Hiera dakrya, Ecclesiae anglicanae suspiria, The tears, sighs, complaints, and prayers of the Church of England setting forth her former constitution, compared with her present condition : also the visible causes and probable cures of her distempers : in IV books / by John Gauden ...

CHAP. XVII.

THe Essentials or Being of true Ministers thus restored and preserved both in their Ability and Autority, the first to be searched by due Examination, the second conferred by lawfull and Catholick Ordination; the next thing which craves your counsell, care and cha∣rity (most worthy Christians) is the (bene esse) well-being of your Clergy, both for their maintenance and their respect, for their single support and their sociall consorting. For poor and a∣lone, or rich, yet scattered, like disjoyned figures and cyphers, they will signifie not much as to publick reputation or gubernative in∣fluence: But together their Competency and Communion will make up that double Honor, which the Apostle by the Spirit of God re∣quireth as due to such Evangelicall Bishops and Ministers as rule well, labouring in the Word and Doctrine, according to the place and proportion wherein God and the Church have set them.

The personall maintenance of Ministers, by which they may com∣fortably subsist, diligently attend, and cheerfully dispense the things of God to their severall charges, I put in the first place, not as the more noble in respect of the common good and joynt honor of the Clergy, but as naturall and most necessary: for as Ministers will have no great spirit or ability for private employment, so much lesse joy or confidence in any publick Church-Government, if they have not such convenient support as may countenance and embol∣den them to appear in publick. Without doubt, nothing is more unbecoming the Honor and Grandeur, the Plenty and Piety of any Christian Nation, than to keep their Clergy poor, indigent and deject∣ed: so beyond measure is it vile for any Christian people to rob their able Ministers of that honorable maintenance which once they have been lawfully possessed of, and long enjoyed, as devout dona∣tions given to Gods Church and his more immediate Servants, the Ministers of the Gospel, by pristine piety, for the publick good of mens soules: but above all things to be abominated, is that Athei∣sticall Hypocrisy, whose fraud pretends to Reforme Religion, (as Herod promised to worship the babe Christ, when he intended to kill him,) by reducing the dispensers of it to sordid poverty and sharking necessity; by compelling Preachers to use Mechanick Trades and extemporary preachings; yea, and after all this, by lay∣ing the weight even of Church-Government upon such weak and low shoulders, either of such poor Bishops or Pygmy-Presbyters, who must (forsooth) live upon popular contributions and arbitrary Almes, after the Primitive and Apostolick pattern (as some men urge) even

of St. Paul, and of other prime Preachers at first, who they say preached gratis, having no set salary, and exacting nothing as due from the people.

Which Primitive and Apostolick patterne is not more imperti∣nently and injuriously, than falsely and impudently, urged by illibe∣rall men in sacrilegious times: For they may easily find that the justice and power of demanding hire or wages as due for their work, was urged and owned by St. Paul, as due by the Law of God under the Gospel as well as before it; though sometime remitted in ten∣dernesse to the temper of mens hearts and Estates in those hard, yet charitable, times, when there was so much of gratitude and charity in zealous Christians, that there needed nothing as of compulsion and necessity; and in which very cheap, though extraordinary, gifts did most-what enable the Apostles and others, beyond what Ministers may now expect under the rate of much Time, Charge, Study and Paines. Alas, those Primitive Preachers needed not to be very solicitous for their support or salary among true Christians; when tis evident that Christian people had generally such large∣nesse of hearts, as offered not onely the Tithe but the Totall of their Estates, Goods, and Lands too, to the support of their Preachers and their poor. However it is not to be doubted, but that as the Apostles, so all Bishops and Ministers of the Gospel may with as much equity as modesty demand, receive and enjoy whatever was then or afterward, either occasionally or constantly, conferred upon them by any Christian people or Princes: the distribution of which was in Primitive times chiefly intrusted to the care of the Bishops, who appointed both rewards to Presbyters, and relief to the poor.

