by his death, as the paffover was of the deliverance of the Hebrews out of Egypt. Of the Pentecoft. The fecond folemn feftival of the Jews was the Pentecoft. It was fo called by the Greeks (z), because it was kept on the fiftieth day after the feast of unleavened bread, i. e. after the fifteenth of March (a). It was otherwife named the feaft of weeks (b), because they celebrated it feven weeks after the paffover; and also the feast of harvest, because on it the firft-fruits of the harvest were offered up to God. The law having been given from mount Sinai upon that day, as the Jews pretend, this feftival was appointed for a memorial of this great favour. They then offered two cakes made of new wheat, which were not carried up to the altar, because they were leavened (c). One of them belonged to the priests then upon duty, and the other to thofe priests and Levites that kept the watch. They were obliged to eat them that very day in the temple, and to leave nothing of them remaining. This oblation was accompanied with great numbers of facrifices, and feveral other offerings and libations. The feast of Pentecoft lafted but one day, and was kept with abundance of mirth and rejoic ing. We have nothing further to obferve about it with relation to the New Testament, except this, That the new law, or the gofpel, was fully confirmed on this day of Pentecoft by the Holy Ghoft defcending upon the Apostles. As the day of expiation happened between the Pentecoft Of the day of and the feast of tabernacles, it will be proper to fpeak of it expiation. in this place, though it was of a quite different nature from other festivals, and cannot be properly ftiled one. It was celebrated the tenth day of the month Tifri (d); and was named the great faft, or the faft only, because they fafted all the day long, and began even the day before, but especially because this was the only fast enjoined by the law. This probably is the fast mentioned in the Acts (e), where it is faid, that they were afraid of a storm, because the faft was already past ; that is, it was about the beginning of October, when failing becomes dangerous. It may however be understood of a fast of the heathens, which was celebrated about this time, as we have obferved on that place. The inftitution of this day, and the ceremonies performed upon it, may be feen in the fixteenth chapter of Leviticus. Of those ceremonies fome were to be obferved both by the priest and people, as the abstain ing from all kind of food, and all manner of work; others related only to the high-prieft (f). Seven days before the feaft he left his houfe, and went into the temple, to purify and get himself ready against the approaching folemnity. On the third, and feventh, fome of the afhes of the red heifer were put upon his head, which was a kind of expiation. The night before the feaft, he wafhed feveral times his hands, (2) Πεντεκόση. (a) Levit. xxiii. 10, 15, 16. (6) Jof. Antiq. 1. iii. c. 10. (f) Lev. xvi. 29. & xxiii. 27, 28. his his feet, and his whole body, and changed his garments every time. When the day was come, after the uf al facrifice, he offered feveral others both for the priests in general, and for himself and his family in particular (*). For his fam ly he offered a young bullock, on which he laid his bands, and confeffed his own fins, and thofe of his houfe. He afterwards caft lots upon two goats, that were offered for the people, one whereof was to be facrificed, and the other fent into the defert (g)• From thence he came back and flew the calf and the ram that were appointed for the expiation of his own fins, and thofe of his brethren the priests. When all these preparations were over, he went into the Holy of Holies, in the dress of a common priest (†), and burned before the mercyfeat the perfumes which he had brought from the altar. This perfume raifed a kind of a cloud, that hindered people from looking into the ark (h), which was reckoned a heinous offence. Then he came out to receive from one of the priests the blood of the young bullock, and carried it into the Holy of Holies, where ftanding between the staves of the ark, he fprinkled fome of it with his finger upon the mercy feat (i). And by this ceremony he made himfelf fit to atone for the fins of the people. Afterwards he came out of the Holy of Holies, to take the blood of the goat he had flain (k), which he fprinkled upon the mercy- eat, as he had done that of the bullock before. He came once more out of the Holy of Holies, and took fome of the blood of the goat and bullock, which he poured into the horns of the inner altar (). near the vail that divided the holy place from the most holy, and also on the bafis of the outer altar. Each of thefe fprinklings was done feven times. Laftly, the high-prieft laid both his hands upon the head of the other goat, and had him conveyed into the wildernefs by a fit perfon, after he had confeffed over him the fins of the people, and laid them upon his head (1). This was a very expreffive ceremony. The fins of the people were done away by the facrifice of the first goat, and to fhew that they would no more be had in remembrance, the fecond was loaden with ̈ them (*), and carried them with him into the wildernefs, which was thought to be the abode of devils (†), the authors of all vice and ini quity. (*) They offered on that day 15 facrifices, viz. 12 whole burnt-offerings and other expiatory facrifices both for the people and priests. (+) Becaufe this was a day of affliction. (i) Levit. xvi. 14. (g) Lev. xvi. 8. (b) Lev. xvi. 12, 13. 