THE last time beloued that I was in this place, which was the fourth day of this last weeke, you heard that this thirde and laste parte of this chapter,The repeti­tion contayneth the tryumph of Abram after the victory: In whose returne from the battel he was met of 2. Kinges, the one King of Sodome, the other was the King of Salem. Wherein we considered first, y^e 1 dealings of Abram & the king of Sodome in y^e first part: secondly, the dealings be­tweene 2 Abram and Melchisedech in the second part. In the first part whereas 1 the King of Sodome came forth to meete Abram: We did note, that aduersity tea­cheth many good lessons, which men in prosperitie will neuer learne: namelye, the King of Sodome who before this time wold neither pitie Abram being a stranger, nor reuerence him for his reli­gion [Page] which hee professed euerye where, and set vp badges and Ensignes of the same in euery place where hee came, but in his prosperity had his whole delight in wantonnesse and pride, and is nowe by aduerssite taught humilitie: and hee commeth forth to meete and salute A­bram. Secondly, that this king now saw what profite he got by pride, and what the waye of wickednesse had brought him vnto, and that the estate of Abram, howe troublesome, mad, and foolish soe­uer it seemed to him, yet to be farre bet­ter and more glorious then his, soe, there is not so wicked a man but that he once acknowledgeth his owne estate to bee miserable, and the estate of Gods chyl­dren to be most happye and blessed. Next the historie of Melchizedech followed, inserted as in a parenthesis, Wherein wee considered. First what he was, 2. what he did, 3. what he sayde. Out of the first part, which is at large described in the seuenth to the Hebrewes, we conside­red first his name, to wit Melchizedech, which signifieth righteousnes, and that he was king of Salem, y^t is peace, wherin [Page] the holye ghost noteth y^e righteousnes is king of peace. & that righteousnes gouer­neth in the kingdome of peace, & no peace where vnrighteousnes raigneth, as the prophet Isa. 57.21. saith, ther is no peace saith my God to the wicked. Secondlye, in that first part wee noted that he was without Father and Mother. For that the holy Ghost doth make no mention of them. Wherein I shewed how vain­ly they deale, that would haue him to bee eyther Shem, or an Angell, or the sonne of God, and brought foorth reasons to confute those fancies. Thirdly, wee con­sidered that hee was King and Prieste, noting in all these things that he was a figure of Christ. First in his name, for that Christ is righteousnesse it selfe, raigning in mens conscyences, & bring­ing peace to the soule: secondly in his parents Christ is without father in re­spect of his manhood, & without mother in respect of his godhead: Thirdly in his offices, Christ is a King to raigne, and a prieste to offer vp sacrifice to God his father for euer. Then we considered the deedes of Melchizedech, which was the [Page] bringing forth of bread and wine to re­lieue the wearied army of Abram: where in I confuted the fancy of the Papistes, that would haue this bread and wine of Melchizedech, to be a fygure of theyr Masse: First, shewing that if there had beene anye such matter in it, the holye Ghost woulde haue noted it in the 7. to the Hebrewes, where he descrybeth him so largely. For if it had figured so greate a mystery as they account their masse to bee, the holy Ghost woulde not haue set so light by it, as to haue sayde neuer a word of it. Melchizedech brought foorth bread, but they deny their sacrifice to bee bread, but the body of christ: In denying their wafar cake to be bread, they saye truely, for it is a paltry thing, not mo­uing the senses of the receauers to that consideration it should: Besides that, it hath beene made as many wright, of bad confections, as dogs grease. And some of their auncestors before tyme made their stuffe with infants blood, and some with more filthy & abhominable things then are here to be named. Melchize­dech brought forth bread and wine to re­fresh [Page] the feeble souldiars, wherein was noted, that the Lorde doth alwaies pro­uide for those that trauaile in his busy­nesse, and take paines to deliuer the op­pressed, as Abram aduenturing to deli­uer his brother Lot, receiueth comfort by a stranger. Melchizedech blessed Abram from the lord, in which his words were noted, that blessings came from God, & that they are the Lordes blessings, and not mans that stande, and his curses that take effect. Next they that comfort the afflicted are blessed of God, and they that greeue the Spyrite of GOD in his children, by adding afflictions to afflictions, are cursed of God: commyng from that to the title wherein he called him possessour of