this purpose and which shews the Antiquity of this Military Usage and will give us an Account of the first and most early Marshalling of Armies is Numb 2. 2. Every Man of the Children of Israel shall pitch by his own Standard with the Ensign of their Fathers House For the explaining of which we must know that when Moses had received the Law and finish'd the Tabernacle he mustered all the Tribes and Families of Israel and disposed them for their March through the Wilderness This Great Army as this Chapter informs us was divided into four Battalions or Squadrons each of which contain'd three whole Tribes The first contain'd the three Tribes of Iudah Issachar and Zebulon and every Tribe being distinguish'd by his particular Standard this Squadron marched under the Standard of Iudah And it was peculiar to this Tribe to encamp always on the East Side of the Tabernacle and to hold the first Place and lead the Vanguard The second Battalion consisted of the Tribes of Reuben Simeon and Gad and Reuben's Standard was that which they were placed under These had the second Place in the Army and encamped on the South Side of the Tabernacle The third Division marched under the Standard of Ephraim to whom were joined the Regiments of Manasse and Benjamin and they were situated always on the West Quarter The fourth Squadron were rank'd under the Standard of Dan to whom belonged the Tribes of Naphthali and Asher These were placed on the North Side of the Tabernacle and always march'd in the Reer In every Standard or Banner there was a particular Ensign or Badg by which those of that Squadron were known In that of Iudah which march'd in the Van there was pourtrayed a Lion in that of Reuben a Man in that of Ephraim an Ox and in that of Dan an Eagle Where by the way we may observe here the Invention of Badges and Coats of Arms. The Tribes were distinguish'd by their different Scutcheons which were of diverse Figures and 't is not to be doubted of different Colours Though truly this Invention seems to have been begun first of all in Gen. 49. where the several Tribes have assigned them by Iacob their particular Distinctive Ensigns and Armorial Cognizances as Iudah a Lion Dan a Serpent Issachar an Ass c. which were certain Arms or Badges by which they were known and distinguish'd In these and the forenamed Instances Heraldry had its Original hence it may fetch its Pedigree Thus that Noble Camp was disposed and situated thus the several Tribes and Princes of them were marshall'd Thus the Tabernacle was placed in the midst of the four Divisions of the Army which pitched round about it as a Guard to Defend and Protect it But I should note withal that the Tabernacle was more Immediately surrounded by the Priests and Levites Moses and Aaron and Eleazar and his Brethren were lodg'd on the East at the Entrance of the Court of the Tabernacle the Families of Cohath were placed on the South the Families of Merari on the North the Geshurites on the West and all others that were dedicated to the Service and Attendance on the Tabernacle were quartered near it This was the Excellent Order that was observ'd the Ecclesiastical Persons were placed next to the Tabernacle because of their Employment and Office and to guard both them and the Tabernacle the whole Host was drawn about them in a Circle I might further take notice that there was not a fixed Distance of Ground from every part of the Camp to the Tabernacle for it was necessary that some should be further off than others but this was enjoined them that the Limits of their travelling on the Sabbath-Day should not be above two thousand Cubits Iosh. 3. 4. But by reason of the different Acception of the Cubit it is not easy to determine exactly the Length of the Way which they were permitted to travel If it was two thousand Paces it amounted to two Miles but most of the Rabbins agree that it was 2000 lesser Cubits which make a large Mile So far the furthest Part of the Israelites Camp was distant from the Tabernacle according to the general Opinion of the Hebrew Doctors This whatever it is is call'd a Sabbath-Day's Iourney Acts 1. 12. i. e. as much space of Ground as it was lawful for the Jews to go on a Sabbath-Day This shall suffice to be said concerning the Antient Situation of the Camp of Israel A very Curious and Excellent Prospect it is and worthy of our Observation it being the First Platform of a Military Encamping To close this Head I will take notice of the Vast Numbers which some of the Armies mention'd in Scripture consisted of of old That of the Jews in the Wilderness which I last spoke of according to the Muster-Roll in Numb 1. contain'd no less than six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty There were enrolled about a thousand thousand fighting Men in Israel and about half as many in Iudah when David numbred the People 2 Sam. 24. 9. 1 Chron. 21. 5. King Vzziah had an Host of three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred besides a choice Band of two thousand and six hundred 2 Chron. 26. 12 13. King Asa's military Force consisted of about six hundred thousand 2 Chron. 14. 8. And against him came an Ethiopian Army of above a thousand thousand Chariots 2 Chron. 14. 