1 Sam. vi. 19. (k) Ibid. v. 18. (Which were hollow for that purpofe. See before page 144, &c. (1) Lev. xvi. 21, 22, 23. (*) This goat was called azazel, that is, according to fome a devil, because it was fent away with the fins of the people, as hath been faid elsewhere. The LXX. have rendered it by a word that fignifies to remove or turn away evil. The word azazel may also fignify an emissary or fcape-goat, from the word [Az] which fignifies a goat, and azal to Jeparate. See Prid. Conn. P. II. B. I. under the year 291. (†) It was a common opinion among the ancient Hebrews, that deferts and uninhabited places were the abode of devils. Matt. xii. 43. Rev. xviii. 2. quity. And therefore the people were wont to infult over and curfe him, to fpit upon him, to pluck off his hair, and in fhort to ufe him as an accurfed thing. There appear no foot-steps of this ufage in the law, but it is certain that it was very ancient, fince St. Barnabas (m), who was cotemporary with the Apoftles, makes exprefs mention of it. The ill treatment Jefus Chrift met with from the Jews, had fome conformity with this cuftom, and it is evident that his enemies dealt with him in the fame manner as they were used to do with the goat azazel, as Tertullian hath obferved (n). It is very probable that the ancient Jews took occafion from fome paffages out of the prophets (0), to bring in the custom of infulting thus the goat azazel, and crowning him with a red ribbon (‡). If it be asked, For what reafon God was pleafed to chufe the vilest and moft difpicable of those animals that were clean, to be offered on the days of expiation, we fhall anfwer with fome learned authors (p): that the Egyptians entertaining a very great veneration for goats, and the Ifraelites themselves having worshipped them in Egypt (7), God's defign was to turn them from this kind of idolatry, by appointing the one to be offered for a facrifice, and the other to be loaden with the iniquities of the people. When the high-prieft had performed all thefe functions, he went into the court of women, and read fome part of the law. Lastly, he came the fourth time into the Holy of Holies to fetch back the cenfer, and the pan wherein the fire was. When therefore it is faid in fcripture (r), that the high-priest entered only once a year into the Holy of Holies, it must be understood of one day in the year, and not of ence on that day. Every thing was done in order, and when one function was over, he was obliged to come out and perform other ceremonies; which, according to the law, could not be done in the most holy place, as washing himself, changing his clothes, flaying the facrifices, &c. We have dwelt the longer upon this feaft, becaufe it hath a greater conformity with the Chriftian religion than any other, fince through all its parts it was typical of the most important myfteries of Christianity. The feaft in general was a moft lively reprefentation of the atonement which was made for the fins of mankind by the blood of JESUS CHRIST. It is obfervable that Philo-Judæus had fome notion of this truth, for he says (s), that the word of God, whereby he means the Son, is (m) Ep. p. m. 22. This epifle must have been written not long after the deftruction of Jerufalem. (1) Or, a piece of red tuff which was in the fhape of a tongue, faith Lamy, p. 134. It was alfo the custom among the heathens to load with curies and imprecations thofe human facrifices that were offered for the publick welfare, and to crown them with red ribbons. See Virg. En. 1. 2. v. 133. (p) Bochart. de Animal. Sac. Ser. 1. i. c. 53. (9) Lev, xvii. 7. (r) Exod. xxx. 10. Lev. xvi. 34. Heb. ix. 7. () Phil. de Somn. p. m. 447• is the head and glory of the propitiation, i. e. of what renders men acceptable to God. Thefe paffages of fcripture, that JESUS CHRIST gave himself a ransom for many (t), that he was made the propitiation for our fins (u), that he was the propitiation not only for our fins, but also for those of the whole world (x), and fuch like expreffions that occur almost in every page of the gospel, can mean nothing more, but that JESUS CHRIST hath, by the facrifice of himself, performed that which was only prefigured by thofe of the law, and particularly by the general and folemn expiation we are now fpeaking of. The fame Jewish author quoted juft before, had alfo fome notion of this matter. It will be proper to fet down his very words, not as if we thought they were any confirmation of the Chriftian revelation, but only to fhew that these were truths which the wifeft part of the nation acknowledged, and had found out by clofe and ferious meditation. He faith