Works of the late Doctor Benjamin Franklin/A Compariſon of the Conduct of the Ancient Jews, and of the Antifederaliſts in the United States of America

by Benjamin Franklin

 

Compariſon of the Conduct of the Ancient Jews, and of the antifederalists in the United States of america.

 

A Zealous advocate for the propoſed Federal Conſtitution in a certain public aſſembly, ſaid, that "the repugnance of a great part of mankind to good government was ſuch, that he believed, that if an angel from heaven was to bring down a conſtitution formed there for our uſe, it would nevertheleſs meet with violent oppoſition."—He was reproved for the ſuppoſed extravagance of the ſentiment; and he did not juſtify it.—Probably it might not have immediately occurred to him that the experiment had been tried, and that the event was recorded in the moſt faithful of all hiſtories, the Holy Bible; otherwiſe he might, as it ſeems to me, have ſupported his opinion by that unexceptionable authority.

The Supreme Being had been pleaſed to nouriſh up a ſingle family, by continued acts of his attentive Providence, 'till it became a great people: and having reſcued them from bondage by many miracles performed by his ſervant Moſes, he perſonally delivered to that choſen ſervant, in preſence of the whole nation, a conſtitution and code of laws for their obſervance; accompanied and ſanctioned with promiſes of great rewards, and threats of ſevere puniſhments, as the conſequence of their obedience or diſobedience.

This conſtitution, though the Deity himſelf was to be at its head (and it is therefore called by political writers a Theocracy) could not be carried into execution but by the means of his miniſters; Aaron and his ſons were therefore commiſſioned to be, with Moſes, the firſt eſtabliſhed miniſtry of the new government.

One would have thought, that the appointment of men who had diſtinguiſhed themſelves in procuring the liberty of their nation, and had hazarded their lives in openly oppoſing the will of a powerful monarch who would have retained that nation in ſlavery, might have been an appointment acceptable to a grateful people; and that a conſtitution, framed for them by the Deity himſelf, might on that account have been ſecure of an univerſal welcome reception. Yet there were, in every one of the thirteen tribes, ſome diſcontented, reſtleſs ſpirits, who were continually exciting them to reject the propoſed new government, and this from various motives.

Many ſtill retained an affection for Egypt, the land of their nativity, and theſe, whenever they felt any inconvenience or hardſhip, though the natural and unavoidable effect of their change of ſituation, exclaimed againſt their leaders as the authors of their trouble; and were not only for returning into Egypt, but for ſtoning their deliverers^[1]. Thoſe inclined to idolatry were diſpleaſed that their golden calf was deſtroyed. Many, of the chiefs thought the new conſtitution might be injurious to their particular intereſts, that the profitable places would be engroſſed by the families and friends of Moſes and Aaron, and others equally well-born excluded^[2].—In Joſephus, and the Talmud, we learn ſome particulars, not ſo fully narrated in the ſcripture. We are there told, "that, Corah was ambitious of the prieſthood; and offended that it was conferred on Aaron; and this, as he ſaid, by the authority of Moſes only, without the conſent of the people. He accuſed Moſes of having, by various artifices, fraudulently obtained the government, and deprived the people of their liberties; and of conſpiring with Aaron to perpetuate the tyranny in their family. Thus, though Corah's real motive was the ſupplanting of Aaron, he perſuaded the people that he meant only the public good; and they, moved by his insinuations, began to cry out,—’Let us maintain the common liberty of our reſpective tribes; we have freed ourſelves from the ſlavery impoſed upon us by the Egyptians, and ſhall we ſuffer ourſelves to be made ſlaves by Moſes? If we muſt have a matter, it were better to return to Pharaoh, who at leaſt fed us with bread and onions, than to ſerve this new tyrant, who has brought us into danger of famine.' Then they called in queſtion the reality of his conference with God; and objected to the privacy of the meetings, and the preventing any of the people from being preſent at the colloquies, or even approaching the place, as grounds of great ſuſpicion. They accuſed Moſes alſo of peculation; as embezzling part of the golden ſpoons and the ſilver chargers, that the princes had offered at the dedication of the altar^[3], and the offerings of gold by the common people^[4], as well as moſt of the poll tax^[5]; and Aaron they accuſed of pocketing much of the gold of which he pretended to have made a molten calf. Beſides peculation, they charged Moſes with ambition; to gratify which paſſion, he had, they ſaid, deeived the people, by promiſing to bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey"; inſtead of doing which, he had brought them from ſuch a land; and that he thought light of all this miſchief, provided he could make himſelf an abſolute prince^[6]. That, to ſupport the new dignity with ſplendour in his family, the partial poll tax already levied and given to Aaron^[7] was to be followed by a general one^[8], which would probably be augmented from time to time, if he were ſuffered to go on promulgating new laws, on pretence of new occaſional revelations of the Divine Will, till their whole fortunes were devoured by that ariſtocracy."

