The reasonableness and certainty of the Christian religion by Robert Jenkin ...

CHAP. VII. Of Joshua, and the Judges, and of the Miracles and Prophecies under their Government.

IT is generally agreed, that Joshua himself was the Author of the Book under his Name, and some who are of another opinion, yet acknowledge that it must be written by his particular Order, in his life-time, or soon after his death. The nature of the thing it self required, that the Division of the Land of Canaan amongst the several Tribes, should forthwith be committed to Writing: for no People can be named, who had the use of Let∣ters, that trusted the Boundaries of their Lands to Memory; and there is no delay to be used in such cases: Joshua therefore, who did by

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Lot set out the Bounds of the Tribes, at the same time put them down in Writing; which he lest upon Record to Posterity, to prevent Disputes, and to be appealed to, in case any Controversie should arise. But the bare Di∣stribution of the Land was not to be trans∣mitted, without an Account of the miracu∣lous Conquests of it, which might dispose them to be con••ented with their several Lots, and remind them of their Duty, in the posses∣ssion and enjoyment of a Land which they were settled in, thy the immediate Hand of God. The Book of Joshua appears to have been writ∣ten during the life-time of Rahab, Jos. vi. 25. and to have been written (in part at least) by Joshua himself, and annexed to the Law of Moses, chap. xxiv 26. But the five last Verses, giving an Account of the Death of Joshua, and of what followed after it, were added by some of the Prophets, probably by Samuel, who, according to the Jewish Tradi∣tion, is the Author of the Book of Judges, where we find the same things repeated con∣cerning the Death of Joshua, Judg. ii. 7. The Book of Judges is reckon'd among the Books of the Prophets, Mat. ii. 23. Judg. xiii. 5. and It seems to be entitl'd to Samuel, Act. iii. 24. where Samuel is mention'd as the first of the Prophets, that is, the first Author of the Books written by them: That the Book of Judges was pe••n'd before the Taking of Jerusa∣l•••••• by David, we may learn from Judg. i. 22.

After the death of Moses, Joshua undertakes the Government and Conduct of the People of Israel, according to God's Appointment, and his Investiture to it by Moses, Num. xxvii. 22. who also foretold the great Success that after∣wards attended him, Deut. i. 38. and at his first entrance upon the Government, God gave to him the same Divine Attestation that had before been given to Moses, in their Passage through the Red-Sea: And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnifie thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee, Jos. iii. 7. And for a certain Demonstration that the li∣ving God was among them, and would give them Victory over the Seven Nations, and Possession of their Land, the Priests did, by God's Appointment, bear the Ark before the People; and as soon as their Feet were dipt in the brim of the water, in the time of Harvest, when the River Jordan is at the highest, and overflows all its Banks, the Waters divided themselves; those above stood on one side in heaps, and those below were cut off and sailed, the Priests standing with the Ark in the midst of the River, upon dry-ground, till all the People were passed over, and until every thing was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua, Josh. iv. 10. Now, it is an undoubted Tradition among the Jews, (u) That the Tents of the Israelites

in the Wilderness, contained a Square of Twelve Miles, and that the Host took up the same space, whilst they passed Jordan. How∣ever, this is certain, that they kept at the di∣stance of about Two thousand Cubits from the Ark, when it stood in the midst of Jordan, Josh. iii. 4. so that the Waters must be with∣drawn for many Miles in the passage of the whole Army over the River, if they passed it in a Regular March, and in such Order of Battle as to be able to oppose the Enemy; or if they marched in a narrower Body, they must be so much the longer in their passage: which way soever it were, it was a very great and manifest Miracle. The People being all gone over, and every thing performed which God had commanded, the Priests with the Ark came out of the channel of the River, where they had all this while stood, and as soon as their feet were lift up unto the dry land, beyond the Waters which stood then on an heap, and did not flow down as at other times, they resumed their course, and returned to their place, and flowed over all the banks as they did before, Josh. iv. 8. And as a Memorial of this Miracle to all Posterity, Twelve Stones were set up in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood, ver. 8, 9. and Twelve Stones more were taken out of Jordan, whilst it was dry, by Twelve Men chosen out of the People, one out of every Tribe, and were

pitched in Gilgal, ver. 20. Thus did the Lord magnifie Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life, v. 14. Here was a Miracle wrought in the most remarkable manner, which the whole People were Witnesses to, and effectual care was taken to keep up the Remembrance of it. The Waters of Jordan were cut off, for the passage of the Children of Israel into Ca∣naan, as the Waters of the Red-Sea had been divided, to procure their escape out of Ae∣gypt; and such an Experiment was not to have been made twice, if it had not been a true Miracle.

