ought not, for filthy lucre's fake. 2 Peter ii. 3. And through covetoufnefs fhall they with feigned words make merchandife of you. Yet they taught not false doctrine only, but feeming piety: 1 Tim. vi. 5. Suppofing that gain is godliness. Neither came they in of themselves only, but invited ofttimes by a corrupt audience: 2 Tim. iv. 3. For the time will come, when they will not endure found doctrine; but after their own lufts they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: And they, on the other fide, as faft heaping to themselves difciples, Acts xx. 30. doubtlefs had as itching palms. 2 Peter ii. 15. Following the way of Balaam, the fon of Bofor, who loved the wages of unrighteoufnefs. Jude 11. They ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward. Thus we fee that not only the excefs of hire in wealthieft times, but also the undue and vicious taking or giving it, though but fmall or mean, as in the primitive times, gave to hirelings occafion, though not intended, yet fufficient, to creep at firft into the church. Which argues alfo the difficulty, or rather the impoffibility, to remove them quite; unless every minifter were, as St. Paul, contented to teach gratis: But few fuch are to be found. As therefore we cannot justly take away all hire in the church, because we cannot otherwife quite remove all hirelings, fo are we not for the impoffibility of removing them all, to use therefore no endeavour that fewest may come in: But rather, in regard the evil, do what we can, will always be incumbent and unavoidable, to use our utmost diligence, how it may be leaft dangerous. Which will be likelieft effected, if we confider, FIRST, What recompenfe God hath ordained fhould be given to minifters of the church (for that a recompenfe ought to be given them, and may by them juftly be received, our Saviour himself, from the very light of reafon and of equity, hath declared: Luke x. 7. The labourer is worthy of his hire); NEXT, By whom; and LASTLY, In what manner. SECTION SECTION I. WHAT recompenfe ought to be given to church minifters, God hath anfwerably ordained according to that difference which he hath manifeftly put between thofe his two great difpenfations, the law and the goSpel. Under the law he gave them tithes ; under the gofpel, having left all things in his church to charity and Chriftian freedom, he hath given them only what is juftly given them. That, as well under the gofpel as under the law, fay our English divines, and they only of all Proteftants, is tithes; and they fay true, if any man be fo minded to give them of his own the tenth or twentieth But that the law therefore of tithes is in force under the gofpel, all other Proteftant divines, though equally concerned, yet conftantly deny. For although hire to the labourer be of moral and perpetual right, yet that special kind of hire, the tenth, can be of no right or neceffity, but to that special labour for which God ordained it. That fpecial labour was the Levitical and ceremonial fervice of the tabernacle, Numb. xviii. 21. 312 which is now abolished: The right therefore of that fpecial hire muft needs be withal abolished, as being alfo ceremonial. That tithes were ceremonial is plain, not being given to the Levites till they had been firft offered a heaveoffering to the Lord, verfe 24. 28. He then who by that law brings tithes into the gofpel, of neceffity brings in withal a facrifice, and an altar; without which tithes by that law were unfanctified and polluted, ver. 32. and therefore never thought on in the firft Chriftian times, till ceremonies, altars, and oblations, by an ancienter corruption, were brought back long before. And yet the Jews, ever fince their temple was deftroyed, though they have Rabbies and teachers of their law, yet pay no tithes, as having no Levites to whom, no temple where to pay them, no altar whereon to hallow them; which argues, that the Jews themselves never thought tithes moral, but ceremonial only. That Chriftians therefore therefore fhould take them up, when Jews have laid them down, muft needs be very abfurd and prepofterous. Next, It is as clear in the fame chapter, that the. Priefts and Levites had not tithes for their labour only in the tabernacle, but in regard they were to have no other part nor inheritance in the land, verfe 20, 24. and by that means for a tenth loft a twelfth. But our Levites undergoing no fuch law of deprivement, can have no right to any fuch compenfation: Nay, if by this law they will have tithes, can have no inheritance of land, but forfeit what they have. Befides this, Tithes were of two forts, thofe of every year, and thofe of every third year: Of the former, every one that brought his tithes, was to eat his fhare. Deut. xiv. 23. Thou halt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he ball chufe to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil,. &c. Nay, though he could not bring his tithe in kind, by reason of his distant dwelling from the tabernacle or temple, but was thereby forced to turn it into money, he was to bestow that money on whatfoever pleafed him, oxen, sheep, wine, or ftrong drink, and to eat and drink thereof there before the Lord, both he and his household, ver. 24, 25, 26. As for the tithes of every third year, they were not