also pretend to be the Offering of the Lord. • For thofe Sons of Belial, within fome Limits • made Seizure of what they knew was their own by an undoubted Law; but thefe, from whom there is no Sanctuary, feize out of Men's Grounds, out of Men's Houfes their other • Goods, of double, fometimes of treble Value, for that, which did not Covetoufness and Rapine blind them, they know to be not their • own by the Gospel which they preach. Of fome more tolerable than these, thus feverely God hath spoken, Efa. lvi. 10, &c. They are greedy Dogs; they all look to their own Way, every one for his Gain, from his Quarter.

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WITH What Anger then will he judge them who stand not looking, but under Colour of a Divine Right, fetch by Force that which is not their own, taking his Name not in vain, but in Violence? Not content, as Gebazi was, to • make a cunning, but a constrain❜d Advantage ⚫ of what their Mafter bids them give freely; how can they but return fmitten, worfe than that fharking Minifter, with a spiritual Leprofy? • And yet they cry out Sacrilege, that Men will not be gull'd and baff'd the Tenth of their Eftates, by giving Credit to frivolous Pretences of Divine Right.

• WHERE did God ever clearly declare to all Nations, or in all Lands (and none but Fools < part with their Eftates, without clearest Evidence, on bare Suppofals and Prefumptions of them who are the Gainers thereby) that he requir'd the Tenth as due to Him or His Son perpetually, and in all Places? Where did he demand it, that we might certainly know, as in all Claims of Temporal Right is juft and reafo⚫nable? Or if demanded, where did he affign it,

· or

or by what evident Conveyance, to Minifters? Unless they can demonftrate this by more than Conjectures, their Title can be no better to Tithes, than the Title of Gehazi was to those Things, which by abufing his Mafter's Name, he rook'd from Naaman. Much lefs, where • did he command that Tithes fhould be fetch'd under the Gofpel; • whatever his Right was to the Free-will Offe• rings of Men? Which is the greater Sacrilege, to belie Divine Authority, to make the Name of Chrift acceffary to Violence, and robbing him of the very Honour which he aim'd at in bestowing freely the Gofpel, to commit Simony and Rapin, both fecular and Ecclefiaftical or on the other Side, not to give up the Tenth of Civil Right and Propriety, to the Tricks and Impoftures of Clergy-Men, contriv'd with all the Art and Argument that their Bellies can invent or fuggeft; yet fo ridiculous, and prefuming on the People's Dulnefs or Superftition, as to think they prove the Divine Right of their Maintenance, by Abram paying Tithes to Melchifedec, when as Melchifedec, in that Paffage, rather gave Maintenance to Abram; in whom all, • both Priests and Minifters, as well as Lay-Men, paid Tithes, not receiv'd them.

by Force, where left not,

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THE next Thing to be confidered in the • Maintenance of Minifters is, by whom it fhould be given. Wherein tho' the Light of Reafon might fufficiently inform us, it will be best to • confult the Scripture: Gal. vi. 6. Let him that is taught in the Word, communicate to him that teacheth, in all good Things, that is to fay, in all manner of Gratitude to his Ability. Cor. I ix. 11. If we have fown unto you Spiritual Things, • is it a great Matter if we reap your Carnal Things? Το

H

To whom therefore hath not been fown, from ⚫ him wherefore fhould be reaped? 1 Tim. v. 17: Let the Elders that rule well, be counted worthy • of double Honour, efpecially they who labour in the • Word and Doctrine. By thefe Places we fee, that Recompence was given either by every one in particular who had been inftructed, or by them all in common, brought into the Church-Trea• fure, and distributed to the Ministers according to their several Labours, and that was judged either by fome extraordinary Perfon, as Timo-` thy, who by the Apoftle was then left Evangelift at Ephefus, 2 Tim. iv. 5. or by fome to • whom the Church deputed that Care.

