that Christ gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastort and Teachers Ephes 4.11 and therefore this office of teaching the people was not meerly Leviticall and to be abolished by Christ we see the holy Scripture doth plainly witness the contrary Fourthly Reward and wages for Levi's service was not ceremonial but Moral according to the Law of God and Nature not to end in Christ or at Christ's coming but to continue to God to his Minister laborers and Servants for their labor in the work of the Gospel unto the end of the world for Christ himself appointed wages for his Apostles and Ministers and this not of charity or Alms at mens pleasure whether they will pay or not but of due debt for their labor When he sent them to preach the Gospel he gave them direction to expect wages and maintenance from them to whom he sends them Provide saith he neither gold nor silver nor brass in your purses neither scrip for your journey neither two coats neither shooes nor yet staves for the workman is worthy of his meat Mat. 10. Mat. 10.11 and Luk. 10.7 for the laborer is worthy of his hire or reward it is due to him and the people to whom he preacheth the Gospel are bound by the Law of God and Nature to pay him for his labor And hence the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 9.14 Christ hath ordained that those that preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel of their due reward and maintenance for their labor in preaching the Gospel And the Elders that tule well saith the Apostle are worthy of double honor 1 Tim. 5.17 18. especially they that labor in the word and doctrine And he gives the reason from the Law of God and Nature For the Scripture saith thou shalt not mussel the mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the corn and the laborer is worthy of his reward Therefore maintenance of Ministers was not Levitical but Moral as wages and reward for their labor as all other mens labor is and will be to the end of the world But doth not our Savior say Objection Freely you have received freely give what wages then can Christs Ministers require I answer read that Text Matth. 10.8 Answer Christ gave them a miraculous power to heal the sick cleanse the lepers raise the dead and to cast out Devils and to this he adds freely ye have received freely give But for preaching of the Gospel he doth not say so for he directs them to receive meat drink and wages as if you compare those Scriptures Mat. 10. and Luk. 10. you may see the Apostles of Christ then might and the Ministers of Christ may lawfully expect and require Gods reward or wages for their labor in preaching of the Gospel and that was the Tenths as we have proved already they may lawfully look every man for his just gain from his quarter Fourthly Judicial were the Givil laws of the Jews Lev. 17.30 c. Tythes holy to the Lord. The Tythes which were given to Levi for his service were not Levitical ceremonial nor typical nor Judicial which were the Jews Civil Laws whatsoever the Quakers or Anabaptists or any other have dreamed to the contrary no holy things are Judicial but Tythes were holy things and Tythes were not shadows and figures of holy things not ceremonies to be abolished by Christ but the Lords own portion declared to be Gods part in every mans estate long before Levi or the Levitical Law was instituted though given to the Levites by Gods appointment for their service during the life of that Priesthood and Gods part still Christ's inheritance and the inheritance of his Ministers to the worlds end for there is a morality in them and they are Gods part for which he will call men to a reckoning at the great day of Judgement when all the sacrilegious wretches in the world shall tremble except God in time give them to see their sin and repent For although Levi's Priesthood be dead Heb. 7. yet Christ liveth who receiveth Tythes as the Apostle witnesses and Christ's Ministers live and receive Tythe not by any right from Levi or Aaron's Priesthood but from Christ who is a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec That Tythes were ceremonial was an opinion devised by Alexander de Hales an Englishman Dr. Carleton in his Tythes examined and divine right proved fol. 20 who lived about twelve hundred years after Christ as that learned Dr. Carleton well observes and this indeed to please the Pope that he might better appropriate Tythes to his Monasteries his Abbots Monks and Fryars as after we shall touch A ceremony is well described to be a carnal type of a holy thing which for the service of the Tabernacle was enjoyned only until the time of Reformation as the Apostle Heb. 9.10 holds them forth unto us but Tythes are no such ceremonies they have a morality in them and whatsoever arguments may be brought against the morality and perpetuity of Tythes the same may be brought against the morality and continuance of the Sabath or