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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91415	The Jewes synagogue: or, A treatise concerning the ancient orders and manner of worship used by the Jewes in their synagogue-assemblies. Gathered out of the sacred scriptures, the Jewish Rabines, and such modern authors, which have been most conversant in the study of Jewish customes. Wherein, by comparing the scriptures in the Old and New Testament together, many truths are fully opened, and sundry controversies about church-government truly and plainly stated. By William Pinchion of Springfeild [sic] in N. England.	Pynchon, William, 1590-1662.	1652 (1652)	Wing P4309; Thomason E802_4; ESTC R207368	80,705	99

the breeding of a succession of able Men for Pastors Teachers Elders Judges c. to the Worlds end 1 Christ hath ordained Schooles of learning for the continuall raising up of Pastors Teachers and Elders for the good governwent of the Church and Common-weale to the end of the world 81 2 Ezra and the Doctors of his Age did with great diligence devise many precious rules to preserve the purity of the Hebrew text to every letter 85 3 The Hebrew Doctors took care for the preservation of the truth of doctrine as well as for the preservation of the Hebrew text 88 A Discourse TOUCHING THE JEWES SYNAGOGUES Proving that the Jewes Synagogue-Assemblies were true visible Churches of JESUS CHRIST With some other miscellaneous Observations about their Discipline CHAP. I. That the Jewes Synagogue-Assemblies were true visible Churches of Jesus Christ Scholar Teacher WHether were the Jewes Synagogues particular Churches of Jesus Christ or no The Iewes Synagogues were particular Churches of Iesus Christ Teacher It is evident to me that the Jewes-Synagogue-Assemblies were particular Churches of JESUS CHRIST because it was the Angel of the Covenant the Son of God our Lord Jesus Christ that did ordain and institute not only all the twelve Tribes into one Nationall-Church but also that did divide and distribute the said twelve Tribes into several particular Churches I say Jesus Christ did institute both these kind of Churches in Israel he was the Angel-Jehovah that first spake unto Moses out of the bush Exod. 3. 2. called also the God of Abraham vers 7. and he is also called the God of Glory that first appeared to Abraham while he was an Idolater in his Fathers house in Mesopotamia Acts 7. 2. Jos 24. This God of glory did now appear unto Moses in the bush and sent him to bring his People out of Egypt and out of the house of bondage Exod. 20. therefore Christ was that Jehovah that said unto all Israel Thou shalt have no other Gods but me Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Images thou shalt not bow down to worship them but thou shalt worship me alone with such outward worship as I have already appointed or as I shall now appoint at this Mount Sinai or which I shall hereafter appoint when the Throne of my Tabernacle shall be reared up So then Christ was that Jehovah that first promised the Land of Canaan unto Abraham and his seed Gen. 12. and that sent Moses to bring them out of Egypt and that kept them company in the wildernesse by going before them in a cloudy pillar by day and in a fiery pillar by night untill he brought them into the land of Canaan And the Apostle Paul doth tell us plainly that it was Christ that caused the rock to supply them with water in the wildernes 1 Cor. 10. 4. Therefore it followes that it must needs be Jesus Christ that did not only unite the twelve Tribes into one Nationall Church but also that did distribute them into severall particular Church-Assemblies And therefore it was Christ that appointed all the Ordinances of his worship by Moses both their national and in their particular Church-Assemblies Scholar How do you prove that Jesus Christ did distribute the twelve Tribes into several particular Church-Assemblies Teacher I prove it by a place of Scripture that is both plain and pregnant Lev. 23. 1 2 3. Jehovah spake unto Moses saying Speak unto the sons of Israel and say unto them c. and in verse 3. he saith thus Six dayes shall work be done but in the seventh day shall be a Sabbath of Sabbatism a convocation of holinesse ye shall not do any work it shall be a Sabbath to Iehovah in all your dwellings In this Text Jesus Christ is called Jehovah he bade Moses the chief Magistrate to speak unto the sons of Israel that is to say to the chief Sons or Elders of Israel as he doth explain his meaning in Levit. 9. 1. 3. There Moses bids Aaron to speak unto the sons of Israel that is to say the 70. to the Senate of Israel in the first place Exod. 25. 1. 9. Numb 11. that so by their means all the other sons of Israel might understand the commandment of Christ concerning the time and manner of his publike worship And so it was Christ also that bad Moses to set the judiciall Laws before them Exod. 21. 