The countries' Plea AGAINST TITHES A DECLARATION sent to divers eminent Ministers in several Parishes of this Kingdom, showing the grounds and Causes wherefore Tithes ought to be detained: proving by God's Word and moral Reason, that Tithes are not due to the Ministers of the Gospel; and that the Law for Tithes was a levitical Law, and to endure no longer than the levitical Priesthood did; and that there being a change of the Priesthood, there ought to be also a change of maintenance thereof.  
Written for the general benefit of all, as well Ministers as People.  
Published according to Order.  
LONDON, Printed for S. P. 1647.   

The Country's Plea against Tithes.  
To all Parson's these present.  
SEeing there is much Suit, variance and Contention between many Ministers in this Kingdom, and their Parishioners concerning the tenth part of corn and other edicimations which they claim as due by the name of Tithes, and whereas divers honest, sufficient, and understanding Parishioners have received certain papers or Shedules from the said Ministers, pretending to prove that Tithes are due unto them by Authority of Scripture: The Parishioners in the said several Parishes have made this joint Declaration of their Opinion concerning Tithes, and do prove them to be no ways agreeable to the Word of God now in this time of the Gospel, and do withal show what are the grounds which do persuade them to detain them.  
Our present Opinion concerning Tithes is the same now that it ever was, though we never did show it by making any refusal of paying them until now, for we have ever said and held that they were ordained by a Jewish Ceremonial levitical Law, and that it ended, and aught to end and determine, as all other levitical Laws did, at the end and determination of the levitical Priesthood, for whose maintenance it was Ordained, which was at the coming of Christ in whom the levitical Priesthood with all other levitical Laws, whereof that of Tithes was one did take an end, and surely had not that Law been then at an end it would have been in use among the Apostles and their successors as all other Moral Laws were, but most certain it is that neither in the Apostles times nor in any of the succeeding ages in all the times of the Primitive Churches, that this Law for Tithes was ever in use, for the Apostles and their succeeding Ministers of the Gospel for near about 300. years after Christ his Ascension lived of the free liberality of the people, never once taking, nor so much as demanding Tithes. But when superstition and heresy crept into the Church, the corrupted Ministry finding that the Christian liberality of the people failed as well as true Religion, than did they bring in Tithes again by little and little, for to maintain their corrupted, and superstitious Ministry, which otherwise would have wanted maintenance.  
The Ministers know as well as ourselves and much better, that Origen, Cyprian and Gregory, do all witness that near three hundred years after Christ, Vrban Bishop of Rome, began to bring Tithes into use, for maintenance of his Clergy, until which time there was a community of all things among Christians, as Turtullian witnesseth. But long after Bishop Urbans time, at the Lateran Council, Tithes were again condemned as Ceremonial and utterly suppressed, as saith D. Carleton, and M. Roberts: afterwards in the more grosser times of Popery they did wind them in again by little and little, by which afore-named Authors and many more, it plainly appeareth, that in the very declining times of the Gospel, nay even then when the true light of the Gospel began to be wholly obscured, there was yet much trouble and a great deal of stir to bring this old Ceremonial Law into use again, and much opposition there was then against it, and a long time it was before it could be brought to pass: We know you have read the Ecclesiastical Histories, and do know much better than we can tell you, (had you but the conscience to acknowledge it) how and in what manner Tithes were brought into use in the Church by the Pope and his superstitious Adherents; for you know and cannot deny, how that until the Pope and Popery grew up, there were no Tithes in use, no nor so much as once required, therefore it is not as you say, that they were in use and were paid throughout all the times of the Gospel. The covetousness of the Clergy got them into use by blind folding the poor blind ignorant people, when they had brought in (as it were) a general ignorance among the people, (and that they say is the mother of devotion) than they brought in Tithes and not before; for Tithes they could never bring in, until they had first brought in a general ignorance of the truth: the covetousness of the Clergy is it, and not conscience that moveth them to endeavour the continuance of them? for you all well know, that by the Law of the Gospel they are not to be, but that another form of maintenance is appoinned for the Ministry, in the room thereof.  
