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that sacrifice and tithe-paying existed and continued from the beginning, and, as men
dispersed, were taken throughout the ancient world.

It is not my purpose here to inquire how far the practice became modified
afterwards among pagan nations, but rather to follow up tithe-paying as brought out of
Babylonia by Abram, as observed by his grandson Jacob, and afterwards adopted
amongst Jacob's descendants, the children of Israel.

Israel's Three Tithes

We have now reached a higher platform, which suggests a change of venue, or, at
all events, the looking at our subject from a different standpoint.

So far we have heard of the custom of tithe-paying throughout the ancient world,
and have argued, form the universality of the observance, that there was probably some
primitive law which enjoined it. Neither secular literature nor ancient monuments inform
us what that law was, who enjoined it, or when -- nor does the Book of Genesis make
these points clear to demonstration.

If, however, we assume that YEHOVAH directed from the very first that a tenth
of man's increase would be a fitting proportion to render to Himself, as the great Lord of
all, we find absolutely nothing in Genesis to conflict with a theory of this kind. On the
contrary, we see several passages connected with patriarchal religion that seem to
confirm such an idea, and to make the assumption highly probable.

When, moreover, we come to other books of the Pentateuch, we are brought face
to face with written laws which distinctly deal with tithe payments -- not indeed as a new
institution, but as regulated and adapted to a new form of government on which was
based the Jewish polity.

Thus we read in Leviticus 27:30-33,

"And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the
tree, is the Lords: it is holy unto the Lord. And if a man will redeem aught of his
tithe, he shall add unto it a fifth part thereof. And concerning the tithe of the herd,
or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy
unto the Lord. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he
change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed
shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed."

From this passage we learn:

1) That a tenth of the produce of the land, whether of seed or fruit, was claimed by
YEHOVAH, and was to be regarded as holy (or set apart) for Him.