Church His Sonne incomparable King Alfred founder or at least Restorer and Enlarger of our famous Vniversity of Oxford though he was for the most part taken up with Warres and Military affairs by reason of the Danes invasions fighting no lesse than 52. set battels with them for the most part with glorious success yet out of an Ardent zeal to God in emulation of Zacheus he gave no lesse than half of his annual Rents and spoils of war besides in pious uses to wit for relieving the poor both at home and abroad for maintaining rewarding Scholars Ministers building schools of Learning maintaining professors of divers Arts and Sciences in them especially in Oxford and devoted no lesse than the third part of his time to wit eight hours every natural day to his sacred studies and devotions Besides the time he spent in his Military imployments Civil Government and enacting Laws of most excellent use by advise of the wisest men which have continued ever since So as Asser Menevensis in Egercituesse in his life Spelman and others give this Brief Character and Encomium of his Excellencies O Stuporem omnium aetatum Aluredum cujus dum Religionem intuemur nunquam exiisse videatur Monasterio Dum Bella Militiam nullibi versatus fuisse unquam nisi in Castris dum Scripta ejus Lucubrationes vitam transiisse in Academia dum Regni Populique sui administrationem nihilo unquam studuisse nisi in Foro Senatu Justitiae promovendae Legibusque bonis Sanciendis Of which good Laws of his extracted out of the Old and New Testament for most part this for the due payment of Tithes and Oblations to Ministers was one cap. 38.
goods or to imprisonment Ezra 7.11 to 27. The Decree of Cyrus and Darius concerning the building of the Temple and restitution of these Vessels is very remarkable and thus recorded Ezra 6.3 to 13. Let the house be builded the place where they offered Sacrifices and let the foundation thereof be strongly laid the height thereof threescore Cubits and the breadth thereof threescore Cubits with three rows of great stones and a row of new Tamber and let the expences be given out of the Kings house And also let the Golden and Silver Vessels of the house of God which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the Temple which is at Jerusalem and brought unto Babylon he restored and brought again into the Temple which is at Jerusalem every one to his place and place them in the house of God Now therefore Tatnai governour beyond the river Shetharboznai and your companions the Apharsachites which are beyond the river be ye far from thence Let the work of the house of God alone let the Governours and the Elders of the Jewes build the house of God in his place Moreover I make a Decree what ye shall do to the Elders of these Jewes for the building of this house of God that of the Kings goods even of the tribute beyond the river forthwith expences be given unto these men that they be not hindred And that which they shall have need of both young Bullocks and Rams and Lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven Wheat Salt Wine Oyl according to the appointment of the Priests which are at Jerusalem let it be given from day to day without fail that they may offer Sacrifices of sweet savour unto the God of heaven and pray for the life of the King and his Sons Also I have made a Decree that whosoever shall alter this word let timber be pulled down from his house and being set up let him be hanged thereon and let his house be made a dunghill for this And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all Kings and people that shall put to their Hand to alter and destroy the house of God which is at Jerusalem I Darius have made a Decree let it be done with speed If these three Heathen Kings and Conquerors were so zealous to restore all the Vessels of Gold and Silver taken by their predecessors in their wars amounting to so great a number value to the House of God at Jerusalem to contribute so liberally towards the re-edifying of it out of their own Tributes Treasures Revenues won by War and Conquest to allow them Bullocks Rams Lambs Wheat Wine Oyl Salt and all other necessaries for daily Sacrifices to furnish the Priests and Levites with all Necessaries yea particularly to exempt them and all the Officers of the Temple from paying any Toll Tribute Tax or Custom which it was not lawfull for any Officer to lay upon them under the severest penalties and to enact such severe Lawes to passe such bitter imprecations against all such as should oppose or hinder the work or seek to destroy or deface the Temple of God Oh how should this inflame all our Generals Officers Souldiers who professe themselves the choysest Christians and eminentest Saints to imitate and equal them in all these particulars now Elsehow will