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though David himself confess them innocent, and himself alone guilty of the Sin they fuf fered for. And the thing is confeffed, concer ning the Proceedings of the Divine Providence it felf, by the antienteft Heathen Poets, in per fonating the eldest received Notions of Juftice from the eldest Traditions they knew of. So Homer makes the whole Body of the Greeks to fuffer for Agamemnon's difrefpect to the Priest of Apollo. And Virgil obferves it in general: delirant Reges, plectuntur Achivi. And it was ufual for them to imprecate upon their Chil drens Heads the Curfes due on violation of their Covenants. This was the way of dealing in their Covenants with Strangers. But to ob lige Pofterity to obferve the Obligations laid on them, God had given Parents a right of Blef fing or Curfing their Pofterity, as they defer ved either by their Obedience or Difobedience, with an obligation on Providence to perform their Bleffings, or to inflid their Curfes. We find the earliest Ages of which we have any Monuments poffefs'd with Opinions favourable hereunto, which muft needs have been the effects of Divine Establishments for the good of Human Societies, long before the Age of their first Writings. Thefe means therefore Abraham had, to oblige his Pofterity in all future Generations, to perform their part of the Covenant. And the nature of the Covenant en. tered into with God for himself and his Pofte rity, implies, his obliging them this way, though it be not exprefs'd. And the Curfes of Mount Ebal, and the Song of Mofes, in this Divine Covenant, are of the fame nature with thofe which were ufually feared in the case of vio lating their Parental Authority,

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But I proceed now more particularly, to con- §. X. fider the fubject of our prefent Enquiry. This The Holiness of a Seed inHoliness of the Worshippers was a neceffary titled them to confequence of the Holiness of the Divine Pa- a Divine Protron. This appears from those many places tection. wherein the Reafon, why the Worshippers ought to be Hely, is given from the Holiness of the Deity worshipped by them. Be ly, for I am Holy. This had a double Effect on the Worshippers. It made them holy Men to God. So it is expreffed, Exod. xxii. 31. Thus it engaged God to be their Patron, and to refent all Injuries offered to them as reflecting on himself, after He had fignified his pleasure to admit them to a participation of his Holinefs. This obliged God to take care they fhould be punished by the more immediate interpofition of his own Providence, in cafe human Tribunals were negligent of their own Duty in punishing them. In this cafe the whole Body were liable to a contagion of Punishment for the fault of their Governours, and might accordingly fear a Plague or Famine, or a deftructive War, or fome fuch epidemical Cala mity, till an Atonement were made by the principal Criminals. This was the nature of a Piaculum, of which they were fuppofed guil ty who broke in on the Divine Protection. This was believed to be the cafe, if Men prefumed to violate Holy Perfons. Such, in the efteem of thofe Ages, were Poets, Diviners, Expiators, or any others, who were fingularly eminent for their Piety, or Divine Favours, received by them. Such were even Criminals in Sanctuaries, if feifed violently, and without due deference to the Religion by which they were protected. This Favour the Ifraelites had, even before their Settlement in the Holy Land.

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God punished even Kings for their fake, if they touched his anointed, or did his Prophets any harm. Thus God punished Abimelec and Pharaoh for their injuries to Abraham as a Prophet. Thus he threatned Laban for the fake of Jacob. Thus afterwards he plagued Pharaoh for his inhuman Oppreffions of the true Peculium. He refented fuch Dealings as if he felt them himself, and that in the most tender and fenfible part: As if they touched the Apple of his Eye. That is an Expreffion frequently used on this occafion, Deut. xxxii. 10. Pfal. xvii. 8. Zach. ii. 8. And, in all their Afflicti ons he is faid to have been afflicted, If. lxiii. 9. This implies as quick refentment, and as fevere punishment of Injuries offered them, as Men Thew under fuch a fenfe and provocation. And withal, that where human Juftice fails, bimfelf will undertake their Caufe, and punish their Oppreffors in a way of extraordinary fignal Providences. So he did in the cafe of the old Peculium in many inftances. And fo alfo under the new Peculium, in the inftances of Herod the Great, and of the elder Agrippa, who is called Herod alfo, and of Pontius Pilate. But most remarkably in that of the Jews im precating the Blood of our Saviour on them and their Children. And it is the defign of La &tantius, in his Book De mortibus Perfecutorum, to fhew, that the fame course of Divine Vengeance was obferved against all that were any way concerned in any of the Primitive Perfecutions. Thus God's owning his People as a Holy Seed, was, by thefe Notions of a Piaculum, received then univerfally by the con fent of civilized Nations, fufficient to warn all Perfecutors with whom they had to do in injuring them.

