ved, like the Forbidden fruit, not to be Touched by us, Ever fince the Creation of Man upon the Earth: And which had been moreover so often and fo Solemnly VOWED, with the most Dreadful Imprecations both Temporal and Eternal upon all those who should Refufe or Neglect to Pay them? If the Diffembling of Ananias and Sapphira was conftru'd a Lying, not to Men, but to The Holy-Ghoft: How is it not a Lying both to Men, and to The Ho- A&t. v. 4. ly-Ghost, to Defeat the Grants of our Fore-fathers; to Difannul their Vows; And Rob GOD of what they had vowed to Him; and which was His Due before: And is ftill Due from us, tho neither they nor we had ever Vowed them? Ther is a Greater Complication of Daring and Provoking Sins in this Matter than perhaps is to be found in any other Instance, now in Practife amongst Us. And which we ought not to Forget in the Lift of those Sins, for which God, is now vifibly Punishing of these Nations. We have Refus'd Him, His Tenth; And He has taken our Nine Parts from Us, and fcarcely left a Tenth in the Nation of what but but a few years ago we did Poffefs. And His Hand is stretched out ftill---- 6. Mr. Selden, tho he bent his whole ftrength against the Divine Right of Tythes, yet when he came to Confider the Solemn Dedication of them, with Vows to God, he yields, upon this score, that they were Unalienable and Irrevocable. I will fet down fome of his words, in his Review. p. 486. And let him that Detains them (the Tythes, says lie) and believes them not to be Jure Divino, think of the Ancient Dedications of them made to Holy Ufes. And however they were abused to Superftition as the other Large Endowments of the Church, before the Reformation; yet follows it not, without farther Confideration, that therefor, although fo Dedicated, they might be Prophaned to Common ufes, or Lay-bands. Confult herein with Divines. But I doubt not but that every Good Man wishes, that at our Diffolution of Monafteries, both the Lands and Impropriated Tythes and Churches poffeffed by them (that is things facred to the fervice of God, although Abused by fuch as had them) 2 bad 141 had been bestowed rather for the advancement of the Church to a better Maintenance of the Labouring and Deferving Miniftery, to the fostering of Good Arts, Relief of the Poor, and other fuch Good ufes as might retain in them for the benefit of the Church or Commonwealth, a Character of the wishes of those who first with Devotion Dedicated them (as in fome * other Countrys upon the Reformation, Chriftoph. was Religionfly done) than confer'd Pinder. de with fuch a Prodigal Difpenfation, as it fia, in Duhappened, on those who stood ready to cat. WittenDEVOUR WHAT WAS SANCTIFY'D; and have, (in no Small Number) fince found Inheritances thence Derived to them, but as SEJANUS his Horfe, or the Gold of THOLOUSE. : 7. This Obfervation of Selden's has been more Particularly Infifted upon by Sir Hen. Spelman in his Hift. of Sacrilege and his Son Clem. Spelman in his Preface to his Father's Book, De non temerand. Eccl. Who has given Many and Remarkable Inftances of the Ruin and Destruction of those Families who fhar'd most of the Church Lands and Tythes in the Beginning of our Reformation, and before from William * Bonis Eccle berg. pag. 94. c. William the Conqueror. Especially it was taken notice of That the Heirs of fuch Familys were taken off untimely; or that they had no Heirs; and their Eftates and Honours went into other Familys. This was chiefly Remarkable in Hen. VIII. himself. All of whofe Children Dyed Childlefs, and left his Crown to another Family and Nation. And whereas the Addition of the Church Lands and Treasure, which were Annexed to the Crown, were thought fo In-Exhauftable, that Hen. VIII. Promised to his Parliament that if they wou'd fettle them upon the Crown, he wou'd free the Nation, for ever, from Taxes and Subpdies; would Maintain 40* Earls, 60 Barons, Preface to 300 Knights, and 40000 Soldiers, and Stow's An- that they fhou'd always be fo Maintain'd upon the Expence of the Crown. Jurisdiction Yet when thefe Church-Lands, and Tythes Impropriated were accordingly Granted to the Crown; together with the Plunder of All the Church-Plate, and Jewels offer'd at their Shrines; which were Ineftimable: All that the King had Promis'd in lieu of them, was forgot: And the Nation never Pay'd * How's nals. Coke's of Courts. f. 44. fuch fuch Heavy Taxes, as fince that time: Instead of being Eas'd from Taxes, as they Expected, and was Promis'd; from that Day, Taxes feem'd to be Entayl'd upon them; And ever to Encreafe. They have already (as above obferv'd) brought us to a Tenth, who have feis'd upon the Tenth of God. And unless we Repent ---- And as for the Crown, that vaft Acceffion of Sacrilegious Wealth, and Lands, Eat out themselves, and all the Crown Lands with them. Infomuch that, at this Day, several Private Gentlemen in England, enjoy more to their own Eftates than all the Lands which are left to the Crown do now yield. And Hen. VIII. himself, who thought never to be Poor, liv'd to fee that Incredible Mafs of Wealth, which he had Robbed from the Churches, All Melt away like Ice before the Sun; And his own Vaft Treafure with it, infomuch that he was at last Reduc'd to Coyne Bafe Money. The Fate of the Great Duke of Somerset is very obfervable, He was Uncle to King Edw. VI. and Protector of England he built Somerset-Honfe : |