perity. They were selfish, avaricious, and sordid, especially the Pharisees, who were in general great hypocrites: they were wavering and unfaithful, always ripe for sedition and revolt, under a pretence of casting off the yoke of the Gentiles. In short, they were violent and cruel, as appears by what they made our Saviour and his apostles undergo, and the unexampled injuries they did one another, both in the time of the civil war, and the last siege of Jerusalem.

CHAP. VII.

The true Israelites.

HOWEVER, it was among these people that the tradition of virtue was preserved, as well as that of doctrine and religion. In this last time they had still splendid examples of holiness; Zacharias and Elizabeth his wife, Joseph, old Simeon, Anna the prophetess, Nathanael, Gamaliel the great doctor, and many others taken notice of in the history of the New Testament. All these holy persons, and the spiritual Jews in general, that were circumcised in heart, as well as body, were children of Abraham, more by imitation of his faith, than by birth. They firmly believed the prophecies and promises of God, they waited with patience for the redemption of Israel and the reign of the Messiah, which they vehemently wished for: but they plainly saw they were not to confine their hopes to this life, and believed the resurrection, and expected the kingdom of heaven. Thus the grace of God being superadded to such holy dispositions, it was easy to make perfect Christians of these true Israelites.

PART

PART IV.

Containing farther Particulars concerning the CUSTOMS, MANNERS, &c. of the ISRAELITES, in which a Variety of Subjects, either not touched before, or but slightly handled, are considered more at large.

CHAP. I.

Division of the Hebrews into Tribes and Families. THE Hebrews were divided into twelve tribes, according to the number of the sons of Jacob. But God reserved to himself the posterity of Levi, and consecrated them to the service of his altars. So that tribe could not properly be reckoned among the twelve tribes; but then Ephraim and Manasseh, the two sons of Joseph, made two different tribes, which thereby supplied its place. The tribe of Levi was divided into three families, which derived their names and origin from the three sons of Levi. From Gershon came the Gershonites; from Kohath, the Kohathites; from Merari, the Merarites. Kohath, the second son of Levi, had Amram, the father of Aaron and Moses; the latter of which was the governor and lawgiver of the Hebrews, the former their high-priest. Aaron had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. After the death of the two former, the priesthood

Cc 2

priesthood remained with the two others; whose posterity David divided into twenty-four classes, who performed the offices of the priesthood weekly, in their turns.* Sixteen of these classes were in the family of Eleazar; whose names and order were as follows:-1. Jehoiarib, 2. Jedaiah, 3. Harim, 4. Seorim, 5. Malchijah, 6. Mijamim, 7. Hakkoz, 8. Abijah, 9. Jeshuah, 10. Shecaiah, 11. Eliashib, 12. Jakim, 13. Huppah, 14. Jeshebeah, 15. Bilgah, 16 Immer.So that there were but eight in the family of Ithamar, viz. 17. Hezir, 18. Aphses, 19. Pethahiah, 20. Jehezekel,† 21. Jachin, 22. Gamul, 23. Delaiah, 24. Maaziah.

The other tribes were divided into different families, in the same manner, and their names were these:

The tribe of Reuben had four families; the Hanochites, the Palluites, the Hesronites, the Carmites.

The tribe of Simeon had five; the Nemuelites, the Jaminites, the Jachinites, the Zarhites, the Shaulites.

The tribe of Gad had seven; the Zephonites, the Haggites, the Shanites, the Oznites, the Erites, the Arodites, the Arelites.

The tribe of Judah had five; the Shelanites, the Pharzites, the Zarhites, the Hesronites, the Hamulites.

The tribe of Issachar had four; the Tolaites, the Punites, the Jashubites, the Shimronites. The tribe of Zebulun had three; the Sardites, the Elonites, the Jahleelites.

1 Chron, xxiv. + Or, Ezechiel

The

The tribe of Manasseh had eight: the Machirites, the Gileadites, the Jeezerites, the Helekites, the Asrielites, the Shechemites, the Shemidaites, the Hepherites.

The tribe of Ephraim had four; the Shuthalhites, the Bachrites, the Tahanites, the Eranites.

The tribe of Benjamin had seven; the Be laites, the Ashbelites, the Ahiramites, the Shuphamites, the Huphamites, the Ardites, the Naamites.

The tribe of Dan had but one; the Shuhamites. The tribe of Asher had five; the Jimnites, the Jesuites, the Beriites, the Heberites, the Malchielites.

The tribe of Naphtali had four; the Jahzeelites, the Gunites, the Jezerites, the Shillemites.

Hitherto we have spoken only of the Hebrews by birth, who descended from Abraham, and belonged to one of the tribes; whence it was, that they were better esteemed among the Jews, than those who had been born Gentiles, and had embraced Judaism. For thus we find St. Paul urging it, as a matter of merit among the Jews, that he was born a Jew. I was, says he, circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee.* The second sort of Hebrews we mentioned were such as were Gentiles by birth, but had embraced the Jewish religion.

None was excluded from receiving Judaism but Eunuchs. All strangers were received into it, whenever they thought fit to submit to its

* Phil. iii. 5.

laws,

laws, or at least to the principal of them; for these proselytes, (that is to say, strangers,*) were of two sorts. Some were called proselytes of habitation, others, proselytes of justice. The former had only their dwelling or habitation among the Jews, and did not engage themselves to an entire observance of the law. But they were nevertheless obliged to keep the sabbath, and what the Talmudists call the precepts of Noah, that is, what God commanded Noah to observe, namely, not to worship idols, and to abstain from blood; together with some other commandments which he gave him, and of which we shall speak more particularly in another place. For the Jews were far from suffering the strangers, who dwelled among them, to live without laws. All which Maimonides explains in his treatise of a proselyte. "What," says he, is a proselyte of habitation? He is one who engages to renounce idolatry, and observe the commandments, which were given to the children of Noah; but neither is circumcised, nor baptized. He is called a proselyte of habitation, because we are permitted to give such a one an habitation among the children of Israel, and he is received as a religious Gentile." He adds, "Whoever engages to keep the commandments. of Noah, and is exact in his observance of them, has a right to the rewards of a future state." And the Jews were forbidden to suffer any Gen: tile to live among them, who did not submit to

+Or, Proselytes of the gate, because permitted to live within their gates. Prid. Con. Pt. II, lib. 5.

Ibid. chap. 2.

the