they shame confound and rise up in judgement at last against all such of them and all other Plunderers who in stead of restoring all the Gold Silver Vessels Lead Iron Timber Stones they have taken from the Temples of God of repairing those Churches they have demolished defaced of providing necessaries for Gods worship and exempting his Ministers from Toll Tribute Taxes Custom endevour to make a prey and spoyl of all our Churches Chapels Church-Vessels Ornaments Glebes yet remaining and oppresse our Ministers with endlesse Taxes Tributes imposed on them without their consents against all former Lawes and Precedents to their utter ruine and in stead of paying them the tenths of their own Lands and spoyls of War endevour to spoyl them of those Tithes which all others owe or pay them Of whom Hemingius thus complains in his Commentary on Gal. 6.6 p. 375. Quid dicemus de illis qui Ministros Evangelii necessario victu spoliant Quid de illis qui Immoderatis Eractionibus tantum non eos interficiunt ut multi honesti mariti cum si is uxoribus et liberis cogantur quodammodo mendicare Horam sane factum nihil differre arbitror a Sacrilegio Latrocinio cujus poenas olim cluent Architecti et fabri hujus mali To these Scripture Precedents of Heathen Warriers I might adde the practice of many Idolatrous Pagan Nations as the Romans Graecians Crotonians Phocians Athenians Carthaginians who by the very Law dictate of Nature and example of Abraham gave the tenth of their warlike spoils to their Idol-Gods and Priests which because Mr. Selden recites at large in his History of Tithes ch 1.3 Review c. 1. 3. Alexander ab Alexandro Gen Dierum l. 3. c. 22. where all may peruse them I shall only give you the summ of them in learned Grotius his words in his Book De jure Belli Pacis l. 3. c. 4. sect 1. p. 454. By this Law of Nature Abraham out of the spoyls which he had taken from the five Kings gave a Tenth to God as the Divine Author to the Hebrews c. 7.4 explains the History extant in Gen. 14. By which custom the Grecians also with the Carthaginians and Romans Diis suis Decimam de Praeda sacraverunt consecrated a Tenth of the prey or spoyl to their Gods as to Apollo Hercules Iove And should not Christian Generals Officers Captains Souldiers then much more doe it now to God and his Ministers from this Precedent of Father Abraham instead of robbing them of their Tithes If any should object that these were old Testament and Heathen Practices Let them remember that Abrahams is more particularly related and frequently mentioned in the new Testament than old the old relating in general that he gave Tithes of all which relates to all his substance as well as spoyls and the new Testament applying this general to the TENTH OF THE SPOYLS Heb. 7.4 as Mr. Selden Grotius and others observe But to hedge up this starting-hole so as none may creep out of it we have one memorable Precedent in the new Testament coming very near to this of Abraham Luke 7.2 to 11. Where we read of a certain Centurion or Collonel a man of no small authority who had Souldiers under him and said unto one Goe and he goeth and to another Come and he cometh and to his servant Do this and he doth it This Centurions servant who was dear unto him being sick and ready to die when he heard of the fame of Jesus he sent unto him the Elders of the Jews beseeching him that he would come and heal his Servant and when they came to Jesus they besought him instantly saying
committitur quam in Equis Cum Dominus praecipit Decimas solvi quis contra ejus praeceptum potuit dispensare London Printed by T. Childe and L. Parry for Edward Thomas and are to be sold at the Adam and Eve in Little Britain 1659. THE REMAINDER OR SECOND PART OF A GOSPEL PLEA FOR THE Lawfullness and Continuance of the antient setled Maintenance and TITHES of the Ministers of the GOSPEL KIng David a holy Zealot after Gods own heart who fulfilled all his will records this to Posterity in sacred Writ as the most transplendent Character of his own real Saintship in a Divine Appeal to God himself Psal 69.9 The zeal of THINE HOUSE hath eaten me up And when our Saviour Christ the Son of David according to the flesh out of an enflamed zeal against the Sacrilegious Prophanation of Gods Temple in Jerusalem made a scourge of small Cords wherewith he drove all that sold Sheep and Oxen with their Cattel out of the Temple powred out the Changers Mony overthrew their Tables and said unto those that sold Doves Take these things hence Make not my Fathers House an House of Merchandize His Disciples upon this occasion remembred and applyed this very Scripture to him The zeal of thine House hath eaten me up John 2.15 16 17. But the preposterous zeal of many Iesuited Anabaptistical quaking pretended Saints Souldiers Zealots in