the whole congregation clap their hands, stamp with their feet, and exclaim, "Let his name be blotted out! May the memory of the wicked rot!" The children at the same time hiss, and strike loudly on the forms with little wooden hammers made for the purpose. When the reader comes to the seventh, eighth, and ninth chapters, where the names of Haman's ten sons occur, he pronounces them with great rapidity, and in one breath, to intimate that they were all hanged, and expired in the same moment. In most manuscripts and editions of the book of Esther, the ten names contained in the chapters just mentioned are written under each other in ten lines, no other word being connected with them, in order to exhibit the manner in which they were hanged, viz. on a pole fifty cubits, that is, seventyfive feet high; each of the brothers being immediately suspended, the one under the other, in one perpendicular line. At this festival alms are given to the poor, and friends and relatives send presents to each other. The uproarious festivities, which formerly took place on the two days of Purim, are no longer practised. 2. The FEAST OF DEDICATION (mentioned in John x. 22.) was instituted by Judas Maccabæus, in imitation of those by Solomon and Ezra, as a grateful memorial of the cleansing of the second temple and altar, after they had been profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes. (1 Macc. iv. 52-59.) It commenced on the twenty-fifth of the month Cisleu, corresponding with our December, and lasted eight days. This festival was also called the feast of lights, because the Jews illuminated their houses in testimony of their joy and gladness on this very important occasion. The whole of this feast was spent in singing hymns, offering sacrifices, and every kind of diversion3: it was celebrated with much solemnity in the time of Josephus. Besides these two festivals, we find several others incidentally mentioned in the Old Testament, as being observed by the Jews in later ages, though not appointed by Moses. Such are the fast of the fourth month, on account of the taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldæans (Jer. lii. 6, 7.); the fast of the fifth month, on account of their burning the temple and city (2 Kings xxv. 8.); and that of the seventh month, on account of the murder of Gedaliah (2 Kings xxv. 25.); and the fast of the tenth month, when the Babylonian army commenced the siege of Jerusalem. (Jer. lii. 4.) All these fasts are enumerated together in Zech. viii. 19.; and to them we may, perhaps, add the xylophoria, or feast of wood-offering, when the people brought and offered large quantities of wood for the use of the altar: it is supposed to have been celebrated in the time of Nehemiah (x. 34. xiii. 31.), in whose praises, on this occasion, the Jews largely expatiated, and related several wonderful tales concerning him and the fire lighted upon the altar. (2 Macc. i. 18-22.) Nine days were appropriated to this festival, viz. The 1st of Nisan, the 20th of Buxtorf de Synagog. Jud. cap. 29. Iken. Antiq. Hebr. pp. 336-338. Schulzii Archæol. Hebr. pp. 334, 335. Allen's Modern Judaism, p. 405. Dr. Clarke's Commentary on Esther. Josephus, Ant. Jud. lib. xii. c. 7. §§ 6, 7. * Schulzii Archæol. Hebr. pp. 335, 336. vol. i. pp. 246. 979., vol. ii. pp. 576, 1033. 1039. Lamy, vol. i. p. 186. Lightfoot's Works, Tammuz, the 5th, 7th, 10th, 15th, and 20th, of Ab, the 20th of Elul, and the 1st of Tebeth.' IX. The preceding are the chief annual festivals noticed in the Sacred Writings, that are particularly deserving of attention: the Jews have various others of more modern institution, which are here designedly omitted. We therefore proceed to notice those extraordinary festivals which were only celebrated after the recurrence of a certain number of years. 1. The first of these was the SABBATICAL YEAR. For, as the seventh day of the week was consecrated as a day of rest to man and beast, so this gave rest to the land; which, during its continuance, was to lie fallow, and the " sabbath of the land," or its spontaneous produce, was dedicated to charitable uses, to be enjoyed by the servants of the family, by the way-faring stranger, and by the cattle. (Lev. xxv. 1-7.; Exod. xxiii. 11.) This was also the year of release from personal slavery (Exod. xxi. 2.), as well as of the remission of debts. (Deut. xv. 1, 2.) Beausobre is of opinion that the frequent mention made in the New Testament of the remission of sins is to be understood as an allusion to the sabbatical year. In order to guard against famine on this and the ensuing year, God was graciously pleased to promise a triple produce of the lands upon the sixth year, sufficient to supply the inhabitants till the fruits or harvest sown in the eighth year were ripe. (Lev. xxv. 2-22.) This was a singular institution, peculiar to a theocracy. And the breach of it was among the national sins that occasioned the captivity, that the land might enjoy her sabbaths, of which it had been defrauded by the rebellion of the inhabitants.2 (Lev. xxvi. 34. ; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 21.) 