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Dei cap.21.efcaped the Prejudice,who makes 7 refulting from 3 and 4 a very perfect Number. The first of these, (viz. 3) fays he, is wholly odd, andden otes excellency, the other, is perfectly equal, and denotes the Mother of Justice, Equability and a facred Agreement in things. This Number 7 is also affum'd into the most facred Myfteries,tis concern'd in the Formation of Corporeal Things, and appears as a Symbol of Perfection,Others, as Philo, Robertus Pontanus, &c, reckon up thole things wherein the Number 7 is concerned; as that moft Sacrifices were offered by fevens, as 7 Bullocks, 7 Rams, which was likewife obferved by that mercenary Prophet Balaam; Numb, 23, 1. Nor do we want Examples of it among the Gentiles, as in that Paffage of the Poet;

Nam grege de intacto feptem mactare juvencos
Praftiterit totidem teƐtos de more bidentes.

And those who reckon up the Mysteries of the Number 7, tell us, that the chief Feafts of the Jews were reckoned to 7 Months of the year, and continued 7 days. In the Pafcha they ate the unleavened Bread 7 days and then they reckoned Weeks to the Pentecoft. Many Feftival Days were celebrated in the 7th Month. Wisdom built her Houfe upon 7 Pillars: In the Lamp of the Sanctuary there were 7 Candles: St. John in the Revelations Jam Golden Candlefricks; and in Zachary a Stone had 7 Eyes. In the New Testament there were 7. Deacons chofen, and through the whole Apocalypfe of St. John the different State of the Church is defcribed by the number 7: Chrift commands him to write to the

Churches of Afia, and their 7 Angels: The myfti cal Book was fealed with 7 Seals: 7 Angels with 7 Trumpets and 7 Vials reprefented the State of the Church in the laft Days. They add inftances of the like Nature in Natural things, v.2. that there are 7 Planets, 7 fixed Stars called the Pleiades, and 7 called Hyades; and both the Bears are figured with Stars. 7 There are 7 habitable Climates in the Earth; The Structure of the Humane Body is 7 Foot: And innumerable other things are wont to be alledged by thofe who are fond of Myfteries in the Number 7. Vide Phi lanem paffim in fuis Scriptis. Roberti Loei Angli Effigia

tionem veri Sabbati, p. 25. Meurtii denarium Pythagoricum, &c.

us,

the rank

$. 9. The drawing of Days into Weeks is not pecu- Whether liar to the fews and Chriftians, for Scaliger affures and with good reafon, that all the Eaftern People, caling of the culated their Days by a Weekly Character. And Dio days in the Caffius affirms the fame of the Western Nations, and

of all Mankind.

form of

Weeks,

was only

S. 10. The Order of the Planets, if you confider in ufc both their Spheres or Orbs, is exprefs'd by this memorable in the anVerficle:

cient and

latter

Poft SIM SUM fequitur, ultima LUNA times, afubeft.

mong the Jews and Chriftians

The reason by the or

der of the

Planets

wis not ob

But there's nothing lefs minded than this in the Names of the days of the Week. Dio Caffius Lib. 37. Hift. Rom. gives us the Reafon and Original of this, which, he that pleases may read at length, and understand upon what Groands they firft fixed the Mufick of the 7 Spheres, and how they would have the Days of the ferved a Week concerned in it. The Cufton of the Egyptians in mong the their Mufical Proportions (tho' known every where) Ancients was formerly unknown to the Ancient Greeks, and in ranking therefore each had their diftinct way. the days of

§. II. In ancient times the 7th day of the Week was the Week. kept Holy; which Cuftom is now obferved by the of thof Jews, as owing its Original to the Divine Institution; days of the but the Chriftians have receded from it, and diftin- Weekwkich guifh'd themselves in this matter from the Fems, by among di-, Confecrating the firft day of the Week to Divine Wor- vers People hip; And Examples of this Worfhip feem to be fetch- have been ed even from the time of the Apoftles. See John 20. kept holy. 19, 26. Act's 15. also 20. 7. I Cor. 16. 1, 2. Certainly if the Chriftians could not alledge Apoftolical Tradition, they would fcarce have obferved the firft Feria or Sunday with fo much Religion and Conftancy; That Melito a Contemporary of Juftin wrote a whole Book upon that matter; that whole Companies of the Faithful have incurr'd the Sufpicion of an Idolatrous Worship to the Sun, and feal'd the Sanction of the Day with their Flood, witnels Tertullian's Apol. cap. 16. For th: Martyr's being ask'd, (See Dr.Danboy. difp. dec. oct. §.5.) Haft thou kept the Lord's-day?

on the fame

day of the Week.

answered, I am a Chriftian and cannot pass it by. The Africans in Guinea obferve Tuesday, which they call Dio Fetiffos, and abftain from their accustomed Labours on that Day. The Turks always obferve Friday, either from the Command of Mahomet, or from an ancient idolatrous Custom brought from the Indians to the Arabians; on which day thofe Worship Venus as the chief Deity, under the Name of C HOBAR.This Worship Jerome takes notice of in the Life of Hilarius, in thefe Words; He came to Elufa, fays he, by chance on that day, which being the Anniverfahad occafioned a Concourfe of all the People of the Town in the Temple of Venus: For they worship her проп the account of the day Star,to theWormhip of which the whole Nation of the Saracens is devoted.

ry

The reason §. 12. If a common year begins (for instance) on the why all Ju- firft Feria or day of the Week, when that comes to an lian years end, the fecond year begins not on the fame day, but begin not on the next day after: and if the first should happen to be a Biffextile, the fecond year would begin on the third day after; the reafon of which is manifeft from the measure of our year. For the common year having 365 days in it, or 52 Weeks and one day over, an. une Biffextile 2 days over and above the 52 Weeks, divide either 365 or 366 by 7 (the days in one Week) 'tis plain that if the common year begins on a Monday, the laft day in the year will be on a Monday, and fo the first day of the next year must be Tuesday.