9. whence we must collect that the whole Force was much more Numerous for the Chariots generally had more than one single Person in them King Ieroboam brought eight hundred thousand Men into the Field of whom five hundred thousand were slain 2 Chron. 13. 3 17. And other vast Numbers we read of in the Books of Kings and Chronicles that were brought into the Field in those Days Which I the rather mention because some have questioned the Truth of it and have thought that it is by the Fault of Transcribers that the Arithmetick mounts so high And I am sorry to find a Great Man whom I will not name enclining this way I doubt not but if he had lived to revise his Writings he would have expung'd what seems to favour this for so Great an Asserter of the Authentick Verity of the Scriptures as well as of the Christian Religion could not have done otherwise But this I desire may be considered by those that think the Number of the Men in the foremention'd Armies is mistaken by those who copied out the Bible they setting down as they imagine one Arithmetical Figure instead of another I desire I say this may be consider'd that the Numbers in these Sacred Writings are set down in Words at length and not in Figures which these Objectors did not think of and therefore those who transcrib'd the Bible did not mistake the Numbers by writing down one Figure for another and consequently these Mens Conceit is groundless Again we are to remember what is said in
that is as it signifies the Whole Body of the Ark and all its Receptacles and Boxes it contain'd in it other things besides the Tables viz. the Pot of Manna and Aaron's Rod. This I propound as a plain and easy Solution of the two fore-cited Texts The Manna and the Rod were in the Ark and they were not in it viz. in different Respects they were in it if you understand by it the Whole Sacred Chest but they were not in it if you mean by it the Chief and Eminent Part of it which oftentimes gave a Denomination to the Whole CHAP. XII Answers to Objections against the Arithmetick of Scripture as Gen. 46. 27. All the Souls of the House of Iacob which came into Egypt were threescore and ten compared with Acts 7. 14. where they are said to be threescore and fifteen Souls Numb 25. 9. saith that those that died of the Plague were twenty and four thousand but we read in 1 Cor. 10. 8. that there fell in one Day three and twenty thousand David is his Father's eighth Son 1 Sam. 16. 10. yet he is reckon'd the seventh Son 1 Chron. 2. 15. Other Numerical Difficulties in 2 Sam. 24. 9. 1 Chron. 21. 15. and in 1 Kings 4. 26. 2 Chron. 9. 25. cleared A Resolution of several Geographical Scruples as about the Place of Abraham's Nativity Gen. 11. 28. ch 24. 10. Joseph was sold to the Ismaelites Gen. 37. 28. yet in the same Verse and afterwards ver 36. 't is said he was sold to the Midianites Moses's Wife is call'd an Ethiopian Numb 12. 1. though she was of the Land of Midian Exod. 2. 15 16. Shâ— that is call'd a Woman of Candan Matth. 15. 22. is said to be a Syrophoenician Mark 7. 26. The Chorography of the Scripture is sometimes different i. e. it seems to be so from that in Prophane Authors because several Places mentioned in Holy Writ have not the same Names which they are known by in other Writers Whether the Queen of Sheba came from Arabia or Ethiopia is uncertain Ophir is unknown to us So is Ararat But Tarshish is so named from Tarsus a Noted Town on the Mediterranean How East and West in Ezekiel are to be understood Different Meanings in Scripture arise from the Relation which certain Words have in Texts to the adjoining Chapters and Verses Some Instances of this largely prosecuted BUT a great Cry there is that the Scripture is defective or in plain Terms false in its Arithmetick and here many Places are muster'd up as That in Gen. 46. 27. All the Souls of the House of Jacob which came into Egypt were threescore and ten And again Deut. 10. 22. they are said to be threescore and ten Persons so many they were reckoning Iacob and Ioseph into the Number But how doth this agree with St. Stephen's Account in Acts 7. 14. Joseph sâ—nt and call'd his Father Jacob to him and all his Kindred threescore and fifteen Souls Here is an Addition of five to the former Number But the Agreement of these Texts is not difficult because we may say that Moses only reckons Iacob's Children and Grand-children and not his Daughters in Law the Wives of Iacob's Sons which in all are seventy five Or it may be said that St. Stephen reckons up how great the Number of Iacob's Family was before he came into Egypt and so takes in Iacob's Wives and Iudab's Sons although then dead Or thus that he reckons some into the Number who were begot before they came into Egypt but born after their coming thither There might be such a Tradition as this among the Jews and Stephen here makes use of it Any of these Answers is satisfactory in a Matter of this nature But by no means must we approve of Grotius's shift viz. that it was the Fault of the Transcriber he inserted five more than he should have done Again some ask what Agreement there is between those two Places viz. Numb 25. 9. Those that died in the Plague were twenty and four thousand and 1 Cor. 10. 