A LETTER Written to a Christian Friend, and one of the Parliament Men. PROPOSING The groundlesness of the Plea for TYTHS, impropriat TYTHS, or TITHE as a Revenue due to the Magistrate.  Psalm 119. verse 128. 
Therefore I esteem all thy Precepts concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way.  
FOR THOU SHALT LABOUR  
PEAC PLENTY  
LONDON, Printed the sixth day of the Tenth Month, in the year of our Lord 1653.   

Christian Reader,  
THere are Reasons not expressed, why this Letter was printed: and did you know what musing thoughts (in the solitary night) I had, and what prayers and sighs went from my heart, desiring God to speak me silent; because being no party that pay or receive Tithe: and how I have objected, that I am no man of power in the Nation, and that I mind things too high for me, and am unprofitable to Church or State, and a Vessel but for mean use, and that needs must I err, being no Masterbuilder: Yet considering again, the Great Potter of the Earth hath made me for some End, I dare not but move as I am moveed: the dumb Ass was not to be smitten when not faulty. Thus praying you, that what you find rude and weak in these ensuing Lines, that charge on me as mine, but what you find of Truth and Justice there, that is my God's, and thy God's, to whom I commit thee and all the Flock of Christ. And that you may read without prejudice, I shall conceal my Name, not fearing who can blot it if written in the Lamb's Book of Life.   

Honourable Sir,  
THe Salutation of him that is unworthy greets you, and presuming on your unfeigned love to the Lord jesus Christ, and all his Saints, I do write these; and that you should not want encouragement in this Work of the Lord now called to, I shall tell you, the prayers and breathe of the hearts of God's Saints are, that you may do worthily, and much for God's honour; & first be as zealous for the Son's honour as the Son was for his Fathers. See you not the pollutions of the Land? how base and wicked men make merchandise of the Word of the Lord, and preach in the Name of the Lord, when the Lord never sent them! that know nothing of the operation of the Spirit by which the Word should be published! these dumb Souls, I hope you will find somewhat like the Rods of small Coards to drive them out, for they have no part nor fellowship in this business, well you may call them your Servants and hirelings, but Christ owns them not, they never came in by the Door, wherefore their work, and your care, and wages for them, shall be all set down for nothing in the last Account; why hear you not the bleat of of the flocks, that cry, Take away these Wolves, that rob us at your pleasure!  
You tell us dear Friend, the Knot of Tithe you cannot undo, now the Lord God and Father of jesus be with you, and teach you to work in your work: I presume you are not left to serve alone, for the Father of Spirits is with you. Sir, I believe the foolish things of this World shall stand and confound the wise, and I do here presume you will suffer a Fool gladly, because you are wise. Indeed I cannot believe Tyths are now to be practised, for it was the jews Law, proper to them only, because no where commanded but in the Ceremonial Law, and there was for divers uses, whereof God provides for himself a Sacrifice, the first born: the Levites had no other Portion nor Inheritance amongst their Brethren but Tyths; the Priests were to have some certain Flesh, the first fruits, and for Purification; also the Poor, the Strangers, Widows, and fatherless, were fed of the Tyths, and these with other Ceremonial worship were Types and Shadows of glorious things to come, and to be fulfilled by our great High Priest Christ jesus, and therefore 'tis clear, Hebr. 7.12. the Priesthood being changed, there is a necessity of changing that Law, it was not Moral; God never commanded Abraham to give the Tenth, nor Melchisedeck did not demand it, but the Text saith, He gave the Tenth; amongst the Israelites when they prospered by the Sword, they