by the Vulgar Can it be thought says he that he gave Tythes of the Best Parts only How stands that with Giving Tythes of All Very well i. e. By Giving Tythes of All out of the Best Parts which was the Custom And it was thought a Neglect of God to Pay His Tythe out of the Worst Parts and not out of the very Best And Mr. Selden owns that the Syriack and Arabick Translations of Heb. vij 2. are Expresly so i. e. That Abram gave Melchisedec the Tythe not only of the Spoils but of All that he had And that this was the Ordinary Gloss of Solomon Jarchi upon these Words in Gen. xiv 20. Against all which he opposes That Josephus and the Targum of Jonathan Ben-Vziel say that Abram gave to Melchisedec the Tythe of the Spoils But this is no Contradiction to the other For if he gave him Tythes of All that he had he gave the Tythe of the Spoils likewise III. Mr. Selden c. 1. n. 2. squints an Objection against Abram and Jacob's Paying Tythe as supposing them to be Priests He supposes Melchisedec to have been Sem and consequently an Elder and a Superiour Priest to Abram But perhaps he thought it Inconsistent for one Priest to pay Tythe to another Priest though of a Superiour Order And hence wou'd not have it thought that Abram paid Tythe though he gave a Tenth Part i. e. that he did not give it under the Notion of Tythe or a Tribute Due to Melchisedec as his Superiour But the Superiority of Melchisedec above Abram is largely Argu'd Heb. vij And under the Law Num. xviij 26. the Levites were to Pay a Tenth of their Tythe to the High-Priest And if in this Sense Abram upon Mr. Selden's Supposition pay'd Tythe to Melchisedec â—hen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. vij 4. is Literally the Tenth of the Tythe for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as before observ'd signifies Tythe And so rarely does it signifie Spoils that except in this Text if it â—e so meant there Mr. Selden can â—nd but one Instance amongst the Greek Authors where it is taken for Spoils at least this must be Granted that Spoils is but a strain'd and â—ery unusual Signification of the Word And Abram supposing him 〈◊〉 Priest paying Tythe to Melchisedec argues the Superiority of the Priesthood of Melchisedec after which Order of Priesthood and not after the Order either of Abraham or Aaron ouâ— Lord Christ was Consecrated And this will Infer all that the Apostle aâ—gues from Abram's Payment of Tythe to Melchisedec Heb. vij as much aâ— if Abram were then a Lay-Man And he might then be a Lay-Man though he were a Priest afterwards For he was then only Abram it wâ—â— before the Covenant God made with him and the Alteration thereupon of his Name into Abraham Gen. xvâ— whereby he was constituted The Fâ—ther of the Many Nations of the Faithful to come But these Things concern not our Present Enquiry Theâ—â—fore let us Proceed IV. The Second Instance abovâ— mention'd for Tythes Gen. xxviij 22. is that of Jâ—cob Against which it is Objecteâ— That this was only a Vow Answ It was a Vow Jacob. But not theâ—â—fore only a Vow Men often aâ— most commonly Vow that which 〈◊〉 their Duty to do without Respect 〈◊〉 the Vow As to Vow to serve Gâ—â— more faithfully than we have done before Thus in this same Vow of Jacob's he Vows that The Lord shall be his God Will any say that The Lord was not his God before And indeed this of Dedicating the Tythe to God was no more than a further Declaration that the Lord was his God Because Offering of Tythe was a Part of the Worship of God And therefore Jacob did by this Declare that The Lord only should be his God because he would Offer his Tythe only unto Him It was the Custom of the Nations among the Heathen to Offer their Tythes to the God whom they Ador'd And therefore some Offer'd their Tythes to One and some to Another of their False Gods But Jacob here Vows to The only True God That He only shall be his God and that he will Offer his Tythes to none other God but to Him alone For to whom we Dedicate the Tythe we acknowledge to have Receiv'd the other Nine Parts from him of which the Offering of the Tenth is 〈◊〉 solemn Acknowledgment And the Vowing or Dedicating them though Due before was Customary with the Jews as well as the Heathen for so it is commanded Ecclusâ— xxxv 9. Dedicate thy Tythes with Gladness And none will say that they were not Due among the Jews eveâ— before their Dedication of them SECT VII That the Gentiles did Pay Tytheâ— to their Gods I. THE Great Opposer of Tytheâ— the Learned Mr. Selden cannot Deny this But in his Histoâ—â— of Tythes cap. 3. he Endeavours tâ— Lessen this as much as he can bâ— offering some of his Conjectures 1. That they were Pay'd only by Particular Vows 2. Not by any Law Enjoining them 3. Not Generally 4. Not Yearly 5. Only to some Particular God as among the Romans to Hercules c. 6. Only of some Particular Things not of all our Increase of every sort In every one of which Particulars he has been sufficiently Confuted by several Learned Answers which have been made to that Book of his Dr. Comber last of all has Collected these and added to them And put that Matter I think past a Reply But I intend not to trouble the Reader with a Repetition of any of these Because what Mr. Selden himself allows is abundantly sufficient to my Present Purpose And indeed to Confute himself in every one of these Heads to which I have reduc'd all his Pretences whereby he Endeavours to invalidate the Practice of the Gentiles from being a Testimony to the Divine Right of Tythes For However they paid their Tythe 1. Whether of Every thing or only of Some sorts of their Encrease 2. Whether