Heauen, and Earth. I noted he gaue God these titles, beeing onely possessour of Heauen, and that the Pope can not open and shut it with his pardons at his pleasure, for heauen is the Lordes: and next in that he nameth him possessour of earth: I noted that he will take account of vs whether wee vse it as he hath directed vs, or abuse it contrary to his will, and therein we see [Page] what a happye and blessed thing it is for Gods children, whose kingdome and inheritance is not vpon the earth but in heauen, where no tyrannous oppres­sours can trouble and annoy: on the o­ther side what a wofull chaunge shall these oppressing tyrants make, which say, now y^e earth is theirs to serue their lusts, and then they must answere to the professor of it, and must flit to hell from the earth for their abusing it. So Mel­chizedech ended his speech with thanks­giuing and yeelding the glorye of that triumph vnto God for the victorye as to him was due, and these were the Prin­cipall notes which I gaue then as I remember. Now it resteth before wee enter into the historie of the king of So­dome, that we consider what Abram did to Melchizedech: The holy Ghost saith, Abram gaue him Tyth of all, wherein he giueth vs to consider that Abram being lightened by Gods spirite, sawe in Melchizedech some more excellent thing then is ordinarilye found in men, and therefore he gaue him an extraordinarye entertainment, and presented him with such a present, as we reade not of in the [Page] Scriptures, vntill we come to this place therefore that we may the better vnder­stand it, let vs obserue. First, what it is that is giuen, namely Tythes. Second­ly, to whom it was giuen, to Melchize­dech. Thirdly by whome they were gy­uen, by Abram, and Fourthly, whereof these Tythes were, which are set down by the holye Ghost in the epistle to the Hebrewes 7. to be of the spoyles which A­bram had gotten in the Warres, as ap­peareth in y^e fourth verse. Tythes were a portion which the Lorde reserued to him selfe to be paide to himselfe, by them to whome he gaue the possession of the earth, and the enioying of Earthlye blessings, so Moises saith Leuit. 27.30. The tith is the Lords, it is holy to the Lord. So Iacob said, Gene. 28.22. Of all thou shalt giue me, I will giue the tenth to thee, which thing was yeelded as a testimo­nie of their gratefull & thankefull minds to him that bestowed those benefites vp­pon them, and as an acknowledgement that all they had was the Lordes, and they held the same of him in chiefe. For the second part to whom it was giuen, [Page] it is here noted that it was to Melchi­zedech, an axcellent person, a figure of Christ, the sonne of God, a choyce man placed by the Lord, as it were in his own roome, to take homage of Abram for the Lords right, and thus the Lord hath delt in sundry places of the scripture, ap­pointing diuers sonnes of men to bee his deputies, to receaue reliefe of those outward signes of the inwarde honour due vnto him selfe, of which sortes there bee principally foure. First, the Leuites appointed to teach Gods people, who being first cursed by Iacob for the bloodi­nesse of the handes of Leui, and left wythout any tribe or inheritance, but to bee deuided in Iacob, and scattered in Israell. Gen. 49.7. their handes were after sanc­tified of the Lord for shewing their loue & zeale to the Lord, in killing the idola­ters which had worshipped y^e calfe. The curse of deuiding & scattering, the Lorde applied as a meanes that his law might be taught in euery corner of Israell, and the losse of their inheritance hee recom­pensed by feeding them wyth his owne portion, and promising them that hee [Page] himselfe would be their lot and their in­heritance. Nomb. 18.20. The second sort are the poore, the straunger, the father­lesse, and the widow. Deut. 26.12. The third sort are kings, whome the Lorde hath placed in his owne roome, to guide and gouerne his people, as Samuell sayde when the people would needes haue a King, he will take the tenth of your sede and of your fieldes and giue it to his Eu­nuches and to his seruants. 