8. which speaks of the same thing There fell in one Day three and twenty thousand Here is a Thousand short of the former Account But if you look into the Context you 'l soon reconcile these two different Numbers by taking notice that there were two different Judgements or Plagues upon the People at that time The Apostle numbers those only that were kill'd with the Plague from Heaven but Moses reckons those also who were kill'd with the Sword and hung up by the Levites ver 4 5. Or I conceive the Difference between the Numbers may lie in this that St. Paul speaks only of what was done in one Day the Emphasis may be in those Words and so here is not excluded the other thousand which fell at another time Some are dissatisfied because they read in 1 Sam. 16. 10. that David was his Father's eighth Son and again in 1 Sam. 17. 14. they find that he is call'd the youngest Son of eight and yet in 1 Chron. 2. 15. he is reckon'd the seventh Son But the Answer is short and plain namely that in this latter Place where there is a particular Enumeration of Iâ—sse's Sons one of them is omitted and it concerns us not to know why Only we know that sâ—ch Omissions are not unusual in Scripture Another Numerical Difficulty is in 2 Sam. 24. 9. where the Sum of the Number of the People which Ioaâ— gave up is said to be â—ight hâ—â—dred thousaâ—d viz. in Israel and five â—undred thousand in 〈◊〉 in all thirteen hundred thousand fighting Men but look into the Accompt in 1 Chron. 21. 5. and you will find a vast Difference between it and the former But why should this seem strange â—â—â—ing there might be â—everal Reasons why these Sums vary I will mention one Ioab had not finished his numbring of Israel but left off because the Anger of the Lord was kindled â—gainst Israel and so brought David the Number only which is mentioned in Samuel Iosephus is more particular and saith that Ioab left out the Tribe of Benjamin and the Tribe of Levi which two he had not at that time reckon'd for David in the mean time when this Number was taking repented of what he did and call'd back Ioab before he had finish'd the Sum But the Captains who were â—et about this Work in the remoter Parts numbred threâ— hundred thousand besides which being put to the eight hundred thousand in Israel make up exactly the Number in the Chronicles and the same may bâ— said of Iudab Tâ—at Place likewise is objected Solomon had four thousand Stalls for Horses 2 Chron 9. 25. whereas we are told that he had forty thousand 1 Kings 4. 26. If we distinguish between Stalls and Stables the Difficulty ceaseth and wâ— have reason to do so because there is a Diffeâ—encâ— in the Hebrew Words used in these Places latter signifies distinct Stalls for Horses where they stood asunder
the Father of the Ethiopans cannot be denied by any Man that well observes what the use of the Name Cushi or Cushim is in the Sacred Writings Havilah one of Cush's Sons gave Name to Havilah which Strabo places in the Confines of Arabia and Mesopotamia Whether the Arabian or Ethiopian Saba or Saba be denominated from Sheba the Son of Cush or another of that Name who was his Grandson or from a Third Sheba the Son of Ioctan whom also we find in this 10th Chapter of Genesis it is to little purpose here to dispute Mesraim the second Son of Cham was questionless the Founder of Egypt for that is the known Name that it hath in the Hebrew of the Old Testament From Iosephus we learn that the Metropolis of this Province by some call'd Memphis had the Name of Mezzara given it by the Jews in his Time And to this day Egypt is call'd Mizraim by the Jews and Arabians Phut a third Son is believed by most Writers to have peopl'd Mauritania Numidia Lytia Thence Pliny makes mention of a River in Mauvitania call'd Phut of which also St. Ierom speaks telling us that there was in his time a Region in Africk that had its Name from it I doubt not but some part of Africa if not the whole Countrey is meant by Phut in Nah. 3. 9. And it can't be look'd upon as an Extravagant Conjecture if I guess that Phetz or Fez a Kingdom of Mauritania is a Corruption of that Word The fourth and last Son of Cham was Canaan from whom sprang the Canaanites His Sons were Sidon Emori Iebuss c. from whom were the Sidonians including the Tyrians Amorites Jebusites c. often spoken of in the Old Testament All this Country of Palestine was as I said before part of Shem's Portion but Canaan invaded it and thence it bore his Name The Learned Bocbart thinks this was the antient and Primitive Phoenicia it being call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the LXX Exod. 16. 35. and she whom St. Matthew calls a Woman of Canaan is said by St. Mark to be a Syro-Phoenician It is this Great Critick's perswasion that the Phoenicians were originally Canaanites and that they fled out of Canaan when Ioshua came and took Possession of their Country then they went and seated themselves on the Sea-Coast of Palestine call'd by them afterwards Phoenicia as the Britains upon the coming of the Saxons betook themselves to that part of the Country which is now known by the Name of Wales This Excellent Person hath with great and manifold Arguments attempted the Establishment of this Assertion and hath abundantly shew'd that there are several plain Footsteps of those first Planters in the Names in Geography I might confirm this from a very remarkable Passage in St. Augustine who assures us that in his time the Peasants of Hippo