1. that is to say before the chief sons of Israel in the first place and so by their means before all the people also and by this orderly way Christ did communicate all his Laws and Ordinances to all the people see Ains in Exod. 4. 29. 12. 3. compared with 21. with Num. 5. 1. 30. 1. Then Christ by Moses bade these chief sons of Israel to proclaim Convocations of Holiness that all the people might know the appointment of Christ and Christ did command these chief sons of Israel to proclaim unto the people the observation of two several kinds of holy Convocations First particular Convocations of Holiness or particular Church-Assemblies which they must observe every seventh Day in all their dwellings Levit. 23 3. Secondly By general Convocations of Holiness or general Church-Assemblies which they must observe before his Sanctuary three times a year verse 4. and so to thee and of the Chapter Now the first sort of these holy Convocations spoken of vers 3. must needs be understood of their particular Church-Assemblies for this phrase In all your dwellings cannot be understood neither of their Family-Assemblies nor yet of their Nationall Church-Assemblies therefore it must be understood of particular Church-Assemblies First I say that this Convocation which Christ commanded them to keep every seventh Day in all their dwellings cannot be understood of their Family-Convocations It is a grosse conceit for any man to think that Christ did by this phrase command every Family to stay at home to keep a Convocation in every private Family Secondly it is as grosse a conceit to think that Christ did by this phrase command all the twelve Tribes to keep a general Convocation before the Sanctuary every seventh Day especially after they were setled in the Land of Canaan in their several Inheritances any man that hath but half an eye may see that such a Convocation was impossible to be observed every seventh Day Therefore it follows by necessary consequence that the holy Convocation which Christ did command them to keep every seventh Day in all their dwellings must be understood of such particular Church-Convocations as were made of several Families in a convenient distance of place for every ones dwelling The truth of this Interpretation will the better appear if we do but consider two circumstantial differences 1. Of Time 2. Of Place First of Time This Convocation spoken of in verse 3. is expresly commanded to be observed every Sabbath or seventh Day through all the year even during the time of their travel in the wildernesse therefore this

excluded from the Church at large he was only excluded from bearing special Office in the Church as a Priest compleat and as a Magistrate For this phrase He shall not enter in or come in is expounded To beare Office as a Magistrate 1 Kings 3. 9. 9. The Congregation of the gods Psal 82. 1. is translated by the Seventy the Synagogue of the gods it may be as well translated the Church of the gods for the seventy do often put the term Synagogue for the term Church and for the term Congregation vid. Ains Exod. 21. 6. 10. The Congregation before whom the man-slayer must stand in judgement Numb 35. 12. c. and Ios 20. 6. is termed by the Seventy the Synagogue or Church of Elders for I finde these three termes Congregation Synagogue and Church often put the one for the other as termes Synonima 11. Salomon describes the course of Justice against an impenitent person much like to that course of Justice which Christ doth direct us to in Matth. 18. 15 16 17. He saith That hee whose hatred is covered by deceit his wickednesse shall bee shewed before the whole Church Prov. 26. 26. The Hebrew word in this place is Kahal but the Seventy translate it the Synedrion or the Session of Elders Salomon by this phrase his hatred is covered by deceit doth imply that hee will not acknowledge his fault to his neighbour but did labour to cover his hatred to his brother by deceit thereupon the matter must be brought before the Church or Court of Elders called the Synedrion And our Saviour doth tell us that contumelious nick-names such as Raca is in the Talmud were a just cause to bring such a person before the Elders of the Synedrion Matth. 5. 22. or at least they were lyable to be brought thither and the Greek word in Mat. 5. 22. is Synedrion and so the word Church in Ier. 15. 17. is Synedrion in the seventy 12. The Church is commanded to rejoyce in the Feast of Tabernacles with exceeding joy with musick songs and palm-branches in their hands Levit. 23. 40. But this kinde of joy was not acted by the whole multitude of the Church but by the Elders of the Sanhedrin Court only for they were the whole Church representatively vid. M. Ains in Levit. 23. 40. 