" For the earnest expectation ofthe crea ture waiteth for the manisestation of the sons of God—
Because the creature it self also shall be deliver'd from
the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Because the creature it self also shall be deliver'd from
the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rehearsal - v1 - 1750
pretty !
pretty I
The REHEARSAL.
And these tyrants engross what God created for the common benesit of all mankind, that is, the imld beasti of the earth, and the wildsowls of the air, and the
sishes of the sea. They are ours! ihepeople! every bo dy's ! And these great men wou'd keep them all to tbe? n-
selvts ! they steal our deer to put into their parks I they are the true deer-stealers I and we must be hanged for seeking after a little of our own ! They steal ou r fish out of the rivers, and put them into their ponds ! and1 will not let us take any that is left even in the rivers! That is my Lord's or his Worship's river! they'll take away our fishing-rods, and hind us over, and plague us at law ! and they call this liberty and property ! Ay marry ! 'tis a good liberty to them ! that is, to a very few of the
who lord it over the rest ; over ten thousands more
people,
than themselves ! But 'tis downright oppression and tyranny over the far greatest /ar/ of the people, who are the wz- ;;»/z/ of government ; but have the least share in the
vantages of it.
Don't tell me of law ! (then cry'd he out in a
ston! ) A legal tyranny is the worst tyranny ! because it is hardest to be refisted, and fivry io^i is against one! A man may in any river in Turkey, or Morocco, and rar a Æos or an elephant, if he can c«fr£ him ; they have no parks or inclosures. That looks like a. face of liberty ! wild beasts, fijh and ,/o-w/ are left common to all, as nature left them. You may talk of /«•w/ what you will ( faid he) but if it were not for the name of liberty, one had as good be without them ! As a man faid, that was gallop ing upon a hobby-horse, if it had not been for the name of riding, he had as good have gone a foot.
For my part (faid he) I'm ter levelling, without that
there's no liberty. Laws and liberty are whig and tory,
high-church and low-church, persect oppofites, the one can not subfist without the destruction of the other. The laiv is a pair of with which the rich and the great take the /oar by the nose, and hold it to the grind-stone, as St. Dunstan serv'd the devil. A poor man cannot go to law , and if he does, he's sure to be undone, whether he
S4
gain
39a
The REHEARSAL.
gain or lose the cause. And after the sirst or second term must sue in forma pauperis ; which is a blessed state !
(6. ) The very state (faid park-keeper ) to which you have reduc'd my poor brother t'other side of Trent, con
trary to your faith and promise solemnly given !
What's your brother to you, reply'd deer-sealer ? If you thought him wrong'd, why did you not complain ?
You have not dar'd to this day so much as to petition for him ! He has a sine brother of you indeed ! No, nor you dare not complain of your own wror. gs ! nor fay that you
are v. rcng'd, or in the least danger, though I have pull'd down your pales before your face ! And therefore I plead as my defence, that you are not wrong' or in
any danger, because you are so tame and who shall
fay you are in any danger, you dare not do your self?
have turn'd your brother out of house and home, and intend to serve you in little time and
not the frfi time you know yet you dare not fay nord on't What then shou'd hinder me O, love these passive, enemies who, when am breaking o-
the doors of their defenfive laws, have not the
pen
courage much as to suspect me of any evil defign or dare not fay so, for sear of raising hubbub, and di
sturhing the neighbourhood though you faw me last night breaking open your brother's doors upon the fame
pretence, and when had got in, turn'd him and his fa
mily
And you know since that, fospccted your brother
of some desgns to nab me, and steal into his owa
house again. And brought the cause to London, and had try V here and laid you by the heels too, as not doubting butjob were in the fame plot and, had not
drift.
should have had more of your friends in limbo, and made as good plot
on't here as there Thus may look beyond Trent but you must not. What have we to do with Trent,
fey when you complain of the doings of any of my friends
miscarryd by being
discover
it I,
it a
I
it,
; !
I
I ! so !
;
a is
a
I
it
it
d,
d, I
I
if a
;
a
I
!
! ;
so
!
!
!
The REHEARSAL.
393 jriends there ? Then we are strangers, and neversaw one
another.
(7. ) And you would turn my own law and ride
upon me ! Would you ? But I must tell you, that is un-mannerly ! Tis like hitting a man a slap of
the face. And you must not expect to go away with it.
You understand not common language. I pity
your ignorance! That causes most of your I mistakes!
And makes you argue and act too like a child
For when we deer-stealers speak against the law, we only mean those laws that are against us. But we make use of the laws against others, as well as other men.
Indeed, neighbour, you know not the world, though, you have had pretty long experience ; and of my teach
play.
You talk of laws, and constitution, of right,.
ing too !
and reason ; and quote scripture to highway-men !
But power is the umpire ! That determines it !
can make right, wrong; and wrong, right ! There fore, if you would have right done you, you must keep the power! All the rest is chatt, and childrats-
S
? " From
That
The REHEARSAL.
From attjuts. Oct. 1 1, to &at. Oct. 1 3, 1705. N° 64.
