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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09838	Against sacrilege three sermons / preached by Maister Robert Pont ...	Pont, Robert, 1524-1606.	1599 (1599)	STC 20100; ESTC S4419	43,712	129

rehearsall of ensamples of extraordinary punishments execute by God against such aswell mentioned in the Scriptures as by profane writers and Histories And finallie to speake of the blessing of the Lorde bestowed vpon them who did advance his seruice and contribute liberallie of their substance for the vp-holding and furthering thereof So that our exhortation may tende if not to prouoke others to the like liberalitie at least to mooue them to absteine from such vngodly dealing as to abstract and greedely apply to their owne profite particular vses that which hes bene giuen of others of good zeale euen in the time of ignorance to vp-hold the seruice of God so fa●… as the giuers thereof then vnderstoode The Lord graunt that our proceedings may be to his glorie and that his worde may fructifie in our hearts To begin then to explaine what wee cal Sacrilege I finde the worde taken diuerse waies by writers For because the crime properly called Sacrilege is odious commonly all haynous offences committed against publicke Lawes of God or man are named Sacrilegious As the Poet calles them Sacrilegious handes that murthered CA●…SAR The practises of Sorcerers and harlots are called Sacriligeous artes In like maner the violence done to Parents Magistrates or their lawes and generally all things that ingender publick infamy or slander may bee so denominate in detestation of the committers thereof But Sacrilege properly taken hath respect vnto God and offenses done against his divine majestie either by blaspheming or profanation of his holy name or by ascribing his glorie to creatures or by contempte of his seruice or religion or by abusing of thinges dedicate to the maintenance thereof or turning the same to profane vses And in summe it comprehendeth al robberie or stealing of holy things as the worde it selfe by interpretation beares Trueth it is that commonly among the Gentiles who ascribed all the Majestie and honour of their Gods vnto Idoles the name of Sacrilege was appropriate to that which was robbed from their Idols or taken from their Temples wherinto certaine vaine and superstitious ceremonie●… they placed their whole Religion As the Papistes following the like superstition commonly count no other Sacrilege but the robbing of their relicques other rich apparrell of their Temples and Idols But indeed it is easie to prooue by the Scriptures and also by best approoued laws of men that which is properly to be counted Sacrilege to be more largely extended then to such a narrow compasse For besides things immediatly done against the honor majestie of God whereof I cease nowe to speake I finde Sacrilege may be defined to comprehend conteine vnder it also all robberie or vnlawfull intrometting bying or selling of holy things as by the ensamples and testimonies following may be euidently prouen For it is not to be doubted but ACHAN in the dayes of IOSVA thiefteously medling with the excommunicate spoile of Iericho committed thereby detestable Sacrilege as the punishment execute against him did declare Al-be-it these thinges were not taken out of any materiall Temple Likewise HOPHNI PHINEAS sonnes of HELI the Priest who spoyled and refte from the people the Ram-flesh of the sacrifices before the fat was offred vnto the Lorde according to the Law cannot be excused of haynous Sacrilege The like is to be esteemed of the people whome the Prophet MALACHIE rebuked for defrauding of the Lord and spoyling him of his teindes offrings for the which cause hee pronounceth them accursed And in the New Testament were not ANANIAS SAPPHIRA guilty of the sacrilege defrauding and stealing from the Apostolicall Kirk the just price of the fielde solde by them Their suddane exterminion to death by the mouth of PETER doth beare witnesse And would not SIMON the Sorcerer by bying the gifts of the holy Ghost haue committed execrable Sacrilege For the which PETER threatned him with vtter destruction So Sacrilege wee see may be committed many waies although no materiall Temples be robbed or spoyled In the ciuill lawes also set out by Christian Emperours it is not onely counted Sacrilege if any man do violence or injurie vnto Priestes or ministers of God which kinde of sacrilege is ouer-rife also in our daies or to diuine seruice or place wher it is ministred but also generally if any breake Gods holy law and in special whosoeuer of knowledge toucheth