13. Not only the Elders assembled in the high Sanhedrin but all the Elders of their inferiour Sanhedrins in each Session might well be called a Church as in Psal 107. 32. Let them exalt him in the Church of the people and praise him in the sitting of the Elders The term Church and the sitting of the Elders are terms Synonima in this Text. The manner how the Jews did exalt God in the Church of the people and praise him in the sitting of the Elders is thus recorded by the Hebrew Doctors Men made confession unto God for four sorts of deliverances before ten men whereof two of them must be wise men After this manner they exalted God before the Church of the people because it was done before some of the Elders of the Church who may be called a Church for so they are called representatively And marvel not that two Elders or two wise men are called A Church for if Symeon and Levi assembled together in Counsel about the destruction of the Sychemites be called Kahal a Church as they are in Gen. 49. 6. then two wise men or Elders of the Sanhedrin with eight of the people in their company may as well be called A Church of people 14. Kahal the Church Prov. 5. 14. translated by the Septuagint Ecclesia means the Assembly or Court of Elders the words of the text run thus I was almost in all evil in the midst of the Church and Assembly The Seventy have the like phrase upon the word Church in 1 Chron. 28. 8. Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the Church of the Lord this Church was nothing else but the Congregation of Elders compared with verse 1. and with chap. 29. 1 10 20. These Elders were the chief Doctours in Moses Laws and therefore those that lived in evil contrary to their teaching might well fear the evil of punishment when they stood in the middest of their Church and Assembly as Salomon warneth Prov. 12. 13 14. 15. Iesus Ben Syrack one of the former Hebrew Doctors since the Prophets puts the word Church for a counsel of wise and learned men He first shews the un-aptnesse of Artificers for matters of Counsel and Judicature they shall not be sought unto saith he in matters of publique Counsel neither shall they sit high in the Church nor sit in the Iudges seat nor understand the sentences of Iudgement Ecclus. 8. 24. 33. In these words he doth plainly make the Elders of the Court Sanhedrin to be a Church by themselves 16. The same Authour saith that the adulterous wife shall be brought into the Church and inquisition and examination shall be made of her children Ecclus. 23. 22 24. he saith plainly that the adulterous woman shall be brought before the Church of the Elders and they shall make inquisition concerning the Legitimacy or bastardy of her children And after this sort the Congregation or Church of Elders sit to judge them that had taken strange wives Ezra 10. 14. 16. 17. It is no more absurditie to call the Elders of the Sanhedrin a Church then it is to call a Court of Heathen Magistrates a Church But a Court of Heathen Magistrates are called a Church properly for the Town-Clerk of Ephesus told Demetrius and his consorts that if they had any thing to lay against Paul and Alexander it should be determined in a lawfull Church that is to say it should be legally determined in an Assembly of Magistrates Act. 19. 39. Therefore seeing a Court of Heathen Magistrates are properly called a Church why may not that Church in Mat. 18. 17. be taken for a Court of Elders seeing the Elders of all their Synedrions were the chosen Elders of the Church for all matters and therefore were or ought to bee learned and expert in all the Lawes of Moses both Leviticall and Judiciall 18. Those eminent persons in the Church of Corinth that spake with Tongues and prophesied are called a Church by the figure Synecdoche 1 Cor. 14. 23. Thus the text is when the whole Church is come together into one and all speak strange tongues No man that is well advised will say that the word Church in this place doth mean the whole people in general the word all must not have that sence except you will say also that the whole multitude spake with strange tongues but no man I think will say so therefore the word all and the word Church must have reference to those only that spake with strange Tongues These only are called the whole Church by the figure Synecdoche Likewise it is said every one that hath a Psalme or hath a doctrine hath a tongue hath interpretation this

