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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10650	An explication of the hundreth and tenth Psalme wherein the severall heads of Christian religion therein contained; touching the exaltation of Christ, the scepter of his kingdome, the character of his subjects, his priesthood, victories, sufferings, and resurrection, are largely explained and applied. Being the substance of severall sermons preached at Lincolns Inne; by Edward Reynoldes sometimes fellow of Merton Colledge in Oxford, late preacher to the foresaid honorable society, and rector of the church of Braunston in Northhampton-shire.	Reynolds, Edward, 1599-1676.	1632 (1632)	STC 20927; ESTC S115794	405,543	546

so that that Tribe was but almost a quarter as numerous as the rest Now looke in the next place to the Proportion of their maintenance One would thinke that the fortieth part of the people could require but the fortieth part of the maintenance in proportion But first they had the Tenth of all the increase of seed and fruit and great and small cattell Levit. 27.30 Secondly they had fortie eight cities with suburbs for gardens and for cattell Numb 35.2 Which cities were next to the best and in many tribes the best of all in Iuda Hebron in Benjamin Gibeon both Roiall Cities so that those Cities with about a mile suburb to every one of them can come to little lesse than the wealth of one tribe alone in that little countrie which from Dan to Beersheba was but about a hundred and sixtie miles long Thirdly they had all the first fruits of cleane and uncleane beasts Numb 18.13 Of the fruits of the earth and the fleece of the sheepe Deut. 18.4 Nehem. 10.35 of men to bee redeemed Num. 18.15 Fourthly the meate Offerings the sinne offerings the trespasse offerings the heave offerings and the wave offerings were all theirs Numb 18.9 10 11. Fifthly they had all vowes and voluntary oblations and consecrations and every hallowed thing Numb 18.8 9. Sixthly excepting the Holocaust they had either the shoulder or the breast or the skinne or something of every Sacrifice which was offered Numb 18.18 Lev. 7. Deut. 18.3 Seventhly the males were to appeare three times a yeare before the Lord and they were not to come empty handed Exod. 23.15.17 Lastly unto them did belong many recompences of injurie which was the restitution of the principall and a fifth part Num. 5.7 8. Now put the Tithes the Cities and these other constant revenews together and the Priests and Levites who were but about a quarter as many as one tribe had yet about three times the revenews of one tribe But to leave this Argument Let us consider what the Apostle saith let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all his goods as Beza well expounds it Gal. 6.6 The elders that labour in the word and Doctrine are worthy of double honor for the Scripture saith Thou shalt not muzzle the oxe that treadeth out the corne and the Labourer is worthy of his reward 1 Tim. 5.17 18. Who goeth a warfare at any time of his owne charges Who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof Or who feedeth a flock and eateth not of the milke of the flock Say I these things as a man that is am I partiall doe I speake meerly out of affection and humane favor to mine owne cause or calling or saith not the Law the same also For it is written in the Law of Moses Thou shalt not muzle the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corne Doth God take care for Oxen or saith hee it altogether for our sakes That is doth God provide Lawes for rewarding and encouraging the labor of brute beasts and doth hee leave the maintenance and honor of his owne immediate officers to the arbitrary and pinching allowances of covetous and cruel men For our sakes no doubt this is written That hee that ploweth should plow in hope and that hee that thresheth in hope should bee partaker of his hope That is that the encouragement of the Ministers in their service might depend upon such a hope as is grounded on Gods Law and provision and that they might not bee left to the wills and allowances of those men against whose sinnes they were sent And this the Apostle proveth by an argument drawne from a most unanswerable equitie If wee have sowen unto you spirituall things is it a great thing if wee shall reape your carnall things If you doe rightly judge of those heavenly treasures which wee bring in abundance unto you impossible it is that you should judge our paines and service towards your immortall and pretious soules sufficiently rewarded with a narrow and hungry proportion of earthly and perishable things Doe yee not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the Temple And they which waite at the Altar are partakers with the Altar to note that they receive their maintenance from the hand of God himselfe whose onely the things of the Altar are and not from men Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospell should live by the Gospell 1 Cor. 9 7-13 And what is it To live First They must love as men they must have for necessity and for delight Secondly they must live as beleevers Hee that provideth not for his owne is worse than an infidell 1 Tim. 5.8 They must therefore have by the Gospell sufficient to lay up for those whom the Law of common humanity much more of faith commands them to provide for Thirdly they must live as Ministers They must have wherewith to maintaine the Duties of their cal●ing a good example of piety and charity and hospitality that they may confirme by practice what in Doctrine they teach 1 Tim. 3.2 And the instruments of their calling which in a profession