the supreame government 4. Of the present Parliament they say that the same God who hath pulled the former Parliament downe hath set them up not to rule for themselves but for the people of God not to seek their own but the honour of Christ Wherein their words be good and if their meaning be no worse they may passe without exception But if they mean themselves only or their own party to be the people of God and their Petitions though most unrighteous and unreasonable as this is must sway the votes and determinations of Parliament their opinion is a meere deceipt and their expectation I trust will be deceived Petition 5. For themselves they say We can doe no lesse then hope and pray that the spirit of the Lord may fall downe upon you and teach you to rule after the heart of Christ to whom we make hold to make this humble addresse not to interrupt your weighty affaires or as misdoubting your wisdome and faithfulnesse But to shew you how our hearts owne you as our Parliament and to confess we dare not neglect our Assistance to the great worke of the Lord though it be but in being your remembrancers of what you have proposed to us in your late Declaration to the breaking of all our yoakes and removing all our burthens at which our soules joy and to keep warme the breathings of that spirit we humbly crave leave to spread before you one grand burthen under which we have groaned till our hearts ake ANSWERE Which words may be resolved into these particulars 1. Their professed 1. Good opinion of the Parliament 2. Great affection to the Parliament 3. Zeale for the Parliament 4. Their joy in the Parliament 2. Their own sad condition by the grand burthen of Tithes under which they groane untill their hearts ake 1. For the First their good opinion of the Parliament They make no doubt of their wisdome and faithfulnesse 2. For their great affection to the Parliament they desire by this to shew how they own them as their Parliament 3. Their zeale for the Parliament in praying that the spirit of the Lord may fall downe upon them and teach them how to rule after the heart of Christ 4. their joy in the Parliament for their Declaration to break off all their yoakes and remove all their burthens 1. For the First we think so well of the Parliaments wisdome that they need not the advice of these petitioners and their faithfulnesse that they will not be corrupted by their sollicitations to act otherwise then according to the rule of piety and Justice 2. For the Second their hearts owning this Parliament that 's somewhat for some great enemies to Tithes have taken the boldness to tell the World in print that there hath been no Parliament since there was not a King to parly withall But not much for it may well be suspected as was observed of the other petitioners that it is with an implicit condition that the Parliament own them and their cause as they represent it under the notion of oppression by payment of Tithes 3. For their professed zeale in praying for the Parliament that the spirit of the Lord may fall downe upon them and teach them to rule after the heart of Christ we say Amen to this prayer only with this addition that the spirit of God and heart of Christ and the word of God and Christ may all work together for their guidance and direction both in their consultations and conclusions 4. Whereas they professe their joy in the Parliament for their Deolaration to breake all their yoakes and to remove all their Burthens Wee question whether the Parliament in any Declaration hath specified Tithes to be a burthen or a yoake we believe they have not nor can they on the suddaine take off all burthens while there is so great a necessity to maintaine a fighting Navie by Sea as well as an Army by Land 2. The other part which is the close of their prologue or proem to their proposall against Tithes is their sad condition by that grand burthen under which they have groaned till their hears ake besides what wee have observed before of the burthens on the back and yoakes on the necks of Gods People and of their groanes and cryes Wee shall here touch only at two things the one is how such Joyes as but now they professed and such groaning and aking of the heart by the grand burthen not yet mooved can agree together The other is that suppose Tithes were a burthen they may bee mistaken in the weight of it and I think many are so who when Warrs and plunder have impoverished many obstructions of Trade beene an hinderance to the recruiting of their state and great payments have oppressed them by the clamors of such as these Petitioners put all their aggreevance upon the Score of Tithes which without the other detriments would never bee matter of complaint to any but to such as are wayward or covetuous Thus much of their Prologue their Epilogue is but short no more but this upon the granting of their request your Petitioners shall owne the Lord in you and Blesse the Lord for you and Pray and hope and wayt to see your hands stretched out for the Lord till you shall helpe to teare the Flesh of the Whore and burne her with fire If they put downe Tithes and all forced maintenance and set up nothing like it in stead thereof then they will owne the Lord in them and blesse God for them what not otherwise if the Lord be and appeare in them will they not owne him but upon their owne conditions we see nothing in their Petition that may induce us to conceive their sence to be any other then hypotheticall But what o they meane by Praying and Hoping and Waighting