shared the Spoil to those which remained at home, as well as to those that went to war. Now we find it cast out of the New Testament, and disused among the Chrstian Churches in the Primitive time, and of a truth it will and must follow, they were brought in by Antichrist, or some tyrannical Prince for him, and was diverted from Monks and Friars to Bishops and Deans, and then to the National Ministry, and now some would have it for a Gospel-Ministry; but shall that which was for the most part, yea I may say altogether raised by the Pope the Antichrist, and imposed and confirmed by Popish Laws, Councils, and Parliaments, and was an Innovation of Antichrist for his worship, and is this day one of the Crutches he leaneth on in England: shall this poor Inheritance crept out of Babel, be divided amongst them all? Must all share of it? No, let every one have his right, let the Antichristian Magistrate, Minister, and Worshippers take what pertains to them; and the Christian Magistrate, Minister, and Worshippers, take what pertains to them: we are not of the entailed Heirs of Antichrist, we drink not all of one Rock, we have sworn and covenanted with and before the high God to resist in our Places all Popery and Popish Innovations, in Doctrine, Worship, and Discipline. Now some say they were of free Gift, but prove that: perhaps some were, but most was imposed, and that was to an idolatrous use, and therefore it was ill done to give, and worse to force it from men, for who required it at their hands? also it is an unjust Maintenance, there is no Calling pays like the Farmer, although there are rich moneyed men, great Merchants and Tradesmen in the Land far-way abler, yet pay little or nothing; also some Land pays nothing at ●ll, and other Lands which pay Tenths, which many times amounts to three parts of the Rents, are cozened, and pay the Tenth of all their stock every year, not laying by his Seed every year, which he paid the Tenth of the year before; the Law gave but the Tenth of the Increase; also you have the Tenth of the Sheep, and the Tenth of the Wool of the nine that remained; therefore this will bear the name of a cruel cursed Law: by this means they bear dominion over us, and the Yoke is heavier upon that Calling than all others, contrary to the Apostles Rule, 2 Cor. 8.13. neither is it that others should be eased, and you grieved; how like jews do we look, with our Oblations, Tyths, and Offerings! Are we in carnal jerusalem still, or coming toward Mount Zion that new jerusalem? Surely we are on our way, then stand by you Tithes, you are not of Christ. Men fear, and care, and conclude no Ministry, nor worship of God can be maintained without them. We never read nor find any of these used in Christ's and his Apostles times, and yet Gods worship purely maintained, and therefore carnal fears, and it being jewish, Popish, and unjust, undeniably I shall beg, that as you gave it not its birth, so let it have neither breath nor being.  
But you will say, It is unjust, Impropriators should lose their Purchase. Indeed it is a very proper name, and suits their Title well, it is fitly so called, and were his Holiness the Pope now keeping house here in England, he would soon curse all such Children, as have committed such Sacrilege, as thus to rob his Church. It is unjust for any man to pay any, therefore unjust for him to force to pay or receive any▪ it was never raised at the first to put in his Purse, he doth nothing at all for it, therefore no shadow of truth in it why he should enjoy it; it was first unjustly raised, then diverted from the use given, and still is unjustly paid, and never will be just till it go back to the Landlord, who is the true Owner thereof, for he bought the Land, and if any Commodity be found in the Land, and Purchase, more than the Seller and Purchaser were ware of, whose is it but the Purchasers? as in all other Contracts and Bargains we take them at all adventures, sometimes they prove better, sometimes worse than expected.  