to one or to more of their Gods 3. Whether Annually or Occasionally 4. Whether Generally or only the Devouter sort 5. Whether thereunto Requir'd by their Municipal Laws or not Or 6. Whether with or without a Particular Vow Yet this remains uncontroverted upon either side of these Questions That the Notion of Tythes as being due unto some God or other was receiv'd among the Gentiles and that time out of Mind which is all the Use 〈◊〉 have at Present to make of thiâ— Custom or Tradition of the Gentiles And of which I will shew the Forâ—â— in summing up the Evidence In the mean time let me enlargâ— so far as to shew the Reader how fâ—â— Selden himself do's yield the Cause iâ— all these Captious Questions which hâ— puts in Prejudice to the Divine Rigâ—â— of Tythes II. But first I must obviate a Mistaâ—â— which may arise from the Use of thâ— word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 First-fruits For thâ—â— in the Levitical sense of the word 〈◊〉 is distinguished from
our Tongue Prov. iij. 9. which is but an Inferiour and Contemplative Worship But He has Requir'd that we shou'd Pay Him an Active Honour that is Worship Him Ecclus xxxv 8. with our Substance This is a Necessary Part of that Glory which we must give to God and as much Preferable to Verbal Praises as Deeds are more than Words The Psalmist Describes this Plainly Psal xcvj 8. Give unto the Lord the Glory due unto His Name or The Glory of His Name as our Margin reads it What is that Glory The next Words shew it Bring as Offering and come into His Courts Hence that Command is so oft Repeated Exo. xxiij 15. Ch. xxxiv 20. Deut. xvj 16 17. That None shou'd appear Empty before the Lord. When we Approach to Worship GOD we must Sacrifice more or less of our Mammon before Him to shew that we Depend upon God for our whole Subsistence and that Mammon is not that God But we offer him up as a Sacrifice to another God to a Greater than he I will not offer unto the Lord my God said David of that which doth Cost me Nothing 2 Sam. xxiv 24. But I will not Labour this Point further because I suppose that I shall have none to oppose me For All Christians do Grant that some Part of our Substance is Due to God Nay this is a Notion wherein All Mankind do agree and have done at All Times since the Beginning of the World No Nation was ever so Barbarous that did not Sacrifice to some God or other And though the Outward Typical BLOODY Sacrifices have ceas'd among Christians since Christ the True and only Propitiatory Sacrifice offer'd His own Blood for Us upon the Cross yet I hope ther is not any Christian to be found who thinks that we are therefore Releas'd from the Command of Honouring the Lord with our Substance and Disposing of some Part of our Money though not in Beasts for Sacrifice yet in the Service of God which never did Consist wholly in the Sacrifice of Beasts Ther are and ever were other Parts of His Worship and from which we are not Releas'd For as Irenaeus proves Advers Haeres l. 4. c. 34. Ther are Offerings and Sacrifices under the Gospel as well as under the Law that the Command is not Abolish'd only the Species of some are Chang'd It being therefore Granted That some Part of our Substance is Due to God let us proceed to Enquire what that Part is or whether God has left us wholly at loose to give what Part we Please and in what Manner we think fit 2. This being a Part of God's Worship it cannot be Paid after our Fancies but as God has Appointed it To Give Alms to a Poor Man iâ— an Act of Charity and Commanded by God But it is not a Dired Act of Worship or Devotion Every Good Act we do whether of Mercy or Justice or any other Morality is and may be Constru'd Consequentially to be a Worship of God as being done in Obedience to His Command And thus every Act of ouâ— Life may be counted an Act of Worship because Whether we Eat or Drinâ— or whatever we do 1 Cor. x. 31. we are Commanded to do All to the Glory of God Buâ— all these Acts have ever been Distinguish'd from the Acts of Direct WORSHIP which are to be Regulateâ— strictly according to the Positive Command of God in Scripture from which we must not Depart either 〈◊〉 the Right Hand Deut. v. 32. or to the Left neither to Add to it Ch. xij 32. or Diminish from it But in General Actions of Morality we are left to the General Guidanoâ— of our own Reason according to the General Directions of the Scripture and the Ordinary Assistances of the Holy Spirit and to the Performance of which General Promises are annexed But in the more Direct Acts of Worship which are All Commanded by Revelation we are Limited Precisely to what is so Revealed and ther are Particular and Peculiar Promises annexed to the Performance and a more than ORDINARY Assistance and Participation of the Holy Spirit of God Therefore what Part of our Substance God has Reserv'd as a Part of His Worship is not to be Reckon'd among Bare Acts of Charity but must be Offer'd in such Manner and Method as He has Commanded This being Premised we will now see whether any Determinate Quantum of our Estates has been Reserv'd by God as Sacred to Himself SECT V. Of the Determinate Number of a Tenth under the Law THE Cabalists make many Mysteries in this Number It is the Completion of all Single Numbers and the first Number of Increase by which all Nations do Multiply And therefore ther seems to be even some Natural Aptitude in this Number beyond that of any other which forces all Mankind without Concerting to Multiply by it And being thus in many Respects the most Perfect of Numbers the First and Last of Numbers comprehending all Single Numbers and Multiplying