to see their hands stretched out for the Lord till they shall helpe to teare the Flesh of the Whore and burne her with fire What Whore do they meane whose flesh shall be torne and what tearing burning if they meane by the whore o Ioseph Salmon in his Book of Antichrist in man that common whore not commonly knowne untill a late writer made discovery of her calling her the whore the Babilon the Antichrist in man that is the fleshly Wisdome or carnall pollicy of the Creatures as he extends the Word that is no worke either for this or any other Parliament if they mean as most of the Orthodox Protestants hold the Antichrist of Rome and so far their words their hands stretched out till they shall help to teare induce us to stretch fanaticall fancy by tearing and burning her the utter ruine of that Arch-enemy of Christ Revel 17.16 To which place they allude though cat they say teare the flesh how is it like to be done by any acting of this Parliament which is limited for its sitting to the space of a yeare and a little more and then what an abuse is this of the holy Word of God the holy practice of prayer and the venerable Assembly of the Parliament to seale or shut up their suits unto them with such a fantasticall conclusion The Acceptance of their Petition THat I may not make an end or take my leave of my Reader with such a distastfull folly I will make up my last period with the Parliaments acceptance of and answer unto these importunate Petitioners which is set downe in this sort The Petitioners called in and being come to the Barre Mr Speaker by command of the House returned them this answer p Mercur. Pol. num 165. p. 2636. Gentlemen the House doth take notice of your good affection to the Parliament and hath commanded me to tell you that the Businesse in your Petition shall be in due time under consideration and the House will doe therein as the Lord shall direct them Wherein they shew their civility by their smooth courteous answer to so rough and rigorous a Petition their wisdome in accepting of their affection as it was pressed not of their Judgment and in that they would not rashly but upon due consideration returne an Answer and their Piety in that they resolved to doe there in as God shall direct them Now the God who standeth in the Congregation of the Mighty Ps 28.1 Observing both what they doe and with what minds and to what ends they act direct their councells and debates to resolutions of Piety and Justice that they may not doe unjustly by the misguidance of false information or corrupt affection nor accept of the persons of the wicked for feare or favour or reward v. 2. But Defend the Poore and Fatherlesse doe Justice to the afflicted and needy v. 3. Defend poore and despised Ministers who are as Fathers having none of their Tribe as heretofore in places of Anthority as Fathers to Protect them Deliver the poore and needy out of the hand of the wicked v. 4. Deliver those that are Poore from their Poverty by supplying them with meanes of comfortable subsistance by keeping those that are not poore that the hands of the Wicked may not impoverish them and good Lord make the Rulers whom thon hast set over us Rich in Grace Heroick in Spirit to act for thee thy cause thy truth thy Church and all faithfull Pastors who feed thy flock that they may be fed with that portion which thy gratious Benificence hath provided for them FINIS
Trust may be put into their hands who have as hard hearts to Godly and Orthodox Ministers as these two troopes of Petioners against them 8. If we looke abroad into other Churches of the reformed Religion we may observe besides that we now noted of Holland their sad condition by taking Tithes from them and their just and passionate complaints of their penurious pentions as of Luther in Germany Calvin in Geneva Knox in Scotland For the first Luther saith I have only Nine old sexagenas besides these there comes not an halfepeny out of the City to me or my Brethren There is need of the elloquence of Pericles to wrest litle more from them which if as all is paid with a Malignant minde Ego pro meâ— Stipendio annuo tantum novem antiquas Sexagenas habeo praeter hos ne obulus quidem aut mihi aut fratribus e civitate accedit Luther Tom. 2. Epist Fol. 131. B. Periclea Eloquentia opus est ut vel pauxillum emumgas quod tamen satis maligne praebetur Luth. in Gen. 31. Tom. 3. Operum at Fol. 33. A. 2. Verisimile est etiam tune neglectos fuisse doctores verbi Ministros quae tamen turpissima est ingratitudo quam indignum est enim fraudare victu corporali eos a quibus animae pascuntur non dignari terrena compensatione a quibus caelestia bona accipimus Calvin comment in Epist ad Galat. cap. 6. v. 6. Videbat Apost ideo negligi verbi Ministros quia verbum ipsum contemnebatur fiert enim nequit si verbum habetur in pretio quin Ministri quoque honeste liberaliter tractarentur deinde his astus est satonae alimentis fraudare pios Minisros ut ecclesia talibus destituatur Ibid. See more of this in his Coment on Gen. 27. v. 32. Calvin saith It is like that then that-is in the Apostles time the Doctors and Ministers of the word of God were too much neglected which is a most vile and filthy ingratitude for how unworthy a thing is it to defraud him of Corporall dyet who feeds their bodyes with Spirituall and not to vouch safe a terrestriall recompence for celestial receipts The Apostle saw that the Ministers of the Word were neglected because the Word was contemned for it It cannot be saith he if the Word be held