A sermon of simony & sacriledge by Edward Marston.

POSTSCRIPT, from that Excellent Book called The Snake in the Grass.

OUR Priests (says Thorpe the Quaker) came not of the Lineage of Levi, but of the Lineage of Judah to which Judah, no Tithes were promis'd to be given. Thus Thorpe, as the Quakers have Quoted him. But now, who told Thorpe, or the Quakers, that our Priests came of the Lineage of Judah? Are they Jews? What fulsome stuff is this! But our Saviour was of Judah. What then! He was not a Priest after the Order of Ju∣dah, of which Tribe Moses spake nothing concerning Priesthood, (Heb, 7.14.) But He was a Priest after the

Order of Melchisedec (Heb. 5.6.) And Tithes were paid to Melchisedec, long before Levi, who paid Tithes to Melchisedec, being yet in the Loins of his Father Abra∣ham (Heb. 7.10.)

Now the Evangelical Priesthood is after the Order of Melchisedec: And therefore they claim Tithes, as being due to that Order of Priesthood: So that all their Argu∣ments as to the Law, and Levitical Priesthood being su∣perseded, operate nothing against Priests of a Superior and more excellent Priesthood. And there being as Ancient mention of Tithes as there is of Priesthood in the World, I have no manner of doubt, but they are as Ancient as Presthood it self, that is, as Adam: From whom descen∣ded the Knowledge of Tithes, as of Sacrifices, and of Priesthood which are all the Relatives, the one being the Maintenance, the other the Office of the Priesthood; and therefore the one, must be as ancient as the other: And they were all alike receiv'd by the Heathen World, by an immemorial Tradition from the Beginning, without knowing of their beginning, as they knew not their own Origination, nor of the World, of Marriage, and other positive Institutions, which by an Universal Tradition had been convey'd down to them.

God reserved the Tenth part of our Substance, as the Seventh of our Time, to be paid, as a Tribute and ac∣knowledgement to him, from whom we receive all: And therefore the Payment of Tithes is a part of God's Worship. The Priests being made the Receivers (be∣cause we cannot pay them to God immediately) is but a secondary Consideration. They were part of the Offer∣ings to God, under the Law (Numbers 18.24.) They are called his Inheritance (Deut. 18.1.) not as then In∣stituted, but then given to the Levites. Nor is Melchi∣sedec's Tithing of Abraham, mention'd as the beginning or first rise of Tithes; but 'tis told occasionally, and as a

thing well known and receiv'd, even in those early Days. And being part of the Worship of God, Holy unto the Lord (Levit. 27.32, 33. they were not Alienable, or to be chang'd with any thing else.

The Priests could no more excuse Men from the Pay∣ment of their Tithes (for they were paid to God) than they could commute any of the other Offerings, or Sa∣crifices, upon the pretence that they were given to the Priests for their maintenance

No Man says, That the People did offer Sacrifices to the Priest; tho' the Priests did live of their Sacrifices; neither are Tithes offer'd to Priests, but to God, tho' they are paid to the Priests, and receiv'd by the Priests from the Hands of the People, as other Offerings to the Lord were.

Therefore the Substraction of the Tithes, as of other Offerings, is call'd a Robbing, not of the Priests, but of God (Mal. 3.8.) 'Tis invading what God hath reserv'd peculiar to himself, that we may not touch it; of all the other Trees of the Garden, we may freely Eat. And this is the same Sacriledge as to tast of the forbid∣den Fruit. That was the first Sin. It was Sacriledge. And I am not afraid to say, that all are guilty of it, who have seiz'd upon the Tithes of God, and pay them not to his Priests: And that this Sin will not be forgiven, without a severe Repentance and Restitution.

How far extream Ignorance, occasion'd by the Tor∣rent of the Times, will Excuse; I will not now dispute: But I'me sure wilful affected Ignorance, occasion'd by Negligence, or Covetousness will not.

And let this be added, to all that I have said, That several Kings of England, who had then the sole Right and Property in all the Lands of England, have anew Dedicated, by particular Vows, as Jacob (Gen. 28.22.) all the whole Tithes of all the Lands of England to God; and

Sign'd Charters and Grants of the same, and rendred, them upon their Knees, at the Altar of God, in pre∣sence, and with the approbation of the Lords, and Es∣tates of the Land, with heavy Curses and Imprecations upon themselves; or any of their Successours, who should Recal the same, or Incroach in any part, upon the said Tithes of God; and upon all who should receive such Grants from them, or assit them in such Sacriledge. And the same has been Confirm'd by several Acts of Parlia∣ment.

Now if a Man cannot violate his own Vow, how can he annul that of another? Especially where his Vow was only for the Payment of what God had before Re∣serv'd to himself. I will not launch out any farther upon this Subject; only tell the Quakers; That it was the Fry∣ers and School-men who first set up the Notion of Tithes being Elemosynary, against their own Canonists, only on purpose to leave the People at Liberty, to bestow their Tithes upon the Regulars, and to maintain the Sacrile∣gious Impropriations, which the Pope had made of the Tithes of the secular Clergy, to endow their Monasteries: Which King Henry the 8th. instead of Restoring, did yet the more Sacrilegiously Impropriate to the Laity.

FINIS.