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CHAP. XXI.
THere being but 600 men onely left of all Benjamin, and not one woman; here it is remembred what a vow all the men of Israel had made out of their fury against Benjamin, tending to the utter extirpation of that Tribe, for * 1.1 they had vowed not to give any of their daughters unto them to wife, where∣in, as Ferus noteth, they did rashly and uncharitably. This their vow was * 1.2 therefore sinfull. 1 Because against charity. 2 Without any direction or word from God. 3 Against his order, who had made 12 Tribes, and given them singular blessings, and to the tribe of Benjamin in speciall. Wherefore * 1.3 now they repent and are humbled therefore, grieving to thinke, that one of their Tribes was in danger of being quite cut off. With Ferus agreeth Tosta∣tus, * 1.4 holding both the vow to bee unlawfull, and that it ought not to have been kept, because God would have all the 12 Tribes to remaine, and none of them to be quite cut off; and because in denying them wives, when they had no women of their owne, they exposed them to the danger either of fornication, or of marrying Heathen women, and consequently of being drawne to ido∣latry. But some hold this vow to have been lawfull, because an whole City might bee destroyed for idolatry, and therefore an whole Tribe, for so great * 1.5 and unheard of abomination made the sinne of all by patronizing the actors of it. I subscribe rather to Ferus, that the vow was rashly made, but in zeale against sinne, they thinking then for ever to extinguish so impious a Tribe; for which yet (because they had no warrant, there being not the like reason of a City and a Tribe, God having some famous instruments of his glory to raise out of every Tribe, according to Prophesies fore-going of them, and Paul in * 1.6 speciall out of this Tribe of Benjamin) they now seeing by a singular provi∣dence some of this Tribe preserved, begin to consider their errour, and grieve to thinke, that they had laid a foundation against their ever multiplying again, by making so rash a vow, and repent thereof. But because a vow is a sacred tye, and may not bee broken, unlesse the doing of the thing vowed be directly * 1.7 sinfull, I hold against Tostatus, that they ought to make conscience of keeping this vow, especially there being other wayes to bee excogitated of furnishing these Benjamites with wives, as the sequell declareth. This vow is said to have been made in Mizpeh, v. 1. that is, before the warre began; v. 18. it is said, that they had sworne, Cursed bee hee that giveth his daughter to Benjamin to wife; and v. 5. another vow made at that time is also commemorated, viz. to destroy that City that should not come up to helpe in these warres; so that zeale wrought with them, not onely to cut off the wicked, but such as would not helpe in cutting them off. Being before the Lord now in Shiloh, they weep * 1.8 to thinke upon the utter ruine of a Tribe like to bee, and they complaine here∣of, and build an Altar, and offer sacrifices; but this was done, saith Lyra, in * 1.9 thankesgiving for their victory. But how is the building of a new Altar [Qu.] justisiable, when as they had one before made by Moses, and it was unlawfull to make another, as wee may see, Josh. 22? Answ. It was not altogether un∣lawfull, but in any other place besides that where the Tabernacle was, nor so neither at extraordinary times, and upon extraordinary occasions, such as this was, when happily they had direction from the Lord also to doe thus, to shew the greater thankfulnesse. Having done thus, they are againe affected * 1.10 with Benjamin's case, and cast about, how they might doe to helpe them to wives, who survived. Then they remember the oath made by them against * 1.11 such as came not up to Mizpeh to joyne in these warres, and finding that Jabesh Gilead came not up, they sent against that City 12000 men to destroy them, * 1.12 their wives and children, onely sparing the virgins that had knowne no man, which were 400, and these they gave to the 600 Benjamites to bee their wives, but yet they were not sufficiently supplyed. The Vulg. Latine for 12000, hath 10000, confessedly erroneously. Here was a wonderfull change in the Israe∣lites, as Ferus noteth, towards the Benjamites surviving, in that all enmity be∣ing * 1.13