I. The division of nations coud never have been upon the popular scheme, of the choice of individuals.
2. How it was determin'd as to every individual, who should belong to -which nation, and governor.
3. Deut. xxxii. 8. particularly explained. Where in 4. Of God's great regard to his church. And 5. Of the theocrasie of the Jews. That it nvas net a commonwealth, or popular government? but the
strict and absolute monarchy. 6. The gross mistake of the desence of the natural rights of man kind upon this head. Wherein of the true notion of liberty. And of conscience towards government-
7. His objections against Deut. . xxxii. 8. as an ob scure text.
I. Coun. ' I ^O begin where we left off last Saturday I
X have been thinking, master, of this di- viston of the world into nations. Ifit had been done by
the vote of the people, of every individual, according to. ". Mr. Lock, I cannot imagine, how they wou'd have all agreed. Some wou'd have lik'd one governor better than another. And one country better than another. Who wou'd have gone into the worst countries, when it was in their choice to stay in the best ? There must have been some bustling work, before all this cou'd have been.
quiet1- and peaceably decided.
(2. ) But how was it determin'd, master, who shou'd be
long to who ? Who should belong to this prince, and who to that ?
R. Upon the dhiston oftongues, every one naturally sorted with those of his own language, where he might
understand, and be understood when he or they spoke . Thus the 70 hngueges made 70 divistons of people. And then Cod set a ruler over every one of them. Ail whose aams, are set down, Gen. x. As it is faid, Eccluf. xvii.
t7-
394
most
.
C. What the meaning of that Are there but 70
angels
R. The word angels apply'd to governors and rul
ers. As the bishops are call'd the angels of the churches,, Rev. 20. And no wonder they are caU'd angels, when,, as told you before, they are call'd Gods. -
' These angels then, according to whose number the nations were divided, are the 70 rulers nam'd Gen. x.
C. But what the meaning of their being divided ac cording to the number of the children of Israel He had but sons. Were there then but nations
R. The number of the children of Israel here meant, the number of those who went down into Egypt. All
whose names you have set down, Gen xlvi. The sons of Leah, 33. ver. 15. Thesons os Zilpah 16. ver. 18. Of Rachel 14. ver. 22. Of Bilhah, ver. 25. in all 70. To which you add the two sons of Joseph born in E-
The REHEARSAL.
395 1J. For in the divifion of the nations of the whole earths
be (God) set a ruler over every people. C. But this is apocrypha.
R. But it is ancienter, and of more authority than any thing can be produc'd on the whig side, for the
popular original ofgovernment. And it shews what was the current notion and tradition of the Jews in this matter.
(3. ) But I bring it only as a comment upon the text of holy scripture. It is repeating almost in the fame words, what is faid, Deut. xxxii. 8. " When the most high di vided to the nations their inheritance, when he separat ed the sons of Æam, he set the bounds of the people ac cording to the number of the children of Israel" The Greek reads according to the number of the angels.
makes 72. And some reckon the sons of Shcm,. Ham, and Japheth to be 72. As some but" because'
gypt,
of doubt about two names in that
(4. ) C. This very observable. Bat master, can you1
help me to reason, why the divifion of nations fhou'd. have respect to the number of the children ' Israel, who* were many ages afterwanL
R. Godi
chapter.
S. ? 6-
7.
is
so it 12 i. ?
of
7
? ?
a
I
is it,
a if is
is
1 2
?
is
The REHEARS AL.
396
R. God forefaw, that the only visible church he was to
have upon earth, shou'd be, for a long time, even to the coming of the Messiah, in the children of Israel. And this was out of respect to his church. Nor will it seem strange, that God shou'd have such regard to his church,
in the divifion of nations, when we sind that the whole creation was made with respect to her, and for her fake. And does sympathize with her both in her state of humili
ation and exaltation. As the apofile speaks Rom. viii. 19, ao, 21, 22.
" For the earnest expectation ofthe crea ture waiteth for the manisestation of the sons of God—
Because the creature it self also shall be deliver'd from
the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole cre ation groaneth and travelleth in pain together until now. "
And Isaiah describeth the restoration of the church
new heavens, and a new earth, chap, lxv. 17. Angels axe
given to her for ministering spirits. Heb. i. 14. . And
God hath made Christ, head over all things to the church ; txhich is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in- all. Eph. i. 22, 23. And the apostle fays, to the church, 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23, Allthings areyours Whethee things present, or things to come, all are yours. Andyr are Christ's, and Christ is Gods. We are faid to be heirs of God, and.
joint heirs with Christ. Rom. viii. 17. For as much then as the church is heir of all things, both present and to
come, as well of heaven, as of earth, it is but consonant to this, that a special regard to her shou'd appear 'Sn all the dispenfations of God. As it did remeakahly in
this fignal and wonderful divifion of the world.
And to shew you, that this is the right expedition of
that text, God himself gives the fame. For immedi ately after the words before quoted, Dent, xxxii. 8. That God divided the nations, after the number of the children of Israel, it is added, as the reason, ver. 9. For
the Lord' s portion is his people ; Jacob it the lot of his in- heritance. And the fame is likewise mentioned in what i call'd a comment upon this text, Ecclnf. xvii. 17. For
in the division of the nations of the whole earth, be set a ruler
by
ynler
S97 over every people : but Israel is the Lord's por
answer.
