to Paul for his conversion that he might send him among the Gentiles that sate in darknesse to open their eyes and to turn them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan to God Act. 22. 6 14. Act. 26. 13 18. and he made the word of God to abound through a great part of the world even from Jerusalem to Illiricum Rom. 15. 19. In this evening time of the world the Gospel did shine in its ful strength for now Christ and his twelve Apostles and seventy Disciples and divers other Prophets and Teachers did confirme their doctrine with signs and wonders to the conversion of many ten thousand soules that formerly sate in darknesse under the power of Satan 6 Gnereb is put for the last end of a thing as in Isa 24. 11. The mirth of the land is Gnereb that is to say ceased or ended And in this sense Matthew puts the evening of the Sabbaths in the plurall number for the end of the weeke Mat. 28. 1. for the Jews used to date all the days of the week from the Sabbath day in this order the first of the Sabbath the second of the Sabbath and so on till the week ended with the Sabbath it selfe In like sort they did sometimes call the whole week the Sabbath and the seven weekes to Penticost they called seven Sabbaths Levit. 23. 15. and the Pharisee said I fast twice in the Sabbath Luk. 18. 12. or twice in the week now if the Evening had been the beginning of the Natural day then all these allusions from Gnereb to the last times or to the last end of a thing had been very improper and very absurd 7 Gnereb by the figure Synecdoche is often put for any particular hour in the afternoon or in the beginning of the night for the Jews were to transact many Civil and many Religious actions in the severall houres of Gnereb the Evening and in that respect any of those houres may be called Gnereb the Evening But at first when Moses did conjoyn and set together all the parts and parcels of the first natural day No question but he did use Gnereb in its full and proper sense for the conjunction of the latter half of the Artificial day with the first half of the night as the even and equal part of time to Boker the morning and that is the thing which I mainly aime at in all my discourse upon Gnereb SECT 2. It is further evident that Gnereb must be taken for such a connexion of things as doth still preserve the Species distinct because Gnarbaiim in the duall number is put for the connexion of any two things without confounding their species But especially it is Eleven times over put for the two parts of the Naturall Evening I Find upon search that Gnereb the Evening is eleven times over called Gnarbaiim in the duall number because the God of Nature had from the first day divided the natural Evening into two parts which are rightly called the two Evenings by many Translators These two Evenings were famously known to all the Jewes in Egypt for when Moses commanded them to kill the Passeover between the two Evenings Exod. 12. 6. he did not explain what he meant by the two Evenings he did not make any circumstantiall description of them which had been necessary if they had not been familiarly acquainted with the several limits of them but he doth onely barely name them as a thing that was familiarly known to them Five times over the Lord commanded them to sacrifise all their Passeovers between the two Evenings Exod. 12. 6. Levit. 23. 5. Numb 9. 3 5 11. and four times over the Lord commanded them to sacrifise the daily Evening sacrifice between the two Evenings Exod. 29. 39 41. Num. 28. 4 8. Solomon Jarchi describes the two Evenings thus from the sixt hour which is at Mid-day and upwards it is called between the two Evenings for that the Sun declineth towards his going down c. between the Evening of the Day and the Evening of the Night The Evening of the Day is from the beginning of the seventh houre and the Evening of the Night is when the night begins See Ains in Num. 9. 3. And Aben Ezra on Exod. 12. saith There is the Evening of the Sun and the Evening of the Night when the shining of the Sun is gone from off the Earth And Rab. David in Perek Aâ—oth ch 5. saith There is the Evening of the Suns declining and the Evening of the Suns setting His meaning is according to other Hebrew Doctors namely that the Evening of the Suns declining begins at the first declining of the Sun at Mid-day and that the Evening of the Suns setting doth begin then And Buxtorfius in his Hebrew Lexicon upon the word Gnarbaiim doth cite other Hebrew Canons to this very purpose But I shall refer you to Chap. 5. for a further description of the two Evenings where I explaine the Passeover Evening I have already cited nine places of Scripture where the term of two Evenings is cited in the Hebrew text and now I will cite two places more The Priests were commanded to light up their Lamps between the two Evenings Exod. 30. 8. and the Quailes came between the two Evenings Exod. 16. 12. Also I find one clear example of the two Evenings in the New Testament in one and the same day It is said in Matth. 14. 15. When it was evening the Disciples came to him and said the time is now past that is to say it is now past dinner time send the multitude away But Christ did not send them away untill he had first made them dine and after they had well dined then he sent them away After this Evening Christ went up into a mountain to pray and then it is said againe When the Evening was come hee was there alone ver 23. This Evening in ver 23. is another Evening besides that in vers 15. and between these two Evenings Christ did a long action for he fed many thousands plentifully And thus I have proved by a Jury of twelve Witnesses that the naturall Evening is divided into two Evenings and I have set out the limits of the first Evening by the testimony of the Hebrew Doctors from Mid-day till Sun-set and the latter Evening begins at Sun-set and ends at mid-night and both these Evenings are called Gnarbaiim in the duall number that is say the Twy-party Evening for so Gnarbaiim in the duall number must be understood as it appears by the like form of speech where the Scripture setteth out the twy-party connexture of other things as for example Ramath in mount Ephraim 1 Sam. 1. 19. is called Ramothaim in the dual number 1 Sam. 1. 1. some Translators render it the two Ramaths in mount Ephraim but indeed they are deceived for there is but one Ramath in Mount Ephraim and that Ramath is called Ramothaim in the dual number because it had two parts and
Festival Supper which belonged to the last day of unleavened Bread which was the one and twentieth day of the Month did also bear the date of the two and twentieth day to the person purified and this latter evening was the allowed season for all their Holy Festival Suppers and often-times it was little enough for they must boyl and rost all the flesh of their Peace-offerings which were of the greater kind as sheep and Oxen for no Fowls were allowed for Peace-offerings See Ains in Lev. 3. 6. this did much increase the quantity of their Provisions and therefore it required the longer time both to Cook it and to feast on it and all these days of Feasting were commanded to be done with great solemnity especially the first and the last and with many relations of Gods goodnesse for their deliverance out of Aegypt and with Songs and Psalms of praise Deut. 16. 15. Exod. 23. 15. Deut. 27. 7. See Ains in Exod. 12. 8. and in this respect the latter evening was a competent time for these religious Solemnities and to continue the time of feasting longer was a transgression for it is expresly commanded in Lev. 7. 15. that the holy flesh must be eaten in the same day in which it was sacrificed But if the Sun-set evening had been the true beginning of the Natural day then this Holy flesh could not have been eaten the same day as I have noted the reason thereof formerly and then God by Moses had commanded us to do that which is not possible to be done therefore the Sun-set evening is a true part of the same Natural day wherein the flesh was sacrificed Maymony saith as I noted in objection sixteen that the Priests did eat the two Loaves which were presented to the Lord with the Meat-offering of the Congregation on the day of Penticost in the same day and in half the night as the flesh of the most holy things were See Ains in Levit. 