The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Introduction
• Of the Nature and Qualification of Religion, In Reference to Civil Society, &c.
• §i.
• §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.
• §37.
• §38.
• §39.
• §40.
• §41.
• §42.
• §43.
• §44.
• §45.
• §46.
• §47.
• §48.
• §49.
• §50.
• §51.
• §52.
• §53.
• §54.

§9.

Amongst the Jews there was a strict Union betwixt the Church and State. It had pleased God, according to his Wisdom, not to send our Saviour, or the Messias into the World soon after the Creation, at a time when the whole World was not stockt with a sufficient number of Inhabitants; lest his Sufferings might be obliterated by Oblivion, or by a too long Tract of Time, turned into a Fabulous Relation: But he was to appear amongst us, after the whole Earth was filled up every where with Inhabitants, and Mankind was arrived, as it was, to its Age of Perfection. It was also thought convenient, and almost necessary, that the Messias should not appear in this World all upon a sudden, but after his Coming had been long foretold and expected, in order to raise a more ardent desire after him in us Mortals; and that he might find the easier a Reception amongst us, when his Deeds were found so agreeable to what was Prophesied concerning him, so many Ages before. And, that these Predictions or Prophesies might not, through length of time, come to decay, and be buried in Oblivion, God Almighty had in a most peculiar manner, recommended them to the Care and Custody of the Jews, amongst whom, he, as it may be said, kept his Records of Prophesies; it being the most likely, that that same Nation, from whence the Messias was one day to have his Off-spring as Man, upon Earth, would preserve them with their utmost Care, to their great Honour and Advantage. It was questionless in a great measure for this Reason, that God entered with them into so strict a League, Circumcision being made the Badge, whereby to distinguish them from other Nations: And being afterwards become a very numerous People, and freed from the Aegyptian Bondage, he himself established at once, both their Civil Government and Religion, (which was not to cease, till the appearing of our Saviour on Earth;) and this in such a manner, that there was always to remain a strict Union betwixt their Religion and State. Therefore the Administration of Religious Worship was committed to one particular Tribe amongst them, unto whom, according to God’s special Command, no Lands were allotted, lest they might thereby be inticed to mind Temporal Possessions and Riches, more than God’s Service; but were to be maintained out of the Tenths and other Revenues belonging to the Altar in which Sense God is called, The Portion of the Levites. There was also a certain place assigned for the Publick Exercise of Divine Worship, with Exclusion of all others; and their whole Religion was thus disposed by God’s peculiar Order, that the same could not be put in practice, unless it were in a free Nation, independent from any Foreign Power. This was the true Reason why the Jews, unless they would overturn the Foundation of their Religion, could not be entirely United with any Foreign State. And, as the Jewish Religion and State were of the same Date, their Laws both Ecclesiastical and Civil having been Constituted at the same time, and contained in one Book; so was the Union betwixt their Religion and State, so entire, that the first could not remain standing, after the fall of the last; and therefore the destruction of the Temple, and of the Commonwealth of the Jews, was an infallible Sign of the total abolishment of their Religion. They were called God’s People, and the Holy People, because the whole Jewish Nation publickly professed the True Religion.