or taketh things destinat to religious vses and maketh no scruple to buy or sell or with-draw the same any way are said in these lawes to haue fallen in crimen laesae religionis which is Sacrilege Now if any man would demand what be those holy things or how far be they extended whereof we account the intrometting to be Sacrilegious I answer according to the Scriptures All things separate from the common vse of men whether it be man or beast or lande of inheritance together with all the teinds of the landes and other things destinate for holy vses are saide to bee most holy vnto the Lord as is expressely conteined in the last Chapter of Leuiticus And a little before it is said nothing that any man doth dedicate vnto the Lorde of ought that he hath be it man or beast or land of his possession may be sould or analyed And if a man would redeeme any thereof hee should adde a fift part thereunto So that he may not lawfully diminish any of that thing which hath bin dedicate to an holy vse As also by the sacred cōstitutiones of Emperours Princes such things cannot be annalied nor ingaged vnlesse it be in great necessitie as for the relief of the poore or captiues for al these holy things are said to be in no mans possession but to appertein to God his right So vnder the name of holy thinges are to be included first all thinges that bee holy of their owne nature as are the spirituall giftes of God bestowed vpon his Kirke which SIMON the sorcerer would haue bought And generallie whatsoeuer perteineth immediatly to the glory and honour of Gods holy Majestie Of the which sorte are the holy Scriptures and doctrine conteined therein the which to violate is most haynous Sacrilege so as IOHN testifieth in the end of the Revelation whosoeuer adde anie thing thereto God shall adde against him the plagues written in the booke whosoeuer taketh any thing there-fra God shal take rase out his name out of the book of life From the which kinde of Sacrilege the Papistes of our daies cannot bee excused who haue falsifyed the writings of the auncient Fathers exponing the Scriptures either by fathering vpō them such works as they neuer writ or by adding altering or diminishing their sayings to foster mainteine corrupt doctrine And namely by that Treatise lately come to light which they cal Index expurgatorius wherin they note all such places as make against their superstition and will haue all Imprenters of bookes whom they may commande to delete and

no marvell that they who care for no Religion but so far as it serues their turne would wel vouch safe to see them poore that they might goe the lighter to heauē following the footsteps of IVLIAN the Apostate or rather IVDAS the traytour who envyed for the oyntmente that was bestowed vppon Christ because hee was a Sacrilegious thiefe and would haue had the price thereof to his owne vse Would these men commend vnto vs such poverty as Christ did to the poore in Spirite or if necessitie required to loose all thinges for his names sake they should doe well But seeing they labour so farre as they may to bring Ministers in contempt consequently to depriue the people of the doctrine of Saluation we cannot admit their vngodly devises For wee haue sufficiente warrant in the word of God that the labourers in this function are worthye of their wages not onely for the honeste intertenemente of themselues but also of their wiues children and families and for hospitalitie Which things being ministred vnto vs for our owne partes wee would be well contented so that none of vs did lacke as it was in the Primitiue Kirke providing not the lesse that the reste of godly vses belonging to the Kirk were not neglected And speciallie the schooles and the poore whose large portion ought to be comprehended therein seeing the Kirk-rentes were justly called ●…he Patrimonie of the poore As to the reste this being done we might well agree it should supplie the necessarye affaires of the Prince and the Realme and such other Godly vses as the worlde allowes And the ensample of former ages agreeable thereto haue practized But the abuses we cannot allow as that of the Papistes of defrauding the poore of that parte of the Kirkes Patrimonie which should be bestowed vpon them Wee knowe that the Kirk-rentes of olde were divided in foure partes The one parte thereof was bestowed vppon the Pastour or Bishoppe for his owne vse and for vp-holding of hospitalitie An other vppon the reste of the office-bearers in the Kirke called the Clergie The thirde vppon the Poore And the fourth and laste parte vppon the interteinemente of Kirkes Hospitalles Brigges and other publicke and Godlie