1. Sam. 8.15. The fourth sort, were the children of the Prophetes trayned vp at schoole at Rama, and such other places as Vniuer­sities, that they might be the apter for the matters of the Lord, as may bee ga­thered by sundry places of the scripture. Next commeth to be considered, who payd Tythes: namely Abram: wherin the author to the Hebrewes, noteth what an excellent man Melchizedech was, to whom Abram the Patriark paid tithes: but farre more excellent is the King­dome and Priesthood of Christ, figured by Melchizedech: he also doth teach vs that the end and abolishing of the priest­hoode of Leui was figured in this, that [Page] Leui in the loines of Abrahā paid Tithes to Melchizedech. This also was figured in that the priestes, & Leuites paid tithes (of those Tythes which were brought them) to the high priest (who was also a figure of Christ) Num. 18.26. Lastly in this text we are to note whereof he payd tythes, which the holy Ghost to the Heb. 7.4. answereth to be of the spoyles gottē by his handes. There were sundrie sorts of Tythes payed, as of the fruites of the ground, of the gaines of their handes, & of the encrease of their Cattel, whereby we see the great care that God had for the Leuites in prouiding, for them that had no inheritance of their owne: so that as the people of Israel had encrease of any fruites, the Leuites attending vp­on religion, had their portion of the same. As these tithes were of diuers sorts, so were they diuersly paid, of some they paide the first fruites, of some the third, of some the tenth: some were paid in mony, & some otherwise, whereby we see that the holy ghost speaking of tythes is not alwaies to be vnderstod of tenths some do take it, but these Tythes were [Page] of the fruits gotten by Abram his hands. Thus haue you heard the summe of this text. But now it is conuenient (this be­ing the first time that we finde the mat-of Tythes, spoken of since wee began this booke of Genesis) that we should en­ter deeper into these wordes and learne somewhat out of them for our selues. Which matter I would gladly passe o­uer for the auoyding of false surmises & sinister reports, but that our Sauiour in that commission giuen in the latter end of the 28. after Mathew, giueth com­mandement, saying: Teach them to doe al that I haue commanded you: And the A­postle Paul in the Act. 20. cap. 26. & 27. verses protesteth that he is free from the bloude of all men, for that he kept no­thing backe, but had shewed them al the counsel of God: the minister therefore must teach al that Christ hath comman­ded, euen all the councels of God reuea­led in his word, and hee that keepeth them backe, shall be found guiltie both of the breach of the commandement of Christ, and also of the bloud of his flocke. The Pastor must teach three­fore, [Page] and you must learne not onelye to know the duetie of a Minister to his peo­ple, but also of the people towardes their minister. Howsoeuer therefore the doc­trine deliuered, shall be mistaken or wrested, yet the truth must bee deliue­red, let men take it as they wyll, the Lord will giue it such successe as he shall thinke best. Some peraduenture will aske what this matter of tythes apper­taineth to the ministerie now? and will (to saue their goods) say, that these were ceremoniall lawes, and so were abroga­ted by Christes comming. To whome I answere, that the Lorde (of that portion reserued vnto him selfe) appointed some part to the Leuites for the mayntenance of the ministery about the Lords worke. and some part of them for the sacryfices of meate offeringes, drinke offeringes, sinne offeringes, trespasse offerings, and peace offeringes: this last part for the sa­crifices was ceremoniall, and so Christe the body being come, the shadowes are ended. But this, that homage bee done to the King of all Kinges, and that the mynystrye be maintained for the set­ting [Page] forth of the true worship of GOD, and suppressing of all false worships, is not ceremoniall but morall, and shall so long continue as any face of a Church or religion shall be vpon the earth. Hee therefore that shall say that this is alto­gither ceremoniall and ended by Christ, saith y^e Christ is a hinderer, and lesse care­full for the ministry of the Gospell, then he was for the exercise of figures & sha­dows vnder the law. But many of these men which so willinglye woulde haue this lawe for the maintenance of the ministrie to be disanulled as ceremony­all, and yet do like inough, & to much of other ceremonies, not onelye Iewishe, but Antichristian and Popish, euen ta­ken from the heathen, do hereby declare that it is not the ceremony, which they would haue buried, but the preaching of the Gospell that they can not abide, for that it rippeth vp their conscience, it rubbeth iust where they are galled, and discouereth their sinnes: It is not a ce­remonye, it is this that greeueth them. On the other side, satan (seeking to bring the ministers either to slacke their dily­gence [Page] in Gods matters, and to get their bread by other meanes, or by pouertie to runne into debt, contempt and shame) haith raised vp a sort of couetous men, which pul from the ministers what they can, and will as willingly haue their guts drawne out of their belly, as they wil part from any of their goodes for the maintenance of the ministers. And these men will seeme to haue scripture for their purpose, yea they haue this at their fingers end