and yet do like inough to much of other ceremonies not onelye Iewishe but Antichristian and Popish euen taken from the heathen do hereby declare that it is not the ceremony which they would haue buried but the preaching of the Gospell that they can not abide for that it rippeth vp their conscience it rubbeth iust where they are galled and discouereth their sinnes It is not a ceremonye it is this that greeueth them On the other side satan seeking to bring the ministers either to slacke their dilygence in Gods matters and to get their bread by other meanes or by pouertie to runne into debt contempt and shame haith raised vp a sort of couetous men which pul from the ministers what they can and will as willingly haue their guts drawne out of their belly as they wil part from any of their goodes for the maintenance of the ministers And these men will seeme to haue scripture for their purpose yea they haue this at their fingers end out of Mat. 10. 8. Freely ye haue receyued freely giue so far they haue learned but no further for that it serued not their purpose For our Sauiour left not his Apostles without their prouision in this their painefull iourney but in the same chapter appointed in euery citie where they should come that they should be receyued into the houses of them that were worthie and that prouision should be set before them for their maintenance but if they found not places fit for that peace they brought they should shake the dust from their feete to bee a witnesse of greater vengeance to that place then that which light vpon Sodom and Gomorrhe But few are those houses that such men holde and keepe where the minister may be receiued with his wife and children haue maintenance set before them with ioy yea fewe they are in deede where the sincere minister may eate his meate with ioy but that the aboundance of sinne shall make him thinke his breade to be as grauel betwene his teeth and his drinke to bee as wormewood to his taste and so with greefe they would soon make the minister with shame to go begge his breade But as our Sauiour that gaue that former particuler charge to giue freely and to take neither bag nor scrip nor money so afterwards in the 22. of Luke 35. he doth aske his Apostles whether they wanted any thing or no when he thus sent them forth and added therewithall now he that hath a scrippe let him possesse it and he that hath not a sword let him sell his coate and buye one that is the world will growe to such misery and the ministery to such afflictiō that euery one will be readie to scratch pul from you Therefore vse ye the meanes that are lawfull in the feare of the lord for your maintenance That this matter may bee the playner layde open and made more manifest to the capacitie of our vnderstanding Let vs consider first whether there be any stipend appoynted for the ministry or no 2. How the same should be paid 3. to whom it should be paid For the first the law of nature taught it them that had not the law of God to direct them sundry godly kinges haue executed it the Fathers directed by Gods spirit before the law was written vsed it God by his law established it Christ hath ratified it vnto vs in the new testament and the Apostles haue in sundrie places taught it because the Apostle Paul made a large discourse of this matter and vsed sundrie reasons to proue the same let vs leaue all other and rippe vp those in the 1. Cor. 9. where he vseth foure principal reasons to confirme the same The first gathered of the example of the Apostles The second by comparison The third of the law writtē the fourth of the authority of Christ First he saith it is lawfull yea the other Apostles haue power to take maintenance of you for them and their wiues and may not I and Barnabas haue it His reason of comparison he followeth thus The souldier hath his costes borne in his warfare the husbandman eateth of the fruits of his labours the shepeheard feedeth of the milke of his flocke The Oxe hath his mouth open to feed of the corne he treadeth out They that wayted of the altar were fed of the same we the ministers are the soldiers and ensigne bearers in your christian wars we are Gods husbandmen you are Gods husbandrie we are the shepheardes you are the sheepe we treade you out deuide vnto you the breade of life the word of God we minister not vnto you figures and shadowes as the Leuits did but the gospel the power of God to saluatiō why should not we then be maintayned as soldiers why reape we not of our labours as husbandmen why are we not fed as shepheards Why haue we not the libertie of Oxen Why liue we not of our calling as the Leuits did Is our calling more vile then any other occupation Are not our labours worthie meat and drinke Yes yes your gaine is great by exchaunge with vs for drosse you haue golde for carnall thinges spiritual And for earthly things heauenly Yea further you can finde nothing in the world to