Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n
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A50954
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A supplement to Dr. Du Moulin, treating of the likeliest means to remove hirelings out of the Church of England With a brief vindication of Mr. Rich. Baxter. By J.M.
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Milton, John, 1608-1674.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing M2180; ESTC R215557
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32,178
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27
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Labourer is worthy of his Hire c. And into what City soever you enter and they receive you eat such things as are set before you To which Ordinance of Christ it may seem likeliest that the Apostle refers us both here and 1 Tim. 5. 18. where he cites this as the saying of our Saviour That the Labourer is worthy of his Hire and both by this place of Luke and that of Mar. 10. 9 10 11. it evidently appears that our Saviour ordained no certain maintainance for his Apostles or Ministers publickly or privately in house or City received but that what ever it were which might suffice to live on and this not commanded or proportioned by Abram or by Moses whom he might easily have here cited as his manner was but declared only by a rule of common equity which proportions the hire as well to the abilitie of him who gives as to the labour of him who receives and recommends him only as worthy not invests him with a Legal right And mark whereon he grounds this ordinance not on a perpetual right of Tithes from Melchisedec as Hirelings pretend which he never claimed either for himself or for his Ministers but one the plain and common equity of rewarding the Labourer worthy sometimes of single sometimes of double honour not proportionable by Tithes And the Apostle in this forecited chapter to the Corinthians ver 11 affirms it to be no great recompence if carnal things be reaped for spiritual sown but to mention Tithes neglects here the fittest occasion that could be offered him and leaves the rest free and undermined Certainly if Christ or his Apostles had approved of Tithes they would have either by writing or tradition recommended them to the Church and that soon would have appeared in practise of those Primitive and the next Ages But for the first three hundred years and more in all the Ecclesiastical Story I find no such Doctrine or example though error by that time had brought back again Priests Altar and Oblations and in many other points of Religion had miserably Judaiz'd the Church So that the defenders of Tithes after a long pomp and tedious preparation out of Heathen Authors telling us that Tithes were paid to Hercules and Apollo which perhaps was imitated from the Iews and as it were be speaking our expectation that they will bound much more with autorities out of Christian Story â— have nothing of general approbation to begin with from the first three or four Ages but that which abundantly serves to the confutation of their Tithes while they confess that Church-men in those Ages lived meerly upon Free-will Offerings Neither can they say that Tithes were not then paid for want of Civil Magistrates to ordainthem for Christians had then also Lands and might give out of them what they pleas'd and yet of Tithes then given we find no mention And the first Christian Emperours who did all things as Bishops advis'd them suppli'd what was wanting to the Clergy not out of Tithes which were never motioned but out of their own Imperial Revenues as is manifest in Eusebius Theodoret and Sozomen from Constantine to Arcadius Hence those ancientest reformed Churches of the WALDENSES if they rather continued not pure since the Apostle deni'd that Tithes were to be given or that they were even given in the Primitive Church as appears by an ancient Tractate inserted in the Bohemian History Thus far hath the Church been always whether in her Prime or in her ancientest Reformation from the approving of Tithes nor without reason for they might easily perceive that Tithes were fited to the Iews only a National Church of many incomplete Synagogues uniting the accomplishment of Divine Worship in one Temple and the Levites there had their Tithes paid-where they did their Bodily work to which a particular Tribe was set apart by divine appointment not by the Peoples Election but the Christian Church is universal not ti'd to Nation Diocess or Parish but consisting of many particular Churches compleat in themselves gathered not by compulsion or the accident of dwelling nigh together but by free consent choosing both their particular Church and their Church-Officers Whereas if Tithes be set up all these Christian Priviledges will be disturbed and soon lost and with them Christian Liberty The first Autority which our Adversaries bring after those Fabulous Apostolio Canons which they dare not insist upon is a Provincial Councel held aâ— Cuâ—â—en where they voted Tithes to be Gods Râ—â—t in the year three hundred and fifty six at the same time perhaps when the three Kings reigned there and of like autority For to what purpose do they bring these trivial Testimonies by which they might as well prove Altars Candles at noon and the greatest part of those Superstitions fetched from Paganism or Iudâ—ism which the Papists inveigled by this fond Argument of Antiquity retain to this day To what purpose those Decrees of I know not what Bishops to a Parliament and People who have thrown out both Bishops and Altars and promised all Reformation by the word of God And that Altars brought Tithes hither as one corruption begot another is evident by one of those Questions which the Monk Aâ—â—tin propounded to the Pope concerning those things which by Offerings of the Faithful came to the Altars as Beda writes l. â—â— 27. If then by these Testimonies we must have Tithes continued we must again have Altars Of Fathers by Custom so called they quote Ambrose Augustin and some other Ceremonial Doctors of the same Leaven whose assertion without pertinent Scripture no reformed Church can admit and what they vouch is founded on the Law of Moses with which every where pitifully mistaken they again incorporate the Gospel as did the rest also of those Titular Fathers perhaps an Age or two before them by many Rights and Ceremonies both Jewish and Heathenish introduâ—â—d whereby thinking to gain all they lost all and instead of winning Jews and Pagans to be Christians by too much condescending they turend Christians into Jews and Pagans To heap such unconvincing Citations as these in Religion whereof the Scripture only is our Rule argues not much learning nor judgment but the lost labour of much unprofitable reading and yet a late â—ot Querist for Tithes whom he may know by his wits lying ever beside him in the Margent to be ever besides his wits in the Text a fierce Reformer once now ranckl'd with a contrary heat would send us back very reformedly indeed to learn Reformation from Tyndarus and Rebuffus two Canonical Promoters They produce next the ancient stitutions of this Land Saxon Laws Edicts of Kings and their Councels from Athelstan in the year nine hundred twenty eight that Tithes by tâ—te were paid and might produce from Ina above two hundred years before that Romescot or Peters-penny was by as good Statute Law paid to the Pope from seven hundred twenty five and almost as long continu'd And who knows not that this
