T I T
[ 2ip 3
T I T
Thefe Matters are all further explain'd in the ibalmid, wherein there are two Books of Titties, the Book of Bene- dictions, nonD, in the Commentaries of "Banenora, Maimo- nides, R. Scbelomob Jarrhi, in Scaliger, Amama, Seidell, Frifchmmh, $hienfteed, Varenius, Hettinger, Sigonms, Cutue- •us, Good-win, Mcidekker, &c.
Under the new Law, 'tis not Jefus Chrift that eftablifh'd Tithes, as 'twas God himfelf did it under the old Law by the Miniftryof Mofes: The Chriftian Priefts, and the Mi- nisters of the Altar of the new Covenant, liv'd, at firft, wholly of the Alms and Oblations of the Devour. See Ob- lations, £f?c.
In after Times the Laity gave a certain Portion of their Revenues to the Clergy, but voluntarily, and not out of any Conftraint or Obligation : The firft Inftances we have of it, are in the IVth and Vth Centuries.
This Gift was call'd Tit be , nor that it was really a tenth Part of their income, or near fo much ; but only in Imitati- on of the Tithes of the old Law.
In the following Age, the Prelates in rheir Councils, in Concert with the Princes, made an exprefs Law to the Pur- pofe j and oblig'd the Laity to give a full tenth Part of their Revenues, their Fruits, l$c. to the Eccleiialticks.
This the Church enjoy'd without Difturbance for two or three Centuries 5 but in the Vlllth Century the Laity got hold of Part of theie Tithes, either by their own Authority, or by Grants and Donations of the Princes j and appropriated them to their own Ules. See Appropriation.
Some time afterwards they reftor'd them, orapply'd them to the founding of Monafteries or Chapters 5 and the Church contented, at leaft tacitely, ro this Reftitution.
In 1 179, the third Council of Lateran, held under Alex- ander III. commanded the Laymen to' reftore all the Tithes they yet held, to the Church.
In 1215, the fourth Council of Lateran, held under Inno- cent III. moderated the Matter a little ; and, without faying any thing of the Tithes which the Laity already poflefs'd, forbad them to appropriate or take any more for the future.
Frit, *Paolo, in his Treatile do materia Senefciaria, is of Opinion, that the Cuilom of paying Tithes under the new Law, began in France ; and affirms, that there are no Inftances of it before the Vlllth and lXth Centuries : But he mull be miilaken 5 for in the 2d Council of Matifcon, held in 585, 'tis faid expref ly, that the Chritlians had a long Time kept inviolate that Law of God, whereby Tithe of all their Fruits was enjoin'd to be given to holy Places,
In effect, Origen, Horn. XI. on Numb, thinks, that the old Laws of Mofes, touching the firft Fruits and Tithes, both of Cattle, and of the Fruits of the Earth, are not abro- gated by the Gofpel ; but ought to be obferv'd on their ancient footing. The Vth Canon ot the Council of Macon, orders Tithe to be paid to the Minifters of the Church ac- cording to the Law of God, and the immemorial Cuftom ot the Chriftians, and that upon Penalty of Excommunication 5 which is the firft Penalty we find impos'd on fuch as would not pay Tithe.
On thefe Grounds it is that many among the modern Clergy hold their Tithes to be Jure 'Divino.
Others, on the contrary, plead, that the Recompence to be given Church Minifters, is differently ordain'd by God, according to the Differences he has put between his two great Difpenlations, the Law and the Gofpel: Under the Law he gave them Tithes; under the Gofpel, having left all Things in his Church to Charity, andChrillfan Freedom, he has given them only what fhall be given them freely, and in Charity; That the Law of Tithes is in Force under the Gofpel, all the Proreflant Divines, except fome among the Englip, deny ; for tho' Hire to the Labourer be of moral and perpetual Right, yet the fpecial Kind of Hire, the Tenth, can be of no Right or Neceflity, but to the fpecial Labour for which God ordain'd it : That fpecial Labour was the Levitical and Ceremonial Service of the Tabernacle, Numb, xviii. 21, 31. which was abolim'd ; the Right therefore of the fpecial Hire mull be abolilh'd too.
That Titbes were Ceremonial, is evident from their not being given to the Levites till they had been firft offer'd as a Heave Offering to the Lord, v. 24, 28.
He, then, who by the Law brings Titbes into the Gofpel, brings in likewife a Sacrifice and an Altar ; without which, Titbes, by the Law, were unfancfify'd and polluted, v. 32. And therefore were never thought of in rhe firft Chriftian Times, rill Ceremonial Altars and Oblations had been brought
The Jews themfelves, ever fince their Temple was de- ftroy'd, 'tho' they have Rabbics and Teachers of the Law, yet pay no Tithes, as having no proper Levites to whom, nor Altar whereupon, to hallow them ; which argues, that the Jews themfelves never look'd on Titbes as Moral, but merely Ceremonial. Add, that Tithes were not allow'd to the Priefts and Levites merely for their Labours in the Ta- bernacle 3 but in Confideration of this likewife, that they
were not allow'd to have any other Part or Inheritance in the Land, v. 20, 24- and who, by that Means, for a Tenth, loft a Twelfth.
