The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Introduction
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• The Divine Feudal Law Represented
• §1.
• §2.
• §3
• §4
• §5
• §6
• §7
• §8
• §9
• §10
• §11
• §12
• §13
• §14.
• §15
• §16
• §17
• §18
• §19
• §20
• §21
• §22
• §23
• §24.
• §25
• §26
• §27
• §28
• §29
• §30
• §31
• §32
• §33
• §34
• §35
• §36
• §37
• §38
• §39.
• §40
• §41
• §42
• §43
• §44
• §45
• §46
• §47
• §48
• §49
• §50
• §51
• §52
• §53
• §54
• §55
• §56
• §57
• §58
• §59
• §60
• §61
• §62
• §63
• §64
• §65
• §66
• §67
• §68
• §69
• §70
• §71
• §72
• §73
• §74
• §75
• §76
• §77
• §78
• §79
• §80
• §81
• §82
• §83
• §84
• §85
• §86
• §87
• §88
• §89
• §90
• §91
• §92
• §93
• §94

§35

The Jewish Religion was interwoven with their Commonwealth.But it must be well observ’d that the Publick Liberty of the People of Israel, and their Religion, were so mingled together, and interwoven, as it were, with one another; that immediately, when the Israelites departed from the Divine Covenant in the Matter of Religion and betook themselves to feigned and strange Religions, God suffer’d a Part of their publick Liberty to be taken away, as may be seen abundantly in the Books of the Judges, and of the Kings. And when at length they would set no Bounds, nor put an End, to their Idolatry, he suffer’d them to be carried captive to Babylon, and to be detain’d so for many Years, that so at length their inclination to strange Religions might be cured. And the Jews were so corrected by that Chastisement, that we never read of their falling again into Idolatry after their Return from Captivity to the promised Land. Afterwards that Covenant being fulfill’d or compleated by the coming of the Messias, died of it self, Acts 15. Gal. 5:2, 3, 4. Eph. 2:13, 14, 15. Col. 2:20. And so when God was no longer bound on his Part to maintain them in the promised Land, and to preserve their Commonwealth, this was utterly destroy’d, and they were dispers’d. From whence the obstinate Blindness of the Jews is manifest; forasmuch as when from the time of the Babylonish Captivity, and the Destruction of Jerusalem, they addicted themselves no more to the Sin of Idolatry; notwithstanding this he has not for so many Ages restor’d their Temple and Religion, which he were indeed bound to do if the Covenant with that People did still continue, Deut. 30, throughout. Therefore no other Reason can be assign’d of their so long Banishment, and most miserable State, under which that Nation have been for so many Ages oppress’d, but that they with the highest degree of Wickedness, refused and rejected the Saviour promised by the Covenant, when he was, according to it, sent to them from God.