the eldest of the twins which Judah had by Thamar; just as Jacob was preferred before his brother Efau, though they were twins, and Efau born the first of the two.

One fees afterwards, that God having chofen Jefe of all the pofterity of Phares, David, the youngest of all his fons, was preferred before his brethren, when God was pleased to tranflate the kingdom to the tribe of Judah, and to the family of Jeffe; juft as we faw before, in the election of the firft king whom the Ifraelites defired to be fet over them, that he was chofen by lot, by an extraordinary effect of providence, out of the tribe of Benjamin, though the youngest of all Jacob's children. Thus one fees that Solomon, the youngest of David's children, was preferred before his brothers, and that the fame Solomon built the temple of God in the tribe of Benjamin, though he himself was of the tribe of Judah.

We fhall afterwards fee that the Meffiah was defcended from David, by Nathan, fon to one of David's younger children, and by Refab, Zorababel's youngeft fon, from whom the Bleffed Virgin drew her original.

The fecond remark is about the care God hath taken, by his choice of fome particular perfons to accomplish the promise, to furnish those with pretences and objections, who might be interefted to oppose the reftrictions which God had made in favour of their equals; for as they served to keep up a jealoufy amongst all the pretenders to the promife, fo they alfo ferved to preferve a distinct knowledge of it, and to make them inquire more diligently after it.

In fhort, as we fee that the Ifmaelites might upbraid Sarah both with her frequent rapes, and with her cruelty to Agar and Ifmael; as the Eaomites might upbraid Jacob's pofterity with Rebecca's fupplanting their father Efau, and cheating him of his bleffing; fo likewife we may obferve that God not only chofe Thamar to have the Meffiah defcend from her, but also would have her inceft with her father-in-law recorded. What! might all the other tribes of Ifrael fay, were there then no honeft women in Ifrael, that the Meffiah's ancestors muft defcend from those that were born of an incestuous commerce? What probability is there that God fhould choose the tribe of Judah? Had not all the other children of Judah a fairer pretenfion to this privilege, than Phares could have? And might not their pofterity revive against the pofterity of Phares that fevere law against baftard children which we read of Deut. xxiii.

God chofe in the like manner Ruth the Moabites, and had her history written, and his choice recorded, as if he had intended to prepare an excufe for those of the Ifraelites who afterwards would refuse to submit to David. What probability is there, might they fay, that God would have the Meffiah to be born of a Moabites, fecing it was by his order that Mofes caufed all thofe Ifraelites to be put to death, who after the pronunciation of Balaam's prophecy held any commerce with the daughters of Moab? Was there any likelihood that fuch a thing could be poffible, efpecially feeing there was a law which God would have to be inferted in Deuteronomy, which excludeth the Moabites from the poffibilty of ever being admitted into the people of God. But at leaft, was not

this choice of Ruth the Moabitefs, a fair cause of jealousy to all the other families of Judah?

God caufed the adultery of Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, to be carefully recorded, as it were on purpose to excufe the rebellion of those who afterwards fided with Jeroboam, against Rehoboam and his authority.

Is it probable (might these rebels fay) that God would have chosen that bloody cruel man David, that adulterer, that he and Bathsheba fhould beget the Meffiah together?

Had fee no other children befides David? And if David muft needs have been the man, why should Solomon, born of Bathsheba, be preferred before all his brothers?

There are three things confiderable in this matter.

The firft is, that God having given to Joshua the conduct of the Ifraelites, after he had formerly raised Jofeph fo much above his brethren by his advancement in Egypt, and given to his tribe two portions of the land of Canaan, he permitted that Jeroboam fhould rife up against Rehoboam, Solomon's fon; and not only fo, but should likewife, according to the prophecy related Gen. xxviii. 17. build a temple at Bethel, as being jealous against Solomon, who built one upon mount Moriah, according to the prophecy we find in Genefis xxii. 14.

The fecond is, that this feparation gave a fair pretence to raise the reputation of the prophecies which Jacob uttered upon his death-bed in favour of Jofeph; which prophecies ran in terms fo very high, that they not only gave colour to Jeroboam's pretenfions to the kingdom, but did alfo lead the ten tribes into an expectation that the Meffiah fhould be born, not in the tribe of Judah, as Jacob had exprefsly foretold, Genefis xlix. but in the tribe of Ephraim, according to the conftant cuftom of God's preferring the younger fons of a family before the elder, in the matter of this promife.