Again it will be said, than you will wrong, and perhaps undo many, who have bought such Impropriat Tithes, and paid largely for them. Indeed we fear many are wronged, but who hath deceived them? Not you, the Keepers of our Libertyes, and Ministers of Justice: your duty is to defend the good and clear Title, and not else: neither hath the Seller, for the Title was well known to be what it is, a Badge of Tyranny, for so Samuel persuades Israel, ● Sam. 8. to avoid that tyranny, and have no King, [for he will have the Tithe of all, and it shall be for a Judgement, ye shall cry out in that day because of your King. In Henry the third's time there was granted to him two shillings out of every Ploughland, and in another King's Reign there was granted the Eights of every City and Burrow, and Twelfths out of the Country; and is any grieved, because this being established by a Law, is laid aside? Whether did King Henry the sixth alienate Tithe, or take it away by Law or not? We affirm Kings at their Coronation are sworn to govern according to Law; why were not Monopolies and Ship-money willingly received under our late King? No, we cried out he was a Tyrant, ruling by a Prerogative Power. Was not King Henry's Act the same? he was in a rage, and had a lust to do what he did, and ever since Custom and the gain thereof hath caused that unlawful Act to stand in force, and therefore why should not all the Patentee-men be satisfied? King Charles had as much Law on his side as King Henry; it is the duty of a Subject of a Nation to know the Laws thereof, that they may be sure to have Law on their sides, for want of the knowledge hereof many have lost thousands of Pounds, and for redress have thrown hundreds after, and what recompense should these men have? Surely none, unless they can summon their Deceivers to keep a Court of Conscience. And for Impropriators, I am not against their having some satisfaction, it is but Equity and Justice, they should have some recompense, but not from them which have not hurt them, unless they will; I wish they may find good merciful men: and if it were a forced Salary at the first, it being unequal for proportion with other men's Estates, and unjust, because ye received the Tenth of the Increase, and the Tenth of the Stock, as was made appear, and because it was gathered to uphold a Popish worship, it ought to fall with the worship: again, grant it were a free Gift at the first, and suppose all to be in the Donors' power to bestow, (which I do question, how he could give any other than his own, viz: the Tenth of his Land,) yet being taken away from the use for which it was given, and converted to no such end, but sold away for gain, & employed to particular men's benefit; this implies the Donor had no Power, yea, was not capable of a Gift, if he were capable to give a Gift, & such a Gift, than that Gift was lawful, and then who had power to sell such a Gift, and divert it from that use? but if the Magistrate say, the use was unlawful, than I say the Gift was an unlawful Gift, and the Boons return from whence it came. Indeed it is unavoidable, some late Purchasers will be Losers by it, unless the Charity of the men of the place, or the Seller, or the State, will as an Act of their Grace and Mercy give some Gratuity to such as have little else, which they are to acknowledge to be a free Gift if they receive any thing, but some have kept it long, and bought it for a small matter, and have so employed it, that when they give it back again; it will not owe them a Penny: also this sort of men or the greatest number of them will be Gainers in their other Land more than this comes to if Tyths fall, and indeed they must & will fall ere long, and I persuade myself if the Parliament will not honour themselves so far as to throw them down, the People will dishonour themselves so much as to pay them with great unwillingness. We are declared to be a free Nation, and the Magistrate professing to take off all burdensome Yokes, whereof Samuel the Prophet calls this one in the place before named; and these are they that eat the fat and best fruit, in many places, they have the chief Tithe, and perhaps the Minister hath left him some Tithe Eggs, and the rest of all the small Tithe, not enough to maintain many of them in a mean sort.  
And for encouragement to all Impropriators, consider I pray you what Amaziah did, 2 Chron: 25. he made but a bad Bargain to lose his money, and have nothing for it, because willing to take counsel of the Lord; so do ye, restore back again, openly, rather than wrong thyself and neighbour by a Law; I would have them consider what that Traitor Judas did, read you never, after he was convicted of sin, taking unlawful wages for unlawful work, saith he, Take the thirty Pieces of Silver again: But it is affirmed by some the national Ministers have an equitable and unquestionable right to Tyths as any man hath to his , (but I think they are deceived) see Fox Acts and Monuments, Volume 1. pag. 604, 632, 669. and he that robs them in Tyths and Offerings may as well take away any man's . I take it a man holds his  either by Purchase or Gift, or is Heir by descent, but they cannot claim Tyths as that they bought them, nor yet of Gift, (Antichrist was no such Benefactor to raise them, and give it to any other than the Brats of his own breed) and a strange thing it is, how it should come to them by descent, for sure they are not all of one stock; but haply the Magistrate having long accustomed himself with old Idolaters and Tyrants, and living with them, might observe their manners, and at last divide the Prey as well as others before, as it is said of the two sons of Josias, Ezek. 19 being nourished among the Lion's whelps they became as Lion:.  