be laid in equal ballāce to weigh against the worde of God from reasoning thus by comparison he procéedeth to his argument of authoritie of the law written therein he standeth not long for he said it is sufficient his word is a reason of force and his will is a perfect rule of righteousnes Then he goeth forward to his 4. argument and proueth that Christ alowed ratified the same in the gospel ordeyning that they which preach the gospell should liue of the gospell And the Apostle to the Gal. 6.6.7 vseth the same reason vsed before in the law for there the Lord challenged it as a law due vnto himselfe here he saith that he which defraudeth the minister deceyueth himselfe mocketh God for as he was king before the law in the law before the cōming of Christ in the flesh so is he king stil the preaching of the gospel is the scepter of his kingdome the ministers are his scepter bearers therefore he sheweth by the Apostle 1. Tim. 5.17 that they which labour in the word doctrine are worthie of double honour that is a liberall allowance of the maintenance of him and his For the second part how the same shoulde be paide or whereof raised the holy Ghost hath not appoynted therfore to say that the tenthes belong to the ministers as cōmanded by the Lord we haue no warrant for it neyther dare I say that the magistrate may not appoynt the tenthes for the mainetenance of the ministrie except I saw the same forbidden by the lord As kings haue receyued their kingdomes scepters from the Lord so must they endeuour that the kingdome of God may haue place in their dominions that he may rule
A GODLIE AND FRVITEFVLL Sermon made vpon the 20. 21. verses of the 14. Chapter of the booke of Genesis Wherein there is taught what prouision ought to be made for the mynister Very necessary to be learned of all Christians By Eusebius Paget VBIQVE FLORET LONDON Imprinted by Iohn Wolfe for Thomas Man dwelling in Paternoster rowe at the signe of the Talbot 1583. Genesis 14. 20 Abram gaue him Tythe of all 21 Then the King of Sodome sayde to Abram Giue me the personnes take the goods to thyselfe THE last time beloued that I was in this place which was the fourth day of this last weeke you heard that this thirde and laste parte of this chapter The repetition contayneth the tryumph of Abram after the victory In whose returne from the battel he was met of 2. Kinges the one King of Sodome the other was the King of Salem Wherein we considered first the dealings of Abram the king of Sodome in the first part secondly the dealings betweene Abram and Melchisedech in the second part In the first part whereas the King of Sodome came forth to meete Abram We did note that aduersity teacheth many good lessons which men in prosperitie will neuer learne namelye the King of Sodome who before this time wold neither pitie Abram being a stranger nor reuerence him for his religion which hee professed euerye where and set vp badges and Ensignes of the same in euery place where hee came but in his prosperity had his whole delight in wantonnesse and pride and is nowe by aduerssite taught humilitie and hee commeth forth to meete and salute Abram Secondly that this king now saw what profite he got by pride and what the waye of wickednesse had brought him vnto and that the estate of Abram howe troublesome mad and foolish soeuer it seemed to him yet to be farre better and more glorious then his soe there is not so wicked a man but that he once acknowledgeth his owne estate to bee miserable and the estate of Gods chyldren to be most happye and blessed Next the historie of Melchizedech followed inserted as in a parenthesis Wherein wee considered First what he was 2. what he did 3. what he sayde Out of the first part which is at large described in the seuenth to the Hebrewes we considered first his name to wit Melchizedech which signifieth righteousnes and that he was king of Salem that is peace wherin the holye ghost noteth the righteousnes is king of peace that righteousnes gouerneth in the kingdome of peace no peace where vnrighteousnes raigneth as the prophet Isa 57.21 saith ther is no peace saith my God to the wicked Secondlye in that first part wee noted that he was without Father and Mother For that the holy Ghost doth make no mention of them Wherein I shewed how vainly they deale that would haue him to bee eyther Shem or an Angell or the sonne of God and brought foorth reasons to confute those fancies Thirdly wee considered that hee was King and Prieste noting in all these things that he was a figure of Christ First in his name for that Christ is righteousnesse it selfe raigning in mens conscyences bringing peace to the soule secondly in his parents Christ is without father in respect of his manhood without mother in respect of his godhead Thirdly in his offices Christ is a King to raigne and a prieste to offer vp sacrifice to God his father for euer Then we considered the deedes of