the commonwealth of oceana-第6章

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ir　commendation；　seeing　by　that　means　they　have　lost　us　a　good　lesson；　the　apostles　borrowing　that　name　for　their　spiritual　congregations；　to　the　end　that　we　might　see　they　intended　the　government　of　the　church　to　be　democratical　or　popular；　as　is　also　plain　in　the　rest　of　their　constitutions。　　　　　The　church　or　congregation　of　the　people　of　Israel　assembled　in　a　military　manner；　and　had　the　result　of　the　commonwealth；　or　the　power　of　confirming　all　their　laws；　though　proposed　even　by　God　himself；　as　where　they　make　him　king；　and　where　they　reject　or　depose　him　as　civil　magistrate；　and　elect　Saul。　It　is　manifest　that　he　gives　no　such　example　to　a　legislator　in　a　popular　government　as　to　deny　or　evade　the　power　of　the　people；　which　were　a　contradiction；　but　though　he　deservedly　blames　the　ingratitude　of　the　people　in　that　action；　he　commands　Samuel；　being　next　under　himself　supreme　magistrate；　〃to　hearken　to　their　voice〃　（for　where　the　suffrage　of　the　people　goes　for　nothing；　it　is　no　commonwealth）；　and　comforts　him；　saying；　〃They　have　not　rejected　thee；　but　they　have　rejected　me　that　I　should　not　reign　over　them。〃　But　to　reject　him　that　he　should　not　reign　over　them；　was　as　civil　magistrate　to　depose　him。　The　power　therefore　which　the　people　had　to　depose　even　God　himself　as　he　was　civil　magistrate；　leaves　little　doubt　but　that　they　had　power　to　have　rejected　any　of　those　laws　confirmed　by　them　throughout　the　Scripture；　which；　to　omit　the　several　parcels；　are　generally　contained　under　two　heads：　those　that　were　made　by　covenant　with　the　people　in　the　land　of　Moab；　and　those　which　were　made　by　covenant　with　the　people　in　Horeb；　which　two；　I　think；　amount　to　the　whole　body　of　the　Israelitish　laws。　　　　　But　if　all　and　every　one　of　the　laws　of　Israel　being　proposed　by　God；　were　no　otherwise　enacted　than　by　covenant　with　the　people；　then　that　only　which　was　resolved　by　the　people　of　Israel　was　their　law；　and　so　the　result　of　that　commonwealth　was　in　the　people。　Nor　had　the　people　the　result　only　in　matter　of　law；　but　the　power　in　some　cases　of　judicature；　as　also　the　right　of　levying　war；　cognizance　in　matter　of　religion；　and　the　election　of　their　magistrates；　as　the　judge　or　dictator；　the　king；　the　prince：　which　functions　were　exercised　by　the　Synagoga　magna；　or　Congregation　of　Israel；　not　always　in　one　manner；　for　sometimes　they　were　performed　by　the　suffrage　of　the　people；　viva　voce；　sometimes　by　the　lot　only；　and　at　others　by　the　ballot；　or　by　a　mixture　of　the　lot　with　the　suffrage；　as　in　the　case　of　Eldad　and　Medad；　which　I　shall　open　with　the　Senate。　　　　　The　Senate　of　Israel；　called　in　the　old　Testament　the　Seventy　Elders；　and　in　the　New　the　Sanhedrim　（which　word　is　usually　translated　〃the　Council〃）；　was　appointed　by　God；　and　consisted　of　seventy　elders　besides　Moses；　which　were　at　first　elected　by　the　people；　but　in　what　manner　is　rather　intimated　than　shown。　Nevertheless；　because　I　cannot　otherwise　understand　the　passage　concerning　Eldad　and　Medad；　of　whom　it　is　said　〃that　they　were　of　them　that　were　written；　but　went　not　up　to　the　tabernacle；〃　then　with　the　Talmudists　I　conceive　that　Eldad　and　Medad　had　the　suffrage　of　the　tribes；　and　so　were　written　as　competitors　for　magistracy；　but　coming　afterward　to　the　lot；　failed　of　it；　and　therefore　went　not　up　to　the　tabernacle；　or　place　of　confirmation　by　God；　or　to　the　session…house　of　the　Senate；　with　the　Seventy　upon　whom　the　lot　fell　to　be　senators；　for　the　session…house　of　the　Sanhedrim　was　first　in　the　court　of　the　tabernacle；　and　afterward　in　that　of　the　Temple；　where　it　came　to　be　called　the　stone　chamber　or　pavement。　If　this　were　the　ballot　of　Israel；　that　of　Venice　is　the　same　transposed；　for　in　Venice　the　competitor　is　chosen　as　it　were　by　the　lot；　in　regard　that　the　electors　are　so　made；　and　the　magistrate　is　chosen　by　the　〃suffrage　of　the　great　Council　or　assembly　of　the　people。〃　But　the　Sanhedrim　of　Israel　being　thus　constituted；　Moses；　for　his　time；　and　after　him　his　successor　sat　in　the　midst　of　it　as　prince　or　archon；　and　at　his　left　hand　the　orator　or　father　of　the　Senate；　the　rest；　or　the　bench；　coming　round　with　either　horn　like　a　crescent；　had　a　scribe　attending　upon　the　tip　of　it。　　　　　