"They have brought to pafs (fays "he) that as David does fay of Man, "fo it is in Hazard to be verified con"cerning the whole Religion and "Service of God. The Time thereof may peradventure fall out to be "Threefcore and ten Years; and "if strength do ferve unto Four"fcore. What followeth is likely to "be fmall Joy for them, whatfoever they be that behold it. σε " But with what great infincerity all the while do they act against God's Worship and Service!" And by the fame bring a Curfe upon themselves, Difgrace "and Ignominy at leaft, if not the "Mifery of Beggars and the Infamy "of Robbers. So that the Time it may be will come when they that "either violently have Spoiled, or "thus fmoothly Defrauded God, "fhall find they did but deceive themfelves. σε Yet for all this, there are not wanting those who haveing once disparaged themSelves in a Sacrilegious Confederacy, mill add to their Guilt by pursuing it with Artifice Artifice and Expence, even to an Anathema rather than be brought ingeniously to acknowledge and revoke their Errour. The reafon of it is, because they conceive there is a Shame in making an honest Satisfaction. And that too easily overcomes the little fenfe they have of Reli gion. All this while, they either wilfully or ignorantly drive on the Atheistical * or Factious defign of undermining the Foundation of the Church, that it may fall into Ruin and Destruction. How far extreme Ignorance may ex cufe in fuch a Cafe I shall not dispute, but we may be well affured, they that will be deliberately guilty of fuch an abominable piece of Sacrilege as that of TitheStealing, thereby deriving a Curfe upon themselves and their Pofterity, will fearce Stick at any other Wickedness which comes in their way, to accomplish their Unrighteous ends. A Cürfe indeed Seems to be already fallen upon those who obftinately refuse to * Letter to a Deist, p. 54. pay pay this Portion of God, or the Things that are God's. And therefore be abandons them as incorrigible, to the fury of Evil Spirits, to act Mifchief like themfelves, with Subtilty and Cunning against the Church, with Rancour and Malice, with Treachery and Falfhood against their Brethren. It is no wonder then that they should be fo bad as they are, but rather that they are not worse, for if they once arrive at that height of Impiety to Rob God, who Liveth for ever, Man cannot expect better dealing who mukt Die, and is not able to call them to fuch a Severe Reckoning,, as God purposes to de at the end of the World, if not before. Then if any one Defile the Temple; If any one Rob the Temple of God, him will God destroy. 2 But tho' Man fhall Die, yet his Priesthood shall not Die. It shall continue for ever, and be a Receiver of the Lord's Portion and Inheritance. It being a part of the Prieft's Office to do fo. And this Office fhall never ceafe, it is Chrift's Office, Typified by Melchizedec. And confequently the paying paying of Tithes shall never cease. It being Chrift's Portion who now recei- • veth them, of whom, it is recorded, that He liveth, Heb. 7. 8. I have nothing now to add, but to forewarn the Guilty Perfons of future Danger, that they may speedily take the only proper method to fave their Souls from Deftruction; For, as far as the Word of God does warrant and oblige me to declare, the only way for the doing of that, is, heartily to repent them of their wicked Errour, and to make a fuitable Amendment for the fame, and a fincere Satisfaction for the Injuries they have done unto God and their Neighbour, otherwise it will be plainly impoffible, either for Poor or Rich, to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven: THE THE IMPIETY OF Tithe Stealing. PROV. III. ix. Honour the Lord with thy Subftance, and with the firft-fruits of all thine increase, T HIS Precept of the Wife Man has as much Respect to the Chriftian Church, as any other of the Proverbs; and is altogether as obligatory in the Times of the Gospel, as it was in the Times of the Law, being founded upon God's Express Will Antecedent to both. And the reason of it being perpetual, B makes I |