Church Whitaker in his Epistle Dedicatory of his answer to Duraus to William Cecill Lord Burleigh Lord Treasurer of England where he concludes thus Contra Pontificios parum aut legibus aut libris profici quo usque firmum atque id meum ministerium in ecclesiis constitutum fuerit We shall prevaile little by lawes or bookes against Papists unlesse in all Churches a fit and firme Ministry be appointed Here 's then the good old way to destroy Popery to set up powerfull preaching and godly preachers who may adorne that Doctrine by their holy lives which they deliver in the word of truth Let them then that are willing to pull downe Popery by this word be made wise walke and warre against Popery in this way and find successe It 's not the least sin of the State that this worke hath beene so much neglected and the preaching of the Gospell so little furthered that scarce one parish of six is provided of a Minister that is not either ignorant and not able to preach or idle and not carefull to preach or scandalous and disgraceth and makes powerlesse his preaching of the Gospell and this after so many yeares of peace and plenty wherein Churches should most of all be edified after so many gracious deliverances from Papists which were so many ingagements to plucke down Popery after so many Parliaments which have showed the height of wisedome and industry in providing redresse for the grieveances of the Common-wealth So that we have not wanted opportunity but hearts to this worke that this worke of Christ should be neglected so long and with such circumstances is sure an omission of no small guilt How can Christ but be moved with indignation against us that he is so little preach't among us who are so much ingaged to him This is then a sin that cryes for redresse not onely for it selfe but for the consequences of it least God deale with us as with the Jewes in Haggaies time for so long deferring the building of the Temple even blast and curse all our undertakings But God be thanked this is a season wherein direction is called for how defect of preachers may be supplied and therefore excitations may be the better spared or contracted The best direction I can give is by discovering the lets which must be removed before the want of preaching-Ministers can be supplyed and which being removed a supply cannot but follow Now they will appeare to be many and they such as no remedie seemes possible or at least probable to be had for them but by a Parliament As Let. 1 First the want of maintainance in many places which is so great and so caused that it cannot but hinder Gods worke and provoke the eyes of his glory It is not unknowne how in many places Tithes are impropriate and base wages allotted for the Incumbent is not this a let to learning and so to preaching Honores alunt artes and men are induced in their choise of callings by hope of benefit to be injoyed in them Even in rectified elections tho profit may not be the chiefe yet may it be a secondary incouragement for every man is to provide for his owne comfortable subsistance Hence then it is that many of parts decline the calling of the Ministery because Church-livings being rare are by that meanes also hard to be obtained whereas a man of any other calling may lightly set up any where And whence is it that so many of the basest of the people are Consecrated to be Priests as they call them but because in many places the stipend is so base non that is ingenuously bred Illam Ecclesiasticorum bonorum dissipationem cum detestando Sacrilegin conjunciaÌ„ te cum cum bonis omnibus deploramus sceluâ— universo terrum orbe commune Beza in respons ad Sâ—â—avâ— de grad Ministâ—or pag. ult or is sensiâ—le of any gifts in himselfe will unâ—ervalue himselfe so much as to accept so meane a place so that in such places there must be no Ministers or no better And this is as frequent in places of note as in inferiour villages And how comes this waâ—â— of meanes surely as I conceive by Sacriledg I have not yet learned to give it any other name for Tithes are paid which at first its most likely were appointed for the maintenance of Pastors to feed their soules who fed them but now they are alienated and must not this needs also first be Sacriledge For that being granted that Tithes are not due Iure divino yet were they holy because men had consecrated them to maintaine Gods ordinance tho not because God had set them apart by any Law and is it not a snare to devoure holy things To withdraw a thing which a man himselfe hath given to God stands not with that fidelity or devotion we owe to God but to take to our owne use what others have given to God is a case in the apprehension of grace or ingenuity some degrees worse than that which Nathan put to David If we had changed with God it had beene tolerable especially if we had observed the Law of redemption adding a fifth part to the value which we had taken away but to take away so much and leave so little its hard to say whether in the first Actors this Sacriledge or the neglect of Gods service the naturall