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S. XVI.

thought it below the dignity of the Legiflator marry even a Profelyte rather than an original. raelitefs. However, it does not reach the cafe marrying out of the Peculium, neither to pro the Law-maker guilty of fo great a breach of own Law, at leaft in the opinion of Aaron a Miriam ; nor to prove it lawful from his Examp

The next Example therefore, is in the a Samfon's Mar- of Samfon and the Daughter of a Timnite, riage of a Philiftine of an un-Philiftine. The fenfe of his Parents, whe holy Nation he confulted them concerning it, fhews plain had been un- the sense of that Age of it, with regard to C lawful, if God Science. Is there never a Woman among t himself had not difpenfed with Daughters of thy Brethren, or among all th it as a Pro- People, that thou goeft to take a Wife of the Ur phetick Sym- circumcifed Philistines? Judg. xiv. 3. The Ex

bol.

the

ception here is not the piacular guilt of the Philiftines, but, that which was common to them with all other Nations out of the Pecu lium, their being Uncircumcifed. The Circum cifions of the Egyptians, the Colchians, the Odomanta, the Syrians, nay, even of the I maelites, though of the Pofterity of Abraham, were in this regard an 'Axegusia, as intitling no Man to the Holy Seed. For, uncircumcifed is the fame as unclean, in the Language of the Holy Scriptures. So a Tree whofe Fruit was unclean, and could not lawfully be eaten, is faid to be uncircumcifed, Lev. xix. 23. So when we read of uncircumcifed Hearts, Lev. xxvi. 41. Jer. ix. 25. Ezek. xliv. 7, 9. Thus uncircumcifed and unclean are used Synoni moufly, I. lii. 1. And the Hebrew word hy is rendred 'Axabagoía, Lev. xix. 23. Thus it

appears how neceffary it was, that St. Peter fhould be warned, that the uncircumcifion of Cornelius did not make him unclean before he could be prevailed on to admit him to Baptifm

Thus

Thus then it appears, that the Argument here nfifted on by Samfon's Parents against his marying this Philiftine, is drawn from this Tobick I am now difcourfing on, of the holiness of the Seed. Their Argument is plainly this, hat the Marriage of him, who was federally Holy with a Wife of uncircumcifed, that is, of mpure, or unclean Extraction, was very improper for producing a Holy Seed. And this Argument is acknowledged to be fo ftrong, that it ought to have over-ruled him, if God, who made the Law, had not (in his particular cafe) difpenfed with it. That feems to be implied in the following Words: But his Father and is Mother knew not that it was of the Lord, hat he fought an occafion against the Philistines, ver. 4. This irregular Fact therefore, is owned to proceed from Divine Infpiration, for a prophetick Symbol. And then it will no more authorife fuch Marriages, than the Ifraelites robbing the Egyptians will warrant any not to pay what he has borrowed, or than Hofea's -taking a Whore to Wife, will excufe a Marriage more impure than this I am speaking of, where the whole Impurity is no more than this, that one of the married Conforts was not a Member of the true federally Holy Peculium. Samfont being herein divinely Infpired, his Fall might very probably be a prophetick Symbol, that the time thould afterwards come wherein the Gentiles were to be admitted to the privilege of the true Peculium.

S. IV. The Marriages with the Nations, in the

But the clearest and most decifive Fad to this purpose, is that in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. The blame there, is laid on mingling time of Ezra the Holy Seed, Ezr. ix. 2. It is the fame He- and Nehemibrew Word, and the fame Conjugation, as in ah, were a defilement of the Pfal. cvi. 35. where they are faid to have been Holy Seed, and mingled Piacular.