In effefl, for the firft three hundred Years after Chtifl, no mention is made in all Ecclefiaftical Hiflory of any fuch Thing as Tithes 5 tho', in that Time, Altars and Ob- lations had been recail'd, and the Church had miferably Judaifed in many other Things. The Churchmen confeffed- ly liv'd all that Time on Free will Offerings ; nor could the Defect of paying Tithes be owing to this, that there were wanting Civil Magiftrates to injoin it, fince Chriftians, having Lands, might have given out of them what they pleas'd, and the firft Chriftian Emperors, who did all Things by Advice of the Bifhops, iupply'd what was wanting to the Clergy, not out of Tithes, which were never propos'd, but out of their own Imperial Revenues.
The firft Authority produe'd, fetting afide the Apolfolical Conftitutions, which few of the Patrons of Tithes will infill on, is a Provincial Synod at Cullen in 356, where Tithes are voted to be God's Rent : But before that Time, divers other Abufes and Complaints had got ground, as Altars, Candles at Noon, l$c. And one Complaint begot another ; as 'tis certain that Tithes fiippofc Altars.
'Tis alledg'd, that Titbes ate of early and folemn Force among us ; having been paid by Statute ever fince the Saxoit King Athelftan, An 928 : To which it may be faid, that Rome-Scot, or Teter Tence, had been likewife paid to the Pope by Statute above 200 Years longer, sis, from the Year 725. And by the Way it is to be noted, that thefe ancient Tithes among our Anceftors, kept a nearer Analogy to their Original in the Mofaic Law ; for the Priefts had but a third Part, the other two Thirds being appointed for the Poor, and to adorn and repair the Churches, as appears from the Canons Ecbert and Elfric.
The Cuftom of paying Tithe, or of offering a Tenth of what a Man enjoys, or of what he reaps from it, has not only been pracfis'd under the old and the new Law, but we alio find fbmething like it among the Heathens.
Xenopbon, in the 5th Book of rhe Expedition of Cyrus, gives us an Infcription upon a Column near the Temple of itiatia, whereby the People were warn'd to offer the tenth Part of their Revenues every Year to the Goddefs.
'Paufanias, lib. j. and Tiiodorus Sicukis, Siblicth. Hifl. lib. 11. tell us, that a Tenth of the Spoils were offer'd to the Gods. And Feflvs de Verb, fignif. affurcs us, that the Aici- ents us'd to give Tithe of every thing to their Gods : T)eci- ma quicque veteres 2)iis fuis ojferebant.
Impropriated and Appropriated Tithes, call'd alfo In. feoff 'd Tithes, are thole alienated to fome Temporal or Eccle- iiallical Lord, united to their Fee, and poffefs'd as fecular Goods. See Impropriation.
By the Council of Lateran, held under Alexander III. in 1 170, the Alienation or Infeodation of Titbes is prohibited for the future : Whence all Infeodations made fince that Time are generally held by the Canonifts illegal.
Some attribute the Original of thefe impropriated Tithes to Charles Mar/el ; and hold him daron'd for firft giving the Revenues of Benefices to fecular Nobles: But Saronius will have this a Fable, and refers their Origin to the Wars in the Holy Land ; which is alfo the Opinion of 'Paf- quier.
The Tribute, it feems, which the Romans impos'd on all the Provinces of rheir Empire, was a tenth Part of all the Fruits : Hence feveral Authors obierve, that the Franks hav- ing conquer'd the Gauls, and finding the tmpolition efta- blilh'd, they kept it on Foot, and gave thofe Tithes in Fes to their Soldiers : And this, fay they, was the Origin of infeoff'd, or impropriated and appropriated 'Titbes. See Fee and Benefice.
But the Truth is, they are not fo ancient ; nor do we find any mention of them before the Reign of Hugh Capet ; even the very Council of Clermont, held in 1097, as hot as it was in the Interefts of the Church, does not lay one Word of them ; which yet would undoubtedly have made loud Complaints of fuch an Ufurpation, had it been then known.
The Titbes of Grounds newly broke up and cultivated, are call'd Tiecirnte Novaks, and always belong ro the Vicar, as well as the fmall Tithes. The Novelty is confin'd to forty Years before the Demand. See Vicar.
TITHING, from the Saxon, Teothinge, Decury, a Num- ber or Company of Ten Men, with their Families ; knit to- gether in a kind of Society, and all bound to the King, for the peaceable Behaviour of each other. See Decenna.
Of thefe Companies there was one chief Perfon, who from his Office was call'd Teotbingman ; and at This Day in the Weft Titbingman, tho' now no more than a Conftab'e ; rhe old Cuftom of Tenmentales, or Tubings, be:nr» long fince diliis'd. See Chief-Pledge, Frank-Pledge, Decen-
NIER. TrITHING, TeNMENTALE.
TITILLATION, the Aft of Tickling, i.e. of ex-citing a fort of pleafurable Idea, by a gentle Application of fome foft
Body,