23. 20. so then in the judgement of the ancient Hebrew Doctors for Maymony doth but record their judgement the latter evening till mid-night was a true part of the same Natural day in which the Sacrifices were offered though yet notwithstanding the purified person began the date of his new day at the Sun-set afore 5 Thus saith Maymony after he had related divers circumstances about the Passeover then is brought in a Table furnished with bitter Herbs unleavened Bread and the Body of the Paschal Lamb and the flesh Chagigah which is saith he for the fourteenth day of the Month he doth not say which is for the fifteenth day of the Month though otherwise he doth call this time the fifteenth day of the Month both are true in a right sense namely in the sense formerly given and in another place Maymony saith thus The evening of the fourteenth of Nâ—shan is not like the evening of other Festival days because in it are the Feast and the killing of Sacrifices See Ains in Lev. 23. 5. He makes the time of feasting to belong to the fourteenth day and secondly he preferres this evening to the evening of the Festival Sabbaths and therefore prescribes a greater punishment for servile work done on this evening than for working in the evening before the Festival Sabbaths for so is the comparison to be made as I have noted it elsewhere because in this evening was solemnized the proper Feast of the fourteenth day but the evening before was but in way of preparation to the Sabbath it self Thirdly Maymony saith thus They searched out Leaven in the beginning of the night of the fourteenth day Maymony calls the night before the Feast of the unleavened Bread the fourteenth night and yet in another place he calleth it the fifteenth day Thus have I proved not only by Scripture but also by the consent of the Hebrew Doctors that the Sun-set evening is a true part of the former day though it be also the beginning of a new day to the person purified by a Ceremonial institution CHAP. VI. Proving that the Day of Reconciliation was an extraordinary long Sabbath and an extraordinary long Fasting-day and therefore the beginning of this day ought not to be alleged as an exemplary Pattern neither for the beginning of any other Fasting-day nor yet for the beginning of the Lords Day THe Law saith thus in Lev. 23. 32. yee shall afflict your Souls in the ninth day of the Month in the evening from evening to evening you shal rest your Sabbath This Sabbath was singular from other Sabbaths in two regards 1 No other Sabbath was like it for the services of it 2 No other Sabbath was like it for the length of it 1 No other Sabbath was like it for the services of it For 1. All the Sacrifices of this day were commanded to be done by the High Priest only but on other Sabbaths they might be done by any other Priest as well as by the High Priest 2 There were more Burnt-offerings commanded to be offered for the publick on this Sabbath than on any other Sabbath 3 More Incense must be offered on this day than on any other day 4 There was more often sprinkling of blood on this day than on any other day 5 The High Priest did oftener wash on this day than on any other day 6 He used more sorts of Priestly garments on this day than on any other day 7 He did more often change his Garments on this day than on any other day 8 The High Priest did enter into the Holy of Holies on this day and on no day else all the yeer long and thus no day was like this Sabbath in the services of it 2 No day was like this day for the length of it neither in respect of the fast nor in respect of holy Rest of it For though it was commanded to bâ— observed in the tenth day of the seventh month Lev. 23. 27. yet it was also commanded to begin in the Evening of the ninth day Lev. 23. 32. This Evening of the ninth day hath a double interpretation 1 Some understand it of the sacrifice-Evening of the ninth day 2 Some understand it of the Evening at the end of the ninth day where the tenth day begins 1 In the first sense Maymony saith They began to afflict their souls in the Evening of the ninth day next before the tenth day and so they tarried in their affliction a little in the night after the tenth day In these words you see that Maymony doth not hold this fast to begin with the tenth day at the Sun-set Evening according to the date of the new day of the person purified but in the evening of the ninth day next before the tenth day And Maymony saith moreover That they must abide in their affliction a little in the night after the tenth day This early beginning and this late ending of this fasting-day doth increase the length of this day beyond the length of any other fasting-day or
parts of it Fifthly He hath also made the Natural Morning to be a twiparty Morning because it is a connexion of the first darknesse or of the latter half of the night with the first half of the Artificial day and in this respect it is often called Mornings in the plural number Psal 73. 14. Psal 101. 8. Job 7. 18. Lam. 3. 23. Is 33. 2. 15. The Reason why the first darknesse could not be called either Boker the Morning or Gnereb the Evening at first was because these names are names of the perfect shape and limits given unto these two parts of the Natural day and the first darknesse was a confused mis-shapen thing at first therefore it could not belong either unto the Morning or unto the Evening until it was first shaped and limited into a night for Boker the Morning is constituted of a part of the shaped Night as well as of a part of the shaped Artificial Day and the first darknesse could not be shaped into a Night until it had twelve houres darknesse succeeding the Artificial Day by means whereof the first half had a Twilight going before it and then as soon as it met with the first darknesse at the North point it First gave perfection of shape to the Night And Secondly It gave perfection of shape to the Evening And thirdly It gave perfection of shape to Boker the Morning And accordingly every part of this day had its name as soon as it had its perfect shape as for example when the shining light had finished its last period at the West point it was called Day in like sort when the darknesse had finished its last period at the North point it was called Night And then also the Evening and the Morning was the First Day Pharez and Zara were Twins and when they came to their Birth Zara thrust out his hand first thereupon the Midwise said this is first and she did mark it out for the first by a red thred yet notwithstanding Pharez did finish his Birth first and therupon he was first named Pharez and Zara was last named though he begun his Birth first Even so the time called Morning began its birth first but yet notwithstanding the time called Evening was first perfected in its shape and limits and thereupon it was first called Gnereb O the wonderfull variety of Gods wisdom in contriving and setting together all the parts and parcels of this first Natural Day CHAP. III. Proving that the time of the first Darkness was called Morning at last namely as soon as that Darkness was formed into a Night Moses doth tell us Gen. 1. 1 2. That in the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth and that darkness was upon the face of the deep namely for the space of six hours before the light was created The Queston is Whether this first Darkness was called Morning or Evening The Answer shall be framed into three Heads or Sections I. I will prove that the Creation began in that part of time which at last was called Boker the Morning II. That the Morning begins in the dark Night III. That the Morning doth begin at Mid-night SECT I. Proving that the time of the first Darkness was called Boker the Morning at last FIrst It appears to me that the first Darkness was called Boker Boker the morning doth signifie early the Morning at last namely as soon as all the parts of the Natural Day were formed Because Boker the Morning doth signifie Early See Ains in Psal 5. 4. and in this sense the Morning is put for the first opportunity of time for any business as in seeking unto God early by prayer and in this sense David saith in Psa 5. 