destruction of Jerusalem, should happen in the winter, ver. 20.

Again, at the time when Christ was born, there were shepherds abroad in the fields by night watching their flocks; certainly a very unseasonable service for the winter in Judea, if we may judge of the weather in that country, and at that season, by the Psalmist's description: "He giveth snow like wool, he scattereth the hoar frost like ashes; he casteth forth his ice like morsels; who can stand before his cold?" Psal. cxlvii, 16, 17.

Upon the whole, there is great probability, that Christ was not born in December. But, though we do not pretend to be certain of the real time when he was born, there are, however, several reasons to incline us to believe, it was at the feast of tabernacles; particularly, as was hinted before, the synchronism of the type and the antitype in the two other principal feasts; and the same, therefore, was probably the case as to this feast.

Again, Dr. Lightfoot has offered several arguments, to prove that Christ was baptized at the time of the feast of tabernacles*. But when he was baptized, he was WHL ETWY тpiaxovтa аpxoμevos, that is, entering on his thirtieth year, Luke iii, 23; consequently this was the same time of the year in which he was born.

Further, Joseph Scaliger observes, that the twenty-four courses of the priests, which went through the year, began with the month Nisan about the vernal equinox; and that consequently the eighth course, to which Zacharias belonged, ministered in the latter part of July. If from thence you reckon the five months to the virgin's conception, and nine more for her gestation, the birth of Christ will fall in the latter end of September, that is, at the season of the feast of tabernacles +.

See his Harmony on Luke iii, 21.

† See Scalig. Fragment. p. 58, 59, ad Calcem Emend. Temp.; Mede's Diatrib. disc. xlviii, on Deut. xvi, 16; Christ's Birth mistimed, a Tract, No. iv, in the Phœnix, 1707; and in defence of the common opinion, Selden on the Birth day of our Saviour, apud Opera, vol. iii, tom. vi, p. 1405, et seq

CHAP. VII.

OF THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS AND NEW MOONS.

HAVING considered the three grand festivals, at which all the male Israelites, who were able, were obliged to assemble at the national altar, we proceed to consider the lesser feasts, of which some were menstrual, others annual. The menstrual were the new moons, which were kept on the first day of every month; and of these one was more remarkable and to be observed with greater solemnity than the rest; namely, on the first day of the month Tisri. This is styled the "feast of trumpets."

It is proper first to consider the common new moon feast, of which we find no other institution in the law of Moses than merely a prescription of certain sacrifices to be offered on the day of the new moon, or, which is the same, on the first day of the month, over and above the sacrifices that were daily offered, see Numb. xxviii, 11-15.

The sacrifices, prescribed on this occasion, are two young bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs for a burnt offering, and a kid of the goats for a sin offering, to be attended with meat offerings and drink offerings, as usual in other sacrifices.

The number of the animal sacrifices are eleven, for which the Hebrew doctors have devised the following reason, because the lunar year falls short of the solar by eleven days*. We find only one precept more in the law of Moses concerning these new moons; namely, that "in their solemn days, and in the beginning of their months, they shall blow with the trumpets over their burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of their peace offerings," Numb. x, 10. But this 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 * Reland. Antiq. part. iv, cap. vii, sect. iv, p. 510, 3d edit.

days, at the several feasts which are instituted in the twentythird chapter of Leviticus, which were to be proclaimed as holy convocations, ver. 2; and this was always done by sound of trumpets, Numb. x, 7, 8.

Indeed in the eighty-first Psalm this seems to be mentioned as a rite peculiar to the new moon: "Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, at the time appointed, on the solemn feast day," ver. 3. But it is probable the new moon, here mentioned, was the feast of trumpets, or the new moon at the beginning of the month Tisri; for the use of which festival Dr. Patrick supposes this Psalm was composed. This was the chief new moon of the year, and was distinguished from the rest by peculiar rites, particularly by the blowing of trumpets, as we shall see hereafter.

The trumpet, or musical instrument, of which Asaph here speaks as to be sounded on the new moon to which he refers, was the shophar, made of horn, and therefore sometimes rendered the cornet; whereas the instrument used on the ordinary new moons, or at the beginning of their months, was the myyn chatsotserah, Numb. x, 10, which was made of silver, ver. 2. Of both these instruments we have formerly given an account*.