them in Infinitum it seems the most Fit and Proper Number wherein to Pay our Tribute to God who is the First and the Last and Multiplies all we have unto us by this acknowledging that All we Enjoy and all our Increase is His and comes from Him Ther are Cabalisms upon this Number as to the Decalogue comprehending all Duty and the Ten Candlesticks in the Temple 1 Kings vij 49. representing the Ten Severities and Mercies as they reckon them of God and the Holy Seed is called a Tenth Isa vj. 13. They tell us that ther is a Mytholology not only in the Quantum or Number of the Tythe but in the Manner of its Payment viz. The People were to Pay the Tenth to the Levites and the Levites the Tenth of their Tenth to the High-Priest They say that the People do represent the Corporeal Part of Man the Levites the Animal and the High-Priest the Spiritual which is the Highest And that as the People fed the Levites by Paying their Tythe to them and the Levites in the same manner fed the High-Priest so in Man the Corporeal Part feeds the Animal and the Animal feeds the Spiriâ—ual But I leave these Allusions and whatever Truth ther may be in â—hem yet I lay no Stress of my present Argument upon them I Enquire not now after Tythes upon account of the Reasons either Natural or Cabalâ—istical for the Fitness of that Number above any other But I desire to follow Matter of Fact and see what God has Appointed for if that can be found out it Determines our Obedience more Positively and Certainly than a Thousand Conjectures or Contrivances of our own Let me only observe that Ten being the utmost Number it is the leasâ— Proportion that cou'd be Reserv'd for Nine wou'd be a Greater Proportion of our Goods and Eight a Greateâ— than that c. But now to follow the Clew oâ— Matter of Fact by which I intend to Determine this Cause
it was no Ordinance or Law at all And ther was no manner of Comparison betwixt the Gospel and the Altar which the Apostle do's Compare together The Lord ordained Tythes to the Altar and Nothing to the Gospel What Comparison then betwixt the Gospel and the Altar The same as betwixt Tythes and Nothing And how then did The Lord Ordain a Maintenance for the Ministers of the Gospel EVEN SO as for the Ministers of the Altar Ther is no Coherence no Argument no Comparison nor Good Sense can be made out of this Text unless The Lord had Ordained that as the Tythes were Pay'd to the Priests of the Temple they shou'd be likewise Pay'd to the Priests of the Gospel And then the Comparison lies Full and Round and the Apostle's Argument is Strong and Cogent which otherwise is Precarious and In-Consequential Therefor I think that from this very Text it may nay that it must be Concluded That The Lord has Ordained Tythes under the Gospel as well as under the Law And I will shew hereafter that this Text was thus understood in the first Ages of the Church But why wou'd not S. Paul downright name Tythes and so put the Matter out of Dispute I answer Ther was then no Dispute at all concerning the Divine Right of Tythes All the Dispute that then cou'd be was only to whom they shou'd be Pay'd whether to the Priests of the Temple or the Gospel The Priests of the Temple were then in Possession of them and wou'd have Rais'd a much more severe Persecution against the Gospel if its Priests had Pretended to them And therefor it was Great Prudence in the Apostles not to Name Tythes not to add Oyl to the Flames of that Persecution which was like to be too strong for the ordinary sort of Christians and overcame some of them Yet wou'd not the Apostles lose their Right which S. Paul in this Chapter not only Asserts but Arguer for it though he wou'd not then make use of it for Reasons which he there Declares SECT X. Obj. That no Tythes were Pay'd in the Days of the Apostles and first Ages of Christianity 1. First I Deny the Supposition That no Tythes were then Pay'd For though a Tenth was Ordained yet it might be Exceeded and Men might give a Greater Proportion if they thought fit and God did accept of what more Men gave as a Mark of more Extraordinary Devotion and Zeal to his Service And therefor they who gave More gave the Tenth Now in the Days of the Apostles the Christians gave not only a Tenth but their Zeal was so Exceeding as to sell Lands Houses c. and give All that they had in the World and lay it down at the Apostles Feet Acts iv 34. And this was not a sudden Heat of Devotion and soon over it lasted many Years We find it in Justin Martyr 160 Years after Christ. And now says he We bring all that we have into Common 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apolog. 2. pag. 61. and Communicate it to every one that wants And after him Irenaeus Advers Haeres l. 4. c. 34. An. Chr. 180. tells that the Jews consecrated a Tenth but the Christians gave All that they had to God's Service and wou'd give not Less than the Jews because they had a better Hope And after him Tertullian An. 200. says Apol. c. 39. That all things were Common among the Christians but their Wives Now while this great Zeal and Liberality lasted what Reason was ther to Press Men to give a Tenth who gave a Great deal more Mr. Seldeâ— confesses c. 4. n. 1. p. 36. So liberal says he in the Beginning of Christianity was the Devotion of Believers that their Bounty to the Evangelical Priesthood far exceeded what the Tenth cou'd have been And p. 39. The Liberality formerly used had been such that in respect thereof Tenths were a small part And Review c. 4. p. 462. he says It had been little to the purpose indeed to have had Tythes of Annual Increase paid while that most