were neglected, and anti-prophets, magicians, Chaldeans, or other artificers were opposed to them, to take off all impressions which they might make upon the people, contrary to the public views and interest. Thus the magicians of Egypt were employed against Moses, when Pharaoh was not willing to part with so great a number of slaves as the Israelites. And by these means, religion and the offices of it were much perverted; before the time that God thought fit to make a change in the priesthood, and to have a particular order of men set apart for the service of the altar. In the later ages, the heathen nations copied after this pattern; for temples were built, and orders of priests appointed for the service in them in every country; and the annual revenues settled, together with the numerous presents of votaries, raised im mense wealth to the religious orders. But I do not apprehend, that the affairs of kingdoms were made subject to their arbitrament and disposal; or that kings and statesmen in the later times of the heathen superstition paid more deference or regard to them, than what they thought was requisite for the public good. It has indeed been thought in all ages, to be both the duty and interest of magistrates to establish the worship of a deity amongst their people. It is certainly their duty to do it as men, who are bound to promote the glory of GoD; and there is more sound of words than force of argument in the pretence of some writers, that the magistrate, as magistrate, has y Exodus xxviii. Numbers ii. nothing to do in this matter; for if it be undeniably certain, that every man is obliged to promote the glory of GoD, it will follow, that the magistrate is not exempted; but moves in a station of greater influence, and has therefore ability to perform this in a more effectual manner, which is a duty universally incumbent upon all men. If these writers would gain their point; they must prove, that the being a magi. strate cancels that duty, which the magistrate, as a man, owes to GOD, which is a part of his reasonable service to the Deity, and which he is indispensably obliged to perform in the best manner he can; only taking due care, that a zeal for his duty does not lead him into unjust or wicked measures about it. But it is the interest of the magistrate to establish religion; for it is the surest way to obtain the protection of Gon's Providence; without which no wise and prudent writer ever reputed the public affairs of kingdoms to be in a safe and flourishing condition. And it is the only, or by far the best way to cultivate those moral principles of duty amongst a people, without which z 1 Sam. ii. 30. Ταυτα τε δη τα ανδρος αγαμαι, και ετι προς τέτοις ο μέλλω λέγειν, ότι τα καλως οικείσθαι τας πόλεις αιτίας υπολαβων, ως θρυλλωσι μεν απαίες οι πολιτικοί, κατασκευάζεσι δ' ολίγοι" πρώτην μεν παρα των θεών ευνοιαν, ης παρεσης απανία τους Ανθρωποις επι τα κρεπίω συμφέρεται. Dionys. Halicarn. Antiquit. Rom. 1. 2. c. 18.-Diis Deabusque immortalibus, quorum ope et auxilio, multo magis hæc respublica, quam' ratione hominum et consilio, gubernatur. Cicero Orat. pro C. Rabirio. Etenim quis est tam vecors, qui-cum Deos esse intellexerit, non intelligat eorum numine hoc tantum imperium esse natum et auctum, et retentum? Quàm no community can be either happy or secure. Thus Tully thought upon this subject, concluding the hap piness of a community to be founded upon religion, and very judiciously querying whether, pietate adversus deos sublata, if a general neglect of religion were introduced, a looseness of principle, destructive of all society, would not quickly follow; an evil, which if the magistrate does not prevent, he can do nothing very effectual to the public welfare. Of this all the heathen magistrates have ever been apprized; and therefore never were so wild as to attempt to discharge themselves from the care of it. Their only fault was, that their care of it was too political. When they themselves were the ministers of religion, they set up their fancies instead of religion, as their speculations led them, or their interests directed; and afterwards, when they appointed other persons to the ministrations, they so managed as to have them at their direc tion for the same purposes; as will appear to any one, who will fairly examine this subject. There should be something said, before I close this book, about the right which female heirs may be supposed to be thought by these ancients to have, to crowns volumus licet, P. C. ipsi nos amemus, tamen nec numero Hispanos, nec robore Gallos, nec calliditate Panos, nec artibus Græcos, nec denique hoc ipso hujus gentis ac terræ domestico nativoque sensu Italos ipsos ac Latinos, sed pictate ac religione, atque hac una sapientia, quod deorum immortalium numine omnia regi gubernarique perspeximus, omnes gentes nationesque superavimus. Cicero Orat. de Haruspicum Responsis. a Cic. de Nat. Deorum, lib. 1. c. 2. et in al. loc. innum. VOL. II. and kingdoms. Semiramis was the first queen we read of in any nation, and Justin supposes that she obtained the crown by deceit upon her people, by her being mistaken for her son Ninyas; but Diodorus gives a much better and more probable account of her advancement; who says, that Ninus appointed her to be queen at his death. It is indeed true, that the original constitution of some kingdoms, if they were founded upon the maxims, which I have supposed, do not seem to admit of any female governors. Thus in Egypt they did not think of having queens, at the forming their first settlement; for which reason, in order to make a way for them, there was a law made when Binothris was king, of This, i. e. about A. M. 2232, that they should not be excluded. In nations, where civil government began from despotic authority; queens may be supposed to have succeeded naturally upon defect of male heirs; but they have been commonly excluded in elective kingdoms. Two things are remarkable: 1. That in ancient times, whenever queens reigned, they presided in religion, and were priestesses to their people, as kings were priests; and thus Dido in Virgil, made the libation at the entertain. ment of Æneas and his companions, as the kings of Greece in Homer did upon like occasions. 2. Divine Providence has generally distinguished the reigns of queens, with uncommon glory to themselves, and happiness to their people, of which both our own, and the history of other nations afford almost as many instances, as there have been queens upon their thrones. с Justin. lib. 1. c. 2. • Syncelius, p. 54. e Diodor. Sic. lib. 2. THE SACRED AND PROFANE HISTORY OF THE WORLD CONNECTED. BOOK VII. • ISAAC, after Abraham was buried, continued to live where his father left him. Rebekah for some years had no children; but about twenty years after. her marriage with Isaac, A. M. 2168, she had two sons, Esau and Jacob. The two children grew up to be men: were of a very different genius and temper; Jacob was very studious and much versed in religious contemplations; Esau had but little thought or care about them. Jacob, upon seeing Esau, in some absence of his father, officiate at the sacrifice, was very desirous to obtain this employment himself, which he thought so honourable.. Esau on the other hand had no value at all for it; so they bargained to gether, and for a small refreshment Esau sold Jacob ▪ Gen. xxv. 24. Isaac was forty years old when he married, and he was sixty when Jacob and Esau were born. ver. 26. |