our degenerated dayes is diametrically contrary to this of David and our Saviour Christ even to devour and eat up Gods House it self with all his faithfull Ministers remaining Tithes Rectories Glebes Maintenance at one meal which of late years and now again they have prosecuted with such eager Appetites and hungry Stomacks that they make it their very prime main only Businesse endeavouring to effect it with such Post-hast as might anticipate all new printed Pleas for their just defence and fore-judge most Ministers Patrons Peoples Rights throughout our Nation even out of Term in a long Vacation as in August 1653. and now again without any Legal Summons Process Tryal by their Peers before competent lawfull Judges meet to decide such a universal Right Title publike Interest which more or lesse concerns every particular County City Parish Minister Patron Person throughout the Realm and therefore ought not to be drawn into Question much lesse Decision without their General consent desire petition and a full deliberate hearing of all Parties interessed before a full Legal Parliamentary Tribunal duly elected entrusted by all the People according to our Laws This being an undoubted principle of Nature Law Equity common Justice and Reason Quod tangit omnes ab omnibus debet approbari Et Populi minor pars Populum non obligit This their preproperous speed and preposterous proceeding necessitated my Stationer at the importunity of some Ministers in September 1653. to thrust out and publish to the World an imperfect Piece and beginning only of my Gospel-Plea for the Lawfulnesse and Continuance of the Antient setled Maintenance and Tithes of the Ministers of the Gospel without this Remaining part then sent up together with it or any Errata to it or Notice given to the Reader if its incompleatnesse some few dayes before the great Debate of our New Legifers Septemb. 1653. concerning the future standing or down-fall of Tithes which would have been finished and quite past before the whole could possibly be printed and so have rendered the entire Plea lesse seasonable serviceable beneficial to our Church and Ministers than the publishing of a Fragment of it in that nick of time proved to them through Gods blessing on it This unexpected sodain publication thereof upon that inevitable occasion as it caused an Omission of some part of the second Chapter in confirmation of the second Proposition touching the Divine Right of Ministers Tithes and of the 3. ensuing Chapters So it hath necessitated me to publish this Subsequent Appendix to that Chapter by way of Supplement as a necessary Introduction to the Remaining Part here printed with it for the Readers better satisfaction in this publique Controversy and stopping the clamorous Mouthes of all Gain-sayers Which had been published soon after the former in the year 1653. had not my former Stationers long Infirmity Sicknesse Death retarded its progresse at the Presse and enforced me to seek out another Midwife to bring it into the world at this instant time I hope not as an Abortive out of Season the former Opposites to our Ministers and their Tithes being ever since and now again as Malicious against them as ever waiting only for a fresh oportunity to suppress them ever since their then sodain defeat in this their Impious Sacrilegious Designe when almost ripened to accomplishment in their Hopes and Votes unexpectedly dashed in a moment There being since this their disappointment a new disguised Antichristian sect of Quakers introduced by Jesuits and Franciscan friers as I have elswhere evidenced sprung up amongst us more virulently opposite to our Ministers and their Maintenance by TITHES than any other which they not only decry in all their Pamphlets but totally substract and detain from them with such wilfull obstinacy that many of them chuse rather to lye in prison upon mean Processe or Executions than set out or pay their TITHES or appear to Actions brought for their recovery and now combine with the Anabaptists and other sectaries in fresh Petitions and Prosecutions both against TITHES and Ministers endeavoring their total and final Extirpation by the power of their Confederates in the Army and Westminster Juncto sodainly called in again and owned by them as a Parliament after their former six years seclusion to accomplish this their design and root out Law and Gospel Lawyers and Ministers together as their fresh Petitions Addresses to them for that purpose clearly demonstrate beyond contradiction Which occasioned this publication after so long a suspension thereof An Appendix to the Second Chapter further clearing the Divine Right of Ministers Tithes THe Divine Right of Ministers Maintenance by TITHES asserted in the former Printed Part of my Gospel-Plea c. for