fruits and tythes vnto Gods priests are perpetuall to wit that the Ministers of God may bee maintained and not forsaken but more and more encouraged in the seruice of God that God may be honoured with our riches and acknowledged to bee our great Land-lord and good-lord that we may learne to feare the Lord and that he may blesse vs in all the workes of our hands that so our store may be encreased and our barnes filled with aboundance Are not Christians Gods tenants farmers and vassals as well as were the Iewes and doe we not hold all that we haue of God as well as they and are we not bound to pay our annuall rents vnto God as duely and truely as they and what reason haue Christians to forsake their ministers more then the Iewes had and doe not the one deserue as well to be liberally maintained and encouraged in their worke as the other and haue not Christians as great cause to learne to feare God as had the Iewes Finally doe not Christians desire as earnestly as the Iewes did to bee blessed in the workes of their hands and in the increase of their store Wherefore it followeth necessarily that we Christians must not pretend any exemption from paying of tythes and first fruits more then did the Iewes XI The holy Scriptures set downe the paying of these yearely Church-rents amongst morall duties and accounteth of Sacriledge not as if it were the meere transgression of a ceremoniall ordinance but euen the violation of a morall law Will a man spoyle his gods Malach. 3.8 saith the Lord God by his Prophet Malachie yet ye haue spoyled me in tithes and in offerings Prou. 3.9 10. 20.25 Honor the Lord saith Salomon with thy riches and with the first fruits of all thine encrease so shall thy barnes bee filled with aboundance and thy presse shall burst with new wine But it is a destruction for a man to deuoure that which is sanctified meaning that the man who wil not honor God with first fruits and tythes but doth deuoure the holy things and committeth sacriledge bringeth destruction vpon himselfe his soule his body his goods and his house Rom. 2 2â— Thou that sayest a man should not commit adulterie breakest thou wedlocke saith the holy Apostle and thou that abhorrest idols doest thou commit sacriledge as if hee should say thou that detestest the honouring of a false god wilt thou neuerthelesse spoyle and dishonour the true God Whereby wee are giuen to vnderstand that sacriledge is not onely a transgression of the morall law but that it is euen a double sinne compounded of robberie and idolatrie and consequently a more detestable and abhominable euill then idolatrie it selfe Leuit. 18.21 20.2 2. King 23.10 16.3 17 17. Ierem. 7.31 For the idolater with his heart his body and substance yea sometimes with the blood of his deerest children honoureth a false god yet thinking that it is the true God indeed he doth thus worship wheras the sacrilegious god-spoyler robbeth the true God of his owne The idolater is carefull to worship some god but the god-spoyler careth for no god at all a false god hee doth not know and the true God he will not acknowledge The idolater beeing misse-led with an erroneous opinion maketh taketh that to be God which is not God that is ignorantly of an idol hee maketh God whereas the sacrilegious god-spoyler malitiously euen wittingly and willingly of the true God maketh no god at all but a meere idol otherwise he durst not be so bold as to rob him of his right For it is an infallible maxime That a man wil neuer rob or spoyle him whom hee loueth honoureth or feareth 1. Tim. 5.17.18 XII The maintenance of the ministerie is very diligently recommended vnto Christians by the holy Apostle The Priests saith hee that rule well are worthy of double honour specially they which labour in the word and doctrine for the Scripture saith thou shalt not mousle the mouth of the oxe that treadeth out the corne 1. Cor. 9.7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. and the labourer is worthy of his wages Who goeth a warfare any time at his owne cost who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof or who feedeth a flocke and eateth not of the milke of the flocke say I these things according to man sayeth not the law the same also for it is written in the law of Moses Thou shalt not musle the mouth of the oxe that treadeth out the corne Doth God take care for oxen either saith he it not altogether for our sakes for our sakes no doubt it is written that he which eareth should eare in hope that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope If we haue sowen vnto you spiritual things it is a great thing if we reape your carnall things doe ye not knowe that they which minister about the holy things eate of the things of the temple and they which waite at the altar are partakers with the altar So also hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should liue of the Gospel Now who is he that can say from his heart that to