eighth Day a Sabbath, the fifteenth a Sabbath, the twenty fecond a Sabbath, and the twenty ninth a Sabbath: A Month was ordinarily computed to be thirty Days, neither more nor fewer (y): Accordingly, if we go through the fecond Month, the Sabbaths in it must be thus: The fixth Day a Sabbath, the thirteenth a Sabbath, the twentieth a Sabbath, and the twenty twenty feventh a bath (x).

Sab

In the third Month the Sabbaths

will

(y) Mofes thus computes the Months in his Account of the Flood: From the feventeenth Day of the fecond Month to the feventeenth Day of the feventh Month; for five whole Months be reckons one hundred and fifty Days, Gen. vii. 11. 24. viii. 3, 4. which is exactly thirty Days to each Month for five times thirty Days are one hundred and fifty. (z) Scaliger intimates the twenty fecond Day of this fecond Month to have been a Sabbath. Lib. de Emendat. Temp. p. 153, which, if true, would overthrow the Order of the Sabbaths I am offering. But, 1. If the twen ty fecond of this Month had been a Sabbath, then the fif-. teenth muft have been a Sabbath alfo, and the People would. have refted in their Tents upon it, Exod. xvi. 30. But the. fifteenth was a Day of Travel; the Ifraelites took their Journey from Elim unto the Wilderness of Sin, on the fifteenth Day of the fecond Month, Exod. xvI. I. fo that this Day was not a Sabbath, and confequently neither was the twenty fecond. 2. Scaliger's Opinion is founded upon. an Imagination that the quails were given in the very Evening, and the Manna on the Morning after the Ifraelites came into this Wilderness: If this were the Fact, the Ifraelites gathering Manna for fix fucceffive Days, before Mofes obferved to them that to morrow is the Sabbath, (See ver. 22, 23.) would indeed fuggeft the Sabbath to fall on the twenty fecond: But how improbable is it that the lfraelites fhould have fixed their Camp, explored the Country, found that they could not be fupported in it, mutinied, obtained a miraculous Supply from God, and all this in the remaining Part of a Day almoft spent in Travel? A Supply given

thus

will fall thus: The fourth Day a Sabbath: And the Day after this Sabbath was the Day of Pentecoft, or the fiftieth Day from the Day of bringing the Sheaf of the Wave-Offering (a); for from the Day of waving it, on the Day after a Sabbath, they were to count seven Sabbaths complete; unto the Day after the feventh Sabbath fifty Days, and upon that fiftieth Day they were to offer the two Wave-Loaves and their New Meal-Offering (b); accordingly, from the fixteenth Day of the firft Month to the fifth Day of the third Month, counting inclusively, are fifty Days, and the fiftieth Day falls regularly on the Morrow or Day after a Sabbath, as Mofes calculates it (c): The other Sabbaths in this third Month fall thus: The eleventh Day a Sabbath, the eighteenth a Sabbath, and the twenty fifth a Sabbath: In the fourth

thus inftantaneously would hardly have been known to be a Miracle: They could not fo foon have judged enough of the Country they were in, to determine whether it might not be the natural Produce of it: In the Wilderness of Shur they travelled three Days before they came to high Com plaints for want of Water, Exod. xv. 22. In like manner they came into the Wilderness of Sin, on the fifteenth Day of the Month, on a fecond Day of the Week: In about four Days they had eat up all that could be provided for them, and found abfolutely that the Land they were in could not Support them: In this Extremity they were ready to mutiny on the fifth Day, the tabentieth Day of the Month, and the feventh Day of the Week at Even, Mofes obtain ed them the Quails, and on the next Morning the Manna: They gathered Manna for fix Days, and then the Sabbath was on the twenty feventh: In this way of computing we allow the Affairs tranfacted a neceffary Space of Time, and this will fix the Sabbaths to the Days I have Suppofed to belong to them. (a) Levitic. xxiii. 15. (c) Levit.

(b) Ibid. ver. 17. Numb. xxviii. 26. xxiii. 16.

