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Exod. xii.

Tribe, in particular; and thirdly, what was us'd in the feveral Cities belonging to the feveral Tribes: fo there were likewise three kinds of Congregations among them. One, made up of the whole People of the twelve Tribes; another, of the Families in each Tribe, feparately; and another, of the Inhabitants of every City, within themselves.

The Great Congregation, which was made up of the whole People of the twelve Tribes, was conftituted by God himself; where he bids Mofes, fpeak unto all the 3. xiv. 2. congregation of Ifrael; and speak unto the children of Ifrael. All the Statutes, Judg ments, and Ordinances, which God delivers to Mofes, were, by him, to be communicated to the People thus affembled. And accordingly, we find Mofes gathered XXXV. 1. all the congregation of the children of Ifrael together, and faid unto them, Thefe are the words which the LORD hath commanded.

Exod.

Thefe Congregations were frequently held, during the Time of Mofes.

And

when God appoints Joshua to be his Suc

Numb. ceffor, He orders him, to fet him before xxvii. 19. Eleazar the Priest, and before all the congregation,

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gregation, and give him a charge in their
fight. Again, he fays, The LORD deli- Deut. ix.
vered unto me two tables of ftone, in the day
of the affembly.

10.

xxiv. 1.

vii. 5.

I

Thele Congregations no one took upon him to convene, but that Perfon who prefided over their Affairs; as Conductor, Judge, or King. Joshua, who was in the firft Capacity, when he was waxen old, and Jofh. firicken in age, called for all Ifrael; and xxiii. 2. for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers. Samuel, one of their judges, faid, Gather all Ifrael to Mizpeh. We read that 1 Sam. David, when he was King, gathered Sam. all the people together. And, again; that, he xii. 29. gathered all Ifrael together, to Jerufalem. xv. 3. We read likewife, that all Ifrael came to Shechem to make Rehoboam King, after the Death of Solomon. Again; after the Revolt of the Ten Tribes, when Rehoboam was come to Jerufalem, he affembled all the boufe of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin. And fo Afa King of Judah, is faid to have gathered all Judah and Benja- 2 Chron. min, in order to make a folemn covenant with God. They gathered themselves together

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I Chron.

1 Kings

xii.

-Ib. 21.

XV. 9, 10,

Numb.

X. I, &c.

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at Jerufalem, accordingly, in the third
month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of
JA MON ngu blad bre
The manner of fummoning thefe Gene
ral Congregations, as prefcrib'd by the Law,
was by a particular Sound of Trumpet. The
LORD spake unto Mofes, faying, Make thee
two trumpets of filver; that thou mayft ufe
them, for the calling of the affembly, and
for the journeying of the camps. And when
they shall blow with them, all the affembly
fball affemble themselves together, at the door.
of the tabernacle of the congregation. And,
if they blow but with one trumpet, then the
Princes, which are the heads of the thou-
fands of Ifrael, fhall gather themfelves unto
thee. When ye
blow an alarm, then the
camps
that lie on the east parts shall go forward.
When ye blow an alarm, the fecond time, then
the camps that lie on the fouth fide fhall take
their journey. But, when the congregation
is to be gathered together, you shall blow

but
you shall not found an alarm. The fons
of Aaron, the Prieft, fhall blow with the
trumpets; and they shall be to you for an
ordinance, for ever, throughout your genera-

tions.

Thefe

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10.

すじ Thefe popular Conventions were call'd and held upon three Accounts; either, to bear fome folemn Charge; to implore the Mercy of God upon fome important Emergency; or, to tranfact Matters of great Moment and Weight. The original Intention of calling them, at the firft, was to hear the Law, when it was difpens'd by God: When the LORD faid unto Mofes, Deut. iv. Gather me the people together, and I will make them bear my words. And when David had fummon'd one of thefe General Affemblies, by their Reprefentatives, at Jerufalem, he makes a Speech to them, in relation to the Building of the Temple; He stood up upon his feet, and faid, Hear me, Chron. my brethren, and my people. Again; Furthermore David the king faid unto all the con- xxix. 1. gregation.

As

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xxviii. I.

&e.

s to their affembling together to fupplicate God's Favour and Protection; we read that Jephthah, after he had agreed with the Elders of Gilead to fight the Battles of the People of Ifrael against the Am monites, and the People had made Him Head, and Captain over them, that Jeph Judges thah uttered all his words before the LORD Xi. II.

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XX. I.

in Mizpeh. This was a Place held in great Veneration, in thofe Days. Here it was, probably, that he made his famous Vow; and hither thefe General Congregations were most commonly affembled, to ask Counsel of the LORD, before they attempted any Enterprize of Confequence. When the impious and rebellious Obftinacy of the Benjamites came to be known, All the children Judges of Ifrael went out, and the congregation was gathered together, as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh. And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Ifrael, prefented themselves in the affembly of the people of God. So Samuel says, Gather all Ifrael to Mizpeh, and I will pray vii, 5. for you to the LORD. For, though his house was in Ramah, it is faid, he judged the children of Ifrael in Mizpeh, likewise. He took it in circuit year by year; and there held the Great National Congregations.

1 Sam.

The Matters of Weight and Importance which they fometimes affembled together to tranfact, were, either to choose, their Chief, Judge, or King; or to determine whether they should begin a War, with

any

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