The new moon to which Asaph refers was to be kept as a sabbath, for it is called a solemn feast day. But I do not find the ordinary new moons ever so styled; nor does it appear by the law of Moses, that they were to be observed as sacred festivals, or sabbath days, in which no servile work was to be done. They are not mentioned among the sacred feasts in the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus. Nor is any thing prescribed on those days more than the offering of the sacrifices already mentioned. Nevertheless, sacrifices relating to and implying devotion in the offerers, those days were accounted more sacred than common ones, and were accordingly observed by pious Israelites for the exercises of devotion; they used at these seasons to repair to the prophets, or other ministers of God, to hear his word. This occasioned the Shunamite's husband inquiring, for what end she desired to go to the prophet that day, "when it was neither new moon nor sabbath;" a plain intimation, that it had been her custom to * See p. 188.

do it on those days. The new moons and sabbaths are mentioned together, as days of public worship, by several of the prophets. "It shall come to pass, saith the prophet Isaiah, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord," Isa. lxvi, 23. Again, "Thus saith the Lord God (by the prophet Ezekiel), the gate of the inner court, that looketh towards the east, shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened," Ezek. xlvi, 1. And in the following remarkable passage of the prophet Amos, " Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, saying, when will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn, and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat?" &c., chap. viii, 5. It appears from this passage, that though the law did not expressly require, that they should abstain from servile work on the new moon, as it did on the sabbath, worldly business, notwithstanding, was, in a good measure, laid aside on those days.

.

Besides the public, national sacrifices that were to be offered on the new moons, it was customary to make feasts, probably on the more private sacrifices offered by particular persons and families, see 1 Sam. xx, 5, 6.

In the opinion of the rabbies, whilst men are allowed to follow their vocations on the new moons, as on other days, the women were exempted from all labour. For they pretend, the new moon is in a peculiar manner the festival of the women, in commemoration of their liberality at the time of erecting the tabernacle, in contributing their most valuable jewels to promote the magnificence of the divine service, which memorable action was performed, they say, on the new moon of the month Nisan*.

It does not appear in scripture by what method the ancient Jews fixed the time of the new moon, and whether they kept this feast on the day of the conjunction, or on the first day of the moon's appearing. The rabbies are of the latter opinion. They tell us, that, for want of astronomical tables, the sanhedrim, about the time of the new moon, sent out men to watch

* See Buxtorf's Synag. Judaic. cap. xxii, p. 473, 474, Sd edit.; et Leidekker. de Republ. Hebræor. lib. ix, cap. ii, p. 538, 539, Amstel. 1704.

upon 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, was answered by fires on the tops of other mountains, and they in like manner by others still more remote; by which means the notice was quickly spread through the whole land. But experience at length taught them, that this kind of intelligence was not to be depended on, the Samaritans, and other profane persons, sometimes kindling such fires on the tops of mountains at a wrong season, on purpose to deceive the people, and disturb the order of the sacred festivals. In later times, therefore, the sanhedrim was forced to send expresses on this occasion to all parts of the country.

It is further added, that because of the uncertainty that would attend this way of fixing the time of the new moon, especially in cloudy weather, they observed two days, that they might be secure of being in the right*. Hence they account for Saul's expecting David at his table two days successively, on the feast of the new moon, 1 Sam. xx, 24.

The modern Jews keep this festival by repeating certain prayers in their synagogues, and afterwards by feasting in their own houses+: and some devotees fast on the vigil of it‡.

Many of them add another ceremony about three days after. They meet in companies in the night in some open place, when they bless God, in a prayer of considerable length, for having created the moon, and for having renewed her, to teach the Israelites that they ought to become new creatures. Then they leap up thrice in the air as high as they are able, and say to the moon, "As we leap up towards thee without being able to touch thee, so may it be impossible for our enemies to rise up against us to hurt us§."

The reason of God's appointing peculiar sacrifices to be offered at the new moon might be, in part, to make the time of it more carefully observed; which was a matter of considerable importance, not only to prevent confusion in their

* See above, chap. i, p. 416.

+ Buxtorf. Synag. cap. xxiv, p. 500, 504.

↑ Buxtorf. cap. xxiii, p. 489.

§ See Basnage's History of the Jews, book v, chap. xiv, sect. ix, p. 451, 452.