If you will needs have that Law of Tything to be a Moral Law, why then do you not observe it in all the parts thereof? In the levitical Law they had Priests and Levites, the Levites took the tenth of the people's increase, and the Priests took the tenth of the Levites tenth part for their portion, Numb. 18.26, 27, 28, 29, 30. etc. If you will have a levitical maintenance, you must have a levitical Priesthood, and no other; if the levitical Priesthood be removed, and another Priesthood come in place thereof, then are Tithes the maintenance thereof removed, and another maintenance come in room thereof also. For how can the thing maintaining remain any longer than the thing maintained doth remain? and so much the Apostle doth set forth in that saying, Hebr. 7.12. if there be a change of the Priesthood, there must be also of necessity a change of the Law, that is of the Law for the maintenance of the Priesthood; if that Law of Tithes were a perpetual Law, and to be observed and kept now in the time of the Gospel, then must the third years Tithe be given partly to the poor, for so the Lord commandeth, Deut. 14.28, 29. where the Lord saith, at the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the Tithe of thy increase the same year, and shalt lay in up within thy gates, and the Levite and the Stranger, and the Fatherless and the Widow shall come and eat, and be satisfied: The like is again commanded, Deut. 26. 1●. from whence it is clear, that every third year the Tithe ought to be said up by the payer thereof, and the most part thereof to be distributed to the poor, the Levite was to have but only a share thereof: The same was the practice of Tobia, and the third years Tithe (saith he) I gave it to whom it was due, Tob. 1.6, 7, 8. and the same was the practice of all the Jews (as by many Scriptures it may and doth appear) until the coming of Christ. And so i● must be now at this time, if that Law be still in force; but where is now that Parson that ever left this third years Tithe to the use of the poor? and yet by the same Law that he takes it the two years he is to leave it the third; if this Law be to be observed and kept in one part, it is to be observed and kept in another, for all the parts of it make but one Law. Again, by the same Law every seventh year the Land must rest, and not he ploughed, tilled, or sowed, but that seventh year is to be a Sabbath of rest unto the Lord, Levit. 25.3, 4, 5. If this Law be a Moral Law and to endure for ever, why then is it so much altered, as now it is, from that it was at the first institution? if any man can hereof give us an answer by the Word of God, or by Moral reason either, we shall be of his opinion, otherwise we could wish him to be of ours.  
By the levitical Law the people paid to the Priests and Levites first fruits, for whatsoever was first ripe in the Land was the Lords, so also was the first borne both of Man and Beast, The first borne of man and of unclean beasts was to be redeemed with money, Numb. 18. Now we demand why these same things are not now in use as well as Tithes, being that they were ordained by the same God, and by the same Law, and for the same end that Tithes were.  
It is true that you allege, that God gave a blessing upon the fulfilling of this Law, and pronounced a curse upon the neglecters thereof, Ezek. 44.30. Malachi 3.8. and Proverbes 3.9, 10. But those Blessings and Curse are proper to the fulfilling and neglecting of the levitical Law as it was a levitical Law and not as a Moral Law. God did require as exact performance of all his levitical and Ceremonial Laws during the time of their continuance, as of the Moral Laws, and did as severely punish all offenders, that did in any ways offend against the Ceremonial Laws, as he did those that did offend against the Moral Law; And reason good, that whatsoever God did command though it were to endure but for a time, should be observed for that time it was to endure, as if it had been commanded and ordained to endure for ever, we see divers Laws and Statutes have been made in this Kingdom, to endure and be in force for a time, as, until the first Sessions of the next Parliament, as may be seen in the Book of Statutes at large, and for that time they were to endure, there was as exact observance of them required, as if they had been made perpetual, much more than of God's Laws made in the like nature.  
And where you allege that of Numb. 18.19. by a Statute for ever, to prove the Law of Tithes to be perpetual, we answer to that; That those words for ever, do prove the Law of Tithes to be no more perpetual or Moral, than the same words for ever in Deut. 18.5. Do prove the Priesthood of Levi to be a perpetual Priesthood, for the Lord there saith of that Tribe of Levi and Priesthood, The Lord thy God hath chosen him to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, both him and his sens for ever; The word ever, in many places more in these levitical Laws is used to the same purpose but doth not prove the Law to which it is added to be perpetual; So that by the same very Argument that you would prove Tithes to be perpetual, we can as well prove the levitical Priesthood to be perpetual, and all one, and we know you will deny that Priesthood to be perpetual, and so by consequence you must do that other of Tithes. The word ever in that place and many other the like, can extend no further than the Laws did, which was until Christ came, who was the end of the Law, for all the Ceremonial and levitical Laws and Ordinances that God made to the Jews, were but shadows and Types of what was to come; Now when the thing shadowed and Tipified is come, the Type and shadow must needs vanish away. And if the shadow or thing giving shadow be vanished, or taken away, than the supporter of the thing giving shadow, must needs be removed also. The levitical Priesthood was but a Type, a shadow of the true Priesthood that was to come, and if the true Priesthood be come, and the shadowing Priesthood taken away; Then must Tithes the supportment of that shadowing or tipical Priesthood be also taken away, and a new Priesthood being come, a new maintenance must be had to support and maintain the same.  