They were no sooner come into the promised Land, but all the Males were Circumcised, (that Rite having been omitted in the Wilder∣ness) and were thereby disabled for War: which had been a strange Policy, for the In∣vaders of a Country to wound themselves, and render themselves unfit for fight, as soon as they arrived in the Coasts of the Enemy, if the Canaanites had not been restrained by a miraculous Awe and Power from setting upon them, as the Sons of Jacob did upon the Shechemites, Gen. xxxiv. before they were recovered of their soreness, after Circum∣cision.

The Walls of Jericho were thrown down, only by marching round it seven Days, and blowing with Trumpets; and this was accompanied with a Prophecy, That whoso∣ever

should attempt to re-build Jericho, should lay the foundation thereof in his first-born, and in his youngest son should he set up the gates of it, Josh. vi. 26. which was fulfilled in the Reign of Ahab, when Hiel the Beth-elite lost his eldest Son Abiram, upon his laying the Foundation of it, and his youngest Son Segub, upon his set∣ting up the Gates, 1 King. xvi. 34. These Mi∣racles, and the standing still of the Sun and Moon, whilst the Israelites pursued and van∣quished their Enemies; and the prodigious Hail-stones cast down from Heaven, which slew more of them than the Sword could do; and a continued course of Victories, never inter∣rupted but for Achan's Offence, struck such a mighty terror into the Canaanites, that some of them sought out ways to make their peace with the Israelites, by submission, and others fled into foreign Countries. And to shew that they conquered by a Miraculous and Divine Power, not by any carnal Force or Strength; Joshua, by God's Command, destroyed the Horses and the Chariots that he took from the Enemy, Josh. xi. 9. which had been a strange Action in Humane Policy, but by such unlike∣ly means he subdued one and thirty Kings of the Canaanites, chap. xii, and then divided the Land, not yet conquered, amongst the Tribes of Israel, being as certain of it, as if they had it already in possession, chap. xiii. 2, 7.

Joshua, after so many Victories, and so ma∣ny Miracles, when the Land of Canaan came

to be divided among the Children of Israel, took no more for his own Inheritance, than they were willing to spare him, after the Land had been divided among the Tribes, ch. xix. 49. and at last, as Moses had done, he appeals to their own Experience, and to their very Senses, for the Truth of all the Wonders and Delive∣rances, and the mighty Works which God had wrought amongst them, chap. xxiv.

After the Death of Joshua, God raised up Judges out of several Families and Tribes, with an immediate and extraordintry Commission to govern and protect his People: so that there could be no private Ends, or politick Designs carry'd on, under the pretence of a Divine Commission. But upon their Disobedience and Idolatries, they were, from time to time, pu∣nished with Slaughter and Captivity; and, upon their Repentance were, as constantly de∣livered; Judges being purposely raised up to be Conquerors and Deliverers, and never fail∣ing of success.

But besides these who were impowered by God, upon extraordinary Occasions, they had other Judges, or Chief Magistrates, to admi∣nister Justice, and to preside over the Publick Affairs, for the welfare of the People: such were Eli and Samuel. Eli was a great Example, how much Fondness, and Natural Affection, may prevail over good and wise Men: but he was more afflicted to hear that the Ark of God was taken, than at the death of both his Sons:

that gave him his mortal Wound, and he could not out-live the Hearing it, 1 Sam. iv. 18. Samuel's Sons were wicked, as well as Eli's, and he doth not conceal their faults, but plainly says, That they turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. chap. viii. 3. but he appeals to the whole People for his own Integrity, who solemnly declare him free from any Oppression or Injustice. He resigned the Government, though he had the Power in his hands to appoint two Kings successively, and by Gods Commandment raised both Saul and David out of their obscu∣rity to a Throne. Samuel says plainly, That when the Elders of Israel came to him to ask a King, the thing displeased him, 1 Sam. viii. 6. and he who could make Two Kings of Two different Tribes, and of no Interest in their respective Tribes, might as well have made himself King, if he had acted upon Humane Considerations, and by Humane Power and Means. The Divine Power therefore was visible in the Government of the Children of Israel, from the time of Moses and Joshua to Saul; for they were constantly governed by Persons of God's appointment; their Govern∣ment was a Theocracy, being administred by God's immediate Direction, the Lord their God was their King, 1 Sam. xii. 12.

Notes

• (u)

  Lights•• Chorograph. Centur. c. 48. p. 46.