The historie of tithes, or, Tithes vindicated to the presbyters of the Gospel begunne in a visitation sermon, whereunto are added the substance of divers other sermons and treatises, being thought fit by good authority to be published, and is necesary both for clergy and laity : in the which is expressed the true use of the Sabbath without controversie / by B.P.

TO THE RIGHT WOR∣SHIPFVLL SIR WILLIAM DODDINGTON of Breamer, in the County of Southampton Knight, A Mirrour of Pietie and Patience.

Honoured Sir:

THat which Solomon maketh the children and husband of the virtuous woman to blesse her for, and praise her in, Ma∣ny daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all, Prov. 31.29. is without fawning or flattery (which God and all good hearts detest) appli∣able to you; many sonnes and daughters in our Church have done virtuously, in refreshing

the bowels of Gods servants, that serve him in the Gospel of his Sonne, and casting of large gifts into his treasury; but you have outrunne them all in our parts. For not onely the eye that seeth you, giveth witnesse to you, but also the eare that hath heard you, yea heard of you, blesseth you for the good deeds you have done for the house of God, and the offices thereof, in restoring by way of free-will offering backe a∣gaine to the Church, those impropriations of yours, of which you might have said, we have a law of our land, and by that law I ought to hold thē: & of which many a churlish Nabal would have said, Shal I take my bread, & my flesh, & give it to men I know not whence they are? 1 Sam. 25 11. And the harts of most of the Clergie about you are inlarged, their mouthes are opened to pray for you with Nehemiah's prayer, remember him, O God, concerning this, and wipe not out the good deeds that he hath done; & to speak good of these worthy works of yours in the gates and chiefe places of concourse. For if that one box of ointment which Mary Magdalen poured on our Saviors head, be pronounced by our Saviour himselfe to be a

good worke wrought upon him for his buriall, and injoyned to bee told for a memoriall of him, wheresoever the Gospell should be prea∣ched through the whole world, Matth. 26.13. much more may that grace of God bestowed up∣on you, whereby the riches of your liberality hath abounded, to the restitution of the Tithes of those Church-livings (which you had in your possession, and which it was in the power of your hand to have kept back;) be published and pro∣claimed in this our Britaine world. All which as you have done not out of lightnesse, vaine∣glory, or to gaine popular applause (which you cannot looke after, having beene so long cruci∣fied to the world, und the world to you, both in your afflictions, and by your sufferings, where∣with God hath tried you as a beloved sonne) but out of a conscience truly informed out of the saving word of God, both of the lawfulnesse and necessity of your act: So that God who hath promised that a cup of cold water given to a Prophet in the name of a Prophet, shall not lose its reward, Matth. 10.44. and that whosoever shall forsake houses or lands for his name's sake, and the Gospels, shall receive ma∣nifold

more in this life, with life everlasting, Luke 18.30. bath not suffered one word of his good promise to faile in you, but in his pro∣vidence hath by other faire waies very plen∣tifully restored this losse (as the world would have accounted it) to you, and blessed you (as Iacob 〈◊〉〈◊〉 for his sonne Ioseph, Gen 49.25. with the blessings of beaven above, and of the deepe that lyeth under.

Since then you have beene not onely a hea∣rer, but a doer also of the duties pressed in this discourse, and brought forth much fruit in this kinde, giving to many others an example what they should doe therein, as Esau said of his be∣nison to his father Isaac, that God had brought it to his hands, Gen. 27. so may I, that God hath brought you to my hands, to whom I should dedicate this part of my labours, wherein I en∣deavour to make it cleare (unlesse it be to them that seeing will not see) that Tithes are as just∣ly the portion and right of Gods Presbyters under the Gospel of grace, as they were of the Priests of the most high God before the Law, and of the Tribe of Levi by Gods gift to them under the Law.

Now the God of heaven, who hath given to you not onely to beleeve in his name, but also to doe so worthily in and for his Church, and to suf∣fer so many great afflictions, as a good souldier of Iesus Christ, (wherein you have beene a true sonne of Abraham, both in the measure of your sufferings, and the eminency of your patience) make your comforts abound by Christ, as the suf∣ferings of Christ have abounded in you, and af∣ter you have suffered a while, filled up that which is behinde of the afflictions of Christ in your flesh, and are come out of the furnace of affliction as his tried gold, bestow upon you that crowne of life, promised to them that love him, and indure tribulations.

Your servant in our LORD and com∣mon Saviour, Barthol: Parsons.

From the Rectory of Ludgershall, in the County of Wiltes, June 7. 1637.