Lords Day as that learned acute and solid Dr. Sclater in his sevenfold parallel of Arguments against the morality of Tything Dr. Sclater in his Qâ—estion of Tythâ—s revâ—sâ—â— and proved moral pag. 224 A book I never read till I had almost ended the Answer of this Question and the morality of the Sabbath or Lords Day doth manifest These opinions that Tythes and Sabbath are ceremonial have run parallel in the hands of those who would destroy both the time and maintenance of the Worship and service of God in the Gospel as if since Christ there was no Lords Day to be kept holy as a time appointed in special for the glorifying of God and good of poor souls And as if there were no maintenance due to Christ's Ministers since Christ's ascension into Heaven an opinion well agreeing to the prophane Atheists of the world who like those fools in the Psalm say in their hearts there is no God Psa 14.1 and those high conceited Familists and quaking spirits who boast their are equal with God or those who deny the souls immortality or dream that it dieth with the body or is turned into they know not what But one day they shall be awakened when the trumpet shall sound and the voyce of the Arch-angel shall cry out Arise yet dead and come to Judgement And then they will find that there is a God that is greater then they that he hath appointed a Sabbath or rest day the Lords Day for his special service and appointed Maintenance for his Ministers yea that their souls are immortal and the Lord Jesus is Judge of quick and dead The Lord open their eyes in time to see their errors and repent if it be his blessed will and pleasure And thus I have sufficiently answered that Objection Where there is a change of the Priesthood there
just Ballances and just weights Levit. 19 36. He would have no other used in his Sanctuary but this was some false Ballance of your own or you borrowed it of some seduced Brother who maketh use of divers weights and false deceitful ballaâ—câ—s used by too many both which are abomination to the Lord Prov. 11.1 and 20.23 Hos 12 7. or otherwise you held the scales in a quaking hand or your eyes were grown so darkned by a prejudicate opinion that you could not see which way the scale went nor pass a right but a rash judgement upon my lines or according to the flesh which our Saviour reproveth as you may read Joh. 8.15 And Friends did you weigh your own lines in the Ballance of the Sanctuary before you sent them to me if you had and had had spiritual eyes to see and right ordered judgements to discern certainly you might have found them wanting yea so light and weak of any true Scripture-proof Eph. 4.20 21. that they can move none who have learned Christ and been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus to separate with you or to refuse our Reformed and Reforming Congregations at least to hear the Doctrine of the Gospel preached by us who are the godly lawful and faithful Ministers of Jesus Christ But let both our lines and writings be weighed in the Ballance of the Sanctuary My lines I sent to you begin thus Mr. Bourns desire November 11. 1658. or M. 11. D. 11. John Darker yesterday I told you that I had been divers times with you to have known your grounds of Separation from the publick preaching of the Gospel by the faithful and godly Ministers in our Congregations or publick meeting places But you refused to joyn in reasoning your self except I would joyn in a publick Disputation which I did refuse The first Reason is Because I have formerly disputed with those we call Anabaptists and with Nayler the Quaker and have found I met with false reports of what had passed my Adversaries having many words without Reason have reasoned to no purpose but to confound the hearers not to Christian Edification as becometh Saints The Anabaptists Answer To which you answered Now Sir I pray you consider what you have said if you judge that those who you call though falsely so stiled Anabaptists to be without Reason why would you then reason with us in private will a man in common sence dispute with one that is without Reason For man being in honor and understands not is like the beast that perisheth Psal 49.20 Mr. Bourns Reply To which I reply first For the fault you find with me for calling you Anabaptists though falsely so stiled as your ignorance writeth and it seemeth thinketh had you but so much of that humane learning which you sentence to be a sandy pillar and a popish foundation as to understand a little of the Greek in which it pleased the Holy Ghost to have the New Testament written by the holy men of God Ro. 15.4 2 Tim. 3.16 2 Pet. 1 2â— for our learning you might have learned the better to have understood the name that is given you Anabaptists For those that have learned by mans teaching or their own industry through the blessing of God any measure of skill in the Greek tongue may tell you ◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in