A LETTER FROM UTERCHT, TO THE ASSEMBLY of DIVINES AT WESTMINSTER: SHOWING The conversion of Church-Lands to Lay-uses, to be condemned by Luther, Calvin, Knox, and the whole Assemblies of Scotch Divines, as a detestable Sacrilege before God, and provoking his heavy judgements. Sent in a Letter to Doctor BURGES in june last, to be presented. A Copy whereof coming accidentally to the hands of W. B. was by him commended to the Press. MAT. 10.26. There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed: nor hid, that shall not be known. Printed in the year, 1648. A LETTER FROM VTERCHT TO THE ASSEMBLY of DIVINES AT WESTMINSTER. THe filial duty we own our natural parents, excuses, nay commands all our endeavours for their preservation; and 'twere sin to think myself (though but a Layman) less indebted to our Spiritual Mother the Church. Therefore I shall not need to apologise for this my address to you in the behalf of her to whom yourselves are more obliged: For besides our equal adoption as Christians, yourselves are tied in your particular as ecclesiastics, naturalised in her womb, nursed with the milk from her own breast, fed with the shewbread from her Altar. Next, as persons appointed by the two Houses of this present Parliament to consult her welfare, guard her indemnity: But chief as Shepherds and Watchmen appointed by God over his flock, and good Shepherds do not only keep the sheep, but their fold safe and entire, as their best outward preservative. For if the wolf enters while ye sleep, are ye innocent? if while ye look on, are ye excusable? But if ye open the door to him, let your consciences rather than my pen tell ye your guilt. See therefore that while ye abolish Episcopacy, ye do not open wide the door to ravenous Sacrilege, that shall at once devour the patrimony of Christ and his Church; for can ye expect Labourers in the Vineyard, when ye suffer not the Lord to have wherewith to pay the penny? ●…. Mat. 27. ●…. john 19 Remember that the Roman Soldiers (though Heathens) divest Christ, only while they scourge him, and then restore his deposited garments, and he wears them till crucified; nor then doth any share them, but such as were active in his death, and of them the meanest soldier. None seize the Vineyard, ●…. Mat. 27.35. ●…. john 19.23. but those that murdered the heir, wicked husbandmen; and will ye look on, nay I fear with Saul, keep their clothes while they divide the garment, ●…. Mat. 21.35. share the Vineyard, sell the Church-lands before Episcopacy be abolished? for God be thanked it is not yet, and I hope the King will see it never shall be enacted. Are not ye Sons of Zadock, Ezek. 44.15, 23 Priests that should teach the people the difference between holy and profane things? and are ye silent in this matter? Shall I re-act Phormie, and tell ye this is Sacrilege, and ye ought prevent it? But perhaps some of you may doubt, therefore though I will not urge ye with the opinion of Fathers, lest some style them Papist; nor the result of Counsels, lest some term them Popish; yet let me remember and press ye with the opinion of the Angels of those (ye hold the best) Reformed Protestant Churches; and according to whose pattern ye have covenanted to reform ours, as the Geneva, German, and Scotch Churches. 'Tis said to be Sacrilege (saith Calvin) to convert Ecclesiastical Revenues to other uses, Calv. de ne●es. Eccles. reform. fo. 66, 67. Edit. 1619. & I agreeing it. If I should say we have not sinned in this kind, I should lie, they accuse our Princes to have taken and misemployed to profane uses the patrimony of Christ and his Church, I excuse it not. That the Church's Revenues are not employed to the uses to which they were dedicated, I confess displeaseth me, and with me all good men will grieve that our Princes take to their use what was taken from the Friars and Priests, and I confess a heavy judgement is pronounced against them that spoil the Church. To farrel he writes thus, Cal. Epist. 66. In the Senate often, in the Pulpit without cessation, I tell them what heavy judgements hang over them for this Sacrilege: Nor think I while I prevail not, that I have discharged my duty. And to Viretus thus, Epist. 108. Papam fuisse furem & sacrilegum videndum (saith he) ne simus successores. As if to abolish Papal authority and Liturgy, and yet mis-imploy the Church-patrimony, were no Reformation, but a continuance of theft and sacrilege. And he concludes, that With Balac in vain we seek a Balaam to bless us, while we continue in this cursed estate. Thus Calvin. Luther saith, The Devil hath two ways to spoil Christ's Church, Luth. in Gal. cap. 6. ver. 6. fo. 433. Heresy and Poverty. To effect which, he stirs up the wicked Magistrate in the City, and the ungodly Nobility and Gentry in the Country, to take and convert to their own profane use the Church-revenue: For then (saith he) men will neglect the Ministry, for ye had rather your children embraced wealthy trades, then beggarly Divinity. And he saith, For the sin of Sacrilege were the Churches of Galatia and Corinth (as he believed) so infested (as ours) with many false teachers. Knox and the whole Scotch Clergy solicit the Lord's Regent's of Scotland, and with we dare not flatter your Honours, First Book of Discipline, fo. 51. Lond. 1641. press them with