So that it must needs be barbarously covetous and Judasly sacrilegi∣ous, for any Christian people violently and unjustly to take away from their Learned and deserving Clergy, either such other Lands and Revenues, or those very Tithes which people have once put out of their power, by giving them to God by an act of solemn and publick consent, testified in their nationall Lawes, every way agree∣able to the Will and Word of God, to the Light and Law of Na∣ture, to the Patriarchicall Tradition and Practise before the Law of Moses, to Gods own proportion and appointment among the Jewes, to the Apostolical comprobation and the parallel ordaining of the Lord under the Gospel, or to the right and merits of Jesus Christ, (be∣yond the type of Melchisedech,) whose Evangelicall Priesthood being to continue in the Church, surely deserves no lesse honor and mainte∣nance than the Aaronicall and Leviticall, and much more sure than any Priestly office among the heathens. Yet who hath not either heard or read in all Histories, that the very heathens, out of an in∣stinct of gratitude and Religion, did every where offer the Tenth of their Fruites, Corn, Spices, Gumms, Minerals, Metals, and spoiles in war, to the Temples and Priests of those Gods (as Ceres, Apollo or the Sun, to Diana or the Moon, to Mars, Jupiter, Bacchus, &c.) by whose Divine influence and bounty they believed themselves to enjoy those good things?

And can any true Christian people have so base and penurious hearts, as to fancy that they then honor Christ most, when they part with least of their substance to his service? that of all Priesthoods which have ever been in the world (among civill or barbarous Na∣tions) Christs shall appeare the most beggerly and necessitous? Can any true believer thus requite the Lord that bought them, and gave himself a ransome for them? will they compell the blessed Jesus, who while he was on earth became poore to make them rich, now he is risen and ascended to Glory in Heaven, to suffer poverty, hun∣ger, thirst, nakednesse, shame and contempt in his Ministers, to whom Christ professeth, who so giveth ought in his name, as to his servant and Minister, giveth to himself? And no doubt, who so taketh any thing from them, taketh from Christ, and is a robber of his Savi∣our.

So that nothing is or can be more impudent and abhorred in the sight of our God, our Saviour, and all good Christians, than for a Nation that is fat and full, ample and opulent in all plenty, forraigne and domestick, to debase and impoverish their Bishops, Pastors and Ministers; to force them to live on popular pittances and vile depen∣dances; to make them as mercenary and arbitrary hirelings; to ex∣pose them to all those sordid flatteries which attend sharking neces∣sities. How must this abase that sacred Honor and Divine Authori∣ty, which is and ought to be highly regarded and reverenced in true Bishops and Ministers? Which of them thus haltred and tamely led by the vulgar, shall dare to speak the word of God with all comely boldnesse and Christian freedome? How can such poor and petty preachers have the confidence and courage, without being ri∣diculous, to reprove the faults of any men, great or small? Experi∣ence hath taught us, how miserably even poor Ministers must crouch and comply for morsels of bread, not onely to good Lords and Ladies, but to very sorry Masters and Dames in Country as well as City; who all affect this glory, to be thought (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) pa∣trones and benefactors to their preachers as to their servants, not of right and duty, but of almes and charity: so supercilious are these gratitudes of almost all sorts of Christians, when they count them not debts but gifts; not a legall or a Religious Tribute to God and their Saviour, but a contribution to their poor Minister, the streame of whose tongue must set the mill of his teeth on work; he shall feed little to his own pleasure in this, if in the other he please not his gracious and inconstant contributors.

This station and posture of Ministers, as to popular dependance and arbitrary Almes, is the most intolerable turpitude and vilest dehone∣station that can befall any ingenuous man in the world, and most of all incongruous to those who pretend to any publick place of Go∣vernment or imployment, with conspicuity, and under any notion of authority, either Civil or Ecclesiastick.