3. Jehovah in the morning or early I will direct my prayer unto thee and will look out or espie as he that keepeth watch and ward expecting what God will answer and the godly do often professe that they will look out early after God by the term Morning as in Psal 90. 14. and Psal 143. 8. and truly I conceive that the onely Reason why Buls and Cows And all the Herds of that kind are called Baker from whence Boker is derived is from their early seeking out for their meat from God sooner than other Cattle use to do for in the Evening or in the beginning of the Night they use to sit down and chew their Cud but in the early Night-morning they usually rise up and seek out for food before other sorts of Cattle Object 1. Boker the Morning is put for the beginning of the Artificiall Day because that is the fittest season to seek out or earth after things that be lost or after things that are to be sought after men do not usually seek after things in the dark but as soon as the morning light appears then they begin to look and search after lost things and hence the beginning of the Artificiall Day is called Boker the Morning Answ I see no Reason to restrain the signification of Boker to mans seeking by the sight of his eyes in the time of the Artificial Morning onely but considering that Boker the Morning is placed among the works of Gods Creation before man was created it may be considered as Gods first early time in ordering the Creation in the best manner for God may be said to seek early after the manner of men not for want of knowledge in particulars but to set out his Wisdom and Prudence and Fatherly care and the like in the first Creation as these Scriptures do testifie Exod. 14. 24. 27. Ezek. 34. 11 12 16. Psa 30. 6. Psa 90. 14. Isa 17. 14. Psal 119. 176. Zach. 12. 9. For by Wisdom the Lord founded the Earth and by Vnderstanding he established the Heavens Prov. 3. 19. and so by Wisdom and Understanding he formed all the parts of the First Day in such an exquisite Order that so it might be for an exemplary pattern to all the other Natural daies to the end of the world Secondly Early seeking may be done by advice counsel and meditation as well in the time of darknesse as in the morning light Thirdly When it pleased the Lord to uncreat Judah by his destroying Judgements namely by wars from the Enemy how did God order it to be done but by his early looking out and searching into things For thus saith the Lord I looked upon the Earth and loe it was without form and void and to the Heavens and they had no light Jer. 4. 23. for by their wicked confused Government they had provoked the Lord by wars to turn all their Commonwealth into a Chaos again This form of speech by contraries declares that God by his wise Providence did search out in the time of the first darkness how to adorn the earth with light and how to order all the parts of the first day in the best manner and in this respect Gods early Providence is often set out by the term Morning both
he had bathed himself in water The answer is no hee must yet stay a while longer without the Camp till his Sun be set and then when the Sun is gon down he shall come into the Camp Hence it is evident that his Ceremoniall purity was not compleat until his Sun was set but then it was compleat and therefore he did then begin to date the day of his cleanness Hence also I gather that their Ceremonial baptizing might be done in any part of the afternoon provided it were done before Sun-set because the Sun did look forth towards the place of his going down by his shadow from Mid-day til it went out of that Horizon as I have formerly explained the matter But if any were defiled by any accident in the night after his Sun was set upon him he must remain in that uncleanness untill a new baptizing in the next afternoon and till a new Sun-set Evening Secondly It is evident that none were compleatly purified till Sun-set by Levit. 22. 5 6 7. Moses saith thus If any man whether Priest or Israelite be made unclean by touching a dead creeping thing or the like unclean thing Then in ver 6. he shall be unclean untill the Evening he shall not eat of the holy things But first He shall bath himself in water And then Secondly saith ver 7. when the Sun is gon down he shall be clean By this Text it is also evident that he did not attain to a perfect ceremonial cleanness by baptizing himself in water untill the Sun was gon down upon him after his bathing But as soon as his Sun was set then he was compleatly purified and then also he began to date the day of his cleanness and then also he might eat of the holy things Thirdly The Hebrew Doctors do abundantly testifie that no baptized person did begin the day of his cleanness untill his Sun was set for this is their common and peculiar phrase They shall be unclean untill their Sun be set But the common phrase of the Ceremonial Law saith thus They shall be unclean untill the Evening The unclean saith Maymony may not eat of the Heave-Offering untill their Sun be set See Ains in Lev. 22. 9 10. And hence it is evident that they held the baptized persons to have some degree of uncleanness upon them untill their Sun was set And therefore Maymony saith thus He that is baptized is the second in uncleanness untill his Sun be set And he that is so baptized if his Sun bee not set may not eat or drink of the Trumah or holy offerings nor of any meat or drink that is holy See Ains in Lev. 11. 32. and in Lev. 7. 20 21. and in Numb 19. 19 20 21. This phrase in the Law He shall be unclean untill the Evening is eight times over repeated in Lev. 11. and fourteen times over in Lev. 15. and often elsewhere But the Hebrew Doctors do usually express it He shall be unclean till his Sun be set they accounted the term Sun-set and the term Evening to be all one time Hence then it follows that the date of their new day of cleanness did alwaies begin at the Sun-set Evening Fourthly It is evident that the Jews began the date of their new day of cleanness at the Sun-set Evening because the Sun-set The Jews morrow began at Sun-set in Ceremonial respects Evening is called Their morning 1 Sam. 30. 17. David and his men are said to pursue after the Amalekites From the twilight unto the Evening of Their Morrow that is to say from the Twilight in the Morning until their Morrow which began at the Sun-set Evening it was a custom that was proper and peculiar unto them differing from other Nations to date the new day of their cleanness from the Sun-set Evening and therefore the Hebrew Text doth apply the word Their unto David and his men in special calling it their morrow Dr. Willet doth explain the word Morrow to be the next day after David his men were set forth to pursue the Amalekites But the text doth not say so but that David and his men fell upon the Amalekites and pursued their victory from the Twilight in the morning untill the Evening of their morrow that is till the Sun-set Evening for at that Evening began their Morrow or their new day to the person purified 2. It is evident that the Sun-set Evening was the Jews morrow from the time of their reckoning of the seven weeks to the day of Penticost They are commanded to begin that reckoning from the morrow of the Sabbath meaning by the Sabbath the first day of the feast of unleavened bread which God commanded them to observe as a Sabbath Lev. 23. 15. And by the Morrow of the Sabbath is meant the second day of the Feast of unleavened bread which began at the Sun-set Evening at the end of the first day that Evening is called the Morrow but this is observable also that the seventh day of the Feast of unleavened bread did not end at Sun-set but the holy feast of that day continued in the night time after Sun-set and in this sense the word Morrow must be understood in ver 11. and 16. The Hebrew Doctors say they begin this reckoning from the beginning of the day not from the beginning of the Artificial day as most are apt to mistake their meaning but from the night of the sixteenth of Nishan See Ains in Lev. 23. 