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DISSERTATION

ΟΝ ΤΗΕ

CIVIL GOVERNMENT

OF THE

HEBREW S

INTRODUCTION.

T is fomewhat furprizing, that when fo
able Hands have undertaken to ex-
many
plain the religious Rites and Ceremo-

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nies, the civil Laws and Juftice of the Hebrew Church, and Commonwealth; fo very few should have undertaken to explain the Form and Polity of the Government itself.

The Hebrew Commonwealth is, without queftion, one of the most ancient of the World, and justly looked upon as a Model of Government of divine Original; it will deferve our Attention, as much fure, as any of the Forms of Government in the ancient times, either among the Egyptians, Greeks, or Romans. It fhould more especially deferve our Attention as Chriftians, who own the Laws, delivered by Mofes to the Hebrew Nation, to have been given by the Oracle of

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God,

God, and established by Authority of the fupreme Governour of the World; in which therefore we may expect to find a wife and excellent Model, becoming the Wisdom of fuch a Lawgiver.

It will yet farther deserve our Attention, as a right Understanding of several Parts of the religious Rites and Conftitutions of that Church will much depend upon a right Understanding of their civil Polity and Government; for in this Conftitution both are much intermix'd with each other, fo that the one is not clearly to be understood without the other. This Conftitution is therefore well called a Theocracy, by Jofephus; or a Government of God, in which God himself condescended to govern the Hebrew Nation, with the Title and Authority of their King. It is to the fame Sense David fpeaks of the Succeffion of his Son Solomon, that he 1 Chron. was chofen to fit upon the Throne of the xxviii. 5. Kingdom of Jehovah, over Ifrael. So that the Laws of Religion and State, in this Commonwealth, have a great Reference to one another, God being confidered the Object of their religious Worship as the one only true and fupreme God, and their fupreme civil Magiftrate as the political Head of their State. Hence learned Men have very justly obferved, that the Form of the Tabernacle, the Splendor of its Ornaments, the Service

*

Spencer de leg. Hebræ. Differt. de Theocrat. Judaica, c. v. §. 1. Witfii Theocrat. Ifraelit. § ix, &c.

Service and Attendance of the Priefts and Levites, and the Revenues belonging to the Tabernacle, have a Regard to the Honour and Dignity of the Crown, of the Court and Palace of the King of Ifrael, as well as to the religious Worship of the God of Ifrael. So that even these Parts of the religious Conftitution of the Hebrews will be much be ter understood, by a right Knowledge of the political Conftitutions of their Government, and by the Light fuch Knowledge has thrown upon them, in feyeral Inftances, and may yet further give unto them, I apprehend, in many more.

Finally, this Knowledge of the true Conftitution of the Hebrew Government will, I think, be of confiderable Ufe on another account. Some have fallen with uncommon Severity both on the religious and political Conftitutions of Mofes, and endeavoured to represent them not only as unwife and unequal, but as most unjuft, tyrannical and cruel. Thefe Conftitutions are faid to be

a Refinement on the Superftition of Egypt; "and that to fuppofe or affirm any of them "of the true God, must be equally abfurd "and blafphemous *."

Every Lover of Truth will justly expect fo heavy a Charge, drawn up in fo infolent Terms, should be fupported with good Vouchers; and that the Conftitutions of the Hebrew Government, as published by Mofes, B 2 fhould

* Moral Philofopher, Vol. II. 138.

fhould plainly appear fo abfurd, tyrannical, and blafphemous, as they are reprefented to be, by plain Inftances of fome of the Conftitutions themselves that are fo; whereas a right Understanding of the Polity of that Government, as fettled by Mofes in the Name of God, would fhew, that the most fpecious Objections are meer Blunders, and Mistakes, and are founded on an utter Ignorance of the true Hebrew Constitutions, or on fuch Good-will to cenfure and condemn them, as dares firft to falfify them, in order afterwards to treat them as ridiculous or criminal.

It must be allow'd, however, that this Subject is not without its Obfcurity. The Materials we have whereby to discover the political Form of this very ancient Government, are not fo many or fo full, as we have for fome of the more modern Governments of Greece, or the Commonwealth of Rome. And tho' we have many Authors of Hebrew Republicks, who with great Diligence and Learning, have treated of their Religion; yet few have treated with Exactnefs and Judgment, of the political Government of their State.

The Jus privatum of the Hebrews, the Laws, Judges, and Courts, whereby private Juftice was adminiftred between Man and Man, and their Perfons and Properties defended against private Fraud and Violence, have been largely confidered by Authors of great Judgment

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Judgment and Learning, who have shewn with plain Evidence, that they are every way equal for Wifdom, Juftice, and Equity, to the Laws of any the greatest and most celebrated Lawgivers; many of which were very likely copied after these.

But the Jus publicum, the Form of the Government itself, the Orders by which, and the Officers by whom the publick Actions of Peace and War, and the collective Force of the whole Commonwealth were to be directed; and the Crimina læfæ Majeftatis, or treasonable Offences against the Honour, Authority and Safety of the State in general, have been paffed over very flightly by the fame learned Authors, it may be in part, because the few Materials to be found in fo fhort an Hiftory, were thought infufficient to give a juft Model of the publick Government; and in part, because the Religion and the private Justice of this Nation were accounted Subjects of greater Ufe and Concern.

The Materials are indeed few, and fcanty enough; and therefore we are not to expect fuch an Account of the Hebrew Government, as we have of modern Governments, of the German Empire, France, or the United Provinces, or even of the more ancient Commonwealths of Rome, and in Greece, whofe larger Hiftories fhew their Conftitutions fo fully, as to point out the Wisdom and ExB 3. cellency, Corvini Def. Juris, p. m. 264. Inftit. iv. Tit. xviii,

§. 3. de læfa Majeftate.

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