the Lawfulnesse and continuance of the antient setled Maintenance and TITHES of the Ministers of the Gospel may be thus further evinced demonstrated confirmed 1. It is the Opinion of Learned Petrus Cunaeus and Dr. Griffith Williams his transcriber That Melchisedec Priest of the most high God to whom Abraham the father of the Faithful GAVE TITHES OF ALL Gen. 14.20 Hebr. 7.1 to 15. was in truth none other but Jesus Christ the Sonne of God then personally meeting him in the form of a man which he then assumed though not that very body or flesh begotten and born of the Virgin Mary which he long after took upon him when he was incarnate and conversed upon Earth That Abraham then gave him TITHES OF ALL as perceiving under that visible form an invisible Deity and everlasting Priesthood to subsist to whom Tithes originally are
which hereafter may be had or acquired to the contrary The which Pursute and Grant is apparently against the Laws and Customs of your Realm by reason that divers Compositions real and Indentures are made between many of the said Religious and others your Lieges of the prise of such Tithes and also by reason that in divers Parishes the Tithes demanded by the said Religious by colour of the said Bull exceed the fourth part of the value of the Benefices within whose limits and bounds they are and so if the said Bull should be executed much more the late Petions against all Tithes and coercive Maintenance for Ministers condescended to as well your dreadfull Majesty as your Liegeâ— Patrons of the said Benefices shall receive great losses in their Advowsons of the said Benefices and the Conusance which in this behalf appertains and in all times hath belonged to your Regality shall be discussed in Court Christian against the said Laws and Customes besides pray mark the prevailing reason the Troubles and Commotions which may arise among your people by the motion and execution of such Novelties within your Realm That hereupon by assent of the Lords and Commons in this present Parliament you would be pleased to ordain that if the said religious or any other put or shall put the said Bull in execution shall be put out of your Protection by due Process made in this behalf and their goods forfeited to You lost and that as a work of Charity Which Petition being read and considered was answered in the words following It is accorded by the King and Lords in Parliament That the Order of the Cistertians shall be in the state they were before the time of the Bull purchased comprised in this Petition and that as well those of the said Order as all others Religious and Secular of what estate or condition soever they be who shall put the said Bull in execution or shall hereafter take advantage in any manner of any such Bulls already purchased or to be purchased shall have Process made against them and either of them by sommoning them within a moneth by a Writ of Premunire Facias And if they make default or shall be attainted that they shall be put out of the Kings Protection and incur the peines and forfeitures comprised in the Statute of Provisors made in the 13. year of King Richard And moreover for to eschue many probable mischiefs likely to arise in time to come that our said Lord the King shall send to our Holy Father the Pope for to repeal and annul the said Bulls purchased and to abstain to make any such Grant hereafter To which Answer the Commons well agreed and that it should be made into a Statute From which memorable Record I shall desire Iohn Canne and all his ignorant deluded Disciples who cry out against Tithes and the payment of them as Popish to observe 1. That all the Commons of England in this Parliament even in times of Popery together with the King and Lords resolve the quite contrary That the exemption of any order of men from payment of their due and accustomed Tithes is Popish and that the Pope was the first and only man who presumed by his Bulls to exempt men from payment of due and accustomed Tithes to their Ministers 2ly That Popish Friers of the Cistercian Order not Godly Saints abhorring Monkerie and Poperie were the first men who sued for procured and executed such Exemptions from the Pope and that merely out of Covetousness against the express word and Law of God as our John Salisbury de Nugis Curialium l. 7. c. 21. and our Arch-deacon of Bathe Petrus Blesensis observe who tax them for it And therefore the petitioning writing endeavouring to procure a like exemption from the payment of antient and accustomed Tithes to our Ministers must be Popish and Monkish likewise infused into our New-lighted Saints by some Popish Monks and Jesuits disguised under the notion of New-lights Seekers Anabaptists c. 3ly That they declare this Bull though granted by their Holy-Father the Pope