given only to the Levite, but to the ftranger, the fatherless, and the widow, ver. 28, 29. and chap. xxvi. 12, 13.; fo that ours, if they will have tithes, muft admit of these sharers with them. Nay, these tithes were not paid in at all to the Levite, but the Levite himself was to come with those his fellow-guefts, and eat bis share of them only at his house who provided them ; and this, not in regard of his minifterial office, but because he had no part nor inheritance in the land. Laftly, The Priefts and Levites, a tribe, were of a far different conftitution from this of our minifters under the gofpel: In them were orders and degrees, both by family, dignity and office, mainly diftinguished; the high prieft, his brethren, and his fons, to whom the Levites themfelves paid tithes, and of the beft, were eminently fuperior, Numb. xviii. 28, 29. No No Proteftant, I fuppofe, will liken one of our minifters to a high priest, but rather to a common Levite. Unless then, to keep their tithes, they mean to bring back again bishops, archbishops, and the whole gang of Prelatry, to whom will they themselves pay tithes, as by that law it was a fin to them, if they did not, ver. 32. Certainly this muft' needs put them to a deep demur, while the defire of holding faft their tithes without fin, may tempt them to bring back again bishops as the likenefs of that hierarchy that should receive tithes from them, and the defire to pay none, may advise them to keep out of the church all orders above them. But if we have to do at prefent, as I fuppofe we have, with true reformed Proteftants, not with Papifts or Prelates, it will not be denied, that in the gospel there be but two minifterial degrees, prefbyters and deacons: Which if they contend to have any fucceffion, reference, or conformity, with those two degrees under the law, priests and Levites, it must needs be fuch whereby our prefbyters or minifters may be anfwerable to priests, and our deacons to Levites: By which rule of proportion it will follow, that we must pay our tithes to the deacons only, and they only to the minifters. But if it be truer yet, that the priesthood of Aaron typified a better reality, 1 Peter ii. 5. fignifying the Chriftian true and holy priesthood, to offer up Spiritual facrifice; it follows hence, that we are now juftly exempt from paying tithes, to any who claim from Aaron, fince that priesthood is in us now real, which in him was but a fhadow. Seeing then by all this which hath been fhewn, that the law of tithes is partly ceremonial, as the work was for which they were given, partly judicial, not of common, but of particular right to the tribe of Levi, nor to them alone, but to the owner alfo and his household, at the time of their offering, and every three year to the ftranger, the fatherlefs, and the widow, their appointed fharers, and that they were a tribe of pricfts and deacons improperly compared to the conftitution of our ministry, and the tithes given by that people to those deacons only; it follows, that our minifters at this day, being neither priests priefts nor Levites, nor fitly answering to either of them, can have no juft title or pretence to tithes, by any confequence drawn from the law of Mofes. But they think they have yet a better plea in the example of Melchifedec, who took tithes of Abram ere the law was given: Whence they would infer tithes to be of moral right. But they ought to know, or to remember, that not examples, but exprefs commands oblige our obedience to God or man: Next, that whatsoever was done in religion before the law written, is not prefently to be counted moral, when as fo many things were then done both ceremonial and judaically judicial, that we need not doubt to conclude all times before Chrift, more or lefs, under the ceremonial law. To what end ferved elfe those altars and facrifices, that diftinction of clean and unclean entering into the ark, circumcifion, and the raifing up of feed to the elder brother, Gen. xxxviii. 8. If these things be not moral, though before the law, how are tithes, though in the example of Abram and Melchifedec? But this inftance is fo far from being the juft ground of a law, that after all circumstances duly weighed, both fróm Gen. xiv. and Heb. vii. it will not be allowed them fo much as an example. Melchifedec, befides his priestly benediction, brought with him bread and wine fufficient to refresh Abram and his whole army; incited to do so, firft, by the fecret providence of God, intending him for a type of Chrift and his priesthood; next, by his due thankfulness and honour to Abram, who had freed his borders of Salem from a potent enemy: Abram, on the other fide, honours him with the tenth of all, that is to fay (for he took not sure his whole eftate with him to that war) of the fpoils, Heb. vii. 4. Incited he alfo by the fame fecret providence, to fignify as grandfather of Levi, that the Levitical priesthood was excelled by the priesthood of Chrift. For the giving of a tenth declared, it feems, in thofe countries and times, him the greater who received it. That which next incited him, was partly his gratitude to requite the prefent, partly his reverence to the perfon and his benediction: To his perfon, as a king and prieft; greater therefore than Abram; who was |