of so vast and unlimited a compasse of learning for there is no part of learning in the whole circle thereof which is not helpfull and may not contribute to the understanding of Holy Scriptures to some part or other of a Divines imployment cannot but bee very chargeable And alas how many men preach the Gospell and yet can scarce finde the first and meanest of all these supplies This is the great ingratitude of the world and withall the malice and policie of Satan by the poverty and contempt of the Ministers to bring the Gospell it selfe into contempt and to deterre able men from adventuring on so unrewarded a calling as Calvin justly complaines All that can with colour or countenance bee pretended by those who are guilty of this neglect is Poverty and disability to maintaine the Gospell And it were well if there were not places to be found wherein Dogs and Horses hawks and hounds grow fat with Gods portion and the mercenary Preacher when he growes leane with want is accused of too much studie But suppose that povertie be truly alleaged Doe wee thinke poverty a just pretext for the neglect of a morall duty may a man spend the Lords day on his shop-board because he is poore and wants means And if I may not rob God of his time upon pretence of povertie neither then is the same any argument to rob him of his portion Be not deceived God is not mocked namely with pretence of poverty and necessity as Calvin expounds that place Gal. 6.7 S. Paul bears witnesse unto some men that they did good beyond their power that they were richly liberall though they were deeply poor 2 Cor. 8.2 3. And yet those were but contributions out of mercy whereas double honor is

due to the Ministers of the Gospell by a Law of Iustice. It is a wrong and foolish Apologie to pretend the punishment for the continuance of the fault The poverty of many men is doubtlesse a just recompence for their neglect of the honor of the Gospell For God hath ever severely punished the contempt and dishonor done to his messengers 2 Chron. 16.10.12 2 Chron. 24 21-25 2 Chron. 26.19 20. 2 Chron. 36.16 17. Wheras on the other side doe thou deale faithfully with God fulfill to thy power his appointment and decree that they which preach the Gospell may live by the Gospell and then hearken unto God Honor the Lord with thy substance and the first fruits of all thine increase so shall thy barnes bee filled with plenty and thy presses burst out with new wine Prov. 3.9 10. Consider now from this day and upward from the day that the foundation of the Lords Temple was laid consider it Is the seed yet in the barne From this day I will blesse you Hag. 2.18 19. Yee are cursed with a curse for ye have robbed me even this whole nation Bring yee all the Tithes into the store-house that there may be meat in mine house and prove mee herewith saith the Lord of Hoasts if you will not doe it out of duty yet doe it out of experiment If I will not open you the windowes of heaven and powre you out a blessing that there shall not be roome enough to receive it Mal. 3 9-12 There was never any man lost by paying God his Dues there was never any man thrived by grudging or pittancing the Almighty I will conclude this point with the Apostle It is his Doctrine faithfull Ministers are worthy of double honor And it is his Exhortation Render to all their Dues Tribute to whom Tribute Custome to whom Custome feare to whom feare Honor to whom Honor Rom. 13.3 Note lastly The Priesthood of Christ is an everlasting Priesthood Hee also was without Father and without Mother without beginning of dayes or end of life As man without a Father as God without a Mother The same yesterday and to day and for ever His name was Everlasting Father His Gospell an Everlasting Gospell He was a lamb slaine from the beginning of the world The vertue of his bloud goes backward as high as Adam He was foreordain'd before the foundation of the world 2 Tim. 1.9 The redemption of those that transgressed under the first Testament the remission of sinnes that were past were procured by this Sacrifice Heb. 9.15 Rom. 3.25 It goeth downward to the end of the world he must raigne till all be put under his feete and he must raise up all by the power and vertue of his victory over death Ioh. 5 26-29 And lastly it goeth onward to all immortality for though the Acts and administration of his Priest-hood shall cease when hee shall have delivered the Kingdome to his Father and have brought the whole Church into Gods presence yet the vertue and fruits of those Acts shall bee absolutely eternall for so long as the Saints shall bee in heaven so long they shall enjoy the benefit of that Sacrifice which did purchase not a lease or expiring terme but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an endlesse life an everlasting glory an inheritance incorruptible that fadeth not away reserved in the heaven for them VERSE 5. The Lord at thy Right hand shall strike through Kings in the day of his wrath VERSE 6. Hee shall judge amongst the Heathen he shall fill the places with dead Bodies Hee shall wound the heads over many Countries IN the former part of the Psalme we have had the description of Christs offices of King and Priest together with the effect thereof in gathering a willing people unto himselfe Now here the Prophet sheweth another effect of the powerfull administration of these offices containing his victories over all his enemies allegorically expressed in a Hypotiposis or lively allusion unto the manner of humane victories wherein first I shall in a few words labour to cleere the sense and then the observations which are naturall will the more evidently