CHAP. VII. History and Manners. 513. HISTORY, especially ancient history, contributes, in many inftances, and in different ways, to the illuftration of Scripture. 514. To this head belong, civil hiftory, political history, customs and manners, chronology, geography, and natural history. SECT. I Of Civil History. 515. By civil history we mean, relations of actions and events; and many fuch relations throw light upon the Scriptures, and have been often applied to this purpose. Shuckford's and Prideaux's Connexions. Stackhouse's Hift. of the Bible. Benson's Hift. of Chriftianity. Lardner's Credibility, p. 1. b. 1. 516. Relations, by other hiftorians, of the fame facts which are related in Scripture, illuftrate the hiftorical parts of it, in much the fame manner as parallel paffages of Scripture. 517. Such relations, by other hiftorians, often confirm the relations of the facred hiftorians, even concerning facts which appear most extraordinary. Matt. xxvii. 51, &c. confirmed by several heathen historians. Acts xii. 21-23. Luke's account of Herod's death, confirm- 518. When other hiftorians relate the fame events with the facred writers, they often record circumstances omitted, or only hinted at, by these, and fit for throwing light upon them. Acts xii. 21. "Upon a fet day, Upon a fet day," the fecond of the shows in honour of the Emperor. Jofeph. ib.-" In royal apparel, a robe of filver, reflecting the rays of the rifing fun which fell upon it. Jof. ib. 519. Other hiftorians often relate events not mentioned in Scripture, but connected with such as are there recorded, and fit for throwing light on the narration of them. Acts xii. 1-3. Herod's fondness for the Jews, and perfecution of the Chriftians; the former confirmed, and the latter accounted for, by his great zeal for the law. Jofeph. Antiq. 1. 19. c. j. 520. Hiftories of the events foretold in Scripture, whenever we have them accurate and full, throw great light on the meaning of the predictions concerning these events, and generally fhew the punctual accomplishment of thein, even in their minuteft circumftances. Gen. xvii. 25. Twelve princes fhall he (Ifhmael) beget," the names of his twelve fons, ch. xxv. 12—16. The Arabians have always lived in tribes, each governed by a prince, or Phylarch, (Strabo, l. 16. Hieron. quæft. Heb. Theve hot, p. 1. b. 2. c. 32. Harris's Voyages, v. 2. b. 2. c. 9.) and thefe, for a long time, twelve in number: Melo ap Eufeb. præp. Evang. 1. 9. c. 19. Cleric. in loc Newton on Proph. Diff. 2. Nahum foretells, ch. i. 10. that Nineveh fhould be taken when the people were drunk; and fo it was, Diod. Sieul. 1. 2.— chap. ii. 6. that "the gates of the river fhould be opened, and the palace diffolved;" the river broke down twenty furlongs of the wall, and overflowed part of the town; and the king burnt himself, with his palace, &c. Diodor. ib.-t. 9. "great fpoil of gold and filver;" many talents, Diodor. ib. -ch. i. 8, 9. ii. 11, 13. iii. 17, 18, 19. and Zeph. ii. 13, 14, 15." its deftruction total;" fo much, that the oldest historians fpeak of it only as having once been, and differ even about its fituation. Newton, ib. Diff. 9. ifa. vi. 13. is obscure and variously explained, but made clear, partly by facred hiftory; "a tenth left," 2 Kings xxv. 124_ 22. others gathered themfelves and returned," Jer. xl. 712.; partly from profane history; the deftruction of Jerufa lem-the Jews again multiplying-their being nearly exter minated by Hadrian, yet fubfilling numerous still. Lowth in loc: 521. The Scripture contains allufions to facts not mentioned in it, but related by other historians; and it is from their relations, that these allufions must be ex plained. SECT. II. Of Political History. 522. POLITICAL HISTORY, by which we mean accounts of the conftitution of states, their laws, and forms of judgment, is often conducive to the illuftration of Scripture. 523. A confiderable part of Scripture has for its profeffed fubject the nature of the Hebrew conftitution of government, and its particular laws; and, the right interpretation of that part of Scripture, is coincident with the knowledge of these. 524. It is from the nature of the Hebrew government, that we can deduce the precife import of expreffions, which take their rife from particulars belonging to it. 525. The Scripture contains allufions to particulars in the government and laws of the Hebrews, and, therefore, receives illuftration from thefe particulars, and must be explained by them. Dan. vii. 9, 10. The images taken from the Sanhedrim. Newton, ib. Diff. 14. Mat. Mat. v. 21, 22. Three degrees of guilt, expreffed in terms borrowed from Jewish judicatories, for different offences, and different punishments. gos, a court of 23 in every city, for civil offences, could ftrangle or behead. vvigio, the Sanhedrim, for heinous crimes, ftoned to death. ytvia TE MUGOST burning in the valley of Hinnom. Grot. Macknight in loc. 526. Though the laws of the Hebrews were fixed by divine authority, and continued, in a great meafure, unvaried, yet, their government underwent feveral revolutions, which introduced alterations in feveral refpects, under the Judges, under the Kings, during the captivity, after their return from it, and on their fubjection to the Romans. 527. Knowledge of the peculiarities of their fituation, in all these periods, is conducive to the illuftration of Scripture; especially their state, the privileges which they enjoyed, and the reftrictions which they were under in the last of them, contribute to the explication of many paffages of the New Teftament. Under the Romans, the Jews were protected in the free exercise of their religion, were governed by their own laws, and permitted to live according to their own customs. Jofeph. An tiq. l. 14. c. 10. 1 Cor. vi. 5, 6. "Chriftians going before heathen judges," are reproved; they were confidered as a Jewish fect, and might have decided their own differences. The Jews had their council, which might apprehend, examine, confine, inflict smaller punishments, and carry before the Governor for capital offences. All thefe privileges were exercifed |