power of admitting what causes they thought were proper to come before the judges, and of rejecting what they looked upon as frivolous, or unnecessary to be inquired into.

*

Of the judiciary authority of these rulers we read farther in the case of Jeremiah. When (another) Micaiah had heard his prophetical denunciations against Israel and Judah (Jer. xxxvi. 11) he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber, where all the princes (these rulers) were sitting, and informed them of it. And after, when Jeremiah was going out of the city into the land of Benjamin, Irijah, who suspected that he was going to desert to the army of the Chaldeans, who were lately broken up from besieging the city, (Jer. xxxvii. 12,) took Jeremiah and brought him to the princes. Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison.

And upon his farther prophesying that the city should be given into the hand of the King of Babylon, therefore the princes said unto the king, "We beseech thee, let this man be put to death." Then Zedekiah, the king, said, "Behold he is in your hand; for the king is not he that can do anything against you." Which shews that they bore a mighty sway in the great council of the nation; and that, when they prayed judg ment and execution against any one, even the

king thought it most safe and prudent to comply with them.

The number of these rulers in every city was in proportion to the number of its inhabitants; as many thousands as it contained, so many rulers, of that rank and denomination, belonged to it; from which regulation the estimation and consequence of each city was discernible at one view. And from this consideration arises that fine allusion of one of the prophets concerning the place where Christ should be born; so understood and applied by the chief priests and scribes themselves, as the evangelist informs us, (Matt. ii. 5, Mic. v. 2,)" But thou, Bethlehem, Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, (in comparison of those cities that have rulers of thousands belonging to them,) yet out of thee he shall come forth unto me-that is, to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been of old, from everlasting." So exactly was almost every minute circumstance relating to the Saviour of mankind delineated and foretold by those divinely-inspired writers, who lived so many hundred years before he came into the world. *

Captains of Thousands, &c.

The rest of the officers that governed the army we find called by the titles of captains of thousands, captains of hundreds, captains of

opposite square, according to his proposal; for the towns will not only be more healthy, by having the uncleared lands more distant from them, but also the inhabitants, when on watch and ward duty, will be better enabled to discover the approach of any lurking savages or other enemies in time of war.

Old Jewry, Aug. 1, 1783.

GRANVILLE SHARP,

APPENDIX (A).

THE third wheel of their government, which, as we mentioned before, turned within the other two, was the constitution and magistracy of every city within itself. As the weight of superintending the affairs of every tribe was much lightened to the prince thereof, by the subordinate jurisdiction of the heads of families, the political burden of these latter was, in like manner, considerably alleviated by the share of authority which appertained to the rulers of cities; every tribe having several cities belonging to it, and every city being inhabited by a great number of families.

The chief magistrate in these corporations was called the ruler of the city.

Some have questioned whether there were not more than one of these chief magistrates in every city that there were many subordinate ones, having gradual authority under one another, is very plain; and that these were the same whom Moses constituted to be judges of the people in

L

power of admitting what causes they thought were proper to come before the judges, and of rejecting what they looked upon as frivolous, or unnecessary to be inquired into.

*

Of the judiciary authority of these rulers we read farther in the case of Jeremiah. When (another) Micaiah had heard his prophetical denunciations against Israel and Judah (Jer. xxxvi. 11) he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber, where all the princes (these rulers) were sitting, and informed them of it. And after, when Jeremiah was going out of the city into the land of Benjamin, Irijah, who suspected that he was going to desert to the army of the Chaldeans, who were lately broken up from besieging the city, (Jer. xxxvii. 12,) took Jeremiah and brought him to the princes. Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison.

And upon his farther prophesying that the city should be given into the hand of the King of Babylon, therefore the princes said unto the king, "We beseech thee, let this man be put to death." Then Zedekiah, the king, said, “Behold he is in your hand; for the king is not he that can do anything against you." Which shews that they bore a mighty sway in the great council of the nation; and that, when they prayed judg ment and execution against any one, even the