affaires Whereinto the necessities of the Prince and publicke affaires of the Countrie are to be also considered But the degenerate posteritie of the Antichristiane Kingdome applyed all these goodes to the interteinement of idle bellies diuiding all the Kirkes Patrimonie into Prelacies and benefices in erection of Abbaies Cloisteres such as are not to be found in the booke of God nor in any ensample of the Primitiue Kirke and such as ought to haue no place in any reformed Kirke or common wealth And yet this corruption remaineth amongst vs by distributing of newe titles not onely to the Bishoppes but also to Abbottes and newe Prelates as they call them after the manner of the olde Papisticall promotion The affaires of the true Kirke in the meane time not being duelie seene to nor provided And as concerning benefices vnder Prelacies there is a newe craftie and fradulente inuention founde out that these greedie gormandes haue procured at the Princes hands gifts of the Patronages therof therby to defraude best qualifyed Ministers of the same to giue them or rather sel them to whom they can finde out who wil be cōtent to make vnlawful paction with them to take a little portion of the fruits thereof serue as they please and let the moste parte remaine with themselues either by setting of vnlawfull tacks or by some other fraudulent way Now concerning the teinds whereof I promised laste to speake I graunt indeede if they were rightly gathered and bestowed to the right vse they would both helpe the poore labourers of the grounde and serue to many good vses in the Kirkes affaires But as things nowe go amongst vs they are little more profitable to these vses then the Kirk lands For they who wrongfully haue invaded the landes marke as greedely for the teinds and are entred already in possession of the greatest part thereof And now begin to make question what title or right the Kirke hath thereto So insatiable is the greede of them who haue once made shippe-wrack of conscience that they would Crucifie Christ againe for his coate Herefore it is expedient as shortnesse of time will now serue vs to deduce from the originall the payment of teindes First before any written law we finde that ABRAHAM gaue to MELCHIZEDECK as Priest of the moste high God teindes of all the spoyle that he had obteined of the discomfiture of the enemies as pledge of his thankfulnesse towarde God IACOB also passing to Mesopotamia after that notable vision of the ladder reaching from earth to heauen made a solemne vow that if the Lord should be with him preseruing him in his way and giue him foo●…e and rayments of all that the Lorde should giue him he should render againe the teind vnto the Lord. Whereby it may well appeare that by the very instinction of nature this custome was receiued amongst the Godly Patriarcks to giue teindes vnto God of that whatsoeuer he bestowed vpon them aswel by offring sacrifices as applying the same to the vtilitie of the Priestes of the Lorde the poore and other godly vses As to the offringe and paying of teindes vnder the Law we neede to make no question for the same is so set foorth at length in the bookes of the Law of MOYSES that the adversaries can make no argument against it Wherein among many other thinges it is written That all the teind of the increase of the Lande aswell of cornes as of bestiall perteined to the Lord as holy And that he distributed the same againe to the Priestes and Leuites and their families for their seruice And concerning the teindes of euerie thirde yeare likewise that the strangers widdowes fatherlesse and poore of the Land should be participant thereof so that I neede not insiste further thereupon at this present only calling to your remembrance that solemne protestation of the which I made mention before that the people were ordained to make that they had brought in all the teindes of the Lord defrauded nothing therof Read the place Deu. 26. It restes to declare then what hath bin the vse concerning teinds vnder the Gospel amongst Christians Certainely the vse of payment thereof hath bin so ancient that it is difficil to finde out the firste original thereof Alwaies it appeareth euidently that godly Princes common wealths being willing to provide the Pastours other godly affaires of the Kirk of competent living revenues did rather choose the teindes then any other meanes to that effect following the example of the godly before the lawe and imitating the cōmand of God vnder the Lawe Which loueable vse and custome hath remayned through many ages I thinke inuiolably obserued in all Christiane kingdomes common-wealthes For it is more then a