who were known to be of the Race of the Phaenicians when they were ask'd who they were used to answer they were Canaans which plainly shews that Canaan and Phoenicia were the same But this I would add here that Phoenicia is a larger and more extensive Term than Canaan because I conceive the former takes in all those Countries that border'd on the Red Sea for I am perswaded that Phoenicia had its Denomination from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Name of Esau or Edom turned into Greek I had occasion heretofore to shew that this Noted Person was call'd Erythras or Erythroeus by the Pagan Historians which Name I am now to observe is of the like Signification with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Rufus So that Esau Edom Erythraeus Phoenix are the same and consequently the Phaenicians properly speaking were all those People that lived near the Red Sea which is call'd so from Edom the Hebrew of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Red and were under the Dominion of that Great Lord and Potentate Esau. This is the Division of the World among the Sons of Noah thus the most High divided to the Nations their Inheritance he separated the Sons of Adam he set Bounds to the People Iapheth's Possession was the Northern and Western Parts of the Earth Shem had the East and Cham had his lot between both Moses reckons up in this Chapter fourteen Persons of the Posterity of Iapheth six and twenty of the Race of Shem and nine and twenty of that of Cham who all with Iapheth Shem and Cham themselves amount to seventy two and just so many Languages or rather Dialects some think there were and the very same number of Nations occasion'd by the rise of those Languages It is a most difficult Task to assign exactly the several Particular Regions and People derived from the Posterity of Noah and their proper Seats and Habitations Arias Montanus Bochart Raleigh Heylin besides others before them who have writ of this Subject seem to differ not a little and yet they all agree in the main Nay where you see different Places and Regions assigned by them they may all be true for one may set down the first Seats of Noah's Offspring another may mention the Colonies they sent forth which lie it may be a great way off of the first Seats and another may take notice of their Encroachments and Invasions But whatever it is that is said by any Authentick Writer concerning this peopling of the several Parts of the Earth it is all founded on the Mosaick History Here we are told that the Parts of the World were divided by the Sons of Noah every one after his Tongue after their Families in their Nations Gen. 10. 5. The Confusion of Tongues was that which divided Families and yet by the Affinity of the Tongues there was an Union made for those that agreed in the same Idiom joined together and went and seated themselves together And who these First Planters were the Sacred History particularly acquaints us As we have no Book but this that lets us know who were the first People in the World who were before the Flood so none but this tells us who the most Considerable Persons after it and by whom the Several Nations of the World were first erected and Colonies were sent forth into all the Parts of the Earth Fourthly The true Knowledg of the Original of Civil Government and the Increases of it and the Different Changes it underwent is to be drawn from these Sacred Fountains We may inform form our selves here and no where else that the Primitive Government was Paternal i. e. it was seated in Fathers of Families as first in Adam and other Heads of Families who then lived a very long Time It is true we are told by Aristotle that the Power of Parents over their Children was a Regal and Sovereign Dominion the one i. e. Parents were the first Kings the other i. e. Children were the first Subjects But this the Philosopher could learn from no other Book but the Bible or from those Traditions which were
founded on these Antient Records because no other Writings give an Account of the Government which was first of all settled among the Sons of Men. Here and only here we are told that Adam and the other first Partriarchs were Supreme Governours in their respective Tribes and Houses that the Father of every Family was at the first the King of it and reigned over his Children and Houshold as Soveraign and that upon the Decease of the Father the Eldest Son by a natural Right and Title was Successor and inherited the Paternal Power and Dominion Thus with the Paternal Rule went Primogeniture i. e. the First-born Sons of Fathers of Families were Rulers and there were many of these every where And thus the Authority quietly and peaceably ran in this Channel and 't is not likely was interrupted till some years before the Flood when there was a general Corruption of Mankind and some affected extraordinary Dominion and Sway and perverted the Primitive way of Government After the Flood we find that the Authority was continued in the Heads and First-born of Families and now by a more especial Commission the Magistrate's Authority is confirm'd Gen. 9. 