Melchizedech which was the bringing forth of bread and wine to relieue the wearied army of Abram where in I confuted the fancy of the Papistes that would haue this bread and wine of Melchizedech to be a fygure of theyr Masse First shewing that if there had beene anye such matter in it the holye Ghost woulde haue noted it in the 7. to the Hebrewes where he descrybeth him so largely For if it had figured so greate a mystery as they account their masse to bee the holy Ghost woulde not haue set so light by it as to haue sayde neuer a word of it Melchizedech brought foorth bread but they deny their sacrifice to bee bread but the body of christ In denying their wafar cake to be bread they saye truely for it is a paltry thing not mouing the senses of the receauers to that consideration it should Besides that it hath beene made as many wright of bad confections as dogs grease And some of their auncestors before tyme made their stuffe with infants blood and some with more filthy abhominable things then are here to be named Melchizedech brought forth bread and wine to refresh the feeble souldiars wherein was noted that the Lorde doth alwaies prouide for those that trauaile in his busynesse and take paines to deliuer the oppressed as Abram aduenturing to deliuer his brother Lot receiueth comfort by a stranger Melchizedech blessed Abram from the lord in which his words were noted that blessings came from God that they are the Lordes blessings and not mans that stande and his curses that take effect Next they that comfort the afflicted are blessed of God and they that greeue the Spyrite of GOD in his children by adding afflictions to afflictions are cursed of God commyng from that to the title wherein he called him possessour of Heauen and Earth I noted he gaue God these titles beeing onely possessour of Heauen and that the Pope can not open and shut it with his pardons at his pleasure for heauen is the Lordes and next in that he nameth him possessour of earth I noted that he will take account of vs whether wee vse it as he hath directed vs or abuse it contrary to his will and therein we see what a happye and blessed thing it is for Gods children whose kingdome and inheritance is not vpon the earth but in heauen where no tyrannous oppressours can trouble and annoy on the other side what a wofull chaunge shall these oppressing tyrants make which say now the earth is theirs to serue their lusts and then they must answere to the professor of it and must flit to hell from the earth for their abusing it So Melchizedech ended his speech with thanksgiuing and yeelding the glorye of that triumph vnto God for the victorye as to him was due and these were the Principall notes which I gaue then as I remember Now it resteth before wee enter into the historie of the king of Sodome that we consider what Abram did to Melchizedech The holy Ghost saith Abram gaue him Tyth of all wherein he giueth vs to consider that Abram being lightened by Gods spirite sawe in Melchizedech some more excellent thing then is ordinarilye found in men and therefore he gaue him an extraordinarye entertainment and presented him with such a present as we reade not of in the Scriptures vntill we come to this place therefore that we may the better vnderstand it let vs obserue First what it is that is giuen
amongst thē by his worde that the ministers be sufficiently prouided for as they will answere for it to the king of kings of whome they holde their crownes in chiefe but it is left at libertie to thē to raise it either by tenths of fruits of the earth or of cattel or of mony or by what means they shal in their godly wisedome thinke most conuenient the more certaine they make this portion the mo mischiefes they do preuent for the leauing of it vncertaine doth often cause the minister eyther to make merchandize of the worde or for gaine to flatter the welthy or with shame for want to beg or for néed to starue all which subtil practises Satan dayly putteth in execution séeking thereby either to ouerthrow the ministrie or to make it by such blemishes to loose the force and bewtie of the same But though magistrates should be carelesse in these matters yet the people of God must be careful to do their duetie in this respect There was no king of Canaan that be law cōpelled Abram to pay these tithes neither was there any Christian prince in the primatiue Church that by law appointed maintenance for the ministers yet Abram paid the Apostles bishops after them were prouided for But to come nerer to sée how they must be paid This must be paid religiously readily and liberally religiously as to God for the enlarging of his kingdome the defence of the trueth and maintenāce of his true worship It must be done readily in time conuenient of a willing minde It must be done liberally that the minister be not driuen to slack his calling and to employ his time in other thinges thereby to get