in Proniifes andThreatnings. X89 be deJfroyed from among the people, that is, by the hand ofGA as isdeclared, t Cor. t o. to.. Heb. I I. 28. Twentyfine times is this punifhment threatned in the Law, hill unto fuch fins as difannul the Covenant, whichour Apoftle exprefly refpefts, chap. 2. 2. as (hall be declared on that place. Now this punifhment the Jews generally agree tobe p' wet 111 by the' hand of 4, to; Heaven, or that which God himfelfwould immediately inflidt; and it is evidently de- clared fo to be in the interpretation givenofit, Levit.,17. lc. chap. 20. 4, 5, 6. But what this punifhment' was, or wherein it did conlift,neither Jews nor. Chri- ffians are abfolutely agreed ; the latter onthis fubjeá doing little more then repre- fenting the opinions and judgments of the other, whichcourfe alto we may follow. Some of them fay, that Vntimely Death is meant by it, fo /Martinet on Numb. 5. 22. a1 i 11,1 ru-onr1 j»ÿ +bS) turn mat 01791, )yj 171Ç lmntbl 33tOWPT tbt ii tp It it thecutting offthe days ofthefanner, andhis death before the natural term of . it inflieled by the hand ofHeaven. This untimely death they reckonto be between the years of twen- ty andfxty; whence Schindler, r i exterminium; cum quit prematurdt morte inter vi- g&Amum &fexageffimum annum à Deoè medio tollitur; ita tarnen ut relinquat liberos: Cutting of; ir, when any one H taken away byuntimeydeath, between the twintieth and fixtiethyear ofhis age, yet fo, at that be leave children. Thatdaufe orcondition, fo thatyet he leavepo- Jferity or children behind him, is, as far as I camfind, no whereadded by them, nor Both any thing in the Scripture give countenance thereunto. Yea, many of the Hebrews think, that this punifhment confifted in this, that fuch a one fhould leave no children behind him, but that either he (honk} be wholly árexrrr, withoutchildren, or ifhehad any before his fin, they fhould all die before him, and fo his name and pofterity be cut off, which, fay they, is to be cut offfromamong his people. So, Aben-EzraonGen. 17. 14: And this opinion is not without its countenance from the Scripture it felt. And therefore Jarchi on the fame place, with much probability, puts both thefe to- gether, He fballbe cutoff by untimelydeath, andleave nochildren behind him to continue his . name or remembrance amongff the people, -14 wtW tb 4113 rco 11[6=1,]11/7 WI TIt31D tb 31103 134 1ow1 tm mr; 14tì37 CPrias they fpeak. He that bath no children is accounted as dead ; but he that bath, is as ifhe lived, andhis name isnot cut off They have a third opinion alto, that by this cutting off, the death of the foul is in. It. tended, efpecially when the word is ingemminated, Cuttingoff hefball becut off, as Numb. Is. 31. So Maimonides, nbspl mtm rpm -8241. wort' *aim thatfoulJhal perifh, it Pallnot live or fubfiffanymorefor ever, Few embrace this opinion, as being contrary to their general perfwafion of EternalpuniJhments for the tranfgreffìonl ofthe Covenant. Whereforeit is difputed againft by Abarbinel on Numb. a5. who contends, that the death ofthePoulin everlafling feparation from God, is intended in this threatning. And both the principal parts of thefevarious opinions, namely, thatofimmature corporal death,and eternalpunifbment, ate joyned together by Jonathan, inhisTargum on Numb. a5.31. HeJhallbe cut ()fin thisworld, and thatmanJhall be cut Offin theworld to come, and bear. r hisfin intheday ofJudgment. For my part; as I have chewed, that eternal death was contained in the curfe of the Law, fo this efpecial n13 or extermination from among the people, teemstome tointend tome efpecial judgment ofGod, in taking awaythelife offuch a perfon, anfwering unto thatputting todeath by the Judges and Magiflrates in fuch cafes, when they were known, which God did appoint. And here- inalto was an eminent. Reprefentationof the everlafting cutting off ofobftinate and final tranfgreflors ofthe Covenant. Thirdly, In Judgments to bebrought prodidentially upon the whole'Nationby PeJfi- Á 11. lenee,Famine,Sword and Captivity,which areat large declared., Levit.26. and Deut. 28. Fourthly, Total Rejetion ofthe whole bodyofthe people, incafe of unbeliefand difobedience, upon the fullandperked Revelation that was to be made of the will and mindofGod upon the comingof theMefliah, Deut.t8.t8. Alls3.32. Hof. 2. 23. Ifa. 10. 22, 23. Rom. 9. Thefeare the Heads of the punilhments, whichGod tookupon himfelfto infiielin an extraordinary manner, on the-tranfgreffors of the Law, that is, thole who proceeded to do it fowith an highband, as that hisCovenant was made void thereby as to all theends of its re-eftablifhment in theadminiftrationof the Law. Thefecóndfort of penalties annexed unto thetranfgrefon ofthe Law, were fuch as Men, by God's inftitution and appointment, were enabled to infliét; concerning 6. 13. which, we mutt confider, Firft, who, andwhat the Perfns were, who were enabled and authorifed to inflid thefe penalties. Secondly, of what fort thefe penalties were, and for what tranfgee (ions necelFarily infliF,hed, P p The
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