Chap. 2.

СНАР.

II.

A Defcription of the Holy Land, with its feveral Names and Divifions, till it became a Province of the Roman Empire.

T

HE Holy Land (the Scene of the Revolutions above recited) first called the Land of Canaan and the Land of Promife, lies in Afia, near the most Western Part of that Quarter of the World, and is bounded on the Eaft by Arabia Deferta, from which it is partly divided by Mount Gilead and Mount Arnon; on the Weft, or rather NorthWeft, by the farthest End of the Mediterranean Sea, and fome of that Part of Syria called Phenicia; on the North, or North-East, by the rest of Syria, from which it is divided by Anti-Libanus and Mount Hermon; and on the South and SouthWeft, by Arabia Petræa, and particularly by that Part of it called Idumea. Its Situation is in a very warm Climate, between 30 Degrees 4 Minutes, and 33 Degrees 2 Minutes of Northern Latitude; and between 64 Degrees 49 Minutes, and 68 Degrees 20 Minutes of Longitude; being in Length, from the Northern Parts of Galilee to the Southern Parts of Judea, about 200 English Miles; and in Breadth, from the Eaftern Parts of Perea to the Western Parts of Samaria, about half as much, and in fome Places lefs: So that it contained a Spot of Land not half fo large as the Kingdom of England. Yet notwithstanding the Smallness of the Limits, and the Heat of the Climate, it furpafs'd all Countries in the World in Fertility and Pleafantnefs, being a Land abounding with the most delicious Fruits and choiceft Grains, replenifh'd with beautiful Hills and Fountains, with luxurious Vales and Plains, and pleasant Groves and Forefts, fill'd with fuch Numbers of rich Cities and Towns, and bleft with fuch a fweet Temperature of Air, that God thought

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thought fit to affign it for the Habitation of his elect People, and promis'd it to the Father of the Faithful and his Pofterity. This Country is divided into two unequal Parts by the River Jordan, and two Lakes, which are call'd the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Jordan runs almoft from North to South, or rather, from North Eaft to South Weft; but that Part of the Country which lies on the Weft, or North-West fide of this River, is the largest and most fertile.

The first Inhabitants of this Land were principally defcended from Canaan, the fourth Son of Ham, or Cham, one of the three Sons of Noah, from whom this Country was called the Land of Canaan; for immediately after the Confufion of Languages at Babel, and not much above a hundred Years after the Flood, Canaan, with his eleven Sons, pafs'd through Syria and Phenicia, and took Poffeffion of almost all that part of the Country on the Weft fide of Jordan, afterwards fpreading themselves partly on the other fide of the River. Five of his Sons were left to inhabit Phenicia and the Coafts of Syria; and from the other fix, together with himself, fprang feveral remarkable Nations, who for their Sins afterwards, by divine Appointment, were to be utterly extirpated, namely, the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Jebusites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, and Girgefbites, of whom the three first were the most potent. The Numbers of these People increafing, their Families were subdivided into many inferior Branches and Sovereignties; fo that when Jofbua enter'd this Land, he found above thirty Kings amongst them. Befides which, they gradually admitted feveral other Nations to be their Neighbours, and partly to mix with them; as particularly the Philiftines on the Weftern Coafts, a gigantick People of the Race of Mifraim, the fecond Son of Cham; the Moabites and Ammonites beyond Jordan, both Defcendants of Lot by his own Daughters; with part of the Midianites and Edomites, Defcendants of

Midian and Efau, both inhabiting the Southern Chap. 2. Parts and Borders of Arabia.

Thefe Nations daily increas'd in Wealth and Numbers, and liv'd furrounded with Plenty and Pleasures, though not free from frequent Wars and Contests among themselves; yet they never met with any dangerous or fatal Disturbance till near eight hundred Years after the first Plantation of the Land; when the Hebrews, under their great Commander Joshua, took forcible. Poffeffion of it, fubdu'd thefe People, and in a few Ages enflav'd and destroy'd all the old Inhabitants.