The Apostle saith 1. Cor. 9.13, 14. That they that preach the Gospel must live of the Gospel; To them that a Minister preacheth the Gospel, of them must he be maintained. It is the desire of all God's people, (and so it ought to be) that the Ministers of the Gospel should have a sufficient maintenance allowed them though not by way of Tithes, nay not only a sufficient maintenance, but an abundant, a large and rich maintenance, such a maintenance as they may live liberally without any other employment but the Ministry, the work of the Ministry is the work of the whole man both of body and mind, and therefore aught to have no other employment neither of body or mind but only the study of the Gospel, and therefore not sitting he should be troubled with gathering of Tithes. Neither is it sit or becoming Christians that their Minister should live in a mean condition either for diet or clothing, but as he is more excellent in calling, so ought he to have a more large and better maintenance in those respects than others, for he feeding the souls with spiritual things the Word of God, the people ought to feed his body liberally with their base Temporal things.  
If Tithes were due to the Ministers of the Gospel by a Divine Right, by a perpetual Law, why are they then taken away from the Ministers by Impropriators? God that ordained this Law, we are sure never ordained Impropriations neither under the Law before Christ, nor under the Gospel since Christ; should it be granted that this Law of Tithes were a Moral Law, than it must be also granted, that it was ordained only for the maintenance of the Ministry, and not for Laymen as now it is, by impropriations in too too many places. Had Tithes been ordained for maintenance of the Ministers of the Gospel, and to continue now in the time of the Gospel, surely they should never have been suffered to be impropriate to the use of Laymen as now they are: This strange change is a very good Argument, to prove that Law to be now void and of no effect; It is well known that where Parsonages are impropriate, and nothing left for the Ministers maintenance but the small Tithes (as they call them) that many able and worthy Ministers, who take great pains in their Ministry, and are of good life and conversation, and therefore deserve well, yet have so poor a maintenance from those small Tithes, that it is not in any ways sufficient to maintain them in any reasonable good sort according to the worthiness of their calling and pains therein. Nay they have so little left them that they cannot  themselves in good and handsome apparel, but are enforced to go in poor and threadbare Coats in no way becoming the Ministers of the Gospel, and yet many of them are enforced and content to become Physicians, and some Schoolmasters, even to teach children in their A, B, C. thereby to enlarge their poor living and for a help to maintain themselves their wives and children, which employments must needs be a great hindrance to their study in Divinity, it being a work enough for the whole man without any other, and is it not a shame for a rich and flourishing Commonwealth to have a poor and bare Ministry either in the general or in some particulars, and yet into such a condition Impropriations brought the Ministry of this Commonwealth in very many places.  
The only strongest Argument and proof you have, or can produce for Tithes is from the example of Abraham, Genesis 14.20. Where Abraham gave to Melchisedeck the tenth or tithe of all the spoil which he had taken from the Kings; from whence you strive to prove that Tithes are by the Moral Law due to the Ministry, and not by a Ceremonial or levitical Law, and therefore to be and continue to the end of the world, and your reason is, and so you conclude that whatsoever was ordained and in being before the institution of the levitical and Ceremonial Laws were made, is not levitical but Moral and to endure for ever, as well under the Gospel as under the Law; But we cannot find nor you cannot prove that Tithes were ordained by that example of Abraham, Abraham was not commanded by God to pay the tenth to Melchisedeck, Melchisedeck met Abraham and blessed him, and then Abraham gave him the tenth of the spoil; it is not where to be found, nor any where said that Abraham paid the tenth, but that he gave it, nor is it to be found that God did command him to give, or pay the Tenth unto Melchisedeck or to any other at any time, no nor that Melchisedeck did require it of him, but it appeareth to be a free and voluntary act of Abraham. Neither can you find in any place that the patriarchs before the Law, paid any Tenths or Tithes to any person until the levitical Laws were ordained, wherein God did expressly command them, and not before. Nor can we learn by that of the Apostle to the Hebrews, Heb. 7. that they were ordained at that time of Abraham's giving the Tenth to Melchisedeck, nor at any time before or after, but only at the giving of the levitical Laws, and therefore it may safely be concluded they are of a levitical Ordination and so consequently a levitical Law, and therefore at an end.  
