tion from thofe Services which otherwise they must have executed perfonally.

For the Tribe of Levi gave up to the other Tribes their whole Share of the Land, as one of the Tribes of Ifrael; and they gave up themselves to the national Service of the Tabernacle, and to the publick Teaching of the Law, discharging all the other Tribes from any Burden of thofe Services, and giving them full Leisure to attend folely their own private Affairs, except when the Danger of their Country fummoned them to Arms in Defence of it.

These were Confiderations that, in all Juftice and Equity, required a fuitable Provision and Reward. Nor was this Reward to be

given the Levites, as many have very weakly conceited, as Minifters of the God of Ifrael, or in the modern Cant, the Hebrew Clergy, or even as they were the Servants of the King of Ifrael, of his Court and Houfhold; but moreover as the Levites parted with their own Inheritance to the Publick; and for their publick Service, partly in teaching the Law to the People, and partly in excufing them from a perfonal Attendance for the Service of the Tabernacle.

To understand the wife Reasons of this Part of the Hebrew Conftitution, it will be neceffary to confider more diftinctly what that Provifion was, which the Law made for the Levites, and the Manner in which the Laws of the Hebrew Government made this Provifion

Provifion for them; as both are fo little understood by many, and fo greatly mifreprefented by fome who pretend to understand them better,

The Provifion which the Laws of the Hebrew Government made for the Levites, was a yearly Tithe of the Produce of the Lands, payable by the twelve Tribes; and this was properly the only Provision made for them as a Tribe: For tho' there were fome other Payments by the People, as the First-fruits, the Redemption of the First-born, the Halfshekel Poll-tax, and the like; yet these were not to be divided among the Levites, as a Tribe. They were all appropriated to other Ufes, and were affigned to anfwer the Expences and conftant Charge of the Tabernacle of the publick and national Sacrifices, and other Parts of the publick Worship of the Church; or for Tables in honour of the Court, Houfe, and Refidence of the King of Ifrael.

This Diftinction, between the Tithes and other publick Revenues of Church and State, and their Appropriation to very different Ufes, is not fo commonly attended to as it ought; which has introduced no small Darkness and Confufion into this Part of the Hebrew Conftitution.

1 Chron. xxiii. 28.

The Levites were appointed to wait on the Sons of Aaron, the Priefts for the Service of the Houfe of the Lord, and the Work of the Service of the House of God.---And to ftánd every Morning to thank and praise 30.

"

the Lord, and likewife at Even. They were
divided as the Priefts into their feveral Courses,
for their Attendance at the Palace of the Pre-
fence. It became the Honour of the divine
Prefence, and the Dignity of the Throne of
the Kingdom of Jehovah over Ifrael, that
fome Provifion fhould be made for a decent
Entertainment of fuch Perfons as should be
in actual waiting on his Service; as Princes
are used to have Tables at their Courts for
their Houfhold and Servants in waiting.
There were also many other neceffary Ex-
pences of the Tabernacle and Temple, in Re-
pairs, Ornaments, Sacrifices and Offerings, or-
dinary and extraordinary: Thefe were pro-
perly Expences, to ufe a modern Expreffion,
of a Civil Lift, or of a Church-Rate,
different thing from a Provifion made for the
Sons of Levi: For the Levites had no Share
in them, otherwise than it may be the Conve-
nience of a Table during the Time of their
Courfe, and in waiting on the Service of the
Tabernacle, wherever the Prefence was, after
they had been at the Trouble and Expence of
going up
from their own Habitation from all
Parts of the Country, and were to be at the
fame Trouble and Expence in returning to
their Habitations again, as foon as the Time
of their waiting was over. Of this kind were
many Payments, in particular the First-fruits,
the Redemption of the Firft-born, and the
Half-fhekel Poll.

very

A

A righter Understanding of this Obfervation may give an useful Light to many Things of greater Confequence than they may at first appear to be. A Misunderstanding or a Mifrepresentation of them has been made an Occafion of fevere Reflections withoutGround and against Truth on the Mofaical Conftitution of the Hebrew Government, as if it had made a moft exorbitant Provifion of Riches for the Levitical Tribe to an heavy Oppreffion of all the other Tribes. Let us then a little confider the other Revenues, as diftinguifhed from the Tithes, which only were the proper Portion of the Levites.

Fruits.

The Law for the Firft-fruits directs, they Fir should be paid at the Houfe of Jehovah, or the Place of the Prefence. The first of the Exodus Fruits of thy Land thou shalt bring into the xxiii. 19. Houfe of the Lord thy God. This Offering of the first Fruits was to be attended with an Acknowledgement of the Mercies of God, in bringing the Hebrew Nation out of a State of Affliction, Labour, and Oppreffion in Egypt, into a Land flowing with Milk and Honey. The Perfon therefore bringing the first Fruits, was directed to fay, A Sy-Deut.xxvi rian ready to perish was my Father. And5,7,9, 10. when we cried to the Lord God of our Fathers, the Lord beard our Voice, and looked on our Affliction, and our Labour and our Oppreffion,- -and brought us into this Place, and bath given us this Land.

And now

be

bold

2

bold I have brought the firft Fruits of the Land which thou, O Lord, haft given me.

The first Fruits then, feem to be paid as a kind of Quit-Rent, in Acknowledgement of Jehovah as Lord of the Fee, that the whole Hebrew Nation held of him as his Tenants, and that the Tenure of all their Eftates, was of his Gift and Donation.

It is moreover to be observed of this Branch of Revenue, that the Law itself appointed no determined Quantity; fo that the Quantity was left by the Law to the Difcretion of each Perfon who offered. It fhould feem the Quantity supposed in the Law, was not large, from a particular Conftitution concerning it.. And thou shalt take of the first of all the Fruits axvi, 2,4, of the Earth, which thou shalt bring of thy

Deut.

Land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and fhalt put it in a Basket, and fhalt go unto the Place which the Lord thy God fhall choose to place his Name there. And the Prieft fhall take the Basket out of thine Hand, and Jet it down before the Altar of the Lord thy God. A Basket which a Man could carry in his Hand, was not like to hold very much: So that the Talmudical Doctors in this, as in many other Things, went beyond the original Law, when they afterwards fettled the Quantity of the first Fruits to one in fixty.*.

Authors

* Lex divina non definivit, quæ quantitas primitivorum adduci debuerit, fed ex decreto fapientum unum de 60, dari debet. Reland Antiq. Heb. p. 401, 403.