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mingled with the Heathen. Only the word is larger there, and fignifies all other Nations whatsoever diftin&t from the Peculium. This mingling alfo, is exprefly faid to have been by Marriages with them: They have taken of their Daughters for themselves, and for their Sons, fo that the Holy Seed have mingled them. felves with the People of thofe Lands. The Greek Work Miğis anfwering this Hebrew Word, is commonly used by the Greek Writers for the use of the Marriage Bed. But the fame Hebrew Word is alfo tranflated by the Seventy two Interpreters by 'Eyfún and Aley fun, which may very well be understood of the Efpoufals of Matrimony it felf, and the Stipu lations undertaken for performing the Tabula dotales, which were counted Essential to a just Legal Matrimony, and fo may very well fignifie the Marriage it felf. Nor is this only upbraided to the Priefts and Levites, but alfo to the People of Ifrael, Ezr. ix. 1. x. 5, 25. Neh. xiii. 25. By which we may understand, that it is not only inconfiftent with that more eminent degree of Sandity which was proper to the Priefts and Levites on account of their more eminent Station, but with that lower degree also which was common to the whole Peculium, as they were a Holy Nation, and a Holy Seed. This is called a forfaking God's Commandments, Ezr. ix. 10. a breaking his Commandments, ver. 14. a great Evil and Tranfgreffion, Neh. xiii. 27. a defiling the Priesthood in the Priefts that were guilty of it, Neh. xiii. 29. and therefore a proportionable defilement of the Holy Seed even in the common Ifraelites. It is acknowledged to be that for which God might be angry with them till he had confumed them, Ezr. ix. 14. which is, in effect, to own it fuf

ficient

ficient to make them incur the Piacular Curfes to which they were obnoxious on breach of their Covenant, which must therefore suppose this Sin piacular alfo. It is fuppofed to be a Sin that not only made the contracting fuch Marriages finful, but difannulled them after they were made. There was no attoning for it, but by putting away all fuch Wives, and the Children which were born of fuch Marriages, Ezr. x. 3, 11, 19. The putting away the Children feems to be what is meant by Nehemiah, when he tells us, that they feparated from Ifrael all the mixed Multitude, Neh. xiii. 3. For the Children were they whofe Extraction was moft properly mixed. This therefore plainly fuppofes the Children born of fuch Marriages unholy, fo that they had not the favour which in St. Paul's cafe was allowed to the Marriages spoken of by him, that they should be counted holy for the fake of that one Parent, who was indeed defcended from the Holy Seed. To all this the Criminals were obliged by a new Oath, no doubt, fortified, as new Oaths were in course, with reiterated Imprecations in cafe of non-performance. These new Oaths and new Imprecations would make their following Breaches alfo piacular, and oblige the Publick to take care of the punishment of particular Criminals, as they tendred the Publick Good, and would not have it also involved in the contagion of the Punishment, if God, for their negled, should take it into his own hands, as the proper and ultimate Fudge in piacular Causes, Here therefore, the Decifion is clear and full as to thefe Marriages. The Curfe is men. tioned, Neh. x. 29.

tions concer

§. XVII. This therefore plainly feems to have been The fame No- the fenfe of the Jews during the Times acning the incon- counted for in the Sacred Hiftory of their Nafiftency of Mar- tion. I might have fhewn, that it ftill conti riages out of nued to be their fenfe to the Times of the Apothe Peculium ftles, and to the beginnings of the new Pecuwith the Holy lium. And this from Writings lefs queftionSeed, continue to the Times able, in the Hiftory of thofe Times, than the of the Apostles. Rabbins. Fofephus fhews, that himself was of

the fame mind in reciting the Examples now mentioned, and in the Hiftory of the Samaritan Schifm occafioned by the Marriage of Manaf feb, the Brother of Faddus the High Prieft, with the Daughter of Sanballat, for which he was driven from officiating in the Priesthood at Ferufalem. I am very apt to think the true time t of this Fact to have been the fame with that mentioned by Ezra and Nehemiah, by what mistake foever it has fallen out, that Fofephus has driven it down to the time of Darius Codomanus, who was conquered by Alexander the Great. But I cannot allow my felf the time, on this occafion, to give my Reasons why I think fo. The rather, because this instance fhews only the incongruity of these Marriages with the Priesthood, not with the whole Pecu lium, for which I am concerned at present. The fenfe of the Jews appears alfo, by the recitation of the fame Hiftory in the Apocryphal Efdras, an Author who has earlier Evidences of his living near the Times of the Apoftles than the Rabbins. The Author alfo of the Book of Tobit, was certainly a few, and not far from thefe Times. His Hiftory is alluded to by fome of Irenæus's Gnofticks. And he alfo is clear to the fame purpose. Tobit there exhorts his Son Tobias to take a Wife of the Seed of his Fathers, and not to take a ftrange

Woman

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