phrase every one must not be taken vulgarly for every one of the common multitude of the Church The Apostle himself doth contradict that Exposition for he doth teach us to oppose the learned to the unlearned in ver 23. 24. therefore he doth exempt the unlearned as not fit to be accounted into the number of every one that hath a Psalm c. therefore these two phrases all and every one means all and every one of those only whom God had gifted with extraordinary gifts for the plantation of his Church these only the Apostle calls the whole Church by the figure Synecdoche because they were the chiefe guides and directions of the multitude 19. The word Church is of a large capacity it signifies an Assembly of any kind of men and therefore it may as well be applyed to an assembly of Magistrates in a Court of Justice as to any other Assembly First The whole Army of Sauls souldiers that lay incamped in the field against the Philistims are called Kahal a Church and in the Septuagint Ecclesia 1 Sam. 17. 47. Secondly Nebuchadnezzars Army against Israel is called Kahal a Church and in the seventy Ecclesia Ezek. 16. 40. Thirdly Nebuchadnezzars several companies of souldiers collected into several bands out of several Nations are called Churches in the plural number Ezek. 26. 7. and in the seventy Synagogues Fourthly The Persian Army is also called a Church Ier. 50. 9. and in the septuagint a Synagogue Fifthly Pharaohs army is also called Kahal a Church Ezek. 17. 17. Sixthly The Army of Gog is four times over called Kahal a Church and in the seventy a Synagogue Ezek 38. 4. 7. 13. 15. Seventhly all the multitude of Israel that came out of Aegypt are called Kahal a Church before ever they entred into that Church Covenant which God made with them in Horeb. Exod. 16. 3. Therefore it is no absurdity to call a Court of Elders a Church 20. A confused multitude of people may be called a Church therefore much more an orderly Assembly of Elders in a Court of Justice In Acts 19. 32. It is said that the Church was confused that rose up against Paul and Alexander and in verse 41. The Town-Clark dismissed the Church that is to say the disorderly multitude and Syracides puts the word Church for a disorderly multitude of evil doers Ecclus 26. 5. 21. A company of wicked and corrupt Elders may be called a Church as in Psal 26. 5. I hated the Church of evil doers that is to say the Church or Synedrion of Sauls flattering Counsellors And Iacob also in his last will speaking of the bloudy action of Simeon and Levi saith O my soul come not thou into their secret and unto their Church mine honour be not thou united Gen. 49. 6. Hence it follows that the conclave of Cardinals in Rome may be truly and properly called a Church and the general Councels of Cardinals Bishops and other Popish Doctors may truly and properly be called a Church though also they ought to be called a malignant Church or a Synagogue of Satan Therefore I wonder why any man of learning and wisdom should account it such a strange matter to interpret the word Church in Matth. 18. 17. to mean the Elders of the Synedrion-Court especially considering they were the Churches chosen Elders appointed to sit in Moses Chair to expound Moses laws and to punish all the Transgressors thereof with sutable punishments and though they were grown now more degenerate then in former times yet they had some godly Elders among them as Gamaliel and Nichodemus and Ioseph of Arimathea with many others doubtles here and there dispersed among their several Sanhedrins I will conclude these one and twenty Collections with this Summe First Their opinion that Tell the Church requireth a new Court would breed new speech in the New Testament But our Lord spake it as is evident of the Church of Elders of the Politie known and practised of old in Israel Bro. in Manuscript Secondly In the Iews Reipublike the same Ecclesia that judged Dammages or Death judged of excommunication and still the chief Rulers being of Faith should have their stroke They will and should study to excel in Divinity to be true Bishops and Elders to eat up the book of the Gospel and to see all miscarriages sagely restrained The Apostle did excommunicate the Corinthian as an Elder or Bishop Bro. in Manus and Apoc. 155. Thirdly The Reformed Churches as Zurick take the wisest order that destroy all the Popes marks The Consul is present at all Scholars dealings and most straitly look to Scholars carriage twice in the Yeer and all punishments are referred to the Consul and Synedrion such was the Apostles Doctrine and Synagogues of old Bro. Apoc. 230. and on the Lords Prayer pag. 10. 11. alibi Scholar Truly I must needs confess that I cannot justly except against your exposition of the word Church in Matth. 18. 