2. The JUBILEE was a more solemn sabbatical year, held every seventh sabbatical year, that is, at the end of every forty-nine years, or the fiftieth current year. (Lev. xxv. 8-10.) Concerning the etymology of the Hebrew word jobel (whence our jubilee is derived) learned men are by no means agreed; the most probable of these conflicting opinions is that of Calmet, who deduces it from the Hebrew verb hobil, to recall, or bring back; because estates, &c. that had been alienated were then brought back to their original owners. Such appears to have been the meaning of the word, as understood by the Septuagint translators, who render the Hebrew word jobel by apeois, remission, and by Josephus, who says that it signified liberty.3 This festival commenced on the tenth day of the month Tisri, in the evening of the day of atonement (Lev. xxv. 9.): a time, Bishop Patrick remarks, peculiarly well chosen, as the Jews would be better disposed to forgive their brethren their debts when they had been imploring pardon of God for their own transgressions. It was proclaimed by the sound of trumpet throughout the whole land, on the great day 1 Schulzii Archæol. Hebr. p. 316. Pictet, Antiq. Judaiques, p. 37. (Theologie Chrétienne, tom. iii.) 2 Schulzii Archæol. Hebr. pp. 337-339. Michaelis's Commentaries, vol. i. pp. 387. et seq. Leusden, Philol. Hebr. Mixt. p. 307. Reland's Antiq. Hebr. p. 524. Dr. Hales's Analysis, vol. ii. book i. p. 278. Beausobre and L'Enfant, in Bp. Watson's Tracts, vol. iii. p. 124. Jennings's Jewish Antiq. book iii. ch. 9. 3 Ant. Jud. lib. iii. c. 12. § 3. of atonement. All debts were to be cancelled; all slaves or captives were to be released. Even those who had voluntarily relinquished their freedom at the end of their six years' service, and whose ears had been bored in token of their perpetual servitude, were to be liberated at the jubilee: for then they were to proclaim liberty throughout all the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof. (Lev. xxv. 10.) Further, in this year all estates that had been sold, reverted to their original proprietors, or to the families to which they had originally belonged. This provision was made, that no family should be totally ruined, and doomed to perpetual poverty: for the family estate could not be alienated for a longer period than fifty years. The value and purchase-money of estates therefore diminished in proportion to the near approach of the jubilee. (Lev. xxv. 15.) From this privilege, however, houses in walled towns were excepted: these were to be redeemed within a year, otherwise they belonged to the purchaser, notwithstanding the jubilee. (ver. 30.) During this year, as well as in the sabbatical year, the ground also had its rest, and was not cultivated.1 The law concerning the sabbatical year, and especially the year of jubilee, affords a decisive proof of the divine legation of Moses. No legislator, unless he was conscious that he was divinely inspired, would have committed himself by enacting such a law: nor can any thing like it be found among the systems of jurisprudence of any other nations, whether ancient or modern. "How incredible is it that any legislator would have ventured to propose such a law as this, except in consequence of the fullest conviction on both sides, that a peculiar providence would constantly facilitate its execution. When this law, therefore, was proposed and received, such a conviction must have existed in both the Jewish legislator and the Jewish people. Since, then, nothing could have produced this conviction, but the experience or the belief of some such miraculous interposition as the history of the Pentateuch details, the very existence of this law is a standing monument that, when it was given, the Mosaic miracles were fully believed. Now this law was coeval with the witnesses themselves. If, then, the facts were so plain and public, that those who witnessed them could not be mistaken as to their existence or miraculous nature, the reality of the Mosaic miracles is clear and undeniable."2 The reason and design of the law of the jubilee was partly political and partly typical. "It was political, to prevent the too great oppression of the poor as well as their liability to perpetual slavery. By this means the rich were prevented from accumulating lands upon lands, and a kind of equality was preserved through all the families of Israel. Never was there any people so effectually secure of their liberty and property as the Israelites were: God not only engaging so to protect those invaluable blessings by his providence, that they should not be taken away from them by others; but providing, in a Leusden, Philol. Hebræo. Mixt. p. 309. Michaelis's Commentaries, vol. i. pp. 376* Dr. Graves's Lectures on the Pentateuch, vol. i. p. 171. 