The third is, that even the greateft part of the two loyal tribes received at laft the interpretation which the other ten made of that prophecy. At least, it appears, that many of the Jews have endeavoured to prove that the Meffiah fhould come from the tribe of Ephraim, by interpreting feveral prophecies that way, which, according to their ac count and their prejudices, were expreffed in such terms as could not be understood of him that was to be born in the tribe of Judah, and out of the royal family of David.

VOL. I.

X

CHAP. XV.

That Circumcision was a Means of diftinguishing the ISRAELITES from other Nations.

UT I must now refume my obfervations upon Mofes's laws. Cir-. cumcifion was, without queftion, one of the firft and moft fenfible means whereby God did diftinguifh Jacob's pofterity from all other people. I will therefore begin with it.

First, the very fignification of the word circumcifion, implies a real and corporeal diftinction: even Tacitus understood it fo, when he faith, Circumcidere genitalia inftituêre Judæi ut diverfitate nofcantur (e). But befides, by it God's covenant was, as it were, printed and engraved in the very flesh of all Abraham's pofterity.

God has explained it thus himself in feveral places; and one may affirm, that this was very agreeable to God's defign, which was, as we have intimated before, to hinder that people, from which the Meffiah was to be born, from mingling with the other nations of the world, which would have made the pedigree of the Meffiah fufpected, or at leaft much more difficult to be traced.

I will not relate here, the feveral notions of divines about the use of that ceremony, but only content myself to make two very natural reflexions upon' it.

The firft of which is, that it was particularly in respect of the Meffiah, that God would have that mark made upou that part of man's body which is infervient to generation. As the Meffiah was to come into the world by generation, according to the words of the first prophecy concerning him, and alfo according to the further revelations of God to Abraham about that promife, fo God could do nothing more agreeable to the idea the Ifraelites had of the Meffiah, and of his birth, than to diftinguish them, by a relation to that bleffed feed which he promised them as God defigned, without all queftion, by that means to oblige the Jews to remember the first promife made to mankind; fo, no doubt, he intended by it to fix their minds upon the confideration of that favour he had fhewed to them as well as to Abraham, to distinguish them from all the people of the earth, that the deliverer of the world might be born in their commonwealth, and from one of their posterity.

The fecond reflexion is, that it was the fame profpect to the Meffiah, which made God condemn thofe to death, who fhould either remain uncircumcifed themselves, or leave their children fo.

Is it not a very furprifing thing, that fo much rigour and feverity fhould be used in exacting the obfervation of a ceremony which was merely indifferent in its nature, and had no moral goodness in itfelf? But hereby it appears the more evidently, that God defigned that the ufe of circumcifion, by which he diftinguished Abraham's pofterity from

(e) Hift. 1. i.

all

all other nations of the world, fhould be a kind of immovable bar, to hinder the Jews from mingling with all ftrangers.

Indeed there are three things which may be objected against these reflexions.

The first is, that it does not appear that this ceremony was counted fuch a proper fign of distinction, seeing the use of it hath been sometimes intermitted; as, for inftance, when the whole nation of the Jews left it off for forty years in the wilderness.

The fecond is, that if the chiefeft end of circumcifion was to diftinguish that people, with defign to make the Meffiah known, there was no need that that yoke fhould be laid upon all the Jews, but only upon the family from which he was to defcend, or at the most upon the tribe wherein that family was comprised.

The third is, that circumcifion was common both to Efau's and Jacob's posterity; and even used amongst the Egyptians, and the inhabitants of Colchis, as we may learn from Herodotus, and fome other heathen authors.

But after all, it is an eafy thing to fatisfy man's mind in all these appearing difficulties. I confefs that one is furprised to fee that God fhould not oblige the Jews to be circumcifed in the wilderness; for which feveral reafons are given.

First, that God, being difpleafed with that generation, would not allow that they should be honoured with this token of his covenant: others fay, that their journeying in the wilderness gave them a difpenfation from the obfervance of that ceremony. But we may give a better, I think, and more natural account of that matter, if we do but follow the idea which occafioned my fecond reflexion.

