grace: MarginaliaAll shadowes ought to cease amōg Christians.it were meete that all those thinges should vtterly cesse amongest Christians, which should either be agaynst charitie, or the grace of Christ. Although in the tyme of the law, they were lawfull, and not vtterly contrary to it, but were figures of perfections in Christes fayth: yet it were meete that they should cease at the commyng of the perfectiō which they did prefigurate: as circumcision, the eatyng of the paschall lambe, and other ceremoniall pointes of the law. Wherupon also Paul to the Hebrues the vij. chapter sayth thus,MarginaliaHeb. 7.
Where the priesthoode is remoued, there also the law is remoued. If therfore the makyng vp of the perfectiō of all was by the Leuitical Priesthode (for the people receiued the law vnder him) why was it necessary besides, that an other Priest should rise vp after the order of Melchisedech, & not be called after the order of Aaron? For whē the Priesthode is remoued, it must needes be, that the lawe also be remoued. For he, in whom these thinges are spoken, is of an other tribe, of which, none stode presēt at the aulter. Because it is manifest that our Lord had his ofspring of Iuda: in which tribe Moyses spake nothing of the Priests. And besides this, it is manifest: if accordyng to the order of Melchisedech there do rise vp an other Priest, which was not made accordyng to the law of the carnall commaundement, but accordyng to the power of the life that cannot be loased. For thus he beareth witnes, that thou art a priest for euer, after the order of Melchisedech: so that, the cōmaundement that went before, is dissalowed for the weakenes and vnprofitablenes therof. For the law hath brought no body to perfection. By which thynges it appeareth that Christ makyng an end of the Priesthode of Aaron, doth also make vp a full end of the law belongyng to that Priesthode.  

Wherupon I maruell that your learned men do say, that Christen folkes areMarginalia* Bound, as a matter of religion, or as by the necessitie of Gods law & not mans: but now tithes stand by mās law, and not by the old law. bounde to this small ceremonie of the payment of tythes, & care nothyng at all for other aswel the great as the small ceremonies of the law.

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It is playne, that the tythes were geuen to the sonnes of Leui, for their seruyng in the tabernacle and in the temple of the Lord, as þ^e first fruites were geuen to the priests, and also part of the sacrifices, & so were the vowes for their ministery, as it appeareth in þ^e booke of Numbers the xxij. chapter.MarginaliaThe cause ceasing, the effect also ceaseth. But for asmuch as the labour of those sacrifices did cease at the comming of Christ: how should those things be demaunded, which were ordayned for that labour?MarginaliaHe meaneth that necessitie of tithes, which standeth by the necessitie of the olde law to cease. And seyng that the first fruites are not demaunded of Christiās, which first fruites were then rather and sooner demaūded then the tythes: why must the tythes be demaunded, except it be therfore peraduenture because that the tythes be more worth in value then be the first fruites?

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Secondly, why are the lay people bound to the payment of tythes, more then the Leuites and Priestes were to the not hauing of possessions of realties & Lordshyps amongest their brethren?MarginaliaIf tithes be claymed by force of the olde law, by the same law priestes are bounde to haue no tēporalties. seing that the selfe same law in the selfe same place (where he sayth that the tythes ought to be geuen to the Leuites) sayth also to the Leuites, You shall be contented with the offering of the tythes and haue none other thyng amongest your brethren. Wherfore seyng that the Priestes be not bound, to the not hauynge of temporall Lordshyps: how are the lay people bound, by that law (of God he meaneth, and not of man) to the payment of tythes?MarginaliaHe proueth not cōtrary, but that thithes be due, by the positiue law of man: Although not by the ceremoniall law of Moses. Thirdly as touchyng circumcision, which is one of the greater ceremonies of the law, and was geuen before the law, and was an vniuersall ceremonie, concernyng the couenaunt betwen God and his people and was so much regarded in the law, that therof it was sayd: The soule, whose flesh shall not be circumcised in the foreskinne, shall perish from amongest his people: yet did this ceremonie vtterly cease at the commyng of Christ,MarginaliaCircumcisiō ceaseth: Ergo, the ceremonies do cease. although that certaine of the Iewes did say in the primatiue Church, that the Christians must needes keepe the commaundement of circumcision with the fayth: whom Paule reproueth writyng thus to the Galathians the iiij. chapter, where he speaketh of the children of the bondwoman and of the freewoman, which do signifie the ij. Testamentes.MarginaliaGalat. 4. But we (O brethren) are the children of the promise after Isaac, but like as at that tyme he that was borne after the flesh, did persecute him, which was after the spirite: euen so it is now also. But what sayth the Scripture? Throw out the bondwoman and her sonne. The sonne of the bondwoman, shall not be heyre with the sonne of the freewoman. Wherfore brethren, we are not the sonnes of the bondwoman, but of the free. MarginaliaChristian liberty from the bondage of the law. Stand ye stedfast in the libertie, wherewith Christ hath deliuered you, and be not ye holden agayne vnder the yoke of slauery. Beholde I Paule say vnto you, if you be circumcised, Christ shall nothyng profite you. For I testifie agayne to euery man that circumciseth himself, that he is bounde to keepe all þ^e whole law. Ye are vtterly voyde of Christ: whosoeuer will be iustified in the law, are fallen from grace.