effect of it be more dishonourable unto God or more accurst but both together cannot but move God to jealousie against us This Sacriledge at least in the greatest part of it if I mistake not had its rise from Rome The taking Anti-christ upon him this as one part of his anti-christian dominion to impropriate Tithes for the maintenance of Abbies thereby providing that the people should have ignorant Pastours that the blind might lead the blind and the better keep them in slavery to him and the Abbies hereby more inrich'd he might have creatures of power every where to uphold his Kingdome Now at the dissolution of the Abbies an action to be feared not so upright in the circumstances as just for the substance of it not onely the temporalities superstitiously bequeathed to the hurt of the Land but the Tithes given formerly justly and piously for to maintaine an holy ordinance of God a parochian Pastour were all taken away the evill and danger of that action being then not so easily espied by reason of corrupt affection and obscurity of those times And this was confirmed by Act of Parliament which inferreth a necessity of reformation from thence for that is the highest Court in this Land from which no appeale and therefore no redresse of this errour but by Parliament save what is voluntary Impropriations are now mens legall inheritances and to some their greatest to others their onely lively-hood therefore it cannot be desired that they should be restored without some satisfaction to the proprietary which onely a Parliament can provide for And me thinks there is a necessity
2 2. That which is fittest to build up the Kingdome of Christ is fittest to destroy Anti-christs throne for these are Contraries contrariorum contraria sunt praedicata Now what is the essentiall pillar of Christs Kingdome what begins it upholds it encreaseth it but the preaching of the Gospell By this the Apostlâ—s planted Churches and succeeding Pastours water'd and cherisht them When David and the house of Saul had both Thrones in one Kingdome what strengthned the one eadem operâ weakned the other So it is betweene the Kingdome of Christ and Anti-christ Generatio unius est corruptio alterius The ones raising is the others ruine Argum. 3 3. What is most contrary to the efficient or producing cause of any thing must needs be most destructive of that thing For as contraries have contrary praedicates so have they contrary effects also one contrary destroying what another brings forth Now what begat or brought Popery to its height but ignorance and suppressing of the word of God this superstition raigning and domineering then most when preaching of the word was least Therefore what ignorance of the word begat viz. this monster so sin the light and plaine setting up of the word must needs be fittest to consume Argum. 4 4. Every thing hath its spheare in working and things worke best on things of the same nature Corpus non agit in animam nisi indirecte Antichristianisme is a spirituall evill and so spirituall meanes should be most operative against it Now this spirit of Gods mouth is not a carnall but a spirituall weapon 2. Cor. 10.4.5 and mighty through God to throw downe strong holds even the spirituall holds of Anti-christs and the Divells Kingdome Argum. 5 5. That which is the best meanes to destroy sin must needs be most operative in the destruction of the man of sin for esse dat nomen his name is from his nature sin gives him being as well as denomination but by the word sin is destroyed By the Law comes the knowledge of sin and knowledge of sin is a good degree to the cure For penitus seisse est penitus odisse and odium is affectus aversationis one cannot rightly know it but will truly hate it and one cannot practise what they hate Ioh. 17.17 Sanctifie them by thy truth thy word is truth To sanctifie is nothing but to cleanse from sinne Argum 6 6. And what else can be the reason why the Pope and Papists are such enemies to the word of God both read and preached Is it not because they perceive its an enemy to them doe they not confesse the reason why they suppresse it to be because it makes Heretickes as they terme them that indeed makes them leave the Ly of Popery which is discovered by that and embrace those truths which are more consonant to that blessed rule And if the word read be so terrible to for powerfull against Anti-christ what is the word preach't but much more effectuall For tho the word as it is read be of more authority yet as it preached so being expounded and applied becomes of more power and efficacy Argum. 