Do but make, for triall sake (O my noble Countrymen) your crimi∣nall Judges, your civill Magistrates, your country-Justices, your Com∣mittee-men,

your Military officers, your Bayliffs, Majors, and chief Burgers in the meanest Corporation; make these of pittifull, poor, hungry, thred-bare wretches, let them be alwaies shifting and shark∣ing, digging or thatching, spinning or weaving, scraping and begging for their subsistence, and living upon precarious salaries, such as peo∣ple list to give them, for which they shall have no more legal right or claim than Mountebanks and Juglers have for those rewards▪ from their gentle spectators and benevolous auditors; would any thing (I beseech you) be more putid, abject, vile and despicable in the eyes of the people of England or any Country••••an such mushroome Magistrates, such Go-by-ground Governours, no••tanding they may possibly have the formalities of a Broad Seal, a ••te Staffe, a Paper or Parchment Commission? will they not in time be as noysome to a Country, and noxious to Justice, as the dead frogs were in Egypt?

To avoid which deformed and ridiculous spectacles in Civill-Go∣vernment, doth not the wisdome of this as of every Nation, either find those men invested with Honorable estates, whom it chooseth to or placeth in Magistratick place and power? or else, if their merits be beyond their Estates, are they not presently endowed with such sa∣laries and pensions, either out of the Princes Exchequer and publick Treasury, or out of the emoluments and perquisites of their places, as may bear out their Authority with some form of Majesty and respect? At least, they may redeem both their place and persons from that popular scorn, scurrility and insolency, which is never more malapert, than when it finds want and poverty, like vermine, pinching the backs, and oppressing the bellies of those men who undertake to rule or restraine, to curb or controll common people.

Which is no very welcome office to the vulgar; among whom true Religion finds so much to oppose, so little to please or corre∣spond, as to the humors, lusts, fancies and passions of men, that its Ministers must naturally and necessarily be subject and exposed to all manner of opposition, despite and despiciency; unlesse those so obvious and innate mischiefs be, as in all piety and policy they ought to be, avoided, not onely by the conspicuity of Ministers, approved learning, good abilities, prudent demeanour and due Authority, con∣ferred in their regular and uniform Ordination, but further, by that comely entertainment and competent maintenance, of which com∣mon people have a more lively sense and reall tast (as the dunghill-cock had of the barly-corn) than of all their other internall jewels and ornaments intellectuall: which will not signifie much (as is evident in many hundred instances of worthy Ministers, both Bishops and Presbyters, in these times) if people find them cloathed in thred-bare coates, and almost starved by the straightnesse and tenuity of their worldly condition; which aspect makes even parents themselves, who are our naturall Princes and Gods, very prone to be despised by their children. Nor can it but ill become any ordinary Minister that is worthy of that name and office, but worst of all will it suite

with those who affect to be, or indeed are, or ought to be chief Governours and Bishops in the Church; whose publick entertain∣ment ought to be such as might extend beyond their private and domestick necessities, to something of publick Hospitality, Charity and Magnificence: which were the proportions heretofore allowed by the noble and generous temper of the English Nation to its Cler∣gy, both Bishops and Presbyters, the better to bear up their dignity and authority among the people. The words of a poor man, though wise, are forgotten or unregarded, as Solomon observes: boldnesse and freedome of speech in poor men seems impudence; an authori∣tative carriage in 〈…〉〈…〉 counted arrogancy; their very zeal seems either impatient o•• ••••••••olent. All nations ever abhorred a beggerly Priesthood, as a blasphemous disparaging of the honor of their God.

Nor is indeed (in my judgement) any thing at this day more worthy of the Wisdome, Piety and Honor of this Nation, after all its long war and vast expences military, than to begin to think of doing their duty to God, by finding out, and effectually using some fit meanes to put on Christs cloaths again, to make every Church-living in England and Wales so competent as may maintaine one, and in some great populous places two competent Ministers, that both Preaching, Catechizing and Visiting, with other offices, may be more fully performed. Alas, what can twenty, or thirty, or fifty pound, or less than an hundred pound a year do, to supply the studies and families of any able and ingenuous Minister? to keep up his Spi∣rits from rusticity and sordidnesse? to preserve his person and call∣ing from contempt? to make him in some measure Charitable and Hospitable, cheerfull and considerable?

