Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion [assigned them] of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.
Ver. 22. Only the land of the priests bought he not.] Ministers' maintenance, we see, is of the law of nature. Jezebel provided for her priests; Micah for his Levite. "Do ye not know," saith that great apostle, "that they which minister about holy things, live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar, are partakers with the altar?" 1Co 9:13 Where, by "holy things," St Ambrose understands the law of the Gentiles by "the altar," the law of the Jews. Before them both, Melchizedek, δεδεκατωκε, tithed Abraham; by the same right, whereby he blessed him. Heb 7:6 As after them, the apostle rightly infers, "Even so hath the Lord ordained, that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." 1Co 9:14 But where hath the Lord ordained it? "The workman is worthy of his meat," saith Matthew; Mat 10:10 "of his hire," saith Luke: Luk 10:7 of both, no doubt; as the labourers in harvest, who have better fare provided than ordinary, and larger wages. See Nehemiah's zeal for church maintenance, Nehemiah 13:10; Nehemiah 13:14. He knew well that a scant offering makes a cold altar; and that, ad tenuitatem beneficiorum necessario sequitur ignorantia sacerdotum; as in Ireland, where, in former time, some of the bishops had no more revenue than the pasture of two milk cows, &c. In the whole province of Connaught the stipend of the incumbent is not above forty shillings; in some places but sixteen shillings. a Melancthon b complains of his Germany, that the ministers for most part were ready to say with him in Plautus: Ego non servio libenter: herus meus me non habet libenter, tamen utitur me ut lippls oculis. Such use Micah made of his Levite; more fit to have made a Gibeonite, to cleave wood, than to divide the word; and yet he maintained him; and doubted not, thereupon, to promise himself God's blessing. He is a niggard to himself, that scants his beneficence to a prophet; Mat 10:41 whose very cold water shall not go unrewarded. Many rich refuse to give anything to the minister's maintenance; c because they cannot be tithed. But "be not deceived; God is not mocked," saith the apostle in this very case. "Let him that is taught in the word, communicate unto him that teacheth in all his goods." Gal 6:6-7 Such tribes as had more cities in their inheritance were to part with more to the priests: such as had fewer, with less. Num 35:8 The equity of which proportion is still in force. The Jews, d at this day, though not in their own country, nor having a Levitical priesthood, yet those who will be reputed religious among them do distribute, in lieu of tithes, the tenth of their increase unto the poor: being persuaded that God doth bless their increase the more; according to that proverb of theirs, Tithe and be rich. But how is both the word and the world now altered among us? All is thought by the most to be well saved that is kept from the minister; whom to deceive is held neither sin nor pity. Fisco potius apud multos consulitur quam Christo, ac tonsioni potius gregis quam attentioni; as one complaineth, e Covetous patrons care not to sauce their meat with the blood of souls; while by them, et succus pecori, lac et subducitur agnis, f Besides, they bestow their benefices, non ubi optima, sed ubi quaestuosissime; being herein worse than these Egyptians, shall I say? nay, than the traitor Judas. He sold the head, they the members: he the shepherd, they the sheep; he but the body, they the souls; like that Romish strumpet, Rev 18:13 of whom they have learned it. But let them look to it, lest they ruin their wages of wickedness, with Judas. In the meanwhile, let them give us a just commentary upon that in Proverbs 20:25, and tell us who hath authority to take that, from a church, shall I say? nay, from God, that hath been once given him? We can tell them a sad story, of five servants of Cardinal Wolsey's, employed by him, in tot piorum hominum donariis intervertendis, saith the annalist, g and came all to fearful ends. Two of them disagreed; and, challenging the field, one killed the other, and was hanged for it. A third drowned himself in a well. The fourth, from great riches, fell to extreme beggary and was starved with hunger. The last, one Dr Alan, being Archbishop of Dublin, was there cruelly murdered by his enemies. Now, if divine justice so severely and exemplarily pursued and punished these that converted those abused goods of the Church to better uses without question, though they looked not at that, but at the satisfying of their own greedy lusts, what will be the end of such sacrilegious persons as enrich themselves with that which should be their minister's maintenance? Sacrum, sacrove commendatum qui clepserit rapseritque, parricida esto, said the Roman law. h It is not only sacrilege, but parricide, to rob the Church.
a Panormitan. Heyl., Geog., p. 524.
b Manlii, loc. com., 472.
c Perstringit tenaces. - Pareus.
d Godw., Heb. Antiq., 277.
e Episc. Winton.
f Virgil.
g Scultet., Annal., p. 332.
h Ex duod. tab. - Neand. Chron.