war, and some changes in the mode of their government, from the time of their return from the Babylonian captivity, to their complete subjection to the Romans; but their Sacerdotal government, as it is sometimes called, continued with but little interruption through this whole space of about 600 years.. Having returned into their own country, under the sanction and by the authority of Cyrus, they acknowledged the sovereignty of the kings of Persia, till that empire was overturned by Alexander the Great; they then became subject to his successors, first in Egypt, and afterwards in Syria, till, having been deprived of their religious and civil liberties for three years and an half by Antiochus Epiphanes, they were restored, both to the exercise of their religion and to their antient independence, by the piety and bravery of Mattathias and his descendants. Under these Maccabæan princes they became an entirely free state, supported by good troops, strong garrisons, and alliances not only with neighbouring powers, but with remote kingdoms, even Rome itself. This glory of the Jews was but of short duration; for though the decline of the kingdoms of Egypt and Syria, prevented their interference in the affairs of other states, yet the entire ruin of these two kingdoms, by the great accession of

power

power which it brought to the Romans, paved the way for the destruction of the Jewish commonwealth. Pompey compelled the Jews to submit to the arms of Rome, and from that time their country was tributary to the Romans, although it was still governed by Maccabean princes. The last of that family was conquered and deposed by Herod the Great, an Idumæan by birth, but of the Jewish religion, who had been appointed king of the Jews by the Romans, and enjoyed a long reign over the whole of Palestine, in the course of which he greatly diminished the civil power of the high priest. He was succeeded in the government of the greater part of Palestine by his son Archelaus, whose misconduct caused Augustus to banish him, and to reduce his dominions into the form of a Roman province; and thus it appears, that with the exception of the short predicted tyranny of Antiochus Epiphanes, the kingdom of Judah, for some time independent, but generally tributary, continued to enjoy its own religion, and the form of its civil government, till after the birth of the Messiah. During our Saviour's ministry the Jews were permitted to perform their religious worship without restraint or molestation; but Judæa and Samaria were then governed by a Roman procurator, who had power

of

of life and death, and Galilee was governed, under the authority of the Romans, by Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great, with the name of tetrarch. These circumstances of humiliation were far from producing contrition and amendment in the Jews. Having neglected all the means of repentance graciously afforded them, and at last filled up the measure of their aggravated wickedness by the rejection and crucifixion of their "Lord and King," they brought upon themselves the utter destruction of their national polity, and have now continued in an acknowledged state of punishment more than seventeen hundred years.

WITH respect to the nature of the Jewish government, which seems to be very improperly called Republican, we may observe, that it partook of the patriarchal form as much as was consistent with the condition and circumstances of a nation; and this accounts for our being left to form our opinion upon this subject from facts and commands incidentally mentioned, rather than from a detailed relation of the different powers and ranks in the state in their regular order. The Israelites had preserved the patriarchal mode of life and rules of government during their residence, nay, even

4

during

during their bondage, in Egypt (t). These patriarchal laws and customs, therefore, being already established, no particular direction respecting subordination was necessary. Antient institutions, which harmonized with the Mosaic dispensation were continued, and others were added, to complete a system for the peculiar government of this peculiar people; and I think it will be found, that Scripture affords more information upon this subject than is generally imagined.

Three degrees of judges or judicatures are distinctly mentioned in the 24th chapter of Joshua : "And Joshua called (first) for the elders of Israel;" these were the elders of the whole people," or "of the congregation."-the great national council (u) established by Moses, and in after times called the great Sanhedrim, consisting of seventy persons, both priests and laymen, besides the president, who, after the time of Moses, was usually the high priest; "and (secondly) for their heads," these were the heads or princes of the twelve tribes," in whom was vested a peculiar and supreme authority over each tribe, as their chief magistrate and leader in time of war, subject however to the control of the

66

(t) Exod. c. 3. v. 16. c. 24. v. I and 11.
(u) Numbers, c.11. v. 16. c. 34. v. 16 and 17.

great

great council, of which they formed a part (w); "and (thirdly) for their judges;" these were the "elders or rulers of cities (r)," whose jurisdiction was confined to the limits and liberties of their respective cities, and was subject to the great council. The Jewish writers say, that in

every city, which had six score families in it, there was a less sanhedrim, or court of judicature, consisting of twenty-three judges;" and our Saviour is supposed to allude to these two courts in his Sermon upon the Mount (y). Many examples of these and other inferior distinctions are to be found in Scripture. The "rulers of the thousands of Israel," the "rulers of hundreds of fifties—and of tens," appear to have been military distinctions; but besides the princes of the twelve tribes, who were the eldest branch by lineal descent, there were "heads of families," who represented the other sons

and

S Numb. c. 30. v. I. c. 10. v. 14. Josh. v. 47. Jer. c. 36. v. 4 and 5. Matt.

(w) Deut. c. 17. v. 8-14. Numb. c. 1. v. 4 and 16. Josh. c. 23. v. 1 and 2. c. 24. v. I. c. 31. v. 13. c.7. v. 1, 2 and 3. c. 9. v. 15. c. 22. V. II. c. 37. V. 14 C. 19. v. 28.

v. 14. c. 19. and 15. c. 38.

(x) Deut. c. 16. v. 18. c. 21. v. 1, &c. c. 19. v. 12. c. 21. v. 3. and 19. 2 Kings, c. 10. v. I and 5. Acts, c. 17. v.8. Ruth, c. 4. v. II. 1 Chron. c. 26. v. 29. (y) Matt. c. 5. v.22. Vide also Deut. c. 16. v. 18. c. 17. v. 8, 10, 11, 12. Ezra, c. 1o. v. 8 and 14..