An explication of the iudiciall lawes of Moses. Plainely discovering divers of their ancient rites and customes. As in their governours, government, synedrion, punishments, civill accompts, contracts, marriages, warres, and burialls. Also their oeconomicks, (vizt.) their dwellings, feasting, clothing, and husbandrie. Together with two treatises, the one shewing the different estate of the godly and wicked in this life, and in the life to come. The other, declaring how the wicked may be inlightned by the preaching of the gospel, and yet become worse after they be illuminated. All which are cleered out of the originall languages, and doe serue as a speciall helpe for the true understanding of divers difficult texts of scriptures. ... / By Iohn Weemse, of Lathocker in Scotland, preacher of Gods word.

CHAPTER 1. That Kingly Government is the best Government.

IVDG. 17. 6. In those dayes there was no King in Israel, but every man did that which was good in his owne eyes.

IN government there are fiue things to be conside∣red; first, potestas; secondly, ordo; thirdly, modus; fourthly, titulus; and fiftly, vsus.

First, there must be a power to exercise government;* 1.1 secondly, order, that some command and some obey, some to be superiors and some to be inferiors; thirdly, the manner, whether the governement be Monarchicall by one, or Aristocraticall by moe; fourthly, the title whether it be by Succession, or Election; and last the vse, how they exercise this Authoritie.

That there should be a power and order in Govern∣ment,* 1.2 these two are essentiall in all Governments, no Government can stand without these two; but the man∣ner, whether it be by one or by moe; and the title, whe∣ther it be by Succession or Election; and the vse, whe∣ther they governe well or not; these three are but acci∣dentall in Government.

Of these two sorts of Government Monarchicall is* 1.3 the best.

Levi ben Gerson vpon the 1 Sam. 8. holdeth that Ari∣stocraticall* 1.4 Government is best, and to be preferred to Kingly Government; learne, saith he, what hath be∣fallen us under the hand of Kings; David caused the

plague to come upon the people. 2 Sam. 24. 15. Ahab restrained the raine for three yeeres. 1 King. 17. and Ze∣dekiah caused the Sanctuary to be burnt, 2 Chro. 36. 14. and the Iewes apply that saying of Hos••a, I gaue them a King in mine anger, and tooke him away in my wrath. Hos. 13. 11. That is, I gaue them their first King Saul in mine anger, and I tooke away their last King Zedekiah in my indignation. But the Iewes distinguish not well here be∣twixt* 1.5 the faults of a Kings person, & the calling it selfe; good Kings did many excellent things amongst them; for David a man according to Gods owne heart, fought the battels of the Lord, 1 Sam. 25. 28. appointed the or∣der* 1.6 of the Priests, and Levites, and Singers, 1 Chro. 24. and 25. He made many Psalmes to the prayse of God. And Salomon who succeeded him, built the Temple, wrote many excellent Proverbs and Parables, 1 King. 4. 32. And kept peace in Israel, that every man might dwell safely vnder his owne Vine-tree, and vnder his Figge∣tree, 1 King. 4. 25.

Now that Monarchicall Government is the best go∣vernment,* 1.7 it is proved thus.

Kingly or Monarchicall Government resembleth Gods government most, [Reason 1] which is Monarchicall; so it resembleth Christs government most in the Church.

Kingly government is the fittest government to re∣presse [Reason 2] sinne; for when there was no King in Israel, eve∣ry man did that which he pleased; Micah set up an Idol.* 1.8 Iudg. 18. and they defiled the Levites Concubine, be∣cause there was no King in Israel. By King, here is not meant any other sort of government, but Kingly go∣vernment, as is evident, Iudg. 18. 17. There was no Ma∣gistrate* 1.9 then, but in the originall it is, there was no heire of restraint then to put them to shame, Ioresh gnetzer, which may be interpreted either haeres interdicti, or possidens regnum, there was none to possesse the Kingdome, or

there was not an heire of restraint. Here two things are to be observed; first, that that is the best governement which restraineth sinne most; secondly, that that go∣vernment which is by an heire of restraint, is fittest to represse sinne; but the governement Monarchicall is such, and not Aristocraticall, for it commeth not per haeredem, but onely by Election. Obserue what GOD himselfe saith to his people, Deut. 17. 20. that he may prolong his dayes in his Kingdome, he and his children in the midst of Israel. Here the Kingdome goeth by succes∣sion, and not by election; here was an heire of restraint to represse sinne.

It is objected, if Government be hereditary, then [Object.] wicked Cambyses will succeed to good Cyrus.

So in Kingly government, good Hezekiah succeeded [Answ.] to Idolatrous Ahaz, and if we receiue good at the hands of God, why should we not receiue evill also, Iob 2. 10?

Thirdly, they alledge Iosephus testimony, [Object.] of the Iewes dealing with Pompey to change their Government,* 1.10 and that they would be no longer under Kings; and so they bring Lactantius citing Seneca, speaking of the Com∣mon-wealth* 1.11 of Rome▪ Pueritiam sub caeteris regibus egisse, ait, a quibus auctam & disciplinis plurimis institutis{que} for∣matam; at verò Tarquinio regnante, cum jam quasi adulta esse caepisset, servitium non tulisse; & superbo jugo domina∣tionis rejecto, maluisse legibus obtemperare quàm regibus.

When the Iewes wished that Pompey [Answ.] might change the government,* 1.12 they wished onely, that they might be more gently vsed; they blamed the persons, and not the government simply; and so the Romanes were wea∣ry of Tarquinius government, but they were not weary of Kingly government, as long as their Kings ruled them well.

Their Deduction then seemeth not to haue a good ground, who simply doe preferre Aristocracie to Mo∣narchie;

first, they say Moses was extraordinarily cal∣led, and Ioshua succeeded him; and after that, the go∣vernment of the Synedrion or Seventie was setled a∣mongst them, whose government was Aristocraticall, Nomb. 11. The Iudges were set up but for a time over them, and they were raysed up extraordinarily; and then the government was still the Lords, as wee see in the example of Gideon, Iudg. 8. and of Iephthe, Iudg. 9. And after, that the Iudges had ruled & governed them, then came Saul, whose government arose from the dis∣contentment of the people, but they say it continued in the house of David especially, because he was a type of Christ; but simply they say, that God liked Aristo∣cracie best.

But seeing the Lord was minded to giue the people of the Iewes a King, and telleth them what King he would* 1.13 choose, Deut. 17. How liked he Aristocracie best? and he liketh that government here. Iudg. 18. 17. which is by the heire of restraint or the heire of the Kingdome.

The Conclusion of this is, let us be thankfull to God [Conclusion.] for our gracious Kings Government, and that there is now an heire of restraint, to put wicked men to shame, and to curbe the sonnes of Belial.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Fiue things in Go∣vernment.
• * 1.2

  What things essentiall and what accidentall in Government.
• * 1.3

  Monarchicall the best Government.
• * 1.4

  Their reasons who hold Aristocraticall Government to be the best.
• * 1.5

  Wee must distinguish betwixt the parts of a Kings person, and the faults of the Office.
• * 1.6

  Kings haue beene the Instruments of much good.
• * 1.7

  Reasons prooving Mo∣narchicall government to be the best.
• * 1.8

  Kingly government fit∣test to represse sinne.
• * 1.9

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 haeres in∣terdicti a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 heredi∣tare, vel possidens reg∣num, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 possi••ere 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 regnum.
• * 1.10

  Lib. 4. Antiq. 5.
• * 1.11

  Lactantius lib. 17 c▪ 15.
• * 1.12

  The Romanes finde fault with the person of their King, and not with his Office.
• * 1.13

  God was minded to giue the Iewes a King.