threatning the judgementes of God to the terrour of all Sacrilegious persones calling them murtherers of the indigent and poore Yea they may be called murtherers both of the bodies and soules of men as was declared in an other place And I cannot see how we who nowe beare office in the Kirke can bee excused vnles we proceed after this manner as the auncient Kirke did against the Sacrilegious of our time who increase and multiplie daylie In such sort that without seuere discipline they may not bee possibly suppressed Yea I feare me the medicine be too late and ouer-long delayed which should haue bene applyed to this kinde of disease And as to the ciuill magistrates punishmente wee haue little appearance to looke for it seeing the most parte of these who should remeid this euill are infected themselues with the same sicknes Notwithstāding that all kinde of Lawes both natural and written diuine and humane damne this haynous cryme For it is euen againste nature to the Children to robbe and spoyle their Mother or Parents as the Kirk of God is to euery one that professe themselues to bee members and haue bene brought vppe in the bosome thereof And let vs see what punishment the naturall Philosopher PLATO in his bookes of Lawes judges the Sacrilegious worthie of If any man sayth hee be found so bolde to commit such a haynous offence as Sacrilege which wee would not can sharpely beleeue to fal in any wel brought-vp-persō if it be an slaue seruant or stranger or strangers seruant let an mark be imprinted in his face and hande and let him be scourged with so many stripes as pleaseth the Iudge and then casten out of the Cuntrie naked that peradventure he may become thereafter wise and of a better minde But if hee be a Citiner meaning a man of free condition who committeth at any time such an offence notwithstandinge his good education from his youth-heade yet the Iudge may vnderstande such ◅ne one to bee incurable Therefore death is the leaste evill hee should susteine But it may profite for ensample to all others if hee be deprived of all honoures and banished the Cuntrie Yee see what equitie is in the Naturall man concerning the punishmente of this crime Now as to the Civil lawes beginning at the lawes of the twelue Tables which were moste aunciente amongst the Romanes we finde the same to be most seuere against the Sacrilegious bearing that they who did robbe by violence or steale holy things or things committed in custodie to holy places should be holden as Parricides that is slayers of their Parentes The Civill Lawes collected by commandement of IVSTINIANI for the moste parte holde the punishmente of Sacrilege to bee capitall that is worthie of death But they varie in the manner of execution For some condemne the Sacrilegious vnto the beastes some to be burned some to be hanged Alwaies the punishmentes are ordeyned to be weyed according to the circumstaunce and qualitie of the persones time age place and estate of thinges to be execute more seuerelie or meekly as the same rēquired For the punishment of them who were condemned to the beastes is restrayned to such onely as break Temples made by hands and take from them by night things dedicate to God But if any in day-light should spoyle any Temple he is decerned to be condemned vnto the Mines or if he were of honest parentage to bee banished in some Ilande and to loose all his goods There be some lawes also that make the punishment of Sacrilege to be extraordinarie All agree in this that is requireth a seuere punishmente as the highest kynde of thieft And extends it as was saide before to all things dedicate to the service of the immortal God so that whosoeuer substract the same being once publickly dedicated committeth Sacrilege and if it were taken priuatly to bee holden as the highest kinde of thieft and like vnto Sacrilege Now if we esteeme it a greater fault to take some little thing out of a material Temple nor to bereaue and take great lands and possessiones from the Kirke is not that to straine out a Gnatte and to swallow vp a Camell Would to God I were able to walken these men out of the deadly sleepe of security wherein they lye blinded by their corrupt affectiones forgetfull of the vnhappie ende whereto men are led by insatiable avarice But seeing neither admonitiones nor sharpe rebukes can serue in this declining age to remeid this euill yet to make them more inexcusable if they will not amende I will produce certaine ensamples of punishments of Sacrilegious persones partely taken out of the Scriptures and partly out of humane histories of the which persons diverse peradventure may be found lesse gyltie of this crime then these with whome we haue to do to the ende that our sacrilegious if they haue any feling may feare the like judgements to fall vpon them if not in this life yet as great or rather greater thereafter when they shal haue no purse nor penny power nor meanes to make restitution of that which they haue with so euill conscience conquised And first we haue two examples which I haue diuerse times heretofore cited of ACHAN in the Olde Testament