compositione valet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rursus G. P. Lex in N.T. that the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek when it is in composition it is as much as rursus in Latin which in English signifieth agdin and so an Anabaptist is one that is baptized again And have not you or many of you been baptized again once in your infancy and again in your mens estate And so you are deceived and delude your Disciples to say you are falsly stiled Anabaptists but bewail your ignorance that you had no more of humane Learning that you might have the more easily understood by the help of the holy Spirit that Divine learning which is revealed in the holy Scripture written in the Greek and the Hebrew tongue Anabaptists Answ Secondly You say If I judge you to be without reason why would I reason with you in private My Reply is Mr. Bourns Reply That it was the desire of the holy Apostle Paul to his Christian Thessalonians 2 Thess 3.1 2. That they would pray for him and Silvanus and Timothy not onely that the word of the Lord might have free course and be glorified but that they might be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men for all men have not faith â—nd truly that is my desire also the rather because I have met with such unreasonable men already and and have some ground of suspition I may meet with such again for I believe there are such in the world now as well as there were in the Apostles days and if all of your Separation be not such yet some of you may There was one Judas amongst the twelve Apostles whom Christ calls Devil Joh. 6.70 Anabaptists Ans But why would I dispute with such in private say you Mr. Bourne Reply First My Reply is That it was with you John Darker with whom I would have argued out of the holy Scripture in private and for that end desired you would call for a Bible because I hoped if there was not that right spiritual Reason in you to judge of spiritual things spiritually yet you was capable of right Reason by the grace of Gâ—d and so by giving you spiritual reasons oâ—â— of the Book of God you might be convinced of your Error and be brought by Gods blessing to see the light of Truth revealed in the Scripture of Truth for your edification And now you proceed and discover an uncharitable and unchristian spirit A defence of the Scriptures printed for John Wright 1650. comparing me to Popish Dr. Story as if I cast away the Scriptures when I had sent one of you my Defence of the Scriptures in my Disputation with James Nayler which you approved of And also my greater light from Christ in which I declare the holy Scriptures to be the most perfect Rule of Faith and Life A light from Christ leading to Christ printed for John Wright 1646. And in my paper I now sent you I desired you would bring your Arguments out of the holy Scriptures therefore you could not charge me with taking away the Scripture And your finding fault with me and reverend Mr. Baxter because we bring Reason for proof as if Scripture-Reason were unlawful I pass over as not worthy a larger Answer I gave you a second Reason why I was unwilling of a publick Disputation especially with such as you are Because commonly in publike Disputations weak Beleevers are admitted unable to discern the strength of Arguments or mind of the Holy Ghost in Scriptures alledged and to receive such is contrary to the Apostles direction Rom. 14.1 Him that is
weak in the Faith receive but not to doubtful Disputations Besides there are several Disputations in print already enough to satisfie Yet if you John Darker would write your Arguments drawn out of the holy Scriptures to prove what you affirmed yesterday as I apprehended you That the godly preaching Ministers in England are all Antichristian and our Reformed and Reforming Churches Babylon and to be departed from and our preaching not to be heard with your hand and the hand of your cheif Teacher I should God willing give you my Answer And to this I subscribed my name Immanuel Bâ—urne For your wresting and misrepresenting my words and opprobrious terms you give me and false consequences you put upon me I have learned not to give reviling speeches for reviling But I may tell you That you raise a false position like a man of straw and then you will father it on me and fight against me for it when it is a Bastard of your own begetting I pardon this also The Anabaptists Answer Then you proceed in a magesterial way and with a high vapour But Sir say you we must let you understand that those foundation-Principles of the Church of God which we suppose you well know would have been the matter of our discourse hath Scripture as clear to prove them as the Sun at noon day without the help of your consequences or illustrations and you set down divers of your grounds or foundation-principles as that God made the Heaven and the earth Gen. 1.1 That all