were nearest of kin to them that were flain, whose wrath was fuppofed to be greatly, and fuddenly raised upon the occafion (or as it is expreffed Deuteronomy xix. 6. left the avenger of blood pursue the flayer, whilst his heart is hot) until the cafe could be heard, and judged of, by the congregation, that is, by a court of justice, fet up for that purpose, who were to determine, upon hearing the cafe, whether the flayer was guilty of murder, or not. And if the perfon tried was found guilty of murder, then he was to be put to death, and the avenger of blood was appointed to be the executioner; but if it appeared, that the manflayer had killed his neighbour unawares, then he was to be conducted, in fafety, back to that city of refuge he had before fled to, and there to remain until the death of the high-prieft, by which time, it might well be prefumed, the avenger's refentment would be abated. From these accounts, together with other paffages in the pentateuch, it is evident, that the Jews, in civil matters, were originally governed by a body of men,appointed for that purpose, who were ftiled the congregation; but after they became fettled in Canaan, they seemed to be fo furfeited with the fatigues

fatigues of war, that they became indolent, and altogether regardless of their safety; and this exposed them to the infults of their neighbours, who often made war upon them, and brought them into fubjection: And when they became thus fubdued, their oppreffors, in order to keep them weak and defenceless, took from them the exercife of all civil power, by which the congregation, appointed for that purpose, became diffolved, and they were left to prey upon, and be a prey to, each other. And, whilft they were under thefe diftreffes,at feveral times,there rose up perfons of spirit and refolution, who rallied them together, rouzed up their courage, and led them on to fight for their liberty, and to obtain it; upon which, thofe leaders took upon them to govern the people in civil matters, as, then, there was no congregation, or court of civil justice,fubfifting among them; upon which account those victors were called Judges, and were faid to have judged Ifrael. And, as they were a long time in this flu&uating ftate, fometimes in fervitude, and fometimes free, fometimes under civil government, and fometimes without it; fo this very naturally led them into

*

*Judges iii. 10. and iv. 4, 5. and x. 1, 2, 3. and xii. 7, 2 Kings xxiii. 22.

into a refolution of having a King, who might not only go in and out before them in their wars, and thereby protect them from foreign enemies; but also, to be a foundation of civil government among themfelves, and thereby prevent them from falling a prey to each other. What I have here obferved is plain matter of fact, from which it evidently appears, that the God of Ifrael, whether he be confidered, as only a tutelar national God, or the one God over all, was not a king, or civil governor, to that people. This doctrine of a Theocracy among the Jews, as it is not founded in fact, but is only a meer invention; fo it feems defigned, and calculated, to excufe and juftify the cruelty and barbarity exercifed by the Jews upon Idolaters; which, as it is fhocking to human nature, fo the abettors of the aforefaid doctrine would fain father that cruelty upon the fupreme Deity. Indeed,

THE Reverend Mr. Fofter, in his fermon of the unity of God, and the * Jewish the ocracy, has given up the latter, as having no folid foundation; but then, he has attempted to vindicate the rigour, exercifed by the Jews upon those Idolaters that were

P

of

* See Mr. Fofter's fermons, vol. III. fermon xv. pages 375, 376.

of their own nation, another way. What Mr. Fofter has offered, is as followeth. " As,

therefore, the end for which the civil

conftitution of the Jews was formed, viz. "to prevent their being over-run with

Idolatry (which, as it prevailed among "the neighbouring nations, corrupted their "internal sense of the difference of good "and evil, and banished humanity and de. cency, and many of the moft confiderable "and important of the focial virtues, by

rr

introducing fhameful impieties, and human facrifices, quite detestable to nature) "as the end, I fay, for which the civil conftitution of the Jews was formed, ap& C pears, when thus explained, and ab"- ftracted from all confiderations meerly religious, to be moft wife and gracious in

itself; and as the judicial laws, in that "fcheme of government, were admirably

adapted to subserve and advance this wife "and gracious end; it neceffarily follows, "that Idolatry, which would have frus"trated the whole defign of the conftitu

..

tion, and have entirely diffolved and deftroyed it, muft, upon the fame reasons "that are allowed to be just in all other polity, have deferved capital punishment.

And

true;

"And this, I think, will effectually vin"dicate it's being treated with such severity "in the Jewish ftate, but not excuse the "like rigour exercised against it in any other, " where it is merely an error of speculation, " and the offender, by not disturbing the "external peace of fociety, renders him"felf accountable to God alone." Upon which I observe, that there have been men, who have come under the denomination of Idolaters, that have been guilty of those bad things before mentioned, may poffibly be but that this was the case of the idolatrous Canaanites,at the time referred to, or of the Ifraelites, afterwards, when they became Idolaters, or that idolatry does naturally produce those bad things, are points, which, perhaps, may not be eafily and clearly made out. There are many bad things, practised by chriftians, which, yet, furely, are not the natural produce of christianity, and therefore are not to be placed to it's account; and if the bad things referred to have been only practifed by Idolaters, but are not the natural offspring of idolatry, then, furely, they ought not to be placed to it's account. And, indeed, Mr. Fofter fupposes, that sometimes idolatry does not bring forth fuch