Indeed I may say, though there be much Rubbish of the Romish Kirk cast out, yet all the High places are not quite taken away, and though Tyths have been confirmed by Popish Parliaments, and the Kirk (so called) who have been Lords Paramount in England, for many years, and so would not let their glory fall: also by others who have shared the Spoil with them, whose Interest hath been as sweet to them as their Prerogative: I say, what if these have kept up the old Custom, yet this lets not, but a Christian Magistrate may and aught to take down all the high Places that remain. O foolish Generation, why count ye it an hard thing to cast out Tyths! have you any thing to say more why this should not cease, but only your Covetousness and Custom? I presume you will not in other Cases plead, that Custom gives a clear Right and Interest, for then those that have accustomed themselves to steal, may plead Custom to be a Law for them; and he that hath received a gift, may plead it is a duty for the Donor to give another gift: indeed you make such a Smoke with your Arguments, as have put out and blinded the eyes of many, and made many look as it were asquint. The Prophets are bid to cry aloud against the Abominations of the Times, jam no Prophet, nor prophet's Son, yet I am bold to persuade you to do what you can to cast out Baal, and all the Idols thereof, and Cursed is he that doth the work of the Lord negligently.  
If any shall maintain Tyths to be a lost Inheritance, and would make use of Num. 5.8. for a recovery, and to be dedicated to the Ministry for the Service of the Lord: Ishall answer, this instance is improper; first because the Text speaks of a wrong done, a sin or trespass against any man, for that is implied; some man must be wronged, but who is wronged here, or what Minister of Christ can challenge Tithe to be his, and if none be wronged, none ought to be offended if taken away, and then there is no Sin or Trespass committed: but if you say they are the Magistrates, then what need you strain so far to bring a lost Law, to make it a lost Inheritance? for the Law was Ceremonial in every branch of it: first there is required Restitution with the Principal, a recompense of the Trespass, and a fifth Part added; now what Law of God that is Moral requires any other then Restitution, according to the nature of the offence, sometimes bare Restitution, sometimes , sometimes seven, but Restitution of principal Damage, and a fifth Part added is Ceremonial, if not why do not all Offenders add the fifth Part. Secondly to be paid to the use of the Priests for the Service of the Lord, but now there is no such Subject or Object, the Preist-hood is fallen, and we look for one to come. Thirdly, Restitution was not, nor could not be made without the Ram for Atonement, for the Text saith, besides the Ram for Atonement: I know it was practised by the mother Church of Rome, when any man died Intestat, the Pope possessed himself of all the Estate.  
Tithes are not so Civ●ll as some men account; they were set apart from common uses, and conferred upon the Church, because the Tenth was counted holy; and whether it was done by the Pope or some towardly Son of his, and their ingenious Council, yet it was their vain Superstition to divert this holy Tenth to the Church, because now no express Stipend or constant Salary is allotted since the Jews Law for the Service of the Lord, and to keep up worship, what God required in one Generation he required not in another for worship: how differently was God well pleased in the several Ages of the world! in Abel's time before the Flood, and Abraham's time, it was different from Moses and Solomon's time, and that different from the Apostles and Primitive time; the first Fruits of Sheep that would serve in one Age, was not enough in another Age, with the Tenth and Redemption of the firstborn, and daily Sacrifice, but abundance must be added for the Tabernacle, and Temple work, in its time, and for the Church in the New Testament, you know all these chargeable Sacrifices were too little: Christ tells the young man he must sell all: Zaccheus gave half of his goods, and Scripture saith, many that had Lands and Possessions, couned the Price of them, and laid it at the Apostles Feet, because of the need: we proportion our Contribution by our Civ●ll Law, according to the estate and condition of the Object, and we should lay out towards the Worship of God, that that Worship might be maintained in honour, by all that count it their honour to have a right worship; and this is to be observed, every one to minister according to what a man hath, keeping this in your Eye, the flourishing state of the Church, and those that minister there: sometimes the condition of the Church may be such, that the hundredth part of a man's Estate laid out in God's Cause and Worship, may be an acceptable Sacrifice, and again at other times 3 parts of 4 will not be sufficient; from whence you may conclude, that Tyths, Tenths, or a certain Stipend, enjoined every man toward the Service or Worship of the Lord, is not the way of Christ, and if you would not count me proud, I would challenge you for an Instance from the Scriptures, where the Magistrate was to use his Coërcive Power, for the