men are sinners Rom. 3.23 That God made men upright Eccles 7.29 That God sent his Son to save sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 The Resurrection from the dead Joh. 5.29 Mr. Bourns Reply For Reply These are plain Truths and full proof without consequence But these Truths are not in controversie between us But now you come to shuffle in matters of controversie amongst the rest like a man that mingles corrupt wares among good the more easily to sell them and deceive the people As it follows in your Answer The Anabaptists Answer If I would dispute say you that the subjects of baptism are men and women and Repentance and Faith go before to fit them for it it is clear without dubiousness Act. 8.12.37 and 2.38 And you further tell me The Ana ∣ baptists Grounds of Separa ∣ tion That to satisfie my desire to know the grounds of your Separation and why you look upon us as none of the Church of Christ or Ministers of the Gospel for which in the whole you give three Reasons First Reason 1 Because as you conceive we frame not our Church of right materials that is as you explain your self not of men and women of riper years converted but of Infant children who can make no profession of Faith or Repentance Secondly Reason 2 A second ground is Because as you dream we walk in parallel with those the Scripture speaketh of who make merchandise of the word of God for which you name divers places of Scripture Micah 3.11 Ezek. 22 26 c. Jer. 5.30 31. and 23.14 15. Phil. 3.18 All which you wrest and most falsly apply to the godly faithful Ministers of Christ in England which most truly may be applied to your selves as I have proved at full and made ready to have sent you though now I shall not trouble the Press with it being nothing but your fals Quaking scandal and the like to be retorted upon you which I conceive is unchristian like Reason 3 Your third Reason or Ground of Separation is Because as your opinion is our Church standeth upon these four sandy Pillars or Popish foundations Four sandy Pillars 1. Humane Learning 2. Say you Baptizing as you call it but Rantizing or rather cousening of Babes in their cradles take away that say you and you would have no Church 3. Your Tythes or forced Maintenance the wages of unrighteousness say you after which you all run astray take away that and preach who will 4. The Magistrates sword which the Priests have run to in many Generations take away that say you which hath ever been the fundamental of your livelihood and then you would be in danger of starving amongst them whom you call Christians Mr. Bourâ—â— Reply Now I see friends you have changed your method for before your first ground was admission of Infants to be members by baptism of our Churches And in your four sandy pillars you put Humane Learning before Infant Baptism I shall in like manner take liberty to change your method and for my Reply begin first with that which is your third sandy Pillar or popish Foundation as you may please to term it and this is our Tythes or forced maintenance which you call the wages of unrighteousness Because it is so much opposed and spoken against by too many in these times who are not onely adversaries to Ministers Maintenance by Tythes but to the Ministery it self First let us look into the Book of God even from the Creation read Genes ch 1. 2. and you shall find That howsoever the Lord the Creator of heaven and earth the chief Lord of all the world did and hath entrusted Adam and Eve and their sons and daughters with the keeping and possession of inferior creatures and dominion over them and with the fruits of the earth and the increase thereof yet the Lord hath reserved a twofold right yet in the creature First general over all the world and the kingdoms of the earth and goods therein to dispose of them when and where and to whom he pleaseth This the Scripture witnesseth at full He gave the land of Canaan to the seed of Abraham Gen. 15.18 And Hanna tells us that the Lord maketh poor and maketh rich he bringeth low and lifteth up 1 Sam. 27.8 And the Psalmist tels us The earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof Psal 24.1 So the Psalmist again bringeth in God himself speaking All the beasts of the forrest are mine and so are the cattel upon a thousand hills and if I were hungry I would not tell thee for the world is mine and the fulness thereof as is expressed Psal 50.10 12. And the word of the Lord to Jeremiah from the Lord Thus shall ye say I have made the heaven and the earth the man and the beast that are upon the ground by my great power and by my outstretched arm and have given it to whomsoever it seemed meet unto me And now I have given all these lands into the hands of the king of Babylon my servant as you may find recorded Jer. 27.5 6. This Daniel declares in the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the high tree in the midst of the earth which was decreed to be cut down The decree was for bringing down Nebuchadnezzar himself till he did know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever he will Witness Daniel ch 4.25 Thus hath God a general right over all the world and
