day (i. e. of the passover) there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you." The expressions in or on such a day shall be an holy convocation, appear to designate this convocation to be something different from the festival itself, which, it is reasonable to suppose, was an assembly for public worship. Lastly, the following text in Isaiah can scarcely have any other meaning: "And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, (Heb. convocations) a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night"." Here it cannot signify a proclamation, and since it is contradistinguished to the dwelling place of Zion, it must surely be applied in the sense ascribed to it in the authorized version. If, then, the word which our translators render "convocation," really means "an assembly," the epithet "holy" annexed to it must be allowed to restrict it to assemblies held for religious offices.

To these reasons, however, it may be replied,

* Exod. xii. 16. See also Levit. xxiii. 7, 8, 24, 35, 36. Numb. xxviii, 18, 25, 26-xxix. 1, 7, 12.

y Isaiah iv. 5.

* With the English translation agree Vitringa, Gill, Lowth, Dodson, Boothroyd, Le Clerc, Doederlein, Dathe; but LXX. Vulg. Targ, Arab. Rosenmüller, some in Poli Synop., understand it of a place.

that the first is rather a matter of opinion than argument; that the second is not decisive, since, supposing that in the texts cited it does not denote a festival, it may mean " a proclamation:" as for example, when it is said, that in or on such a day shall be a holy convocation, it may only signify, that on the day specified public proclamation shall be made of its being a festival holy to the Lord; and that the last reason, even allowing the correctness of the authorized version of the text from Isaiah, will not prove that the word has the same signification in the Pentateuch. To these observations it must likewise be added, that in some cases it seems to be applied to the festival, as when it is said "the seventh day is the sabe bath of rest, an holy convocation." "These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations.” "These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations"

From this review of the texts where the word PP, convocation, occurs, it appears doubtful whether, in the statute recorded in Leviticus, it signifies a religious assembly, or a proclaimed holyday. This uncertainty might be removed were we acquainted with the practice of the ancient Jewish church; for it cannot be thought that the law was misunderstood while inspired men were

a Levit. xxiii. 3, 4. 37. So ver. 2. 27. Isaiah i, 13.

its guardians and interpreters. But though this practice would furnish the best commentary on the enactment in question, the Old Testament affords no proof, that it was the custom to hold religious assemblies on the sabbath-day. It has, indeed, been argued from the Shunamite's husband inquiring, why she desired to go to Elisha's house when it was neither new moon nor sabbath, that it was then customary to frequent the houses of the prophets on the sabbath-day for the sake of public worship"; but the circumstances of the transaction do not warrant such a conclusion. The sabbath was a day of rest and disengagement, when the people in general would have more leisure than at any other time to seek advice and direction from the divinely-commissioned teachers of the nation. All, therefore, that can with justice be inferred from the history is, that it was usual to consult the prophets on such seasons for religious instruction.

The Priests and Levites were the public teachers, for to them Moses expressly assigns this office; " They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law;" and as they had allotted to them forty-eight cities in different parts of the land, some have supposed that this was to enable the people of each district to assemble with great

b

2 Kings iv. 23. See Le Clerc and Poli Synop, in loc,

e Deut. xxxiii. 10.

er convenience for the performance of religious offices. But the sacerdotal cities were situated in the territories of Simeon, Judah, and Benjamin, which would hardly have been the case, had they been intended for the purpose just now mentioned. At any rate, it is a merely gratuitous supposition, to which, in the absence of other arguments, very little weight can justly be attached.

If it were permitted to infer the ancient practice from that which obtained in the Jewish church in our Saviour's time, the dispute might be easily decided; for it was most undoubtedly customary in that age to assemble in stated places on the sabbath-day for sacred and religious purposes. Thus it was usual to offer up their devotions on the sabbath, where prayer was wont to be made, and to reason or dispute on religious subjects'. It was the day set apart for teaching and admonishing the people; and we are told that the law was read and expounded every sabbath-day". These testimonies clearly demonstrate the use of sabbatical assemblies for divine worship at the Christian era.

• Numb. xxxv. 1-8. Josh. xxi. 1. et seq.

• Acts xvi. 13.

seq.

f Acts xviii. 4.

Mark i. 21. vi. 2. Luke iv. 16. et seq. Acts xiii. 14. et

Acts xiii. 27. xv. 21.

K

The learned men of the Hebrew nation also believe that congregational worship on the sabbath was enforced by their inspired legislator. Philo declares that all persons belonging to the polity which Moses established should spend the seventh day in repose and festive delights, not in profane amusements, but in the study of true philosophy; and a little farther he says, " that it was the custom, especially on the sabbath-day, to apply to the study of wisdom, the governor setting the example, and teaching what is proper to be done and spoken, and the rest attending to the lessons of virtue and to the correction of their lives and manners; from which time to the present the Jews on the sabbath-days study the philosophy of their country, and devote that season to the knowledge and contemplation of nature : for in every city there are places destined for prayer." Again, as reported by Eusebius, Philo says that their legislator "commanded them on the seventh day to assemble together, and to listen to the recital of the law, with modest silence that nothing may escape them. This custom of assembling together they still follow, and the multitude keep silence, except when they receive with acclamations something that is read to them.

Philo Judæus, De Vita Mosis, lib. iii. p. 529. E. 530. A. See also De Decalogo, p. 585. B. De Mundi Opificio, p. 15. et seq.