Judges. But this Sort of Government they were not contented with; they must have a King after the Manner of other Nations; that is, an abfolute Ruler. Such therefore was Saul their firft King; and David their fecond, who feems to allude to this arbitrary Power in that Pfalm, where he introduces God, faying; I have Set my King upon my holy hill of Sion. I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy poffeffion. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

Whether this Kingdom was hereditary or not, we shall enquire hereafter; only observing, at present, that it defcended from Father to Son during the Reigns of

* Pfalm ii. I know this Pfalm is, by fome good fudges, thought to be folely prophetic of the Meffiah, without having any Relation to David, or his Affairs. But tho' St. Paul, and the rest of the Apostles (Acts xiii. 33, iv. 24.) have appeal'd to it in fuch a Senfe, yet that does not hinder, but it may be at the fame Time typically predictive of Chrift, and literally defcriptive of David. For tho" there are, it must be confefs'd, fome things which one knows not well how to refer to David; there are others again, altogether as unfuitable to Chrift: particularly the latter Part of the Paffage above cited,

one and twenty Kings, from David to Zedekiah; when they were all taken, and carried away to Babylon.

After their Return from thence they refum'd their primitive Ariftocracy; the High Priest, for the Time being, together with the Friefts and Elders, prefiding over their Affairs; till the Time of their Perfecution under Antiochus Epiphanes; when Judas Maccabeus and his Defcendents, at first with the Title of Princes, then of Kings, took upon them the Adminiftration of the Government, according to the original Plan.

When that Family was extinct, the Race of the Ascalonites, tho' mere Strangers, and only Profelytes to Judaifm, ftept into the Throne, and exercis'd arbitrary Power. The First of these was that Herad, in whofe Reign our Saviour was Mat. ii. born; who was fucceeded by his Son Ar

22.

* Mat. ii. 1. That famous Prophecy of Jacob, concerning his Son Judah, and relating to the Coming of our Saviour, [Gen. xlix. 10.] being hereby fulfill'd; The Scepter fhall not depart from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his Feet until Shiloh come; And unto him hall the Gathering of the People be,

chelaus;

chelaus; and his other Son, Herod, was † Tetrarch of Galilee. Then, the Emperors of Rome, under whofe Subjection they were, govern'd them by Procurators sent from thence, and recall'd after a certain Time. Of these, Pontius Pilate was one; in whose Procuratorship our LORD fuffered: And Felix, and Feftus, two others. And under these (with the Interpofition of only one King more, made by Caligula, * Herod Agrippa, Grandson to the first Herod) they continued, till their City and Temple were finally destroy'd, by Titus Vefpafian; and themselves difpers'd all over the World; as they remain to this Day.

SECT. IV.

Other Particulars of their Government. Upon examining into Particulars, we find that this Government was of a three

+ Luke iii. 1. This was He, by whofe Order John the Baptift was beheaded; and by whom, with his Men of War, JESUS CHRIST was mock'd and infulted, juft before his Paffion.

*Mention'd [Acts xii.] and faid to be eaten of Worms, He was Father of that Agrippa, in whofe Prefence St. Paul pleaded his Caufe [Acts xxv. and xxvi.] He was not King of Judæa, but of Chalcidica, and some other neighbouring Provinces.

fold

fold Nature. The first, being that which took in and related to the whole twelve Tribes in general: Within which, as it were, like another Wheel, there mov'd a fecond; which was that of every particular Tribe: and within that again was included a third; which was that of every one of thofe Cities belonging to each Tribe.

The first and principal of these was to be held in fuch City or Place as God himfelf, for the fake of his holy Worship, fhould appoint; (of which we shall difcourse hereafter;) which was to consist of the Prince or highest Magiftrate, the Elders, Judges, and Counsellors; and was the Great Affembly of the States of the whole Nation. Of this firft Part, for want of a Prince, Judge, or Prefident, there was sometimes a Sufpenfion, or Interregnum, as we may call it. Such, for ExamJudges ple, as when it is faid; In those days there was no king in Ifrael, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. At which Time, however, we cannot but conclude, the other two Magiftracies fubfifted, and kept Things in fome fort of Order.

xvii. 6.

xxi. 25.

The

The Second Branch of their Constitution, had one President or Chief, who was call'd the Head of the Tribe; and again, feveral others, who were Heads of Houses or Families; but of all them inferior and fubject to the Head of the Tribe.

The third Branch was of the following Nature. Every City had a Senate or Common-Council of its own; who had the Hearing and Determination of all Caufes relating to themselves; as likewife a chief Magiftrate, who prefided in all their public Affemblies, and look'd after the Execution of Juftice. And to all these several Branches, and the refpective Members of which they confifted, do those Paffages refer, where it is faid, that Joshua gather'd Joshua all the tribes of Ifrael to Shechem, and call'd xxiv. 1. for the elders of Ifrael, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers.

In Time of War, all Matters thereunto relating were manag'd by the chief Prefident and Grand Council of the Nation; the feveral Heads of the Tribes and Families, and the chief Magiftrates of the feveral Cities acting likewife in fuch Stations as were severally allotted them. Of which

we

xxiii. 2.