Moſes denied the charge of peculation; and his accuſers were deſtitute of proofs to ſupport it; though facts, if real, are in their nature capable, of proof. "I have not," ſaid he with holy confidence in the preſence of God), "I have not taken from this people the value of an aſs, nor done them any other injury." But his enemies had made the charge, and with ſome ſucceſs among the populace; for no kind of accuſation is ſo readily made, or eaſily believed, by knaves, as the accuſation of knavery.

In fine, no leſs than two hundred and fifty of the principal men "famous in the congregation, men of renown^[9]," heading and exciting the mob, worked them up to ſuch a pitch of phrenſy, that they called out, ſtone 'em, ſtone 'em, and thereby ſecure our liberties; and let us chooſe other captains that may lead us back into Egypt, in caſe we do not ſucceed in reducing the Canaamtes.

On the whole, it appears that the Iſraelites were a people jealous of their newly acquired liberty, which jealouſy was in itſelf no fault; but that, when they ſuffered it to be worked upon by artful men, pretending public good, with nothing really in view but private intereſt, they were led to oppoſe the eſtabliſhment of the new conſtitution, whereby they brought upon themſelves much inconvenience and misfortune. It farther appears from the ſame ineſtimable hiſtory, that when, after many ages, the conſtitution had become old and much abuſed, and an amendment of it was propoſed, the populace as they had accuſed Moſes of the ambition of making himſelf a prince, and cried out, ſtone him, ſtone him; ſo, excited by their high-prieſts and ſcribes, they exclaimed againſt the Meſſiah, that he aimed at becoming king of the Jews, and cried, crucify him, crucify him. From all which we may gather, that popular oppoſition to a public meaſure is no proof of its impropriety, even though the oppoſition be excited and headed by men of diſtinction.

To conclude, I beg I may not be underſtood to infer, that our general convention was divinely inſpired when it formed the new federal conſtitution, merely becauſe that conſtitution has been unreaſonably and vehemently oppoſed: yet, I muft own, I have ſo much faith in the general government of the world by Providence, that I can hardly conceive a tranſaction of ſuch momentous importance to the welfare of millions now exiſting, and to exiſt in the poſterity of a great nation, ſhould be ſuffered to paſs without being in ſome degree influenced, guided, and governed by that omnipotent, omnipreſent and beneficent Ruler, in whom all inferior ſpirits live, and move, and have their being.

1. Numbers, chap. xiv.
2. Numbers, chap. xvi. ver. 3. "And they gathered themſelves together againſt Moſes and againſt Aaron, and ſaid unto them, ye take too much upon you, ſeeing all the congregations are holy, every one of them,—wherefore then lift ye up yourſelves above the congregation."
3. Numbers, chap. vii.
4. Exodus chapter xxxv. ver. 22.
5. Numbers, chap. iii, and Exodus, chap. xxx.
6. Numbers, chap. xvi. ver. 13. "Is it a ſmall thing that thou haſt brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in this wilderneſs, except thou make thyſelf altogether a prince over us?"
7. Numbers, chap. iii.
8. Exodus, chap. xxx.
9. Numbers, chap. xvi.