THIS is fo agreeable to Reason, and so clear, that one may perceive what Iniquity and Violence hath prevailed fince in the Church, whereby it hath been so ordered, that they also shall be compelled to recompence the Parochial Minifter, who neither chofe him for their Teacher, C nor have received Inftruction from him, as being either infufficient, or not resident, or infe⚫rior to whom they follow; wherein to bar them their Choice, is to violate Chriftian Liberty.

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OUR Law-Books teftify, that before the • Council at Lateran, in the Year 1179, and the Fifth of our Hen. 2, or rather before a Decretal Epistle of Pope Innocent the Third, about 1200, and the first of King John, any Man might have given his Tithes to what Spiritual Perfon he would. And, as the Lord Coke notes on that Place, Inftit. Part. 2. that this Decretal • bound not the Subjects of this Realm, but, as it feemed just and reasonable. The Pope took his Reafon rightly from the above cited Place, 1 Cor. ix. 11. but falfly fuppos'd every one to be inftructed by his Parish-Priest. • WHETHER

WHETHER this were then first fo decreed, or rather long before, as may be seen by the Laws of Edgar and Canute, that Tithes were to be paid, not to whom he would that paid them, but to the Cathedral-Church, or the ParishPrieft, it imports not; fince the Reason which they themselves bring, built on falfe Suppofition, becomes alike infirm and abfurd, that he fhould reap from me, who fows not to me; be the Caufe either his Defect, or my free Choice. But here it will be readily objected, What if they who are to be inftructed, be not able to maintain a Minifter, as in many Villages? I anfwer, that the Scripture fhews in many Pla'ces what ought to be done herein. First, I offer it to the Reafon of any Man, whether he ⚫ think the Knowledge of the Christian Religion ⚫ harder than any other Art or Science to obtain. I fuppofe he will grant that it is far easier, both of it felf, and in Regard of God's affifting Spirit, not particularly promised us to the At⚫tainment of any other Knowledge, but of this only: Since it was preached as well to the Shep' herds of Bethlem by Angels, as to the Eastern Wifemen by that Star; and our Saviour declares himself anointed to preach the Gospel to 'the Poor, Luk. iv. 18. then furely to their Capacity. They who after him first taught it, were otherwife unlearned Men: They who before Hus and Luther firft reformed it, were for the Meanness of their Condition, called, The poor Men of Lyons; and in Flanders at this Day, les Gueus, which is to fay, Beggars. Therefore are the Scriptures tranflated into every vulgar Tongue, as being held in main Matters of Belief and Salvation, plain and easy to the Pooreft; and fuch, no less than their Teachers, have the

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1

Spirit to guide them in all Truth, John xiv. 26. and xvi. 13.

SEEING then that the Christian Religion may be fo eafily attained, and by meaneft Capacities, it cannot be much difficult to find Ways, both how the Poor, yea, all Men may be foon taught what is to be known of Christianity, and they who teach them recompenced. First, if • Minifters of their own Accord, who pretend that they are called and fent to preach the Gofpel, those who have no particular Flock, would ⚫ imitate our Saviour and his Difciples, who went • preaching through the Villages, not only thro' the Cities. Mat. ix. 35. Mark vi. 6. Luk. xiii. • 22. AЯts. viii. 25. and there preached to the • Poor as well as to the Rich, looking for no Recompence but in Heaven; John iv. 35, 36. • Look on the Fields; for they are white already to Harveft: And be that reapeth, receiveth Wages, and gathereth Fruit unto Life Eternal. THIS "WAS THEIR WAGES. But they foon will reply, • we our felves have not wherewithal; who shall ⚫ bear the Charges of our Journey? To whom it may as foon be answered, that in Likelihood they are not poorer than they who did thus ; and if they have not the fame Faith which thofe Difciples had, to truft in God and the Promise of Chrift for their Maintenance, as they did, and yet intrude into the Miniftry without any Livelihood of their own, they caft themselves into a miferable Hazard or Temptation, and ⚫oft-times into a more miserable Neceffity, either to starve, or to please their Pay-Masters • rather than God: And give Men just Cause to fufpect, that they came neither called nor ⚫ fent from above to preach the Word, but from

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• below