The REHEARSAL.
tion.
(5. ) C. This wou'd seem as if Godhad not set a ruler,
or an angel over Israel, but kept them for bis own por tion.
R. Thus far you are in the right, that God did govern the Israelites in a different manner from any other na tion. He executed the office of king himself. He gave them the miraculous urim and thummim,
whereby they might consult him, upon all emergencies, and receive his
He gave them Moses and Joshua, and after that he rais'd them up judges and captains, U>save thent in times of danger. Therefore this was call'd a theo-
that the government of God himself. And therefore was not successive or hereditary, because God their king did not •//>. But they grew weary of this theo-
and wou'd have /? 'Ȥ. , after the manner of the nations round about. Therefore God faid to Samuel, who was then judge over them, they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected ME, that should not reign over them. And this was not change of the species of their go vernment, from monarchy to commonwealth, for they asked king. And there was no king then in the world,. but what was absolute. . No other government was then known, but absolute monarchy. But they only sought to change their &agy from the invisible God, to mortal
whom they might have always in their eye to go in and out before them, andfight their battles, whenever
they thought there was occasion for as they faw in. Other nations. They would trust no longer in miracles, and the way in which they had all along been preserv'd. They thought that God was now tardy. But Samuel un dertook to justify God, against whom they complain'd, and faid to them, Sam. xii. &c. " the Lord
that advanc'd Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still that may reason with you before the Lord, of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which he did to you and to your fathers. " Then Samuel goes on, and
repeats
crafie,
crafie:
I
1a
is,
6,
it,
It is
a ;
it
a
I a
a
398
The REHEARSAL.
repeats the many deliverances which God had wrought for them, from their coming out of Egypt to that day, by the several captains he had given them. And why then they shou'd mistrust him now ! But all wou'd not do : they were bent upon it : and their faith quite saiPai them, as Samuel tells them, ver. 12. " When ye faw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon earner against you, ye faid unto me, nay, but a king shall reign OTer us, when the Lord your God was your king. " They wou'd not trust to God's sending them a captain, as he had formerly done, in all their emergencies ; but they wou'd have a king, like other nations, constantly in view
before them, to whom they might apply. And they thought that other nations had the advantage over them in this. In short they were weary of the theocraste, of being the Lord's portion, to whom he gave laws imme diately from heaven : who led them by a pillar of cloud
by day, and of fire by night. . Who sent them captains and judges to deliver them out of the hand of their ene mies, round about, by great and many miracles. But they came at last to loath this manna, which raind upon them from heaven ; and to long after the leeks and onions of Egypt ; to be like other people, under a constant angel
or ruler, and not immediately in the hands of God him self. But Moses thought far otherwise of this matter. For when God threatned Exod. xxxiii. 3. That he wou'd
not go up himselfin the midst of the people, because they were stiff-neck'd, only send an angel with them ; Moses cried and made supplication, ver. 15. Ifthy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
I have been the longer upon this, because some bring this state of the Jews, before Saul, as a pattern for the commonwealth government. And their asking a king, as an argument against monarchy : as ifthe theocrafit, or the immediate government of God himself were not the
most perfect and absolute monarchy. Besides that those captains and judges whom God sent, did all exercise, dur
ing their time, an absolute and despotick peitier oflife and death &c. But some will have even Moses chosen by the
petple.
The REHEARS AL.
399
people. And that they gave laws to him, and prescrib'd the rules of his government .
C, Moses gave laws to /A«h : and gave them all their laws, from the mouth of God himself. To which Mgi were not to add, nor to diminish ought from them, Z)«rf. sv. 2. So that the people were wholly precluded. Thus much I can understand. And popular government is hard put to when they bring this for an instance
(6. ) There hook preparing for the press, intituled,. A defence the natural rights of mankind, to be in two •volumes, consisting of forty sheets. Of which proposals are printed for subscriptions, wkh two-specimens, as
tast of the performance. In which the author exprefly battles these principles you have laid down.
He writes against book call'd Cassandra. And would put upon that author, as he thought the Jews, before they had kingsT to have been free people (which; that author neither thought nor said. ) But thence he
wou'd inser, that popular government was the institution of God to his own people. But that afterwards as he
fays, " God gave them kings as punishment for their wickedness. And to rob them of that liberty and
equality, which nature they might enjoy. And which he fays they did enjoy 400 years after their leaving Egypt. And that was dispenfation from the univerfal law of the rest of mankind. " Tho' he denies this p. 9.
and fays, that other people were free as well as the
Jews.
R. When he can shew, that ever any people were free
from government, he will be the great Apollo of the whigs And that the Jews did enjoy that liberty and equality he supposes in nature for 400 years after their
which he fays the author of Cassandra cou'd not deny, do absolutely deny for him, or that he ever faid any such thing. Pray did the Jews choose Moses? St. Stephen fays otherwise, Act. vii 35. This
Moses whom they refus7d, saying, who made thee a full er and a judge The same did God send to be a ruler.
So. that this was putting him upon the people, against their
leaving Egypt,
?
is Iitby a
it
if a
! p. 8.
it, it of
a
a
a
a
!
