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covenant are of a religion different from that which is fworn to in the facred bond; and yet these covenanters may, and ought to be strictly loyal; giving ready obedience to fuch magiftrates in their lawful commands. This is a cafe fo much in point to prefent covenanting, that it deferves to be carefully furveyed on all fides. The enemies of the Jews forged an accufation against them, which has frequently been of great fervice to their fucceffors: Said they, If this people be permitted to carry their defigns into execution, they will foment rebellion; they will not pay toll, tribute, and cuftom: But thefe covenanters gave a practical confutation of this calumny; fhewing, that there is an eternal difference between the caufe of God and that of rebellion; though the former has been often branded with the name of the latter. A people may be fo circumstanced, as to continue under the fame engagements to God as did their fathers, tho' they be widely different from them as to their political state. Such was the cafe of the Jews at this time; and fuch is our cafe. In both Churches, tho' the covenanters are sprung from covenanting ancestors; yet both yield obedience to non-covenanted magiftrates; and also proceed in the line of duty by covenant-renovation, altho' they have not the concurrence of the fupreme magistrate. In both cafes, covenanters are under great bondage; yet strictly loyal, not for fear of wrath, but for confcience fake.

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'HIS is the laft Tranfaction tranfmitted to us in the Old Teftament; but by no means the leaft fignal. The facred hiftorian ascertains,―I. The Perfons Covenanting.—II. The Character of the Minister, by whose inftrumentality they were brought to perform this duty.-III. The Matter of this Covenant.IV. The Manner in which they performed it. -V. The Occafions of this Tranfaction.-VI. The Solemn Confirmations of it.-After a fhort furvey of each of thefe, we fhall fubjoin fome Improvement.

FIRST, I fhall attend unto the PERSONS Covenanting.

1. THE first order of perfons is, "Our Princes." This is the fame order with thefe mentioned Differtation VI.

2. THE "Levites." The whole tribe of Levi, except the family of Aaron. The peculiar conftitution of this tribe deferves more particular confideration than I can here undertake. Let it fuffice, in this place, to obferve, That God took them inftead of the first-born, and fet them apart to the fervice of the temple; as alfo, affigned them their tafk in inftructing the rest of the tribes,-appointing them cities to live in,-tythes for an honourable maintenance, fecing they were excluded from having any inheritance among their brethren. As this tribe was devoted to God's fervice, fo it was proper they fhould be forward in his work. They were divided into three claffes: The firft waited on the Priefts, the fons of Aaron, to purify the holy things,-to prepare the fhewbread, flour, wine, oil, and every thing else for the facrifice; and to kill the facrifices, if there were more work of this kind than the Priests could accomplish. The next clafs formed the temple choir, confifting of both fingers and players on inftruments. The third are ftyled

porters, who kept the doors of the temple, and had the charge of it; and probably received fuch oblations as were offered at it.

*Neh. ix. 38.

3. A THIRD order of perfons covenanting at this time are, "Our Prielts." This comprehended the whole family of Aaron, even to the exclufion of that of Mofes: For, though he was the firft man in the kingdom, he fuffers ed his feed to fink down among the rest of the Levites.

4. THE next order fpecified is that of "Nethinims *." This defignation is not to be found but in books written after the captivity; for fuch, I prefume, are the books of Chronicles, The order of perfons unto which it belonged, however, was much more ancient. They were originally the Gibeonites, who, by fraud, obtained a league with the Ifraelites foon after they came into the land of Canaan: For which Joshua condemned them to the most laborious offices of the tabernacle; fuch as, hewing of wood and drawing of water for the facrifice. But it is conjectured that David added fome other ftrangers to their number, when he appointed them unto the fervice of the Levites. Thofe Nethinims who returned, were certainly the best of that order: The reft having preferred a place in Chaldea unto the fervice of

ON, DEDITI. "Erantque Gibeonitæ, qui ob fraudem populo Ifraelitico facta a Jofua fervi publici conftituti Jof. ix. 21. Et poftea Davide ad ministerium Levitarum DEDITI, Ezr viii. 2Q." HENRIC. OPITIT. in

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the temple; but those Nethinims choose rather to ferve God, in a ftate not greatly different from that of flaves, than ftand on an equal footing with the reft of the children of the captivity in Babylon. Few, comparatively, were of this spirit, as Jofephus declares*: The better part being the smaller number in almost every order of men.

5. THE NOBLES of Judah are another order of perfons covenanting at this time. They appear to have taken the lead in this duty: The reft are faid to cleave unto their brethren the NOBLES. This is a defignation of general import; if we confult the Scripture ufe of the term, we will find it applied to a vaft variety of objects. Here it may denote the principal Jews; for it appears that the nobles of Judah, at that time, were ringleaders, like our nobles at the Reformation from Popery, in the work of the Lord.

6. AGAIN, the facred hiftorian mentions fuch as "had feparated themfelves from the people of the land." Their fin confifted in mixing with them, and learning of them their way: Hence, there was a particular article in this covenant refpecting their feparation from them. This people entered into covenant with God,

JOSEPH. De Bello Judaico, Lib. II. cap. xvii.

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