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In like maner, we may reason, if we be bounde to tything, we are debters, & bound to keepe all the whole lawe. For to say that men are bound to one ceremonie of the law, and not to the others, is no reasonable saying.MarginaliaBound in one thing (he meaneth) bound in all.
Either bound to all, or to none. Either therfore we are bounde to all of them, or to none. Also, that by the sameMarginalia* Here he expresseth his meaning plainely * olde lawe, mē are not bound to pay tythes, it may be shewed by many reasons, which we nede not any more to multiply and encrease, because the thinges that be sayd, are sufficient. Wherupon some do say, that by the Gospell we are bound to pay tythes, because Christ sayd to the Pharisies, Math. 23. chapter: Woe be to you Scribes and Pharisies, which pay your tythe of mynt, of Anets seede, and of commyn: and leaue iudgement, mercy, and truth vndone, being the weightier thinges of the law, both should ye haue done these thinges, and also not haue left the other vndone. O ye blinde guides, that straine out a gnat, and swallow vp a Camell.MarginaliaThe one is disalowed the other is not commaunded. Thys worde soundeth not as a commaundement or manner of biddyng, whereby Christ did commaūde tythes to be geuen: but it is a word of disalowing the hypocrisie of the Pharisies, who of couetousnes did rather weigh & esteme tithes, because for their own singuler commoditie, rather then other great and weighty commaundementes of the law.MarginaliaPriests wrast religion to their owne profite. And me semeth that our men are in the same predicament of the Pharisies, which do leaue of all þ^e ceremonies of the olde law, keping only the commaundement of tything. It is manifest and plaine inough by the premisses, and by other places of the Scripture, that Christ was a priest after the order of Melchisedech, of the tribe of Iuda, not of the tribe of Leuy: who gaue no new commaundement of tithing of any thing to hym & to his priestes whom he would place after hym: but when his Apostles sayd to him: Behold, we leaue all thynges and haue folowed thee, what then shal we haue, he did not aunswere them thus:MarginaliaTithes not expressely cōmaūded a new by Christ in the Gospell. Tythes shall be paid you, neither did he promise them a temporall but an euerlasting reward in heauen. For he, both for foode, and also apparell taught his disciples not to be careful. Be ye not carefull for your life, what ye shall eate, or for your body what ye shall put on.MarginaliaMath. 6. Is not the lyfe of man more worth then the meate? and the body more worth then the apparell? Behold ye the birds of heauen, which do not sow, nor reape, neither yet lay vp in barnes, and yet your heauēly father feedeth them. And as for apparell, why should you be carefull? Consider the Lylies of the field, how they grow, they labour not, neither do they spinne. &c. In cōclusion he saith, be not ye carefull, saying, what shall we eate, or what shall we drinke, or wherwithall shall we be couered? For all these thynges do the Gētiles seeke after. For your father knoweth, that you haue neede of all these thinges. First therfore seeke ye for the kingdome of God and the rightousnes therof, and all these thynges shalbe cast vnto you. And Paule right well remembring this doctrine, instructeth Timothe and sayth thus. But we hauing foode and wherwithal to be couered, let vs therwith be contentedMarginalia1. Tim. 6. And as the actes of the Apostles do declare: In the first cōuersion of the Iewes at Ierusalem, they had all thynges common, and to euery one was diuision made, as nede required.MarginaliaTythes not required in the primitiue Church. Neither did the priestes make the tythes their owne proper goodes. For like as it was not meete that the lay people being conuerted, should haue proprietie of goods: euē so neither that priestes should haue proprietie of tithes. So that if the Priestes started backe from feruent charitie in chalenging to themselues the proprietie of tithes: it is no meruail of departing backward (as do the Priestes, from the perfection of charitie) also of the laitie to be willing to appropriate to themselues the ix. parts remayning after the tithes.MarginaliaTythes due to be payde by the positiue law of men. Wherfore,  

seeing þ^t neyther Christ, nor any of the Apostles, commaunded to pay tithes: it is manifest & plaine, neyther by the law of Moses, nor by Christes law, Christen people are bounde to pay tythes: but by the tradicion of men: they are bound.

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By the premisses now it is playne, that Christ did not vndoe the law, but by grace did fulfill it. Notwithstanding, in the law many thinges were lawfull, which in the time of grace are forbidden, and many thinges were then vnlawfull, which now are lawfull inough. For nothing that is contrary to charitie, is lawfull to a Christian.

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Let vs now heare what maner of commaundementes Christ hath geuen vs in the Gospell, without the obseruation of which commaundementes, charitie shall not perfectly be kept. By which cōmaundements, Christ did not vndo the olde lawe, but did fulfill it. By the obseruation also of which commaundementes, he teacheth vs to passe and go beyond the righteousnes of the Scribes and phariseis, who most perfectly thought themselues to keepe the lawe. This absolute and perfect righteousnes, which we are bounde to haue beyond the rightuousnes of the Pharisies & the Scribes, he teacheth in Math. v. vj. and vij. chap. Which beyng

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