offered by the Faithful, but not to any particular Man's Benefit, but that the Revenues thereof should be diftributed as other Offerings, as Need required.

(f) Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, about the Year 250, alfo teftifieth the fame, and fheweth, that the Church maintained many Poor, and that her own Diet was fparing and plain, and all ber Expences full of Frugality.

(g) Profper alfo faith, that a Minister able to live of himself, ought not to participate of the Goods of the Church; for faith he, They that have of their own, and yet defire to have fomewhat given them, do not receive it without great Sin.

(b) The Council at Antioch, Anno 340, (finding that much Fault had been among the Deacons, to whom it properly belonged) did ordain, that the Bishops might diftribute the Goods of the Church, but required, that they took not any Part to themfelves, or to the Ufe of the Priests and Brethren that lived with them, unless that Neceffity did justly require it, ufing the Words of the Apostle, Having Food and Raiment, be therewith content.

In these Times, in many Places, the Chriftian Converts joined themselves in Societies, and chose a feparate Life, felling what they had, and living together in common, after the Example of the former Saints about Jerufalem, as (i) Chryfoftom notes, who lived about the Year 400, by whose Writings it alfo appears, that there was not the leaft Ufe or Prattice of the Payment of Tithes in thofe former Ages.

The Church now living altogether by free Of ferings of Lands, Money and Goods, the People

were

(f) Cyprian Epift. 27, 34, 36.

(g) Lib. 21. de vità contemplativa.
(b) Con. Ant. cap. 25.

(†) Hom. 11. in Acta Toin. 6. Edit. Saviliana, pag. 897.

were much preffed to bountiful Contributions for holy Ufes, as may be feen by the Writings of (k) Hierom and Chryfoftom, who brought the Jewish Liberality in their Payments of Tenths, for an Example, beneath which they would not have Chriftians determine their Charity; where Chryfoftom fays, he speaks thefe Things not as commanding or forbidding that they should give more, yet as thinking it fit, that they should not give less than the tenth Part. (1) Hierom alfo doth earneftly admonifh them to give bountifully to the Poor, and double Honour to him that labours in the Lord's Work; not binding at all to offer this or that Part, leaving them to their own Liberty, but preffing they might not be more fort than the Jews were.

(m) Ambrofe, who was Bishop of Milan, about the Year 400, preached up Tenths to be offered up for boly Ufes, (as the Phrase then was) as may be feen in his Sermon of Repentance; but his Authority he produceth wholly from Mofes's Writings, and quotes divers Sentences, and threatens the People, that if they would not pay their Tenths, God would reduce them to a Tenth.

In like manner (n) Auguftin, Bishop of Hippo,

hath

(k) Homil. 43. ad Epift. 1. ad Corinth. in cap. 16. (1) Ad cap. 3. Malachie.

(m) Tom. 5. Serm. fer. 2. poft dom. 1. quadragefima, & vide Serm. in Afcenf. Domini.

(n) In Serm. de temp. in Tom. 1o. Hæc eft (faith he) Domini juftiffima confuetudo, ut fi tu illi decimam non dederis, tu ad decimam revoceris.

And afterwards with much Earneftness, Decimæ ex debito requiruntur, & qui eas dare noluerit, res alienas invafit; & quanti pauperes in locis ubi ipfe habitat, illo decimas non dante, fame mortui fuerint, tantorum homicidiorum reus ante Tribunal æterni judicis apparebit, quia à Domino pauperibus delegatum fuis ufibus refervavit. Qui ergo fibi aut præmium comparare, aut Peccatorum defiderat indulgen tiam promereri, reddat decimam.

hath an whole Homily for the Right of Tithes, who calls upon those that have no Fruits of the Earth, to pay the Tenth of whatsoever they live by; and faith, the Neglect of Payment of Tithes is the Caufe of Sterility and Blafting; and agrees with Ambrofe in his Threats, that God would reduce them to a Tenth; and tells them, that not paying their Tithes, they fhall be found guilty at God's Tribunal, of the Death of all the Poor that perish through Want, in the Places where they dwell; and bids them that would either get Reward, or defire the Pardon of their Sins, to pay their Tithes. These two great Bishops agree, and from the Law given to the Ifraelites take their whole Doctrine, and impofe their own Opinion with fo heavy Penalties: But yet take Notice to what End they required them, That the Poor might not want, and fay, that God hath referved them for their Ufe.