in good account but the Ministers will be Honorably and liberally dealt withall Besides it is the subtilty of Satan to withhold from Godly Ministers sufficient meanes that the Church may be deprived of the fruit of their Service 3. For Mr Knox of his discontented mind at such a mutation of Ministers maintenance to that which I have observed elsewhere I will adde only this M. Knox in his Epist to the Bishops Ministers of Scotland added at the end of S. Henry Spelmans larger Treatise concerning Tithes Print 1647. How a competence may be provided saith he except by restoring the Church to her Rights that is quite contrary to taking away of Tithes I doe not see what this Right is if I should stand to define and justify it here I should exceed the bounds of an Epistle many of this time have cleared the point sufficiently I could adde much more of his sort but his example is mine admonition not to exceed in that kind Let their misery be a monitory to all Ministers which may be three-fold 1. Not to give any consent or countenance to deprive themselves and successors of that salary for their service which in the wonted way they may receive rather as the blessing of their heavenly Father for such is their maintenance by Tithes then as any Beneficence of man though he be at paine to till the ground Mr Knox in hss Epist to the Bishops Ministers of Scotland Aug. 3. 1571. and at cost to sowe the seed If men will spoile as a Godly and Famous Minister of Scotland said to the Ministers his Countrymen let them doe it at their owne perill but communicate yee not with their sinnes of what strate soever they bee neither by consent nor silence but by publique protestation make this known to the World that yee are innocent of such robberies which will ere long provoke Gods judgement upon the contrivers thereof 2. To commend this cause to God with prayer and fasting that he would be pleased to guide the spirits of the Committee and Parliament so to debate and determine this great doubt and yet no great doubt if it were not for great concupiscence of the World and great slighting of an Orthodox and regular Ministry as may be most agreeable to the gratious will of Almighty God and to happy progresse of the Gospell 3. If any of you single or by associated counsells and endeavours can in any warrantable way hopefully set on foot and prosecute any likely meanes to incline the minds of the Committee and Parliament to establish Tithes ratified by so many Parliaments and never yet condemned by any that your delay not to doe it since they that are on the destructive part are vigilant over all advantages if not violent to advance their project to speedy effect Ob. But have their not been many acts of Parliament wherein the Rights and Revenues of the King Bishops Deanes and Chapters have been confirmed and notwithstanding that are they not now all confiscated alienated and put into other hands Ans They are so but that is because they have taken away the Offices of Kings Deanes and Chapters on which those Rights and Revenues were founded and the foundation digged up the superstruction cannot stand as before But yet the State hath declared none intention to put downe the Ministry and I hope never will doe Ob. But if we appeare zealous in this cause it will be said we are covetous and as we have been accounted contentious with the State for the settlement of them Ans If not content with the 10th we should incroach upon any of the nine parts of the Parishioners they might call us covetous as we may call them f they deny or detaine the 30th from us But it is no covetousnesse for a man in a just and reasonable way to require his owne but rather a matter of duty because if he have not his due he cannot maintaine himselfe and his Family and if he be not carefull to provide for them the Apostle judgeth him a denyer of the Faith and so worse then an infidell 1 Tim 5.8 Nor is the fault of contention to be imputed to Tithes more then to the purchasing of Lands taking of Leases making of Joynters or other conditions of Marriages or then to borrowing and lending or any other civill contracts concerning which more suits are raised then about Tithes and if there were not it is not the fault either of Tithes or of the Minister but the Peoples there being of them in most places tenne who would covetously detaine them for one that will conscientiously pay them And if a man
the groanes and cryes of his People 3. His assistance of his servants to incounter and vanquish their open enemies and oppressors 4. His pouring contempt upon those who were but partiall deliverers For the first they set him up in a Royall equipage which were well done if they did it to a good end but put their act and end together they are both like the Jewes arraying him like a King Math. 27.28 29. And afterwards ranking him among Theeves v. 38. Nay worse then so for it is better to suffer as an evill doer with innocence 1 Pet. 4.15 16. Then to act with evill doers with anevill conscience but these would make Christ like m Joseph warres of the Iewes l. 2. c. 13. p. 623. Gessius Florus president of Judaea a patrone of Theeves they would rob and spoile Christs servants of their meanes and Christ their master must beare the name of it as if it must be done by his warrant and to his honor The holy Apostles had not so learned Christ and therfore they well deserved the Apology of the Towne Clarke of Ephesus when pleading on their behalfe he told the tumultuous multitude they are no robbers of