and as truly, a civil governor upon account of fuch execution, in one of those cafes, as in the other; like as the execution of laws now, that were made in the reign of Queen Elizabeth,isas much,and as truly, civil government, as the execution of laws that have been made bythis prefent Parliament. This being the state of the cafe, I obferve, that the idolatrous Canaanites are not confidered nor supposed to have been under a theocracy; feeing they were not subjects to God, confidering him in the capacity of a civil governor, he not having undertaken to execute any fuch trust, with respect to them; and therefore, they could not poffibly have been guilty of fuch treason and rebellion, as is here fuppofed, whatever idolatrous practices they may have been guilty of; nor could there be any pretence for putting them to death, upon account of such treasonable practices, as aforefaid. And, as to the Ifraelites, admitting those laws which Mofes gave them, relating to their civil policy, were of a divine original; yet that did not make God their civil governor, nor their government a theocracy; because the administration of that government, by, and in the execution

of

of those laws, was defigned and intended to be by men, (as, from the nature of the

*

thing, it appears, and must needs have been) who, in the execution of thofe laws, were as truly and properly civil governors, as all other men are, to whom the adminiftration of civil juftice is committed, in any other country, or fociety. It muft, indeed, have been a great favour,vouchfafed to the Jewish nation, for God kindly to interpofe and give them a plan of government, provided it better answered the purposes of government, than any plan they could, or were likely to have provided for themselves; but then, as this plan was intended, and, indeed, must have been executed by men, who either were appointed for that purpose, or else who affumed that power, whether Priefts, or otherwife, and whether they should bear the title

* By men, I mean, that the Jewish government was fuch, as fuppofed perfons of our own species to be employed in the execution of it, in oppofition to a government,administered by a fecret invisible power; and not men, or males, in oppofition to women, or females; for we find the Jewish nation to have been under female government, in the person of Deborah, Judges iv. 4, 5. And Deborah, a prophetefs, the wife of Lapidoth, he judged [or governed] Ifrael, at that time; and she develt under the palm-tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Beth-el, in mount Ephraim: and the children of Ifrael came up to her for judgment.

title of King, or not; fo thofe, and. only thofe, who executed that truft, by putting that, or any other plan of civil government, in execution, among them, were their civil rulers; the Deity being quite out of the question, as he did not take the reins of government into his hand. And, as to Urim and Thummim, it does not appear to have been fet up, among the Jews, as a fountain of legiflature, nor as a court of civil justice; but only as an oracle, to be applied to for counsel, and advice, in difficult, and in very particular cafes. The fame may be faid of those divine communications to the Jews, by angels, by prophets, by vifions, and by dreams; these may be confidered as extraordinary and Special favours, vouchfafed to them; but then, they were not intended, nor did they at all answer the purposes of civil government to that people. God was, indeed, a King to the Jewish nation, in like manner as he is the King of all the earth; but then, any other refpect, I think, he was only nominally fo, he might have the name, but was not the thing.

in

THE Jewish nation feems to have been upon a foot with all other nations, in relation to civil government; for, when there were

none

none among them to execute civil power, and put their laws in force againft tranfgreffors; then every man did what was right in his own eyes, or lived as he lifted, he being under no publick check, or restraint. And that this was fometimes the cafe of the people of Ifrael, is evident from their own hiftory. Thus, Judges xvii. 6. and xxi. 25. In those days (that is, in the days of Ifrael's oppreffion, whilft they were in fubjection * to the nations around them) there was no King in Ifrael; (that is, there was no civil magiftrate among them, to put their laws in execution, to correct them for their injurious actions, and put them to shame; which was the cafe of the people of Laish, at that time, Judges xviii. 7.) but everyman did

02

* The want of civil government rendered the people of Ifrael weak and impotent, two ways. First, as hereby every man was expofed to ill usage from his neighbours; for where civil government is wanting, and men are under no publick restraint, as the innocent and fimple will not be a match for the wicked and crafty, so the weak and peaceable will become an eafy prey to the ftrong and refractory. And as, in this cafe, perpetual Strife is likely to take place, and neither the perfon, nor property, of any man can be fecure; fo, this not only weakens many individuals, and renders them defenceless, with regard to each other, but it alfo renders a nation weak and defencelefs, with regard to all foreign invafions and oppreffions upon it. Secondly, the want of civil government rendered the Ifraelites weak and impo

tent,

did that which was right in his own eyes, or agreeable to his own inclinations, he being. under no publick restraint. To say, therefore, that God was the King, or civil governor, of the Jewish nation, at that time, must needs be wrong and groundless; becaufe, in fact, they had neither God, nor man, for their King, they having no civil governor at all. To fay, that God was their King, is the fame as to charge the Deity with male-adminiftration. Not to act as King, by putting the laws in execution, is the fame as not to be King, or, as if there was no King, with refpect to all the intents and purposes of government; and therefore, if God did not take the reins of government into his hand, and act as King, by putting

their

tent, as thereby their strength became but as the ftrength of an individual. For, as they had no head, no leader, no center of unity, by which the ftrength of the nation might be collected together, might be united and exerted, for their defence and fecurity; fo, by this means, the Strength of Ifrael became but as the ftrength of one man, and this rendered them a weak and impotent people, and an easy prey to the nations around them. And tho', at feveral times, there were perfons of spirit, who rallied them together, rouzed up their courage, and led them on to fight for their liberty, and thereby to obtain it yet we fee that spirit of self-defence foon left them, fome other nation made war upon them, and conquered them; and thus they became fubject to the nations around them by turns.