Much we know was once pretended for the setling and enlarging the maintenance even of the inferiour Clergy, even then wh••n much was intended to be taken away from the chiefest of the Clergy, both of Lands, Houses and Honors. This last I am sure hath been sorely executed; the former is yet for the most part to begin: nay most Livings in England are abated twenty, yea thirty, in the hundred since those specious proposals, just as the burthens of the Israelites were sorer after the newes of their deliverance. O when will that blessed day come, in which the just pitty and generous piety of this Nation will by some most prudent and equable waies make either a just re∣stitution or some moderate compensation to Church-men; not one∣ly to maintaine something of publick Order, Polity, Honor and Government among them, but so as may support private and pain∣full Ministers in their little Parishes, where unlesse they be able to live in some decent sort in their own Houses and Tables, they can never serve well at the Temple and Altar? They ought at least to be redeemed from biting and debasing poverty, though they be not tempted to grow rich; a blessing now denyed to most Ministers beyond any that are publick agents or officers, yea and the meanest Farmers mechanick Artisans.

Much envy, spleen and bitternesse have by some popular and en∣vious orators been heretofore vented against pluralities of benefices, when two or three would scarce make one competent living: A like censorious sharpness hath been used by some against Bishops ordaining, and admitting to poor and pittifull Livings some poor and pittifull Ministers. Alas, better Ministers cannot in reason be expected with∣out better maintenance: Mend this, and then in Gods name mend the other; good workmen will not be had, nor can they live upon small wages. This deep and old core of this Nations sin and shame, its sore and suffering in Religion, ought first to be pulled out and cured▪ then will strength, health and beauty follow in all parts. It is poverty, tenuity and despaire that commonly tempts Ministers, that are conscious to their neglected and unrewarded abilities, to be ei∣ther factious and popular, or debauched and discontent. This Church had fared much better if some Ministers bellies had been fuller. Some were ready to flatter any factious spirit that kept but a good Table, and would feed them without an affront: others having an envy at some of their brethrens and Fathers preferments were ready to turne all to confusion; just as Josephs brethren resolved to make him away, because of his gay coate and his dreames of honor. Men are then most willing to be quiet when they are at their ease. There was scarce one Minister that had any dignity or Church-pre∣ferment, yea or a good Living in England, that was either forward or fomenting of our late troubles upon a Religious account. Men that have most wool on their backs will be most wary of the briars, and most obedient to Lawes, both Civill and Ecclesiasti∣call.

As to the relief of Church-livings, much might in a few yeares be done, if the work were once well begun by publick advise and con∣sent; partly by buying in of Impropriations, which are usually little improvements to any Gentlemens Estates, and I believe no great cordiall to their consciences, especially while they see the ne∣cessities to which poor Vicars and Stipendiary Incumbents are driven, besides the sorry provision that is made for poor peoples soules in those Livings, where there is scarce bran enough left to make aloafe of bread for the Priest, or a cake for the Prophet. Some advantage might be further made by uniting two or three little Livings that are contiguous or neerly adjacent; it being no sacriledge for two sixpences or three groates to give a good shilling to the Temple. Much help also might be by abolishing all injurious and defrauding customes, which ought not to prejudice Gods right, or the Churches Dues. Nor would it be a small comfort to Ministers moderate Li∣vings, if their rights and dues by Law or Custome were once so va∣lued and stated by an equable rate in every parish, that there might be a power in some officer, as in other parish-rates, to levy them as they were setled and due, without any further vexatious and charge∣able suites at Law.

For if the Labourer be worthy of his hire, it is but just he should

have it, without spending one half of it and much time to get the other; yea in most cases the charge of a suite at Law comes to more than that is worth which is detained. I know some petty Lawyers and progging Atturnies will not favour this motion, thinking it will take grist from their Mills; but such of them as are pious, just, and generous Christians, will as readily vote for and advance such an Act for setling Ministers rights, as they did that for treble dammages. Last of all, it would be an act of great ease and favour, if Ministers might be ex••mpted in part from publick taxes and Town Charges, or at least be rated as for Goods, and not for Lands.