thought more acceptable I should not have remembred these Religious and conscientious payments of Tythes by these Heathens these Gentiles children of Japhet or Ham but to answer a proud peremptory Quaker who called me Old Jew because I justified that it was lawful for the Ministers of Christ to take Tythes and that they were justifiable by the written Word of God Jos B. when as he thought them to be onely a Jewish Ceremony But it is evident that Tythes are not onely Jewish or paid by the Jews onely For antient History tells that the Gentiles paid Tythes as well as the Jews And although these Histories are not to be received with a divine faith as well as Scripture yet they are to be credited as well as our Chronicles which testifie there was a King William the Conqueror or King Henry the Eighth that pulled down or dissolved the Abbies or a King Edward the Sixt Queen Mary or Queen Elizabeth or as after ages may believe there was a King Charles and a dismal War in England upon which hath followed these sirange and wonderful changes we have seen with our eyes I might add more but who are not satisfied Dr. Carleton Tythes examined and prov'â— to be due by Diviue right I leave them to those learned men who have writ and proved the Divine right of Tythes and to other Histories which record the practises of Painims This that you have read may suffice to witness that the payment of Tythes was acknowledged a due to God amongst the Gentiles to that God they did know Dr. Tillesley his Animadvers upon Seldens Hist of Tythes Dr. Slater Mr. Prynn c. and this even by the Law or light of Nature or Tradition of Gods Law acknowledged by a common consent that Tythes were due to God to that God they did know and worship and certainly this custom could not be so common amongst or in so many Nations had there not been some Divine instinct from the Law of Nature or knowledge of some divine law from their forefathers that Tythes were due to God from all nations by a divine right for his worship and service as an owning of a Divine Power Ps 40.10 11 12. who is chief Lord and owner of all we have But of the tenth God's own part he is owner of that in a special manner as his own reserved portion for his worship and service for this the Lord challengeth in a special manner for his own portion witness God's servant Voses that great Prophet All the Tythe of the land Lev. 27.30 31. of the seed of the land and of the fruit of the tree it is the Lords Lev 27.30 He doth not say it is the Priests or the Levites or the peoples but it is the Lords And thus the Lord himself by the Prophet Malachi doth many hundred years afters challenge the Tythe as his own And when the people did not pay their Tythe as his due the Lord calleth them thieves and robbers and tells them they had robbed him Will a man rob God Mal. 3.8 9. yet ye have robbed me saith the Lord. But ye say wherein have we robbed thee And he answers In Tythes and Offerings And he concludes v. 9. Ye are cursed with a curse for ye have robbed me even this whole nation So that the Tythes were the Lords his own part and portion to be disposed of at his pleasure all the time of the Old Testament from Adam to Moses and from Moses to Malachi the Lord had a reserved part due to him as chief Lord of all But the Quakers and some of these Anabaptists will object Objection What is this to the Priests and Levites either before or since Christ If Tythes be the Lords portion what have the Priests and Levites to do with it or how come they to challenge any right in them or title to them The Answer is easie Answer When the first-born in the family were the Lords Priests and Prophets to offer sacrifice to God as Adam and Cain and Abel did or to teach their families Gen. 18.18 19. Gen. 20.7 Gen. 26.25 as faithful Abraham and the Patriarchs and their first-born did as we read Gen. 8.18 19. Num. 8.17 Then the Lord needed not his part of his Tenths for maintenance of his Priests and Levites but what part he had was chiefly for his sacrifices and services But when he took to him the Levites in stead of the First-born as Num 8.18 then you may read the Lords Deed of gift of his part of the Tythes to Levi for an inheritance Num. 18.20 21. Behold saith the Lord to Aaron I am thy part and thy inheritance amongst the children of Israel and behold I have given the children of Israel all the Tenth in Israel for an inheritance for the service which they serve even the service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation Lev. 18.21 And thus you may see what title the Levites and Ministers of God have to the Lords part even by a Deed of gift from the Lord himself And this is a Deed or Great Charter enrolled and recorded in sacred Scripture the written Word of God himself Object 2 I know the common Objection We will grant say they that the Lord did give part of the Tythe to Levi and his posterity that taught the people as Nehemiah Nehem. 