Leo (called the Great) who was Pope from 440 to 460, was likewise very earnest and large in stirring up every Man's Devotion to offer to the Church part of his received Fruits, but speaks not a Word of any certain Quantity, as may appear by his Sermons De jejunio decimi menfis & EleemoHynis.

Severin alfo, about the Year 470, ftirred up the Chriftians in Panonia, who in Example of his Bounty, gave the Tenth of their Fruits to the Poor.

(0) Gregory not only admonifheth the Payment of Tithes from Mofes's Law, but alfo the obferving the Time of Lent, confifting of fix Weeks, out of which take the Sundays, and there remain

(0) Hom. 16. in Evang. & dift. 5. de confecrat. c. 16. Ut in Lege jubemur Domino decimam rerum dare.

remain thirty fix Days, the tenth Part of the Year, Fractions of Days omitted; this Tenth of Time he would have given to God, faying, We are commanded in the Law to give the Tenth of all Things unto God.

And from the Opinions of thefe, and other ancient Fathers, who took their Ground from the Law, Tithes, Eafter, Pentecoft, and other Things, came to be introduced and brought into the Church,

(p) But notwithstanding the Doctrine, and hard Threats of fome of the great Bifhops of that Time, it was not a generally received Doctrine, that Tithes ought to be paid, nor till about the Year 800, was any Thing by the then Church determined or ordained, touching the Quantity that should be given, though (no doubt) in many Places, amongst the Offerings of the devouter Sort, Tenths, or greater Parts of their Annual Increafe were given, according to the Doctrine of Ambrofe and others.

(9) The Offerings of the Church in thofe Ages, were received and disposed of in Maintenance of the Priefts, and Relief of those that were diftreffed ; neither had the Priefts fuch a particular Intereft in the Profits received, as of late Time they have ufurped; all that was received, wherefoever in the Bishoprick, was a common Treasury, and was dispensed, one fourth Part to the Priefts, out of which every one had his Portion; another fourth Part to the Relief of the Poor, Sick, and Strangers; a third to the building and repairing of Places for publick

(p) As is teftified by Agobard, Bishop of Lyons, an highly efteemed Man, in his Treatife De Difpenfatione, &c. contra Sacrilegos, page 276.

(q) Be not offended at the Word Prieft, no other can be given to this Age; for the Title, as then 'twas given to them, fo it was owned by them.

publick Meetings, called Churches; and the fourth to the Bishop. And generally then, the Bishop lived in fome Monaftery, and his Clergy with him, from whence he sent them out to preach within the Countries in his Diocefs, and there they received fuch Offerings as were made, and brought them to the Treasury.

And though divers of the Fathers, Popes and Bishops, did declare that Tithes were due, and ought to be paid; none of the firft eight general Councils of the (r) Church, did ever fo much as mention the Name of Tithes, or declare them a Duty. The ninth, held at Lateran under Pope Calixtus the fecond, about the Year 1119, mentions Tithes, but fpeaks only of those which had been given to the Church by fpecial Confecration; fo doth alfo the Council held under Pope Alexander the third, Anno 1180, but that only inhibits Appropriations to Religious Houfes, without Affent of a Bifhop; for at that Time, People being led to believe that their Tithes ought to be given for the Ufe of the Poor, did chiefly difpofe them to the Heads and Governours of Religious Houfes, who kept open Hofpitality for the Poor, and Entertainment of Strangers, and were efteemed holy, as good Treasurers for the Needy, who took Care of Diftribution of them, as is teftified by Caffian the Hermit. But that Council feeing much given to the Poor, little to the Priests, made that Decree to reftrain the Peoples Freedom; and indeed, by this Time, much Wickednefs was crept into these Houses, as Hiftories relate.

Nor was any Law, Canon, or Constitution of any general Council as yet found, that purpofely commanded

(r) I call it Church, because it was then fo efteemed; I muft ufe fuch Words as may give the Reader a Knowledge of what I Jay.