right and left hand. Paul was at first so confined. the next morning there was no small confusion When the tribune received him from the hands of among the soldiers, who were appointed his guards, the Jews, he commanded him to be bound with and to whom he was chained, as to what had betwo chains, Acts xxi. 33. In this manner was come of Peter, Acts xii. 18. Whence it appears Peter fettered and confined by Herod Agrippa: that this deliverance had been effected without their "The same night Peter was sleeping between knowledge, when they were sunk in repose. Upon two soldiers, bound with two chains," chap. xii. 6. which Herod, after making a fruitless search for It further appears, that if the soldiers, who were him, ordered all those who had been intrusted with thus appointed to guard criminals, and to whom his custody, to be put to death, ver. 19. See also

they were chained, suffered the prisoner to escape, | Acts xvi. 27.*

they were punished with death. Thus, when

Peter was delivered out of prison by a miracle,

* Harwood's Introd., vol. ii., pp. 207–211.

§ 3. A Harmony of the Mosaic Law,

ARRANGED UNDER PROPER HEADS, WITH REFERENCES TO THE SEVERAL PARTS OF THE PENTATEUCH, WHERE THE RESPECTIVE LAWS ARE FOUND. FROM A MANUSCRIPT IN THE LIBRARY OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST'S COLLEGE, PRESENTED BY ARCHBISHOP LAUD.

FIRST CLASS.

THE MORAL LAW, WRITTEN ON THE TWO TABLES, CONTAINING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

Of their office in offering; which function, largely spreading itself, is divided into these heads:

What the sacrifices ought to be

Of the continual fire

Of the manner of the burnt-offerings

Of the manner of the peace-offerings

Of the manner of the sacrifices, according to their several kinds, viz.,

For sin committed through ignorance of the law

For sin committed through ignorance of the fact

For sin committed wittingly, yet not through impiety

The special law of sacrifice for sin

Of things belonging to the sacrifices
Of the shew-bread

Of kalends, or beginnings of months

Of the anointing of the altar, and all the instruments of the tabernacle

Of the continual daily sacrifice

Of the continual sabbath-day's sacrifice

Of the solemn sacrifices for feast-days, which were divers, and had peculiar rites, distinguished into these chapters, viz.,

Of trumpets

Of the three most solemn feasts in general

Of the feast of passover

9, 28.

16.

Of the feast of pentecost

Of the feast of tabernacles

Of the feast of blowing the trumpets

Of the feast of expiation

Of first-fruits.

26.

12, 14, 26.

Of the sabbatical year

Of the mourning of the ordinary priests"

In teaching

Of the year of jubilee

Of vows in general

What persons ought not to make vows

What things cannot be vowed

Of redemption of vows

Of the vows of the Nazarites

Of the laws proper for the priests viz.,

Of pollutions

Of the high-priest's mourning

Of his marriage

Of their marriage

Of their being forbid the use of wine, &c.

Of sanctified meats

Of the office of the Levites:

In offering

Other promiscuous ceremonial laws :

Of uncleanness in general

Of uncleanness in meats, viz.,

Of blood

Of fat

Of dead carcases

Other meats, and divers kinds of living crea

tures

The magistrate is the keeper of the precepts of both tables, and to have respect to human society; therefore the POLITICAL LAWS of the Israelites are referred to both the tables, and are to be reduced to the several precepts of

SECTION III.

MILITARY AFFAIRS.

bearing arms.

Hence, out of those who were thus qualified to serve in the militia, Moses generally orders the selection of a certain number, The whole Hebrew Nation liable to be called to Arms: Ex-suitable to the service required, Exod. xvii. 9, emptions from Military Service-Strength of the Israelitish

Armies-Military Officers-Order of Battle and of Encamp- 10, &c.; Numb. xxxi. 1-6. There are two ment-Treatment of Enemies-Division of the Spoil-Arms memorable instances on record, however, where -Chariots-Qualifications of a Warrior-Return of a Con- the whole people took the field, Judg. xx. 11; 1 quering Army-Reward of the Victors. Sam. xi. 7.t

2. The following exemptions from military service were allowed by the Mosaic law:-(1) Whoever had built a house, and had not yet occupied

1. THE maxim of ancient states, Quot cives, tot milites-whoever would be defended, must defend, was, as Michaëlis remarks, so fully established in the Mosaic code, that we find every man of it, was at liberty to return, lest, falling in battle, twenty years old and upwards distinguished by this epithetical characteristic, that he goes forth to war, Numb. i. 3, 45, xxvi. 2.* It is hardly to be supposed, however, that the services of a whole nation would ever be required for the purpose of

* The melancholy circumstances attending the military execution of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead, simply because they did not join the Israelitish armies, as related in Judges xxi. 8-13, show with what rigour the law was, in this respect, put in force.