5. whoso sheddeth Man's Blood by Man shall his Blood be shed The Ruler is authorized to punish Murder with Death to require Blood for Blood This is the first Formal Appointment of the Power of the Sword that we read of this is the first Erection of a Tribunal of Life and Death From some Instances in the Records of this Time we may gather that the Sacerdotal Dignity was joined to the Secular Power they that were Magistrates were Priests And so far as we are able to discover these Offices were exerted by those who had the Paternal Right or that of Priority of Birth Thus it was in the first Patriarchal Oeconomy this was the Government which lasted till after the Deluge in the Race of Shem. For as yet there was no one Person who usurped Authority over all the rest though those of Cham's Offspring had a Monarchy in the mean time Nimrod being their King of whom I shall speak afterwards but the Patriarchs kept up the first and original Laws of Paternity and Primogeniture all the time they lived at Liberty there was no failure of this Government till they were brought under the Egyptian Yoke And then afterwards when the Jewish People were in the Desarts of Arabia the Primogeniture more signally ceas'd in Moses who was appointed by God himself to be Ruler over them And so we are come to give an Account of the Civil Government of the Iews which we can learn from no other Writings under Heaven but These Moses I say was their Ruler and was the First of that kind that they had He was not only their Captain and Leader but their Civil Magistrate yea he may be said to be their King for even that Title is given to him Deut. 33. 5. Moses was King in Jeshurun i. e. in Israel He was an Absolute King say Philo and the Jewish Doctors and Mr. Selden and some others Ioshua was their next Ruler Captain and King who was succeeded by the Iudges who were like the Roman Dictators set up upon emergent Occasions to desend protect and deliver the People But all this time the Jews were under a Theocracy i. e. they were governed in a more signal manner by God They received their Laws from Him and he appointed the Punishments for the Breach of those Laws They went to War by His Advice and Direction and they did nothing in Civil or Ecclesiastical Affairs without consulting him Thus God was their King it was a Divine Government and the Iudges were but God's Vicegerents and held a Power under Him That God himself exercised this Regal Power over the Jews was expresly acknowledged by Gideon Judg. 8. 23. I will not rule over you saith he to that People neither shall my Son rule over you the Lord shall rule over you So Samuel told the People that the Lord their God was their King 1 Sam. 12. 12. And this is implied in what God said to Samuel They have not rejected thee but they have rejected me that I should not Reign over them 1 Sam. 8. 7. This Kingdom of God among the Iews began when he renewed the Covenant with them Exod. 19. 5 6. Then they took God for their King and Governour and accordingly the Jewish Government is stiled a Theocracy not only by Iosephus but many of the Christian Writers But this wanton People desired another King besides God they would by no means be Singular they would be Ruled as other Nations were a King they must have as Egypt Babylon Syria Persia and the rest of the Pagan World had And a King they had according to their earnest Desire for they chose Saul to be their King in desiance of God's Soveraignty over them and now the Theocratical Dispensation ceased Their Kingly Government lasted till the Captivity when Zedekiah was their last King After their Return from Assyria they were governed by the Chief Heads of their Tribes Thus the Sacred Writings acquaint us that Zerobabel a Prince of the Tribe of Iudah was their Supreme Ruler But the Canonical Scripture goes not on to tell us the great Variety of Governours over the Jews after the Captivity Only in the New Testament we read of Herod who was the first Stranger that was King of the Jews but the last of all their Kings for their that famous Prophecy of the Scepter departing from Iudah was accomplished and Shiloh the Blessed Saviour the Prince of Peace came into the World Having given you a short Survey of the Government among the Iews I will in the next Place speak of the Particular Exertments of it in their Courts of Iudicature There was the Iudicatory of three Men two of which were chosen by the Parties that were at Controversy and those two chose a third This sort of Courts was call'd the Iudicature of Moneys because it was conversant about Pecuniary Causes i. e. wherein Life was not concerned but only a Sum of Money to be paid for the Fault viz. Thest Trespasses Defamation Hurt and Damage and all Private Injuries In short all Lesser Causes and Petty Actions were tried by these Triumviri I must add that though this was usually call'd the Iudicature of Three yet this Number was sometimes increased to five or seven And this must be noted that these three five or seven Iudges or rather Iustices of the Peace were settled in every City and considerable Town and they tried the Causes and decided the Controversies of the Inhabitants of their proper City and Town Again there was the Iudicatory of Three and Twenty Men and sometimes it consisted of Four and twenty This Court was stiled the Iudicatory of Souls because Great and Capital Causes such as concern'd the Life of Men were brought and tried here This Court was also called the Little Sanedrim