REHEARSAL;
their own inclinations. Imposing the very man to be their ruler, whom they refused. And when he was their ruler, did he ask their consent to the laws that he gave them ?
4oo
The
And were the Israelites less absolutely under the com mand of God their king, and of Moses his vicegerent, than other nations were under their kings ? Was God a more limited king than they ? And did the people limit him? It seems so, for at last they abdicated him ? And who
then can please them ? If a tbeacrafie will not please the y»»s of Belial or liberty, what human governor can satis fy them ? Who can be free from their complaints ? Whom
neither the government of Gorf in heaven, nor the fame
upon rar/£, cou'd s»« of their rebellious and mutinous temper !
And now they quote this very theocrasie, the absolute and unlimited government of the great God, as a pre
cedent against monarchy, and in favour of popular and mob-no-government, the invention of Belial, under the
theocrafie
of liberty !
shew I
Which is such a as Ged liberty
claim a liberty for you, saith the Lord, to thesword, to the pestilence, and to the famine. This is the true mean ing, and natural effect of that liberty these fins of Belial
contend for, in placing the root and source of govern ment in the people ; it is a liberty to destruction, to devour and destroy one another, without end or remedy. By loos ing the foundation of all government whatsoever ; and making all settlement impracticable, upon their popular
scheme: for there is no decifion of popular contests but the sword, when one party of the people have thoroughly fubdu d and conquer d the And then every other party have as free liberty when they are able to attempt
it, to appeal to the fiaord again, and subdue the conque rors. Here is no obligation of conscience on either side,
but every thing govem'd by pure and might: which is a liberty, to nothing else indeed but to the
sword. But we call it the liberty of the /
And
to the
nate and rebellious Jews, Jer. xxxiv. 1 7. Behold pro
proclaimed
obsti
The REHEARSAL.
401
And it is a sure fign of God's indignation against any people, and of his purpose to destroy them, when he suf
fers Belial to take pofl'effion of them, and sill them with
this senseless as well as wickcd and pernicious notion of
liberty. When they are deas to demonstration : and tho' they cannot answer a word, yet still perfist, with the
greater obstinacy ! According to the old faying.
££uos perdcrc vult Jupiter, prius dement at. That when God has determin'd to destroy a people, he sirst takes away their sense and understanding. Or, in the scripture phrase, he hides their eyes, that they may not fee the things that
belong unto their peace.
Anil what can be more thus, than, first, to take away
all obligation of conscience to any government whatsoever,
as I have often heard them own in express terms ?
And indeed, there can be no obligation of conscience, upon the soot of the people, because every man is equally/w, and
equally the people ! I am as much the people as you, eve ry man may fay to another. You may knock me down indeed, or I you, if I can ; and so govern one another, as long as we can hold it. But where's the conscience on either side ? That's mere priest-crast ! And brought in to enslave us, by fixing, or settling us under any fort of
government! Whereas we hate settlement ! And would
be always at liberty to unhinge and overturn any govern ment, whenever we please ! Else there's an end of the liberty andfreedom of the people ! There's an utter end, if there be any thing of conscience in the case ! For then we are ty'd up, past any remedy.
And as for your Rom. xiii. 5. of being subject not only
for wrath, but also for conscience sake : 1 have read in some of our late whig pamphlets, that this was only be
cause the Christians then at Rome were not able to rebel, and so it was against their conscience to restst. But that if St. Paul were alive now, he would alter his command, and give all full liberty of conscience to restst, ifthey had power sufficient. This is persect burlesquing of the holy
scripture : and leaves no more of conscience in submiffion
to government, than in. a lesser army to fight a greater! So
1
402
The REHEARSAL.
So that these men have laid aside all conscience in the matter of government : which is the only band and secu rity ofgovernment. For where this is not, there all laws
and constitution will prove too weak to support any govern ment, as we have seen by woful experience.
And as this of taking away the obligation of consci ence from government, is a directly hiding our eyes from
the things that belong to our peace ; so, secondly, there can not be a greateryTj» of infatuation, than, as our author
here does, to bring the theocrafee, and most absolute mo narchy of God over the Jews, when he named their
I fay to bring this as a. pattern for limited government, and the power of the people in choofing their own govern
captains and their judges, the proper office of a king ;
ors, and making their own knoe! When this is the strongest instance against it that ever was, or can be in the world; is not this infatuation to the degree of
madness ?
(7. ) C. But to go on with our author. He objects,
in the fame p. 8. against him whom he opposes, l* that
he had recourse to an obscure text of canonical
scrip ture join'd with an apocryphal, nothing to his purpose. '*
These are the two texts you have quoted of Deut. xxxii.
8. And Eccluf. xvii. 17. which were quoted in that boot
he pretends to answer, call'd Ca£andra.
R. There were more quoted in that book than these tina
texts, even what we have been speaking of, the di
vifion of nations, brought to pass by the divifion of lan
guages.
And this is not only spoke of in one text; but
the whole history of it is particularly related in several
chapters, expresly upon that subject. To which these
two texts he mentions do reser.
In the next place, these are not obscure texts : but
their meaning very plain and easy. And I believe it will trouble all his skill, to put any other meaning up on them than what I have given. And moreover that text, Deut. xxxii. 8. is part of Moses's song, which was commande"d to be taught the children of Israel, Deut.
xxxi. 19. Now therefore (says God) write ye this song
The REHEARSAL.