A SUPPLEMENT TO D R. DU MOULIN TREATING Of the likeliest Means to Remove HIRELINGS OUT OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND With a brief VINDICATION of M R RICH. BAXTER By I. M. LONDON Printed in the Year MDCLXXX A SUPPLEMENT TO D R DU MOULIN TREATING Of the likeliest means to remove Hirelings out of the CHURCH TWo things has ever wrought much mischief to the Church of God and the advancement of Truth Force on the one side restraining and Hire on the other side corrupting the Teachers thereof The latter of these is by much the more dangerous for under force though no thank to the Forcers True Religion oft-times best thrives and flowrishes but the corruptions of Teachers most commonly the effect or hire is the very bean of truth in them who are so corrupted Of force not to be used in matters of Religion I have already spoken and so stated matters of Conscience and Religion in Faith and Divine Worship and so severed them from Blasphemie and Heresie the one being properly as is dispiteful the other such as stands not to the Rule of Scripture and so both of them not matters of Religion but rather against it that to them who willyet use force this only choise can be left whether they will force them to believe to whom it is not given from above being not forc'd thereto by any Principle of the Gospel which now is the only Dispensation of God to all men or whether being Protestants they will punish in those things wherein the Protestant Religion denies them to be Judges either in themselves infallible or to the Consciences of other Men or whether lastly they think fit to punish Error supposing they can be inâ—allible that it is so being not wilful but conscientious and according to the best light of him who errs grounded on Scripture which kind of error all Men religious or but only reasonable have thought worthier of pardon and take growth thereof to be prevented by spiritual means and Church Discipline not by civil laws and outward force since it is God only who gives as well to believe aright as to believe at all and by those means which he ordained sufficiently in his Church to the full execution of his divine purpose in the Gospel It remains now to speak of Hire the other evil so mischievous in Religion whereof I promised then to speak further when I should find God disposing me and opportunity inviting Opportunity I find now inviting and apprehend therein the concurrence of God disposing since the maintainance of Church-Ministers a thing not properly belonging to the Magistrate and yet with such importunity call'd for and expected from him is at present under publick debate Wherein least any thing may happen to be determined and established prejudicial to the right and freedom of Church or advantageous to such as may be found hirelings therein it will be now most seasonable and in these matters wherein every Christian hath his free suffrage no way misbecoming Christian Meekness to offer freely without disparagement to the wisest such advice as God shall incline him to propound Since heretofore in Commonwealths of most Fame for Government Civil Laws were not established till they had been first for certain days published to the view of all Men that who so pleas'd might spake freely his opinion thereof and give his exceptions ere the Law could pass to a full Establishment And where ought this Equity to have more place than in the liberty which is unseparable from Christain Religion This I am not ignorant will be a work unpleasing to some But what truth is not hateful to some or other as this in likelihood will be to none but Hirelings And if there be among them who hold it their Duty to speak Impartial Truth as the work of their Ministry though not performed without mony let them not envy others who think the same no less their Duty by the general office of Christianity to speak truth as in all reason may be thought more impartially and unsuspectedly without mony Hire of it self is neither a thing unlawful nor a word of any evil Note signifying no more than a due recompenee or reward as when our Saviour saith The Labourer is worthy of his hire That which makes it so dangerous in the Church and properly makes the Hireling a word always of evil signification is either the excess thereof or the undue manner of giving and taking it What harm the excess thereof brought to the Church perhaps was not found by experience till the days of Constantine who out of his zeal thinking he could be never too liberally a nursing Father of the Church might be not unfitly said to have either overlaid it or choaked it in the nursing Which was foretold as is Recorded in Ecclesiastical Tradition by a Voice heard from Heaven on the very day that those great Donations and Church Revenues were given crying aloud This day is poison pour'd into the Church Which the event soon after verifi'd as appears by another no less ancient observation That Religion brought forth Wealth and the Daughter devoured the Mother But long ere wealth came into the Church so soon as any gain appeared in Religion Hirelings were apparent drawn in long before by the very sent thereof Iudas therefore the first Hireling for want of present hire answerable to his covering from the small number of the meanness of such as then were the Religious sold the Religion it self with the Founder thereof his Master Simon Magus the next in hope only that Preaching and the Gifts of the Holy Ghost would prove gainful offered before-hand a sum of mony to obtain them Not long after as the Apostle foretold Hirelings like Wolves came in by Herds Acts 20. 29. For I know this that after my departing shall grievous Wolves enter in among you not sparing the Flock Tit. 1. 11. Teaching things which they ought not for Lucres sake 2. Pet. 2. 3. And through covetousness make merchandize of you Yet they taught not false Doctrine only but seeming Piety 1 Tim. 6. 5. supposing that gain is Godliness Neither came they in of themselves only but invite oft-times by a great audience 2 Tim 4. 3. For the time will come when they will not endure sound Doctrine but after their own Lusts they will heap to themselves Teachers having itching ears And they on the other side as fast heaping to themselves Disciples Acts. 20. 30. doubtless had as itching palmsâ— 2 Pet. 2. 15. Following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor who loved the wages of unrighteousness Jude 11. They ran greedily after the Error of Balaam for reward Thus we see that not only the excess of Hire in welthiest times but also the undue and vicious taking or giving it though but small or mean as in the primitive times gave to Hirelings occasion though not intended yet sufficient to creep at first into the Church Which argues also the difficulty or rather the