of ANANIAS and SAPPHIRA in the Newe who were terribly punished for their Sacrilege as it is at length set foorth in the Holie Histories bearing their doings and Tragicall ende of their liues Wee haue further the Historie of OPHNI and PHINEAS the Sonnes of HELI who were both slayne of the Philistimes in one day the Arke of God was taken HELI their Father brake his necke for the sleuthfull correcting of them The chiefe cause of their punishmente is evidently set downe to haue bene For the Sacrilegious abusing of the Sacrifices of the Lorde and making the people to loath the same in bereaving the raw fleshe before it vvas offered besides their other abuses Wee haue likewise the Historie of NEBVCHADNETZAR the greate who spoyled the Temple of GOD in Ierusalem taking from thence ane parte of the Golden and Silver Vesselles appoynted for the service of the Lorde and carryed the same to the Lande of SHINAR to the House of his GOD putting the same in his Gods Thesaurie Which not-with-standing it was the Lordes worke and appoyntmente to witte that Ierusalem and the Temple shoulde bee destroyed for the sinnes of the people Yet the Tyraunte thought not thereof but did execute the pryde of his hearte in that ouerthrow Albeit there were some thinges in him that may condemne the Sacrilegious of our Age for hee tooke but one parte of the Vesselles of Gods House and not all and brought them not into his owne House but into the House of his GOD Wherein albeit ignorantly hee placed his Religion So hee declared some good Conscience in his blinde zeale Yet the Lorde did seuerely correcte and punishe him in his greatest pryde deposing him from his Royall
Kirkes abbayes other places of superstition to employ the same and the prises thereof to resist the enemies The most parte of the Realme beand in their contrarie This I say cannot be altogether blamed For in like cases wee finde examples in the Scriptures how things dedicated euen to the true seruice of God for necessities cause were distracted and employed to stay the fury of enemies not onely by such Kinges as had made defection from the puritie of Religion but also by one of the most godly Kings of Iuda EZECHIAS by name who gaue to the king of Ashur to pacifie his inuasion not onely all the money that was founde in the house of the Lorde a◅d in the Kings treasurie but also pulled off the plates that couered the doores of the Temple and the Pillers which he himselfe had couered with golde And by the Ciuill Lawes and Cannons of councelles it is permitted for necessities cause as for ransoming of Captaines to annaly such things as be dedicat to the seruice of God But this is no excuse to them who in that time of tumult for their owne particular gaines cause medled either with gold siluer or other thing that mainteined the Idolatrie superstitiō of Papists For they could not vsurp it with good conscience Although for eschewing of great inconueniences there was a law and act of parliamēt made to absolue thē before men called the acte of Obliuion Albeit I can not see how these men not being constrained for maintenance of the publick actiō may be sufficiētly excused in good cōscience before God that meddle with either bels lead relicques Iewels stones timber or such like things of any effectual valure taken by thē of the demolishing of abbeies cathedral-kirks Frieries nunries or any such like places which ought rather to haue bin bestowed vpō the kirks affaires or vpō the poor And in tokē that God was offended with thē making the spoile of the kirk to cleaue to their hands it was shortly sene that the Lorde blew so vpon it that it vanished away from the most part of them And they that thinke now to make profit by spoyling the kirk shall feele a judgment of God following them as many of them already confesse by experience that their houses are nothing enriched but rather damnified therby For there followeth such a curse secret mishap vpō that kinde of graith that when euen for necessarye causes it is applyed to profane vses oftentimes it neither profiteth them that giue it nor that receue it EZECHIAS was not delivered from SENNACHERIB for al that he gaue him For he immediatly brake his promise And the Lead that was taken off our Kirkes and Monasteries a greate parte perished by Sea and an other was little advantage to them who medled therewith But all this was of small accounte in respect of that which after hath followed and dayly falleth out in this vnruly common-wealth For from the yeare of our Lorde 1560. vnto this present time the greatest study of all men of power of this land hes bene by all kinde of inventions to spoyle the Kirk of Christ of her patrimonie by chopping and changing diminishing of rentals cōuerting of victual in small sumes of money setting of fewes within the availe ◅ong tackes vppon tackes with two or three life-rentes with many twentie yeares in an tack annexationes erectiones of Kirk rents in temporall liuings and heritage pensiones simple donationes erecting of new patronages vnion of teindes making of new Abbattes Commendatares Priors with other