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Greek word nowvwvia, which is the Ecclefiafti cal Term for expreffing the entercourfe of Divine Favours to his Church, wherein all rightly difpofed Members are fuppofed to share. The fame word is ufed alfo in Coins and Infcriptions, and other good Authorities, for the mutual Communications of their Privileges between Cities and Cities, on account of federal Contracts obliging them to do fo: Exactly anfwering the Ecclefiaftical Commerce between City-Furifdictions by the litera formata. Many more things might have been obferved to this purpose, if the thing had not indeed been fo acknowledged, that we may fecurely reafon on it; and that concerning both Peculia the Evangelical, as well as the Legal. Both of them are accordingly accounted for in the Reasonings of the Apoftle by a double Covenant; the Old one which he fuppofed temporary and abroga ted on the publication of the Gospel, fo far as it was found inconfiftent with the Revelations of the Gofpel; and the New and Everlasting Covenant of the Gospel it felf, which he therefore fuppofes Everlasting, because it was not to be fucceeded by any new Covenant, or new Revelations inconfiftent with it. And indeed, the cafe is manifeft in both of them. In the old Peculium, Circumcifion was a token of God's Covenant with them, Gen. xvii. 12. And the Covenant was tranfa&ted by their Sacrifices, Pf. 1. 5. Thefe Sacrifices efpecially of the

opa, which were divided into Parts, through which the Covenanters were to pass, Fer. xxxiv. 18. thereby imprecating the like excifion to themfelves, if they fhould fail in performing the Conditions covenanted for on their parts. Such plainly was that of Abraham, Gen. xv. 9, 10. Befides, the Bleffings and Cur

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fes of Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim wete purpofely defigned for covenanting Obligations, even on Man's part, for fecuring the perfor #mance of the Conditions for which he had covenanted. Such alfo was the Song of Mofes, Deut. xxxii. enumerating the Curfes impre cated in cafe of non-performance. So alfo in the New Covenant, Baptifm was managed by way of Question and Anfwer, exactly according to the form of a Roman Stipulation. And the Eucharift was no otherwife understood by the younger Pliny, than as an obligation laid by Chriftians on themselves, for performing the Duties required from them by their holy Religion. God might indeed (if it had pleased him .fo to do) have obliged Mankind to ferve him fingly, and feparately, by his own Authority as their Creator, and as the Original of all the Benefits enjoyed by them: And in fo doing, he needed no other Security on Man's part than what Man's Intereft would have given him, to have obliged them at their peril to the obfer vance of his Commands, on pain, if they did otherwise, of losing the rewards of Obedience, and of incurring the punishments allotted by himself for Rebels; the rather fo, because Man's covenanting Imprecations could give him no more power for righting himself, than what he was already poffeffed of antecedently to the imprecations of the Offenders themselves. For the inflicting those Imprecations was ftill expected from himself, as exceeding the power of any Creature to inflict them. For thofe imprecations of Punishments to be inflicted by God, were the utmost Appeal to God himself, in case the breaker of his ftipulated Faith should prove too potent for Humane Tribunals. God might therefore, if he had pleafed, thus have obliged

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obliged Man to obedience, by his abfolute un controllable Empire, and by the terror of the confequences of Difobedience. It was indeed a great condefcenfion for him to treat with us upon the equal terms of giving and receiving Securities for performance of Conditions on both parts. Yet if God had defigned to deal with Mankind according to his abfolute Sove reignty, there could have been no pretence for his fecuring Performance on his own part, as the Apostle obferves, by an Oath. The Heathen

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Gods themselves, being fuppofed to be finite Beings, were therefore thought liable to the effects of their own Imprecations in cafe of Hefiod. breach of Faith, as the moft antient Poets ob ferve from the popular Opinions then received. concerning them. But our Supreme Being is neither capable of breaking his Covenants, nor liable to any Superiour Furifdiction in cafe he could do fo. There could be therefore no use of his giving his Faith this way, but only his condefcenfion to fatisfie Men in the way they had been used to of receiving fatisfaction from their Gods when they entred into Covenants with them. This therefore, befides the other Arguments now produced, do plainly fhew, that, whatever God might have done, yet the way actually taken by him in fettling both Peculia, was, to give them the Security of a Covenant, and therefore, by the fame ways then ufed in thofe early times wherein the first Covenant was made, in tranfacting Covenants. This therefore we may fecurely reckon on in our Reafonings, from the nature of that Covenant which was made with the peculiar People.

