tribes from their possessions, whilst other tribes made concessions which led to intermarriages, and to community in idolatrous rites. Idolatry spread among the Hebrews like a plague, which brought oppression and servitude upon them as a punishment; the nations employed for this purpose being the Mesopotamians, the Moabites, the Northern Canaanites, the Midianites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. When the Hebrews returned from their apostacy, eminent individuals (called Sophetim, and translated Judges) were raised up to deliver them from oppression, and to restore government among them. Othniel, the nephew and son-in-law of the valiant Caleb, was the first judge. He expelled the Mesopotamians, who had occupied the provinces east of the Jordan for eight years, when the nation enjoyed repose for forty years. After his death these provinces were conquered by the Moabites, who oppressed them for eighteen years; when Ehud obtained an interview with Eglon, king of Moab, stabbed him, and escaping to the mountains of Ephrahim, roused that powerful tribe, and totally defeated the Moabites. Eighty years of peace succeeded this hazardous adventure. The only exploit recorded of the next judge, Shamgar, is the slaughter of 600 Philistines, with an ox-goad. At this time, the Canaanites of Hazor, who had grown into a powerful people, oppressed the northern tribes for twenty years after the death of Ehud, when Deborah and Barak formed a confederacy, and entirely defeated the Canaanites. After forty years of peace, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other nomadic tribes, swept over almost the whole land. This was the most general and destructive servitude that the nation had yet suffered. It continued for seven years, when Gideon drove the enemy out of the country with the loss of 120,000 of their number. The nation maintained its independence for the next eighty-eight years, when the Philistines subdued the southern provinces, and the Amorites the eastern. This servitude continued eighteen years, when Jephthah expelled the Ammonites from the provinces beyond the Jordan. He enjoyed his judgeship for seven years, and was succeeded by Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon, who ruled Israel for twenty-five years. The Philistines then regained the ascendancy for forty years, during the latter twenty years of which period Samson displayed his prodigious physical power in harassing them, which encouraged the Israelites to recover their liberty after his death. They were then judged for forty years by the highpriest Eli, when war recommenced with the Philistines, who twice defeated the Israelites, and captured the Ark of the Covenant, the news of which caused the instant death of the aged Eli. Then followed the seventh servitude of twenty years, when the high-priest Samuel promised deliverance, on condition that idolatry should be wholly renounced. This having been done, he then summoned an assembly of all Israel at Mizpeh, upon which the Philistines hastened to put down the insurrection. A battle ensued, which terminated in so complete a victory, that the Philistines evacuated the whole country. The subsequent rule of Samuel was especially prosperous. In his old age, Samuel appointed his sons, Joel and Abiah, to assist him in the administration of justice; but, as they were venal and corrupt, the people formally demanded through their elders, that their republican polity should be changed into a hereditary monarchy, to secure the more certain administration of justice and the organization of a strong and permanent military force. Samuel, by the command of God, expostulated with them, and enumerated the evils and burdens they would have to bear under a king; but they obstinately persevered in their request, saying, "Nay, but we will have a king over us; that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles." (1 Sam. 8: 19, 20, 22.) Samuel was then directed to comply with their desires. It is remarkable that Moses had anticipated this political change, and laid down regulations for the election of a sovereign, and the administration of regal power (Deut. 17: 14.). Samuel, however, continued to administer justice until his death, about thirty-eight years afterwards, at the age of 98 (1 Sam. 7:17; 25: 1). 7. The extent of the period from the Call of Abraham to the Exode from Egypt, has been the subject of controversy from the earliest ages. Isaac was born 25 years after the Call, and, when 60 years old, his son Jacob was born, who migrated into Egypt when 130 years old, making 215 years to that time. Then, as it is stated in Exodus, 12:40, that the Israelites dwelt 430 years in Egypt, and in Genesis 15: 13, that they should be afflicted for 400 years in a strange land, the extent of this period apparently should be 645 years. St. Stephen, the protomartyr, appears to have been of that opinion (Acts 7: 6), in which he is generally followed by the German chronologists; but Usher and most of those of this country, relying on the authority of St. Paul (Gal. 3: 17), the Septuagint, Josephus, and other ancient authors, compute the 430 years from the Call, in which year Abraham went into Egypt on account of the famine in Canaan. The objections to this latter computation are, that Abraham remained probably only a few months in Egypt (Gen. 12:10), that 215 years elapsed before his descendants went to settle in it, that they were that time in increasing to 70 or 75 persons (Gen. 46:27. Deut. 10:22. Acts 7: 14), whilst only a like period is allowed for their increasing in Egypt from that number to about 2,400,000, which the census taken at Sinai would infer-an increase that has appeared to many incredible, even in 430 years. 