THE TITHE AND THE GOSPEL.
1. THE Gospel was preached to Abraham (Gal. 3: 8), and Abraham recognized his obligation to pay the Lord's tithe to the Lord's recognized representative. Gen. 14: 18-20; Heb. 7: 4. 2. The Gospel was preached to Jacob at Bethel, and Jacob made a vow to return unto the Lord a tenth of all that He should give him. Gen. 28: 10-22. 3. The Levites were the ministers of the Gospel in type. The Gospel was preached to Israel in all the services which God prescribed for their observance. Heb. 4: 1, 2. And the Levites were supported by the Lord's tithe. Num. 18: 20, 21. 4. The Levites, who were the recipients of the tithe, were also accredited with having paid tithe in Abraham, before a Levite was born. Heb. 7: 9, 10. This shows that the tithing system or principle was a recognized institution under the Melchizedek priesthood, which obtained in the patriarchal age. 5. When Christ preached the Gospel on earth in person, He told the people that they "ought to" pay tithe, even of things that were of the smallest recognized value. Matt. 23: 23. 6. Christ is now a Priest after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 7: 15-17); hence the tithing system, which was not a type, inures to His priesthood as it did to that of Melchizedek. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, hence the disciples of Christ, who are Abraham's seed (Gal. 3: 29), should pay tithes to Christ, whose priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek. 7. To the Levites, the recognized ministers, the Lord said: "I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation." Num. 18: 20, 21. 8. Under the universal priesthood of Christ, commonly called the Gospel dispensation, we have this instruction: "Do ye not know 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? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel." 1 Cor. 9: 13, 14. 9. The tithe is the Lord's, by special reserve (Lev. 27: 30), and to withhold it is robbery, to which is attached the curse of God. Mal. 3: 8, 9. God never has relinquished His title to the tithe, nor withdrawn His directions as to what should be done with it. 10. The faithful return of the tithe is a positive commandment of God, and the commandments of God are inseparably connected with the Gospel of Christ. Of those who will stand at His coming it will be said, "Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14: 12.