Sermons upon Deuteronomy

Nevertheless, hereby God meant also to inure §40his people to humanity. For we see a number of men that can find in their hearts to cram themselves till they burst, & in the mean while pass not though others starve: & it should seem that a whole world were little enough to find one of them. But our Lords will is that there should be courtesy among men, that when the masters have sufficed themselves with meat and drink, they should not be niggardly in giving food & sustenance to such as take pains in their service, but §50have a care of them. That is a second thing which our lord meant in this text. But now let us pas on.

Neuerthelesse, hereby God meant also to inure §40his people to humanitie. For we see a number of men that can finde in their hartes to cram themselues til they burst, & in the meane while passe not though others starue: & it shold seeme yt a whole world were little enough to finde one of them. But our Lordes will is that there should be courtisie among men, that whē the maisters haue suffised themselues with meate and drinke, they shold not be nigardly in giuing foode & sustenāce to such as take peins in their seruice, but §50haue a care of thē. That is a second thing which our lord ment in this text. But now let vs pas on.

After that Moses hath spoken of firstfruits and offerings; he returneth again to Tithes, and treateth more fully of them. Thou shalt not forget the Levite (saith he) which is within thy gates. Every third year shalt thou lay aside the tenth of all thy fruits, and the Levites shall come and gather them, and likewise the widows, the fatherless, and the strangers, that thy God may bless thee in all the works of thy §60hands. Yesterday I began to tell you that in old time the Tithes were appointed to the Levites, because they served at the altar: & that God would not have them occupied about any such labour, as might hinder them either from teaching the law, or from doing of sacrifice & such other like things. For inasmuch as God had reserved them to that purpose, his will was that they should give themselves wholly thereunto. That was the cause why he exempted them from tilling of the ground, and from such other labours. Besides this, there was also an other reason, which was, that they should have had a portion in the land which was promised to the linage of Abraham, for there was a whole tribe of them: but God had excluded them from it, & put in two tribes in stead of that one, so as Ephraim and Manasseh the sons of Joseph made two heads. And so were there twelve portions of that Land. But yet in stead of the Levites ye see that Ephraim succeeded: for Manasseh was the firstborn of Joseph, & yet was he put after his brother & set in the second place, & made inferior to him. And so were the Levites excluded. But yet behoved it them to have their right. And therefore God recompensed them, & like as if a man should give his child a recompense some other way when he would not have him to come to the parting of the inheritance with his brethren, even so stood the case with the Levites. Those were the two chief reasons for the tithes. Nevertheless it was Gods will that the overplus should be divided among the poor & needy. For the Levites had not so large a portion given them to make them gluttons & to enrich them above other men: but to the end they should be as deacons to have a care of Gods poor folk, and to distribute his alms to his people. Now we see what was the cause of the tithes.