liue of the Gospel is to liue of begging and of popular beneuolences and not rather of hauing by way of iustice the tenthes of the goods of them to whom they preach the Gospel Except we meane to make the condition of liuing by the Gospel inferiour vnto the condition of liuing by the legall sacrifices And it is to bee noted that the holy Apostle prooueth euen by the law of Moses the right that the Ministers of the Gospel haue vnto our carnall things and that vnto such carnall things as both Moses doth prescribe in his lawe and the Apostle himselfe doth mention entreating of this matter comprehending them vnder these two kinds the fruits of the field and the flocks of the fold Wherby it is more then apparant that the Apostle meaned that the perpetuall maintenance allotted vnto the legall priests in first fruits and tythes by the Lawe of Moses was due vnto the priests and ministers of the Gospel after the ceasing and abolishing of the other And that as the Gospel of Christ hath succeeded into the roome of the law of Moses Heb 7.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 17 26. and the Euangelicall priesthood into the place of the Legall priesthood euen the renued order of Melchisedecke into the roome of the abolished order of Aaron so haue the priests of the one order succeeded vnto the maintenance of the other euen the inferiour priests of Melchisedecks renued order vnder their high priest Christ Iesus vnto the patrimonie and prouision of the inferiour priests of Aarons abolished order For as I said before the law of maintenance is perpetuall and common to the priests of both orders though the law of the priesthood bee but temporall and changeable And as for such
ministers as disdaine to bee called by the name of priests but delight in new names and new opinions and would rather want tythes then be called priests to the end they may be vnlike vnto other Churches of Christendome and the Church-men thereof I wil say no more but that it is a great pittie that the Church of God should be troubled with such newfanglednesse and that any of Gods ministers should bee misse-led with such fond and friuolous yea vnministerly opinions As learned godly holy men as they are said to bee or thought to bee they are much deceiued if they doe thinke otherwise but that more learned more wise and holy Church-men haue bin called by the name of priests then they If the whole people of God be called a royall priesthood by the holy Apostle S. Peter 1. Pet. 2.9 Reuel 1.4 5 6 5.9 10. and if the blessed Apostle S. Iohn writing vnto the angels or bishops of the 7. Churches of Asia calleth them priests and if the 24. Elders in heauen call themselues priests finally Heb. 7.15 17 21 24 26 28 8.1 2.3 if Christ Iesus himselfe be called a priest yea an high priest which presupposeth that he hath priests vnder him for as much as euery high priest must haue his inferiours shall any of the ministers of the Gospel then bee ashamed to be called priests or shall any of them bee so fond as to disclaime tythes which are due to priests rather then to bee called by this honourable name of priest XIII And lastly the holy Apostle Paul not onely exhorteth Christians to remember them which haue the ouersight of them Heb. 13.7 and haue declared vnto them the word of God but also in expresse words hee enioyneth him that is taught in the word Galat. 6.6 to make him that hath taught him partaker of all his goods The people must giue a part of their goods vnto their pastours and this part must either be equall vnto the Leuitical part or greater then it or else smaller To giue them a smaller were a most vnreasonable indiscretion a more then beastly ingratitude and if they will not bestow a greater then they must either giue an equall portion to that of the legall priests or else no portion at all Yea the iniunction of the Apostle beareth that the maintenance of the Euangelicall priests ought rather to be more then lesse then was that of the legall priests for they had a right vnto a tenth part of some certaine goods namely of fruits and of flocks but not of all their goods whatsoeuer or of the value thereof in money whereas the Euangelicall priestes ought to bee made partakers of all indifferently And truely 2. Cor. 3.6 7 8 6 10 11. looke how farre the ministery of the Gospel is more excellent then that of the Law so much the more ample liberall ought to bee the maintenance of the ministers of the Gospel then was that of the ministers of the tabernacle O how vgly then is the sinne of sacriledge that beareth neuerthelesse such a sway in this Isle O how horrible an iniquitie is it for men of might to pull out of Gods mouth the diet of the church to put it into their owne and to fill the bellies of their hounds and their horses with the meat of Gods ministers It is a sinne of that high nature that because of it God hath said vnto vs Malach. 