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A27597
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A disquisition upon our Saviour's sanction of tithes, Matth. 23, 23 and Luke 11, 42 wherein that whole case is most impartially stated and resolved according to express scripture for the satisfaction of all scruples.
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Beverley, Thomas.
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1685
(1685)
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Wing B2139; ESTC R34408
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20,611
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36
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from as He did from other parts of Moses his Law in that he saw no just Reason on any Account for the Abrogation of it at his Death But he Derogated not in the least Iota from the payment of Tithes as from other parts of Moses his Law on so just an occasion and so great a Provocation therefore he saw nothing in it for which it ought to be Abrogated at his Death with such other parts of Moses his Law Argum. 2 In the second place I argue thus Affirmatively That which our Lord did not so Remonstrate to as to other parts of Moses his Law on so just an occasion and provocation in that he saw something more valuable than that it should be Abrogated with other parts of Moses his Law and Jewish Observances at his Death But in this Case our Lord Remonstrated nothing against payment of Tithes in the smallest Instances therefore he saw something more valuable than that it should be Abrogated with other parts of Moses his Law and Jewish Observances at his Death In both these Arguments I have placed the stress not upon the Sanction I have just before made Evident our Lord gave to the Law of Tithes because I presum'd it might be supposed only Temporary as other parts of Moses his Law But the stress is placed upon the Treaty our Lord gave to this part of Moses his Law very different from other parts of it to be Abrogated at his Death and that together with the Sanction he gave to this particular Law he made no Explanatory Remonstrance of its near approaching Abrogation for some Fault he found with it This plainly argues our Lord saw something so Equitable in this Law for the sake of which he intimated no signification that it was to be abrogated at his Death but to continue in its own place For the very want of such an Equity had else been a fault in the Eye of Christ Now the minor Propositions in both these Arguments that Christ Derogated nothing Remonstrated nothing are Evident from the Text of both the Evangelists who give us no Account of any such either Derogation or Remonstrance but only of his Sanction And it cannot be supposed but they would as freely have Recorded and deliver'd over to us the one as the other and that they would have been directed so to do by the Divine Spirit if it had been a point of Christs Doctrine For the proof therefore of the major Propositions that Christ not Derogating from nor Remonstrating to this Law of Tithes saw nothing in it for which it should be abrogated but that he saw something in it why it should not be abrogated but continue after his Death I shall now reason these two ways 1. By observing our Saviour did Remonstrate to any other parts of Moses his Law or Jewish Observances as they came in his way and by some fit way shew either his present dislike or give some forebodes of his Pleasure they should be abrogated at his Death and his Servants discharg'd from them but having not done so in this particular Law it argues he saw nothing in it at which he was at that present offended nor for which it should be abrogated at his Death And therefore I shall set my self to observe such particulars of Moses his Law and Jewish Observances as by the Evangelical Records fall under our Lords particular Remark and of his particular Demeanour towards the severals of them compared with this 2. In that our Lords Respect to this Law as we shall under the former Head make good will be found very different from other parts of the Jewish Law and observance and that such a Respect cannot be imagin'd to be grounded on an indifferency that it was neither Good nor Evil it will therefore follow he saw something of a positive Equity and Goodness why he did so regard it as no way to predict its Abrogation at his Death and therefore I shall endevour by a compare with other Scriptures centring in this to find out that positive Equity and Goodness Let us then first Examine our Saviours Treaty of the several parts of Moses his Law 1. And first as to the Moral precepts of Moses his Law our Lord was so far from Abrogating them that he sublimated them to their own purity far above the false Glosses of the Pharisaick Doctors or the low sense the Carnal Jew had of them as appears all along that divine Sermon on the Mount and for the perpetuity Mat. 5. 18. c. he dates the Duration of every Iota or Tittle of them beyond that of Heaven and Earth 2. In those things wherein either Jewish Custom and Practise or explicite permission by Moses his Law had prevaricated from the Divine and Original Constitution Our Saviour plainly and immediately reduced those Customs and Practises to that Divine original by settling that Standard of Reduction From the Beginning it was not so as in the Case of Marriage and Divorce Mat. 19. 8. 