another should enjoy the fruits of his labour, Deut. xx. 5. (2) Whoever had planted a vineyard or olive-yard, and had not yet eaten of its produce freely, was exempt for the same reason, Deut. xx. 6. This statute exempted the establisher of a vineyard or olive-yard for five whole

† An interesting paper on the practice alluded to in these passages may be seen in the Critica Biblica, vol. ii., pp. 489

497.

years. For if a tree bore fruit the first year, it | 380,000, making a total of 1,160,000, besides could not be used for food before the fifth year of those in the fenced cities to garrison them, 2 its growth. During the first three years it could Chron. xvii. 14–18. not be eaten at all; and in the fourth year it was consecrated to God, and could only be eaten at the sacred feasts, Lev. xix. 23-25. (3) Whoever had betrothed a wife, but had not yet consummated marriage, was likewise exempted, lest he should fall in battle, and another take his bride, Deut. xx. 7. (4) Every new-married man was, during the first year after marriage, freed from military service, and all other personal burdens. (5) Whoever was fearful and faint-hearted was allowed to retire, that he might not infect others with cowardice, Deut. xx. 8. The four former immunities, independent of their manifest equity, were attended with two very great political benefits, in promoting, first, marriages, and secondly, the culture of the soil, which are never more necessary than in the time of war. The latter ground of exemption, however, was not quite so honourable. It must have cost a coward a great struggle to avail himself of it; and no doubt many, rather than do so, would repress their fears, and, of course, fight so much the better.*

4. The officers in the Israelitish armies were (1) The Generalissimo, or commander-in-chief; called, also, the captain of the Lord's host: such as, Joshua under Moses, Abner under Saul, Joab under David, and Benaiah under Solomon. (2) The princes of the tribes, or of the fathers, or of the families of Israel, who were at the head of their respective tribes. (3) Princes of a thousand, or tribunes, captains of a hundred, heads of fifty men, thirdsmen, whose functions are unknown, and decurions, or chiefs of ten men. (4) Scribes, or muster-masters, who kept exact registers of all who bore arms in their districts. (5) Inspectors, or provosts, who had authority to command the troops under their inspection, and to punish delinquents. It was quite common for the kings to go to war in person, and in the earlier times they fought on foot. After Solomon had introduced cavalry into his armies, they headed their troops in chariots. See the Kings and Chronicles, throughout.

5. We have no certain information of the precise manner in which the Israelitish armies were 3. The Israelitish armies being thus levied on drawn up for battle. The Jewish writers state the nation, en masse, it is easy to see how they that the whole army was ranged into one single were able to bring such large numbers into the line, twenty or thirty deep. In the front of these field. Thus they mustered 400,000 footmen to were placed the light infantry, viz., the archers, revenge the perfidy and cruelty of the Benja- slingers, and spearmen, who commenced the onset mites, Judges xx. 17. When Saul marched with a warlike shout, and with a shower of arrows against the Ammonites he had 330,000 (1 Sam. and stones directed against the enemy's front. It xi. 8), and when he went to destroy Amalek, he is probable that the cavalry was disposed in large had 210,000, ch. xv. 4. It was not till a later squadrons on the two wings. Before the battle period in their history, however, that the Is- commenced, the following ceremonies were obraelitish armies assumed a regular warlike cha- served :-(1) The priest approached the army, racter, and became, as a whole, properly effective. and said, "Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day They were called out from their agricultural occu- into battle against your enemies; let not your pations, according to the exigency of the times, hearts faint; fear not, and do not tremble, neieach one bringing his own arms and provisions ;† ther be ye terrified because of them; for the Lord and after the termination of the war, which was your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for seldom more than short skirmishes with the you against your enemies, and to save you." (2) surrounding nations, they were disbanded, and The officers then proclaimed the exemptions from returned to their homes, 1 Sam. xi., xiii. The military service which have been enumerated earliest instance on record of any military force above, and then (3) The whole who remained being kept in time of peace, is in the reign of were led forward to the battle, the method of Saul, 1 Sam. xiii. 1, 2. This force was evidently which was directed as circumstances permitted. augmented during the reigns of the subsequent Before the invention of fire-arms, fenced cities kings; for in Jehoshaphat's reign the military were of the utmost importance, and on them the force in Judah was 780,000, and in Benjamin greatest dependance was placed. When the Israelites were about to besiege a city, they either drew lines of circumvallation, to prevent escape, or hewed down trees, and built forts against them round about (2 Kings xxv. 1; 2 Sam. xvii. 20; Isa. xxix. 3; Jer. vi. 6); or planted batteringrams and other engines of destruction (Jer. vi. 6

* Michaelis on the Laws of Moses, vol. iii., pp. 26-37.

On some occasions one part of the army foraged for the rest, Judges xx. 10. And it was sometimes the case that part of the nation remained at home, to provide provisions for those

who marched against the enemy. See 1 Sam. xvii. 13, 17; Josephus, Jewish Wars, b. ii., ch. 20.

and