then, that whereas the priests of other nations offered facrifices for their own country-men only, the high-priest of the fews offered for all mankind, and for the whole creation (y). And not only these facrifices that were offered on the day of expiation were a more exact reprefentation of the facrifice of JESUS CHRIST than any other, but alfo the perfon, by whom the atonement was made, was in every refpect qualified to reprefent the high-priest of the Chriftian church. And that, 1. Upon the account of his dignity, which, according to the Jews, was at its utmost height, when he entered into the Holy of Holies. For which reafon he was called Great among his brethren (z): this dignity was fo very confiderable, that Philo does not fcruple to fay, according to his lofty and rhetorical way of fpeaking, that the high-prieft was to be fomething more than human, that he more nearly refembled God than all the reft, that he partook both of the divine and human nature (*). It feems to have been with a defign of expreffing both the holinefs and dignity of the high-prieft, that the law had injoined none should remain in the tabernacle, whilft the high-prieft went into the Holy of Holies (a). 2. He further reprefented our high-prieft by his holinefs. We have fhewed before what extraordinary care the law had taken to distinguish him from his brethren in this refpect. It was to denote this holiness, that in the anointing of the high-prieft a greater quantity of oil was ufed, than in that of his brethren, from whence he was called the priest anointed (b). Nothing can better reprefent the great holiness of JESUS CHRIST than this great plenty of oil ufed in the confecration of Aaron, and it was undoubtedly with allufion to this anointing, that JESUS CHRIST is ftiled in fcripture the holy one, by way of eminence (c). 3. He reprefented JESUS CHRIST by his being on that day a mediator (z) I John iv. 10. between (x) 1 John ii. 2. (a) Lev.xvi. 17. (c) Acts iii. 14. Rev. iii. 7. (4) Matth. xx. 28. between God and the people. For though Mofes be called a mediator in the New Testament, yet it is certain that the high-priest was invested with this office on the day of expiation. Mofes muft indeed be acknowledged as a mediator, God having by his means made a covenant with the children of Ifrael. But as they were very apt to tranfgrefs the law, it was neceffary there fhould be a mediator, who by his interceffion and facrifices, might reconcile them to God. Now this was the highpriest's function. So that Mofes and Aaron were exact types of the two-fold mediation of JESUS CHRIST. By him was the new covenant made, and by his own blood hath he for ever reconciled God to mankind. 4. The entrance of JESUS CHRIST into heaven once for all, there to prefent his own blood to God, as an atonement for our fins, was very clearly typified by the high-priest's going once a year into the Holy of Holies with the blood of the victims (a). As for the two goats, we learn from the epiftle of St. Barnabas, as quoted above, that they were even then looked upon as typical. They both reprefented the fame thing, but under different ideas. The offer ing of the one was a manifeft token of the people's iniquities being remitted and forgiven; and the fending of the other into the wilderness fhewed, that they were carried away, or blotted out of God's remembrance. To which there seems to be an allufion in the prophet Ifaiah (e), when it is faid, that God cafts fins behind his back, and in the bottom of the fea. The facrifice of JESUS CHRIST may be confidered under thefe two different views, he hath done away our fins, hath taken them upon himself, and nailed them to his crofs (f). It hath been already observed that the only fast appointed Of fafts. by the law, was the day of expiation. The inftitution of the other Jewish fafts is however of a very ancient date. We find mention in the prophet Zechariah of a fast of the fourth, fifth, feventh, and tenth month (g). From whence the Jews undoubtedly took an occafion of celebrating four folemn fafts in remembrance of fome particular calamities or misfortunes. That which was kept on the 17th of June, for inftance, was, to put them in mind of Mofes's breaking the two tables of the law, and of other mifchances that happened on the fame day (h). The faft that fell on the 9th of July, was appointed upon account of the temple's having first been burnt on that day by Nebuchadnezzar, and afterwards by Titus. This faft was the moft folemn of the four, and which every perfon was obliged to obferve. The next fabbath after it, the fortieth chapter of Ifaiah was read, which begins with these words, Comfort ye my people, &c. From whence the confolation of Ifrael (i) came to be used to denote the coming of the Meffiah. On the faft which was kept the third day of September, they mourned for the death of Gedaliah, who had been appointed ruler over the Jews that remained in the land of Ifrael, when the reft were carried away captive to Babylon, (d) Heb. ix. 12. 24. () Zech. vin. 19. (e) Ifa. xxxviii. 17. (f) 1 Pet. ii, 24. (i) Luke ii. 25. |