8. The extent of the period from the Exode to the election of Saul is obtained by the agreement (with one exception) of the Hebrew and Septuagint scriptures, confirmed by Acts 13: 20, with the addition of the years of "rest from war" under Joshua and the Elders, and the years of Samuel's sole rule (which are not stated in scripture), from Josephus and other ancient authors. This accumulated evidence shows that it extends to 529 years; but Usher allows only 396 years-to obtain an agreement with the single passage 1 Kings 6: 1, which is found in the Hebrew and some of the Septuagint MSS., and now generally admitted to have been an error of the early transcribers. "This agreement Usher has effected by the omission of the intervals of all the Servitudes which are expressly recorded in Scripture."* The extent of this period, as given by him, is therefore manifestly incorrect. 9. The two following Tables exhibit the intervals from the Call of Abraham to the Establishment of the Hebrew monarchy, according to the above computations. See Professor Wallace on the True Age of the World, p. 68. Wallace, p. 255. See 10. As the verity of the Septuagint chronology from Creation to this period-the termination of the Hebrew Theocracy, or government under the divine direction—is now generally admitted, the following recapitulation is given : ON THE CIVIL CONSTITUTION OF THE JEWS, Previous to the Monarchy. 1. Form of Government before the Mosaic Law.-[Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, governed their respective families with unlimited paternal authority. The number of persons in their families was considerable; for it appears from the mention of Abraham's 318 homeborn armed servants, that the whole number of males in this class alone, exclusive of those who had been purchased, was 1272. His dependants must, therefore, have amounted to several thousands; and hence, it is not surprising that Abraham and Lot found it inconvenient to traverse together, in the open country of Canaan, with their numerous flocks and herds, and servants. (Gen. 14:14. 13:6, com. 32.) 2. These patriarchs were powerful princes, as the Arabian emirs of the present day. They were completely independent, formed alliances with princes and kings, and repelled force by force. For their vassals, they were the priests; the guardians, who protected them from injustice; the chiefs, who led them in war; the judges, who banished the turbulent and inflicted capital punishment. (Gen. 8:20;-14:14, 24;-15:9, 10.) 3. The twelve sons of Jacob, who were made independent of each other by receiving a separate blessing from their father, ruled their own families with the same authority; and when their descendants increased so as to form tribes, each tribe acknowledged one of its members as its ruler. The chiefship was at first hereditary, but it probably afterwards became elective. The division of nations into tribes very generally prevailed in ancient times; and even still among the Arabs and Persians. 4. The less powerful tribes united with the stronger; hence tribes came to be subdivided into collections of families, which were called houses of fathers, or of thousands; not because each consisted of a thousand, but as subdivisions, for it is evident that the number varied. (Judges 6:15. 1 Sam. 10:19;—23: 23. Numb. 26: 5-50.) 5. Before the departure from Egypt, the Hebrews were under the immediate government of the rulers of these clans, who were denominated "heads of houses of fathers, heads of thousands," &c., and were in rank subordinate to the princes. These two classes of rulers were comprehended under the general names of "seniors, or heads of tribes." (Numb. 1: 16;-10: 4.) They were fathers rather than magistrates, governing according to the regulations established by custom. They provided for the general good, while the concerns of each individual family still continued under the control of its own father. In general, those cases only which concerned the fathers of families themselves, came under the cognizance of the seniors. 6. Such is the patriarchal form of government which the Nomades, particularly the Bedouin Arabs, have in a great measure preserved to the present day. They call their princes, emirs; and their heads of clans, sheichs, elders; under the last of which appellations the Hebrews included both these orders of rulers, The Arabian emirs have their secretaries, who appear to be officers similar to those denominated among the Hebrews. The Hebrew shoterim, (in the English version translated officers,) whose peculiar business it was to register the genealogies, possessed considerable authority, as will be seen in the sequel, and sustained an important part in the government. (Exod. 5:6-19.) 7. Fundamental Law of the Mosaic Institutions.—A correct knowledge of God, and of the relation of man to his Almighty Judge, is certainly the principal, if not the sole ground, of all morality, and of all moral happiness, among human beings. It constitutes, in fact, man's chief good. (John 17:3.) Now, even though we should allow that a superior mind, at the present day, can derive this correct knowledge from a view of the universe, or the situation and wants of man; yet it was certainly unattainable by men of high antiquity. This conclusion is confirmed by the history of all nations, even of those which were much more recent in their origin, and more highly cultivated. We find, nevertheless, this correct knowledge of God among the pious patriarchs of the highest antiquity; and unless we will absurdly suppose that those simple and unlearned fathers were speculative philosophers and profound thinkers, we must acknowledge the truth of the declarations, that God from time to time revealed himself in a supernatural manner to the men of the old world, and that the knowledge thus communicated was afterwards transmitted from father to son. (Gen. 1: 28-30;-2 15 ff;-3: 14 ff;-4: 9;-6: 3, 12 ff;-9: 1-18;-12: 1 ff;— 15: 1 ff;-18: 17 ff; and many other places. 8. But it was difficult to preserve the knowledge of God among sensual men, even after it had been revealed. Before |