among Chriftians, fince Christ, the True and only Propitiatory Sacrifice, offer'd His own Blood for Us upon the Crofs; yet, I hope, ther is not any Chriftian to be found, who thinks that we are therefore Releas'd from the Command of Honouring the Lord with our Subftance, and Difpofing of Some Part of our Money, though not in Beafts for Sacrifice, yet in the Service of God, which never did Confist wholly in the Sacrifice of Beafts. Ther are, and ever were, other Parts of His Worship; and from which we are not Releas'd: For, as Ireneus proves, (Adverf. Hæref. 1. 4. c. 34.) Ther are Offerings and Sacrifices under the Gospel, as well as under the Law, that the Command is not Abolifh'd; only the Species of fome are Chang'd. It being therefore Granted, That Some Part of our Subftance is Due to God, let us proceed to Enquire what that Part is; or whether God has left us wholly at loose, to give what Part we Please, and in what Manner we think fit. 2, This 2. This being a Part of God's Worship, it cannot be Paid, after our Fancies, but as God has Appointed it. To Give Alms to a Poor Man, is an Act of Charity, and Commanded by God; But it is not a Direct Act of Worship or Devotion. Every Good Act we do, whether of Mercy or Justice, or any other Morality, is, and may be Conftru'd Confequen tially to be a Worship of God, as being done in Obedience to His Command: And thus every Act of our Life may be counted an Act of WorCor.x.31. fhip, because Whether we Eat or Drink, or whatever we do, we are Commanded to do All to the Glory of God. But all thefe Acts have ever been Diftinguish'd from the Acts of Direct WORSHIP, which are to be Regulated ftrictly, according to the Pofitive Com mand of God, in Scripture; from which we must not Depart, either to the Right Hand, or to the Left; neiCh.xij. 32. ther to Add to it, or Diminish from it. Deut. v.32. But in General Actions of Morality, we are left to the General Guidance of our own Reafon, according to the General Directions of the Scripture, and and the Ordinary Affiftances of the Holy Spirit; and to the Performance of which, General Promises are annexed. But in the more Direct Acts of Worship, which are All Commanded by Revelation, we are Limited Precifely to what is fo Revealed; and ther are Particular and Peculiar Promifes annexed to the Performance, and a more than ORDINARY Aƒfiftance and Participation of the Holy Spirit of God. Therefore, what Part of our Subftance God has Referv'd as a Part of His Worship, is not to be Reckon'd among Bare Acts of Charity; but must be Offer'd in fuch Manner and Method as He has Commanded. This being Premised, we will now fee whether any Determinate Quantum of our Eftates has been Referv'd by God, as Sacred, to Himself. SECT. SECT. V. Of the Determinate Number of a THE HE Cabalifts make many Myfteries in this Number. It is the Completion of all Single Numbers, and the first Number of Increafe; by which all Nations do Multiply: And therefore ther feems to be even fome Natural Aptitude in this Number, beyond that of any other; which forces all Mankind, without Concerting, to Multiply by it. And being thus, in many Refpects, the most Perfect of Numbers; the First and Last of Numbers, comprehending all Single Num, bers, and Multiplying them in Infinitum; it feems the most Fit and Proper Number, wherein to Pay our Tribute to God, who is the First and the Last, and Multiplies all we have unto us; by this acknowledging, that All we Enjoy, and all our Increase is His, and comes from Him. Ther are Cabalisms upon this Number; as to the Decalogue, compre hending hending all Duty ; and the Ten Candlefticks in the Temple, 1 Kings vij. 49.) representing the Ten Severities and Mercies (as they reckon them) of God; and the Holy Seed is called a Tenth, Ifa. vj. 13. They tell us, that ther is a Mytholology, not only in the Quantum or Number of the Tythe, but in the Manner of its Payment; viz. The People were to Pay the Tenth to the Levites; and the Levites, the Tenth of their Tenth to the High-Priest. They say that the People do reprefent the Corporeal Part of Man; the Le vites, the Animal; and the High Priest, the Spiritual, which is the Highest: And that as the People fed the Levites, by Paying their Tythe to them; and the Levites, in the fame manner, fed the High-Priest; fo, in Man, the Corporeal Part feeds the Animal, and the Animal feeds the Spiri tual. But I leave thefe Allufions S and whatever Truth ther may be in them, yet I lay no Strefs of my prefent Argument upon them. I Enquire not now after Tythes, upon account of the Reasons, either Natural or Caballiftical, for the Fitnefs of that NumD ber |