An Inspective FOR Spiritual Ingrossures; BEING Presented to a Presbyterian PLURALIST, and FORMALIST.  
By THOMAS TOOKEY M. A. Substituted Pastor at Thornhaw in Northamptonshire.  
ISAI 5.20. Woe be to them that join House to House, and lay Field to Field, till there be no place; that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!  
ROM. 2.22. Thou that abhorrest Idols, dost thou commit Sacrilege?  
2 TIM. 6.9. They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.  
verse 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.  
verse 11 But thou O man of God flee those things, and follow after Righteousness, Godliness, Faith, Love, Patience, and Meekness.  
LONDON, Printed for Giles Calvert, at the Black Spread-Eagle at the West end of PAUL'S. 1646.   

The Presentation; To Mr JOHN YAXLEY Minister to the Church in Cunnington in Cambridg-shire, Parson of Thornhaugh, Vicar of Wainsford, etc.  
SIR,  
IT is richly known unto yourself (and I could have desired no other might have known) how that you have covenanted with me to resign up the reserve upon the sight of farther reason. I had thought you could not but have seen how favourably you was looked upon, when disposed to a stately Parsonage, double the value of that you left. You might have seen how nobly the Earl of Manchester encouraged your first admission with the Estimate of fifty pounds out of the sequestration, upon supposure of your despoiled condition, when as in truth you robbed the people of the summer riches, and sought for me to tend your fleeced sheep, during the stormy winter. And when you sought after me (not I you) though you could not see into my successful labours in the ministry to Sir John Gell in Derbyshire, nor my sufferings by severe imprisonment in Titbury Castle, and my other losses both before and since I did withdraw from thence; Yet you might have looked behind you, and have seen the house you left so often battered, rob, despoiled: Yea, you might have washed the cruel Cataracts from off your eyes, with streams of blood distilling from my wounds. Yet notwithstanding infinite of such representives to induce a sight of better reason; nothing will please you (till this very day) but a sight of forty pounds per annum, Tax-free; And such violent and frandulent courses taken by you too enjoy the same, as the Sun in its Meridian Altitude of rigid Episcopacy, never saw the like. Neither yet may I injure you so fare as to make the world believe you look upon Pluralities as less than sinful in themselves, strictly considered: No, you have held forth that light to others with much vehemency. Nor that in exacting the worldly sweet of two distinct congregations, (to one of which you had not for above two years together appeared in the performance of the least ministerial duties) you have sinned against your own light. No, I would willingly judge more indifferently of yourself, and some others involved in the like condition. That having crept so near Cambridge, you have peeped into so much Logic, got so much Sophistry, as in some distinct, and divers considerations, and various acceptations, Temporaliter, Localiter, Conditionaliter, Respectiuè, secundum gradum compossibilitatis, & non secundum gradum incompossibilitatis, not when you could not, but now you can, account both nonresidency, and sacred Thievery, dearly lawful, gainful, hopeful, needful. Sir, This Inspective instrument was therefore composed (on purpose) to help you see better into those unfound mysterious chinks, and unsound curious crannies, through which some late metamorphised Ministers got safely into new, and kept closely to the profits of their old living. It is for your turn, I would not for forty pounds a year but you should make good use of it.  
It will help your concave Luminaries to discern better through the motes you espied in Bishop's eyes, which are grown to beams in you own. To conclude, if this paper hold forth further reason, you must see it though from  
Your poor, SIR,— yet, Fellow-labourer; THOMAS TOOKEY.   

The Inspective serving to better Discovering of Spiritual INGROSSURES.  
THat any Minister of the Gospel should at one time gripe in to both his hands the worldly sweet of two or more Distinct Congregations, his ministry being exercised but upon one of them; is so fare from the Judgement and Practice of Protestant well-reformed Churches, that we cannot easily find those so much corrupted Prelates retaining to Rome to allow it as absolutely lawful in themselves: But that chief for Divers pretended Causes and Considerations, they suspense with it, as with many other Sins under Daubing Notions, and Qualifications, subtle mysteries of these Iniquities.  
It is therefore strictly to be considered, whether those circumstantial Respects, both Old and New fashioned Spiritual Ingrossures thereon Depending, may not be both alike unfound.  
We shall find no End of those many Accidents which are drawn in to encourage Pluralities. Yet, most (if not all) of them will fall in, as appertaining either first to the Parties between whom, secondly the Places whereat, or thirdly the Times wherein those Ingrossures are Acted. And in this Order may the Inspection be Disposed.  