Worship of God; but the Prophets did acconut them accursed if they observed not all the Commands of God to do them: Yet are Christian Magistrates an unspeakable Blessing in a Land, and the age past would have found it so, could the Flock of Christ but have escaped with their Lives out of the hands of those Wolves; we enjoy more; they are a Refuge to keep off the Storms, they cast out and abhor Idolatry, and false worship, and are Tender of all that fear our God, yea the Church may say, behold the Magistrate is one with us, he hands along with her; therefore my prayer is, that as he hath companied with her in the wilderness, and hath lent her his help in an untrodden way, amongst vast and terrible Enemies, that he will travel with her till they both come to their Rest, and certain it is, there is a Rest for the People of God, and then I dare say, I know who will pay them for all: the truth is, Antichrist put into England to advance his Throne and worship, and to that end must have this maintenance; now we renounce Antichrist, & his way, and resolve, that Jesus Christ being upon his Throne, shall rule us in his way: then Judge the case, while we lived under Antichristian Magistrates, we could expect no other Laws, but such as ●e●●ad, therefore must suffer his manners; and whether be forced ●y h●s ●●w, or became a Lying-Spirit, to seduce for Politic ends, and so raised his maintenance, by threatening damnation to the ignorant world, if they dedicated not their holy Tenths to such a use: yet must this stand as the Laws of the Medes and Persians, faster than all other Laws that hath been found, not according to the word of God, and so repealed by the Reformers of these Times: Statutes of Princes were no excuse to Israel, to follow, but they were reproved for observing them, Micah 6.16. Methinks I hear some of the Conscientious Ministers say, I wish the first fruits were down, that is a little too superstitious; and I dare say, if they knew how to signify so much to you without weakening the whole Foundation, you should quickly hear of some humble Petitioners: but if I might be the Judge, I should condemn none, if they pass by all such kind of Devotion: some counted it a great Loss when Monopolizers and their patents were cast out, but the Voice of them that rejoiced, was greater than the Cry of those that mourned: why halt ye between God and Baal; let us choose him that is God, and follow him: doth any particular man lose a Just and Lawful Inheritance, if taken away? why than I Oppress no man if I withhold my Tything, and then what command of God is broken?  
If Tithes fall, the Nation in general will gain it, the Landlord and Tenant will share it, and of these two sorts the whole Land almost consists; and these are they, with the Soldiery, that under God have redeemed the Nation from Antichrists yoke, for who goeth to warfare on his own cost? Moneys and Treasures are accounted the sinews of War, by it they have redeemed our Government and Laws, and if there come any right of gain thereby, let them share in it: But I wonder some of our enemies have gone but an equal share with us that have born the brunt, and heat of the day! This Act of Oblivion hath been like agag's sparing many of the fat ; me thinks Subsidies on some men would do well, Christ and Peter in Math. 17. conclude from whom the Princes of the Earth take Tribute or Pole-money. But to our Question, Every family, person, subject, high or low, must lay out for the worship of God, as God commands; but if we give away our Tithes, which is the Commonwealths and Nations in general, hereby, and then the Commonwealth especially, the poor Landlords and poor Tenants, will be the more disabled, and out of capacity to lay out for the worship of God, which he requires of them. You will say, the Magistrate should dispose of it. I say, God requires every man that he discharge his duty in the worship of God: and I say, how can many people do any thing when the Magistrate hath robbed us of so much of our substance? I will appeal to Christians, if they have faith enough to believe, in every age that the Magistrate will employ the Commonwealths substance always to the glory of God, his worship, and the relief of the Saints; perhaps this Magistrate may, but haply the next may be as another Pharaoh, that knew not joseph, that will not know the afflictions of joseph: and shall we now put our necks under their feet, and desire them to boar us through the Ear for ever! No, if this be a Christian Magistracy, let them take of us what the state and condition of affairs calls for, and what God requires of them. If this be not a time, under a Christian Magistrate, to proclaim Liberty from Antichrist, when then! The Jews had a Law, if a man sold his Inheritance, and were not able to redeem it, 
By Scripture account Seven is a number of perfection.  he should stay but until the year of Jubilee, the fiftieth year, and then it should return to the same Family again for nothing: we have had a generation that have taken away our substance, good and pleasant things, for 7 hundred years together, and we redeemed it again with our Blood and Treasure; and shall not we keep our jubilee yet! then be ye boared thorough till the End of all things.  
