And fo the words give us an account of the way and manner in which the Hebrews were deceived by the Gibeonites, and induced to make a covenant with them. They did not afk counfel of the Lord, as they ought to have done, but they received, or accepted of the men, as perfons of probity and integrity, because of their victuals, which, being spoiled and mouldy, made them believe that they had come from a far country. This rendering is exactly agreeable to the Hebrew, and gives a fenfe which is natural, probable, and fupported by the context and common fense: whereas the other rendering, which we have in our tranflation, is forced and unnatural, and gives a sense which is improbable, and, indeed, which one knows not what to make of it. And it deferves remark, that the Hebrew, rendered in the former way, fays nothing at all about eating and drinking together, and ftill lefs about eating and drinking together, as a symbol of friendship, or a fœ deral rite. Upon the whole, it is manifeft, I think, that none of the three covenants mentioned, was entered into, or contracted, by eating and drinking together, confidered as a fœderal rite. In the first, eating and drinking together 8. MIMI DOMND, for, because of, on account of, the Lord's love to you, w umijhomro, and for, because of, on account of, his keeping the oath which he had fworn to your fathers. together was prior to the fœderal engagement; and, for that reafon, was not the rite by which the covenant was made or entered into. At the making of the fecond, there was eating and drinking together; but then, this eating and drinking together was before, and after, the covenant was made; and, therefore, cannot, in reafon, be deemed any of those rites by which it was made and entered into. And for the covenant between the Hebrews and the Gibeonites, it doth not appear, from the hiftory, that the contracting parties did eat and drink together. When the Author, therefore produceth these three as inftances of covenants which were made and contracted, by the rite of eating and drinking together, he mifreprefents realfacts.When the ambaffadors of princes, or even men of inferior rank, meet together about negociations of peace and friendship, it has been, and still is, cuftomary for them, to make entertainments, at which they eat and drink together. And this is all that was done by the men of old, on the like occafions. But however thefe entertainments may be confidered as marks of esteem, honour, and friendly difpofition; yet they never are, never were, confidered as rites by which the treaties of peace and friendship which they negociate, are made, entered into, or ratified. The Author, as a farther proof, that eating and drinking together was, among the ancients, a fœderal rite fubjoins, "The "breach of covenants thus confirmed (viz. by eating and drinking together) was "deemed as grofs a violation of friendship as any one could be guilty of. Thus Da"vid complains, that his own familiar friend, "in whom he trusted, which did eat of his bread, had lift up his heel against him, "Pfal. xli. 9. And our Saviour applied this paffage of the pfalmift to the traitor Ju"das,-He that eateth bread with me, hath lift up his heel against me. When Ishmael, "the fon of Nethaniah, and the ten men "that were with him, treacherously flew "Gedaliah, the fon of Ahikam, to whom "Nebufaradan had committed the people "that remained in Mizpah, it is faid, that "he and his companions came to Mizpah, "and there they did eat bread together, i. e. "there they bound themselves together in "the strongest band of confederacy to mur"der Gedaliah, which they accordingly ef"fected. Or, if they did eat bread together "with Gedaliah, their treachery was fo much. "the groffer, and their infamous behaviour was fo much the more to be detefted. Vide Jerem. xli. 1. The prophet Obadiah has "alluded to the fame cuftom, and made use "of the fame expreffion with the pfalmift, "The men that were at peace with thee, (Edom) i (Edom) have deceived thee;-they that "eat thy bread, have laid a wound under "thee. v. 7"." ANSW. In the paffages, here quoted, there is nothing that can be deemed fufficient to make any reasonable man think, that eating bread together is mentioned in them, in allufion to a custom among men of entering into leagues and covenants of friendship by eating and drinking together. David's familiar friend did eat of his bread; Judas the traitor did eat of Chrift's bread; and Ishmael and his ten companions came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, and there they did eat bread together; and they who were to deftroy Edom were fuch as did eat of his bread: but it doth not appear, that any of these parties ever entered into a covenant of amity with one another; nor is there any reafon to think, that their eating and drinking together is mentioned as an allufion to a custom of entering into and ratifying covenants by that rite. On the contrary, their eating together is evidently mentioned, not as a fœderal rite by which they actually entered into a covenant with one another, or as an allufion to fuch a rite; but as an inftance of friendly difpofition and great goodness on the one fide, and of the vileft diffimulation, treachery, and ingratitude on the other. The behavi23 our, our, therefore, of David's familiar friend, and of our Lord's perfidious difciple, in lifting up their heel against their benefactors, of whofe bread they had eaten, and of Ifhmael and his companions in murdering Ge daliah, after they had been received and entertained by him in a most kind and respectful manner, and of those who did receive kindneffes from the Edomites in becoming their enemies and deftroyers, was not, as the Author would have it, a breach or violation of covenants of amity, which had been actually made between them by eating together; but a real and notorious inftance of grofs diffimulation, and of the vileft ingratitude and treachery, in those who had acted fuch an infamous and villainous part, Hence it appears, that the paffages referred to, afford no inftances of covenants that were made and entered into by the rite of eating together, nor contain any allufions to a custom among men of contracting and ratifying covenants by fuch a rite; confequently, thefe paffages make nothing for the Author's purpofe. This then is the whole direct fcriptureevidence which the Author has produced, in order to prove, that eating and drinking together was a foederal rite among the ancients, by which they engaged in leagues and covenants of amity and friendship with one another. And from the anfwers which have been |