4. This Hebrew Theocracy was engrafted upon a previously existing patriarchal government, and therefore it recognized this previous system as substantially the common law of the land, to be in force except so far as modified by special legislation under the new regime given from the Lord through Moses. This principle is illustrated in the powers and functions of the _elders_, known as “heads of the house of their fathers”; “princes”; “heads of the thousands of Israel” (Ex. 6: 25, and Num. 3: 24, 30, 35, and 1: 16, and 10: 4). 5. It was manifestly an accepted principle, underlying the entire system, to give the people as wide a range of free responsible action as a theocratic government would admit. Democracy must of necessity be subordinate to _theocracy_; the self-ruling of the people must find its place _under_ the supreme ruling of Jehovah. Consequently the law must come entire from God, not from the people. The chief executive must receive his commission from God, though he might be formally accepted and his appointment in this way ratified by the people. The Lord sought the willing homage of the people――the obedience of their heart――and therefore encouraged the most cheerful and hearty expression of their will and of their homage in entering into covenant with himself, and from time to time in solemnly renewing it. He would have them feel that they were the people of the Lord by their own real consent and hearty acceptance. So much democracy therefore entered into their scheme of national polity. So much there might be. In the nature of a theocracy, there could not be more. 6. As elsewhere shown, the statutes were within certain limits graduated in moral tone to the moral status of the people, being as high as they would bear――as near theoretical perfection as could be made effective――_i. e._ as could secure a general obedience. VI. _Its union of Church and State._ By this modern phrase is currently meant the subordination of the church to the civil or state authorities. Such a union in the Hebrew nation was a natural consequent upon a theocratic government. The civil code coming from God himself, the religious code must come from him by obvious fitness, not to say necessity. In his entire policy with Israel, God sought the most effective moral culture. We find this purpose underlying the entire civil government with its code of civil laws; it must of course underlie their religious institutions. Hence the church and the state were worked not only by the same hand but for the same general purpose.