whose Authority and esteem was then very great to be against the Laws and Customs of the Realm and thereupon repeal null it for the present and provide against the grant of any such Bulls for Non-payment of Tithes for the future and make the Procurers and Executioners of them subject to a Praemunire Such a transcendent Crime and Grievance did they then adjudge it to seek or procure the least exemption from payment of Tithes from any earthly Powers yea from their very Holy Father the Pope himself then in his highest Power 4ly That they resolve the exemption from Tithes though amounting but to a fourth part in every Parish would prove a great prejudice to the King and all other Patrons in their Advowsons to the Lessors and Farmers of Tithes to the incumbents and people and that the moving of such Novelties might occasion great Troubles and Commotions within the Realm And will not then the abolishing of all Tithes in every Parish to the prejudice of the Patrons Ministers yea and people too as I shall prove anon the scandal of most godly men undoing of thousands of families and confounding all Parishes and order in them now much more do it in these dangerous generally discontented times instead of setling Unity Amity Peace and propagating the Gospel as some pretend Let those whom it most concerns consider it at their leisure lest they repent too late The next printed Statute for the payment of Tithes is 27 H. 8. c. 20. which in the preface gives this true Character of and fixeth this brand of infamy upon Tithe-detainers Forasmuch as many evil disposed Persons such are they justly branded for by this Act of Parliament have attempted to withhold their Tenths as well predial as personal and have also contemned and disobeyed the Decrees of Ecclesiastical Courts of this Realm c. Therefore it enacts the Civil Magistrate and Justices shall imprison such till they pay their Tithes After which followes a special Statute for payment of Tithes in London 27 H. 8. c. 21. confirmed enlarged by a Statute and Decree too 37 H. 8 c. 7. thus prefaced as if purposely penned for these times Whereas divers and many persons inhabiting in sundry Counties and Places of this Realm and other the Kings Dominions not regarding their duties to Almighty God or to the King our Soveraign Lord but in some years past more contemptuously and commonly Presuming to infringe the good and wholsome Lawes of this Realm and Gracious Commandments of our said Soveraign Lord than in times past have been seen or known have not letted to substract and with-draw the lawfull and accustomed Tithes of Corn Hay Pasturage and other sort of Tithes and Oblations commonly due c. After which it provides a remedy by coercive means against the detainers refusers of Ministers Tithes The last and fullest Statute for payment of Tithes of all sorts and
all humane Laws and Penalties so long as they wear their swords by their sides for defrauding our Ministers of their lawfull Tithes and Dues let them then chew the cudd upon this Evangelical Precept backed with the strongest coercive power both in Heaven and Earth 1 Thes 4.6 Let no man go beyond or defraud his brother much less then his Minister in any thing therefore not in Tithes due by Divine and humane Right mark the reason Because that the Lord is the avenger of all such things as we have forewarned and testified And what vengeance God will take of such who defraud their Brethen and Ministers of their debts and necessitate them to sue them at the Law to recover their Rights he resolves in the 1 Cor. 6 7 to 11. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you because you go to Law to wit before Heathen Judges or without just cause one with another the greatest if not only fault being in the Defrauder and Detainer why do ye not rather take wrong why do ye not rather suffer your selves to be defrauded Nay why do you wrong and defraud and that your Brethren and which is more rob your Ministers yea but what harm or punishment will follow on it Mark it O all ye Saint-seeming Hypocrites who are guilty of it Know ye not That the unrighteous who thus wrong and defraud their Brethren and Ministers which is worse shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Be not deceived neither Theeves nor covetous and such are all those who rob and defraud their Ministers of their Tithes and Duties shall not inherit the Kingdom of God no more than Fornicators Idolaters c. with whom they are here coupled Let all those then who are guilty of this damning sin which disinherits them of Gods Kingdom now seriously repent and reform it with all such who have abetted or confederated with them herein that so I may adde with the Apostle in the next words And such were some nay all of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God