7 7. And doth not experience confirme this what did what doth give the greatest blow to Popery was not the divulging of the Gospel of Christ by Wickliffe Hus Hierome of Prague and Martin Luther that which first wounded the Kingdome of Anti-christ and in this Kingdome hath not Anti-christ most footing where preaching hath least Papists swarming most in those Shires and parts of them where dumbe and Idoll Ministers are most rife But where the Gospell hath beene for any long time preach't there like Owles with the morning light Papists vanish being either cnoverted to the truth or averted to other places where they may be quiet D … es of darknesse need little other confutation but light a candle will doe more to them than a staffe and the Gospell is spirituall light discountenancing Popery while it discovers it This is the power this is the excellency of the spirit of Gods mouth But here it is to be observed A good Note that it is the Spirit of Gods not of mans mouth which consumes this man of sin Human preaching though it have never so much of mans wit wisedome and eloquence is too weake for this worke it s that plaine preaching which is in the demonstration of Gods spirit and power that must blast this enemy of God and goodnesse Gods owne ordinance must accomplish his owne worke Iosh 6.4.5 If the Israelites bad blowne with brazen yea with golden trumpets when God prescribed Ramshornes the walls of Iericho would never have beene overthrowne Object If Papists would heare all the Sermons which are preach't this might be likely but they will not come within the verge of this heavenly call what force can it then have against them Answ Tho Papists heare not others will who by this meanes will have an antidote to prevent infection and hereby ordinary men will be inabled so to discover their sleights and lay open the filth of their superstition that they will grow ashamed Vse 1 This is then a sound truth and very usefull to direct all those that desire and indeavour this happy consumption of this man of sin Popery is full of Idolatry by Image-altar saint and bread-worship and so pernicious to the Churches and States where it is suffered there cannot then be a better object for a good Christian or States-man than to indeavour the supplanting of Popery and to those that are so well minded here 's the way the spirit of Gods mouth consumes the man of sin then set up preaching and you pull downe massing and expell it Penalties against Papists are good and necessary but preaching is better and more usefull If penalties be executed against Popery it may be kept from audacious appearing but by the setting up of preaching it would loose its being Penalties may restraine it preaching would consume it If Jesuites be banish't that may hinder the perverting of others if preachers be set up that will further the conversion of those which they have already perverted Penalties may hinder Popery from being the sin of the Land because being punished it should not be imputed But preaching would hinder it from being a fin in the Land because it would make it vanishas a mist before the Sun Both together are now necessary and usefull but I am perswaded if every congregation in England had a learned and godly Pastour that did preach the Gospell to them constantly in the demonstration of the spirit and power in a small time Jesuites would need no Proclamations to banish them nor Papists any Law to punish them there would be no Papist in our Israel But while the ignorance and negligence of Ministers suffer them to be seduced and their lewd conversation harden them in errour Lawes and penalties will be of little availe against them Which was long since observed by that learned and renowned light of our
what ever need there hath beene of them Yea the name of a Lecturer with many is Nomen invisum an hatefull or scornefull name so many places have beene left to the sole care of unfaithfull and unable Ministers by these meanes Here then is need of redresse An Act to make it lawfull for the people to procure any orthodoxe peaceable Preacher to supply the defect of their dumbe Ministers whether he would consent or no and to cashiere all illegall impositions put upon Lecturers would remove this Let and be an excellent and needfull helpe to this Nation till by Gods providence it be unburdened of all unable and unfaithfull Ministers Let 11 Eleventhly the tendernesse and respect that is had of idle and unfaithfull Ministers They must not be called dumbe dogs as they deserve and the Scriptures intitle them though they preach not yet the people most not goe to heare in other parishes if they doe they are presented and censured and the Idoll-minister countenanced and commended for his conformity The lawfullnes of their Ministry must not be questioned but it s accounted a cryme and hereby they are fostered and hardened in their ignorance and unfaithfullnesse and never think of renouncing that calling they have no fitnesse for or stirring up those gifts wherby they might be profitable If therefore a Law were made that till every place were furnished with godly and painfull teachers it might be lawfull for people that had none or corrupt preaching to goe where their soules might find better repast this no doubt would make some weary of and others more laborious in their callings and be no small furtherance by the preaching of the Gospell The last but not the least Let of Preaching is the excessive and lawlesse power that Archbishops Bishops c. exercise over the Preachers of the Gospell whereby