Bountiful Devotion of Good Christians continu'd in frequent Offerings both of Lands and Goods to such Large Value And c. 4. n. 2. p. 40. he continues this vast Liberality of the Christians in their Offerings to the days of St. Chrysostom who liv'd at the end of the 4th Century where he tells how much the Clergy were Envy'd for their Riches which says he Grew only out of such Christian Devotion to the Priesthood He magnifies the Great Oblations made 〈◊〉 Rome however Cyprian says he â—â—ight before have cause to complain in Africk Yet the Oblations were not Mean in Africa which we may gather from the Relation of St. Cyprian himself who tells Epist 160. p. 96. Ed. Oxon. that out of the Oblations of the Christians of Carthage where he was Bishop he contributed at one time an Hundred Thousand Sestertiums towards the Relief of some Christian Captives But to say no more of the Greatness of the Devotions of those Times I have only this Use to make of it as to my Present Purpose That the Christians then giving more than a Tenth had been Reason sufficient if ther had 〈◊〉 been one word in any of the Fathers of those Times concerning Tythes For how cou'd they Require Tythes when Tythes were Pay'd and a great deal more But because ther shou'd be no sort of Argument wanting in this Cause we have frequent Testimonies even of the Fathers of these first Ages for Tythes being Due under the Gospel as well as under the Law and that the Commands in the Law for Tythes do still oblige us I will mention but a few St. Irenaeus Disciple to St. Polycarâ— who was Disciple to St. John the Apostle says advers Haeres l. 4. c. 34 That we ought to offer to God the First-fruits of His Creatures as Moses said You shall not appear Empty before the Lord. It has been said before that First-fruits and Tenths are us'd promiscuously But Irenaeus shews that he means Tenths in the same place by making this Comparison betwixt the Offerings of the Jews and the Christians that the Jews offer'd a Tenth but the Christians gave All that they had And Ibid. c. 27. he shews how Christ did Heighten the Commands of the Law As for Adultery to forbid Lust for Murder to forbid Anger And he adds this Instance to the other That instead of Tythes Christ commanded to sell All and give to the Poor and this says he is not a Dissolving of the Law but Enlarging it By which Argumentation Tythes are no more Dissolv'd under the Gospel than the 6th and the 7th Commands Of the same Opinion was Origen who Flourish'd about 20 Years after Irenaeus To whom says he we give our First-fruits to the same we send up our Prayers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Contr. Cels l. 8. p. 400. By First-fruits he means Tenths as appears by his 16th Homil. on Genesis where he says that the Number Ten
ejus Prosperos si quis vero Minuere vel Mutare presumpserit Noscat se ante Tribunal Christi redditurum rationem nisi prius satisfactione emendaverit i. e. He that shall Add to what I have Given The Lord add to him Prosperous days But if any shall Presume to Lessen or Change it let him know that he shall give an Account of it before the Tribunal of Christ unless he first Repent and make Satisfaction This Mr. Selden says he had out of the Cotton Library where it is in MS. among the Chartularies of the Abbey of Abingdon The Charter expresses That the King made this Grant by the Advice and Consent of the Bishops Earls and All the Great Men. And Mr. Selden says p. 208. That this was a Constitution by the Parliamentary Consent of that time 3. But in the Year following A. D. 855. King Ethelwolf did Renew this Grant in a more solemn Manner Dedicating and Vowing the Tythe of All the Lands in England In Sempiterno Graphio in Cruce Christi as it is Express'd and was the Manner at that time of the most Solemn Vow And Tender'd the Charter by him sign'd upon his Knees offering it up and laying it upon the Great Altar of St. Peter's Church in Winchester the Bishops receiving it from him oâ— God's Part. And this was done nâ—â— only with the Consent of both Lord and Commons of whom an Infiniâ—â— Number was Present But all the Bishops Abbots Earls and Nobles diâ— Subscribe it with the Greatest Applause of the People And it was seâ— and Published in every Parish-Church throughout the Kingdom 4. This Ethelwolf was the first â—â—reditary Monarch of the English Saxons who held the whole Nation under his Subjection in Peace anâ— without Contradiction and consequently he was the first who cou'd effectually make a Law to oblige 〈◊〉 whole Nation And this Law and Vow of his and of the whole Nation by their Consent given as aforesaid was Confirm'd and Renewed by almost every King and Parliament that succeeded in the Reigns of Alfred Edward Athelstan Edmund Edgar Ethelred Canutus and Edward the Confessor before the Conquest and from William the Conquerour down all the way to Hen. VIII in many Parliaments with solemn Curses and Imprecations upon Themselves or Posterities who shou'd Detract any of the Tythes so Vowed and Granted And such Curses and Excommunications were Pronounced in the most Solemn and Dreadful Manner by the Bishops with Burning Tapers in their hands in Presence of King Lords and Commons in Parliament Assembled and All Consenting and Confirming the same in Name of Themselves and their Posterities And as it is express'd in the Act of Parliament made in the Reign of King Edmund A. D. 940. Wherein All the People are Charged Spelm. Concil T. 1. p. 420. Hist Jorval Col. 858. upon their Christianity to Pay their Tythes and those who Neglect it are Declar'd Accursed i. e. Excommunicated and they were Esteem'd as Men who had Renounced their Christianity and not to Deserve the Name of Christians And these Grants and Vows are Confirm'd by Magna Charta and all the rest of our Laws both before and after it 5. Now it is a Receiv'd Maxim in the Civil Law as well as a Dictate of Reason That Votum transit in Haeredes A Vow do's Descend and Oblige our Heirs And in the Law of Justinian which he Receiv'd from Vlpian it is Particularly apply'd to this of Tythes f f. lib. de Policit l. 2. Quis §. 