Month the Sabbaths fall as follows: The fecond Day a Sabbath, the ninth a Sabbath, the fixteenth a Sabbath, the twenty third a Sabbath, and the thirtieth a Sabbath: In the fifth Month, the seventh Day will be a Sabbath, the fourteenth a Sabbath, the twenty firft a Sabbath, and the twenty eighth a Sabbath: In the fixth Month, the fifth Day is a Sabbath, the twelfth Day a Sabbath, the nineteenth a Sabbath, and the twenty fixth a Sabbath. We are now to begin the feventh Month: And here I muft obferve, that Mofes was ordered to speak unto the Children of Ifrael, faying, In the feventh Month, in the first Day of the Month fhall ye have a Sabbath (cc): It may be here queried, whether this Sabbath was to fall feven Days after the laft Sabbath, and be one of the weekly Sabbaths of the Year, or whether it was to be a common Day of the Week in it self, but ordered to be kept as a Sabbath by a fpecial Appointment: And an Answer to this Query is eafy to be collected from confidering the Appointments of this Seafon: The tenth Day of this feventh Month was to be a Day of Atonement to afflict their Souls, and they were specially ordered to do no Work on that fame Day: There could have been no need of that particular Order, if this tenth Day had been a Sabbath; for upon account of its being a Sabbath Day, no manner of Work must have been done therein (d); This tenth Day therefore did not fall upon a weekly Sabbath. But it is to be obferved, that it would have been a weekly Sabbath, if some special Appointment had not here

(cc). Levit. xxiii, 24.

(d) Exod. xx. 10.

taken

taken place to prevent it; for as the twenty fixth Day of the fixth Month was a Sabbath, the Days going on in their common Order, the third Day of the feventh Month would have been a Sabbath, and confequently the tenth; but the tenth Day thus appearing not to have been a Sabbath, it must be allowed that the third alfo was not a Sabbath Day, and confequently, that here must have been fome particular Appointment, to cause the Sabbaths not to go on in the Courfe in which they would otherwife have proceeded: And the Injunction of the first Day of the feventh Month's being a Sabbath appears very plainly to have been this Appointment, and would always caufe the tenth Day not to fall on a Sabbath, but on a Week-day, pertinently to the Injunction of having no Work done therein; fo that I fhould think, there can remain nothing further to be confider'd, than at what Distance this Sabbath Day, on the firft Day of the feventh Month, was to be kept from after the laft preceding Sabbath: And I think we cannot but conclude that feven Days must have been the Interval; for I think this was the Law of the Sabbath without Variation: Between Sabbath and Sabbath Six Days they were to labour and do all their Work; but the feventh Day was to be the Sabbath (e), and if this be allowed me, it will be plain that the Ifraelites must have here added two Days to the End of the fixth Month to make the fixth Day of the Week the last Day of it; for the twenty fixth Day of this Month was, as I have obferved, a

Sabbath(); confequently, if this Month, like other Months, had contained thirty Days only, the laft Day of it would have been the fourth Day of the Week, and the first Day of the fe venth Month could not have been a Sabbath in the manner which Mofes appointed: Here therefore the Ifraelites kept two Week-days more than this Month would otherwise have afforded, and began the feventh Month with a Sabbath, according to the Injunction. But to go on: The firft Day of the feventh Month being thus a Sabbath, it will follow, that in this Month the eighth Day would be a Sabbath, the fifteenth a Sabbath, the twenty fecond a Sabbath, and the twenty ninth a Sabbath. The tenth Day of this 1 Month was the Day of Atonement (g), the fifteenth Day began the Feast of Tabernacles (b), à Feaft to be kept for the gathering in the Fruits of the Land (i): This Feast was thus to begin with a Sabbath (k), and after seven Days Celebration, it was ended on the eighth Day, namely on the twenty fecond Day of this Month with another Sabbath (1). The twenty ninth Day of the seventh Month being a Sabbath, the Sabbaths in the eighth Month will fall thus: The fixth Day will be a Sabbath, the thirteenth a Sabbath, the twentieth a Sabbath, and the twenty feventh a Sabbath: In the ninth Month, the fourth Day will be a Sabbath, the eleventh a Sabbath, the eighteenth a Sabbath, and the twenty fifth a Sabbath: In the tenth Month, the fecond Day will be a Sabbath, the ninth a Sabbath, the fixteenth a Sabbath, the twenty

(b) ver. 34.