Moon, whilft the Ifraelites purfued and vanquished their Enemies; and the prodigious Hail-ftones caft down from Heaven, which flew more of them than the Sword could do; and a continued Course of Vi&tories, never interrupted but for Achan's Offence, ftruck fuch a mighty Terrour into the Canaanites, that some of them fought out ways to make their peace with the Ifraelites, by Submiffion, and others fled into foreign Countries. And to fhew that they conquer'd by a Miraculous and Divine Power, not by any carnal Force or Strength; Joshua, by God's Command, destroy'd the Horfes and the Chariots that he took from the Enemy, Joh. xi. 9. which had been a ftrange Action in Humane Policy, but by fuch unlikely means he fubdu'd one and thirty Kings of the Canaanites, chap. xii. and then divided the Land, not yet conquer'd, amongst the Tribes of Ifrael, being as certain of it, as if they had it already in poffeffion, chap. xiii. 2, 7.

Joshua, after fo many Victories, and fo many Miracles, when the Land of Canaan came to be divided among the Children of Ifrael, took no more for his own Inheritance, than they were willing to fpare him, after the Land had been divided among the Tribes, chap. xix. 49. and at laft, as Mofes had done, he appeals to their own Experience, and to their very Senfes, for the Truth of all the Wonders and Deliverances, and the mighty Works which God had wrought amongst them, chap. xxiv.

After the Death of Joshua, God rais'd up Judges out of feveral Families and Tribes, with an immedi ate and extraordinary Commiffion to govern and protect his People: So that there could be no private Ends, or politick Defigns carry'd on, under the pretence of a Divine Commiffion. But upon their Difobedience and Idolatries, they were, from time to time, punish'd with Slaughter and Captivity; and upon their Repentance, were as conftantly deliver'd;

Judges

Judges being purposely raised up to be Conquerors and Deliverers, and never failing of Success.

But befides these who were impower'd by God, upon extraordinary Occafions, they had other Judges, or Chief Magistrates, to adminifter Juftice, and to prefide over the Publick Affairs, for the Welfare of the People: fuch were Eli and Samuel.

Eli was a great Example, how much Fondness, and Natural Affection may prevail over good and wife Men; but he was more afflicted to hear that the Ark of God was taken, than at the Death of both his Sons; that gave him his mortal Wound, and he could not out-live the Hearing it, I Sam. iv. 18. Samuel's Sons were wicked, as well as Eli's, and he doth not conceal their Faults, but plainly fays, That they turned afide after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment, chap. viii. 3. but he appeals to the whole People for his own Integrity, who folemnly declare him free from any Oppreffion or Injuftice. He refign'd the Government, though he had the Power in his hands to appoint two Kings fucceffively, and by God's Commandment rais'd both Saul and David out of their Obfcurity to a Throne. Samuel fays plainly, That when the Elders of Ifrael came to him to ask a King, the thing difpleafed him, 1 Sam. viii. 6. and he who could make Two Kings of Two different Tribes, and of no Interest in their refpective Tribes, might as well have made himself King, if he had acted upon Humane Confiderations, and by Humane Power and Means. The Divine Power therefore was visible in the Government of the Children of Ifrael, from the time of Mafes and Joshua to Saul; for they were conftantly govern'd by Perfons of God's Appointment; their Government was a Theocracy, being adminiftred by God's immediate Direction, the Lord their God was their King, 1 Sam. xii. 12.

СНАР.

CHAP. VIII.

Of the People of Ifrael, under their Kings.