arise The Lord at thy right hand To lay aside their exposition who understand these words of God the Father the words are an Apostrophe of the Prophet to those at whose right hand the Lord Iesus is Some make it an Apostrophe to God the Father a triumphall and thankfull prediction of that power and Iudgement which he hath given to this his Benjamin the Sonne at his right hand Because that thereby the phrase retaineth the same signification and sense which it had in the first verse As if David had said O God the Father of all power and majesty worthy art thou of all praise thanksgiving and honor who hast given such power to thy Sonne in the behalfe of thy Church as to smite through Kings and judge heathen and pull downe the chiefe of his enemies and to subdue all things to himselfe and these read it thus O Lord hee that is at thy right hand shall strike through Kings c. Others make it to be an Apostrophe to the Church and so to bee a phrase not expressing Christs exaltation as verse 1. But his care and protection over his Church his readinesse to assist and defend his owne people against all the injuries and assaults of adverse power Salomon saith A wise mans heart is at his right hand but a fooles heart is at his left Eccl. 10.2 That is his heart is ready and prepared to execute any wife counsels or godly resolutions as the Prophet David saith My heart is prepared ô God my heart is prepared I will sing and give thankes But a fooles heart when hee should doe any thing is like his left hand to seeke of skill unactive and unprepared when hee walketh by the way his heart faileth him vers 3. And this readinesse and present helpe of God to defend and guide his Church is expressed frequently by his being at the right hand thereof Because the Lord is at my right hand I shall not bee moved Psal. 16.8 Hee shall stand at the right hand of the poore to save him Psal. 109.31 I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand saying unto thee feare not I will helpe thee Esai 31.13 As if David had said Bee not dismayed nor cast downe ô yee subjects of this King as if being exalted to Gods right hand hee had given over the care and protection of his people for as hee is at the right hand of his Father in glory and majesty so is he at your right hand too standing to execute judgement on your enemies and to reveale the power of his arme towards you in your protection Now the reasons of this phrase and expression as I conceive are these two First to note that Christs power providence and protection doe not exclude but onely strengthen assist and prosper the ordinary and just endeavors of the Church

libertie and made himselfe a servant unto all to the Jew as a Jew to the Greeke as a Greeke to the weake as weake and all things to all that by all meanes he might save some and so further the Gospell One while he used Circumcision that he might thereby gaine the weake Jewes another while hee forbade Circumcision that he might not misguide the converted Gentiles nor give place by subjection unto false brethren Who is weake saith he and I am not weake who is offended and I burne not His care of mens soules made him take upon him every mans affection and accommodate himselfe unto every mans temper that hee might not offend the weake nor exasperate the mightie nor dis-hearten the beginner nor affright those which were without from comming in but be All unto All for their salvation The same love is due unto all but the same method of cure is not requisite for all With some Love travelleth in paine with others it rejoyceth in hope some it laboureth to edifie and others it fear●th to offend unto the weake it stoopeth unto the strong it raiseth it selfe to some it is compassionate to others severe to none an enemy to all a mother But all this it doth non mentiendo sed compatiendo not by belying the truth but by pitying the sinner It is not the wisedome of the flesh nor to bee learned of men The Scripture alone is able to make the man of God wise unto the worke of Salvation Thirdly with meeknesse for that is the childe of wisedome Who is a wise man saith Saint Iames let him shew out of a good conversation his workes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with meeknesse of wisedome and againe the wisedome which is from above is pure peaceable gentle easie to be intreated full of mercie The Gospell is Christs Gospell and it must be preached with Christs spirit which was very meeke and lowly When the Disciples would have called for fire from heaven upon the Samaritanes for their indignitie done unto Christ hee rebuked them in a milde and compassionate manner Ye know not what spirit ye are of A right Evangelicall Spirit is ever a meeke and a mercifull Spirit If a man saith the Apostle be overtaken in a fault ye which are spirituall restore such an one in the spirit of meekenesse and againe In meekenesse saith the Apostle instruct those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth Lastly with faithfulnesse in as much as the Gospell is none of ours but Christs whose servants and stewards we are Christ was faithfull though hee were a Son over his owne house and therefore might in reason have assum'd the more liberty to doe his owne will much more doth it become us who are but his Officers to be faithfull too not to dissemble any thing which the estate and exigence of those soules committed to our charge shall require us to speake not to adde diminish or deviate from our commission preaching one Gospell in one place and another in another but to deliver onely the Counsell of God and to watch over the soules of men as they that must give an account Againe