out of Mat. 10.8. Freely ye haue receyued, freely giue, so far they haue learned, but no further, for that it serued not their purpose: For our Sauiour left not his Apostles without their prouision in this their painefull iourney, but in the same chapter ap­pointed in euery citie where they should come, that they should be receyued into the houses of them that were worthie. and that prouision should be set before them for their maintenance, but if they found not places fit for that peace they brought, they should shake the dust from their feete to bee a witnesse of greater vengeance to that place, then that which [Page] light vpon Sodom and Gomorrhe: But few are those houses that such men holde and keepe, where the minister may be receiued with his wife and children, & haue main­tenance set before them with ioy: yea fewe they are in deede where the sincere mini­ster may eate his meate with ioy, but that the aboundance of sinne shall make him thinke his breade to be as grauel betwene his teeth, and his drinke to bee as worme­wood to his taste, and so with greefe they would soon make the minister with shame to go & begge his breade. But as our Sa­uiour that gaue that former particuler charge, to giue freely, and to take neither bag nor scrip nor money, so afterwards in the 22. of Luke 35. he doth aske his Apo­stles whether they wanted any thing or no, when he thus sent them forth and ad­ded therewithall, now he that hath a scrippe, let him possesse it, and he that hath not a sword let him sell his coate and buye one, that is, the world will growe to such misery, and the ministery to such afflictiō, y^t euery one will be readie to scratch & pul from you. There­fore vse ye the meanes that are lawfull in the feare of the lord for your maintenance.

[Page]That this matter may bee the playner layde open, and made more manifest to the capacitie of our vnderstanding. Let vs consider, first whether there be any stipend appoynted for the ministry or no? 2. How the same should be paid? 3. to whom it should be paid? For the first, the law of nature taught it them that had not the law of God to direct them, sundry godly kinges haue executed it, the Fathers directed by Gods spirit before the law was written vsed it, God by his law established it, Christ hath ratified it vnto vs in the new testament, and the Apostles haue in sundrie places taught it, & because the Apostle Paul made a large discourse of this matter, and vsed sundrie reasons to proue the same, let vs leaue all other, and rippe vp those in the 1. Cor. 9. where he vseth foure principal rea­sons to confirme the same. The first gathe­red of the example of the Apostles, The se­cond by comparison. The third of the law writtē, the fourth of y^e authority of Christ. First he saith it is lawfull, yea the other A­postles haue power to take maintenance of you for them and their wiues, and may not I and Barnabas haue it? His reason of [Page] comparison he followeth thus. The souldi­er hath his costes borne in his warfare, the husbandman eateth of the fruits of his la­bours, the shepeheard feedeth of the milke of his flocke. The Oxe hath his mouth o­pen to feed of y^e corne he treadeth out. They that wayted of the altar were fed of y^e same, we the ministers are the soldiers and en­signe bearers in your christian wars, we are Gods husbandmen, you are Gods hus­bandrie, we are the shepheardes, you are the sheepe, we treade you out & deuide vn­to you the breade of life, the word of God, we minister not vnto you figures and sha­dowes as the Leuits did, but the gospel, the power of God to saluatiō, why should not we then be maintayned as soldiers? why reape we not of our labours as husband­men? why are we not fed as shepheards? Why haue we not the libertie of Oxen? Why liue we not of our calling as the Le­uits did? Is our calling more vile then a­ny other occupation? Are not our labours worthie meat and drinke? Yes, yes, your gaine is great by exchaunge with vs, for drosse you haue golde, for carnall thinges, spiritual. And for earthly things, heauenly. [Page] Yea further, you can finde nothing in the world to be laid in equal ballāce to weigh against the worde of God: from reasoning thus by comparison, he procéedeth to his argument of authoritie of the law written, & therein he standeth not long, for he said it is sufficient, his word is a reason of force, and his will is a perfect rule of righteous­nes. Then he goeth forward to his 4. argument, and proueth that Christ alowed & ratified the same in the gospel, ordeyning that they which preach the gospell should liue of the gospell. And the Apostle to the Gal. 6.6.7. vseth y^e same reason vsed before in the law, for there the Lord challenged it as a law due vnto himselfe, & here he saith, that he which defraudeth the minister, decey­ueth himselfe, & mocketh God: for as he was king before y^e law, & in the law before the cōming of Christ in the flesh, so is he king stil, the preaching of the gospel is the scep­ter of his kingdome, the ministers are his scepter bearers, & therefore he sheweth by the Apostle. 