were solemnly called upon to rejoice in a grateful recollection of the various blessings and mercies which God had graciously granted them through the last year, as well as to implore His blessing for the ensuing year, which was partly the intention of the sacrifices offered on this day.*

IX. The Feast of the New Moon.

THIS feast was celebrated on the first day the moon appeared after her change. The Hebrew months were lunar months, and the Israelites reckoned from new moon to new moon. As their other festivals, particularly the passover, were reckoned according to the revolutions of the moon, they were very scrupulous in observing the first appearance of each new moon.--During the continuance of the Jews in the land of Canaan, the commencement of their months and years was not regulated by any astronomical calculations, but by the phasis or appearance of the new moon. Persons were therefore appointed to watch on the tops of the mountains for the first appearance of the moon after the change and as soon as they saw it, they informed the Sanhedrin, and public notice was given, first, by the sounding of trumpets, to which custom the Psalmist alludes in Ps. lxxxi, 3, "Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day;" and afterwards, notice was given by lighting beacons on the top of the highest

*See Lightfoot, vol. i, p. 979; and Jennings' Jewish Antiq.

hills and mountains throughout the land; but the Rabbins tell us that by that mode they had been frequently deceived by the Samaritans kindling false fires, so they used to announce the appearance by sending messengers."---As the lunar months consisted alternately of twenty-nine and thirty days, if they did not see the new moon the night following the thirtieth day, they concluded that the appearance was obstructed by the clouds, and without watching any longer, made the next day the first day of the month.---From Numb. x, 10; xxviii, 11; 1 Sam. xx, 5; 2 Kings iv, 23: Isa, lxvi, 23; it appears that the feast of the new moon was observed, and that on these new moons sacrifices were offered.

X. The Feast of Expiation, or Day of Atonement.

THIS feast was celebrated annually on the tenth day of the month Tisri, answering to the latter part of September. On this day a general atonement was made for all the sins, negligences, and ignorances of the people, throughout the year. The Jews observed the day of atonement as a most strict fast, abstaining from all servile work, taking no food, and "afflicting their souls." Lev. xxiii, 27--30.

Of all the sacrifices ordained by the Law of Moses, the sacrifice of the atonement was the most solemn

See Fleury's Manners of the Israelites, pp. 293--295, Dr. A. Clarke's ed.; Rev. T. H. Horne's Introd. vol. i, p. 191; Universal Hist. vol. i, p. 610, fol. ed.; see also Calmet.

and important: the High Priest alone was to offer it for the sins of the whole nation.* The high priest was permitted only on this day in the course of the year, to enter the sanctuary, or the holy of holies, and not even then "without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people." Heb. ix, 7. There were several preparations to be done by the high priest previous to his entering the holy place, under pain of death. He was to wash himself in water, and to put on the holy linen garments, with the mitre or turban,t and to bring a young bullock into the outer court, and present it before the Lord, to be a sin offering for himself, his family, the priests, and probably the Levites; and also he was to bring a ram for a burntoffering, to signify that he and his associates were wholly consecrated and to be wholly employed in the work of the ministry. Lev. xvi. Next, he was to take two young goats, and present them before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle, to be a sinoffering for the whole congregation of Israel, and a ram also for a burnt-offering. He was then to cast lots upon the two goats, which of them should be sacrificed as a sin-offering to the Lord, and which

* See Pearson on the Creed, p. 269, fol. Ed.

He was not to dress in his pontifical garments, but in the simple sacerdotal vestments, or those of the Levites, because it was a day of humiliation; and as he was to offer sacrifice for his own sins, it was necessary that he should appear in habits suited to the occasion. The high priest did not use to sleep on the night preceding the great day of atonement. Jesus Christ, our high priest, did not sleep through the cruelty of his enemies, on the night preceding the important day on which the sins of the whole human race were to be expiated. So exact was the conformity between the type and the great Antitype. See Rambach on the sufferings of Christ p. 219.

should be let go for a scape-goat into the wilderness. After this, he was first to sacrifice the bullock as a sin offering for himself and his family, and to take some of the blood into the most holy place, and to sprinkle the blood with his finger upon the mercy-seat, and before it, seven times, to purify it from all pollution which it might have contracted from his, sins and transgressions during the preceding year, and at the same time holding in his hand a golden censer with incense or perfume burning, which was kindled at the sacred fire on the altar; so that the most holy place was involved with a cloud of smoke, to prevent him from seeing the mercy-seat. It may be here observed, that the burning of incense preceded the sprinkling of the blood, to remind him of the necessity of prayer which was prefigured by incense, (Rev. viii, 8, 4.) as a preparation to his admission into the inner sanctuary. The high priest then came out, and was to sacrifice the allotted goat, for the sins of the whole nation, and to enter the most holy place a second time, and taking some of the blood of the goat which had been sacrificed, to sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before it, to purify it from the pollution of the people's sins and transgressions of the former year. Afterwards he was to purify in the same manner, the tabernacle and the altar. He was next to bring the live goat, and to lay both his hands upon its head, and confess* over him all the iniquities, transgressions, and sins of the children of Israel, putting them upon the head of the goat; and then to send him away by the hand of

* See the Confession in Dr. Lightfoot's Works, vol. i, p. 973; and Dr. A. Clarke on Lev, xvi.

him

a fit man into the wilderness, to bear away upon all their iniquities to a land not inhabited, or, according to the Hebrew, to a land of separation, where they should be remembered no more. After this atonement, the high priest was to put off his linen garments, and leave them in the sanctuary, and to wash himself again in water in the holy place, and to put on his usual garments, and then to offer burnt offerings for himself and for the people at the evening sacrifice. Lev. xvi; xxvi, 3--28.

The whole of this process is allowed to be typical of the grand atonement made for the sins of the whole world by Jesus Christ, "the high priest of our profession." The ceremony of the scape goat in a peculiar manner points out Jesus Christ dying for our sins, and rising again for our justification. Two goats were brought, one was to be slain as a sacrifice for sin, the other to have the transgressions of the people confessed over his head, and to be sent away into the wilderness. The scape goat by this act, was represented as bearing away, or carrying off, the sins of the people. The two goats seems to make only one sacrifice: yet only one of them was slain. Thus these two animals pointed out both the divine and human nature of Christ, and shewed both his death and resurrection. The goat that was slain prefigured his human nature and his death; the scape goat pointed out his resurrection-the one

The scape goat was a most illustrious figure of the sacrifice of Christ, who suffered, not merely for our benefit, but in our stead: on whom "the Lord laid the iniquity of us all;" (Isa. liii, 6.)" who was made sin or sin-offering for us," (2 Cor. v, 21.) and who "bare our sins in his own body." 1 Pet. ii, 24. See Bp. Patrick on Lev. xvi.