The going forth of fome Egyptians with the Ifraelites out of Egypt, was a type of the calling of the Gentiles, as I will fhew fomewhere elfe: it was then neceffary, that as all ceremonies, and circumcifion in particular, were then to be abolished, to take away all diftinction from among Seth's pofterity, fo the use of circumcifion fhould at that time be fufpended.

However, God would not have the fufpenfion of that ceremony to continue till they were entered into the land of Canaan.

First, to prevent the intruding of fome Canaanites into the body of

the Hebrews.

Secondly, to the end that thefe Ifraelites who were to enter into Canaan, being as well uncircumcifed as the Egyptians children, and being all made afterwards equal by circumcifion, thould have no occafion to upbraid them with their different original.

The fecond objection may as easily be answered: one might think at first, that indeed the Meffiah had been more cafily known at his coming, if the use of circumcifion had been enjoined only to the family, or at moft to the tribe, from which he was to defcend: but befides that it had expofed that family, or that tribe, to great perfecutions, it had certainly much diminished that fpirit of jealoufy which was kept up by the conformity of the feveral pretenders, which on the other hand was of mighty ufe to preferve a diftinct idea of the Meffiah, and a defire of his coming.

As for the first objection, there is no difficulty in it: it is true, fome Jewish interpreters imagine, that Jofeph took occafion to prefcribe the ufe of circumcifion to the Egyptians, after Pharaoh had commanded his people to do whatsoever Jofeph fhould bid them to do but that conjecture is ground lefs; for it appears that the Egyptians who went out of Egypt with Mofes, were not circumcifed. It is true, that nation did, fome ages after Mofes, take up the ceremony of circumcifion; and it is very likely that it was fome Egyptian colony which introduced the use of it into Colchis: but the obfervance of that fole ceremony amongst thofe nations could cause no confufion, because none of them pretended to derive their original from Abraham, but had, as hiftorians obferve, quite different reasons from those which the Jews had for their practice of circumcifion.

As for the Ifmaelites and Edomites, the greatest part of the Jews are of opinion, that God did difcriminate their circumcifion from the circumcifion which was practifed by thofe nations, by his inftitution of what they call the perigna after the circumcifion; which they endeavour to prove by a paffage in Jafbua, wherein it is faid, that God ordered Joshua to circumcife again the children of Ifrael the fecond time. But others of them laugh at that criticifm, becaufe it appears that those words do relate to the second folemn circumcifion which that people did observe after their deliverance out of Egypt: therefore, without running to this anfwer, one needs only follow the idea we have already made ufe of, which is drawn from God's defign of keeping up a fpirit of jealousy, by fome conformity betwixt the circumcifion practifed by the Jews, and the ceremonies ufed amongst thofe rival nations.

Why then were fome of the neighbouring nations of Canaan defcended from Abraham, circumcifed? As, for example, the Ifmaelites in Arabia, who were circumcifed at thirteen years of age; the pofterity of Abraham by Keturah, viz. the Midianites, who were in the country of Moab, and the Edomites, defcended from Efau, who did all practise circumcifion.

Certainly, it is evident, that as God fet the Ifraelites in the midft of all thofe nations, who by virtue of their ancestors birthright, or fome other pretenfions, put in their claim with the Jews to the execution of the promife, on purpofe to excite the attention of this people who were furrounded with thefe rivals, fo he did for the fame reafon permit that the Ifmaelites, the Midianites, and Edomites, fhould practife the ceremony of circumcifion, almoft in the fame manner that the Ifraelites did.

But that we may the better apprehend the force of this reflexion, we need only confider the jealoufy which is caufed amongst the several fects of Chriftians, by the conformity of facraments; which is fo far from uniting them with one another, as it might juftly be expected, that on the contrary, one may fay, that this conformity in fome things alienates them from one another, and breeds reciprocal jealoufies amongft their feveral parties, efpecially when they come to reflect upon the other controverted articles that caufe the feparation.

Moreover, it is reasonable to confider that God had provided a fufficient diftinction betwixt that people and other nations, by giving them

many