1. Tim. 5.17. that they which labour in the word & doctrine, are worthie of double honour, that is, a liberall allow­ance of the maintenance of him and his. [Page] For the second part, how the same shoulde be paide, or whereof raised, the holy Ghost hath not appoynted, therfore to say that the tenthes belong to the ministers as cōman­ded by the Lord, we haue no warrant for it, neyther dare I say that the magistrate may not appoynt y^e tenthes for the maine­tenance of the ministrie, except I saw the same forbidden by the lord. As kings haue receyued their kingdomes & scepters from the Lord, so must they endeuour that the kingdome of God may haue place in their dominions, that he may rule amongst thē by his worde, & that the ministers be suffi­ciently prouided for, as they will answere for it to the king of kings, of whome they holde their crownes in chiefe: but it is left at libertie to thē to raise it, either by tenths of fruits of y^e earth, or of cattel, or of mony, or by what means they shal in their godly wisedome thinke most conuenient, & the more certaine they make this portion, the mo mischiefes they do preuent, for the lea­uing of it vncertaine, doth often cause the minister, eyther to make merchandize of the worde, or for gaine to flatter y^e welthy, or with shame for want to beg, or for néed [Page] to starue, all which subtil practises Satan dayly putteth in execution, séeking thereby either to ouerthrow the ministrie, or to make it by such blemishes to loose the force and bewtie of the same. But though ma­gistrates should be carelesse in these mat­ters, yet the people of God must be careful to do their duetie in this respect. There was no king of Canaan that be law cōpel­led Abram to pay these tithes, neither was there any Christian prince in the prima­tiue Church, that by law appointed main­tenance for the ministers, yet Abram paid, & the Apostles & bishops after them were prouided for. But to come nerer to sée how they must be paid. This must be paid reli­giously, readily and liberally: religiously as to God for the enlarging of his king­dome, the defence of the trueth, and maintenāce of his true worship. It must be done readily in time conuenient, & of a willing minde. It must be done liberally, that the minister be not driuen to slack his calling and to employ his time in other thinges, thereby to get his liuing: by this liberalli­tie I mean not y^t they should be glutted vp with dainties & maintayned pompously, [Page] for that is as great a mischiefe on the other side. For when Satan can not stop y^e prea­ching of the gospel by pennury & scarcitie, then he tryeth to choake & smother it with the glory of the world, and this way alas he doth too much preuaile. But thogh there be some either made slow of speach, or alto­gether tong-tied by this God Mammon & so bewitched, that they can like better of ministers that liue as Athiests, drunkerds, wantons & old doting priestes, then they do of paineful & sincere preachers, yet it is a wonder to sée with what cursing & swearing, how slackly & slowly, & with what pinching and sparing the rest haue their portions, vnlesse they had all conspired to ouerthrowe the ministry. Abram was riche & yet paid tithes: the rich now a daies that should giue most liberally, wil for the most part take tithes, there are verie few of them that will pay any. The ministers are driuen to liue of that they can haue of the poorest, which are oft times so scraped, that they are more meete to take almesse then to pay tithes. In the booke of Nehem. 13.4. there is a story recorded how Tobiah the Ammonite kinsman to Eliashib y^e priest [Page] had gotten by his fauour into the chamber made for the prouision of the house of God and of the Leuites, so that they fled to their land, & left the house of God voyd, but whē Nehemiah heard of it, he obtayned libertie of king Artahshasht, & came to Ierusalē with griefe, he found the same to be true, he cast out all Tobiah his stuffe, and resorted those things to their former vse. If that our no­ble prince wold now send forth some god­ly & zealous Nehemiah, to looke to these matters now, he might find a nūber of To­biahs entred into the chambers, appointed for the prouision of the ministrie. First hee should find y^t the Abbeys (kinsmen to the high priest of Rome) began to make this spoyle, & got into their hands the best benefices by impropriating them, they are ouer­throwne, these