105 



the conditions of servitude imposed upon them; and tlie 

 Piiilistines, in their repl}^ acknowledge the force of the ap- 

 peal, " We arc come up," say they, "against Samson, to do 

 unto him as he hath done unto us;" as if they said, " we 

 wish to punish those only who deny our authority, or resist 

 our dominion." In a word, when the children of Israel per- 

 mitted the people of the land to remain as their tributaries, 

 " and they dwelt among them to this day," says the text, 

 (Jud. 1-15. & aliter passim) will it be denied, that those, 

 although in subjection, enjoyed peace. The case will be per- 

 fectly analogous, if we should suppose those tributaries had 

 their native Judges and sovereigns during the period of their 

 subjection, and the annals of the nation might, like those of 

 Israel, record their subjection to a foreign dominion at the 

 same time that they should notice tlie circumstances of in- 

 ternal oeconomy, and the hereditary, or elective, succession 

 of their chiefs, and if we have no grounds from the silence 

 of sacred history, to quote the instance as perfectly analo- 

 gous, yet we have other accounts that amply supply the 

 requisite examples. Moab and Edom were conquered by 

 David, and remained tributary to his successors for a consi- 

 derable period, during which we meet with the names of some 

 of their sovereigns attending the kings of Israel and transmit- 

 ting them tribute, (v. 11. Kings iii. pass.) should we not then 

 suppose, that Israel, v.hen subjected to their enemies, like- 

 wise possessed an internal jurisdiction and sovereignty, si- 



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