they sometimes prevent them sometimes limit them sometimes suspend them from the preaching of the Gospell and that sometimes for their meere pleasure sometimes by vertue of Canons of their owne making sometimes for not observing some extraordinary injunctions of their owne procuring by all which they not onely impiously but unjustly hinder the preaching of the Gospell First tho a man be made Minister by themselves and then injoyned to preach tho he be inducted into a living and so his duty to his flocke doth inforce diligence in preaching yet he must not preach forsooth after all this without a licence from them and that many times they will not grant especially to Lecturers but upon their own termes Secondly when they are licenced yet they take upon them to limit them that they preach onely in the fore-noone and forbid them sometimes to Catechise too in any profitable way And if any in conscience of their duty will preach or so Catechise as may be as profitable to the people as a Sermon they often threaten sometimes suspend them Thirdly tho they be licensed and by vertue of that preach on the Lords Day and holy-dayes yet if a man will preach weekely in his owne parish which is commonly called a Lecture that they will not suffer without a speciall Licence at least in word yea when they have licenced Lectures or at least their Predecessours they take upon them to impose burthens on the Lecturers to dishearten them or else downe-rightly pro imperio prohibit them and put them downe as some have done throughout their Diocesses Fourthly many times out of meere power they suspend Ministers that are Pastours of congregations for not observing their orders tho injoyned by no order of Law or opposing their practises tho against Law or preaching Truths consonant to Gods word and our Churches Doctrine because contrary to their errours and humours Our Lawes confirme the morality of the Sabbath condemne pastimes upon it yet many for not reading a Booke that counts the strict observation of the Lords Day Jewish and licenceth and incourageth to dancing and other light recreations have beene suspended their charges left destitute some excommunicated and the benefit of appealing One because hee will not read a civill Proclamation another because hee will not read an illegall prayer another because hee will not givemony when they required tho illegâ—lly denyed them Our Lawes forbid the bringing in of any new Ceremonies other than by Law are established yet some for preaching against the bringing in of Altars and bowing to them some for opposing or preaching against Jesus-worship have beene suspended or inhibited from the worke of the Ministry Some have beene suspended likewise for not Catechising out of the Common-prayer Booke tho their charges have beene in great Townes that have exceeded the ordinary pitch of hearers Some for preaching against Arminianisme some for preaching against Images some for preaching against dauncing some for preaching at the buriall of a child dying before Baptisme and many other things when the humours of Prelates are crost At admittance they enter them with an Oath of Canonicall obedience and upon that think their word shall be a Law and if not suspend them for neglect of Canonicall obedience and what ever the cause is when they have past the censure it s in vaine for a poore Minister to struggle If he would appeale they have provided a Canon unlesse he subscribe his appeale shall not be admitted nor then neither many times But if it be what hope of redresse when they from whom he appeales or their fellowes must be his Judges who count it a pernicious example that a Prelate should be thought to erre in any of his censures or be put to the worse by an unruly Minister as all must be thought who submit not to them This is it that hath made so many precious able Ministers leave our Church to our great wound and disgrace to goe into other Countries preferring the meanest condition with freedome from this yoake above the sweetest under this grievous bondage Unlesse therfore care be taken to curbe this exorbitant power in vain will all care be for providing good Ministers for the Prelates if they daunce not after their Pipe after the impression of a Parliament is a little over will quickely cast them out at pleasure not will any other care to restraine this pernicious power be a sufficient cure but onely abolition of it If it be never so neere cropt yet the influence of some superiour orbe will make it sprout and ill weeds grow apace Experience it selfe may teach how weake a security from the evill of this power the restraining of it is if it have any root left In our neere Sister Church of Scotland when Bishops had scarce any thing but a meere name at first were meere titular could doe nothing without the Presbyteries and not onely their power but persons were under them yet in time by little and little they grew to that height as not onely to over-top the Presbyteries but to degrade them as it were and make them as cyphers and having gotten this power they