and oft refuted positions; not in a point of confcience, wherein they might be blameless, but in a point of covetoufnefs and unjuft claim to other men's goods; a contention foul and odious in any man, but most of all in minifters of the gofpel, in whom contention, though for their own right, fcarce is allowable. Till which grievances be removed, and religion fet free from the monopoly of hirelings, I dare affirm, that no model whatsoever of a commonwealth will prove fuccefsful or undisturbed; and fo perfuaded, implore divine affiftance on your pious counfels and proceedings to unanimity in this and all other truth.

JOHN MILTON.

CONSIDERATIONS

Touching the likelieft Means to remove

HIRELINGS OUT OF THE CHURCH.

TH

HE former treatise, which leads in this, began with two things ever found working much mitchief to the one fide reftraining, and hire on the other fide corrupting the teachers thereof. The latter of thefe is by much the more dangerous: for under force, though no thank to the forcers, true religion ofttimes 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 ufed in matters of religion, I have already fpoken; 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 dif penfation of God to all men; or whether being protef tants, they will punifh in thofe things wherein the proteftant religion denies them to be judges, either in themfelves infallible, or to the confciences of other men; or whether, laftly, they think fit to punifh errour, fuppofing they can be infallible that it is fo, being not wilful, but confcientious, and, according to the beft light of him who errs, grounded on fcripture: which kind of errour all men religious, or but only reasonable, have thought worthier of pardon, and the growth thereof to be prevented by fpiritual means and church-difcipline, 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 purpofe in the

gospel.

gofpel. It remains now to speak of hire, the other evil fo mischievous in religion: whereof I promised then to fpeak further, when I thould 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-minifters, a thing not properly 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 most seasonable, and in these matters, wherein every christian hath his free fuffrage, no way mifbecoming chriftian meeknefs to offer freely, without difparagement to the wifeft, fuch advice as God fhall incline him and enable him to propound: fince heretofore in commonwealths of moft fame for government, civil laws were not established till they had been firft for certain days published to the view of all men, that whofo pleased 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 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 chriftianity, 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 recompenfe 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 excefs thereof, or the undue manner of giving and tak

ing it. What harm the excefs 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 church-revenues 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 answerable to his coveting, from the fmall number or the meannefs of fuch as then were the religious, fold the religion itself with the founder thereof, his måfter. Simon Magus the next, in hope only that preaching and the gifts of the Holy Ghoft would prove gainful, offered beforehand a fum of money to obtain them. Not long after, as the apostle 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 fparing the flock." Tit. 1, 11, "Teaching things, which they ought not, for filthy lucre's fake." 2 Pet. ii, 3, "And through covetoufnefs fhall they with feigned words make merchandise of you. Yet they taught not false doctrine only, but feeming piety; 1 Tim. vi, 5, "Suppofing that gain is godlinefs." Neither came they in of themfelves only, but invited ofttimes by a corrupt audience : 2 Tim. iv, 3, " For the time will come, when they will not endure found doctrine, but after their own lufts they will heap to themfelves teachers, having itching ears" and they on the other fide, as fast heaping to themselves difciples, Acts xx, 30, doubtlefs had as itching palms: 2 Pet. ii, 15, Following the way of Balaam, the fon of Bofor, who loved the wages of unrighteouf; nefs." Jude 11, "They ran greedily after the errour VOL. III.

A a

of

of Balaam for reward." Thus we fee, that not only the excess of hire in wealthiest times, but also the undue and vicious taking or giving it, though but small or mean, as in the primitive times, gave to hirelings occafion, though not intended, yet fufficient to creep at first into the church. Which argues alfo the difficulty, or rather the impoffibility, to remove them quite, unless every minifter were, as St. Paul, contented to teach gratis; but few fuch are to be found. As therefore we cannot juftly take away all hire in the church, because we cannot otherwife quite remove all hirelings, fo are we not for the impoffibility of removing them all, to use therefore no endeavour that feweft may come in; but rather, in regard the evil, do what we can, will always be incumbent and unavoidable, to use our utmost diligence how it may be leaft dangerous: which will be likelieft effected, if we confider, firft, what recompenfe God hath ordained fhould be given to minifters of the church; (for that a recompenfe ought to be given them, and may by them juftly be received, our Saviour himself from the very light of reafon and of equity hath declared, Luke x, 7, "The labourer is worthy of his hire;”) next, by whom; and lastly, in what manner.

What recompenfe ought to be given to church-minifters, God hath anfwerably ordained according to that difference, which he hath manifeftly put between thofe his two great difpenfations, the law and the gofpel. Under the law he gave them tithes; under the gofpel, having left all things in his church to charity and chriftian freedom, he hath given them only what is justly given them. That, as well under the gospel, as under the law, fay our English divines, and they only of all proteftants, is tithes; and they fay true, if any man be fo minded to give them of his own the tenth or twentieth; but that the law therefore of tithes is in force under the gospel, all other proteftant divines, though equally concerned, yet conftantly deny. For although hire to the labourer be of moral and perpetual right, yet that special kind of hire, the tenth, can be of no right or neceffity, but to that fpecial labour for which God ordained it. That special labour was the levitical and ceremonial