8 7 8 9. But he did not give all to them for part was to be eaten before the Lord in the place which the Lord did choose to put his name there they the children of Israel were to bring their tythes and their sacrifices and their choise vows and to eat them before the Lord with their families they and their sons and daughters and men-servants and maid-servants and Levite within their gates yea the poor stranger and widow and fatherless as we may read Deut. 12.11 12. Deut. 14.29 Therefore the Tythes were not all given to the Levites as their portion as is said by the Ministers that plead for Tythes For Answer If you read Answ Vltra duas Decimas quas quotannis pendere jam jussi 1. Alteram Levitis 2. Alteram in sacras epulas 3. Tertia tertio quoque anno est conferenda quae in egenos vicinos pupillos distribuatur Joseph Antiq. lib. 4. cap. 8. you may find there was a threefold Tythe which the children of Israel did pay The first Tythe was the tenth of the whole increase which was first tythed and this was the Levites portion and might be eaten every where with their houshold because it is a reward unto them for their service But first they were to give the Heave-offering the tythe of that tythe to Aaron the High-Priest as you may read Numb 18.26 And this Tythe hath a Morality in it as after we shall shew Again there was a second Tythe of the Nine parts that were tythed before And this Tythe might not be eaten in any place as the first Tythe which
benefit of their labors and receive Gods part the Tenth which the Lord hath reserved for them Thâ— Apostle proceeds with other arguments from the equity of this duty v. 11. No man goeth to war without wages c. We are Ministers of Christ figâ—â— for you plant you feed you c Ergo It is your duty to pay us wages fruit and mâ—lk Sir James Sempill of Sacrilege since Gospel p 53. If we have sown unto you spiritual things is it a great thing if we reap your carnal things If we communicate to you the Gospel-gladtidings for the nourishment of your souls is it a great matter that we receive Gods part from you for the nourishment of our bodies In a word this he confirms by analogie and similitude with the maintenance of the Priests and Levites before Christ If the Priests and Levites who did minister about holy things of the Temple did by Gods appointment live of those holy things namely of Gods reserved part the Tythes and of Gods consecrated part As Levi lived by the Law so must our Ministry by the Gospel but Levi lived of holythings by the law viz tythes Ergo so must Ministers live of them in he Gospel Sir J. Semp. p. 58 As Levi lived by the Law so must we by the Gospel but Ievi lived by a certain maintenance by the Law viz tythes Ergo so must we live by a certain maintenance in the Gospel and why not by tythes Idem p. 56. things dedicated and freely given to God by the people then certainly the Ministers of Christ who in like manner so preach the Gospel should according to Christs appointment live of the Gospel yea of Christs reserved part the tenths of all and of those free gifts where tythes are not sufficient for their comfortable maintenance in and for their attendance upon the service of Christ their Lord and Master Thus doth the Apostle though not name tythes yet require as much in effect as a duty from the people to communicate tythes or an equal maintenance for and to the Ministers of Christ And this from the Lords ordinance for the paiment of that certain reward for their labor Luke 10.1 2 3 c. which the Lord hath appointed And of this certain reward or wages we read not in the Scripture what part it is but the Lords portion of tythes which was and is Gods part as we prove before Fourthly Gal. 6.6 If you consider that command of the same Apostle Gal. 6.6 it will make this yet more evident Let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in omnibus bonis in all goods Our translators render it in all good things But if it be in all good things that he must make his Teacher partaker of yet whose must they be And if they be his own good things and then of his own goods why should the Apostle require this as a duty Let him that is instructed make him that instructeth him partaker of all his goods And why this as a duty to Christs servants if Christ hath not a right in them But what part must he make him partaker of Question Certainly the Quaker or Anabaptist will not say of the sixth part Answer nor of the seventh nor eight part And we will not say of the fiftieth or fortieth or twentieth part of his yearly increase that in most places will be too little for the comfortable maintenance of a Minister of the Gospel and to provide for his family