in, and for God; and a Government by many, is not to be preferred, or upheld any longer at any time then necessity requireth; otherwise how should we keep correspondency with this pattern? or what shall the Princes portion in the land doe, which is for none but him? Or how shall we ap∣prove our selves to be the Israel of God, seeing Israel alwayes had a Judge as a King, as Moses is called King in Jeshurun; or a King; or a Prince, as after their return out of Babylon; and when they had not, wofull was their case, as Judg. 20. and in all the interims between Judge and Judge, being made a prey to their enemies, as the book of Judges declares at large. For the duty of the Prince, the Lord saith, He shall no more oppresse my people: intimating, that Kings formerly had oppressed them, by taking of their Vineyards, and goods, and children, partly not thinking, that they had sufficient of their own, but now so much ground is set out for the Prince, that he should no more have need to oppresse any man by taxes and impositions, but in cases of extraordinary necessity.
It being shewed before, that Princes should not be oppressours; now it is shewed, by way of charge, how they should not oppresse, Yee shall have just ballances, a just ephah, and a just bath; that is, ye shall take care that it be so in all your dominion, and that there be no exactions, whereby the people may be oppressed. Of the Ephah, see Exod. 16. 36. of the bath, 2 King. 7. 26. the one was a measure of dry things, the other of wet.
Whereas it is said, ver. 11. The Ephah, and the bath, shall be of one measure, the tenth part of an Homer. Here by Homer, a measure of liquid things is meant, that which conteined 67 gallons and a pottle: a Bath then was 6 gallons, a pottle and half, and then the Ephah wanted a gallon and half, a pottle of our bushell; whereas the same Authour, out of whom I had this, saith, that an Ephah was a bushell of our measure wanting a pottle; but it may be, the Ephah heaped is there meant, here stricken, and so the difference may be re∣conciled. There is an Omer contrariwise spoken of Exod. 16. 36. which held onely the tenth part of an Ephah. The vulg. for Homer, hath Core, but both against the Hebr. and Sept. in both which it is Homer. Ver. 12. He proceedeth from measures to weights, counting the shekel by the (Gerah) 20 of which make a shekel; of which, see before, Exod. 30. 13. and the pound weight by the shekel, 20. 25. and 15. making a Mana; that is, as Junius ren∣ders it, Menam, a pound; so likewise the Vulg. and my forecited Authour giving this reason, why first he saith 20 shekels, then 25. lastly, 15 shall make a Mana, or pound, viz. because there was among the Jewes a three-fold mina; 1. The common weighing but 15 shekels, that is of our money 37s. 6d. the Kings shekel 20, that is, 50s. the Mina of the sanctuary 25 shekels, that is, 3l. 2s. 6d. Hitherto of measures, and weights to be used in civill dealings betwixt man and man, whereby it appeareth, that a good Prince is not on∣ly one that wrongeth none of his subjects by his officers, but that taketh [Note.] care to govern the Common-wealth so, as that no wrong may be done in measures or weights by any other man, wherein care hath been commonly well taken from time to time in this our Common-wealth.
He proceedeth to measures, in things pertaining to the Church, or House of God: The oblations that he shall offer, shall be the sixth part of an Ephah, of an ho∣mer of wheat: The Ephah was said before to be the tenth of an homer; therefore the sixth part appointed here by the King to be offered, was the 60 part of an homer, of Wheat, and likewise of Barley; of Oyle, the tenth part of a bath of an homer, which is also here said to be a Core; of the Flock, one lamb out of 200. and as the Prince, so the people must doe, touching these oblations as is added.
All the people of the land shall give this oblation for the Prince in Israel, Hebr. shall be to this oblation to the Prince; that is, shall be required to offer to this oblation, as well as the King, and of these oblations the use followeth, chap. 46. 4. it being first premised, what the Prince should do over and above these offerings of wheat, barley, oyle, and lambs.