churches still remained the public property of the same people; the freehold never changed hands, the people only changed their creed. Even the remnant of those who adhered to the Catholic creed were never refused admittance into their old places of worship, though not under popish priests; but they were allowed to follow their own creed, under their own pastors, in places of worship founded by themselves, which liberty the Catholics refused to persons of the Reformed Religion while they held the supremacy from the see of Rome.

A CASE IN POINT.

Supposing a chapel belonging to an individual, or by the subscription of many, was built for a congregation of Socinians, and after a time they simultaneously protested against that creed, and changed their preacher, and their choice fell upon an Independent preacher, and they all espoused that faith; could it be said that the Independents had robbed the Socinians of their property, when they were the self-same congregation, praying in the same chapel, of which they were the owners, now as before?

Therefore, by the same rule, because priests and monks came from Rome, and preached Christianity in Britain, in the British places of Christian worship, that did not make the freehold of the churches, &c. the property of those priests or monks, nor make them the property of the see of

Rome; and when, in the course of time, the people got tired of popish superstition and plunder, they chose a reformed religion, they still held fast the possession of their sacred edifices, which free holds they had been in possession of from time immemorial. Now, this must be an Irish way of committing a robbery : viz. to be said to rob yourselves of that property, which has been handed down to you by a long train of ancestors, and actually become the birth-right inheritance of the English people for 1800 years, 600 years of which was prior to the first Romish monk, St. Augustine, setting foot in the British Isle, and 1200 years before the Romish church actually gained the ascendency; which ascendency was never supported by one farthing from the see of Rome, the whole revenue being drawn from British subjects, and British wealth; the Romish church not forgetting to draw her Peter's pence, &c. so long as she had the ascendency and control of the revenues. For heaven's sake, never let an Englishman repeat, "that the Protestants have robbed the Roman Catholics of the Churches, &c."

JACOBUS VERITAS.

No. VI.

THE SCRIPTURAL ORIGIN

OF

TITHES.

ACCORDING to the inspired writings of Moses, Tithes are as clearly established by Divine authority as the Ten Commandments: the latter were delivered by the Lord himself into the hands of Moses, from Mount Sinai, engraven upon tablets of hewn stone, to be placed by Moses in the Temple of the Tabernacle. And when all things were ready, the Lord ordered Moses to raise the Tabernacle, that it might be furnished with the holy things necessary for the service of prayer, as fitting the House of God. Then Moses and Aaron received further commands from the Lord to appoint the Priests and Levites, and to give them full charge of all the holy things belonging to the Tabernacle; and also to charge them to perform the services of the Tabernacle according to the ordinances of the Lord. The Children of Israel were ordered by the Lord to offer a tenth of the produce of the land, as an heave-offering unto the Lord, which was to be reckoned as the corn from the threshing-floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. And the Children of Israel offered a tenth

of the produce of the land as an heave-offering, as the Lord had commanded them. And the Lord gave it unto the Levites as an inheritance to them for ever. Therefore, to dispute the Divine authority of tithes would be just as impious as to dispute the Divine authority of the Ten Commandments.

The Divine authority of the Ten Commandments is to be found in the 20th chapter of Exodus, which is well understood, and has never been disputed by either Jew or Christian.

The Divine authority of Tithes is to be found in the 18th chapter of Numbers, which neither Jews nor Christians dare, or can, dispute; for the whole chapter is full of Divine covenants upon Tithes, which, of course, is open to the inspection of all who are willing to read. A few extracts from this chapter may suffice for the present paper.

The Lord said unto Aaron, in the 19th verse,

All the heave-offerings of the holy things, which the Children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord, unto thee and thy seed with thee." In the 24th verse," But the Tithes of the Children of Israel, which they offer as an heaveoffering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit therefore I have said unto them, Among the Children of Israel they have no inheritance." 25th, 26th, 27th, and 28th verses :- "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying," 26th verse," Thus

speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When

ye

66

take of the Children of Israel the Tithes which I have given you from them, for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave-offering of it for the Lord, even a tenth part of the tithes." 27th verse, And this your heave-offering shall be reckoned unto you as though it was the corn of the threshing-floor, and as the fullness of the wine-press.' 28th verse, "Thus ye shall offer an heave-offering unto the Lord, of all your Tithes which ye receive of the Children of Israel, and ye shall give thereof the Lord's heave-offering unto Aaron the priest."

It is therefore evident, that the 18th chapter of Numbers fixes the Tithes as firmly in the Law, as the 20th chapter of Exodus fixes the Ten Commandments, viz. by Divine prescription from God to man, as a covenant of salt for ever. And which still continues in effect at this present time, as an inheritance, by natural right for all officiating priests holding a benefice for the cure of souls.

The first mention of Tithes in Scripture is long before the Law; Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedec, the High Priest of the most High God. See 14th chapter of Genesis and the 7th chapter of Hebrews. Jacob also paid Tithes. The heathens submitted to Tithes; the merchant, and even the soldiers, paid a tenth of all their profits.—See the Old History and Old Monuments of Tyre. The following is a quotation from an Author well