A

Fter a standing Regal Government was fettled among the People of Ifrael, they were either happy or miferable at home, and either a Defeat or Victory attended their Armies abroad, as they prov'd obedient or disobedient to the Law of Mofes, and to the Word of the Lord, delivered by his Prophets. Upon the Revolt of the Ten Tribes, when Two Tribes only remain'd in the Obedience of Rehoboam, and in the true way of Worship, this had been the time, (as already has been faid) if there had been any Imposture hitherto carry'd on, to discover it; for they had all the Temptation, and all the Opportunity to do it, that could poffibly be given. But after the Divifion of the Ten Tribes, Jeroboam durft not fo much as attempt to draw them off from an Acknowledgment of the Divine Authority of that Law by which they were obliged to go up to Jerufalem to facrifice, though he perfuaded them to change the Place of their Worship, and to go no longer up thither. And God had his Prophets in Ifrael, who were as zealous for the Law, as the Prophets of Judah; for in both Kingdoms they had still Prophets to admonifh them, and to direct them in all Matters of great Importance. Though the Urim and Thummim, and the Shechina, were confined to the Aaronical Priesthood and the Ark of the Teftament; yet the other kinds of Prophecy were vouchfafed to Ifrael, as well as Judah: and the Captivity both of Judah and Ifrael by the Af fyrians, and the Deliverance of the Jews out of it, befel them according to exprefs Prophecies; and both during the Captivity, and at their Return, they had Daniel, Zechariah, Malachi, and other Prophets amongst

mongst them; and for fo many Ages, from their first coming out of Egypt, the whole People were made continually Witnesses of the manifeft Power and Prefence of God amongst them. This will be evident, by making fome Obfervations concerning the Prophets and their Writings, and concerning their Prophecies and Miracles.

CHA P. IX.

Of the Prophets, and their Writings.

THE

HE kinds of Prophecy among the Jews, were, 2. The Urim and Thummim. 3. Revelation by Visions and Dreams, or by Infpiration; for I fhall not here diftinguish thefe ways of Revelation, to confider them apart. And when these kinds of Prophecy ceas'd under the Second Temple, the Bath Kol, or Voice from Heaven, was the only way of Revelation: But of this there is little or nothing certain to be rely'd upon.

1. The Shechina, was the fitting, or dwelling of God between the Cherubims, on the Mercy-Seat, or Cover of the Ark, Pfal. lxxxi. 1. and xcix. 1. from whence he gave out his Answers by an Articulate Voice, Exod. xxv. 22. and xxix. 42. Num. vii. 89.

2. The Urim and Thummim upon the Breaft-plate of the High-Priest, Exod. xxviii. 30. was another ftanding Oracle, to be confulted upon all great occafions, Num. xxvii. 21. 1 Sam. xxviii. 6. xxiii. 9. xxx. 7. Ezra ii. 63. and the Anfwers were return'd by a vifible fignification of the Divine Will: and this Oracle was not only venerable amongst the Jews, but was famous amongst the Heathen (as Jofephus affures us)

Jofeph. Antiq. I. 3. c. 9.

for

b

for its infallible Anfwers. Mr. Mede thinks Urim and Thummim to have been in ufe among the Patriarchs, before the Law was given; because the making of them is not spoken of amongst the other things of the Ephod. The common opinion is, that this Oracle was delivered by the fhining of fuch Letters of the Tribes Names, engraven on the Stones in the Priest's Breaft-plate, as exprefs'd the Anfwer: but the fame learned Author thinks, that the Urim and the Thummim were diftin&t Oracles; the Thummim shewing when their Sacrifices were accepted; and the Urim answering fuch Questions as were propofed upon any important occafion.

3. Revelations by Visions and Dreams, or by Inspiration, were the Revelations which properly denominated thofe, to whom they were made Prophets. For the Prophets were Perfons fent by God, with an extraordinary Commiffion, to declare his Will; and they were not confined to the Tribe of Levi, or to any one particular Tribe, but fometimes taken out of one Tribe, and fometimes out of another: for tho' the Jews had Colleges and Schools to prepare and qualifie Men, by a vertuous and religious Education, for Divine Illuminations; yet divers others, who had not been educated in this manner, were endued with the Spirit of Prophecy; and fome of them were but of very mean Employments, and others again of Royal Blood.

They reproved both their Kings and their Priests with a fearless and undaunted Freedom and Authority: and this plain-dealing, fuch as became Men who fpake and acted by a Divine Impulse, without Design, and without any Difguife, fometimes commanded great Reverence towards them from Princes, not eafie to be well advised or directed. Rehoboam, a wilful and rash Prince, at the head of an Army of an Hundred and fourfcore thousand chofen Men, upon

Mede's Difcourse, 35.

the