since the Gospell is Christs owne Power wee must all learne from thence two duties first to receive it as from him with the affections of subjects which have been bought by him that is first in hearing of the word to expect principally his voyce and to seeke him speaking from heaven This is the nature of Christs sheep to turne away their eares from the voyce of strangers and to heare him Two things principally there are which discover the voice of Christ in the ministerie of the word First it is a spirituall and heavenly doctrine full of purity righteousnesse and peace touching the soule with a kind of secret and magneticall vertue whereby the thoughts affections conscience and conversation are turned from their earthly center and drawne up unto him as Eagles to a carcasse Secondly it is a powerfull an edged a piercing doctrine If the word thou hearest speak unto thy conscience if it search thy hart if it discover thy lusts if it make thy spirit burne within thee if it cast thee upon thy face and convince and judge thee for thy transgressions if it bind up thy sores and clense away thy corruptions then it is certainly Christs word and then it must bee received with such affections as becommeth the word of Christ. First with Faith if we conferre with flesh and bloud we shall be apt ever to cavill against the truth For hee that rejecteth Christ doth never receive his word A fleshly heart cannot submit unto a heavenly Doctrine Christ and his Apostles did every where endure the contradiction of sinners But yet hee claimeth this honour over the consciences of men to over-rule their assents against all the mists and sophisticall reasonings of the flesh The Apostles themselves preached nothing but either by immediate commission from him or out of the Law and the Prophets But his usuall forme was Verily I say unto you noting that hee onely was unto the Church the Author and fountaine of all heavenly Doctrine that unto him onely belongeth that authoritative and infallible Spirit which can command the subscription and assent of the conscience that hee onely can say with boldnesse to the soule as hee did to the Samaritan woman Beleeve mee And that therefore no authority either of men or Churches either Episcopall Papall or Synodicall can without open sacrilege usurpe power to over-rule the faith of men or impose any immediate and Doctrinall necessity upon the conscience in any points which are not ultimately and distinctly resolv'd into the evident authority of Christ in his word S. Paul himselfe durst not assume Dominion over the faith of men nor S. Peter neither suffer any Elders amongst whom hee reckoneth himselfe as an Elder also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to over-rule or prescribe unto the heritage of God It is onely Christs word which the hearts of men must stoope and attend unto and which they must mingle with faith that it may bee profitable unto them that is they must let it into their hearts with this assurance that it is not the breath of a man but the message of Christ who is true in all his threatnings and faithfull in all his promises and pure in all his precepts that hee sendeth this ministerie abroad for the perfection of the Saints the edification of his Church and therefore if they bee not hereby cleansed and built up in his body they doe as much as in them lieth make void the holy ordinance of God which yet must never returne in vaine The word of God doth effectually worke onely in those that beleeve It worketh in hypocrites and wicked hearers according to the measure of that imperfect faith which they have but it worketh not

first workes lest so excellent a priviledge be removed from us There is no wrath that is wrath to the uttermost but that which depriveth a people of the Gospell and taketh away their Candlesticke from them Thirdly it notes unto us the difference of the two covenants the one out of Sinai and the other out of Sion At first the Law proceeded out of Sinai wherein though the end were merciful yet the manner was terrible and therfore the effect nothing but bondage but after it was sent out of Sion with the Spirit of grace and adoption observed with cheerefulnesse and libertie as by those that know God will spare them as a man spareth his childe that serveth him for in my bond-slave I looke to the perfection of the worke but in my son to the affection and disposition of the heart Lastly it notes unto us that the seat of saving truth the custodie of the promises and Gospell of salvation doth still belong unto Sion to the Church of God Out of the Church there is no Gospell and therefore out of the Church there is no salvation The Apostle saith of children which are borne out of the Church that they are uncleane unto the Church above all congregations of men belongeth this excellent priviledge to be the Treasurer of the riches of Christ and to hold forth the Word of life unto men In which sense the Apostle saith that it is the pillar and the ground of truth not that which giveth being to the Church for the Law must not faile nor perish nor that which giveth authoritie imposeth a sense canonizeth and maketh authenticall is a judge or absolute determiner of the truth for in that sense the Church is held up by the Word and not that by it for the Church is built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles namely upon that fundamentall doctrine which they have laid But the Church is the depositary of the truth that orbe out of which this glorious light shines forth unto it appertaines the Covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the promises Her office and her honour it