The new earth, or, The true Magna Charta of the past ages, and of the ages or world to come: called The Jews commonweal. Written by an unworthy witness of the truth of the great God, John Brayne.

Statute.

Deut. 15.2. Every creditor that lendeth ought to his neigh∣bour, at seven yeers shall release it, and not exact it of his neigh∣bour or brother: it is the Lords release.

Vers. 3. Of a foraigner thou mayest exact it againe; but that which is thine with thy brother, thy hand shall release.

Except. Save when there shall be no poor amongst you.

Deut. 15.7. If there be a poor man amongst you, one of thy brethren, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand a∣gainst him. Vers. 8. but shalt open it wide, and lend him suffici∣ent for his need.

Vers. 9. Take heed of the wicked thought in thy heart, say∣ing, The seventh yeer of release is at hand, and thine eye be evil, and thou gevest thy brother nothing, and he cry to God against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Vers. 10. For these things the Lord thy God will bless thee.

Note. The word brother in the law shuts and opens many cases; which was then applyed to men joyned in the band of the legal co∣venant to God and one another, as in the Gospel it signifies those are united by baptisme and faith to Christ and one another, in fellowship of the Gospel, and house of God.

Now all those that were not under the legal covenant with the Jews, were called strangers.

1. If men will acknowledge any law, it is Gods, because of his authority and power of the soul, as well as body.

2. None ever studyed the good and profit of a people as God, who is said to rule over us as a father over his children, and not

as a Tyrant over slaves, or master over servants.

Appl. Hence, O ye princes of the people, for your own consci∣ences, the peoples good, and Gods glory, and the blessing of the earth, and men in their callings, set up Gods law, and the nations in∣crease will be great that will follow, if you will believe and obey: and the good ye shall do in your generation for the Nation, will be such, as was never done for it by any or all your predecessors; in which onely the people will become a free people, and no other lords besides God rule over them.

Erasm. Nune adulterium lusus magnatum est, passim saevitur in miseros fures, cum nec draconis leges, nec Romanae, nec ullae Gentilium simplex furtum supplicio capitis vindicaverint, sed avaritia nostra facit ut ideo magnum malum existimemus fur∣tum, quia pecuniam summus boni loco ducimus.

Consider that of Deut. 23.24. and judge if a neighbour, not with any purpose to wrong his neighbour, or to make a custome of it, but on some accidental occasion, go over his neighbours land, whether by the law of God one man in such a case may arrest, impri∣son sue at law, or damnifie in any case his neighbour.

Numb. 5.6, 7. When a man or woman commit sin, and the person be found guilty, they shall confess their sin they have done: he shall recompence his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it to him against whom they have trespassed.

Vers. 8. But if the man have no kinsman to recompence the trespass to, let the trespass be recompenced unto the Lord, even to the Priest. &c.

The variety of differences of the same measure, viz. the bushel, &c. give occasion to alter ours into the measure of the Jews Ephah, that the measure may be one in the whole nation, as theirs was; and so that occasion of buying by one in one place, and selling by ano∣ther in another place, may be taken away: and so for weights and measures.

Object. The Jews had difference among themselves in these things.

Resp. That difference was ceremonial only, as in the shekel of the Sanctuary, and of the Commonweal: but that cause is now taken away; and was instituted of God whiles that the temple

did remaine to continue onely, and then to cease with other cere∣monies.

Deut. 24.19. And in many other places, course was taken that something in the harvest should be left for the poor in the field, the vineyard, the oliveyard, for the poor, the stranger, the fatherless, the widdow. Exod.

1. Note. Were this rule established among men, the cause of much theft would be taken away from among men, which mens hard heart∣edness occasions; and after with as much severity put them to death oft-times for a smal matter, as though God were not able to restore our loss, or we could not be without it.

2. Many late and unusual offences as clipping and coyning of mo∣ney and embasing of it, which is made treason by our law, would not be so rife among us; the occasion thereof being removed from men in great part.

3. Burning of houses, and such like effects of unnatural envy, would be removed, when oppression and ignorance of the law of God were removed from the shoulders of the poor.

4. God would restraine men, as now he doth of much evil, to admiration, that home non sit housini lup us; so then he would do much more: the fear of God, though his law, and the justice there∣of be not so extreme as mans in this case, yet the after-judgement on the soul, and curse of them and their families, falls far greater on men then theirs can do.