always celebrated this festival. There seems to be a remarkable correspondence between the giving of the law in Sinai, and the descent of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. The former was accompanied with thunderings and lightnings, and the latter with a mighty rushing wind and the appearance of tongues of fire.

The feast of Pentecost is celebrated by the modern Jews on two days, on account of the uncertainty of the new moon. III. The FEAST OF TABERNACLES. This was the last of the three great festivals, and like the passover, lasted for a week, during which time the people left their ordinary dwellings to abide in booths, or arbours, made of "the fruits of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook," Lev. xxiii. 40. Hence it is called by the Evangelist, scenopegia, or the "feast of tents,” John vii. 2. The booths were erected in the temple, in the public places, in courts, and on the flat roofs of their houses. The time appointed for the celebration of this feast, was the 15th of the month Tizri. The design of the festival was (1.) to remind them of their fathers dwelling in tents in the wilderness, Lev. xxiii. 40-43.-(2.) To be a yearly thanksgiving after the ingathering of the harvest, Ex. xxxiv. 22, &c.

The mode of celebrating this festival was as follows. On the first day of the feast, which was accounted a sabbath, the people abstained from all servile work, that they might have time to construct their booths. These being erected, they attended the public worship of the several days, and offered in their order the appropriate sacrifices, which were remarkable in the decrease which took place each successive day. Besides the daily morning and evening sacrifices, which were indispensable, they offered on the first day thirteen bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs, and a kid of the goats, with their meat and drink offerings, Numb. xxix. 12-16. These offerings the six successive days were regularly decreased one bullock on each day. But on the eighth day, which was accounted a sabbath, there were only one bullock, one ram, seven lambs, and a kid of the goats, with their meat and drink offerings*, Num. xxix. 17-38. In the time of our Saviour some variations had been effected in the manner of observing this feast, through the traditions of the Pharisees. The first thing they did on the first day of the feast was, procure some palm and myrtle branches, and then to go to a place a little below Jerusalem, on the brook of Kedron, for two willow branches each; one for his luleb, or bunch of

* Lightfoot, Temple Service, chap. xvi. sect. 1.

to

palms and myrtles, bound up by means of a twig, a cord, a silver or gold thread, according to the taste of the individual; the other to place at the side of the altar. Their lulebs they constantly carried in their right hands during the first day of the feast, and in their left a branch of the citron, with its fruit. The first place they resorted to was the temple, to attend the morning sacrifice. When the parts of the sacrifice were laid on the altar, the singular ceremony of pouring out the water commenced, the manner of doing which was as follows:- One of the priests, with a golden flagon, of three logs (or eighteen egg-shells full), went to the pool of Siloam, where filling it with water, he returned to the court of the priests, by the gate on the south side of the court of Israel, thence called the water-gate. The trumpets sounded on his entering the court, and he ascended to the top of the altar, where were placed two basins, the one with wine, for the ordinary drink offering, and the other for the water which he had procured. Pouring the water into the empty basin, he mixed the wine and the water together, for the libation. When he raised the basin for the purpose of pouring forth its contents, the people cried, "Hold up thy hand :" this was for the purpose of seeing whether he did it in a proper manner; for a Sadducee, in contempt of their traditions, instead of pouring it over the altar, had once poured it upon his own feet. At the time of this libation they sang the Hallel (the 113th to the 118th psalm, inclusive). When they came to the beginning of the 118th psalm, "O give thanks unto the Lord," the people expressed the ardour of their feelings by shaking their branches; as they also did in several of the succeeding parts of the service.

Immediately after this part of the service was concluded, the people joined in the peculiar service of the day. The burnt offering for which we have before described. During the offering of this, the Levites sung the 105th psalm. After these appointed sacrifices, they next attended to that which was presented for the prince, on each of the days of the feast, as mentioned in Ezek. xlv. 25. viz. seven bullocks and seven rams for a burnt offering, and a kid of the goats for a sin offering, with their meat offerings and drink offerings. After these additional services, the people were allowed to return home. As they departed from the temple they went in succession round the altar; set one of their willow branches against it, repeating aloud, "Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity" (Ps. cxviii. 25); and returning through the gates in the court of Israel, nearest the altar, they exclaimed, "Beauty, be to thee,

O altar: beauty be to thee, O altar." At the time of the evening sacrifice they again assembled in the temple; after which, and near night, they observed" the rejoicing for the pouring out of the water." The manner of performing this ceremony was thus: They all met in the court of the women; the women in the balconies which surrounded the three sides of the court, and the men below, on the ground. The court was lighted by a large golden candlestick, with four lamps, one on each side, which were raised to a great height. Every thing being arranged, the pipe of the temple began to play; the Levites, with their instruments, took their seats on the steps which led from the court of the women up to the gate of Nicanor; while those who could join in the vocal department also took their stations. They then sang the "Psalms of degrees - from the 120th to the 134th inclusive — while all the people of rank and piety leaped and danced, with torches in their hands, for a great part of the night; while the women and common people looked on. At the time appointed for concluding this rejoicing, two priests appeared in the gate Nicanor, with trumpets in their hands, which they sounded. They then descended to the tenth step and sounded a second time, then to the court of the women, and sounded a third time; and then they advanced towards the east, or beautiful gate, sounding as they went. The people then retired before them, and when they had reached the east gate, the priests turned themselves round to the temple, and uttered the following words: "Our fathers which were in this place, turned their backs upon the temple of the Lord, and their faces towards the east, towards the sun; but as for us, we are towards him, and our eyes are towards him." After which they returned to the court of Israel, by the court of the women, and entered the court of the priests by the gate Nicanor.