15. and it is a known thing as I have explained the matter that they did account the night to begin at the Sun-set Evening according to the date of the person purified And in this sense the phrase of The next day in Matth. 27. 62. must be understood then the next day that followed the preparation must be understood of the Sun-set Evening 3. As Boker the Morning is put for the beginning of the day namely for the beginning of the Natural day and for the beginning of the Artificial day so also it is once put for the beginning of the Jews Ceremonial day or for the Sun-set Evening in Deut. 16. 4. as I have opened the matter more at large in Chap. 5. These places do plainly evidence that the Jews had a double Morning and a double Morrow as they had a double year answerable to the Natural Day and to their Ceremonial Day Object 2. Though I am willing to grant that all purified persons did It is disputed by some that the Sun-set Evening is not fully come until it be full Twilight or somewhat past or else they confess it cannot be proved that Christ lay three daies in his grave begin the date of their new Day at the Sun-set Evening yet learned men do affirm that the Sun is not set as soon as the Body of the Sun is gone out of our sight They say that as long as there doth remain any light in the Skie the Sun is the cause of it and hence they assert That the
of the day that is to say at Mid-day in this season they are commanded to begin to kill their Passeovers in Canaan Exod. 12. 6. Lev. 23. 5. Num. 9. 3. Object 8. May not the sacrificing of the Passeover be changed from the A digression to open some difficult phrases about the passeover and they are the more difficult because they are borrowed from the Dialect of the Thalmud fourteenth day to the fifteenth day seeing Matth. saith thus On the first day of Unleavened-bread the Disciples came to Jesus saying Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the Passeover Matth. 26. 17. Now the first day of Vnleavened-bread was the fifteenth day of Nishan Answ This day which is called the First day of Unleavened bread cannot be rightly understood without the knowledge of the Jewish ancient Customes which are now for our information recorded in the Thalmuds and because this and many other phrases in the New Testament are recorded in the Thalmuds we may well say That the New Testament doth often Thalmudize because it useth many termes that are no where else to be found but in the ancient Hebrew Doctors and in the Thalmuds onely Now for Answer in a more special manner the Hebrew Doctors do comprehend under the general term of the Feast of Unleavened-bread and more especially under the first day of Unleavened-bread the Feast of the Paschal Lamb for though they are two distinct Feasts yet they are also so interwoven together that they may well be called the one for the other for though the Paschal Lamb was alwayes sacrificed on the 14. day between the two Evenings yet the time of feasting on that holy flesh was after Sun-set which was after the fifteenth day called the first of Unleavened-bread was begun according to the date of the person purified and yet the Feast of this Evening was no part of the Feast of Unleavened-bread for the sacrifices of that day were not yet killed but this Feast was the proper Feast of the Passeover belonging to the fourteenth day and with the Passeover also they might not eat any Leavened but Unleavened bread and in this respect Maymony doth call the Feast of the Paschal Lamb the Feast of Unleavened-bread and sometimes he calls the seven days of the proper Feast of Unleavened bread by the name of the Passeover interchangeably confounding the termes See Ains in Lev. 23. 7. and in this sense also Targum Jonathan calls the second day of Unleavened-bread the day that followed the first good day of Passeover See Ains in Lev. 23. 15. Hence you see that he cals the first day of Unleavened-bread The first good day of the Passeover and so interchangeably they call the proper feast of the Pascha the first day of Unleavened-bread and from this usual dialect among them the Evangelist Matthew saith That the Disciples came to Jesus Christ on the first day of Vnleavened bread saying Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to â—aâ— the Passover And thus the Evangelists speak according to the Jewish Customes sometimes they call the proper feast of the Pascha the first of Unleavened-bread as Matth. 26. 17. and Mark 14. 12. and sometimes they call the proper Feast of Unleavened-bread by the name of the Passeover as Luke doth chap. 22. 1. But yet secondly The Hebrew Doctors do sometimes distinguish the proper Feast of the Pascha from the first day of the proper Feast of Unleavened bread Charkumi calleth the Evening of the first good day and that Night the Passeover But saith he the residue of the Feast from the first Night and so forwards is called the Feast of Unleavened-cakes See Ains in Lev. 23. 6. and according to this distinction speaketh the Evangelist Mark Mar. 14. 1. after two dayes followed the Pascha and the Unleavened-bread and this distinction doth also agree with the twofold Command in Moses In the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passeover And in the fifteenth day which begins at Sun-set is the Feast Numb 28. 16 17. Object 9. Mr. Weams and others do affirm That the Jews ate not the Passover on the fourteenth of Nishan as Christ did but transferred it to the fifteenth day and to the beginning of the sixteenth day and he gives this reason for it because the next day after Christ had eaten his Passover is called the Preparation-day to the Jewish Passover Joh. 18. 28. Joh. 19. 14. Hence he infers that the Jews transferred the eating of the Passover till the next day after Christ had eaten his See Weams on the Ceremonial Laws Pag. 89. and the Annotat. of our old English Bibles in Mat. 26. Ans I beleeve that Mr. Weames and others have no better ground for this tenent but some frivolous Authors and therefore Mr. Godwin doth put a note of dislike upon such as follow such frivolous Authors and indeed it is a great impiety for us Christians to slander them with so grosse a transgression as this I beleeve that the Jews in their corruptest times before Christ were very strict in observing the letter of the Command and moâ—â— zealous also to punish such as did openly practise the contrary and it is most evident that they held so close to the letter of the Command that they would not transferre it to any other day though iâ— fell out to be on a Sabbath day it is a received Canon among them that the keeping of the Pascha on the fourteenth of Nishan doth put away the Sabbath as I have noted it formerly Secondly The Evangelist Mark doth testifie on the Jews behalf against all men that they kept the Pascha in the very self-same day that our Lord and his Disciples did for Mark doth expresse it thus In the first day of unleavened Bread when they Sacrificed the Passeover his Disciples said unto him Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou maist eat the Passeover Mark 14. 12. this term when they namely when the Iews in general sacrificed the Passeover then his Disciples said unto him Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou as wel as they maist eat the Passeover on the self-same day as the Iews in general did Thirdly Christ himself doth bear witnesse that the Iews in general did keep the Pascha in the very self-same day that hee did Yee know said Christ unto his Disciples that after two days the Pascha is kept Mat. 26. 2. he saith You know it that the Pascha is then kept it was a known custom among them that after two days the Pascha is kept namely generally of all the Iows Fourthly The Hebrew Doctors do protest that they punish him that passeth the fourteenth day for the killing of the Pascha Maymony saith it is an expresse Commandment to kill the Pascha in the month Nishan in the 14th day and saith he he that breaketh this Commandment and killeth it not in the 14th day being not defiled nor in a far journey is guilty