Inspection to the subjective Respects.  
REspects appertain to the Parties, as Superintendents, or Substistutes. For the first, the Prelate; Arguments are drawn either from his Excellencies, or his Deficiencies.  
If Respect being had to the Minister's Excellencies, or Deservings, would justify his Ingrossing; Then from the chiefest of all attainable: (viz: the great and large Endowments of God's Spirit enabling him to the work of the ministry, (between which and the Dignities of humane Sciences, or the Honours and Qualifications of Earthly Potentates, there is no more Competition then between Michahs' Annual Pittance to his mercenary Idol Priest, and the double Portion of the Spirit derived from Eliah upon Elishah) yet this more gracious Qualification, extended even to a Paul's Proportion, leaves the Minister insufficient for a full Discharge of Duties to the meanest Church in the christian world. 2 Cor. 2.16.  
Much less shall he be in a capacity of any other Considerates, to supererrogate for himself, or derrogate from the fruits of others labours.  
Secondly, Respects being rightly had to the Ministers deficiencies, may properly diminish, not multiply Beneficencies: yet a Minister having sown much spiritual seed upon a People and grows deficient (through Age. or sickness, to continue the same) He may surely Reap (as of the fruits of former labours) means for his subsisting from those People; in case he be wholly Destitute, and have not wherewith to live. But Debts, Necessities, and such like Indigencies, must receive an orderly reparation by propitious fruits arising from that Church where God's Providence hath set him down to labour. The spiritual warrior must expect costs from them for whom he goes the warfarfare. 1 Cor. 9.7.8, 9, 10. He had safer cast himself into any extremity through which the pressures of want will drive him, then to fall upon the rock of the sanctuary. He had better surely join any house to house (which also is woeful, Isai 5.20.) then to engross God's Temples. It was certainly a great distrust of God's sufficiency that drew both Ananias and his wife Saphyrah into that Reserving, which occasioned their lying, and thence their punishing. A profane Es●● may as deeply sin, in reaching to himself more than his own, as in selling of his own. They that will be rich (so they that will free themselves of poverty too hastily) fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish noisome lusts which drown men in Destruction and Perdition. 1 Tim. 6.9, 10.  
But the party substituted is unworthy; who shall judge of that? If the Prelate, than none shall be worthy but himself, though happily the most unworthy. But if the substitute be unworthy, why should he have any thing to do there? But the substitute is an able godly minister; The more right to the entire means. Why is such a one wronged? we should not rob from a rogue, much less from a good man. Why is that good man so ill rewarded, discouraged, tempted to half it with the people's soul? unto whom he through want of means and power must needs be in great measure subjected. Notwithstanding the liveliest encouragements, & swe●●est quickenings the best and forwardest Ministers too soon grow dull, and fag in their spiritual duties; so needless and graceless are those reservings that break the bruised Reed, and quench the flaming Flax, and damp the high aspiring sparks of burning Zeal.   

Inspection to the Local Respects.  
THe circumstantial disposition of Places in regard of the Propinquity or near adjoining distance of Parishes is next considerable. For where two parishes are so near together, as the labour of one Minister may with much conveniency extend unto them both; and the rather where the sweet compliance of a truly willing people addressing themselves so each unto other, that the exercises of the ministry may be as powerful and effectual, as if but one. It may be with these as with the two branches, Ezechiel 37.16.17.  
Particular Churches being parishes in great Britain, were very strangely cut into unequal shreds (some think) by the mangling shears of Popish shavelings, and no less unevenly torn into pieces and splinters by our first Reformers; so that were they permitted to shed and congregate themselves, there could not easily be less equality in proportions. For some parishes are so small, and in many respects so inconsiderable, that as they say of Vicaridges in Lincolnshire, they are such nimble ones, that two or three might be borne upon one man's back, without danges of breaking; and others again are so vast, and so remotely 〈◊〉, that though but one parish, yet the Minister thereto will necessarily fall into the sins and deficiencies of a Nonresident, or Pluralist. For where people live at that distance, that the Minister (having but one soul, one body, and that limited) cannot infinitely extend his labours unto all of them, nor the people with respect to the spiritual rest in sanctifying the Lords day (especially the aged, lame, and sickly) cannot possibly, profitably, reap the benefit of his labours, those people though accounted one parish, cannot rightly at one and the same time be the sheep of that one shepherd.   

Inspection to the Temporal Respects.  
THe accidental condition of the times is the most prevalent Respect with the novel Pluralists of our times. The constitution of times is either meanly or extremely disposed. For the first the indifferency of times hath little influence as to alter or to take any thing valuable from the nature of that act, which in itself is merely sinful.  
Extremity of times is either to good, or evil; too true it is that times extremely flattering, Haleyon calms, and Sunshine gleams operate with wanton stirring wits, as with full-fed beasts, makes them gad up and down in their own, and often out of their own into others Pastures: But to speak strictly, those times are not therein accounted prosperous.  
Times extremely evil, tempestuous days, may indeed force silence upon the prudent, Amos 5.13. and so for a time admit the absence of a Minister from his people; and yet nevertheless receive fruits from those people, in relation to what he hath sown formerly, and in regard of what he stands cordially ready to perform, he being not engaged to another people; but keeps at distance only for safety, hover still about the forsaken (like the bird about the nest of us young) and would lives fain come near, but dares not for fear of the vermin, whose prey they are become.  
But to take the advantage of the distemperature of the present times, with some inferior respect to security, but greater regard to profits (which over-poyzing respects will easily be discovered by the value of the Ingot) then to mount himself upon the Backs of a people deserted by their former Minister, and to exact from them the fruits of that living, together with all or any of the sweet of his former place arising since his forsaking them, he being no otherwise authorised to this ingrossure, but by the temporary distemper. The evil of those times are so fare from salving the evil of such Sacrilegious Acts, as that both the Acts and the Times, are made worse thereby. Yea more, were the act not sinful in itself; yet the design of promotion and advancement diametrically cross to God's proceed in humbling times, would taint with impious impurity; such like was urged with vehemency against Baruch in his secular aspiring. Jer. 45.  
1. In whipping times we should be graciously careful to keep pure from all sins as they expose to the lash; but especially from those sins, for which the rod was brought forth.  
2. In reforming times we should take special heed that we neither retain old sins, nor fall into new ones.  
3. As our timely readiness to engage and vow reforming, may be admitted in the way of withholding judgements due to our former offendings; so the breach or slow performings of those vows may e'en force those judgements both for our former fall and latter failings.  
4. In times when many are running, others going, some but creeping to perfection, we should not block the way by so huge a scandal.  
5. At that very time to hold in Prelacy and Superintendency, when God is visibly fight them out, (to them that see any thing clearly) is no less than to fight against God, his word, his sword.  
FINIS.