3. He peremptorily decided to the Civil Power the due of Tribute and therein of all subjection consistent with the supream Law of God all pretenses from the Jewish Law or any other of latter date to the contrary notwithstanding in that everlasting Oracle Render therefore to Cesar the Things that are Cesars and Mat. 22. 2â— to God the things that are God's 4. He diverted the severity of the Judaick Judicial Law as to the Execution from the woman taken in Adultery John 8. 9 10. although 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the very Fact by striking the Consciences of her Accusers with their own Guilt 5. In that great precept of the Sâ—bbath Day Our Lord crossed the Superstitious Austerity of the Pharisees and refuted it by Arguments drawn from the Mosaick Law it self which allowed nullum in Sanctuario Sabbati Otium no Sabbatism of rest in the Sanctuary but the Priests prophane as our Lord says the Sabbath Day in Mar. 12. 1. c. Mar. 2 23 c. the Temple and are blameless from their own practise in Leading their Beasts to Water from the true Intention of the Sabbath which was made for Man and not Man for John 5 17. it from the ever Active Goodness of the Divine Being and the Mediator that never Sabbatizes my Father worketh hitherto and I work And he foreboded the change of it from the seventh Day to the First by declaring himself Lord even of the Sabbath and assigning that for the Reason why he declar'd himself Lord over it viz. to change it because the Sabbath was made for Man and not Man for it That is the First day Sabbath might be as much adapted to Man's Good as the seventh was and that neither the one nor the other was any of those Eternal and Immutable Laws for which Man was made Therein intimating he changed no such Laws but as the Son of Man or the the great Mediator he changed such Laws as were made
Maintenance In Answer to this I shall first observe what is Demonstratively certain from the Apostolical Writings And that is 1. That It is the Ordination of Christ the Lord that they 1 Cor. 9. 13 14. who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel This is so expressly the Ap. Paul's Doctrine that it cannot be questioned even when he most professed a Recession from his own Right or Power as it were to fit himself for it there he most boldly asserted this either as immediate Revelation or some most known Decree of the Lord in this Case or the Result of this Determination upon the Law of Tithes or that undoubted Maxim The Labourer is worthy of his Hire But this is most positive The Lord hath ordained that they who preach the Gospel should Live of the Gospel whether we take it for the Reward of the Messengers of Good Tidings according to the Custom of all Ages and Nations who use to proportion the Rewards to the Goodness of the Tidings or for the Sacrifices of Gratitude to God for so Joyful an Embassy of Peace It is evident the Compensation for 2 Cor. 5. 20. Spiritual Things out of our Carnal Things is to be Great and Honourable like the Presents made to Embassadors answerable to the Dignity of the Prince from whom and to whom they are sent and according to the particular Riches of every Country where they are to Treat All the provision the Law made for the Ministers of the Altar and Temple and even for the very Oxen tended hither for if the Ministers of the Law that was 2 Cor. 3. 6. c. but a Ministration of Death and Condemnation were so honour'd the Ministers of the Gospel the Ministration of Life are worthy of Double Honour and least any should think a Low Proportion enough the Apostle in this very Case of Communication admonishes God is not mocked that is He will not suffer himself to be so 2. It is most certain the Tenth part under so many Scales of Divine Acceptance must remain a Standard to the very ends of the World of that proportion God expects as a Sacrifice of Praise to him of Glory to him in the Highest for the Message of Peace on Earth and Good will to Men proclaim'd in his Gospel so that if it be supposed not to be absolutely required to the Formality yet it cannot but be expected in the Substance Seeing the Right of God and our High-Priest is unchangeable and the obligation through the clearness of the Revelation is much higher The Tribute therefore cannot possibly abate in its value or obligation but must needs Rise 2. There is therefore great probability that the Provision made by God for the Ministers of the Temple 1 Cor. 9. and the Altar leads to the very Specification of a Tenth Part that the Double Honour is suited to the 1 Tim. 5 17. Promogeniture of the Evangelical Presbytery above that of the Law that the Priest-hood of Christ shaddowed Heb. 7. by Melchisedeck that was honour'd with Abraham's Decimation to it so abundantly insisted upon by the Apostle was an Admonition to Christians of that Acknowledgment Due to our High-Priest as conferred upon the Preachers of his Sacrifice and Intercession by those to whom the Feet of them that bring those glad Tidings are Beautiful That Communicating in all Good Rom 10. 15. Galat. 6. 