them of his own house which he ought to take care of otherwise he denieth the faith and is worse then an infidel Agree that Christ hath a right to some part witness this Apostle 1 Tim. 5.8 Let us agree then that Christ hath a right to some part whatsoever part the Lord himself in his infinite wisdom hath set down and determined as his own reserved part for the maintenance of his Ministers that is the most fit the most equal and just part to be paid and given from him that is taught the Gospel of grace to him that teacheth him Gen. 14.8 ch 28. And this is the Tenth of all This tenth Abraham paid to Melchisedec and Jacob vowed this tenth to God before the Levitical Priesthood was in the world This tenth part he gave to Levi for an inheritance for his service in the Sanctuary during the life of his Priesthood and this tenth is due to Christ who is a Priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedec and good reason the Ministers of Christ should partake of this tenth and receive it for Christ as Christs part for their service to the end of the world Thus you see what may be the sense of the Apostle Let him that is instructed make him that instructeth him partaker of all goods or in all good things of Christ in his possession For if Christ have no right why should he pay his Servants wages of that which he had no right unto certainly he would not do it But some Quaker or Anabaptist or others Object will yet object If the tenth be Christs and his Ministers Mat 10. Luke 10. then wherefore did not Christ direct his Disciples when he sent them abroad to preach the Gospel to require the tenth of the people nor his Apostle Paul neither in that 1 Cor. 9. nor in this place Gal. 6.6 command and expresly require their tythes as due to Christ and his Ministers by divine right and to be paid upon pain of damnation Luk. 10. Mal. 3.7 8 it being no less sin then sacriledge to rob God or Christ of them as is taught by some godly men both in antient and latter times I answer Answer 1 First for Christ the Tythes were then in his time and when he sent sorth his Disciples paid to the Jewish Priests and Levites of Aaron's or Levi's order as is evident in the Pharisees practice Luk. 18.12 And if Christ had commanded or directed his Disciples to demand Tythes it would have occasioned a controversie not easie to be decided Besides Levi's Priesthood was not then ended and therefore Tythes were then due to them and so ought to be paid as our Saviour himself tells the Pharisees Matth. 23.23 Therefore there was no reason Christ should then have commanded his Disciples to demand Tythes Again If Tythes had been to have ended with Levi's Priesthood and never to have been received by any of the Ministers of Christ then we may demand on the contrary part wherefore did not Christ our Saviour give an absolute prohibition to his Disciples and to preach it to all that should be converted to Christianity that they ought never to take any Tythes but that Tythes should be declared to end with Levi's Priesthood and this would have ended the question and settled a great deal of quiet in the Church if Christ had declared what maintenance his Ministers should have instead of Tythes
for Christ was faithful in all his house as Moses Hebr. 3.2 But Christ no where forbids Tythes nor serteth any maintenance instead of Tythes and therefore Tythes certainly are to coninue still by the mind of Christ even to the end of the world for would Christ here provide no settled maintenance for his Ministers who were sure to finde cold entertainment in the world For the Apostle that he did not require Tythes of the Corinthians or Galatians nor claim them as due to Christ's Ministers by Divine right nor other Apostles Peter John James or the rest there are good and sufficient grounds reasons good enough to answer this Objection 1. In those days in divers places and especially at Jerusalem there was a community of goods the Belivers sold ther Estates and laid the mony down at the Apostles feet Act. 4.32.34 and what need was there then of any claim of Tythes when all was at the dispose of the Ministers and Apostles of Christ or of the Church and Deacons and they lived of the common Treasuries what wisdom had it then been to claim Tythes 2. Euseb Ec. Hist lib. 4. cap. 25. Again then were times of persecution as you may read Act. 11.19 12 1 2. c. and this persecution against the Church continued to after times above a hundred and fifty years after hrist as Eusebius relateth Melito Bishop of Sardis in his A pology to the Emperor writeth that the godly people were grieved by new Edicts published throughout Asia and suffered persecution yea impudent Sycophants and greedy gapers after other mens goods having gotten occasion through those Proclamations openly rob and spoile day and night therefore he desires the â—mperor that he would not despise them who were greived and oppressed with