Page:The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe Volume 3.djvu/116



before the church was endowed, or sustenance and clothing were given to the apostles, there was any pure alms, or whether alms were given by any other means by bond of debt amongst men. And, forasmuch as the reason is not to be feigned, but that they were pure alms, so, afterwards, the custom of the same thing according unto like reason doth not alter the kind of the reason; for so might beggars challenge by custom, beyond the purity of alms, the temporalties which they do beg. Neither doth debt utterly exclude the purity of alms before God; for every man duly giving alms, doth as he ought to do: as every man duly receiving his alms, ought so to receive it as according to God's will; and simply to establish any human title upon the continuance of any such alms, it is altogether contrary unto the reason of alms. Therefore, they do continually observe and keep the reason of the purity of alms, which they had from the beginning, when the bond conditioned doth not destroy the purity thereof: wherefore, there is ho cause why it should be denied that tithes are pure alms, except that the proud should be marvellously extolled, contrary to the humility of Christ; for they do challenge, by the title of their lack or want, so to be pleased for their tithes: for so might the begging friar, by the continuance of his daily begging, challenge according to the like quantity or circumstance. But it is no argument, that if the curate do perform his coqjoral ministry, that he ought, therefore, to challenge tithes by any civil title; because that as well on the behalf of him who giveth the tithe, as also on the behalf of the curate, every such ministry ought freely to be given, and not by any civil exchange; forasmuch as it is not required, but that rather the comparison of such exchanges is repugnant; for so much also as no man freely giveth any alms, except he do look for the duty of recompense, by the law of conscience.

Item, All temporal goods bestowed upon the clergy by the lay-people under condition, as the goods of the church, are the alms of them who give them: it is proved thus, forasmuch as all those goods are the goods of the poor; as it appeareth by many sayings of holy men and by the laws. But they were not the goods of the poor, after they were mere secular goods, but only by means of the work of mercy, whereby they were bestowed upon the poor: ergo, they were pure alms. The consequent dependeth upon the definition of pure alms.

Item, All things changed to the use and power of another, either by civil exchange or evangelical, are changed; but the church goods are so changed by one of these ministries. But the evangelical exchange is not to be feigned, because it is not done either by buying or selling, or any other civil exchange. Therefore there doth only remain a pure gift, for hope of a heavenly reward, which is mercy, and so pure alms. And it seemeth to follow, consequently, that all the clergy receiving such alms are not only in respect of God, as all other men, but in respect of men, beggars. For they would not so instantly require those alms except they had need of them: neither ought we to be ashamed thereof, or to be proud beggars; forasmuch as Christ, touching his humanity, became a beggar for us, because he declared his need unto his Father, saying, &c.

Item, When any king, prince, knight, citizen, or any other man, doth give unto the clergy, or to any priest for his stipend, he giveth the same imto the church of God, and to the private party, as a perpetual alms, that he should attend to his vocation, preaching, praying, and studying. But this kind of giving doth not suffice to ground any secular dominion amongst the clergy: it followeth that the bare use remaineth in them, or the secular use without any secular power.

The major appeareth hereby, forasmuch as, otherwise, alms should not be a work of mercy. Whereby it may also appear, that tenths are pure alms given to the church, to the use of the poor. And hereupon the holy men do say, that part of tenths are the tributes of the needy souls. Whereupon St. Augustine, in a sermon made upon the restoring of tithes, saith, "The giving of tithes, most dear brethren, is the tribute of poor souls therefore pay your tribute unto the poor." And by and by afterwards he saith, "Therefore whoso desireth either to get any reward, or to have any remission of sins by giving his tenths, let him study to give alms even of the ninth part: so that whatsoever shall remain more than a competent living and decent clothing, it be not reserved for riot, but that it be laid up in the heavenly treasury, by giving it in alms to