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And as this Holiness of their Seed gave the S. XI. Peculium a Title to the Divine Protection, fo It also made on the other fide it expofed them to feverer them obnoxi and more inevitable Punishment than others, if us to feverer they committed any thing unworthy the Holi- if they failed nefs with which God had favoured them. So themselves in God himself profeffes: You only have I known performing their of all the Families of the Earth; therefore I own Duty. will punish you for all your Iniquities, Am. iii.2. For, he is of purer Eyes than to behold Evil, and cannot look on Iniquity, Hab. i. 13. And he will be fanctified in them that draw nigh him, Lev. x. 3. And Punishment is the way of fandifying himself on them who do not fanétifie him by a Behaviour fuitable to the Honour done them, in admitting them to a nearer participation of his own Holiness. So he is faid to have been fanctified in the Rebels at the Waters of Meribah, when he was pleased to punish them, Numb. xx. 13. The holiness of the Seed adds to the aggravation of the Sin, if any of the Peculium be guilty of it. The converfing with holy Examples, leaves them lefs.temptation to it than those who are educated in a promifcuous Converfation. They cannot fo eafily pretend Infirmity who have God to near them, and fo ready to affift any fincere and ferious Endeavours. The Ingratitude is greater against such Favours as are enjoy'd by the Peculium above the reft of Mankind. The Honour of God is more injured by it, if his Favourites be guilty of the like Exceffes with those who have not been fo regarded by him. That is not all: He is more obliged in Honour to fee them punished, who are under his profeffed care and infpection, than those whofe care he has not fo exprefly undertaken. He may more fecurely wink at their Misbehaviour, for whom

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he has no other concern than that of his general Providence. But Mankind will expect a more accurate regard of his chofen People, and the Sheep of his own Pafture. And indeed his own good will obliges him to punish his chofen ones fo far, at leaff, as temporal Punishments may fecure their greatest Interefts, that they may not perish finally and eternally. It was for our Saviour's Honour, that he had kept those whom his Father had given him, and that none of them was loft but the Son of Perdition, John xvii. 12 And it is equally for his Fathers Honour, that none of his Favourites fhould fail of the Bene fits defigned for them, who might be reclaim able by temporal, though fevere Punishments. This feems to have been the great defign of the Angel of Repentance, in the Difcipline fo largely accounted for in the Book of Hermas. Indeed, letting Sinners alone unpunished in their ill courfes, Hof. iv. 17. is the feverest way of treating them. But God's owning his own Re lation to his Peculium as a Holy Seed, is that which makes their Ingratitude Piacular, and more redounding to his Dishonour, as a propha nation of his Holiness. This therefore obliges Him to punish it, and to punifh it fuitably to the degree of the Prophanation, which aggra vates the Crime much higher than its own na ture. This is clearly the cafe of incestuous Marriages. The Reafons given from their own nature by the School-men and others, will ne ver prove them criminal in fo high a degree as our Divine Revelations fuppofe them to be. But this degree refults from the Confecration God has given Marriage, by the fenfe of all civilized Nations attelted in their earliest Writings. Which are the only proofs that can, in reafon, be expected of a Confecration of that

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