17. and yet I desire a little further satisfaction Whether it be lawful to call all the visible professors of the Faith dispersed over the world A Church of Christ or no Teacher I have already shewed you that the word Church is of such a large capacity that it may well comprehend them all and therefore I do fully accord with those Divines that describe the Church of Christ to be outwardly visible farre and wide over the face of the earth Scholar Very learned men do think that there can be no such universal visible Church of Christ 1. Because all those visible Professors cannot meet together in any one place to perform that publick worship which Christ hath ordained And secondly they cannot have any general Officers over them because they cannot meet together to chuse them Teacher I do desire that no man will be offended suddenly at the term Church attributed to all visible Professors of the Faith For though they cannot now personally meet together in any one place as perhaps they did in the dayes of Adam and Noah yet they do dayly meet together in the unitie of the Faith and they do all make the same publick Profession of salvation by All the outward Professors of the Faith through the world do make an universal visible Church of Christ Christ alone But for the better performance of the same publick Faith and Worship they are fitly divided and distributed into particular visible Churches And my reasons for calling all visible Professors an universal visible Church of Christ are these 1. What other Temple of God can that be wherein Antichrist doth sit as God but the universal visible Church of Christ dispersed over the world Antichrist cannot be said to sit as a God in any one particular Congregational Church but he sits in the Temple of God even as Christ sat formerly in the Temple between the Cherubims whither the twelve Tribes resorted three times a year And these twelve Tribes are called a Church of Nations Genesis 28. 3. Because they

as it was a sin against his person in that sense they knew he might forgive it if he pleased and he did forgive it though it were a sin of the highest nature for the sin that is done against a mans person is far greater then that which is done against a mans goods and so the Hebrew Doctors affirm they say if a man have done his neighbour dammage ●n his goods assoon as he hath paid that which he ought to pay atonement is made for him But he that hurteth his neighbours person although he give unto him for satisfaction all the five things spoken of in Exod. 21. 13. yet atonement is not made for him thereby yea though he should sacrifice unto God all the Rams of Nebaioth Es 60. 7. yet atonement is not made for him nor his iniquity forgiven until he request it of Him that was hurt and he do forgive it him Ains in Gen. 50. 17. Our Saviour also gives the like rule of caution If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest thy brother hath ought against thee leave there thine offering before the Altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift Mat. 5. 23 24. Thirdly This kind of sin against a brother may be explained by other instances Jonathan entreated Saul not to sin against David because David did not sin against him 1 Sam. 19. 4. And so David pleaded with Saul when he cut off the skirt of his robe Know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hands I have not sinned against thee yet thou huntest my soul to take it 1 Sam. 24. 11. In this sense also Iacob asked Laban What is my trespass and what is my sin that thou hast so hotly pursued after me Gen. 31. 36. the 70. translate this phrase thus What is my injury and what is my sin Shimei also met David at his return and acknowledged that he had sinned against him and desired pardon thereupon David accepted of his acknowledgment and forgave him 2 Sam. 19. 19 20. 23. David forgave the sin that was done to his person but David could not forgive his sin as it was done against God So the prodigal son when he had sinned against his Father in wasting his Fathers goods he confessed his sin against his Father and said Father I have sinned against heaven and against thee Luke 15. 18. and his Father forgave him the sins that were done against him Breach of promise is a great sinne against man as Iudah did acknowledge unto Iacob vide Ains in Gen 43. 9. 44. 32. which a man may forgive to his brother 4. It is plain that Christ speaks in this Text of such a kind of sin as a brother may forgive because Peter demands this question in ver 21. in relation to Christs exhortation How oft shall my brother sinne against me and I forgive him Our Saviour by his answer to the end of the Chapter sheweth that he spake of the sin of injurious dealing against a mans brother and our Saviour doth much inculcate upon this point of dealing brotherly in point of wrongs and injuries and in his form of Prayer he doth lay it down as one of the conditions of those Petitions which we ought to make unto God in our dayly prayers To forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us Matth. 6. 12. and in verse 14. he enforceth this point by this reason If you forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you but if you do not forgive men their trespasses no more will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses And in this sence Christ did conclude his answer to Peters question Matth. 18. 