The REHEARSAL.
And these tyrants engross what God created for the common benesit of all mankind, that is, the imld beasti of the earth, and the wildsowls of the air, and the
sishes of the sea. They are ours! ihepeople! every bo dy's ! And these great men wou'd keep them all to tbe? n-
selvts ! they steal our deer to put into their parks I they are the true deer-stealers I and we must be hanged for seeking after a little of our own ! They steal ou r fish out of the rivers, and put them into their ponds ! and1 will not let us take any that is left even in the rivers! That is my Lord's or his Worship's river! they'll take away our fishing-rods, and hind us over, and plague us at law ! and they call this liberty and property ! Ay marry ! 'tis a good liberty to them ! that is, to a very few of the
who lord it over the rest ; over ten thousands more
people,
than themselves ! But 'tis downright oppression and tyranny over the far greatest /ar/ of the people, who are the wz- ;;»/z/ of government ; but have the least share in the
vantages of it.
Don't tell me of law ! (then cry'd he out in a
ston! ) A legal tyranny is the worst tyranny ! because it is hardest to be refisted, and fivry io^i is against one! A man may in any river in Turkey, or Morocco, and rar a Æos or an elephant, if he can c«fr£ him ; they have no parks or inclosures. That looks like a. face of liberty ! wild beasts, fijh and ,/o-w/ are left common to all, as nature left them. You may talk of /«•w/ what you will ( faid he) but if it were not for the name of liberty, one had as good be without them ! As a man faid, that was gallop ing upon a hobby-horse, if it had not been for the name of riding, he had as good have gone a foot.
For my part (faid he) I'm ter levelling, without that
there's no liberty. Laws and liberty are whig and tory,
high-church and low-church, persect oppofites, the one can not subfist without the destruction of the other. The laiv is a pair of with which the rich and the great take the /oar by the nose, and hold it to the grind-stone, as St. Dunstan serv'd the devil. A poor man cannot go to law , and if he does, he's sure to be undone, whether he
S4
gain
39a
The REHEARSAL.
gain or lose the cause. And after the sirst or second term must sue in forma pauperis ; which is a blessed state !
(6. ) The very state (faid park-keeper ) to which you have reduc'd my poor brother t'other side of Trent, con
trary to your faith and promise solemnly given !
What's your brother to you, reply'd deer-sealer ? If you thought him wrong'd, why did you not complain ?
You have not dar'd to this day so much as to petition for him ! He has a sine brother of you indeed ! No, nor you dare not complain of your own wror. gs ! nor fay that you
are v. rcng'd, or in the least danger, though I have pull'd down your pales before your face ! And therefore I plead as my defence, that you are not wrong' or in
any danger, because you are so tame and who shall
fay you are in any danger, you dare not do your self?
have turn'd your brother out of house and home, and intend to serve you in little time and
not the frfi time you know yet you dare not fay nord on't What then shou'd hinder me O, love these passive, enemies who, when am breaking o-
the doors of their defenfive laws, have not the
pen
courage much as to suspect me of any evil defign or dare not fay so, for sear of raising hubbub, and di
sturhing the neighbourhood though you faw me last night breaking open your brother's doors upon the fame
pretence, and when had got in, turn'd him and his fa
mily
And you know since that, fospccted your brother
of some desgns to nab me, and steal into his owa
house again. And brought the cause to London, and had try V here and laid you by the heels too, as not doubting butjob were in the fame plot and, had not
drift.
should have had more of your friends in limbo, and made as good plot
on't here as there Thus may look beyond Trent but you must not. What have we to do with Trent,
fey when you complain of the doings of any of my friends
miscarryd by being
discover
it I,
it a
I
it,
; !
I
I ! so !
;
a is
a
I
it
it
d,
d, I
I
if a
;
a
I
!
! ;
so
!
!
!
The REHEARSAL.
393 jriends there ? Then we are strangers, and neversaw one
another.
(7. ) And you would turn my own law and ride
upon me ! Would you ? But I must tell you, that is un-mannerly ! Tis like hitting a man a slap of
the face. And you must not expect to go away with it.
You understand not common language. I pity
your ignorance! That causes most of your I mistakes!
And makes you argue and act too like a child
For when we deer-stealers speak against the law, we only mean those laws that are against us. But we make use of the laws against others, as well as other men.
Indeed, neighbour, you know not the world, though, you have had pretty long experience ; and of my teach
play.
You talk of laws, and constitution, of right,.
ing too !
and reason ; and quote scripture to highway-men !
But power is the umpire ! That determines it !
can make right, wrong; and wrong, right ! There fore, if you would have right done you, you must keep the power! All the rest is chatt, and childrats-
S
? " From
That
The REHEARSAL.
From attjuts. Oct. 1 1, to &at. Oct. 1 3, 1705. N° 64.
