A

PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE

CONCERNING THE

NATURE and STATE

OF THE

JEWISH GOVERNMENT.

T

HE natural Depravity and Corruption of Mankind fhewed itfelf in nothing fo clearly, as in that Propenfity Men in general expreffed to Idolatry, which confifted chiefly in forfaking the one true God, and setting up other Gods formed out of their own Fancy, whofe Natures and Attributes were agreeable to the Vices they were fond of, being directed therein as their own corrupt Humours led them. This we have an Account of in a few Generations after the Flood, having then made fo great a Progrefs, as to infect even the Pofterity of Shem; for Terah, the Father of Abraham, is on all Hands allowed to have been an Ido

later,

later, and in the Book of Joshua * is ́exprefly charged with having ferved other Gods. This Evil, therefore, foon became fo general, as to render a Stop being put to it impoffible without the divine Interpofition. God, forefeeing the dreadful Confe quences of fuch Impiety, was pleased in his great Goodnefs to pave the Way for their Deliverance from it; in order to which he felected a Family, whom he decreed should check the Courfe of this dreadful Contagion, and at once become both the Reftorer and Afylum of his true Religion. This was the Family of Abraham, who is, by way of Eminence, called by the Apoftle St. Paul, the Father of the Faithful; of whofe Life and Actions the facred Hiftorian has given us a more full Account, than he did of all the other Transactions that preceded his Birth. To this End he was ordered by God to leave his Country, his Kindred, and Far ther's Houfe, and to go to a Land which he fhould fhew them; which Order, how fe vere and harth foever it might be in itself, that illuftrious Patriarch obeyed, and thereby proved himself worthy of receiving that. gracious Promife the Almighty was pleafed to give him; that in him and in his Seed, fhould all the Nations of the Earth be bleffed; which he afterwards accomplished and fulfilled, when our blessed Redeemer * Chap, xxiv. v. 2.

took

took upon him our Nature, and became Man, being born of the Seed of Abraham, according to the Flesh

After God had thus revealed himself to Abraham, and had afforded him fufficient Manifeftations of his Power, Wisdom and Goodness, he then proceeded to ordain the Rite of Circumcifion which he intended not only as a religious Ceremony, but like wife as a political Inftrument, in order to diftinguith his true Worshippers from thofe, who had changed his Glory into an Image made like to corruptible Man, and to Birds, and four-footed Beafts, and creeping Things which Rite, if any of his Pofterity fhould disobey, that Soul fhould be cut off from his People. In Obedience to this divine Command, Abraham circumcifed himself, Ishmael his Son, and all that were born in his Houfe, and all that were bought with his Money . Thus was one Family ref cued from Idolatry, and become Servants of the living and true God, and Patrons of his Religion, which increased as his Pofterity multiplied; who, according to the divine Promife, in a few Generations after, increased to that Degree, that for Multitude they became as the Stars of Heaven, and as the Sand which is upon the Sea-fhore. Then it was, that the Canaanites had filled the Cup of their Iniquity, for which God + Gen. xvii. 23.

up

* Rom. i. 23.

was

was determined to deftroy them from off the Face of the Earth, and to give their Poffeffions, which, by their vile and abo minable Practices, they had rendered themfelves wholly unworthy of, to this his chofen People, that his true Religion might take Root and flourish in the Land.

The Rite of Cireumcifion was a fufficient Fence to preferve one fingle Family only in the Belief and Worship of the one true God, efpecially as they were then but few in Number. But when that increased and multiplied, and therefore was obliged to be divided into many feparate ones, till at length from one Man there was fprung a great and powerful Nation, the Almighty, in his infinite Wisdom, forefaw it would be neceffary to add other Ceremonies, in order to preferve them fteady in the true Faith, especially as that People, during their Sojourning in Egypt, had been accustomed to behold Idolatry accompanied with Rites of the most fuperftitious Nature, for which they had likewife imbibed a very great Fondness and Veneration. On this account he fubjoined the Ceremonial and Moral Law; the one as an Explanation of that which he had originally written on the Hearts of all Men, though it was then greatly defaced through the Corruption of human Nature: This therefore might be esteemed as Part of that Duty which Man,

by

by the Law of his Nature, owed his Creator; the other was intended as a Guard to reftrain them from fwerving again into their former Licentioufnefs, and through a Multiplicity of Ceremonies to keep their Minds continually employed upon their Duty. They were likewife Types of that great End God had in View, viz. the Redemption of Mankind by his only begotten Son Jefus Chrift; which was one principal Reafon for the Almighty's feparating this People from the rest of Mankind, that it might be apparent from whence our Lord Sprung.

Some, who take every poffible Opportunity that offers of depreciating Revelation, have objected to the moral Law as delivered by Mofes, from the too vifible, they say, Imperfection of it. For how can we fuppofe that Law to come from God, the Fountain of all Purity and Holiness, that connived at fuch Things, which afterwards, under the Christian Dispensation, were exprefly prohibited? This Objection, (if it may be termed one) arifes from not duly confidering the Difpofition and Temper of the Ifraelites, at the Time when that Law was promulged. They, we should confi der, had been accustomed to do every Man what is right in his own Eyes, except in not worshipping of Idols, and in observing the Rite of Circumcifion. They were