35. All these places compared together do plainly evidence that the kind of sin Christ speaks of in Matth. 18. 15. is no other but the sin of trespass or injury which one brother may do unto another Scholar It seems to me that our Saviour doth exhort his Disciples to rebuke a brother for every sinne they see in him for sinne against God as well as for sinne against man As for example if a man hear his brother swear a vain oath ought he not to rebuke his brother for it and if he repent not then to take one or two with him c. Yet that sin doth no hurt to a mans brother it is onely a sinne against God immediately Teacher The point about which we reason is about a particular case namely about a brother sinning injuriously against a brother But now you start a question about sinne against God immediately Whether a man that sees his brother sin against God immediately ought not to rebuke him for it I will answer as plainly as I can First I say that all sinne in general ought to be rebuked But yet secondly I say that this duty of rebuking sinne against God must be grounded on some other command of Christ that is more large then this in Matth. 18. 15. namely it must be grounded upon the second or third Commandments or upon Levit. 19. 17. Which I conceive is a general command to rebuke all kind of sinne in all sorts of persons as farre as any brother may have a necessary calling thereunto or else saith our Saviour He hates his brother in his heart and must bear sinne for him and if he remain impenitent or perverse he ought to complain against him to authority provided he can witness his complaint But this extraordinary command in Matth. 18. 15. is a more particular command to rebuke a trespassing brother in a private way first which is a loving and honourable kind of dealing and this duty is of necessary concernment to be practised for the better preservation of Christian love and society as I have above noted it from our Saviours large answer to Peters question Therefore now I conclude from all the premisses that our Saviour did not ordain excommunication in this Text no otherwise then he ordained scourging fining or the like punishments for the correction of unrepenting sinners such as the Church or Court of Magistrates should see cause to inflict upon complaint and proof Scholar Do you hold the word Church in Matth. 18. 17. to be a Court of Magistrates learned Divines hold it to be meant of a particular Christian Church assembled together both Elders and Members Teacher I apprehend that the word Church in Matth. 18. 17. This phrase Tell the Church means nothing else but tell the Elders of the Sanhedrin Must be taken for a Court of Magistrates and that it cannot be taken for a particular Christian Church of Elders and Members assembled together First because there were no particular Christian Churches as yet established Secondly It is plain by the circumstances of the Text that Christ spake of such a Church as was in present being unto which the present offended brother might repair for justice against his

unrepentant trespassing brother or else how could his Disciples practice his Doctrine seeing he doth nor explain himself to speak of Christian Churches Thirdly It is evident that Christ spake of such a Church as was in present being among the Jews because he applies his speeches to the present Jews capacity Let him be to thee as an Heathen and Publican This phrase is not sutable to a particular Christian Church for Christians might company with Heathens and Publicans But the Jews might not hold communion with any unclean and uncircumcised Heathens as Peters refusing to go to Cornelius doth testifie Acts 10. Neither did Christians hate Publicans but the Jews in general did because they raised them up in the point of Tribute to Cesar But converted Christians were allowed to eat and drink with Heathens in civil feastings except it were in the Idols Temple and they might also eat and drink with Publicans as our Saviour and his Disciples often did though the Jews in general through their own unjust tradition took offence at Christ for it Scholar Can you make it manifest by Scripture with good reason that a Court of Magistrates are a Church Learned men affirm the contrary They affirm that a Court of Magistrates is no where called a Church in Scripture Teacher I will answer you fully and plainly I affirm that a Court of Magistrates is often called a Church in Scripture First It is evident that the Hebrew word Kahal the Church A Court of Elders is a Church in Scripture phrase is in Deut. 31. 