I. The division of nations coud never have been upon the popular scheme, of the choice of individuals.
2. How it was determin'd as to every individual, who should belong to -which nation, and governor.
3. Deut. xxxii. 8. particularly explained. Where in 4. Of God's great regard to his church. And 5. Of the theocrasie of the Jews. That it nvas net a commonwealth, or popular government? but the
strict and absolute monarchy. 6. The gross mistake of the desence of the natural rights of man kind upon this head. Wherein of the true notion of liberty. And of conscience towards government-
7. His objections against Deut. . xxxii. 8. as an ob scure text.
I. Coun. ' I ^O begin where we left off last Saturday I
X have been thinking, master, of this di- viston of the world into nations. Ifit had been done by
the vote of the people, of every individual, according to. ". Mr. Lock, I cannot imagine, how they wou'd have all agreed. Some wou'd have lik'd one governor better than another. And one country better than another. Who wou'd have gone into the worst countries, when it was in their choice to stay in the best ? There must have been some bustling work, before all this cou'd have been.
quiet1- and peaceably decided.
(2. ) But how was it determin'd, master, who shou'd be
long to who ? Who should belong to this prince, and who to that ?
R. Upon the dhiston oftongues, every one naturally sorted with those of his own language, where he might
understand, and be understood when he or they spoke . Thus the 70 hngueges made 70 divistons of people. And then Cod set a ruler over every one of them. Ail whose aams, are set down, Gen. x. As it is faid, Eccluf. xvii.
t7-
394
most
.
C. What the meaning of that Are there but 70
angels
R. The word angels apply'd to governors and rul
ers. As the bishops are call'd the angels of the churches,, Rev. 20. And no wonder they are caU'd angels, when,, as told you before, they are call'd Gods. -
' These angels then, according to whose number the nations were divided, are the 70 rulers nam'd Gen. x.
C. But what the meaning of their being divided ac cording to the number of the children of Israel He had but sons. Were there then but nations
R. The number of the children of Israel here meant, the number of those who went down into Egypt. All
whose names you have set down, Gen xlvi. The sons of Leah, 33. ver. 15. Thesons os Zilpah 16. ver. 18. Of Rachel 14. ver. 22. Of Bilhah, ver. 25. in all 70. To which you add the two sons of Joseph born in E-
The REHEARSAL.
395 1J. For in the divifion of the nations of the whole earths
be (God) set a ruler over every people. C. But this is apocrypha.
R. But it is ancienter, and of more authority than any thing can be produc'd on the whig side, for the
popular original ofgovernment. And it shews what was the current notion and tradition of the Jews in this matter.
(3. ) But I bring it only as a comment upon the text of holy scripture. It is repeating almost in the fame words, what is faid, Deut. xxxii. 8. " When the most high di vided to the nations their inheritance, when he separat ed the sons of Æam, he set the bounds of the people ac cording to the number of the children of Israel" The Greek reads according to the number of the angels.
makes 72. And some reckon the sons of Shcm,. Ham, and Japheth to be 72. As some but" because'
gypt,
of doubt about two names in that
(4. ) C. This very observable. Bat master, can you1
help me to reason, why the divifion of nations fhou'd. have respect to the number of the children ' Israel, who* were many ages afterwanL
R. Godi
chapter.
S. ? 6-
7.
is
so it 12 i. ?
of
7
? ?
a
I
is it,
a if is
is
1 2
?
is
The REHEARS AL.
396
R. God forefaw, that the only visible church he was to
have upon earth, shou'd be, for a long time, even to the coming of the Messiah, in the children of Israel. And this was out of respect to his church. Nor will it seem strange, that God shou'd have such regard to his church,
in the divifion of nations, when we sind that the whole creation was made with respect to her, and for her fake. And does sympathize with her both in her state of humili
ation and exaltation. As the apofile speaks Rom. viii. 19, ao, 21, 22.
" For the earnest expectation ofthe crea ture waiteth for the manisestation of the sons of God—
Because the creature it self also shall be deliver'd from
the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole cre ation groaneth and travelleth in pain together until now. "
And Isaiah describeth the restoration of the church
new heavens, and a new earth, chap, lxv. 17. Angels axe
given to her for ministering spirits. Heb. i. 14. . And
God hath made Christ, head over all things to the church ; txhich is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in- all. Eph. i. 22, 23. And the apostle fays, to the church, 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23, Allthings areyours Whethee things present, or things to come, all are yours. Andyr are Christ's, and Christ is Gods. We are faid to be heirs of God, and.
joint heirs with Christ. Rom. viii. 17. For as much then as the church is heir of all things, both present and to
come, as well of heaven, as of earth, it is but consonant to this, that a special regard to her shou'd appear 'Sn all the dispenfations of God. As it did remeakahly in
this fignal and wonderful divifion of the world.
And to shew you, that this is the right expedition of
that text, God himself gives the fame. For immedi ately after the words before quoted, Dent, xxxii. 8. That God divided the nations, after the number of the children of Israel, it is added, as the reason, ver. 9. For
the Lord' s portion is his people ; Jacob it the lot of his in- heritance. And the fame is likewise mentioned in what i call'd a comment upon this text, Ecclnf. xvii. 17. For
in the division of the nations of the whole earth, be set a ruler
by
ynler
S97 over every people : but Israel is the Lord's por
answer.
The REHEARSAL.
tion.
(5. ) C. This wou'd seem as if Godhad not set a ruler,
or an angel over Israel, but kept them for bis own por tion.