It is extremely difficult to account for the excessive joy which was manifested on the occasion of pouring out the water, as related above. There is, however, one remarkable passage in the Talmud. "Rabbi Levi saith, why is the name of it called the drawing of water? Because of the drawing or pouring out of the Holy Ghost: according to what is said, "with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation," Isa. xii. 3. This will serve to illustrate John vii. 37, 38, which plainly alludes to this custom. On the last and great day of the feast, when they had for seven days rejoiced over the drawing and libation of water, which they referred to the pouring out of the Holy Ghost, our Saviour "stood and cried, If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink:

he that believeth on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.' But this spake he of the Spirit," &c.

In like manner was this feast celebrated each succeeding day, during the whole time of its continuance. Only there was this difference among the days; that on the night before the sabbath which fell within the feast, and on the night before the eighth day, which was a holy day, their dancing, singing, and rejoicing was suspended. On the seventh day they encompassed the altar seven times, omitted their rejoicing at night, and on the eighth day renewed the solemnities of the preceding days, ate their pomecitrons, which they could not do before, and at night concluded the feast in the court of the women with great rejoicing.

The learned Joseph Mede is of opinion that this feast was celebrated at the time of the year in which the Saviour was to appear; and that the dwelling in tabernacles was designed as a type of his incarnation. In support of this opinion the Evangelist John is cited, who, speaking of the incarnation of the Son of God, says, "The word was made flesh, and dwelt (kaι nokηvwσev ev nμwv) — tabernacled in, or—among us," John i. 14.

Thus have we noticed the three great festivals, and shall only add, that they were honoured with three great and remarkable events in Scripture history. The feast of Tabernacles was the time when our Saviour was born, and when he was baptized; the Passover was the time when he was crucified; and Pentecost, the time when the Holy Ghost descended in a visible manner on the Apostles. †

SECTION III.

THE LESSER FESTIVALS.

I, The NEW MOONS Their nature and design- Method of proclaiming them. II. The FEAST OF TRUMPETS Its nature and design. III. The DAY OF EXPIATION- A solemn fast -The sacrifices to be offered - Its mystical reference.

These festivals were celebrated with great solemnity, but were distinguished from the former ones by not requiring, as they

Lightfoot, Temple Service, chap. xvi. Calmet's Bib. Ency. Jewish Ant. b. iii. c. 6.

Jennings'

+ Lightfoot's Harmony of the New Test. Luke iii. 21; Brown's Antiq. of the Jews, i. p. 524.

did, the appearance of all the males at Jerusalem, to present themselves before the Lord. They were as follow:

See

I. THE FEAST OF THE NEW MOON. Although Moses appointed particular sacrifices to be offered on the first day of every month (Numb. xxviii. 11, 12.), he gave no directions for its consecration as a holy day, on which the people were to abstain from servile labour. That it at length obtained this character, however, is evident from Amos viii. 5, where the avaricious man is represented as waiting for the termination of the day, that he may sell corn. Of this festival there is frequent mention made in the Old Testament, where it is called "the beginning of months." It seems to have been customary for the people on these days, to resort to the prophets, for the purpose of hearing the word of God (2 Ki. iv.2), and also to hold some particular kind of entertainment. 2 Sam. xx. 5, 18. We find only one precept in addition to that we have already noticed in the writings of Moses, concerning the feast of the new moon; viz. that they should blow with the trumpets over their burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of their peace offerings," on this day, Numb. x. 10. But this, as Dr. Jennings remarks, is rather to be considered as a ceremony attending the sacrifices, than as peculiar to the new moon days; for the same thing is enjoined at their other solemn sacrifices, or on their other solemn days, at the several feasts which were instituted in ch. xxii. of Leviticus, which were to be proclaimed as holy convocations (Lev. xxiii. 2.); and this was always done by sound of trumpets, Numb. x. 7, 8. The new moon mentioned in Ps, Ixxxi. 3. was probably that at the beginning of the month of Tizri, which was distinguished from the rest by peculiar rites, and of which we shall presently speak.

It does not appear in Scripture by what method the ancient Jews fixed the time of the new moon, nor whether they kept this feast on the day of the conjunction, or on the first day of the moon's appearing. The Rabbis are of the latter opinion. They state, that for want of astronomical tables, the Sanhedrin, about the time of the new moon, sent out men to watch on the tops of mountains, and give immediate notice to them of its first appearance; upon which, a fire was made on the top of mount Olivet, which, being seen at a distance, served as a signal for the like to be done on the tops of other mountains, till the notice was spread throughout the land. The Samaritans, however, taking advantage of the opportunity which this practice afforded them, kindled false fires, and obliged the Jews to adopt another method of announcing the moon's appearance. It is further added, that be