30. must be understood of the Elders and Officers of the Church onely which also were the Magistrates of the Common-weal they did now assemble unto Moses out of all the Tribes as it appears by comparing verse 30. with verse 28. Therefore the said Elders with their Officers attending on them were called the Church They were the whole Church representatively and it may be further observed that Kahal in this place is translated by the seventy Ecclesia the Church Secondly If the whole Church did sin ignorantly in their practise against some branch or other of the Law of God then the Church must bring a sin-offering and it is called the Churches sin-offering in Levit. 4. 13 14. 21. and yet the Common people of the twelve Tribes did not assemble to Jerusalem to present this Church sin-offering but the Elders or Magistrates of the Sanhedrin did it without the presence of the people Levit. 4. 15. Therefore the Elders of the Court Sanhedrin are a true Church representatively Thirdly Kahal the Church 1 Chron. 13. 2. 4. compared with verse 1. is nothing else but the Captains of thousands and hundreds with the Governours or Elders of the Court Sanhedrin and the 70. translate this Kahal by Ecclesia Fourthly Kahal the Church in 1 Chron. 29. 1. 10. 20. Is nothing else but the Elders of the Court Sanhedrin together with other chief Princes and Captains of thousands and Captains of hundreds c. As it is evident by comparing this place with 1 Chron. 28. 1. 8. This Kahal also is translated by the seventie Ecclesia 5. Kahal the Church in 2 Chron. 1. 3. 5. is nothing else but the Captains of thousands and hundreds with the Judges and every Governour in all Israel all these did accompany Salomon to seek the Lord at Gibeon all this assembly of Governors and chiefe Fathers are called a great Church This Kahal is also translated by the 70. Ecclesia Sixthly Kahal the Church 2 Chron. 23. 28. 31. 32. in 2 Chron. 3. 2. 4. is explained in 2 Chron. 29. 20. to be nothing else but the Rulers of the City assembled together in a Sanhedrin Court that is to say there was the 70. Elders of the high Sanhedrin and the Elders of the two other Sanhedrins who had their residence in Jerusalem as I noted above in opening the kinds of Sanhedrins and this matter is also further explained in verse 28. 31. 32. and in 2 Chron. Chap. 30. 2. 4. This Assembly of Elders is termed a Church in all the said verses both in the Hebrew and in the seventy The generaltie of the people did not come to the first Passe-over in the first moneth Therefore Hezekiah took counsel of this Church of Elders and they counselled him to gather together all the people on the fourteenth day of the second moneth So then Hezekiah and the Elders made a Church by themselves in the point of Counsel in the first moneth But in the second moneth both the Elders and the people together made a very great Church and these degrees of Church meetings were ordained by Moses If one Trumpet alone sounded then the Elders came alone to the Church-meeting but if both Trumpets sounded together then both Elders and People did meet together in one Church-Assembly vide Numb 10. 7. Kahal the Church translated by the seventy Ecclesia in 1 Chron. 28. 14. is nothing else but the Elders of Samaria assembled together For by the counsel of the Prophet Oded certain of the Heads of the children of Ephraim stood up against the Souldiers that were returned from warring against Iudah And they said unto the Souldiers ye shall not bring the captaives into this City and the armed men obeyed their voice and left all the captives before the Princes and before all the Church This Church therefore is nothing else but the Magistrates of Samaria which were assembled to this place by the counsel of Oded the Prophet to prevent the further occasion of Gods wrath 8. The word Church in Deut. 23. 1 2 3. 8. is Kahal in all the four places and in the Seventy Ecclesia in one of these four places it is said that a Moabite and an Ammonite may not enter into the Church of Iehovah for ever This place doth not exclude a converted Ammonite or a Moabite from the Church of the Jewes but yet it did exclude them from bearing any Office in their Church or Publique Courts and so both the Hebrew Doctors and some learned Christians do understand the word Church in this text to be spoken of the Church of Elders assembled in the Sanhedrin Court a Moabite or an Ammonite though converted to the Faith yet they might not bear any Office in the Church-Court So Mr Broughton expounds the word Church in this place and so doth Mr Ainsworth in effect In another of these four places it is said The Priest which was hurt in his privy members might not enter into the Church of Iehovah Deut. 23. 1. He might not enter in to wait upon his Office as a Priest compleat neither might he enter into the Sanhedrin Court to bear any Office there as long as that part was defective but he was not excluded from coming into the Temple he might come thither to do some inferiour works As for example He might cleave wood in the Wood-chamber and in that respect he must have his portion in the holy things therefore he was not