is to be the Candlesticke which holdeth up the Word of truth to set to her seale unto the evidence and excellencie thereof by her ministery authority consent and countenance to conciliate respect thereunto in the mindes of aliens and to confirme it in the mindes of beleevers to fasten the nailes and points thereof like masters of the assemblies under one principall Shepherd which is Christ in the hearts of men not to dishonour it by their usurped authority above it for by that meanes all controversies of religions are turned not into contentions of doctrine that that may be rested in which doth appeare to have in it most intrinsecall majestie spiritualnesse and evidence but into factions and emulations of men that that sect may bee rested in who can with most impudence and ostentation arrogate an usurped authority to themselves but by their willing submission thereunto to credit it in the affections of men and to establish others in the love and obedience thereunto for the authoritie of the Church is not Autoritas jurisdictionis an authority of jurisdiction above the Scriptures but onely Autoritas muneris an authoritie of dispensation and of trust to proclaime exhibite present the truth of God unto the people to point to the starre which is directed unto by the finger but is seene by the evidence of its owne light To hold forth as a pasquill or pillar that Law and Proclamation of Christ the contents whereof we discover out of it selfe In one word that place sheweth the duty of the Church to preserve knowledge and to shew forth the truth of sacred Scriptures out of themselves but not any infallibilitie in it selfe or authority over others to binde their consciences to assent unto such expositions of Scripture as derive not their evidence from the harmonie and analogie of the Scriptures themselves but only from Ipse dixit because the Church hath spoken it To conclude this point we are to note for the cleere understanding of the office of the Church concerning the holy Scriptures First that some things therein are Hard to be understood as Saint Peter speakes either by reason of their allegoricall and figurative expressions as the visions of Ezekiel Daniel Zechary c. or by reason of the obscure and strange connexion of one part with another or of the dependance thereof upon forren learning or the like but then we must note that the knowledge of such things as these are not of absolute necessitie unto salvation for though the perverting of hard places be damnable as Saint Peter telleth us yet that ignorance of them which groweth out of their owne obscurity and not out of our neglect is not damnable Secondly some things have evidence enough in the termes that expresse them but yet are Hard to be beleeved by reason of the supernaturall quality of them As when we say that Christ was the Sonne of a Virgin or that he died and rose againe there is no difficultie in the sense of these things it is easily understood what he that affirmeth them doth meane by them All the difficultie is to bring the minde to give assent unto them Thirdly some things though easie in their sense to be understood and it may be easie likewise in their nature to be beleeved are yet Hard to be obeyed and practised as repentance and forsaking of sinne c. Now according unto these differences wee may conceive of the office and power which the Church hath in matters of holy Scripture First for hard places in regard of the sense and meaning of the place it is the dutie of the Church to open them to Gods people with modestie and moderation and therein God alloweth the learned a Christian libertie with submission of their opinions alwayes to the spirits of the Prophets so long as they doe therein nothing contrary to the Analogie of faith to the generall peace and unity of the Church to the rules of charitie pietie loyaltie and sobrietie to abound in their owne sense and to declare for the further edifying of the Church what they conceive to be in such difficult places principally intended And further than this no Church nor person can goe for if unto any man or chaire there were annexed an infallible spirit enabling him to give such a cleere and indubitate exposition of all holy Scriptures as should leave no inevidence in the Text nor hesitancie in the mindes of men how comes it to passe that hitherto so many difficulties remaine wherein even our Adversaries amongst themselves doe give severall conjectures and explications and how can that man to whom so excellent a gift of infallibilitie is bestowed cleere himselfe of envie and abuse of the grace of God who maketh not use thereof to expound the Scriptures

as Christ himselfe Gal. 4.14 so then men are not by this excused from rendering Gods dues unto him first because there is in respect of him whose sacrifice we commemorate and shew forth to the people due a Testification of homage unto him secondly because in respect of us there is due a Reward of our labour for the labourer is worthy of his hire to lay all together in one view in as much as all the types of Christ as a Priest have received tithes as due and in as much as that right was not grounded upon any thing in or from themselves but upon their typicall office and so did originally pertaine to the Principall Priest whom they typified and in as much as his person and office is eternall and therefore such are all the annexa and dues thereof and in as much as he hath no where dispenced with or denied or refused or revoked this right which from him as the principall all his types ever enjoyed and lastly in as much as hee hath left to the Ministers of his Word the dispensation