of being rooted out or cut off thus the Iews protest against our slander See Bro. in his Advertisement of corruptions in Religion p. 104. Fifthly This our grosse mistake of the Iews practise doth arise from our mistake of the meaning of the word Passeover in Iohn 18. 28. he saith thus The Iews went not into Pilate common Hall lest they should be defiled but that they might eat the Passeover and in ch 19. 14. Iohn saith It was the preparation of the Passeover and about the sixth hour Hence some that are not wel acquainted with the Iews customs which are now recorded in their Thalmuds as the learned do observe have collected this inference that the Iews transferred the Passeover from the evening of the fourteenth day to the evening of the fifteenth day and also to the sixteenth day but indeed in this term Passeover Iohn doth Thalmudize and therfore without the help of the Hebrew Doctors it is not easie to spel Iohns meaning they apply the term Passeover not only to the proper Feast of the Pascha but as I noted in my answer to the former objection they use it as a general term for the whole Feast of unleavened Bread and in that respect they count all the days of it as if they were the days of the Passeover but more especially they did account the first day of unleavened Bread to be a Passeover day because they did then feast on the Peace-offerings belonging to the Passeover for they sacrificed with the Paschal Lamb on the fourteenth day certain Peace-offerings of Sheep or Oxen and these voluntary Peace-offerings they called the Passeover because they were sacrificed together with the Paschal Lamb on the fourteenth day and by the Law they might bee eaten for the space of two days and one night Levit. 7. 16. now the Iews had eaten the Paschal Lamb the night before but they had not as yet endedtheir feasting on these Peace-offerings which Iohn calls the Passeover the term Passeover in this last sense is not understood of many but Mr. Broughton and Mr. Ainsworth have given special notice of the word Passeover in this sense and that the Hebrew Doctors had grounded their common use of it on the Law in Deut. 16. 2. 4. and Mr. Broughton cites Solomon Jarchi speaking thus in Deut. 16. If many belong to one Passeover then they adde to it Chagiga Oxen for the Holy-day feast and saith Jarchy presently after the proper sense of the Scripture is that the flesh of the Chagigah-Passeover which thou dost sacrifice in the evening with the Lamb-Passeover shal be eaten in the fourteenth day and in the fifteenth day take notice by the way that he makes no mention of the sixteenth day as Mr. Weames doth most falsly Maymony also saith When they offered the Passeover in the first Month they offered it with the Peace-offerings of the fourteenth day Oxen or Flock-beasts great or small Male or Female but they offered not the Chagigah if the Lamb sufficed the company and so it was voluntary and not forced by any affirmative Commandment and it was eaten two days and one night and not in the second night as M. Weames doth mistakingly say In these words Maymony doth tell us that Iohn spake from the depth of Thalmudique knowledge and in this sense also doth Mr. Ainsworth explain the equivocation of the word Passeover from the Hebrew Doctors in Deut. 16. 2 4. and in Lev. 7. 16. John saith it was morning and they went not into Pâ—aetorion that they might not be defiled but might eat the Passeover not the Passeover strictly taken for that was eaten the night before but that they might eat their voluntary Peace-offerings which they had sacrificed with the Lamb-Passeover the day before and which by the Laws allowance they might feast on all the next day till Sun-set but no longer Lev. 7. 16. These Peace-offerings are called the Passeover by the Lawonce in Deut. 16. 2. and they are also clearly comprehended under the term Passeover in 2 Chron. 35. 11. but they are most usually called the Passeover in the Writings of the Hebrew Doctors and from their custom John doth use the word Passeover in their sense John saith it was morning and it was the preparation of the Passeover and about the sixth hour which sixth hour according to their account by their great hours began at our ten a Clock and ended with our twelve a Clock and this time was called the Jews preparation in order to their Passeover Dinner and in that respect they were afraid to come into Pilates Common Hall lest they should be defiled and so might be made unfit to eat the Passeovers Peace-offerings at Dinner time Object 10. You say that by the allowance of the Law the Jews might feast on the Peace-offerings that were offered with the Passeover for two days and one night namely till the next day at Sun-set but not after Sun-set but John speaks of another preparation to the Sabbath his words in chap. 19. 31. run thus The Jews then because it was the preparation that the bodies should not remain upon the Crosse for that Sabbath was a high day besought Pilate that their leggs might be broken and that they might be taken down Ans This preparation is indeed a differing preparation from the former the former was their fore-noon preparation to their Passeover Dinner but this preparation was nigh unto Sun-set and so consequently it approached apace unto that festival Supper that did properly belong unto the Feast of unleavened Bread and in that respect they besought Pilate that their leggs might be broken and that they might be taken down lest their cruelty in suffering them to hang longer on the Tree should be a blot to their joyful Feast for this day was the first of unleavened Bread which was the first and the chief of all their High Sabbaths Now as soon as the chief Priests had made this request to Pilate Joseph of Arimathea did wisely espy the advantage of time and then he also went boldly unto Pilate requesting that he might have the Body of Jesus in his own power to bury it The time when this was done was when the Evening was come as two Evangelists do witnesse Mat. 27. 17. Mar. 15. 42. and so Tindall in his Bible doth translate and expound Mark 15. 42. thus when night was come because it was the evening that goeth before the Sabbath This preparation therefore in Joh. 19. 31. must needs be in relation to their solemn Festival Supper which did properly belong to this High Sabbath as John doth call it Before Dinner the Jews were careful lest they should be defiled by going into Pilates Judgement Hall and so should have been hindred from their Festival Dinner and now also at Sun-set they take the like care to avoyd cruelty c. If this Sabbath spoken of had been the weekly Sabbath or seventh Day then though they had been defiled they might have resorted to their
Holy Time OR The True Limits of the Lords Day I. Proving That the Lords Day doth begin with the Natural Morning and that the Morning of the Natural day doth begin at Mid-night and so consequently that the Lords Day must both begin with the Natural Morning at Mid-night and end with the Natural Evening at Mid-night II. Proving That the Jews beginning of the Day at the Sun-set Evening was only in relation to the date of the Person purified from his Levitical uncleanness III. That The Jews themselves did hold That the Natural day did continue after Sun-set till Mid-night Maymony saith Grateful is a Command that is done in the hour of the same so say I grateful is the sanctifying of the Lords Day in the hour of the same In his Treatise of Offering Sacrifice Chap. 4. Sect. 1. Part II. By WILLIAM PYNCHON Esq Published by Authority Printed at London by R. I. and are to be sold by T. N. at the Sign of the three Lions in Cornhil near the Royal Exchange 1654. Grace and Peace to such as desire to know when the Lords Day doth begin and end To the end they might abstain from their own Worldly imployments in the Lords own Sanctified time THis point is the more difficult to be explaned because I have not met with any beaten road from other Interpreters But I have laboured to make it evident 1 That the Sanctified and separated time of the Lords Day is just according to the Natural day 2 I have laboured to make it evident That the Natural day begins with the Morning 3 That the Natural morning begins at Mid-night 4 That the Natural day and so consequently the Lords Day doth begin with the Natural morning and doth end with the Natural evening at Mid-night And for the want of the knowledge of these things I