Papistical titles which ought to haue no place in a reformed Kirk and cuntrie with an infinite of other corrupt and fraudfull waies to the detriment and hurte of the Kirke the schooles and the poore without any stay or gaine-calling till all the reuenues of the Kirke are so wracked that the posteritie may looke for a playne decay of Religion which cannot stande vnlesse it be holden vp by preaching and preaching cannot be had without prouision vnlesse God by some meanes put to his mercifull hand and remeid these euils For this deceitfull Idole of auarice in spoyling the Kirke goodes hath so seased the selfe in mens heartes that amongst vs the meanes are already taken away in many parts where by the ordinarie ministerie should be susteined Yea a great part of the Realme lacke Pastours and Ministers The Kirks are reviued and manye of them made Sheepe-coates or applyed to more filthy vses O what barbarous crueltie is it to beholde and suffer so many poore soules perishing for lacke of their ordinarie foode which is the word of God not onely in the out-Iles Hie-landes and Bordoures of Scotland but also in many partes of the Law-lande so that either Papistr◅e and Idolatrie must needes enter in againe or either plaine Athiesme take place with all contempt of Religion amongst these miserable destitute people And what a count shall they giue vnto God that are the cause not onely of murthering the poore by withdrawing from them the foode of their bodies but by causing so many soules lacke the Spirituall foode whereby they should be nourished vnto euerlasting life in Christ by their insatiable auarice Trueth it is Parliamentes haue bene conveened and actes haue bene made for providing Ministers of competent liuinges for reparaling of Parish-Kirkes for trayning vp the youth in schooles of Theologie It hath bene also promised and subscribed in writte by a greate parte of the Nobilitie that the poore labourers of the grounde should haue an ease and reliefe of the rigorous exacting of their teindes and many other good thinges haue bene devised tending to the advancement of the glorie of GOD and establishing of Christ his Kingdome Amongst vs namely in time of the gouernemente of that good Regente whome for honoures cause I name who although he could not doe all that hee woould haue done hauing so manie hinderances and enemies yet his dooings might haue bin a perfite paterne of Godlinesse to the reste of the Nobilitie to make them bene content to liue vppon their owne rentes and to cease from robbing and spoyling the Patrimonie of the Kirke But experience hath declared and dayly doth declare the moste parte of such professoures vnder-takers of Religion and for-faking of Idolatrie to haue fought and yet seeke none other thing but to pull to them-selues the Kirke-goodes possest by Papistes And to foster as a Serpente in their bosome that venemous Idole of auarice For all insatiable auaricious persones are Idolaters indeed and it cannot be but by making a God of vnlawful gaine they deny the liuing God dishonoring him most ignominiously by setting in their hearts that Mammon of iniquitie which they loue better then him in his place And if all avariceous men generally after this maner may be called Idolaters how much more they who spare not to fil their houses with the spoile of the Lord his house and of the poore How dare they either call vpon his Maiestie or come
in his house of praier or take his name in their mouth whose harts are polluted Doutles as the Psalmes testifie GOD shall set himselfe a seuere judge against them set their offenses before their faces to their just condemnation without they amende their doings whereof there is ouer-little appearance in many of them What better are these men with their â—…eined profession then the souldiers that crucified Christ our Sauiour to haue his garments to parte amongst them yet in some case they are worse for they will not be contented with vsuall partage nor to cast lottes for Christes coate but euerie one would pull from another some the Landes some the teindes some the patronages some the Prelacies some the other benefices Ay the mightier prevailing against them of lesse power such as they may hinder And albeit there be many vngodly contentiones and controversies in the lande namely amongst great men yet for no cause arise there so many pleadings in the lawe as for the teinds Ecclesiastical goods how many braulings and debates how many convocations of the Kings lieges yea how much shedding of bloud in diuerse parts is committed for such causes In the meane time the poore labourers of the grounde who should haue had an ease and moderation of the seuere payment of their teindes to relieue their necessities they being so hardly handled by their maisters and ouer lordes in other cases not only get no commoditie there of but suffer great damnage being compelled to leede the whole teindes both corne and straye to the vse of their gredye maisters or others vn-juste possessoures of the same to their vine-yairds yea often-times the stocke and remanent of their cornes is wâ—…acked and