This　Senate；　in　regard　the　legislator　of　Israel　was　infallible；　and　the　laws　given　by　God　such　as　were　not　fit　to　be　altered　by　men；　is　much　different　in　the　exercise　of　their　power　from　all　other　senates；　except　that　of　the　Areopagus　in　Athens；　which　also　was　little　more　than　a　supreme　judicatory；　for　it　will　hardly；　as　I　conceive；　be　found　that　the　Sanhedrim　proposed　to　the　people　till　the　return　of　the　children　of　Israel　out　of　captivity　under　Esdras；　at　which　time　there　was　a　new　law　made　　namely；　for　a　kind　of　excommunication；　or　rather　banishment；　which　had　never　been　before　in　Israel。　Nevertheless　it　is　not　to　be　thought　that　the　Sanhedrim　had　not　always　that　right；　which　from　the　time　of　Esdras　is　more　frequently　exercised；　of　proposing　to　the　people；　but　that　they　forebore　it　in　regard　of　the　fulness　and　infallibility　of　the　law　already　made；　whereby　it　was　needless。　Wherefore　the　function　of　this　Council；　which　is　very　rare　in　a　senate；　was　executive；　and　consisted　in　the　administration　of　the　law　made；　and　whereas　the　Council　itself　is　often　understood　in　Scripture　by　the　priest　and　the　Levite；　there　is　no　more　in　that　save　only　that　the　priests　and　the　Levites；　who　otherwise　had　no　power　at　all；　being　in　the　younger　years　of　this　commonwealth；　those　that　were　best　studied　in　the　laws　were　the　most　frequently　elected　into　the　Sanhedrim。　For　the　courts；　consisting　of　three…and…twenty　elders　sitting　in　the　gates　of　every　city；　and　the　triumvirates　of　judges　constituted　almost　in　every　village；　which　were　parts　of　the　executive　magistracy　subordinate　to　the　Sanhedrim；　I　shall　take　them　at　better　leisure；　and　in　the　larger　discourse；　but　these　being　that　part　of　this　commonwealth　which　was　instituted　by　Moses　upon　the　advice　of　Jethro　the　priest　of　Midian　（as　I　conceive　a　heathen）；　are　to　me　a　sufficient　warrant　even　from　God　himself；　who　confirmed　them；　to　make　further　use　of　human　prudence；　wherever　I　find　it　bearing　a　testimony　to　itself；　whether　in　heathen　commonwealths　or　others；　and　the　rather；　because　so　it　is；　that　we　who　have　the　holy　Scriptures；　and　in　them　the　original　of　a　commonwealth；　made　by　the　same　hand　that　made　the　world；　are　either　altogether　blind　or　negligent　of　it；　while　the　heathens　have　all　written　theirs；　as　if　they　had　had　no　other　copy；　as；　to　be　more　brief　in　the　present　account　of　that　which　you　shall　have　more　at　large　hereafter：　　　　　Athens　consisted　of　the　Senate　of　the　Bean　proposing；　of　the　Church　or　Assembly　of　the　people　resolving；　and　too　often　debating；　which　was　the　ruin　of　it；　as　also　of　the　Senate　of　the　Areopagus；　the　nine　archons；　with　divers　other　magistrates；　executing。　　　　　Lacedaemon　consisted　of　the　Senate　proposing；　of　the　Church　or　congregation　of　the　people　resolving　only；　and　never　debating；　which　was　the　long　life　of　it；　and　of　the　two　kings；　the　court　of　the　ephors；　with　divers　other　magistrates；　executing。　　　　　Carthage　consisted　of　the　Senate　proposing　and　sometimes　resolving　too；　of　the　people　resolving　and　sometimes　debating　too；　for　which　fault　she　was　reprehended　by　Aristotle；　and　she　had　her　suffetes；　and　her　hundred　men；　with　other　magistrates；　executing。　　　　　Rome　consisted　of　the　Senate　proposing；　the　concio　or　people　resolving；　and　too　often　debating；　which　caused　her　storms；　as　also　of　the　consuls；　censors；　aediles；　tribunes；　praetors；　quaestors；　and　other　magistrates；　executing。　　　　　Venice　consists　of　the　Senate；　or　pregati；　proposing；　and　sometimes　resolving　too；　of　the　great　Council　or　Assembly　of　the　people；　in　whom　the　result　is　constitutively；　as　also　of　the　doge；　the　signory；　the　censors；　the　dieci；　the　quazancies；　and　other　magistrates；　executing。　　　　　The　proceeding　of　the　Commonwealths　of　Switzerland　and　Holland　is　of　a　like　nature；　though　after　a　more　obscure　manner；　for　the　sovereignties；　whether　cantons；　provinces；　or　cities；　which　are　the　people；　send　their　deputies；　commissioned　and　instructed　by　themselves　（wherein　they　reserve　the　result　in　their　own　power）；　to　the　provincial　or　general　convention；　or　S