Certainly these and such like as just as pious projects were not hard to be executed, as well as invented, if men had as quick a sense of their soules interests as of those which concern their Estates: Grea∣ter matters by far have been done of late yeares, with far greater expense and far lesse benefit to the Nation. The value of one yeares tax laid in for a stock or foundation, together with the additions of private bounty (which I am confident would be cheerfully cast into this Treasury or Exchequer of the Church) would in a few yeares do this great work; I meane purchase in Impropriations, which the Learned and pious Bishop Bedel calls Badges of Babylons captivity, and plain Church-Robberies, in his Sermon on Rev. 17.18. lately set out by Dr Barnard. This Redemption should begin there where is most need. We know that small stock, which was intrusted in the late Kings daies to some Feoffees for this use, had so attractive a spi∣rit and diffusive an influence in England, that I believe by this time the work had been much advanced, if not well-nigh finished, in all probability, if it had been begun, carried on and nourished by as much publick favour as it deserved in the design, if it was without any leven of faction, sincerely to Gods glory, to this Churches good, and the Nations both honor and happinesse; which will never so much thrive by the vast charges of any domestick or forraigne war, as it would by one such noble benevolence and contribution, which would very much set the Reformed Religion on floate again, which every where (now) toucheth ground, by reason of the low estate either of many Ministers, who have small and killing Livings with great Charges, or of the poor people, who must needs have leane and starving preaching: yea some people have no Ministers at all, others as good or worse then none; men whose sordid lives con∣fute all that little they do or can preach, which God knowes is very little, and little worth, full of froth and vapour, if they aime to make up their abilities with popularity, or very flat and dead, while they are at best very small, and run very low in their preaching, praying and living. And all this misery for want of such ingenu∣ous meanes as should invite, entertaine, encourage and oblige a Mi∣nister to be able, carefull and painfull among them; which is now more necessary than heretofore, because the fashion we see is to have all duties exposed to and performed by Ministers private abilities and personall sufficiencies, which are not to be obtained, nor maintained, nor encreased at cheap rates.

But this great and good work, so much to the honor, stability and advantage of the Reformed Religion, as it would be infinitely to the regret of the Romane party, who are glad with exceeding great joy to see the Reformed, Learned and Renowned Clergy of England thus foyled and cast down to the ground, licking the dust of mens feet, and trampled under foot; so it is a mercy which Satan hath hitherto envyed and hindred to this Church and Nation by Gods permission, who hath hitherto thought fit to deny such a blessing both to Ministers and people, from whom he hath suffered the po∣licies and passions of men, in order to save their purses, of late to take away almost all that ancient Ecclesiasticall patrimony or dowry of Estate and honor, which was long agoe given to maintain the dignity and authority of this Churches Ministry and Government in the persons of its Ecclesiasticall Governours, Bishops and others of the dignified Clergy; who, I think, might very well deserve as good salaries as any Major Generalls, Colonels and Captaines, being no lesse both usefull and necessary for the eutaxy or good or∣dering of the spirituall Militia in the Church, than those are for the secular Militia in the state, if they were as duly impowered, payed and encouraged as the others are.