386. particular manner by this law, that they should not be thrown away through their own folly; since the property, which every man or family had in their dividend of the land of Canaan, could not be sold or any way alienated for above half a century. By this means, also, the distinction of tribes was preserved, in respect both to their families and possessions; for this law rendered it necessary for them to keep genealogies of their families, that they might be able when there was occasion, in the jubilee year, to prove their right to the inheritance of their ancestors. By this means it was certainly known from what tribe and family the Messiah sprung. Upon which Dr. Allix observes, that God did not suffer them to continue in captivity out of their own land for the space of two jubilees, lest by that means their genealogies should be lost or confounded. A further civil use of the jubilee might be for the easier computation of time. For, as the Greeks computed by olympiads, the Romans by lustra, and we by centuries, the Jews probably reckoned by jubilees; and it might be one design of this institution to mark out these large portions of time for the readier computation of successive ages. 6 "There was also a typical design and use of the jubilee, which is pointed out by the prophet Isaiah, when he says, in reference to the Messiah, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.' (Isa. Ixi. 1, 2.) Where the acceptable year of the Lord,' when liberty was proclaimed to the captives,' and 'the opening of the prison to them that were bound,' evidently refers to the jubilee; but, in the prophetic sense, means the Gospel state and dispensation, which proclaims spiritual liberty from the bondage of sin and Satan, and the liberty of returning to our own possession, even the heavenly inheritance, to which, having incurred. a forfeiture by sin, we had lost all right and claim." That our Lord began his public ministry on a jubilee, Dr. Hales thinks, is evident from his declaration: "The LORD hath anointed me (as THE CHRIST) to preach the Gospel to the poor: he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and restoration of sight to the blind; to set at liberty the bruised; to proclaim the acceptable year of THE LORD." (Luke iv. 18, 19.) 2 Jennings's Jewish Antiq. book iii. ch. x. pp. 541, 542. Schulzii Archæol. Hebr. pp. 341-344. Relandi Antiq. Hebr. p. 529. 2 Dr. Hales's Analysis, vol. ii. book i. p. 279. Lightfoot's Works, vol. ii. p. 619. The best practical illustration which the author has seen, of the analogy between the Mosaic jubilee and the Gospel, is to be found in the Rev. Dr. Claudius Buchanan's "Three Sermons on the Jubilee," celebrated on the 25th October, 1809, on the occasion of King George III.'s entering on the fiftieth year of his reign. CHAP. V. SACRED OBLIGATIONS AND DUTIES. SECT. I. OF VOWS. I. A vow is a religious engagement or promise voluntarily undertaken by a person towards Almighty God. "Unless the Deity has expressly declared his acceptance of human vows, it can at best be but a very doubtful point, whether they are acceptable in his sight; and if they are not so, we cannot deduce from them the shadow of an obligation; for it is not from a mere offer alone, but from an offer of one party, and its acceptance by another, that the obligation to fulfil an engagement arises. The divine acceptance of vows, we can by no means take for granted; considering that from our vows God can derive no benefit, and that, in general, they are of just as little use to man." In Matt. xv. 4-6. and Mark vii. 9-13. Christ himself notices the vow of Korban (already considered), which was common in his time, and by which a man consecrated to God what he was bound to apply to the support of his parents; and he declares it to be so impious that we cannot possibly hold it to be acceptable to God. In the New Testament, no vows whatever are obligatory, because God has nowhere declared that he will accept them from Christians. But the people of Israel had such a declaration from God himself; although even they were not counselled or encouraged to make vows. In consequence of this declaration, the vows of the Israelites were binding; and that not only in a moral view, but according to the national law; and the priest was authorised to enforce and estimate their fulfilment. The principal passages relating to this point are Lev. xxvii., Numb. xxx., and Deut. xxiii. 18. 21, 22, 23.2 II. In order to render a vow valid, Moses requires, 1. "That it be actually uttered with the mouth, and not merely made in the heart. In Numb. xxx. 3. 7. 9.13. and Deut. xxiii. 24. he repeatedly calls it the expression of the lips, or what has gone forth from the mouth; and the same phrase occurs in Psal. lxvi. 14. If, therefore, a person had merely made a vow in his heart, without letting it pass his lips, it would seem as if God would not accept such a vow; regarding it only as a resolution to vow, but not as a vow itself. This limitation is humane, and necessary to prevent much anxiety in conscientious people. If a vow made in the heart be valid, we shall often experience difficulty in distinguishing whether what we thought of was a bare intention, or a vow actually completed. Here, therefore, just as in a civil contract with our neighbour, words uttered words are necessary to prevent all uncertainty." 2. The party making the vow must be in his own power, and com 'Michaelis's Commentaries on the Law of Moses, vol. ii. p. 263. "3 |