2. Si forte qui Decimam vovit Decesserit ante Sepositionem Hares ipsius Haereditario nomine Decime obstrictus est Voti enim obligationem ad Haeredem transire constat i. e. If any that had vowed Tythes should Dâ—ebefore they were Pay'd his Heir is oblig'd to Pay them because it is a known Rule That the Obligation of a Vow do's Descend to the Heirs How much more then if any not only Voweth but actually Executeth his Vow and has Already Given the Tythes which he Vowed out of his own Possession to those to whom his Vow did oblige him to give them how much more is his Heir obliged in this Case not to Recall or Take back such Tythes out of their Possession to whom they were so Vowed and Given If a Man cannot Annul or Make void his own Vow without a manifest Mocking of God how can he Re-call or Disannul the Vow of Another If a Man's Grant of his own Estate when Duly Executed cannot be Recall'd tho' to the Prejudice or Ruin of his Family And tho' it was a Wrong in him and very Vnjust to make such a Grant shall not his Grant of Restitution stand whereby he only Gives back what he had Vn-justly taken from Another What he had Robbed from God of His Tythes and Offerings Must ther be a writ of Enquiry to Examin into the Justice and Equity of the Original Grant And to Recall it because it was too Much Shall we think that too Much which God has Reserved as Holy unto Himself And for which He has Promised to Bless us in All that we set our Hand unto Is not He Able to make us Amends and Encrease our store an hundred fold Is not He Able to Punish our Distrust of Him And take away our Nine Parts who Grudge to Give Him the Tenth Is not this a Snare of the Devil to throw us out of God's Favour and make us Forfeit His Protection Is it not a Snare to the Man who Devoureth that which is Holy Prov. xx 25. and after Vows to make Enquiry If it is not Lawful to make Enquiry to Grudge or Snip from what I have Vowed tho it be of things which I was not Obliged to Vow or to Give away How much more Unlawful is it to make Enquiry after I have Vowed that which was God's Due before I Vowed and which I was Obliged to Pay tho I had not Vowed it at all If Ananias and Sapphira were stricken Dead upon the Place for keeping back but Part of the Price which they had not formally Vowed no nor Promised for ought Appears but only Thought of or Resolved in their Minds to Give even of Their Own and which cou'd not have been Exacted from them Shall they Escape who keep back not a Part but the Whole of those Tythes which God had Reserved like the Forbidden fruit not to be Touched by us Ever since the Creation of Man upon the Earth And which had been moreover so often and so Solemnly VOWED with the most Dreadful Imprecations both Temporal and Eternal upon all those who should Refuse or Neglect to Pay them If the Dissembling of Ananias and Sapphira was constru'd a Lying not to Men But to The Holy-Ghost How is it not a Lying both to Men Act. v. 4. and to The Holy-Ghost to Defeat the Grants of our Fore-fathers to Disannul their Vows And Rob GOD of what they had vowed to Him and which was His Due before And is
made this Heave-offering of a Tenth of it was called a Polluting of the Tythes of the People which they had Received and made them Liable to Death ver 32. And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it when ye have Heaved from it the Best of it neither shall ye Pollute the Holy things of the Children of Israel lest ye Die Thus our entring upon any Part before we have Offered to God His Tenth Part is a Polluting of the Whole as to us For it is Sanctifi'd to us by our Offering the Tenth to God Till when the Whole is Hallowed to God and it is Sacrilege to Invade it Nor is any of it Releas'd to our Use till God's Part be first taken from it And you see how strictly this was Enjoyn'd by God and how Vniversally That as the People were not so much as to Taste of any of the Fruits of the Earth no not the Green Ears till they had offered to The Lord His Part out of it by Giving it unto the Levites so neither were the Levites to Taste of any of the Peoples Tythe till they had first Offered the Tenth of their Tenth to God by giving of it to the High-Priest And that under Pain of Death And of Rendering the Whole Polluted to them He that steals any of his Goods to his own use before he has given to God His Tenth steals it and all the Rest from God's Blessing And tries if he can grow Rich whether God will or not Which if God Permit it is for his Greater Judgment And God can Exact it from him or his Posterity Upon whom we Entail God's Curse when we Deprive God of His Due SECT XVII Of what Part of our Goods the Tythe is to be Pay'd OF the Very Best no Doubt for we offer it to God And in this we Express the Reverence Due to the Divine Majesty And to offer any thing to him that is not the Best we have Argues a Slight and Contempt of Him And Preferring our selves or something else before Him Therefor tho we give the full Proportion of a Tenth yet if we Give it not of the very Best we fail as to the Quality of our Gift tho not as to the Quantity We Forfeit the Blessing upon the