that shamefull spoile Diverse persecutions were both before and after and was it then a time for the Ministers of Christ to press or claime the Tythes of poor persecuted Christians certainly no. 3. These Corinthians and Galatians and others Churches were but new Converts living amongst other Gentiles who were unbelievers and though the Apostle did claim and argue for his right of maintenance yet to avoid offence and hinde rance of the Gospels propagation in those infant days of the Church he did not use that power and right he had to take maintenance of them but charged other Churches to spare them not that he had not a right or that other Ministers had not a right but it was not then a fit time to require this right and therefore much less to claim or preach up Christs his right in Tythes 4. In a word the Apostles then were travellers up and down the world in several Countries to preach the Gospel and had no certain dwelling place as Paul himself witnesseth 1 Cor. 4.11 and what then should they have done with Tythes or to have claimed Tythes when Ministers were not setled nor was there any quiet state of the Church And these are reasons sufficient to quiet the Quakers quarrelling spirit if they were not restless in their malice against the Ministers of Christ or any moderate Anabaptist that their maintenance is due unto them by divine right Thus did the Apostle spare the Gentiles of any demand or nameing of tythes but when he writeth to the Hebrews then he names tythes Heb. 7. and declareth them to belong to Christ and so certain to Christs Ministers not from Aaron or Levi but from Christ himself who was a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec But some Quakers or Anabaptists it may be Object have found out that Objection as they pretend Heb. 7.12 The Levitical Priesthood being changed there must needs be a change of the Law Therefore tythes being under the Levitical Law and that Priesthood of Levi being changed there must needs be a change of the Law of Tythes and so Tythes must cease in the Gospel as being Levitical and Ceremonial I answer Answer It is true That the Levitical Priesthood is changed and that Covenant of Levi by Sacrifices and Ceremonies figuring Christ the Messias to come that is changed and ended all being fulfilled in Christ for that Law of Levies Priesthood in what respect it was Typicall Heb. 10.1 2 that had but a shadow of good things to come for it was not possible that the Blood of Buls and Goats could ever take away sin therefore Christ cometh and offers his own body and by that one offering once for all he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 so that these Levitical Sacrifices they are all ended by that one sacrifice of Christ But there were divers things which Levi did which were not typical or figurative ceremonies to be ended at the coming or ascention of Christ or in the time of the Gospel As first The Levites did ear and drink and wear apparel for their bodily nourishment and preservation of the life of Nature and this was not ceremonial but nature to be done by the Law of Nature and by the positive Law of God for God commanded our first parents to eat freely of the trees of the Garden Of every tree of the garden thou shalt eat freely Gen. 2.16 and this was not Levitical nor Ceremonial nor to end at the coming of Christ for Christ himself commandeth his Disciples when he sent them abroad to preach the Gospel to eat such things as were set before them Luk. 10.8 And if these actions of Levi were ended in Christ then it was unlawful for any man or woman to eat or drink or to wear apparel which is irrational and contrary to the mind of Christ Lu. 10.7 Secondly The Levites did bless the people this was another action of theirs Num. 6.22 c. And the Lord spake unto Moses saying Speak unto Aaron and his sons and say unto them on this wise shall ye bless the children of Israel And the Lord separated the Tribe of Levi to stand before the Lord and to bless in his name Deut. 10.1 And this was not ceremonial neither nor to end at Christs coming for Christ teacheth his Disciples to bless them that curse them Mat. 5.44 And the Apostles and Ministers of Christ do bless the bread and wine in the Sacrament 1 Cor. 10.16 And it was the practice of the Church and Ministers of Christ to bless or pray for a blessing on the corgregation 1 Cor. 4.16 Thirdly The Levites taught the good knowledge of God for which that good King Hezekiah spake comfortably to them 2 Chron. 30.22 And they did read in the Book of the Law Nehem. 8.8 9. and gave the sense and caused to understand the reading Nehem. 8. And these actions were not ceremonial nor to be abolished by Christ for Christ commands his Disciples that they should go and teach all Nations Mat. 28.19 20. And thus Philip did by the direction of the Spirit of God he opened the Prophet Isaiah to the Euâ—uch Acts 8.30.35 And the Apostle tells us