OF TITHES, CHURCH-FEES, CHURCH-REVENUES; And whether any Maintenance of Miniflers can be fettled by Law. BY JOHN MILTON, THE AUTHOR OF PARADISE LOST. PRINTED AT LONDON, 1659. PEPRINTED AT EDINBURGH, 1797. CONSIDERATIONS TOUCHING THE LIKELIEST MEANS TO REMOVE HIRELINGS OUT OF THE CHURCH. THE INTRODUCTION. THE HE former Treatife, which leads in this, began with two things ever found working much mifchief to the church of God, and the advancement of truth; force on the one fide reftraining, and hire on the other fide 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 beft thrives and flourishes: But the corruption of teachers, moft commonly the effect of hire, is the very bane of truth in them who are fo corrupted.. Of force not to be used in matters of religion, I have already spoken; and fo ftated matters of confcience and religion in faith and divine worship, and fo fevered them from blafphemy and herefy, the one being fuch properly as is defpiteful, the other fuch as ftands not to the rule of fcripture, and fo both of them not matters of religion, but rather against it, that to them who will yet ufe force, this only choice can be left, whether they will force them to believe, to whom it is not given from above, being not forced thereto by any principle of the gofpel, which is now the only difpenfation of God to all men, or whether being Proteftants, they will punish in those things wherein the Protestant religion denies them to be judges, either in themselves infallible, or to the confciences of other A 3 men; men; or whether, laftly, they think fit to punifh error, fuppofing they can be infallible that it is fo, being not wilful, but confcientious, and, according to the best light of him who errs, grounded on fcripture: Which kind of error all men religious, or but only reasonable, have thought worthier of pardon; and the growth thereof to be prevented by fpiritual means and church-discipline, not by civil laws and outward force; fince it is God only, who gives as well to believe aright, as to believe at all; and by thofe means which he ordained fufficiently in his church to the full execution of his divine purpose in the gofpel. It remains now to speak of hire; the other evil so mischievous in religion: Whereof I promised then to speak further, when I fhould find God difpofing me, and opportunity inviting. Opportunity I find now inviting,. and apprehend therein the concurrence of God difpofing; fince the maintenance of church-miniflers, a thing not pro-perly belonging to the magiftrate, and yet with fuch importunity called for, and expected from him, is at prefent under public debate. Wherein left any thing may happen to be determined and established prejudicial to the right and freedom of the church, or advantageous to fuch as may be found hirelings therein, it will be now moft feafonable, and in these matters wherein every Chriftian hath his free fuffrage, no way mifbecoming Chriftian meekness to offer freely, without difparagement to the wifeft, fuch advice as God fhall incline him and enable him to propound. Since heretofore in common-wealths of moft fame for government, civil laws were not establifhed till they had been firft for certain days published to the view of all men, that whofo pleafed might speak freely his opinion thereof, and give in his exceptions, ere. the law could pafs to a full establishment. And where ought this equity to have more place, than in the liberty which is infeparable from Chriftian religion? This, I am not ignorant, will be a work unpleafing to fome: But what truth is not hateful to fome 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 impartial truth, as the work of their miniftry, though not performed without money, let them not envy others who think the fame no lefs their duty by the general office of Christianity, to speak truth, as in all reafon may be thought, more impartially and unfufpectedly without money. Hire of itself is neither a thing unlawful, nor a word of any evil note, fignifying no more than a due recom→ penfe or reward; as when our Saviour faith, The labourer is worthy of his hire. That which makes it fo dangerous in the church, and properly makes the hireling, a word always of evil fignification, 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 Conftantine: Who out of his zeal thinking he could be never too liberally a nurfing father of the church, might be not unfitly faid to have either overlaid it or choked it in the nurfing. Which was foretold, as is recorded in ecclefiaftical traditions, by a voice heard from heaven on the very day that thofe great donations and churchrevenues were given, crying aloud, This day is poifon poured into the church. Which the event foon after verified; as appears by another no lefs ancient obfervation, That religion brought forth wealth, and the daughter devoured the mother. But long ere wealth came into the church, fo foon as any gain appeared in religion, hirelings were apparent; drawn in long before by the very fcent thereof. Judas therefore, the first hireling, for want of prefent hire anfwerable to his coveting, from the fmall number or the meanness of such as then were the religious, fold the religion itself with the founder thereof, his mafter. Simon Magus the next, in hope only that preaching and the gifts of the Holy Ghoft would prove gainful, offered before-hand a fum of money to obtain them. Not long after, as the apoftie foretold, hirelings like wolves came in by herds, Acts xx. 29. For I know this, that after my departing fhall grievous wolves enter in among you, not Sparing the flock. Titus i. 11. Teaching things which they ought |