Nor do I doubt but if ever this Nation be so happy as to know its greatest defects and miseries in this point, and heartily to resolve the speedy applying of meet remedies to them, it will be so wise and worthy, so just and generous, as to find out waies not onely to pro∣vide a setled competency for all competent Preachers, but also to an∣nex some comely and honorary reward to the eminency of those who shall be fit to be used and owned as chief Presidents, Moderators and Governours, that is, Bishops in the Church; without which all Religious polity will be as a body without sinewes: For Rulers without some remarques of estate and respect upon them, will be like veines without blood or spirits. I have heard there are yet some such frag∣ments remaining of the Bishops and Cathedrall Lands unsold, which might serve in this case to good use. Theodoret tells us that Constan∣tine the Great gave provision of Corne out of the Imperiall Grana∣ries to Christian Bishops, the better to sustaine their dignity; which allowance Julian the Apostate took away from them, but following Christian Emperours restored to them. That great and witty en∣gine of Antichristian policy (Julian) well knew that neither the Po∣lity, Order and Government of the Church, nor yet Christian Re∣ligion it self in peacefull and plentifull times, can thrive, increase or prevaile among the generality of mankind, if it be not either loved or reverenced; neither of which it can be, if it be not publickly valued; valued it cannot appeare to them, when they see the chief dispensers of it despised; despised of necessity they must be, if either their spi∣rituall and sacred Authority be doubted and denyed, or their civill condition be either necessitous or no way conspicuous: which posture will soon give great advantages to any contrary party and faction, never so deformed with error and superstition, against all pretentions

that may be brought of such reformation as shall end in the begge∣rie and desolations, in the disorders and distresses of its chief Prea∣chers and Professors. Under which burdens of poverty and disgrace Reformed Religion and its able Ministry wil soon decay and moulder away to nothing, while poverty and contempt shall be on this side, but plenty with honor shall attend the deformities of its ene∣mies.

I know there have been of late some petty projects offered by men of wary and thrifty piety, to levell greater Livings, and to make such augmentations to one Minister as shall gripe and grieve another; so robbing Peter to enrich Paul: But (alas) so grand and heroick a work is not to be done any way except by publick munificence, either of restitution and donation, or redemption & purchase; which may redeem the long captive Livings from Papal Appropriations, Regal Confiscations and Lay••Impropriations, which have a long time detained them from those Religious uses and ends for which they were at first by God de∣signed, and by man devoted, which was the comfortable subsistence of preaching Ministers, that they might help both to save the soules and to relieve the bodily necessities of poor Christians; who will never learne or value true Religion very much, when they see the preacher one of the poorest men in the parish, jealous that when he dyeth, the parish must be charged with his poor wife and children. Alas, Ministers are sad Pastors of soules when they want food for their own bodies; they are pittifull Rulers of Christs flock, who are in worse case than ordinary poor shepherds, who have their scrip as well their crook, and something in their bag to relieve, as well as in their hand to discipline their sheep, and defend themselves.

But I leave this (to many men unwelcome) consideration of Mi∣nisters maintenance, either as governing or governed, to the wisdome of those who have largest hearts, purest consciences, and liberallest hands: None but such will lay to heart so great a concerne as this is for Gods glory, Christs honor, and the good of souls. For other wretches, I know how their penurious, covetous and sacrilegious pulse doth beat; they are in nothing more envious and jealous: tis equally harsh and odious to them to heare of any thing to be gi∣ven or restored to the Church, being much more sensible of any damage and injury done to their private purses and Estates, than of such publick detriments and depressions as cloud the glory of their God and Saviour, eclipse the honor of this Church and State, vilifie and, upon the point, nullifie the dignity of the Ministry, and prostitute the soules of poor people for which Christ hath died to ignorance and Atheisme, to licenciousnesse and hypocrisie; it be∣ing more with many men to save a penny than to save a soul, more willing to spare a sound tooth out of their heads, than one pound or shilling to advance Religion: they are for a cheap heaven or none; so willing they are to perish with their money, rather than live by lightning the ship a little.

Notes

• Of the well-being of the Clergy or Mi∣nistry.

  1. In point of maintenance and support.
• 1 Tim. 5.17.
• 1 Cor. 9.6.
• Act. 4.34, 35.
• Gen. 14.18. Num. 18.20, 21. Deut. 10:9. 1 Cor. 9.14. Gal. 6.6. Heb. 7.9.
• Mat. 10.42.
• Eccl. 9.15.
• Theod. hist. l. 4. c. 4.