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EZRA X. 4.

Arife, for this matter belongeth unto thee, we also will be with thee: be of good conrage, and do it.

HAT this Matter was appears from the Context,

WH

Ezra reproved the People of Ifrael, for their having marry'd with the idolatrous Nations, contrary to the Command of God. And they returned him this Answer: We have trefpaffed against our God, and have taken ftrange Wives of the People of the Land; yet now there is hope in Ifrael concerning this thing: Now there fore let us make a Covenant with our God, to put away all the Wives, and fuch as are born of them, according to the Counfel of my Lord, and of thofe that tremble at the Commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the Law. Arife, for this matter belongeth unto thee, we alfo will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.

Let me here observe in the first Place, That all the Nations then in the World, except the Jews, were Idolaters. And therefore, to forbid Marriage with Idolaters, was the fame to the Jews, as to forbid Marriage with any who were not of their Communion: For they only then were the Peculium or Holy Seed, which had been deduc'd in their Fore-Fathers, all the

Way

The Prohibition

on account of Religion. This the Reafon given.

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way from Seth; which is the reason that their Genealogies are fet down with fo much Exactnefs in Genefis, even before the Flood. And this feems to have been the chief Purpose for which that Hiftory was intended.

And this will appear farther, in that this Prohibition to the Jews of marrying with the Heathens, was not on account of their Nation, but Religion: Of which, the firft Evidence offer you is this, That this is the Reason given for this Command almoft in every place where this Command is repeated in Scripture.

Thou shalt not make Marriages with them, thy Daughter thou shalt not give unto his Son, nor his Daughter fhalt thou take unto thy Son, for they will turn away thy Son from following me, that they may ferve other Gods.

The Lord faid unto the Children of Ifrael, ye Shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you, for furely they will turn away your Heart after their Gods. They turn'd away the Heart of Solomon; and if the Wisdom of Solomon was not Proof against the Witchcraft of this Sin, What fecond Man's Prefumption can be Guiltlefs?

But that the Hazard of being Tempted to Idolatry was the Reafon of God's Prohibiting His People to Match with the Idolatrous Nations, is yet farther Evinc'd from this, That not only Marriages with them was forbidden, but every thing else that might tend to the fame end of Tempting them to Idolatry.

Thou halt make no Covenant with them, nor with their Gods, they shall not Dwell in thy Land, left they make thee Sin against Me, for if thou ferve their Gods, it will be furely a Snare unto thee-Left thou make a Covenant with the Inhabitants of the Land, and they go a whoring

a whoring after their Gods, and do facrifice unto their Gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his Sacrifice, and thou take of their Daughters unto thy Sons, and their Daughters go a whoring after their Gods, and make thy Sons go a whoring after their Gods.

Te fhall drive out all the Inhabitants of the Num. xxxiii. Land from before you, and destroy all their 52. Pictures-&c. But if ye will not drive them out, thofe which ye let remain of them hall be Pricks in your Eyes, and Thorns in your Sides, and shall vex you in the Land wherein ye dwell, (that is, in tempting them to Idolatry, as it is expreffed, They vex you Num, xxv. 18. with their Wiles wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor--&c.) And God threatens, that if you fuffer your felves to be thus Vexed, or Tempted by them, it fhall come to pafs, fays God, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.

Whence we may learn, that God's hating these Nations was upon account of their Idolatry; and that for the fame Caufe He will equally hate any other Nation.

But farther, to convince you that the Prohibition to the Jews of Marrying with Heathens was not on account of their Nation, but Religion, we find the fame Reproof against the Fews for Marrying with Idolaters of their own Nation: Thus it is Recorded of Fehoram King 2 Chron.xxi.6. of Judah; He walked in the way of the Kings of Ifrael-for he had the Daughter of Achab to Wife. And Jehoshaphat is Reproved for join- xix. z. ing in Affinity with the fame Achab; and this Reafon is given, Shouldst thou help the Ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? And the like we find of his joining with Achaziah another idolatrous King of Ifrael: Because thou haft xx. 37. a 2 joined

Ob. of marrying with the ten

Tribes.

Answer.

joined thy felf with Achaziah, the Lord hath broken thy Works. And the Ships were broken, &c.

But it may be objected, that this wou'd infer, it was unlawful for the two Tribes that ftuck to Rehoboam, to marry with the other ten Tribes, because they never departed from the Idolatry of Jeroboam, viz. The Calves of Dan and Bethel, and therefore they were Idolaters even to their Captivity, and fo wou'd be Included within the Reason of the Command against Marrying with the Heathens, viz. because they were Idolaters.

To this I Answer, that the Reafon is not the fame, because ther were always many in Ifrael who did not join in that Idolatry; we are fure of the Prophets, and have all poffible Prefumption for many more; it cannot be fuppofed that the Prophets had none fuch in their Communion. We read of a College of Prophets even at Bethel, befide feveral Others; and in 1 Kin. xix. 18. the lowest Ebb that ever ther was, we find 7000 who bowed to not Baal.

2 Kin. ii. 3.

Profelytes.

Matth. i. 5.

But also thofe of the ten Tribes who did join in Idolatry, I cannot fee but the Command did Reach them; when we fee before our Eyes the Reproof of those who did Marry with

them.

But to put this Matter out of Difpute, that it was not on account of their Nation, but Religion, that Marriages were forbidden with the Heathen; we find that it was Lawful to Marry with thofe of the Heathen Nations who chang'd their Religion, and became Profelytes to the Law of God. Witness Ruth the Moabitefs, and Rachab, from whom our Saviour himself deduces his Genealogie.

And

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