perceive that many godly persons do the works of their ordinary Callings in some part of the Lords sanctified and separated day as those do that begin and end the Lords Day at the Sun-set Evening and for their better information I forced my self to compose this Treatise I finde that the chief ground of their error doâ—h arise First from a mistaken interpretation of the first Darknesse to be a full Night of twelve hours and Secondly from a mistaken interpretation of the word Evening because they apprehend it to bee nothing else but a full Night These and sundry such like mistakes I conceive I have cleared I presum'd therefore that this insuing Treatise will be heartily welcome to every tender Conscience that doth truly desire to give unto the Lord his own separated and sanctified time Many godly Christians to my knowledge have been much exercised in their Studies and Meditations to finde out the true limits of the Lords Day that so they might abstain from the works of their particular Calling in every part of that sanctified and separated time from the beginning of the day to the full end thereof For their sakes also and at the special request of some of them I have laboured in this Treatise to prove That all the time of the first Darknesse was comprehended in the word Morning at last and that it took its beginning from the Mid-night at last namely as soon as all the several parts of the Natural day were shaped and set into their order And therefore the beginning of the Morning from the time of Mid-night must not be ascribed to the Romans as the first Authors of it as many unadvisedly do nor yet to any other Nation but it is the most ancient Scripture-Computation from the very first created day and so consequently it must needs be the true beginning of the Jews Sabbath This Tenent may happily seem strange at the first to such as have long held both in their judgement and practise That the Jews Sabbath and so consequently the Lords Day did properly begin at the Sun-set evening and of this judgement and practice are most of the Churches in New England and in that respect many Professors among them do without scruple take liberty in the Sun-set Evening of the Lords Day to do the servile works of their particular Callings and others take liberty to use Recreations But it is worthy to be taken notice of that whole Churches do many times erre both in their judgement and practice or else how could so much Corruption Superstition Idolatry and Prophanenesse creep in to several reformed Churches as there hath done from time to time in sundry ages Being therefore intreated by some godly persons in New England and being also moved thereunto by the fear of God I have taken this difficult Task in hand lest to confute this corrupt judgement and practice it should spread like Leaven to the corrupting of Posterity and so I rest Thine in the Lord WILLIAM PYNCHON The chief Heads of this Treatise OF HOLY TIME CHAP. I. PRoving that the first Darknesse in Gen. 1. 2. was not a compleat Night By three Reasons Page 1 The true Definition of a compleat Night It is the absence of the Suns shining for the space of twelve Hours p. 3 CHAP. II. Proving that Moses by the term Evening in Gen. 1. 5. doth not mean the whole Night but the latter half of the Artificial Day and the first half of the Night p. 6 This Chapter is distributed into four Sections and six Objections are answered SECT 1. The Hebrew word Gnereb translated the Evening in Gen. 1. 5. is explaned in p. 9 1 The first Darknesse cannot be called the Evening in a proper sense p. 10 2 Neither can the whole night be called Gnereb the Evening in a proper sense p. 10 3 Neither can the Twilight be called Gnereb the Evening in a proper sense p. 10. And therefore it is a great mistake in our larger Annotation in Mat. 26. 20. to say that Harab properly signifieth mixed namely the mixture of Light and Darknesse in the Twilight and in that sense mis-applying Deut. 16. 6. which is meant of the time of sacrifising the Passeover and not of the time of feasting Our Ancestors held Gnereb the Evening to be at all times of the yeer an even and equal part of time to Boker the Morning p. 16 Gnereb the Evening is often put by the figure Synecdoche for the later half of the Evening which doth alwayes begin at Sun-set and end at Mid-night p. 16 Gnereb is often put by the figure Metanomia for the West because the later Evening begins at Sun-set which when it is in the Equinoctial doth alwayes set in the West p. 17 Gnereb the Evening is often put by the figure Metanomy for the last dayes and also for the last end of a thing because it is the last half of the natural day p. 17 SECT 2. Gnereb signifies such a connexion of several species as doth ever preserve the said several species distinct and intire without any confused mixture and so Gnarbaiim in the Dual number doth explain it and therefore
signifie The Hebrew word Gnereb which is translated Evening in Gen. 1. 5. explained a mixing or mingling of things together but I dislike this interpretation because it is not possible by this interpretation to find out the true form shape of the Natural Evening I have therefore made diligent search into the various use of this word and I finde that Gnereb doth signifie not a confused mixing and mingling of things together but a connexing conjoyning or coupling of two or more distinct things together without confounding their severall species or natures and therefore Wine and Water mixed together cannot be called Gnereb neither can the confused mingling of Light and Darknesse together as it is in the Twilight be called Gnereb and yet that short time of Twilight is comprehended within the large limits of Gnereb because it is the partition of Gnarbaiim the two Evenings but the Twilight it selfe is ever expressed by two other severall Hebrew words and never by Gnereb The thing I ayme at in this Discourse is only to clear the true signification of Gnereb from a confused mixing or mingling of things together and to make it clear and evident that it only signifies a conjunction of two or more distinct things together and therefore that Gnereb in Gen. 1. 5. must signifie the conjunction of the last halfe of the Artificiall day to the first halfe of the Night and that these two distinct parts connexed are an even and equal portion of time to Boker the morning 2. I wil explaine the true meaning of this phrase in Gen. 1. 5. so was the Evening and so was the Morning First mark the dependence in the former part of the Verse it is said God called the light Day and the darknesse he called Night and then it follows so was the Evening but how was that was it framed out of the darknesse only No it was framed and formed both out of the said Light called Day and out of the said Darknesse called Night Conjunctim and not Divisim namely the Evening was framed by conjoyning the latter halfe of the Artificiall day to the first halfe of the Night and so was the Morning namely it was in like sort framed out of the Darknesse called Night and out of the Light called Day by conjoyning the last halfe of the Night to the first halfe of the Artificiall day and it is most evident that this was the true meaning of Moses because he doth afterwards explaine Gnereb the single Evening by Gnarbaiim the two Evenings eleaven times over and the reason is because the ful Natural evening hath two parts namely the first halfe is Day and the latter halfe is Night as I shal open the matter more at large both in this Chapter by and by and in Chapter the fift And from this interpretation of Gnereb in Gen. 1. 5. these three Conclusions do follow 1 That the First Darknesse is not nor cannot be called Gnereb the Evening 2 That the whole Night is not nor cannot be called Gnereb the Evening in a proper sense 3 That the Twilight cannot be called Gnereb the Evening And the reason is because none of these three have any distinct conjunction of species to make them Gnereb and from this interpretation of Gnereb I frame this Argument The first Darknesse by it selfe considered cannot be called Gnereb the Evening neither can the confused mixture of the Twilight be called Gnereb the Evening because Gnereb doth signifie not such a mixture as is confused but a connexing or conjoyning of two or more things together without confounding their distinct species and there are no other distinct species in Gen. 1. 