put in poynte of tinsell for lacke of tymous teinding I cannot tel if any man oâ—… good conscience that truely feareth GOD should studie or labour to stay or compone these controversies that rise in the land for the Kirk goodes amongst such greedie and vnlawfull possessours of the same The Ministers of the word in the meanetime not being sufficiently prouided nor the other affairés of the Kirk furnished with the necessities of the poore wherefore the teindes in speciall were appoynted who are altogether neglected â—…nd idle bellies with such as are rather enemies then friendes to the true Kirk of Iesus Christ fostred and vpholden thereupon For the which cause amongst many others the wrath of God is threatned continually from time to time may most justly fal vpon this vnthankfull land and inhabitants thereof who hauing the Gospel of the Sonne of God so liberally purely peaceably offred vnto them that no cuntrie hath or hes had the like not onely disdaines and abuses it by their wicked liues but also stayes taks away by such Sacrilegious dealing the ordinary means wherby the same shal be interteined without the which it cannot coÌ„tinue laboring so far as in them lieth to banish Christ and his gospel from amongst vs regarding more his pelfe nor himself are to be counted double murtherâ—…rs both of bodies and soules of men as hath bin told before Herefore to conclude for the preseÌ„t I would earnestly exhort al them that fear God truely specially you of this congregation committed vnto my charge albeit I suppose there bee not many amongst you defiled with this filthy crime of Sacrilege that yee bee not partakers with them who are involued in this sinne but rather abhorre and reprooue it And if they will not heare your admonition condemne their doeinges at leaste in your conscience And this I speake the more earnestly because I feare there be some amongst you that will rather pay your teindes and duties to such idle bellies as deuoure vp the sweat of your browes your seruantes for nothing doing to your commodity nor to them that labour in the vine-yaird of the Lord others to whom the same ought justly to perteine And thinke it not sufficient excuse to say this is a common fault through the whole Country which we cannot mend for an euil thing the more common it bee is the worse And the Wise-man saieth Follow not the multitude in euil doing Therefore suppose the committers of this crime amongst vs like senseles blockes passe ouer and shrinke not for any admonitions exhorting them to repentance skarsely one amongst the whole multitude labour to take vp him selfe and amend the fault or to restore any thing wrongfully withholden by them from the Kirkes vse and therefore the greater damnation abideth them for ought we can see yet thinke not with your selues we may do as other men doe or at least behold their doings and be nothing mooued there-with For they that will not lament for the contrition of IOSEPH that is for the estate of the Kirk of God being ready to decay and come to ruine by the doings of such vngodly Kirk-robbers are not worthy to be counted amongst the true members of Gods holy Kirk The Lorde for his mercie graunt that all our hearts may be effectually mooued to know our dutie in this and all other behalfes and that he will make vs obedient for our partes to his wil and commandements and put remedie to the desolations of his Kirk by such meanes as he thinketh best To him be prayse and glorie for euer and euer AGAINST SACRILEGE The second Sermon Rom. 2. 22. Thou that abhorrest Idols doest thou commit Sacrilege LOnger discourse vppon this texte besides the thinges alreadie spoken of being required at my handes according to my promise to meete the objectiones and shifting excuses of men of this age who cloke their avaricious and greâ—…die appetites to appropriate to them selues the Kirk-rentes I am nowe as the Lord wil assist me to enter in to answere to such thinges as they may alleage and commonly alleages for themselues to colour their corrupted sacrilege I intend therefore without more processe to gather the same in such order as I thinke the beste advised amongst them might propone the same and to giue particular aunswers thereto with resolution according to Gods word good reasons and laws of men And so to take away al vaine excuses whereby they would flatter theÌ„selues in their sin fyle the eies of the ignoraÌ„t simple soules that perceiues not their driftes Protesting alwaies that if carryed with the zeale of trueth in progresse of this mater I vse some vehemencie of speeches I do it not for offence of any particular person the Lorde knoweth but against the vice it self to labour so farre as in me lyeth to conuerte at the least some of them that haue passed ouer-farre and ouer seene themselues in this matter to amendement by considering with themselues better then they haue done of before their duty by such advertisement as I am heare to giue you that heare and all others that will inquire of me coÌ„cerning my judgement in this argument things depending therupon To come then to the first generall