R. Thus far you are in the right, that God did govern the Israelites in a different manner from any other na tion. He executed the office of king himself. He gave them the miraculous urim and thummim,
whereby they might consult him, upon all emergencies, and receive his
He gave them Moses and Joshua, and after that he rais'd them up judges and captains, U>save thent in times of danger. Therefore this was call'd a theo-
that the government of God himself. And therefore was not successive or hereditary, because God their king did not •//>. But they grew weary of this theo-
and wou'd have /? 'Ȥ. , after the manner of the nations round about. Therefore God faid to Samuel, who was then judge over them, they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected ME, that should not reign over them. And this was not change of the species of their go vernment, from monarchy to commonwealth, for they asked king. And there was no king then in the world,. but what was absolute. . No other government was then known, but absolute monarchy. But they only sought to change their &agy from the invisible God, to mortal
whom they might have always in their eye to go in and out before them, andfight their battles, whenever
they thought there was occasion for as they faw in. Other nations. They would trust no longer in miracles, and the way in which they had all along been preserv'd. They thought that God was now tardy. But Samuel un dertook to justify God, against whom they complain'd, and faid to them, Sam. xii. &c. " the Lord
that advanc'd Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still that may reason with you before the Lord, of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which he did to you and to your fathers. " Then Samuel goes on, and
repeats
crafie,
crafie:
I
1a
is,
6,
it,
It is
a ;
it
a
I a
a
398
The REHEARSAL.
repeats the many deliverances which God had wrought for them, from their coming out of Egypt to that day, by the several captains he had given them. And why then they shou'd mistrust him now ! But all wou'd not do : they were bent upon it : and their faith quite saiPai them, as Samuel tells them, ver. 12. " When ye faw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon earner against you, ye faid unto me, nay, but a king shall reign OTer us, when the Lord your God was your king. " They wou'd not trust to God's sending them a captain, as he had formerly done, in all their emergencies ; but they wou'd have a king, like other nations, constantly in view
before them, to whom they might apply. And they thought that other nations had the advantage over them in this. In short they were weary of the theocraste, of being the Lord's portion, to whom he gave laws imme diately from heaven : who led them by a pillar of cloud
by day, and of fire by night. . Who sent them captains and judges to deliver them out of the hand of their ene mies, round about, by great and many miracles. But they came at last to loath this manna, which raind upon them from heaven ; and to long after the leeks and onions of Egypt ; to be like other people, under a constant angel
or ruler, and not immediately in the hands of God him self. But Moses thought far otherwise of this matter. For when God threatned Exod. xxxiii. 3. That he wou'd
not go up himselfin the midst of the people, because they were stiff-neck'd, only send an angel with them ; Moses cried and made supplication, ver. 15. Ifthy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
I have been the longer upon this, because some bring this state of the Jews, before Saul, as a pattern for the commonwealth government. And their asking a king, as an argument against monarchy : as ifthe theocrafit, or the immediate government of God himself were not the
most perfect and absolute monarchy. Besides that those captains and judges whom God sent, did all exercise, dur
ing their time, an absolute and despotick peitier oflife and death &c. But some will have even Moses chosen by the
petple.
The REHEARS AL.
399
people. And that they gave laws to him, and prescrib'd the rules of his government .
C, Moses gave laws to /A«h : and gave them all their laws, from the mouth of God himself. To which Mgi were not to add, nor to diminish ought from them, Z)«rf. sv. 2. So that the people were wholly precluded. Thus much I can understand. And popular government is hard put to when they bring this for an instance
(6. ) There hook preparing for the press, intituled,. A defence the natural rights of mankind, to be in two •volumes, consisting of forty sheets. Of which proposals are printed for subscriptions, wkh two-specimens, as
tast of the performance. In which the author exprefly battles these principles you have laid down.
He writes against book call'd Cassandra. And would put upon that author, as he thought the Jews, before they had kingsT to have been free people (which; that author neither thought nor said. ) But thence he
wou'd inser, that popular government was the institution of God to his own people. But that afterwards as he
fays, " God gave them kings as punishment for their wickedness. And to rob them of that liberty and
equality, which nature they might enjoy. And which he fays they did enjoy 400 years after their leaving Egypt. And that was dispenfation from the univerfal law of the rest of mankind. " Tho' he denies this p. 9.
and fays, that other people were free as well as the
Jews.
R. When he can shew, that ever any people were free
from government, he will be the great Apollo of the whigs And that the Jews did enjoy that liberty and equality he supposes in nature for 400 years after their
which he fays the author of Cassandra cou'd not deny, do absolutely deny for him, or that he ever faid any such thing. Pray did the Jews choose Moses? St. Stephen fays otherwise, Act. vii 35. This
Moses whom they refus7d, saying, who made thee a full er and a judge The same did God send to be a ruler.
So. that this was putting him upon the people, against their
leaving Egypt,
?
is Iitby a
it
if a
! p. 8.
it, it of
a
a
a
a
!
REHEARSAL;
their own inclinations. Imposing the very man to be their ruler, whom they refused. And when he was their ruler, did he ask their consent to the laws that he gave them ?