But to pursu all your benighted Questions; Suppose Tithes were given, the tenth of a man's Land to the Popish Priest, and all the holy Order created Officers by a Papal power,, Antichrist being Supreme in that Throne: I say, admit they were given to their Use, and the Use of the poor, as Writers make it appear they were. Now the poor have been disinherited wrongfully, for our Saviour saith, the poor ye have always with you, but that Order of Officers (created as aforesaid) ought to have no room nor standing in the Church, as subjects fit to receive the same: And as it is with an Annuity, payable out of a man's Land, it is payable no longer than such persons to whom it was given, live to receive it; the Land may be often sold, and the Annuity paid still, but at last it falls into some of their hands for want of heirs: I say, the Officers aforesaid are, & aught to be cast out, & no other by the Laws of the Land can challenge Tithe, but such as have been sealed with the Mark of the Beast, aforesaid: So that to me it appears, if the State charge this Land with the paying of Tithe, it must be by a new Impost: It is not the wages the Gospel Ministers can challenge, it may be insufficient, or too much for Gospelers to offer in Faith. And as for the poor, the Laws of the Land have provided that they be maintained according to their need: And as for a Stock to maintain Wars, and Negotiations with other Nations, as a Treasury for the Magistrate, for State Affairs; this should be raised according to occasion: therefore if Tithe still remain payable, and the use be ceased, than the little finger of our Magistrate will be heavier than our father's loins, our fathers bore the wooden yoke, and we the iron.  
And now I beseech you (dear friend) in the bowels of the Lord jesus, mistake me not, as if by this I would overthrow the Ministry, a thing my soul abhors, but my prayers are that God would purify the House of Levi, and that all the Prophets of the Lord may be holy. Oh, shall I deny that which is of God God forbidden: I know the Ministry to be an Ordinance of God, Ephes. 4.11, 12, 13. and I hope I shall never live to deny the least Ordinance of God; I had rather pass to the Grave and there rest in silence, than to have my Name stand among that proud Generation: I know it was the fruit of Christ's Intercession, to store the Church with gifts for the edifying of the body of Christ, that is, the Church: and the faithful Ministers of the Gospel have a precious lusty & comeliness in my eye, especially those that love the work for their Master's sake, I mean the conversion of souls; I say their employment is the most honourable, they serve the Lord Christ: They that convert souls to God shall shine as the Stars in the Firmament: they are fathers in the Church; and it may serve to humble men, that God hath appointed this way, to teach men by men. And my prayer to God is, that he would send out? more faithful Labourers, for the harvest is great. Also Maintenance for them is as clear an Ordinance as the other; I could instance in many Scriptures, Gal. 6.6. and the best of outward things befits the best Calling, and not niggardly portions; for they must use Hospitality, and so be Ensamples for their flock, and for a Christian Nation so professing to be; 'tis not our glory but our shame to let them live beggarly, and in disgrace; as we flourish, they should be partakers: he that gives freely and of a cheerful mind, he offers the acceptable Sacrifice to God, and none is accepted for Sacrifice but such. Our Saviour saith, the time shall come, that he that worshippeth, shall worship in spirit and in truth: but you will say, who shall take care for the worship of God, Ministers, and Maintenance, in the mean time? That I suppose is your work to be studying how to be nursing fathers to the Church, and to see that those that preach and publish the Gospel under your Dominion, may have du encouragement and supply; I think none will deny but that they should participate with us in our good and pleasant temporal things, and I judge it better by gift than force: in the Old Testament they gave all things as they had them for building the Temple and Sacrifice: the Apostle tells Ananias, was it not in thy power? Acts 5.4. The portion God appointed the Levites as it was typical, so to encourage them in the work, so that being about the work of the Lord, they might not be hindered: and the maintenance Ministers should receive besides as duty from the Donor, it should be for encouragement to him whose work is enough for the whole body and mind: is it any encouragement to a servant to continu his service, that must sum for his wages after earned by painful sweatings and hard labour? is it any encouragement to the Merchant and Tradesman, after they have made use of their utmost skill in buying, and waited to take the best season for Wind and Tide to bring home their Goods, and after all must impose them on such as will never pay till haled to Prison, this speaks the Commodities to have no worth in them; so for the Ministers of Christ to have their Wages by force, and to be a man of strife when his Message is Peace, and precious work, it is I say for him to force, and become a Ruff-man: Can he do this and be encouraged in his work? the Word saith alluding to them, The Labourer is worthy of his hire; so that the Gospel is of some worth; and O that the Gospel might dissolve hard hearts more; many times it proves but sooner Food to eat the Bread of him that hath an evil eye, yet many have their teeth fet on edge.  