What we

S. 13. The Ancient Romans obferved not a Septenaunderstand ry but an Octonary Number in the divifion of their by the time; and perhaps that Inftitutien was owing to RoNundine mulus: Though indeed all the Latin Authors are dividof the Ro-ed upon that head. See Macrob. Saturn. l. 1. c. 16,

mans.

Roman

Varro fays, that after eight days fpent in pursuit of Agriculture and Country Affairs, they met in Town every ninth day to adjust the City Affairs and be witof the time neffes to the promulgation of their Laws. Now these when the concourfes were called Nundina or Novendina. §. 14. Among other Praifes of Conftantine the Great, Nundina this is not the leaft, That on the Lord's Days or Sungated and days, he commanded the Gentile Legions to pray: the Feria For thus Eufebius, Lib. 4. de Vita Conftant. M. Cap. prima fub- 19. When he had taught all his Soldiers to fanctific this tituted in Day of Salvation, which we call the Day of Light or

were abro

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Sunday,

Sunday, he gave leifure to thofe, who by Divine Instinct, imbrac'd the Faith, freely to frequent the Church of God,and pray unto him without Moleftation: And others, who were not yet fenfible of the Divine Doctrine, be commanded by another Law, That on Sundays they should go out into the Fields of the Suburbs, and there ufe all together the fame Form of Prayer upon a Signal given.

CHA P. III.

Of the Leffer Sacred Annual Character or the
Sabbatic Cycle.

A RULE.

1. The Sabbatic Cycle is a Syftem of 7 Luna-Solar years continually recurring, inftituted by God for this reafon, That the Earth and Men might have their Viciffitudes.

§. 1. THE Sabbatic years are of Divine Institution,

Sibbatic

year com

menc'd.

as may be feen at large Lev. 25. 2. where the hen the Earth and the Vines were to be ploughed and gathered for 6 years, and the feventh year to reft and lie uncultivated. See alfo Exod. 23. II. The Period of the Sabbatic Cycles commences from he time, when the Divifion of the Land, into which the Ifraelties had just entered, was made by Lot. If this be obferved, all the Sabbatic years will doubtless be rightly fix'd, and no Errors about 'em can happen; but without it we have no certain Character to proceed upon.

tic.

§. 2. Calvifius Ifag. Chron. c. 25. when other Authors of those dilagree among themfelves, has fixt the Sabbatic years rears that thus. The fifteenth year of the Reign of Hezekiah are certainKing of Fuda, was Sabbatic 2 Kings 19: 29. The year ly Sakba in which Antiochus Eupater befieged Jerufalem, was Sabbatic, Mac. 6. 49. The year in which Simon Maccabeus was flain by Ptolemy was Sabbatic, fofephus l. 4. c. 18. The year of the Captivity of Ferufalem by Herod was Sabbatic, ibid. The year before the Destructi

on

that by the

on of Ferufalem by Titus Vefpafian, was Sabbatic, ibid. The year of Chrift, 1189, was Sabbatic; Mat. Parif. The year of Chrift 1602 was Sabbatic, Fudæorum Calend. Befides thofe of Calvifius, others might doubtless be fixt.

Their Opi- §. 3. There are fome, particularly Laure. Codomont. nion must 1.2. Chron. Quaft. 40 & temp.l. 3. Chron. Dem.p. 103. be falfe Chronol, myt. in fole temp. p. 22. who tell us, that the who affert, firft Sabbatic year of the Law was that in which the IDivine raelites being brought by Mofes to the Borders of fewCommand ry and to the Land of Canaan began foon after the the Sabba- Death of Mofes to enter and poffefs it under their tie Cycle Captain Fofhua: So that they will have this Cycle to was in ufe begin 7 years before the time affigned 'em by Scaliger among the and Calvifius, and before them Eufebius.But this agrees Jewsbefore not with the Divine Precept: For the Fems at that time the diftri did not enter into the Land of Canaan; For altho' bution of their Land the Tribes of Reuben, Gad, and of Menaffes reby Lot. ceived the Kingdom of Sihon and Bahan from Mofes, yet it was not to thefe only, but to the whole People that the Divine Command was given: Nor was the Land on this fide Jordan properly called Canaan, as it appears from Numb. 32. 29, 30, 31, alfo 33. 51. alfo 35. 14. Nor did the Tribes inhabit it to whom it was affigned. For these were obliged to pafs over Fordan, from whence after many years they returned again: See the Scriptures laft quoted, and fof. 22. ^`3, and 4. Add to thefe things, That Mofes in Deuteronomy, which Book he propoled to the People only one Month before his Death, witness cap. 1. 3. fpeaks of the Land of Promife, not as yet poffeft, but to be poffefs'd. Deut. 6. 10. But when the Lord thy God fhall bring thee into the Land, &c. Therefore it can't be faid that Ifrael entred into the promifed Land, to wit Canaan, before the Death of Moles,

Whether

S.4. Although by what precedes,it is certain that the we are to Hiftorical Beginning of the Sabbatick Cycle is to be dethink that rived from the Diftribution of the Land by Lot, yet we the Sabbafhall not reject their Opinion,who think that God in orwas analo- daining this Cycle had refpect to the Sabbath of Days,

tic Cycle

gous to the

Hebdomatic,and confequently whether it can be of the fame ufe in determining she first year of the World.

and

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