6. Things is a silent insinuation of the Ancient Law of Tithing carrying so clear an Image of it But because These Things are not so Cogent as to convince the Gain-sayer I therefore acquiesce in what is impossible by those that acknowledge the Scriptures of the New Testament to be contested Let us then for a Conclusion of this whole Matter observe several Reasons why we may suppose no such Cogent Indications of a Tenth part in the Apostolick Writings as agree with former Times of Scripture To omit the great modesty of the Gospel as to any secular Design I give these 1. Because in the first ministration of the Apostles in Jerusalem so much above a Tenth part was freely given that Christians sold Intire Possessions and laid the Prices of them at the Apostles Feet neither said Acts 4. 32. Any Man that ought he possessed was his own And it is probable in all the First Christian Churches Greater proportions then the Tenth were offered for the service of the Gospel 2. That in the Affluence of Nations States and persons They might not think themselves Circumscrib'd nor indeed discharg'd by a Tenth part as a Tribute to God The Priests and Levites had much more given them by God under the Law Nor Any whose Increase falls not under ordinary Decimation should absolve themselves from the main Duty 3. Because some Things clearly and abundantly settled in their Formality in the Old Testament are more silently in the New applyed onely to the Gospel puâ—pose and Service Thus the Lord's Day so evidently noted by the First Day of the Week the Day of our Lord's Resurrectioâ— of his several Appearances to his Disciples of the Effusion of the Spirit at Pentecost fully come for Preaching the Acts 2 1. Gospel as it had been of Giving the Law on Mount Sinai the Day of Christian Sollemnities and â—ollections is the onely Day of the Week noted in all the Scripture after the Six Days of Creation except the Seventh or Sabbath and after it had been often remark'd under the name of the First Day was at length consecrated by the name of the Lord's Day as Breakiâ—g of Breâ—d was by the name of the Lord's Supper Which Two Engraven with our Lord's Name as in Capital Letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are the Commemorations of Two of the Lords Great Actions in which all the rest Center appointed us in his Word viz. his Dying for Our Sins and Rising again for Our justification one in a Sollemn Institution the other in a Solemn Time and it were Happy if they could at no Time be sundred one from the other Yet That This Day though the onely Instituted Time in the New Testament is to be a Sabbath its Observation to be Weekly in memory of the Creatâ—on Its Celebration to be by keeping it Holy All these so principal Concernments are referr'd to the State of that Matter in the Old Testament where every Thing is full and clear And although the Reversal of the Jewish Sabbath by the Apostle the First Day so sollemnly Recorded as the Day of the â—ord's Resurrection and Christian Meetings the Apostles Being in the Spirit on this Day though the principal Intendment be Prophetical It's being styl'd the Lord's Day are very Great Characters of a Christian Sabbath Yet the Importance and Ratification of such a Sabbath are to be derived wholly from the Old Testament No wonder then if Devoting a Tenth Part to God which cannot be supposed equal to God's Sanctification of a seventh part of Time be onely conserv'd in the Old Testament and confirm'd by our Lord in the Days of his Ministery as a Standard of proportion and yet not mention'd in that so undoubted point of Duty in the Apostolical Writings viz. Let Him that is taught Communicate to him that teacheth in All Good Things fortified with so Tremendous a Monition God is not mock'd 4. That there might be no ensnaring Consciences in regard of the various Revolutions of States and Laws determining this point of Decimation Or not allowing the possibilities of it either setting it a-part to the support of a False Religion as under the Papacy or to Secular uses In such Cases the Consciences of Subjects Gal 6. 6. are Free in rendring them according to Law to Caesar as the Things that are Caesars For publick Acts having devested private persons of them they can have no propriety in them although yet this Standard of Dedication to God out of what they possess beyond that Alienated Tenth obliges them still to Render to God the Things that are Gods But especially where Both Concur the Laws of Men with the Laws of God we at the same Time Render to Caesar the Things that are Caesar 's in obeying Laws and to God the Things that are God's in that they are devoted to his Service and are therefore to do it with all Heartiness and Chearfulness as to the Lord and not to Men onely For God loveth a Chearful Giver No Man now can have any Just Reason of being Scandalaiz'd at the separation of such a Tenth for an Evangelical Ministry that duly weighs what hath been offerr'd And especially seeing their whole Lives the Education of their Youth and the service of their Age are necessary to this Service since the Cessation of extraordinary Gifts and the Labour not only of the Mind but of the Body are sequestred to it Giving themselves wholly to their Ministry and Attending in private to Reading as well as publickly to Exhortation and Preaching in Season and without Season are expressly requir'd by the Apostle so that it is but a Recompense of Justice requir'd by God in this Case But if on any Account whatever Any Man be unsatisfied in the Decimation Laws impose upon him He must consider nothing separated by publick Acts that have stood from Age to Age is any more any Man's claim by his Birth Right then a wholsom Air or Fruitful soil are when his Country is not so happily scituated FINIS