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the chief of the Jews, informed him against Paul, and befought him, and defired favour against him, that he would fend for him to Jerufalem; lying wait, in the way, to kill him. But Feftus anfwered, That Paul should be kept at Cæfarea, and that he himself would depart, fhortly, thither. Let them therefore, faid he, which among you are able, go down with me and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him. And, when he had tarried among them, more than ten days, be went down unto Cæfarea. And, the next day, fitting in the judgment feat, commanded Paul to be brought. And when he was come, the Jews, which came down from Jerufalem, ftood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.

However Feftus, willing to please the Jews, propos'd to Paul that he should go up to Jerufalem and be tried there. But the fagacious Apoftle, knowing well the fatal Confequences which would attend his trusting himself in that bloody City, which had been, time out of mind, infamous for ftoning the Prophets, and killing those who were fent unto her charg'd with Meffages

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from Heaven, wifely and refolutely appeal'd unto Cæfar; and fo was fent to Rome,

SECT. IX.

Their PUNISHMENT S.

Having given the foregoing large Account of the Method and Proceedings of the Great Council, or Senate, let us next inquire into the Punishments which ensued, upon particular Crimes, after Condemnation was past therein. These, as we find them specified in the Law, were, Reftitution, Fine, Retaliation, Whipping, Banishment, being fold, and Death various ways. Of Reftitution, we read thus; If a a Exod. man shall steal an ox or a sheep, and kill it, xxii. 1, or fell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep, with variety of other Cafes, that follow..

---xxi.22,

Of Fine, we have an Inftance in this Cafe; If men ftrive, and hurt a woman with child, fo that her fruit depart from her, and 23,&c. yet no (other) mischief follow: He shall be furely punished, according as the woman's hufband will lay upon him; and he shall pay, as the judges determine.

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Deut.

XXV. 2.

Exod. xxii. 3.

---xxi.13.

And immediately follows, the Case of Retaliation. And, if any mischief follow, then thou shall give, life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, stripe for stripe.

For whipping or beating, it is thus ordain'd; If a man be worthy to be beaten, the judge fhall caufe him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number. Forty ftripes he may give him, and not exceed: left, if he should exceed, and beat him above these, with many tripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.

As to being fold, it is faid; A thief shall make full reftitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be fold for his theft.

Banishment, was to be to fome one of the Cities of Refuge, afterwards allotted for that Purpose, in fuch a Cafe as this; If a man lie not in wait, (for another) but God deliver him into his hands (if Providence so orders that the Person whom he kills, falls accidentally in his way) then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.

There are three kinds of Death mention'd exprefly in the Law, by way of Punishment

nishment for particular Criminals; befides being put to death in general: And those, are burning, crucifying, and ftoning. Of burning, in this Cafe; If a man take a wife, and Lev. xx. her mother, (to be his Wife alfo) it is wick- 14. edness. They shall be burnt with fire, both be, and they.

Of crucifying, the Law speaks thus; If

22.

a man have committed a fin worthy of death, Deut.xxi, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree; (suspend him on a Cross;) bis body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wife bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accurfed of God) that thy land be not defiled.

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That, by hanging on a tree, is meant crucifying, we are affur'd by the Interpretation of Peter and the other Apostles, who fay to the Jews; The God of our fathers Acts. v. raifed up JESUS, whom ye flew and hanged 30. on a tree. Again, in another Place, St. Peter speaking of JESUS, and the Jews who crucified him, fays; Whom they flew and -x. 39, banged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and fhewed him openly. And fo St. Paul fays; When they had fulfill'd all ---xiii. that was written of him, they took him down 29. from

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from the tree, and laid him in a fepulchre. But God raised him from the dead.

And Gal. iii. again he tells us, Chrift hath redeemed us

13.

Jofh. viii.

29.

Josh. x.

26.27.

2 Sam.

xxi. 9, 10.

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from the curfe of the Law, being made a curfe for us; for it is written, Curfed is every one that hangeth on a tree.

Accordingly, we find Joshua hanged the king of Ai on a tree until eventide; and, as foon as the fun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcafe down from the tree. And when he had flain the five Kings of the Amorites, it is faid, He hanged them on five trees; and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. And it came to pass, at the time of the going down of the fun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and caft them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great ftones in the cave's mouth.

When therefore David fuffers the Gibeonites to hang up feven of the Sons of Saul; and they are left hanging from the begin ning of Harveft, until water dropped upon them out of beaven; which probably was, feveral Weeks: This feems to have been an extraordinary Cafe. And, as this Execution was made by way of Atonement, to

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