of his sacrifice and made them his Ambassadors and in his stead to the Church to set forth him crucified in his ordinances for my part I doe not see why unto them in the name and right of their Master those rights should not be due which were manifestly his in his types and of which himselfe hath no where in his Word declared any revocation But not to enter upon any disputes or unwelcome controversies thus much I cannot by the way but observe that these who labour in the word and doctrine and therein are Ambassadours for Christ and stand in his stead to reveale the mysteries and dispence the treasures of his bloud in the Church ought to have by way of homage to Christ and by way of recompence and retribution to themselves a liberall maintenance befit●●●g the honor and dignity of that person whom they represent and of that service wherein they minister the Apostle saith that they are worthy of double honour an honour of reverence and an honour of maintenance and doubtlesse the very heathen shall rise up in judgement against many who professe the truth in both these respects for the heathen themselves did shew so much honour to their devillish priests that I remember one of the Roman Consuls seeing a priest and some Vestall virgins going on foot and he riding on his chariot descended and would not goe into it againe till those diabolicall Votaries were first placed nay their very kings and emperours in Greece Aegypt Rome c. thought it one of their greatest honours to bee withall the Priests for the people amongst the Christians when the Synode of Nice was assembled by Constantines command and some accusations or as the Historian calleth them calumniations were presented to the emperour against some Bishops and Ministers he looked not on the particulars but sealed them up with his owne signet and having first reconciled the parties commanded the libels to be burnt adding withall that if hee should himselfe see a bishop in adultery hee would cover his nakednesse with his owne roiall robe because saith he the sinnes of such men ought not to bee divulged lest their example doe as much hurt to the soules of others as their fact to their owne for as a good life is necessary for themselves so is their good fame necessary for others The meaning of that noble Prince was not that such mens sins should go unexamined or exempted from punishment but to shew both in how high honour they who are worthy in that function ought to be had for their workes sake 1 Thes. 5.12 13. and how wary men should be in giving libertie to their tongues or distemper'd passions to censure misreport or scandalize the persons and parts of such men again●● whom Timothy was not to receive an accusation without two or three witnesses 1 Tim. 5.19 And to give notice of those ill consequences which would ensue upon the publike observation of the sinnes of those men who in their doctrine preach the truth and build up the Church for doubtlesse of other men who preach lies in hypocrisie there cannot too much of their secret villanies and personall uncleannesse be detected that so the lewdnesse of their lives may stop the progresse and growth of their evill doctrine But to returne to the point that I am upon liberall maintenance is due to those that labour in the word and doctrine out of justice and not out of mercy for their workes sake I will not presse the examples of heathen themselves in this duty for the shame of Christians We finde that the priests of Egypt had portions out of the kings owne treasuries and that their lands were still reserved unto them Gen. 47.22 And wee finde besides these lands that they had the third part of all yeerely tributes and levies as Diodorus Siculus tels us But we will first looke upon the example of Gods owne Priests and Levites under the Law Secondly upon the precepts and commands of the Gospell God is not lesse mindefull of Ministers under the Gospell than of those under the Law Now then if you will not beleeve that a liberall maintenance is now by God allotted unto us looke what he did allot to them first looke upon the proportion of their persons and then upon the proportion of their maintenance for their persons it would not be hard to prove that the Tribe of Levi though the thirteenth part of the people in regard of their civill division were not yet the fortieth part of the people Looke into the numbring of them and compare Num. 1.46 with Numb 3.39 The other Tribes were numbred from twentie yeeres old and upward all that were able to beare armes which was to the age of fifty yeeres as Iosephus reports for at that age they were supposed to be unserviceable for warre and yet thus their number amounted to sixe hundred and three thousand five hundred and fiftie men able to goe to warre The Levites on the other side were numbred from one moneth old and upward and yet the whole summe amounted but to twentie two thousand Now conjecture the number of those in the other Tribes who were under twentie yeeres of age and who were too old for warlike service to be but halfe as many as the rest yet the whole number of the Tribes reckoned from their infancie upward will amount at the least to nine hundred two thousand men Of which number the number of the Levites is just the one and fortieth part After we finde that they increased to a mightie number more 1 Chron. 33.3 but the whole people increased accordingly for the tribe of Judah which was before but seventie foure thousand was then five hundred thousand and in Iehoshaphats time eleven hundred thousand at least 2 Sam. 24 2 Chron. 7. well then the Levites were but the fortieth part of the people not so much