whole And instead of that we bring a Curse upon us as seeking to Deceive or Blind the Eyes of God as if He took no Notice or did not Regard it Which is a Greater Contempt of God than if we did not offer to Him at all But cursed be the Deceiver Mal. i. 14. who hath in his Flock a Male and Voweth and Sacrificeth unto the Lord a Corrupt thing For I am a great King saith The Lord of Hosts And My Name is Dreadful among the Heathen But I need not Insist upon this The Commands are Numerous and cannot escape the observation of Any That whatever was offered to The Lord was to be without Blemish Deut. xvij 1. And the Texts before Quoted Num. xviij 30. and 32. do among Many others plainly Express it When ye have Heaved the BEST thereof from it then it shall be counted as the Increase of the Threshing-floor c. And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it when ye have Heaved from it the BEST of it i. e. if you do not Heave the Best it will be a Sin and you shall Bear it As to the same Notion among the Heathen see before p. 47. and p. 71. SECT XVIII Who they are that ought to Pay Tythe Ans ALL that Worship God For Tythe is a Part of His Worship 2ly All that Expect His Blessing upon the Remaining Nine Parts And upon their future Labours and Endeavours Object Tho the Rich may Bear this yet it seems very Hard upon the Poor Ans It is no Harder to the Poor than to the Rich because they Pay Proportionably So Equal is this Tax of God's Imposing After the Tythe of Worship the Jews were obliged to Pay another Tythe of Charity to the Poor which was call'd The Poor Man's Tythe And this latter sort of Tythe no Man was obliged to Pay to Any who was not Poorer than Himself By which Rule the very Poorest sort are Excused from this Tythe But none are Excused from the Tythe of Worship more than from their Prayers or any other Part of God's Worship None must Appear before the Lord Empty Ther is no Exception from this Rule If it be said what do's such a Modicum signifie which a Very Poor Man can Give Ans It is Accepted by God as much or more if given with a better Heart than the Great Offerings of the Rich. The poor Widow's two Mites were reckoned More than all that the Rich had offer'd of their Abundance Luke xxi 3. Observe That those Priests to whom this Widow gave her two Mites were Rich and Covetous beside they Devour'd Widows Houses Luk. xx 47. they were these to whom our Blessed Saviour said Mat. xxiij 33. Ye Serpents ye Generation of Vipers how can ye escape the Damnation of Hell yet He made it no Objection against this Religious Widow that she should throw in her Mite to swell the Wealth of those Wicked Men who were much more capable to have Relieved her Great Necessities than she was to add to their Store For He knew and has Instructed Us that her Offering was to God and not to the Priests tho the Prists did Receive it and it was put into their Treasury yet Christ calls those Gifts which were cast into it The Offerings of God Luk. xxj 1 4. Let us observe in the 2d place That this Farthing which the Widow gave was only a Free-will Offering which was of less Obligation than the Tythe for the Tythe was Positively Required and might be Exacted if not Pay'd How will this Rise in Judgment against those who have not the Heart to Give what is Barely Due And think a Tenth too much when it is Commanded It has been before observed how the Primitive Christians Gave Many of them All that they had as this Widow had done But None Less than a Tenth For that they thought themselves Bound to give More than the Jews because as Irenaeus said they had a Better Hope Now the First-Fruits the Tythe to the Levites the second Tythe to the Poor the Tythe for Feasts the Corners of their Fields which they were forbid to Reap and the Gleanings which they were not to Gather Lev. xix 19. are computed not to leave to the owner above a Fourth or a Fifth Part Clear to Himself Out of which their Daily and Multitude of Occasional Offerings for Legal Vncleannesses besides their Voluntary or Free-will Offerings which cannot be Reckon'd were to be taken How far short then of the Jewish Performance and how much shorter of the Primitive Christian Devotion do we come who will not Pay the one Tenth even of Worship which is Indispensibly due to God himself which he has Reserved by an Vniversal
Small Encouragement towards it I have now done with my Politicks wherein I have no Talent And Return to make a Short Conclusion from all that has been said CONCLVSION IF it be a Truth That we ought to Honour the Lord with our Substance If that be Part of his Worship of the Honour due unto his Name If the Determinate Quantum of a Tenth Part has been the Receiv'd Notion and Practice of the Whole Earth ever since the Beginning as far as we have any Account of Times If God has Promised Great Blessings as well Temporal as Eternal to our Performance of this Part of Religious Worship the Due Payment of our Tythe to Him And Threatned the Neglect thereof with severe Judgments even to Curse Whole Nations Accounting it as a Robbing of Himself And if we have seen this made Good in the Heathen Nations as well as amongst Jews and Christians And visited many Years after it was Committed in following Generations to shew that he Forgets not this Sin though He may bear Long with it If ther be any thing Sacred in Vows Made in the Most Solemn Manner by Kings Parliaments and People with the Dreadfulest Imprecations and Curses upon Themselves and Posterities who shou'd Alienate or take back to Common Vse what they had Dedicated to God and His Church If it be the Rule of our Law and Determin'd Now