An humble inquiry into the rules of the Word of God, concerning the qualifications…

to be sure, there is more Good and less Hurt spoken of them, than of any other Generation that we have any Account of in Scripture ^*A very great Part of them swore in Truth, in Judgment, and in Righteousness: And no wonder, that others at such a Time fell in, either deceiving, or being deceived, with common Affections; as is usual in Times of great Works of God for his Church, and of the Flourishing of Religion. In succeeding Generations, as the People grew more corrupt, I suppose, their Covenanting or Swearing into the Name of the Lord degenerated into a Matter of mere Form and Ceremony; even as subscribing religious Articles seems to have done with the Church of England; and as, 'tis to be feared, owning the Covenant, as 'tis called, has too much done in New-England; it being visibly a prevailing Custom for Persons to neglect this, 'till they come to be married, and then to do it for their Credit's Sake, and that their Children may be baptized. And I suppose, there was commonly a great Laxness in Israel among the Priests who had the Conduct of this Affair: And there were many Things in the Nature of that comparatively carnal Dispensation, which negatively gave Occasion for such Things; that is, whereby it had by no Means had so great a Tendency to prevent suchlike Irregularities, tho' very wrong in themselves, as the more excellent Dispensation, introduced by Christ and his Apostles. And though these Things were testified against by the Prophets, before the Babylonish Captivity; yet God, who is only wise, did designedly in a great Measure wink at these, and many other great Irregularities in the Church, 'till the Time of Reformation should come, which the Messiah was to have the Honour of introducing. But of these Things I may perhaps have Occasion to say something more, when I come to answer the Objection concerning the Passover.

to be sure, there is more Good and less Hurt spoken of them, than of any other Generation that we have any Account of in Scripture ^*A very great Part of them swore in Truth, in Judgment, and in Righteousness: And no wonder, that others at such a Time fell in, either deceiving, or being deceived, with common Affections; as is usual in Times of great Works of God for his Church, and of the Flourishing of Religion. In succeeding Generations, as the People grew more corrupt, I suppose, their Covenanting or Swearing into the Name of the Lord degenerated into a Matter of meer Form and Ceremony; even as subscribing religious Articles seems to have done with the Church of England; and as, 'tis to be feared, owning the Covenant, as 'tis called, has too much done in New-England; it being visibly a prevailing Custom for Persons to neglect this, 'till they come to be married, and then to do it for their Credit's Sake, and that their Children may be baptized. And I suppose, there was commonly a great Laxness in Israel among the Priests who had the Conduct of this Affair: And there were many Things in the Nature of that comparatively carnal Dispensation, which negatively gave Occasion for such Things; that is, whereby it had by no Means had so great a Tendency to prevent suchlike Irregularities, tho' very wrong in themselves, as the more excellent Dispensation, introduced by Christ and his Apostles. And though these Things were testified against by the Prophets, before the Babylonish Captivity; yet God, who is only wise, did designedly in a great Measure wink at these, and many other great Irregularities in the Church, 'till the Time of Reformation should come, which the Messiah was to have the Honour of introducing. But of these Things I may perhaps have Occasion to say something more, when I come to answer the Objection concerning the Passover.