3.9 10 11. as once he said vnto the people of Israel vpon the like occasion ye are cursed with a curse for ye haue spoiled me euen this whole nation and that he hath sometimes sent scarcenes of bread Amos 4 6 7 8 9 10. and cleannesse of teeth in our cities and townes sometimes hath with-holden the raine from vs when there were yet three months to the haruest and shut the windows of heauen vpon vs Isa 16 9 10. staied the raine til the fruits of the earth were destroyed with drought somtimes hath smitten our fruits with blasting mildew sent the palmer-worm to deuoure the fruits of our trees Hagg. 1.10 2.18 yea made our singing showting for ioy in haruest to cease made vs drunke with our tears for that the heauen aboue vs was stayed from dew and the earth vnder vs from yeelding her increase For this abhominable sinne God hath sometimes sent the pestilence amongst vs to rage in most violent manner to consume our bodies and the fire to burne and the water to ouerflow our townes lands houses and habitations In one word it is this horrible sin of sacriledge that hath ouerthrowne the strength and glory of diuers mighty and wealthy houses God in his most iust iudgement shutting such from their inheritance as were so audacious and bold as to robbe him of his Iob. 15.25.26 27. The sacrilegious God-spoyler is the man which as Iob speaketh hath stretched out his hand against God and made himselfe strong against the Almightie Therefore God shall run vpon him euen vpon his necke and against the most thicke part of his Shield because hee hath couered his face with his fatnesse and hath collopes in his flankes As if the holy man should say because this God-spoyling anti-god hath presumed to shut God from his inheritance and hath taken from him his tythes and hath made himselfe fat with Gods meate which hee hath pulled out of the hands and mouthes of his Ministers Ver. 29.30.31.32 34. therefore God shal bee auenged on him he shall not be rich alwaies neither shall his substance continue neither shall hee prolong the perfection thereof in the earth Hee shall neuer depart out of darknesse the flame shall dry vp his branches and hee shall goe away with the breath of his mouth His branch shall not be greene but shall be cut off before his day and the congregation of the hypocrite shall bee desolate And who is so great an hypocrite as the sacrilegious Church-robber who being an impure God-spoyler indeed will needs in the meane time be esteemed a pure Gospeller and one of the most precise professors of the reformed Church Hee may well make himselfe merry with the meate of Gods Ministers as prophane Balthasar did with the golden and siluer vessels of Gods house Dan. 5.1 2 3 4 5. Iob. 20.5 6 7 8.9 10. but he shall know in the end that the reioycing of the wicked shall take an end and as Zophar speaketh that the ioy of hypocrites is but a moment Though his excellency mount vp to the heauen and his head reach vnto the cloudes yet shall he perish for euer like his dung and they which haue seene him shall say Where is he He shall flye away as a dreame and they shall not find him he shal passe away as a vision of the night so that the eie which had seene shall doe so no more and his place shall see him him no more As if he should say
tythes into the storehouse and proue me now therewith saith the Lord of Hoastes If I will not open the windowes of heauen vnto you and powre you out a blessing without measure And I will rebuke the deuourer for your sakes and hee shall not destroy the fruit of your ground neither shall your vine bee barren in the field and all Nations shall call you blessed for yee shall bee a pleasant land saith the Lord of hostes But it will bee said of some and chiefly of such as loue more to prey vpon the Church then to pray in the Church that the paying of first fruites and tithes doth belong to the Ceremoniall law of the Iewes and therefore doth not oblige vs Christians to the obseruing thereof Ephes 5 3 5 Colos 3 5 For the refutation of which errrour and double idolatry flowing therefro for if couetousnesse bee idolatry as the holy Apostle affirmeth that it is then sacriledge which is not onely a coueting but also an occupying yea a robbing and stealing of holy things must needes bee a double idolatry I will shew such substantiall reasons as that the verity and truth of this matter shall bee made manifest and this errour sufficiently refuted Heb. 9 10 10 1 8 4 5. First Iudaicall ceremonies were euanishing shadowes and externall representations of spirituall things to bee accomplished in Christ and they had relation to God alone as being a part of his worship But so it is that first fruites and tithes were no shadowes or figures of spirituall things to bee accomplished in Christ neither had the paying thereof onely a respect vnto God as all the externall and ceremoniall ordinances of Religion had but it was a duty to bee performed by man vnto God and man coniunctly that is vnto his Priests or Ministers