The Country being in a great measure reduc'd by Joshua, was divided into twelve Parts, or Por tions, among the Defcendants of the twelve Sona of Jacob; the whole Land was divided into fo many equal Shares as there were Tribes (a due Refpect being had to their Number)and the Portion of every Tribe was to be determin'd by Lot; the manner of which they fay was this: Two Urns being plac'd before him that drew the Lots, in one of which were Scrolls of Parchment containing the Names of the twelve Tribes of Ifrael, and in the other the Portions of Land, he first put his Hand into the Urn wherein were the Names, and drew out one, suppose that of Judah; and then he put his Hand into the other Urn, and drew out the Portion that fell to his Share. Or perhaps there was only one Urn, wherein were the feveral Portions of the Land, and they began, fuppofe with the eldest Son of Ifrael, Reuben, and pulling out a Scroll, faid, This is the Portion of Reuben; and fo of the reft. But which way foever they proceeded, there were two Diftributions made, one of the whole Country into twelve Parts, and another of each of thofe Parts among the feveral Families that were in each Tribe. For this purpose Jofbua number'd the Families in every Tribe, and according to the Number of Perfons gave to every Family a certain Proportion of Lands, and exactly

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actly prefcrib'd the Bounds of them. This Agrarian Law was appointed by Mofes, before the Land of Canaan was fubdued; a Law, whereby all the Poffeffors were reftrain'd from transferring their full Property unto another, by Sale, or any fort of Contract whatfoever; for thofe who were forc'd by Poverty to fell their Land, had a Right allow'd them to redeem it at any time; and they who were unable to redeem it, receiv'd it freely again at the Feast of Jubilee.

The Northern Parts of the Country were given to the Tribe of Afer, Nepthali, Zabulon, and Jachar; the middle Parts to that of Ephraim and the half of Manaffeb; the Southern Parts to thofe of Judah, Benjamin, Dan, and Simeon; and the Country beyond Jordan, to thofe of Reuben, Gad, and the other half of Manaffeh. Levi, which makes a thirteenth Tribe, being felected for the - fpecial Service of God, was difpers'd among all the other Tribes, had forty-eight Cities, the Tenths of all the Profits of the Land, with many other great Advantages and Privileges; and by that means was more liberally provided for than the rest of the Tribes: but tho' they had no whole Country allotted to them, as the others had, yet in the Countries afterwards fubdu'd by fome Kings of Ifrael, they had their Portion affigned them with the rest of the Hebrews. Thus did the Hebrews take poffeffion of the promis'd Land, which had been affur'd to them by the Word of God about four hundred and feventy Years beCuneus de Rep. fore. The Talmudifts, when they fpeak of the Heb. lib. 1. caf Holy Land, particularly mention the folemn Confecration of it: They tell us, that when Joshua took Poffeffion of the Country, he folemnly confecrated all the wall'd Cities. This they call the firft Entrance: But when the People were captivated by the Babylonians, and carry'd beyond Euphrates, the Country became defiled; and therefore, after the Return of the Jews, Ezra the High-Prieft by a folemn Act restored Sanctity to the Land; and that was the fecond Entrance.

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The Country was again profan'd by the Roman Chap. 2. Conqueft; but they vainly imagine that the Meffiah, whofe coming they expect, fhall fubdue the Land, and restore it to its Purity by a third Confecration, which they call the third Entrance. Whatever may be thought of thefe Traditions, it is generally believ'd that the Holy Land retain'd a peculiar Excellency above other Countries; infomuch that the Republick of the Hebrews was confined within the Bounds of it; for had the People been removed out of their proper Seats, and another Government fet up, under the Difcipline of the Mofaical Laws, it is fuppofed that the Country would have been efteem'd impure, nor would there have been any peculiar Sanctimony in the Inhabitants.

Under this Divifion the Holy Land continued, till the Apoftacy of the Ten Tribes from the Houfe of David, and then it was diftinguish'd by the Kingdom of Judah and the Kingdom of Ifrael: The Kingdom of Judah contain'd all the Southern Parts of the Land, and about a fourth of the whole, being about a hundred Miles in Length and fixty in Breadth, confifting of the two Tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and fo much of Dan and Simeon as lay intermix'd with Judah; its royal City being Jerufalem in the Tribe of Benjamin. The Kingdom of Ifrael included all the Northern and middle Parts of the Land, together with the Country beyond Jordan, confifting of the rest of the Tribes; the royal City, during the time of this Kingdom's Continuance,being Samaria in the Tribe of Ephraim, not much above thirty Miles North Eaft of Jerufalem. But this Diftinction ceased, when Salmaneffer, the King of Affyria, carry'd the Ten Tribes away captive, and planted other Na

ions in their room.

The Holy Land falling under the Dominion of he Syrian Kings, received another Name, and was called Palestine, from the Philiftines, a powerful Nation in thofe Parts; a Name firft found in the Hiftory of Herodotus, but generally used in

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