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Council did ordain, That the Overfeers, or Bishops, might diftribute the Goods; bur required, that they fhould take no part 'thereof to themselves; ufing the Apoftle's words, Having Food and Raiment, be there"with content.

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Chryfoftom, who lived about the Year 400. notes in Homil. 11. upon the Acts, "That Chrftian Converts joyn'd in Societies, and liv'd in Common, as the Chriftians did at FeruSalem. Whereby it appears, that no mention was made of Tithes in that Age.

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The Church then Lived altogether by the Free Offerings of Land, Money and Goods, and the People were exhorted to Bountiful Contributions for holy Ufes, as may be feen in the Writings of Hierom and Chryfoftom: Burb But about this time, a Coldnefs in Devotion appeared in fome that offer'd; which caufed Hierom, Ambrofe, and others, to prefs very hard upon the People for Liberality, in point of Offerings; because it was much lefs than in the Apoftles time: Infomuch that Cyprian reproved them fharply, faying, They gave not fo much as was worth Speaking of, Cypr. de Unit. Ecclef.

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And it doth not appear, in any old Monuments of Credit, till near the end of Four Hundred Years after Chrift, that the Payment of any Tenth Part, as a Tenth, was at all in ufe; and from the Year Four Hundred, to the Year Eight Hundred, no Canon, or other Law, was generally re

ceived,

ceived, to compel the Payment of Tithes; tho many grew ftrait-handed, and caus'd many that labour'd among them to complain, and upbraided them with the Jews Tenths and Offerings, and fome to be very harp; yet till the Year Eight Hundred, it appears not, that it was a received Doctrine generally, That Tithes ought to be paid.

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Now the Apoftacy increased; yet their Offerings and Gifts about this time were brought into the common Treafury, and dispos'd of, on this wife: One Fourth Part to the Priefts, out of which every one that laboured had his Portion; another Part for Relief of the Poor, the Sick, and Strangers; and another Part for Repairing Places of Worship, and another to the Bishop; and then the Bifhop lived in fome place, where the Clergy liv'd with him; from whence he fent them to preach into the Countries, and there they received fuch Offerings as were made, and brought them into the Treafury. So the Priefts had not fuch a peculiar Power or Share, but others partook with them, as aforefaid: But now they claim all Tithes, as due, and take them by Force, having Law tó compel; of which more hereafter.

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01

Hom. 43. up on the Epift. 1 Cor. 1. 16.

Chryfoftom, in his Doctrine, perfwaded even Labourers and Artificers, to give Bountifully their Alms to the Church for Holy Ufes, according to Apoftolical Ordinances, C 3

relating

5.

relating to the Weekly Offerings, as in the Churches at Corinth, Galatia, Antioch; and the Jews Liberality was brought as a Precedent; below which, he would not have Chriftians determine their Charity...

Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, fpeaking upon that Paflage of Abraham, Gen. 14. 23. who after he had gain'd the Victory over the King of Sodom's Enemies, and rescued Lot; "When the King of Sodom offer'd him part of the Spoils, he would receive nothing, but a few "Victuals, though, faith be, the holy Teachers do war in the behalf of perishing Mankind, yet they do not take any thing from the Men of the World, nor heap up unto themfelves Riches; left the World fhould fay, We have made you Rich. They only, faith be, ought to receive their Sufte

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De Adorat. in Spir.& ver. 1. 4. ad finem.

nance from the hands of those, whom they have Converted to the Faith: For it's Chrift's Command, That thofe that preach the Gospel, fhould live thereby

Take notice of this, Friend William; and let not Law run thee to act quite contrary to Chrift and his Apoftles Doctrinel: For it's very hard, unequal, and unrighteous, for thee to force any Man, that receives thee not, nor is partaker of any Spirituals from thee, to pay thee the Tenth of his Temporals. But hear again: 6 3 1. 9. 25 6 bundib10 Isciralog A oi

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Profper

Profper faith, They that live

empt. lib. 2.

cap. 14.

of the Gofpel, will be Proprie-De Vita Contors of nothing; they neither have, nor defire to have any thing not poffefling their own, but the common Goods: And what is it, faith be, to live of the Gofpel But that he, who labours, fhould receive neceffary Supplies by them, among whom he labours, without forcing And Further adds, "That tho' Paul himself had Power to receive, yet he would not make use of it, left he fhould occafion an • Offence, but labour'd with his Hands, being a Tent-maker, that he might not be burden'fome to the Churches of Chrift.

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With him agrees Origen, Homil. 15. upon Levit, who faith, Peter and John faid, Silver and Gold bave I none: Behold the Riches of thofe, who werè Apoftles of Jefus Chrift! But, faith be, let us quickly apply thefe things to our felves; who are prohibited by the Law of Chrift, if we have any Regard thereto, to have Poffeffions in the Country, and Houfes in the City: What do I fay, Poffeffions or Houfes ? No, not fo much as two Coats, or to mul$ tiply Coats or Money; if we have Food and Raiment, let us be therewith content.

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Hierom alfo, writing to Nepotianus, a Clergyman, fays; I befeech thee, that thou would st not transform our Spiritual Warfare, into a Carnal One; nor imagine thou art in the Clergy, as if thou wert in an Army, getting Spoil. Seek after no more, than when thou C 4 cameft

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cameft first into the Clergy, left it be said to thee, Their Lot fhall not profit them.

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But after the Priefts began to covet to be Great, and being, as the Apoftle words it, become inwardly Ravening Wolves; turn'd from the Holy Spirit of Chrift, that appears in the Inward Man, into the Wisdom of the Fleth; then they fought their own Ends and Exaltation, Honour, Riches, and what not, that's pleafant to Old Self, which by Chrift's Doctrine is to be deny'd, and the Crofs taken up daily; and Chrift, not Self, followed; Chrift, not Popes, and covetous proud Prelates, followed: But this is not pleafant to Flefhly, Carnal, Earthly Man.

Yet I find no Law, Canon, or Conftitution of a General Council, that commanded Tithes to be paid, or exprefly fuppofed them a Duty of common Right, before the Council of La teran, held in the Year 1215. under Pope Innocent the Third, he being grown Great: After which Command of that Pope, no Scruple was made of it by the Priests to take all, and the Poor might fhift as they could for themfelves: But as Selden in his Hiftory of Tithes, c. 7. fect. 2. faith,A Queftion being put,

f.

By what Immediate Law Tithes were payable? * Some answered one way, fome another; but the Canonifts, fays be, with one Confent, do ground themfelves upon fome Paffages of Provincial Councils, of Fathers and Popes. Here it came on with, Who dare contradict the Pope and his Councils? But they were

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