5. to be conjoyned together but the Light called Day and the Darknesse called Night But the first darknesse was pure darknesse and no other thing was connexed to it til the Light was created and that connexion though at the first it might have been called Gnereb yet now it must not be called Gnereb because it pleased God to call it Boker the morning Therefore the first Darknesse by it selfe considered cannot be called Gnereb the Evening neither was it framed into any part of the Evening at all The Assumption wil not be denied The Proposition I prove severall wayes But first I wil begin it by a particular examination of the various use of the Hebrew word Gnereb thorow out the Scripture 1 Gnereb is put for the conjunction of two persons together in a contract of Marriage Ezra 9. 2. Psal 106. 35. it is also put for the connexion of Iron and Clay in the feet of Nebuchadnezzars Image Dan. 2. 41. 43. which connexion is expounded to be the joyning together of the Seleucida and the Lagida by Marriages in Dan. 11. 16 17. in like sort that Phrase of going in to another by way of Marriage 1 King 11. 1 2. is called Gnereb in the Chalde and the going in to the Nations Josh 23. 7. is called Gnereb in the Chalde These instances doe prove that Gnereb is a connexion of two distinct Persons or Species together without confounding the Species 2 Gnereb is put for Merchandise because of the connexion of sundry sorts of Wares the Merchants use to joyne together when they carry them to Faires or Markets to sell Eze. 27. 17. 19. 25. 27 31. 34. Gnereb is also put for Merchants by the Figure Metonymia either because of the said connexion of sundry sorts of Wares or else because of their manifold contracts with other persons which contracts are usually made by connexing their hands together Eze. 27. 13. 3 Gnereb is put for things that are sweet or pleasant by the Figure Synecdoche it is put for a sweet or pleasant voyce Cant. 2. 14. and for sweet sleep Prov. 3. 24. Jer. 31. 26. and for other sweet and pleasant things Prov. 13. 19. Psal 104. 34 Jer. 6. 20. Hos 9. 4 Mal. 3. 4. but none of these things can be said to be sweet or pleasant until they be connexed to some of the five Senses or to some of the affections of the Soule as for example Psal 104. 34. my meditation of him shal bee sweet or my meditation shal be connexed to him namely with delightful thoughts 4 Gnereb is put for a league of amity or of confederation between two parties for offence or defence Eze. 20. 5. Jer. 25. 20 24. Jer. 50. 37. and in this manner those Aegyptians that joyned themselves to the Israelites at their departure are called Gnereb Exod. 12. 38. and yet they might still be distinguished from the Israelites in like manner after their returne from their Captivity in Babylon Nehemiah charged the Jewes to separate the Heathen people from them which they had joyned to them in way of Marriage and they are called Gnereb Neh. 13. 3. 5 Gnereb is put for the connexion of two parties in a contract of Suertyship Gen. 43. 9. Gen. 44. 32. Prov. 11. 15. and in this respect Gnereb is also put for answering to another namely
that Babylon should be destroyed in the early Morning Isa 47. 11. Put both these Prophetical allusions together and then they wil amount to thus much that Babylon should be destroyed in that Morning that begins in the Night and the History of Events doth tell us not onely that Belshazzer was slain in the Night Dan. 5. 30. but also it is apparent by the circumstances of time that must be spent at that drunken feast before that Daniel could be sought out and brought in to interpret the vision that it was in the latter part of the Night after the Morning was begun Take the early Morning of Babylons fall either in the former figurative sense or in the last proper sense either way or both wayes and it doth sufficiently prove that the time called Morning was first in order before the time called Evening or else this Allusion of Babylons fall to the early Morning had been improper hence it follows that the first Darkness was comprehended under the term Morning and not under the term Evening Fifthly Boker the morning is put for the first beginning of a Fifthly Boker the morning is put for the Sun-set Evening because the time of Sun-set is the first beginning of the Jews day of eleannesles thing because it is put for the first beginning of the Jews Ceremonial day or for the Sun-set Evening as the Hebrew Doctors do witness See Ains in Deut. 16. 4. This I have further opened in another place and so in like sort Macar the morrow is put for the first beginning of the Jews Ceremonial day or for the Sun-set Evening in 1 Sam. 30. 17. and in Lev. 23. 15. as it is further opened in chap. 4. Sixthly It is evident that the morning was before the time called Evening by the title that Job gives to the Angels he cals them Morning-Stars Job 38. 6 7. These Morning-Stars cannot be meant of the Stars in the Firmament for they were not created till the fourth day Gen. 1. 14. But these Morning-Stars are said to shout and sing when the foundation of the earth was laid Hence it follows that the Angels are called Morning-Stars either because of the time wherein they shouted at the first laying of the foundations of the earth which was done in the time of the first darkness or else in relation to the time of their Creation which was also done in the time of the first darkness as many learned do accord But if the time of their Creation or the time wherein they shouted at the laying of the foundations of the earth had been Evening then the Angels should more properly have been called Evening-Stars than Morning-Stars Object 3. The Angels are called Morning-Stars not in relation to the time of their Creation but by way of allusion to the excellency of their Nature and this is more suitable to be expressed by the light of the Artificial morning than by the first darkness Answ If the Circumstances of Gods discourse with Job and of Gods Interrogations be well marked there is no ground to say that God did onely intend to set out the excellent nature of the Angels by comparing them to the morning of the Artificiall day For the main thing that God aimed at by his Interrogations to Job was to make him see his folly in desiring to dispute the cause of his afflictions with God God shews him that he is not able to find out the depths of his Wisdom in the first laying of the foundation of the earth because it made the Angels to shout out with admiration and therefore Job was much less able to search out the reason of his dealings with him in his present afflictions and in that respect God did pose him with this Interrogation Where wast thou when I laid the foundation of the earth tell if thou have understanding Job 38. 4 5 6. When the morning Stars rejoyced together and when the Sons of God shouted Ver. 7. The Text doth plainly call them Morning Stars not so much in regard of the excellency of their Nature but in regard of the time wherein they were created or wherein they shouted at the excellency of Gods Workmanship when the foundation of the earth was laid either way or both waies do assure us that the time of the first darkness was called Morning and not Evening And that is the thing that I aim at in this first Section of this Chapter SECT 2. Proving that the Morning doth begin in the dark Night FIrst No man can deny but that the Morning is begun when the morning Watch is begun for the text doth affirm it Exod. 14. 24. 1 Sam. 11. 