4oo
The
And were the Israelites less absolutely under the com mand of God their king, and of Moses his vicegerent, than other nations were under their kings ? Was God a more limited king than they ? And did the people limit him? It seems so, for at last they abdicated him ? And who
then can please them ? If a tbeacrafie will not please the y»»s of Belial or liberty, what human governor can satis fy them ? Who can be free from their complaints ? Whom
neither the government of Gorf in heaven, nor the fame
upon rar/£, cou'd s»« of their rebellious and mutinous temper !
And now they quote this very theocrasie, the absolute and unlimited government of the great God, as a pre
cedent against monarchy, and in favour of popular and mob-no-government, the invention of Belial, under the
theocrafie
of liberty !
shew I
Which is such a as Ged liberty
claim a liberty for you, saith the Lord, to thesword, to the pestilence, and to the famine. This is the true mean ing, and natural effect of that liberty these fins of Belial
contend for, in placing the root and source of govern ment in the people ; it is a liberty to destruction, to devour and destroy one another, without end or remedy. By loos ing the foundation of all government whatsoever ; and making all settlement impracticable, upon their popular
scheme: for there is no decifion of popular contests but the sword, when one party of the people have thoroughly fubdu d and conquer d the And then every other party have as free liberty when they are able to attempt
it, to appeal to the fiaord again, and subdue the conque rors. Here is no obligation of conscience on either side,
but every thing govem'd by pure and might: which is a liberty, to nothing else indeed but to the
sword. But we call it the liberty of the /
And
to the
nate and rebellious Jews, Jer. xxxiv. 1 7. Behold pro
proclaimed
obsti
The REHEARSAL.
401
And it is a sure fign of God's indignation against any people, and of his purpose to destroy them, when he suf
fers Belial to take pofl'effion of them, and sill them with
this senseless as well as wickcd and pernicious notion of
liberty. When they are deas to demonstration : and tho' they cannot answer a word, yet still perfist, with the
greater obstinacy ! According to the old faying.
££uos perdcrc vult Jupiter, prius dement at. That when God has determin'd to destroy a people, he sirst takes away their sense and understanding. Or, in the scripture phrase, he hides their eyes, that they may not fee the things that
belong unto their peace.
Anil what can be more thus, than, first, to take away
all obligation of conscience to any government whatsoever,
as I have often heard them own in express terms ?
And indeed, there can be no obligation of conscience, upon the soot of the people, because every man is equally/w, and
equally the people ! I am as much the people as you, eve ry man may fay to another. You may knock me down indeed, or I you, if I can ; and so govern one another, as long as we can hold it. But where's the conscience on either side ? That's mere priest-crast ! And brought in to enslave us, by fixing, or settling us under any fort of
government! Whereas we hate settlement ! And would
be always at liberty to unhinge and overturn any govern ment, whenever we please ! Else there's an end of the liberty andfreedom of the people ! There's an utter end, if there be any thing of conscience in the case ! For then we are ty'd up, past any remedy.
And as for your Rom. xiii. 5. of being subject not only
for wrath, but also for conscience sake : 1 have read in some of our late whig pamphlets, that this was only be
cause the Christians then at Rome were not able to rebel, and so it was against their conscience to restst. But that if St. Paul were alive now, he would alter his command, and give all full liberty of conscience to restst, ifthey had power sufficient. This is persect burlesquing of the holy
scripture : and leaves no more of conscience in submiffion
to government, than in. a lesser army to fight a greater! So
1
402
The REHEARSAL.
So that these men have laid aside all conscience in the matter of government : which is the only band and secu rity ofgovernment. For where this is not, there all laws
and constitution will prove too weak to support any govern ment, as we have seen by woful experience.
And as this of taking away the obligation of consci ence from government, is a directly hiding our eyes from
the things that belong to our peace ; so, secondly, there can not be a greateryTj» of infatuation, than, as our author
here does, to bring the theocrafee, and most absolute mo narchy of God over the Jews, when he named their
I fay to bring this as a. pattern for limited government, and the power of the people in choofing their own govern
captains and their judges, the proper office of a king ;
ors, and making their own knoe! When this is the strongest instance against it that ever was, or can be in the world; is not this infatuation to the degree of
madness ?
(7. ) C. But to go on with our author. He objects,
in the fame p. 8. against him whom he opposes, l* that
he had recourse to an obscure text of canonical
scrip ture join'd with an apocryphal, nothing to his purpose. '*
These are the two texts you have quoted of Deut. xxxii.
8. And Eccluf. xvii. 17. which were quoted in that boot
he pretends to answer, call'd Ca£andra.
R. There were more quoted in that book than these tina
texts, even what we have been speaking of, the di
vifion of nations, brought to pass by the divifion of lan
guages.
And this is not only spoke of in one text; but
the whole history of it is particularly related in several
chapters, expresly upon that subject. To which these
two texts he mentions do reser.
In the next place, these are not obscure texts : but
their meaning very plain and easy. And I believe it will trouble all his skill, to put any other meaning up on them than what I have given. And moreover that text, Deut. xxxii. 8. is part of Moses's song, which was commande"d to be taught the children of Israel, Deut.
xxxi. 19. Now therefore (says God) write ye this song
The REHEARSAL.