reasons to restore the Lands of Chantries, and Friars, etc. to the Church. Knox on his deathbed writing to the General Assembly of Divines at Sterling, having advised them not to suffer unworthy men to be thrust into the Ministry, which (saith he) will be a hard battle, Declar. of the Church of Scotl. fo. 7.8. Lond. 1642. yet the second part will be harder, that ye withstand the merciless devourers of the Church patrimony. If men will spoil, (saith he) let them do it at their own peril and condemnation, but communicate not ye with their sins, neither by consent nor silence: But with public protestation make known to the world, ye are innocent of such robberies, which WILL ere long provoke God's vengeance. The Nationall Assembly of Divines at Edinburgh demands of the Queen the Lands rf Hospitals, Knox Hist. of the Reformat. of Relig. in Scotl. fol. 410. Lond. 1644. Fryeries, etc. with all rems, annuities, alterages, obites, and other duties belonging to the Priests, to be employed to pious uses. Knox in his History of Reformation of Religion calls the Nobility The unjust possessors of the Church patrimony. Ibid. fo. 252. The Assembly at Edinburgh, Declar. of the Church of Scocl. fol. 10. 1576. declares the patrimony of the Church to be Jure Divine: And what is said to be the patrimony of the Church, the second Book of the Discipline of the Church tells you in these words, Under the patrimony of the Church, we comprehend all things given to the Church, as Lands, * Houses. Biggens, possessions, Rents, etc. At Glascow they declare, Ibid. fo. 13. That to convert the Church patrimony to the particular and profane use of any man, is a detestable Sacrilege before God: and by that Assembly all Ministers are directed to preach against that Sacrilege: Ibid. fo. 21. But nothing prevailing with men for restitution by fasting and prayer commanded by the Assembly at Saint Andrews 1582. Ibid. fo. 15. they condole the mis-imployment of Church-rents. Did these, the brightest Lamps of those ye call the best Reformed Protestant Churches, and whole Assemblies of Divines in Scotland, labour for a restitution of Church-lands, though given as ours) by Papists (as ours) to Popish Priests & Friars, but not employed as ours now, for support of Protestant Divines? did they yet acknowledge a heavy judgement threatened against the spoilers of the Church Patrimony? Did they write, preach, fast and pray against this Sacrilege, lest they should endanger their own and others souls? and can ye, as careless of both, with safety to neither, sit silent, not preach, not write, not fast, not pray, not speak against a more horrid Sacrilege? Can ye see the godly Onias and all the Priests prostrate before the Altar, 2 M●c. 3.15. weeping and praying to prevent one single Sacrilege, but a hac vice-tantum-Sacriledge, only the Plunder of a little money out of the Temple-Treasury; and will not ye, not one of ye weep, nor write, nor speak one word to prevent the ruin of a whole Church, and consequently Nation? As many Sacrileges as ye and your children shall number days, and persons misemploying Church-Revenues. Will no example neither of Jew nor Gentile, Papist nor Protestant, and of these, the best of those you term the best Reformed Protestant Churches? will none move ye? Though neither they, nor the very many and heavy worldly judgements in our own Nation, upon the families and estates of our own Nobility, our own Gentry, and Commonalty stir ye not; yet let the view and contemplation of one spiritual judgement, yet only (God so stint it) upon a foreign Nation. Let that awake and fright ye. See the now darkened Palatinate, which flourishing, seized all the Church's Patrimony, setting that first bad copy of Sacrilege, which unhappy Germany and miserable We unluckily followed. See there how after the Sword had (as with us) long raged, depopulating (as with us) the Country, destroying (as with us) all estates, both sexes, all ages, and then to add misery to their affliction, their candlestick (may the Parallel never hold) their candlestick is removed, the most glorious Protestant Religion suprest, and Popery, (which ye seem so to fear) replanted, as if God were less offended with the superstitious vanities of Papists, than the contemptuous Sacrilege of Protestants. This weighed, if ye will be Ezekiels Watchmen, Ezek. 33.6. See the Sword coming, and not blow the trumpet, that men may be warned: if any man die in this iniquity, shall not his blood be required at your hands? But on the other side, joshuah 6. if with Joshuah's Priests (which I hope and pray for) ye blow the trumpet seven days, Deut. 28. and then seven times, even till ye level the walls of this Jericho with the ground. May ye be blest in the City, and in the field, blest in the fruit of your body, and the increase of your cattle, blest when ye come in, and blest when ye go out. May all the blessings in the Old Testament be doubled upon ye, and all of the New crown ye, that ye may bless our Israel, and in them, him that prays for it, Utercht, 4. June, 1647. Still. Angl. CLEM: SPELMAN. JOEL 1.9, 10, 11. The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord, the Priests, the Lords Ministers mourn. The field is wasted, the Land mourneth; Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen. FINIS.