spoiles are not restored, but many men liue of that they stole from the ministry. Secondly he should find a num­ber of bishops equal in this sinne, with E­liashih, or with that high priest of Rome, for they haue spoyled many benefices by confirming leases to their kinsmen by power, or by bloude, or by the purse, yea I know one bishop in this realme, that hath [Page] confirmed I thinke nere 20. of the best be­nefices in his diocesse, some to his children, some to his kinsmen, some to his officers, some for mony to diuers that are as badde as Ammonites in religion, Thirdly he shal finde a number of patrones that will bee so nigh kinsmen to the ministers, that they will haue all the house and profits, & alowe them scraps with the seruing men, when they haue wayted on their patrones tren­cher, or they will cosin them of the house and gleabe, it is parte of their inheritance, it standeth as conueniently for them, as Nabothes vyneyard did for Ahab, let our cosins the pield priestes dwell in some bad cotages, these houses are meeter for gentle men: or they will for cosinage haue the tith corne for prouision for their house, & leaue their poore cosin tithe goose and tith calfe, with the egges at Easter, at least they will haue their owne tithes. Neuer a chaplaine of them all shall put them besides it. Some what there must be giuen to the mystresse their wiues, or to finde a childe at Schoole. Fourthly, he shall finde many wealthy and mightie men to be so neere kinsmen to the ministers, y^t they will pay either nothing, [Page] or very litle, they will pleasure them some other way. But if they may not haue it as they list, they will bee neither their cosins nor friends, the preacher nor gospeller must not harbour there, he were better to be ma­ny a mile frō them. To be short, I am not able to recken vp the practises that thys good commissioner shoulde find deuised by satan and put in execution by men, for the cosining & spoyle of the ministry, prophane mē haue delt better with their idle priestes then we with our ministers. Pharao that heathenishe king, in whom was no religi­on, toke this order when the great famine was in Egipt, as appeareth in Gen. 47.22 that his idoll priestes were maintained of his own charge. Iezabel that Qeeene so full of wickednes, mayntained Baals priestes at her owne table 1. King. 18.17. & Michah as it is in the booke of Iudges 17.5.10. made him an Idole, got him a prieste, and prouided for him his handfull, to wit, ve­ry liberally: equall with Pharao, with Ie­Zabell, and with Michah, were our fore­runners in the time of popery, who cram­med both the bellies & the pursses of Sa­tans hirelings, y^e chapplaines of Antichrist [Page] who coulde do nothinge but say a Masse or mumble vp a mattins, but nowe in the time of the Gospell to get any thing for the maintenance of the ministery of the same, is as I said before, as greeuous to them as the pulling of their bowels out of their bellies, yea, they seeke to put awaye euen that which is lesse. Here I might take oc­casion to shew both how religion & iustice, godlines and honesty are made shipwrack of by the spoile of the ministery: for thereby eight commandements of the ten are bro­ken. For neither the knowledge of God, nor the true estimation and loue of him commanded in the first commandement: nor the auoiding of Idolatrye, and setting forth of the true worship of God, prescri­bed in the second commandement, nor the reuerence of the name of God set foorth in the thirde, nor the obseruation of the sabboth, established in the 4. Nor the ho­nor of the ministery appointed in the fift. Nor the auoiding of bloudguiltines & preseruation of life giuen in charge in the 6. Nor the giuing to euery man his right re­quired in the 8. Nor the hauing of a con­tented hart without any motion, coueting [Page] or desiring y^t which is another mans, straitly exacted of vs in y^e tenth, are any whit at all regarded, so y^t by violating all the com­mandements in the first table, it sheweth y^t there wanteth godlines in him y^t spoileth the ministery: & by breaking 4. commaun­dements of the second table, it declareth y^e honesty hath suffred a very dāgerous ship­wrack: At a word it giueth an euideth te­stimony y^t there remaineth in y^e man a ve­ry small remnant, either of religion, or else of righteousnes. Now we are to cōsider, to whō these tithes, stipends, or maintenance (cal thē as you please) are to be paid. They are to be paid to such as are ensigne berers in y^e Lords wars: they y^t preach the gospell must liue of the gospell. Abram paid tithes to Melchizedech, who had applied him selfe to comfort Abram, to giue thankes to God to preach & shewe forth the praises of God. Our sauiour commands y^t the hier shoulde