7. Their capital punishments what they were.
9. Punishments borrowed from other Nations: whether S. _Paul_ fought with the beasts at _Ephesus_.
Chap. 1. Circumcision; whence, the use of Godfathers in Baptism.
2. First-fruits, first-lings, first-born.
3. Sorts of Tithes, manner of paying them.
4. Marriages and divorces, copies of their dowry bill, and bill of divorce: what meant by power on the Womans head, _1 Cor. 11. 10._
5. Burials, manner of embalming, manner of their Sepulchres, what meant by baptization of the dead, _1 Cor. 15. 9._
7. Of their writing, their Masorites, and their work.
8. Israels pitching of their tents, or of their camps.
10. Their Coyns, first of brazen Coyns, silver Coyns, and gold Coyns.
_Of the form of the ~Hebrewes~ Common-wealth until Christ his coming, and when the Scepter departed from them._
The form and state of Government hath been subject to change and variation amongst all Nations, but especially amongst the _Jewes_, where these changes are observable.
At first, the _Fathers_ of their several Families, and their _First-born_ after them, exercised all kind of Government, both _Eclesiastical_ and _Civil_, being both _Kings_ and _Priests_, in their own houses. They had power over their own Families, to bless, curse, cast out of doors, disinherit, and to punish with death, as is apparent by these examples: of _Noah_ towards _Cham_, _Gen. 9. 25._ of _Abraham_ towards _Hagar_ and _Ismael_, _Gen. 21. 10._ of _Jacob_ towards _Simeon_ and _Levi, Gen. 49. 3._ and of _Judah_ towards _Thamar_, _Gen. 38. 24._
In _Moses_ his days then did this prerogative of primo geniture cease: and as _Aaron_ and his posterity was invested with the right and title of _Priests_; so _Moses_, and after him _Joshua_, ruled all the people with a kind of _Monarchical_ authority. For _Moses_ was among the righteous as _King_, _Deut. 32. 5._
After _Joshua_ succeeded _Judges_; their Officers were of absolute and independent authority, like unto _Kings_, when once they were elected. But there were long vacancies, and chasms commonly between the cessation of the one, and the election of the other: yea for the most part, the people never chose a _Judge_, but in time of great troubles, and imminent dangers; which being over-past, he retired to a private life. After that _Gideon_ had delivered the people out of the hand of the _Midianites_, he being offered the _Kingdom_, replyed, I will not reign over you, neither shall my Child reign over you, _Judg. 8. 23._ That of _Samuel_, that he judged _Israel_ all the days of his life, _1 Sam. 7. 15._ was[1] extraordinary. In this respect, their _Judges_ symbolize with the _Roman Dictators_. This state of Regiment continued amongst them by the computation of S. _Augustine_[2], three hundred twenty nine years. In these vacancies or distances of time between _Judge_ and _Judge_, the greater and weightier matters were determined by that great Court of the _Seventy_ called the _Senadrin_; in which respect the form of Government may be thought _Aristocratical_. _Kings_ succeeded the _Judges_, and they continued from _Saul_ unto the Captivity of _Babylon_, that is,[3] about 502 years.