Had Tithes been ordained before the levitical Law, there would have been without doubt some mention made of them in one place or other, for we find no Law ordained by God and observed by the people but some mention is made of the Ordination, commanding or appointing thereof by God in some place or other of the holy writ; But we find that the Apostle makes it plain that Tithes ended with the levitical Priesthood, Heb. 7.12. for the Priesthood (saith he) being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the Law, that is as much as if he should say, the Priesthood being changed there is also a change of the maintenance of the Priesthood, and these words as it were a conclusion of what went before in the former verses, what else can he mean by these words, change of the Law, as well as of the Priesthood, but only of that Law which concerneth the maintenance of the Priesthood? And how can it otherways be, even by common Moral reason, but that the supporter, the maintenance must of necessity be removed, be taken away, when the thing supported and maintained is removed and taken away. There cannot be continued a levitical maintenance for the Priesthood, without continuing a levitical Priesthood to be by it maintained. That reverend and most excellent Divine M. Calvin saith; They are more than fools that draw any Jewish Law so far as unto us in this time of the Gospel, for as much as we know that all things then in use with the Jews do cease by the coming of Christ, Lib. 3. Chap. 5. you compare the Ordination of the Sabbath and the Ordination of Tithes, affirming them both to be as one, and say that man may as well take away God's time, his Sabbath, as his Tithes; But sure the Ordination of the Sabbath and Tithes was much different; The Sabbath was ordained and commanded by God at the first beginning of the Creation, and after that again commanded to Moses in the two Tables of the Moral Law, and renewed again by Christ and his Apostles, and was ever since the first creation continued and kept both before Christ, and ever since, without any intermission, so was not Tithes; they were ordained and commanded long after the creation, with the other levitical Laws, they had no other beginning but levitical, neither can they have any other end, there is not one word of command for them but only in the levitical Law.  
You say, you wonder with what conscience men can detain their Tithes from their lawful Parson: But I demand of you with what conscience can the Parson take Tithes of people, there being no such thing allowed in or by the Word of God? nay when the Word of God is plain against it, as is that Hebr. 7.12. from whence it is plain, that both the Priesthood and the maintenance of it, is changed: Again, if Tithes were lawful, it is but the tenth part of the increase; but you take the tenth of the whole crop where there is no increase; nay where there is a decrease, as for example; a man laboureth all the year long, upon his Land, he ploughs it, again and again and dungs it, and sows it, and weeds it, and at last reaps it, and when he hath done all this, his whole crop is not worth so much money, a● his labour and charges (to bring it to this maturity,) 〈◊〉 wonteth unto; It many times happeneth that by reason of the barrenness of Land, or unseasonableness of the time and season, that the crop of harvest is so mean and poor that it is not worth the cost and charges bestowed upon it by fare; As when a man hath bestowed upon a crop of Wheat, or other corn, forty pounds, and when harvest cometh, it is worth but thirty pounds, and sometimes but twenty pounds, here is ten pounds or twenty pounds decrease, yet the Parson takes away the tenth of that crop, as fully as if there were an increase; and so makes the poor Farmer's loss greater than it would be, by so much as the Tithe is; If you took away but only the tenth part of the increase, according to the first institution, where there is an increase it were something tolerable, but you by this way you go in, take the tenth, where there is no increase; nay the tenth of all a man's labour, cost, charge and care, which is no less than the sixth part; If a man bestow forty pound on a crop of corn, and at harvest it be worth fifty pounds, than there is ten pounds' increase, whereof the tenth part which is one pound, is the Ministers due, and no more if Tithes were now due, according to the first institution.  
If the tenth of all increase belong to the Minister, why then is it, that men living in Towns and follow gainful Trades pay no Tithes at all of their increase? it is most certain that some men that live in Towns and follow a Trade, as Drapers, Gross, Chandler's, Tanners, Vintners, and many others, in one year, with less pains, cost, and care, do gain more than the Farmer doth in all his life time, which doth most plainly appear by their continual buying and purchasing of Farmers, Yeoman's estates, even of such men as are honest, painful, and industrious in their places and Countries, and yet these men pay no Tithes or Tenths at all, of all their great increase, except it be a Pig, a few Apples, or some such small thing.  
Tithes indeed were established by Act of Parliament and have been so for many years, (but the first institution or acting of them was i● time of Popery.) So was the Common-Prayer-Book the Authority of Bishops, and other things else established by Act of Parliament, but they are by Act and Authority of Parliament, happily removed and taken away again, and so may Tithes also.  
These considerations (and not covetousness, or any affection to Independency) have moved us to this opinion, that Tithes were only levitical and ended with the levitical Priesthood, and thereupon to refuse the payment of them any longer, and if these considerations and many more, (which you if you please can call into remembrance,) may prevail so far with you, as to convince your wills and opinions concerning Tithes, and move you and other Ministers, to join in one with their people, to seek and sue to the honourable Court of Parliament for a Reformation in this particular of Tithes, as is happily done in other particulars, and to establish instead thereof such a form of maintenance of God's Ministers as is most agreeable to God's Word, and the practice of the most pure primitive times; So should you become helpers of a through Reformation, and instruments of much good to God's people; Which that you would be, is the earnest desire and prayer of your Parishioners.  
FINIS.