be paide to the labourers, & the Apostle ap­pointeth the double honor to them y^t trauel in the word & doctrine, and he commandeth 2. Thes. 3.10. that if there were any which would not work y^t they should not eat, so y^t the masse men, y^e idle shepheards, the dumb [Page] dogs, y^e blind & sleepy watchmen, the wine prophets, y^e foolish ignorant shepheards, y^e idle loiterers, & y^e slowbellies, haue no part of this allowance allotted vnto thē, either by the law, the prophets, our sauiour, or his Apostles, their allowance is woe, the pryce of blood for the guiltines of the people of god Yet these y^e preach least, fleece most, and if they procure a quarter sermō for their peo­ple, this must be one principall caueat to y^e preacher, the people are slacke in paying their tithes, they must be stirred vp to féede the idle flatterer, and some preachers are so simple as to serue the greedy chapleins hu­mor for his Noble. Lorde in thy good time remooue these loiterers, scraping sléecers, & time seruers, and place in their roome such painfull labourers as wil bear the weight of the burdens, and abide y^e brunt and heat of the day, & be estemed worthy to y^t honor y^u hast appointed for them. Now it resteth that we proceede with y^e history of the king of Sodome, wherin is set down, first the sup­plication which the king of Sodome made to Abram expressed in the 21. ver. next the an­swere of Abram to the same, which foloweth in the 3. last verses. In y^e king of Sodoms [Page] supplication. Giue me the persons, take the goods to thy selfe: is shewed great equitye & charitye, equity towards Abram, in that he would take neither men nor mony with­out Abrams leaue, for that by his painefull trauels, & endangering his own life, he had gotten them as spoiles in the wars, & cra­uing the men he desireth not the goods, but is willing to leaue them with him: on the other side, he sheweth great charity & pitye fowardes his subiects, in y^t he sueth so ear­nestly to haue thē set at liberty. This sure­ly is a notable supplication, and a very rare example of a singular sute. If we consider all circumstances. First he is very poore, then his countreye is spoiled, next his goods are caried away, he is left very bare, why doth he not rather in respect of him selfe, seeke the riches and aske the goods, then craue the men. Why doth he not consider y^t he hath nothing to keepe them on, no not for himselfe. All these considerations are swallowed by y^e loue he beareth to his sub­iects, his mercy to his men ful of miseries & calamities, causeth him to regard none of those things, but he saith, Giue me the per­sons, take the goods to thy selfe. This exam­ple [Page] is seldome folowed (to y^e shame I speak it of the miserable worldlings that liue in these daies) y^t this prophane king not pro­fessing God, dwelling at the vile place So­dom, shewed more mercy towards men, thē many called christians, dwelling in y^e body of Christian realmes, do to their Christian brethren. Few are those maisters y^t tender not their beasts more then their seruants, few are the Landlords that regard not the goods more thē men, as the oppressing of y^e poore, by rackinges of rentes, by excessiue fines, by extraordinary payments, gnaw­ing frō them the bread gottē with paineful hands, before it can come into the childrens bellies, and the vnharbouring of the har­bourlesse, when they haue scraped them to the bones doth witnesse, and the cry of the same doth come to the eares of the Lord of hosts, by the pitiful cōplaints of men, wo­men, and children, widowes, & Orphans, yea, the fatherlesse infants, are driuen to waile, because that mercilesse Landlordes craue the goods & haue no compassion vp­pon christians. To be short, few are those ministers y^e care more for the soules, then for the stipends & tithes, as the couetous [Page] heaping vp of many benefices togeather the number of none residentes, y^e carelesse setting ouer of soules, to iourney men and hirelings that will serue best chepe, y^e gree­dy scraping for tithes, y^e seldome preaching yea many great Rabbyns which would be counted ioly preachers, will preach no of­tener then shame, law, or iniunction com­pell thē. Yea some that should spur others forward, may be presented in their seuerall charges for defaulte of their quarter Ser­mons. This testifieth y^t they seeke not the soules but the goods. Thus in these fewe wordes we see y^e course of the world in ge­nerall, which is to be cōdemned by this ex­ample of the king of Sodom, & I feare it wil not be amended til God consume vs & our corruptions with fire, as he did the Sodo­mits. The time is past, the answere of A­bram I defer to the 4. day of this weke. Let vs pray that we may profit by that wee haue now heard.