for a demonstration of the perpetuall acknowledgement and obligation wee owe vnto God as being the Alpha and Omega the beginning and ending of all our good for bestowing vpon vs these earthly things and for the honourable and perpetuall maintenance of his Ministers Wherefore paying of first fruits and tithes is no ceremony of the Iewish religion and consequently is not abolished Numb 18 12 13.17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 Cor. 9 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Secondly the maintenance of such as are worthy of maintenance is no ceremoniall but a morall thing But so it is that the paying of first fruits and tithes is the maintenance of such as are worthy of maintenance euen of Gods Ministers and such as serue him in his house and therefore paying of tithes is no ceremoniall but a morall and perpetuall dutie Thirdly 1 Cor. 9 9 10 11 12.13 Heb. 10. the Priests and Ministers of the Gospell haue succeeded in the roome of the legall Priests and Ministers of the Tabernacle Wherefore it followeth that they haue succeeded to their maintenance and prouision except wee thinke them vnworthy of any certaine maintenance Fourthly Gen. 33 11 Deut. 10 14. Acts 17 28 Psal 24 1. 1 Cor. 10 26 Christians doe hold their earthly things of God no lesse then did the Iewes and therefore they are bound by the same law that the Iewes were to acknowledge this their tenure and holding of him as the Lord and owner of the earth and all that is therein and consequently must deliuer into the hands of his Collectors and Stewards which are his Ministers the annuall rent of first fruits and tythes Gen. 1.1 Reuel 22 23. V. Wee doe not finde in the Scripture that God hath giuen his proper inheritance to Lay-men or that he hath made Lay men the collectors of his annual rents or that he hath vnder the Gospell giuen and granted his possession vnto other men then such as do serue him in his house Deut. 10.9 12 19. 14 23.29 1 Tim. 5.17 18 1 Cor. 9.9.10 VI. If God was so carefull for the prouision of his Priests and Ministers vnder the Law how much more then may we thinke hee would be carefull for his Priests and Ministers vnder the Gospell chiefly seeing they serue him in a more excellent manner then the other did If he would not haue his Ministers to begge vnder the law or yet to depend vpon popular beneuolences shall wee thinke that he would now haue his Ministers vnder the Gospell to be subiect to such a beggerly condition Gen. 14.20 Heb. 7 4.8 VII Before there was any ceremoniall Law deliuered by Moses the seruant of God vnto the people Gen 28.22 we find that Abraham the Father of the faithfull payed tythes vnto Melchisedeck the high Priest of the most high Likewise Iacob his Grand-child vowed to giue vnto God tythe of all his increase Whence it appeareth that the paying of tythes is not a branch of the ceremoniall but euen a dutie of the moral law And seing that not onely the Priests after the order of Aaron but also those of Melchisedeckes order receiued tythes it followeth that Euangelicall priests Heb. 7.17 21 26 28. 8.1 2 3 4. as beeing vnder Christ who was an high priest after Melchisedecks order for euery high priest must haue his inferiour priests according to his order may and ought to receiue tythes also VIII Euery prouident and wise master prouideth for his houshold and seruants wherefore it followeth 2. Tim. 2.6 that God who is the most prouident and wise master of all other hath prouided for the maintenance of his houshold seruants for his priests and ministers of his house and we find no other maintenance allotted them in the Scripture but onely first fruits and tythes wherefore these must either be their portion and allowance or else they haue nothing certaine at all IX Luk. 10.2.7 1. Tim. 5.18 Matth. 9.37 38. All labourers haue certaine standing wages the ministers of the Gospel are Gods labourers therefore they ought to haue their standing wages likewise and we read of none other except first fruits and tythes Luk. 10.7 And therefore our Sauiour forbiddeth his Apostles to goe from house to house telling them that the workeman is worthy of his hire And truely if he would not haue his Apostles to goe from house to house euen in that time when as tythes were with-holden from them by the Iewish cleargie shall wee thinke that now when as the Iewish cleargie is abolished he would haue his ministers of the Gospel to goe from house to house or yet to send from house to house to beg the peoples beneuolences those that hold from Christs ministers Apostles the duty of first fruits and tythes were such as persecuted both them and Christ and crucified him in the end And such god-spoyling Gospellers as doe now a daies with-hold the Church-rents from Church-men what doe they else but persecute Gods ministers and crucifie Christ daily in his members Deut. 10 9. 12.19 14.23 29. 2. Chro. 31.4 Prou. 3 9 10. X. The ends of paying first