"the Hebrew State had not perfected his Model, " until he confulted the foreign Priest his Fa"ther-in-law, to whofe Advice he paid fuch. "remarkable Deference" (r). The Reflection infinuates, that a Part of the Jewish Polity was a Contrivance of Jethro's, and therefore that the whole cannot be pretended to be a divine Institution. In Anfwer hereto, I would observe, 1. That the Advice which Jethro gave Mofes and what Mofes did upon it, was not to perfect his Model, as this Noble Writer is pleased to call it; for the Advice was given and first executed, before there were any Steps at all taken towards forming the Jewish Polity; before God had given Mofes any Laws at all for the Conftitution of the Jewish State. But, 2. What Jethro here advised Mofes to, tho' Mofes followed the Advice at the Time it was given, nay and afterwards made use of it again, when Circumftances required, was yet never made an effential Part of the Jewish Conftitution. If we look for the Inftitutions, which Mofes has delivered down to us as dictated by God, for the Government of the People, we fhall find these only: Mofes was at firft their fole Leader and Governor, and Jethro found him acting without Affiftant in this Capacity (s): When Mofes was called up into Mount Sinai, Aaron and Hur were to fupply his Place (t): After this, Aaron and his Sons were appointed to the Priests Office (u); fome Time after, twelve Perfons were (r) Lord Shaftsbury's Charact. Vol. III. p. 58. (s) Exod. named, named, one out of every Tribe, to be Princes of the Tribes of their Fathers, Heads of Thoufands in Ifrael, and Affiftants to Mofes and Aaron in the Government of the People (w): The Levites were felected to be over the Tabernacle, and to minifter unto it (x), and upon Mofes's Complaint, that his Burthen was too great, and that he wanted more Affiftants, God appointed feventy Elders, and put his Spirit upon them, that they might bear the Burthen of the People with Mofes, that he might not bear it himself alone (y). These all were indeed appointed to their refpected Offices by divine Inftitution, and these were all the Officers that were really fo appointed. As to the Rulers of Thousands, of Hundreds, of Fifties, and of Tens, when Jethro advised Mofes to appoint them, he indeed intimated to him to confult, if God would command him to institute (a) them; but we are not told that Mofes did fo; but that he bearkned to the Voice of his Father-in-law, and did all that he had faid, and chofe able Men, and made them Rulers of thousands, Rulers of bundreds, Rulers of fifties, and Rulers of tens (b); fo that the Text evidently fuggests to us, that Mofes first inftituted these Officers, not by divine Command, but by Jethro's Direction: In like manner, when Mofes afterwards revived thefe Officers; (for upon God's giving the Law, and appointing Priefts and Levites, Heads of Tribes, and Princes of the Congregation, the (w) Numbers i. 4.-16. (x) ver. 50. ) xi. 16, 17. (a) Exod. xviii. 23. See chap. iii. (b) ver. 24, 25. People People must have been new modelled, and whatever Appointments Moses had before made prudentially, muft of course have gone out of use, and been abolished by the newer Institutions ;) I fay, when Mofes found it expedient to revive the Offices of the Rulers of Thoufands, of Hundreds, of Fifties, and of Tens, he in no wife hints that he had any Direction from God for fo doing, but intirely represents it as a Scheme agreed upon by himself and the People: Mofes found the People fo multiplied, as to be too many (c) to be well managed in the Hands of thofe he had to affift him; This he reprefented to the People, and recommended to them to choose proper Perfons for him to make Rulers over them (d): The People approved of what he had recommended (e), and accordingly with their Confent he appointed thefe Officers (f): Mofes fpake unto the People, Saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone: The Lord your God hath multiplied you-How can I bear your Cumbrance, and your Burthen and your Strife? Take ye wife Men and understanding and known among your Tribes, and I will make them Rulers over you. And ye anfwered me and faid, The Thing which thou haft spoken, is good for us to do. So I took the Chief of your Tribes, wife Men and known, and made them Heads over you, Captains over thousands, and Captains over bundreds, and Captains over fifties, and Captains over tens, and Officers among your Tribes. And (c) Deut. i. 9, 10. (d) ver. 12, 13. Ibid. (e) ver. 14. I charged your Judges at that Time, faying, Hear the Caufes between your Brethren, and judge Righteously, &c. Mofes has pretty well fixed for us the Time of his thus re-inftituting these Officers. It was upon the Removal of the Camp from Sinai to go into the Wilderness of Paran (g). The Lord spake unto him, faying (b), Ye have dwelt long enough in this Mount; turn you and take your Journey, and go to the Mount of the Amorites, and unto all the Places nigh thereunto: and at that Time (i) Mofes fpake unto the People about appointing thefe Officers. A few Days after this, the LXX Elders were appointed, for they were appointed at Taberah, or Kibroth Hattaavah (k), and the Camp had marched three Days fucceffively, before they came hither (1). Mofes found the Appointment of the Officers agreed upon by the People not fully to answer their Occafions, and that he wanted not only Officers under himself to execute his Orders and determine fmaller Matters, but Affiftants of more Influence, that might with himself direct in Matters of greater Moment: But for thefe he does not apply to the Congregation as he did for the others, but immediately to God, and these were not inftituted upon the People's approving the Thing he had spoken to be good for them to do (m); but here God exprefly ordered him to gather to him feventy Men of the (g) Compare Deut. i. 6, 7. with Numbers x. 11, 12, &c. (b) Deut. i, 6, 7. (i) ver. 9. (k) Numbers xi. (/) x. 33. (m) Deut. i. 14. Elders Elders of Ifrael, and told him, that he would come down and talk with him, and give them of his Spirit to make (2) them fufficient for the Employment they were to be appointed to. And thus we may fee a very remarkable Difference in the Inftitution of the Officers our Noble Author has remarked upon, if compared with those who were appointed by divine. Direction. I might go further and observe, that the feveral Officers whom God had appointed, continued to have their Name, Title and Authority thro' all the Changes of the fewish State: The Priefts, the Levites, the Heads of Tribes, the LXX Elders had, all of them, their stated and refpective Offices and Employments, not under Mofes only, but under Joshua, in the Time of the Judges, under the Kings, in all Times, and under all Revolutions: But as to the Captains of Thousands, Hundreds, of Fifties, and of Tens; as their Inftitution was not of divine Authority, fo their Office was not thus fixed nor lafting. Mofes did not bind his Succeffors to the use of them: God had not prescribed them to him, neither did he prescribe them to them; for he only gave the Ifraelites a general Rule, to make themselves Judges and Officers in all their Gates throughout their Tribes, to judge the People with juft Judgment (0): and accordingly, tho' indeed we find Officers of thefe Names in every Age, yet we shall not find that the Ifraelites kept them up in the Manner, and to the Purpose, (2) Numb. xi. 16, 17. VOL. III. D (0) Deut. xvi. 18. for |