11. And it is a known thing that among the Jews they did alwaies begin it just three hours after Midnight not onely in the Summer time but also in the Winter time Hence it follows that their morning Watch in the time of Winter must needs begin in the dark night not onely in Judea but also in all the habitable parts of the world 2. Hence it follows that seeing the morning Watch did begin at three hours after Mid-night then it will follow that it must end just three hours after Mid-day for in common reason the morning must be as long as the evening namely twelve hours long or else the Evening may better be called an Unevening then an Evening to the Morning but none that have their senses will say that the morning doth continue till three hours after Mid-day 3 Hence it follows that it is more agreeable to Scripture and to common reason to begin the natural morning at the marked time of Mid-night rather than three hours after especially seeing it is then as dark all the winter long as it is at Mid-night and therefore seeing the morning is begun with darkness why not with darkness at mid-night as well as at three hours after midnight seeing the world was created in the Equinoctial and the Morning is then as dark at three hours after Mid-night as it is at Mid-night Secondly Ruth lay at the feet of Boaz until the Morning Ruth 3. 14. and yet she arose before one could know another Hence it is evident that it was Morning in the time of Barly Harvest whiles it was yet dark it may be it was now in the end of our March or in the beginning of our April and though some say that the Morning Watch was not so called from the first hour of it but from the last hour of it when it begun to be day light yet this place of Ruth cals it Morning whiles it was yet dark and before one could know another Thirdly It is said that Christ arose in the Morning a great while before Day or greatly in the Night so the Greek speaks Mar. 1. 35. Hence it is manifest that it was Morning whiles it was greatly or much in the night Fourthly None can deny but that the morning is begun at the time of day-break in all the Inhabited Countries
doubtlesse Lukes phrase doth allude to that custom This Sabbath that did now begin to lighten was not the Sabbath it self for if the Sabbath it self had been begun at the rising of the Evening Starre then doubtlesse the holy Women had broken the holy rest of the Sabbath day because after all this they went to the shops and bought Odors and Oyntments Luke 23. 56. compared with Mark 16. 1. yea and after they had bought these Odors and Oyntments they went home and prepared them in a readinesse to perfume the Body of Christ with them as soon as ever the Sabbath was past Mat. 28. 1. If they had bought them before his burial they would have perfumed his Body before his burial as Nicodemus did Therefore seeing these holy Women did all this work after the burial and after the Sabbath began to lighten it is an evident proof that the Sabbath it self did not begin neither at the Sun-set evening when the person purified began the date of his new day nor yet at the rising of the evening starre for if the Sabbath it self had been begun at either of these times then the holy Women had most grosly broken the holy rest of the Sabbath But the Holy Text doth witnesse on their side that they rested the Sabbath according to the Commandment Luk. 23. 56. Hence I conclude from this practise of the holy Women that though the evening before the Sabbath doth bear the date of the day following to the person purified yet in proper speaking it is no part of the Sabbath it self it is only to be esteemed the Sabbath but by way of preparation and no more Secondly I answer That your exposition of the word before may better carry this sense namely that this latter evening was indeed before the Sabbath it self and I have shewed in chap. 5. that the evening of the Sabbath is put by the Hebrew Doctors sometimes for the evening before the Sabbath and sometimes for the last half of the Sabbath it self but see more in this Chapter in the answer to the next objection Object 2. It seems to me that the Sabbath it self did begin and end at the Sun-set Evening by the Jews practise for they held it unlawful before the Sun-set Evening was come for our Saviour to heal diseased persons But after the Sun-set Evening was come all manner of diseased persons came flocking to him for cure Mar. 1. 32. Hence it appears that the Jews held the Sabbath to be fully ended as soon as the Sun-set Evening was come Ans It is but the bare conjecture that they forbore to bring their sick persons till the Sabbath was ended I deny it to be the very reason I beleeve the onely reason why they came no sooner was because they had no sooner intelligence of his miraculous power to heal you do barely affirm that the Jews in general held it unlawful for our Saviour to heal diseased persons upon the Sabbath day but you are deceived Tremelius doth testifie from the ancient Hebrew Doctors that they held the contrary They held that the perill of life did drive away the Sabbath that is to say they held it lawful to use any means to prevent the danger of death upon the Sabbath day See Tremelius his Annot. in Mat. 12. 8. in the Syriack Testament Mr. Ainsworth also doth affirm from the Hebrew Doctors that they held it to be a Sabbath days work to visit the sick for they held that perill of life did drive away the Sabbath See Ains in Exod. 20. 10. See also my former Treatise 2 I do also apprehend by the circumstances of the story that the Jews of Capernaum were not offended with our Saviour for his miraculous cure which he did upon that Sabbath day as the malignant Scribes and Pharisees sometimes were in healing one in the Synagogue that had an unclean spirit Mark 1. 27. 3 They took no offence at him for the curing of Peters wives mother of her Feavor presently after he had left the said Synagogue v 31. Therefore seeing they found no fault with Christ for neither of these miraculous cures before the Sabbath was ended doubtless they did not forbear to bring their diseased persons in respect of the Sabbath for they admired the power of God in these miracles and therefore as soon as the publick exercise was ended they spread his fame verse 28. and thereupon a multitude of the diseased persons of Capernaum came to him for cure with all the possible speed they could as it appears by their earnest pressing after so short a warning for I conceive by the circumstances of the story that it was but a little afore Sun-set when Christ left the Synagogue and then as soon as he had left the Synagogue he healed Peters wives mother which was another procuring cause that made the greater flocking to him but if his miraculous cures had been done sooner doubtlesse the fame thereof would have made the sick persons to have flocked sooner after him I grant that some of the malignant Scribes and Pharisees did sometimes take offence at Christ for his miraculous healing upon the Sabbath day But the people in general rejoyced at all the excellent things that were done by him upon the Sabbath day Luke 13. 17. for Christ did now heal a poor crooked woman upon that Sabbath day verse 11. And when the Ruler of the Synagogue took offence at it Christ by reasons put him to silence and the people rejoyced that Christ had put him to silence Therefore though some of the malignant Jews held erroniously that Christ ought not to heal upon the Sabbath day yet that is no good argument to prove that these Jews of Capernaum did purposely detain their sick persons till the Sabbath was ended I deny it to be the Reason I do apprehend rather that they did hastily flock to him rather than deliberately forbear till the Sabbath might be ended 4 Mr. Pemble on this place saith That this Evening was the Evening of the same day wherein Christ had done so much before as the inference shews plainly 5 It is evident to me from several testimonies of the Hebrew Doctors that they held the Sun-set Evening after the Sabbath to be a true part of the Sabbath it self because they held it lawful to The Hebrew Doctors held the Sun-set Evening after the Sabbath to be a true part of the Sabbath it self do many things in the Sun-set Evening before the Sabbath which they did not hold lawfull to be done in the Sun-set Evening after the Sabbath 1 Maymony saith thus The two Loaves of New Corn for the Wave-offering on the day of Penticost were not Baked on the day of Pentecost because it was a Sabbath nor in the Evening before if it were a Sabbath See Ains in Lev. 23. 17. Two things are evident from this Testimony 1 That in the judgement of the Hebrew Doctors the Sun-set Evening after the Sabbath was a true part of the