A discourse concerning the maintenance due to those that preach the Gospel

But to let that pass, What Reformed Church can we mention, in which there has not been a defect as to Encouragement to the Gospel, and a due Supportment of the Preachers of it? It is true, That among the Reformed in France, their Discipline requires that ^(d)a yearly Pension be allowed to their Pastors, and that the Elders in every Church shall Enquire, Whether the Wages appointed for the Minister, is duly Paid to him: And that the Church in whose Service the Minister does finish his days, shall take care ⟨p. 21⟩of his Widow and Children. This notwithstanding, the Synods there have often Admonished the Churches, and threatened them with censure for their Ingratitude to their Teachers. As for the Church of England, their dignified Clergy-men have a Superfluous Maintenance, and some others who have only Parsonages, enjoy that which is Competent and Honourable. Nevertheless, in many great Towns and Cities it is otherwise: Oftentimes some Gentleman has the Parsonage, and so the Tithes; when the Minister is but a Vicar with a scanty allowance. In Torrington a great Town in Devonshire, where I was a Preacher Forty-eight years ago, the Vicarage was but 40 l. per Annum, only the Civil State then, by an Augmentation made it to be 140 l. per Annum. The like was in Barnstaple, and in many other considerable Towns and Cities. Impropriations, (that is ^(e)when Spiritual Livings are Possessed by Temporal men, for ⟨p. 22⟩whom they are Improper) have a long time been complained of by many good men. There ^(f)are in England of Parish Churches, Nine Thousand two hundred and eighty four, endowed with Glebe & Tithe: but of these, three Thousand and eight hundred and forty five, are either appropriated to Bishops, Cathedrals and Colleges; or Impropriations. There was a Noble and truly Christian design set on foot by some Gentlemen in London, to redeem those Lands, and that the profits of them should be for the Support of able Preachers of the Gospel, as Lecturers; Twelve Persons were concerned as Feoffees in Trust for the Management of this Affair, that so a constant Preaching Ministry might be Maintained in Places of greatest need. Of these Twelve, four were Divines, four Lawyers, four Citizens of London; Men of great Estates and of Eminent Piety. The four Divines were Dr. Sibs, Dr. Gouge, Mr. Offspring, and