I wish these faults were amended, the covetousness of the Ministers less, and the Charity of the People more. I know no Rule in the Word of God, that the Magistrate should study wholly to deliver the Minister from living somewhat by Faith: now how far a Christian Magistrate may force worship, and for worship in every Punctilio I will not dispute, but this I know, Gospel Principles bears, that every man do what he do in Faith: and this I know is according to the Law of Nations, if the Magistrate command any thing against my conscience, I ought to obey or suffer; I will not undertake to say what the Magistrate may not do as a Magistrate, but I conceive this he may do without oppressing any, give to the Ministers the Glebe Land in all places, also all those Lands wrested out of the Bishop's hands, for whatsoever we won by conquering our late Enemy, and not sold in the three Nations, is in your power to give or sell, and much more: were I a Statesman (pardon the supposal) I should bend my mind to find out to serve the Church, and bring my glory to her; and if there were fewer fixed Ministers in most parts of the Downs, and those places and Parishes where there are few Inhabitants joined, and an itinerat, godly, and able Ministry to journey from place to place, it may probably awake the deaf and dead sinners more; and O that they might hear the voice of the Son of God and live; but if they will not hear nor receive them, to turn away. But Sir, want I Bowels or Expressions, the dearest Lord knoweth I speak the truth in Christ, I lie not, for it pierceth my heart as sharp arrows, to think that God's Labourers (for so they are called) should toil all the day of their Pilgrimage, praying, and wooing men in Christ's stead that they would be reconciled to God, and while they are telling them the good tidings of the Gospel, and counselling and pointing out to the foolish world Jesus Christ, which is the true Bread come down from Heaven, and for all this men have no bowels moved, to count them worthy of common Bread; my heart pityes all hard hearts, and all hearts bound up, whom their own eye does not pity. Let them know, Mercy is but Mercy in its time, and then Justice seals what Mercy leaves: O you precious hearts! consider your labour shall not be lost in the Lord; Can you spend and be spent for the Lord Christ? Remember who saith it, I will never leave you, nor forsake you: Do not think you serve an hard Master: Can you believe the Children of the Earth will honour you with what is theirs? Christ saith, The world loves its own, and if ye were not the Children of the Light, the world would not hate you; I know no Rule they have to match the world so well as this, ye stand by Faith in the greatest Peace and Prosperity that can be, you are at uncertaintyes with the world, how long you shall stand, or when you shall fall; Remember Christ's Kingdom is not of this world, therefore possess all you have or would have by Faith, and it is not long but he that shall come will come, and bring his reward with him; but woe to those whose Gold and Silver is cankered through ignoble employment, for the Rust of it shall witness against them. Dives hath his place. I have nothing more with you for the present, for I know not how you can bear this: In the mean time you may be sure, I honour your Authority, your Counsel, your Person, and so commit you to the Eternal God, and still remain  
Your Honours in all humble and du observance.  
FINIS