ferv'd; He mentions Friday, as only the Preparation or Eve of the Paffover; which, according to the Jewish Act of Council, it was. So that, tho' they feemingly differ, yet in Reality, they harmoniously agree; and, accordingly, when they come to mention the Day of the Refurrection (which was to be, for ever after, the Sabbath of Chriftians) to prevent all Poffibility of mistaking about the Obfervance of it, They all declare, that it was very early upon the first Day of the Week; just as the Sabbath was ended *.

And that this Day was thereafter accordingly obferv'd as the great Day of Ceffation from fervile Work and Devotion to the Service of God and Works of Charity, we learn from the Ufage of the Christians in the Apoftolic Age; when, Acts xx. upon the first day of the week, the difciples came together to break bread, and Paul

7.

* Matt. xxviii. 1. As it began to dawn towards the first day of the week. Mark xvi. When the fabbath was paft, very early in the morning, the first day of the week. Luke xxiv. 1. Upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning. John xx. 1. The first day of the week, when it was dark.

preach'd

xvi. 2.

preach'd to them. And he directs the Corin- 1 Cor. thians, to lay by them in ftore, upon the first day of the week, what would be reafonable for them to beftow in Charity. And St. John calls it exprefly The Lord's- Revi. 10. Day. But the High Festival and Celebration of this Day, with a joyful Commemoration of the Refurrection of our LORD, and the great Benefits we receive thereby, is what we call Eafter fignifies the Rifing.

which

10.

The Scripture gives us several Inftances of its being kept in an extraordinary solemn and grand manner. The first that we read of, was when the Children of Ifrael were encamped in Gilgal, in the Plains of Jofh. v. Jericho under Joshua their Leader, in the Land of Canaan; being the first Opportunity they had of keeping it, fince its primitive Institution. The next, was that of Hezekiah one of the good Kings of Judah; who abolish'd all the heathen Idolatry of his Predeceffors, and reviv'd the worship of the true God.

However, the neceffary Preparations being too many and too great to be made within the Time appointed by the Law,

the

2 Chron.

XXX.

the first Month; he took counsel with his princes, and came to a Refolution to keep it in the second Month: when there assembled at Jerufalem much people, and kept the feaft of unleavened bread feven days, with great gladness; and the Levites and the Priefts prais'd the LORD day by day, finging with loud Inftruments unto the LORD. And then the whole affembly took counsel to keep other feven days; and they kept other feven days, with gladness: The king giving to the congregation a thousand bullocks and feven thousand sheep; and the princes, a thousand bullocks and ten thouSand Sheep. So there was great joy in Jeru

falem.

The keeping of this Feaft, in the fecond Month, and for twice feven days, tho' not warranted by the Law, appears to have been very excufable, when we confider how long the Land had been deprived of that Happiness, and, in the mean time polluted with Idolatry. Befides there was in fome measure, a Difpenfation provided Numb. for it in the Law. For where they could ix.10,11. not be qualified in the first Month, they were to observe it in the Second. And no wonder

Wonder the Rejoicings of that People were so extraordinary, when they were bless'd with a King, whose Piety and Munificence vyed with each other. And in Conclufion, that it might be all of a piece; Then, the Priests and the Levites arofe, and * bleffed the people, and their voice was beard; and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling-place, even unto heaven.

xxxiii.

22.

But afterwards, King Jofiah kept a Paffover which exceeded this; of which it it faid, There was not holden fuch a paf-2 Kings fover from the days of the judges that judged Ifrael; nor in all the days of the kings of Ifrael, nor of the kings of Judah. An Account of which may be feen at large in the facred Hiftory. Another, was that 2 Chron. which the fews held after their Return from the Captivity, when they had finish'd Ezra vi. the fecond Temple.

SECT. X.

The Feast of PENTECOSTE.

The next was the Feast of the FirstFruits and Pentecofte; which we may join

*The Form of which may be feen, Numb. vi. 24.

together,

XXXV.

22.

Lev.

xxiii.

together, because they relate to the fame thing: as appears from the following Directions in the Law. When ye come into 10, &c. the land which I give unto you, and shall reap (begin to reap) the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the Priest: And be Shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you; on the morrow after the fabbath (the Feast of the Passover) the Priest fhall wave it, &c. And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the felf fame day that fhall have brought an offering unto the LORD your God. And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the fabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; feven fabbaths fhall be compleat. Even unto the morrow after the feventh fabbath Shall ye number fifty days; and ye Shall offer a new meat-offering unto the LORD, &C.

ye

The Wave-Offering of the first Sheaf, to implore the divine Bleffing upon the enfuing Harvest, was to be made therefore upon the fixteenth of the Month Nifan, (March;) about which Time their Harveft began; that Climate being so much

warmer,