his liuing by this liberallitie I mean not that they should be glutted vp with dainties maintayned pompously for that is as great a mischiefe on the other side For when Satan can not stop the preaching of the gospel by pennury scarcitie then he tryeth to choake smother it with the glory of the world and this way alas he doth too much preuaile But thogh there be some either made slow of speach or altogether tong-tied by this God Mammon so bewitched that they can like better of ministers that liue as Athiests drunkerds wantons old doting priestes then they do of paineful sincere preachers yet it is a wonder to sée with what cursing swearing how slackly slowly with what pinching and sparing the rest haue their portions vnlesse they had all conspired to ouerthrowe the ministry Abram was riche yet paid tithes the rich now a daies that should giue most liberally wil for the most part take tithes there are verie few of them that will pay any The ministers are driuen to liue of that they can haue of the poorest which are oft times so scraped that they are more meete to take almesse then to pay tithes In the booke of Nehem. 13.4 there is a story recorded how Tobiah the Ammonite kinsman to Eliashib the priest had gotten by his fauour into the chamber made for the prouision of the house of God and of the Leuites so that they fled to their land left the house of God voyd but whē Nehemiah heard of it he obtayned libertie of king Artahshasht came to Ierusalē with griefe he found the same to be true he cast out all Tobiah his stuffe and resorted those things to their former vse If that our noble prince wold now send forth some godly zealous Nehemiah to looke to these matters now he might find a nūber of Tobiahs entred into the chambers appointed for the prouision of the ministrie First hee should find that the Abbeys kinsmen to the high priest of Rome began to make this spoyle got into their hands the best benefices by impropriating them they are ouerthrowne these spoiles are not restored but many men liue of that they stole from the ministry Secondly he should find a number of bishops equal in this sinne with Eliashih or with that high priest of Rome for they haue spoyled many benefices by confirming leases to their kinsmen by power or by bloude or by the purse yea I know one bishop in this realme that hath confirmed I thinke nere 20. of the best benefices in his diocesse some to his children some to his kinsmen some to his officers some for mony to diuers that are as badde as Ammonites in religion Thirdly he shal finde a number of patrones that will bee so nigh kinsmen to the ministers that they will haue all the house and profits alowe them scraps with the seruing men when they haue wayted on their patrones trencher or they will cosin them of the house and gleabe it is parte of their inheritance it standeth as conueniently for them as Nabothes vyneyard did for Ahab let our cosins the pield priestes dwell in some bad cotages these houses are meeter for gentle men or they will for cosinage haue the tith corne for prouision for their house leaue their poore cosin tithe goose and tith calfe with the egges at Easter at least they will haue their owne tithes Neuer a chaplaine of them all shall put them besides it Some what there must be giuen to the mystresse their wiues or to finde a childe at Schoole Fourthly he shall finde many wealthy and mightie men to be so neere kinsmen to the ministers that they will pay either nothing or very litle they will pleasure them some other way But if they may not haue it as they list they will bee neither their cosins nor friends the preacher nor gospeller must not harbour there he were better to be many a mile frō them To be short I am not able to recken vp the practises that thys good commissioner shoulde find deuised by satan and put in execution by men for the cosining spoyle of the ministry prophane mē haue delt better with their idle priestes then we with our ministers Pharao that heathenishe king in whom was no religion toke this order when the great famine was in Egipt as appeareth in Gen. 47.22 that his idoll priestes were maintained of his own charge Iezabel that Qeeene so full of wickednes mayntained Baals priestes at her owne table 1. King 18.17 Michah as it is in the booke of Iudges 17.5.10 made him an Idole got him a prieste and prouided for him his handfull to wit very liberally equall with Pharao with IeZabell and with Michah were our forerunners in the time of popery who crammed both the bellies the pursses of Satans hirelings the chapplaines of Antichrist who coulde do nothinge but say a Masse or mumble vp a mattins but nowe in the time of the Gospell to get any thing for the maintenance of the ministery of the same is as I said before as greeuous to them as the pulling of their bowels out of their bellies yea they seeke to put awaye euen that which is lesse Here I might take occasion