And now to cloze up this Chapter I shall desire all Anti-Tithers who have already in their heady Resolutions resolved to abolish not only all our Ministers Tithes and antient Dues established by the Lord himself in the Old and New Testament with all the forecited Laws Statutes Ordinances for the true and due payment of them but all other coercive maintenance for their future subsistence if not their very Rectories Glebes and Fabricks of our Churches devoted for a prey by divers sadly and seriously to consider these ensuing particulars 1. That herein they shall shew themselves not only worse by thousands of Degrees than our forementioned Kings and Queens who built and endowed our Churches with Glebes Tithes and a liberal Maintenance and worse than the most of all their Ancestors Protestants or Papists who have hitherto continued confirmed established them by successive Laws but even worse than the worst of Turks and Infidels who alwaies heretofore and at this very day have and do allow their Mahometan and Pagan Idolatrous Priests in all places a liberal competent setled Salarie and erect magnificent Temples to Mahomet and their Idols exceeding most of our fairest Christian Churches both for beauty and number as you may read at large in Pulchas Pilgrimage Alexander ab Alexandro Hospinian De Origine Templorum and others And to give you one instance for all There are no lesse than 700 Moschees or Saracinical Temples in Fesse a Mahometan City in Barbary the chief whereof is Carven being a full mile and an half in compasse It hath 31 Gates great and high the Roof is 150 yards long and 80 broad the Steeple very high the Ornaments rich and stately Round about it are divers Porches containing 40 yards in length and 30. in breadth About the Walls are Pulpits of divers sorts wherein the Masters and Priests of their Law read to the People such things as they think pertain to their Salvation The Revenue of this Temple alone Anno 1526. was no lesse than 200. Duckets a day of old rents The chief Church in Morocco is bigger though not altogether so fair as that of Fesse and hath a Tower so high that the Hills of Azâ—fi being 120. miles distance may be seen from thence as Leo Purchas and Heylin write These Temples and others are adorned with marble Pillars and curious Mosaicks carved works of all sorts Their Priests and Readers of the Law have a liberal Stipend with Books and lands likewise allowed them and are had in very high estimation and Reverence both with their Kings Magistrates People the Califfs there receiving likewise the tenth Measure of Corn yearly from the People Besides which Tenths they have many Colleges and Schools of Learning very Majestically built and richly endowed Those therefore who pretend themselves Saints of the highest New-form and yet would deface the beautifull Churches our pious Ancestors erected for Gods worship strip our Ministers naked of all Glebes Tithes setled Maintenance so as they shall not be able to live comfortably and provide for their Families have in truth denyed the Faith and are worse than these Turks and Infidels 1 Tim. 5.8 2ly That hereby they shall make both our Religion and Nation to stink in the Nostrils of all forein Protestant Churches Papists Turks Infidels who by the very light of Nature have condemned Sacrilege and Church Robbers Acts 19.37 Give extraordinary advantage to Jesuites Papists and other Atheistical Seducers to reduce the People either to Popery or mere Atheism Give all the Enemies of God and our Religion occasion both to rejoyce and blaspheme and extraordinarily scandalize and grieve the hearts of all true Godly Ministers and Protestants really affected to our Religion throughout our three Nations 3ly That they will herein exceed all our late suppressed Prelates and their High Commission Courts in Tyranny Cruelty Injustice by undoing all or most of our Godly Ministers and their Families at one fatal blow instead of relieving them in their present Necessities under which many of them sadly groan by depriving them of their Livelihood without any legal Conviction of the least crime but only that they are Ministers of the Gospel and receive Tithes and thereby draw upon their Heads not only the cryes and clamours of these oppressed ones here with all the formentioned Curses and judgements denounced against Tith-Detainers but also that sad irrevocable sentence of Condemnation before Christs Tribunal at the last day Matth. 25.41 Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels for I was hungry and ye gave me no Meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no Drink I was not a Stranger but your Minister and ye took me not in but cast me and mine out of those Rectories and Benefices your Ancestors gave and setled on me