every Day in Westminster-Hall That what is once Mortify'd to the Service of God can never Revert to the Donor And that if the Particular Vses for which he did Mortifie such Lands Money c. be Superstitious or Vnlawful the Vse is to be Amended and the thing Devoted turn'd to some other Holy Use like the Censers of Korah But can never Revert to the Donor or his Heirs because the Grant is To God and His Church And Must so Remain and cannot be De-Secrated or Return'd to Common Use Nay though the Vse shou'd become Impracticable as in the Late Case of Mr. Snell who gave a Mortification for four Scots Exhibitioners in Baliol-College in Oxford for the Propagation of Episcopacy in Scotland Which being Now Abolish'd there by Act of Parliament that Use is for the Present become Impracticable And his Heirs who sued for this here in Chancery Offer'd to give Sufficient Security That whenever the Vse shou'd become Practicable the Mortification shou'd be Apply'd to it But the Court wou'd not suffer that Ther must be no Compounding or Jesting with God what is once Mortify'd to His Service must not Revert And the Exhibitioners are now Maintain'd upon it in Baliol-College though the Vse for which Mr. Snell did Design it is at Present Impracticable But if the thing Mortify'd Vowed or Devoted be not any thing of our Own but that which God has Antecedently Hallowed and Reserv'd to Himself as the Tythes And consequently wherein we never had any Property Then the Breach of Such Vows Made only in Affirmation and for the Performance of what was our Duty before and though we had not Added the farther Sanction of an Oath to God I say The Breach of Such Vows have an Additional and Great Aggravation as to Substract our Tythes which are Commanded wou'd be More Heinous than not to Make a Free-will-Offering Though when it is Offer'd it is Hallowed as well as the other And when we say to God Hallowed be thy Name if we Must Mean All that is Hallowed to his Name as well Things as Words that All such be Pay'd to Him then whenever we Repeat The Lord's Prayer we do Again Hallow All our Dedicated things to God It is a Fresh Vow at least an Acknowledgment and Recognition of all our Former Vows And not only of Our Own but of what has been Vowed and Dedicated by Others especially if we are their Successors for then the Obligation Descends upon Us and we are Answerable for the Performance All I have to Add is That wherein soever we find we have done Amiss we shou'd not Deferr to Return and Amend And put not off from Day to Day Abraham Rose Early to Sacrifice his Only Son whom he Loved Ther must be a Zeal to Execute the Commands of God even when most Adverse to Flesh and Blood To shew the Preference we give to God above All other things whatsoever Without this we shall never be able to overcome the Strong Temptations of the World And when they cannot Persuade Us they will Retard and Hinder Us And make us go Heavily about our Work And then they seldom fail to Stop Us altogether and finally to Disappoint Us. For the Longer we Delay after we are Convinc'd we are Every Day less Apt to Dis-ingage our selves from the World Our Trust in God grows Weaker when we Dare not Venture upon it And by the same Degrees our Trust in the World grows Stronger And the Longer it Continues so we grow Weaker and Weaker And our Faith Dwindles into Less than a Grain of Mustard-seed Whereas if we wou'd put on a Noble and Christian Courage and but Try the Experiment then if we found it Answer beyond our Expectations it wou'd Encrease our Faith And we shou'd Rise from Strength to Strength and find Comforts beyond Expression Not only that Peace of Mind which the World cannot Give But it wou'd be the surest Means to Attain even the Riches of this World To Prevail with God to Bless and Encrease our Store as He has Promised And Bid Us Prove Him herewith if He will not Perform it Mal. iij. 10. And if a Modern Example will be any Encouragement he that writes this do's Assure the Reader That he knows Now at this Present where Tythes are and have been for some time Punctually paid according to the Rules before set down And the Effects have been Wonderful More than an Hundredfold and in Manner Extreamly Remarkable and Surprizing Glory be to God 17. July 1699. A FORM OF Prayer and Thanksgiving Upon the Offering our Tythe to the PRIEST A Gentile ready to Perish was my Father Deut. xxvi 5. Rom. xi 17. a Wild Olive Tree growing out of the Paradise of God the Pale of his Church But He sent forth his Son a Light to Lighten the Gentiles and hath shined even unto us And I Profess this Day unto The Lord thy God Deut. xxvi 3. that I am come unto His Glorious Gospel which the Lord swore unto our Fathers to give us And moreover that He hath been with me Gen. xxviij 20. and kept me in the way that I have gone and has given me Bread to eat and Raiment to put on And now behold Deut. xxvi 10. I have brought the First-Fruits all the Tythes of my Increase 12. I have brought away the Hallowed things out of mine House 13. neither have I taken away ought thereof but I have hearkened to the Voice of the Lord my God 14. To Honour the Lord with my Substance Prov. iij. 16. and with the First-Fruits of all Mine
