To eat of things that had not been Sacrificed. i.e. of which fome Part had not first been Sacrific'd, or Offered to God, viz. That Part which they thought Due to the Gods, which I have above fhewn to be the Tenth. And this Saying *Αν τα ἐπίειν, was usd to Exprefs the most wicked Profligate, who had no fenfe of his Duty to God or Man, fuch was he thought, who Durft be fo Prophane and Ir-Reverend to God, as to Eat or make ufe of any thing, which had not been Hallowed by Of fering first the Tenth of it to God. And, as among the Greeks, fo Pliny tells (Nat. Hift. 1.18. c. 2. p. 367.) that the Romans never tafted of their Fruits or Wines, till the Priests had first taken the Firft-fruits, or Tythe out of them So the Arabian Law. See before, p. 66.

And this was correfpondent to the Law of God Himfelf. Who Commanded Lev. xxiij. 14. Ye shall eat neither Bread nor Parched Corn, nor Green Ears, until the felf fame Day that ye have brought an Offering unto your God. It shall be a ftatute for ever. And Num. xviij. 30. When ye have hea

ved the Beft thereof from it, then (and not before) it fhall be counted, as the Increase of the Threshing-floor, and of the Wine-prefs: i. e. to be eaten, and made ufe of. Again, ver. 32. And ye Shall bear no fin, by reafon of it, when ye bave Heaved from it the Best of it. i, e. That it wou'd be a fin to Eat of it, without first offering to God His. Due. That is the Tenth, as it is Exprefs'd ver. 26. And it was a Sin, even unto Death, in the Levites, if they Eat of any of the Tythes which the People gave to them, before they had Offered, the Tythe of their Tythe to God which he gave to the HighPriest, and was called the Heave-offering of the Levites. And their Converting any Part of the Peoples Tythes to their own ufe, before they had made this Heave-offering of a Tenth of it, was called a Polluting of the Tythes of the People, which they had Received, and made them Liable to Death. ver. 32. And ye shall bear no fin, by reason of it, when ye have Heaved from it the Best of it; neither fhall ye Poltute the Holy things of the Children of Ifrael, left je Die. Thus our entring

་

upon

upon any Part, before we have Offered to God His Tenth Part, is a Polluting of the Whole, as to us. For it is Sanctifi'd to us, by our Offering the Tenth to God: Till when, the Whole is Hallowed to God; and it is Sacrilege' to Invade it. Nor is any of it Releas'd to our Ufe, till God's Part be first taken from it.

And you fee how strictly this was Enjoyn'd by God, and how UniverSally; That as the People were not so much as to Taste of any of the Fruits of the Earth, no not the Green Ears, till they had offered to The Lord His Part out of it, by Giving it unto the Levites; fo neither were the Levites to Taste of any of the Peoples Tythe, till they had firft Offered the Tenth of their Tenth to God, by giving of it to the High Prieft, And that under Pain of Death And of Rendering the Whole Polluted to them. He that fteals any of his Goods to his own ufe before he has given to God His Tenth, fteals it, and all the Reft from God's Bleffing. And tries if he can grow Rich, whether God will or not, Which if God Permit, it is for his Greater Judgment;

And

And God can Exact it from him, or his Pofterity; Upon whom we Entail God's Curfe, when we Deprive God of His Due.

SECT. XVII.

Of what Part of our Goods, the Tythe is to be Pay'd.

OF

F the Very Bef, no Doubt; for we offer it to God. And in this we Express the Reverence Due to the Divine Majefty. And to offer any thing to him, that is not the Beft we have, Argues a Slight and Contempt of Him; And Preferring our felves, or fomething elfe before Him. Therefor tho we give the full Proportion of a Tenth, yet if we Give it not of the very Beft, we fail as to the Quality of our Gift, tho not as to the Quantity: We Forfeit the Bleffing upon the whole; And instead of that, we bring a Curfe upon us, as feeking to Deceive or Blind the Eyes of God, as if He took no Notice, or did not Regard it.

2

Which is a Greater Contempt of God than if we did not offer to Him at all. Mal. i. 14. But curfed be the Deceiver, who hath in bis Flock a Male, and Voweth, and Sacrificeth unto the Lord a Corrupt thing. For I am a great King, faith The Lord of Hofts; And My Name is Dreadful among the Heathen. But I need not Infift upon this. The Commands are Numerous, and cannot escape the obfervation of Any, That whatever was offered to The Lord was to be without Blemish, Deut. xvij. 1. And the Texts before Quoted Num. xviij. 30. and 32. do, among Many others plainly Exprefs it. When When ye have Heaved the BEST thereof from it, then it shall be counted as the Increase of the Threshing-floor, &c. And ye shall bear no fin, by reafon of it, when ye Heaved from it the BEST of it. i. e. if you do not Heave the Best, it will be a Sin, and you fhall Bear it.

have

As to the fame Notion among the Heathen, fee before, p. 47. and p. 71.

SECT.