S. IV.

given by them

which the Co

venant was

This being fo, it plainly appears, that God in covenanting with his Peculium as a Body, The Security to took the fame Security for performance on for performing 2 be given God Man's part, which had been ufudl in the like the Conditions cafes of Covenanting with Bodies: That is, of this Covethat he did not content himself with the Secu- nant on Man's rity individuals were capable of giving him fe- part, was to be parately by themselves, but took in alfo the who had right greater Security of the Body it felf, and of thofe to oblige the who were actually poffeffed of the Authority Body with of the Body as far as they alfo were capable of undertaking for all the Members of their own made. E Body. For the Favours undertaken for on God's part, concerned the profperous Condition of the whole Body. It was therefore requifite, that the Body fhould be engaged for performance of the Duty expected by him as well as the particulars. The Patronage engaged for on God's part, was for the good of the whole Ifraelitish Nation, and therefore it was but reasonable that the Security to be expected from the Body fhould be National alfo. The Patronage undertaken by God, was perpetual, and unconfined to any certain time. But fingle Individuals could engage no farther than their own time, which could not exceed the prefent Generation. Befides, whilst the election of National Patrons was arbitrary, and the Supreme Being had not yet declared, that it was his pleasure to accept of any National Election; the right of chufing a National Patron, was lodged in him who was invefted with the Pow-1 er of the Nation, as having a right to conclude all the particular Members of his own Nati1 on, and to oblige them to ftand to his own determinations. On this account it seems to have been, that Joshua undertakes for himself and his Family, that they would ferve the Patron of

the

S. V.

maintain the

Hive Tribes.

1

the true Peculium. A Ruler he was in the Tribe of Ephraim, Numb. xiii. 2. and a Head, ver. 3. Therefore a Head of his own Family,

Nw, which gave him a Right to undertake for them on the Patriarchal Principles. Yet we read of another, who was a Prince of Fofhua's Tribe of Ephraim, as being a Head of the Houfe of their Fathers, Numb. vii. 2, 48. that is, as I understand the place, who had a Right to govern the whole Tribe, as being the Heir of the firft Family of that fame Tribe.

Of this fort I fuppofe thofe Elders to have The Elders who been who outlived Fofhua, who kept the I governed the Tribes feparate-raelites firm and ftedfaft to their worship of ly, when there the Supreme Being, according to the Covenant was no King in I am fpeaking of. For this was a time when in Ifrael, were there was no King in Ifrael, Judg. xix. i. xxi. enabled to 25. that is, when there was no common Govertrue Religion nour over the whole Nation, but that the Tribes as Heirs of the were governed Separately, by the eldest Sons of firft Families the eldest Families of each Tribe, whofe Title of their refpe- to their Government was grounded on their Seniority, and were therefore, on account of their Title to the Government, properly called Elders. I know very well, thefe words are now in the latter end of the Book of Judges; and the Traditions of the Rabbins know nothing to the contrary, but that they were always fo. But Jofephus certainly found them, in the Copies of his Age, in the beginning of that fame Book, and accordingly relates the History relating to them in the beginning of the Hiftory of the Book of Judges. And the mention of Phineas in that part of the Hiftory, Fudg. xx. 28. certainly proves the beginning of that Hiftory to be the natural place of it: For Phineas muft certainly have been one of thofe Elders who lived with Joshua, and yet outlived him.

So

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