Increase I have not Transgressed His Commandments Deut. xvi 16. To Appear Empty before the Lord Neither will I offer unto the Lord my God of that which doth Cost me nothing 2 Sam. xxiv 24. And O Lord that it may please thee Graciously to accept this Offering at my hands and to make it well-pleasing in thy sight O Lord Jesus Christ Heb. vij 8. the Priest who ever Liveth to Receive Tythe and to make Intercession for us Receive this our Tribute our Bounden Duty and Service 1 Pet. ij 25. O thou Bishop of our Souls in Thy Goodness and make it acceptable to Thy Father and our Father Joh. xx 17. to thy God and our God O Thou who art able to save to the uttermost those that come unto God by Thee Heb. vij 25. And to succour them that are Tempted Ch. ij 18. in that thou thy self wast Tempted O Thou Merciful and Faithful High-Priest 17. in things pertaining to God O do Thou make Powerful Intercession for the Sins of the People Mal. iij. 8. who have Robbed GOD in His Tythes and Offerings O Thou who did'st open the Eyes of the Blind open the Eyes of this People and smite Lord their Hearts they that may See and Consider their Horrid Sacrilege and Repent and Return And that Thou may'st Pardon all that is Past all their Neglect of Paying their Tythe Hitherto all Mine O God who smite upon my Breast this Day and turning my self I mourn for this great Offence and Bless Thy Name with the Vtmost Powers of my Soul That Thou hast Graciously and Wonderfully had Mercy on me and now tho Late hast shewn to me Thy Glory and Thy Truth O Preserve and Bless me in it And bring more and more into it even this whole People Hos ix 4. That his their Bread for their Soul may never Hereafter cease to come into the House of the Lord Mal. iij. 10. that ther may be Meat in Thine House and that Thou may'st open the Windows of Heaven and Pour us out a Blessing till ther shall not be Room enough to receive it 11. That thou may'st Rebuke the Destroyer for our sakes that he may not Destroy the Fruits of our Ground nor our Corn cast her Fruit before the time in the Field 12. That all Nations may call us Blessed That we may be a Delightsome Land unto the Lord of Hosts Look down from Thy Holy Habitation Deut. xxvi 15. from Heaven and Bless thy People Israel and the Land which Thou hast Given us Bless Thy Holy Catholick Church and Every Land and Country where she Dwells This in an especial Manner O Lord our God Her Governours the Bishops with the Inferior Priests and Deacons And all Thy Faithful committed to their Charge their Kings their Princes and Temporal Government Isa xlx 23. Make them faithful Nourishers to Thy Church and to Bow down their Ear to her Instruction and submit themselves to her Discipline That Thy Worship may be set up amongst us in its Purity and Fulness That Thou may'st Delight to Bless us Deut. viij 16. and to do us good at our Latter End And now O Lord and my God let me Return unto Thee for a Blessing upon my self a most Miserable and wretched Sinner who am less than the least of all the Mercies which Thou dost daily Renew unto Me and for my and Whom Thou hast Graciously given unto Thy Servant And all my Family Friends Relations Benefactors and Well-wishers Feed us O Lord with Food convenient for us Gen. xxviij 22. And of all that Thou givest us Grant that we may surely give the Tenth unto Thee 21. that the Lord may be our God And may Bless the Fruit of our Body Deut. xxviij 4. c. and the Fruit of our Ground the Fruit of our Cattel and the Increase of our Kine and the Flocks of our Sheep that the Lord may Command a Blessing upon us in our Store-Houses and in all that we set our hand unto When we come in and when we go out That we may be Blessed in our Basket and Blessed in our Store Blessed in the City and Blessed in the Field That the Lord may open unto us His Good Treasure the Heaven to give the Rain unto our Land in his season and to Bless all the work of our hand And that we may Lend un-Many but not Borrow That the Lord may make us the Head and not the Tail and to be Above only and not to be Beneath when we shall hearken unto the Commandments of the Lord our God And therefor we do now Honour and Hallow and Worship Thy Holy Name in Rendring our Bounden Tribute and Service Thy Tenth of all our Increase which we offer with Thankful and Joyful Hearts Adoring Thy Goodness and Praising Thy Mercy in Giving us All that we have Blessed be thou 1 Chr. xxix 10. Lord God of Israel our Father for ever and ever Thine O Lord is the Greatness and the Power and the Glory and the Victory and the Majesty for all that is in the Heaven and in the Earth is Thine Thine is the Kingdom O Lord and Thou art Exalted as Head above All. Now therfor Our God we Thank Thee and Praise Thy Glorious Name But who am I and what are we that we shou'd be able to Offer so willingly after this sort For All things come of Thee and of Thine own have we given Thee For we are Strangers before Thee and Sojourners as were all our Fathers our Days on the Earth are as a Shadow and ther is none Abiding O Lord our God All that we have cometh of Thine Hand and All is Thine own I know also My God that Thou triest the Heart and hast Pleasure in Vprightness As for me in the Vprightness of mine Heart I have willingly Offered the Tenth unto Thee And Pray God that I may yet see with Joy All Thy People offer the same willingly unto Thee And O Lord God keep this for ever in the Imagination of the Thoughts of the Heart of Thy People Lord Psal x. 19. Prepare their Heart and let Thine Ear hearken thereto Redeem Israel O God 25.21 out of All his Troubles Our Father c. A Blessing to be Pronounced by the Priest BLessed be Thou of the most High God Gen. xiv 19 20. Possessor of Heaven and Earth And Blessed be the Most High God who hath given Thee a Heart to Fear before Him and to fulfil His Law 1 Sam. i. 17. And the God of Israel grant Thee thy Petition that thou hast asked of Him though Jesus Christ who Dyed for Thee To whom be Glory with the Father and the Holy-Ghost for ever and ever Amen FINIS