t fhall bear the burden of the people with thee. They fate, with the Leader, Judge, or King, prefiding in the Metropolis; that is, the Place, appointed for the Refidence of the Chief, and the keeping the Ark of the Covenant: There being a close Connexion between their Religious and Civil Laws, both as to the Minifters and Adminiftration of them. Thus we read; Mofes, with the Elders of Hrael, commanded the people, faying, &c. And, afterwards, we find The Elders of the congregation confult how to supply the Re- Judges mainder of the Benjamites, with Wives. xxi. 16. And, the Elders of Ifrael gather themselves 1 Sam. together, and come to Samuel to Ramah.

1

Deut. xvii. 1.

I

viii. 4.

7.

We read of thefe Elders continually,
to the Time of the Captivity: And we
find them again, after the Return. Ezra x.
proclamation was made throughout Judah
and Jerufalem, unto all the children of the
captivity, according to the council of the
Princes and the Elders.

Befides thefe, there were likewife Elders
belonging to every feveral City. These
Elders are mention'd by Mofes in the
Law; where several Things are requir'd

to

xix. 12.

xxi. 3,

19. Ruth iv.

Deut. to be done by the Elders of the city. And, in the Time of the Judges, Boaz appeals to ten men of the Elders of the city of Bethlehem Judah. And we read, after the Captivity, of the Elders of every city. And, Luke in the Gofpel, it is faid; The Elders of xxii. 66. the people, and the Chief Priests, and Scribes,

2.

Ezra x.

14.

Mat. xxi.

23.

Exod.

came together. For it is reafonable to believe those who, in the Gospel are called Elders of the People, were only Elders of the City of Jerufalem.

SECT. V.

Courts of JUDICATURE.

There having been Courts of Judicature in every City, befides the Great Council or Sanhedrim of Jerufalem, we shall treat of thofe first; and leave the other to be difcours'd of in a Section by it self.

The firft Inftitution of these, was in the Wilderness; when Mofes, by the Advice of Jethro his Father-in-law, chofe axviii. 25. ble men out of all Ifrael; and made them heads over the people; rulers of thousands; rulers of hundreds; rulers of fifties; and rulers of tens. These were to judge the

peo

ple

ple, at all feafons, in small matters; but every greater matter was to be referr'd to Mofes himself.

The Commiffion given to thefe Judges

was, in these Words; Hear the causes be- Deut. i. tween your brethren, and judge righteously 16, &c. between every man and his brother, and

shout you

the stranger that is with him. Ye shall
not respect perfons, in judgment; but
Shall bear the small as well as the great.
You shall not be afraid of the face of man;
for the judgment is God's. And the cause
that is too hard for you, bring it unto me,
and I will bear it.

W

Afterwards, we find an Ordinance for

it, from God himself. Judges and officers ib. xvi. fhalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which 18. the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes and they shall judge the people with just judgment. Thou shalt not wreft judgment; Thou shalt not respect perfons; neither take a gift: for a gift deth blind the eyes of the wife, and pervert the words of the righteous.

And, after the Law had been greatly neglected by some of the Kings, we find Jehoshaphat, who was a Kind of a Re

former,

former, among other Regulations that he 2 Chron. made, Set judges in the land, throughout. xix.5. all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city:

26.

And faid to the judges, Take heed what ye do; for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in judgment. Wherefore now, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. For there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

After their Return from the Captivity, among other Parts of their Conftitution, the Judges were re-eftablish'd; as Ifaiah i. Isaiah had prophefied; I will restore thy judges, as at the first; and thy counsellors, as at the beginning. Artaxerxes comEzra vii. mands Ezra, to fet magiftrates and judges, which may judge all the people. After ib. x. 14. which we read of the judges of every city,

25.

But it is fomewhat uncertain whether thefe Judges were any other than a Part, or the whole Body, of the Council of the Elders; the fame Kind of Business being affign'd in common to both. Thus it is Deut. faid, in the Law; If any man hate his neighxix. 11. bour, and lie in wait for him, and rife up

against him, and fmite him mortally that he

xxi. I,

die, and fleeth into one of thefe cities; (of Refuge.) Then the Elders of his city, fhall fend and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that be may die. die. Thine Thine eye fhall not pity him; But thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Ifrael, that it may go well with thee. Again; If any one be found Deut. flain, and it be not known who bath flain &c. bim. Then thy Elders and thy Judges fhall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is flain. And it fhall be, that the city which is next unto the flain man, the Elders of that city fhall take, &c. So the Elders of the City of Bethlehem, are likewise the Judges, in the Caufe between Boaz and Ruth iv. the next Kinfman of Elimelech. So much 1, &c. for the Judges.

Deut.

The Places where their Courts of Judicature were held, were, generally, one of the Gates of the City. It is faid, in the Law. If a man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go xxv. 7. up to the gate, unto the Elders. Again; If a man have a rebellious fon, he shall ib. xxi. bring him unto the Elders of his city, and 18.

unto