Churches Act. 19.37 2. For his tender compassion to his People they speake of we confesse he is very sensible of their sufferings in all their afflictions he was afflicted Isaiah 63.9 And when Saule persecuted the Christians he tooke his tyranny as acted against himselfe Act. 9.4 But this is very ill applyed to the payment of Tithes that is neither such a Burthen on their backs nor yoke upon their necks as should make them grone or crye if they be sick of Ahabs disease when he betook him to his bed and refused his meat because he might not have Nabothes Vineyard 1 Kings 21.4 Christ will not sympathize with them in such suffering and their concupicence after the Ministers maintenance which makes them sick to the heart their hearts to ake as they say of themselves is farr worse then that of Ahab for he would have given him a better Vineyard or a valueable consideration in mony for it v. 1 2. But they would have Tithes taken away and all certaine maintenance and nothing like it in stead thereof wherein if they should prevaile which God forbid the groanes and cryes of the spoiled and oppressed Ministers would be heard heeded pittyed and they relieved by Christ as for them if they know the plague of their owne heart which by their words seeme to be too much love to the things of this Life which makes them discontented with their owne estates unlesse they may have others added to it too litle love if not a great deale of hatred to the Ministers of Christ whom they would give up to ignominious misery they would find more cause of groaning and cryes and heart aking for that then for any thing they doe or can endure by payment of Tithes 3d Thing they Speake of Christ is the powring forth of his Spirit which hath encountred and vanquished their open opressours by this it should seeme that Tithetakers are not open opressours and if oppressours at all they must be open for Tithtaking is no secret businesse for they have not been encountred but by some unconscionable litigants at law and such Petitioners to the Parliament much lesse are they conquered no nor was Tithes any part of the publique quarrell as hath been already observed in an answer to the former Petition Petition The 4th particular of Christ is that he hath powred forth contempt on those who were but partiall deliverers what contempt he hath powred out for what may fitly come under the eonsideration of the 3d sort of persons viz. The late Parliament whom they meane to be but partiall deliverers of whom they further say in the next words the sunne of whose power set at Noone because it ripened not the desires and petitions of Gods People by a favourable influence but suffered their hopes to blast after so many promises and protestations and so much expence of treasure and blood Wherein are two things to be noted 1. What they suffer 2. And why ANSWER FOr the first they suffered contempt They did so and more contempt then was fit to be suffered if it had been cast upon a single and private Subject for base and scurrilous Ballets were made and sung in the open market places of Townes and in the chiefe Streets of London untill by publique authority some were clapt up in Prison for that which they well deserved Another contempt they intimate in the phraise of the Prophet Amos c. 8. v. 9. The sunne of their power set or went downe at Noone that is their Sunshine glory as the great and most awfull Assembly of this Nation was suddenly turned into a Night like darkenesse of obscurity and privacy and this at noone if they meane that they were interrupted in their worke when but halfe the day was done or time spunne out for noone is the middle of the day it is not like they intended to sit as long as they had done another twelve years yet it was a contempt cast upon them I confesse they were forced to dissolve when they might have been so happy as with prudence honour freely to have given up their power and places to a new representative But why came this contempt upon them That the second particular to which I will not take upon me to returne any answere of mine owne because I will not intrude myselfe into the Secrets of God or Misteries of States Petition The reason they render is Because they ripended not the desires Petitions of Gods People by a favourable influence but suffered their hopes to blast after so many promises and Protestations and so much expence of bloud and Treasure ANSWERE ALL which having reference to their request following wee may guesse their meaning to be that they were but partiall deliverers the Sunne of whose power set at noon c. because they did not free them from the oppression of Tithes if so doth it not imply a commination to the present Parliament that if they doe not understand and vote downe Tithes as an oppression their Sunne may be like to set at noone as well as the others and truly if men like minded to these Petitioners had had so much power in their hands as to scatter them when they were met in a collective body it is very probable that the receiving Petitions for Tithes the Ministry and Universities as they did might have beene a principall cause of such a dissolution But that God had no quarrell at them nor powred any contempt upon them for that is clearly evicted by what hath been answered to the former Petition Besides the prime cause upon n In the Declaration of the Lord Generall Crumwell Councrll of Officers Aprill 22. 1653. p. 5. better warrant then these Petitioners words appears to be the purpose of perpetuating themselves in