The Jewish Synagogue, Chapter 15
CHAP. XV.
Of their Pentecoſt.
THE next Feaſt of the Jewes, which is alſo one of their chiefest, is that which Moſes cals Chag Schebhnos, the Feaſt of weeks, becauſe before the celebration thereof, they are to number ſeven weeks from the paſſeover, which containe 49 daies, ſo that they held the Feaſt of Pentecoſt alwaies upon the fiftieth day after the paſſeover, according to the injunction of Moſes, ſaying, Seven weeks ſhalt thou number unto thee;Deut. 16. 9, 10, 11. begin to number the ſeven weekes, from ſuch time as thou beginneſt to put the ſickle to the corne. And thou ſhalt keep the feaſt of weekes unto the Lord thy God, with atribute of a free-will offering of thy hand, which thou ſhalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath bleſſed thee. And thou ſhalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou and thy ſonne, and thy daughter, thy man-ſervant, and thy maid-ſervant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the ſtranger and the fatherleſſe, and the widdow that is among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath choſen, to place his name there.
It is alſo called the Feaſt of harveſt,Exod. 23. 16. Num. 28. Act. 21. 20. 2. Cor. 108. because harvest begins about the time of the celebration hereof; as alſo the Feaſt of the firſt fruits, becauſe at this Feaſt, they offered their firſt fruites unto the Lord, in ſigne of thankfulneſſe; as we may read in the fourth book of Moſes. In the New Teſtament it is called Pentecoſt,Orach. chajim num. 489. as in the acts of the Apoſtles, and other places. Their computation of the time is very accurate. They begin to reckon from the ſecond night of the Feaſt of the Paſſeover, when the ſtars begin to appear, ſaying this prayer, Bleſſed be thou O Lord our God, King of the world, who haſt sanctified us by thy commandements, and haſt commanded us to count the daies between the Paſſeover, and beginning of harveſt, of which this is the firſt, holding on untill they come to the ſeventh day, when they ſay, ſeven daies are gone, which make up a weeke, at the end of their prayer, ſee upon the eighth day, now a weeke and one day is paſt, and ſo hold on in the ſame manner, untill the thirty nine daies be fully expired; that is to ſay, untill they come to Whitſon Eve. While their account is in making, they muſt ſtand according to the injunction of the Rabbines. The time of the Feaſt being come, and they not able to obſerve it, according to the preſcript of the Law, therefore every day they lift up their hands unto God, that he would vouchſafe to build up Jeruſalem, and reſtore their Temple, as at the firſt; promiſing unto God that upon the grant hereof, they will duely celebrate this Feſtivall, and all other, uſing all the ſacrifices and ceremonies required as neceſſary, and preſcribed in the Law of Moſes.
That they ſhould take ſuch an exact account of the number of theſe daies, or the Feaſt of ſeven weeks, or harveſt, according as they write, was the command of God himſelfe, leſt his children ſhould forget this Feaſt, and ſo neglect the payment of their firſt ſruits to God at Jeruſalem, which might eaſily come to paſſe, ſeeing while they were yet in their owne land, about or in the time of the celebration of this Feſtivall, every one was buſied about his rurall affaires, and compelled to looke about his harveſt busineſſe.
This Feaſt of weekes, is by them compared to a certaine King, who comming into a City where ſome Prince or Noble Peere is fettered in the priſon-houſe, entreats the Magiſtrate for his releaſe, which is granted accordingly, ſo many weeks being paſt and gone. And moreover hath this added unto his liberty, that this time being paſt, he will alſo give him his daughter in marriage. Then the Captaine begins to reckon every houre, day and week, which the King hath deſigned unto him. So God dealt with the Iſraelites while they were yet in bondage to the Egyptians; ſaying unto them, I will bring you out of Egypt with a ſtretched out arme, therefore you ſhall number uunto your ſelves ſeven weeks aſter the Feaſt of the Paſſeover: which time being fully paſt, I will give you my holy daughter, the Law, to wife. But from which the Jewes have now gone a whoring, and are become moſt vile adulterers, as Moſes and the reſt of the Prophets complaine.
The Jewiſh women are not bound to this computation, as alſo they are not to many other precepts, to which the men are lyable. Upon the evening of this Feſtivall, it is not lawfull for any man to uſe phlebotomy; for they write in their Minhagin or Talmud, that on the eve of this Feaſt in time past, there blowed a certaine evill and peſtilent winde, which they call Tabhoach, Tract de Sab. cap. 18.which ſignifies a robber or butcher, which had deſtroied all the children of Iſrael, had they not been willing to have received the Law, which God was about to deliver unto them the day following. They keep this Feaſt for two daies together, by reaſon of the ſame doubt which was frmerly inſerted in their minds, about the celebration of the Paſſeover. In the celebration hereof, they uſe not many ceremonies, becauſe it is not lawfull for them to ſacrifice. They take the book of the Law twice our of the Arke, calling out five men, who reade ſome certaine Chapters and Sections of the Law, the contents whereof are concerning the ſacrifices, and other rites, which were in uſe with their Anceſtours in the time of this Feſtivall. Furthermore, they ſtraw their pavements and floores of their houſes, ſtreets and Synag ogues, with ruſhes, in remembrance of the Law, which was given as upon this day: Sticking alſo every corner of the houſe with green houghes, enriching their browes with crowns of ivy, hereby ſignifying, that all the places about mount Sinai, were greene when the Law was given. Moreover, they eat many diſhes made with milke, as cuſtards, and fritters, or ſuch like, either baked or fryed and that becauſe the Law upon the day when it was given, was as white, pure and ſweet as any milk. Among the reſt, they make one principall wafer or junket, deep and thick, with ſeven ſeverall partitions, calling it the cuſtard or junket of mount Sinai. This ſame is to put them in remembrance of the ſeventh heaven, into which the Lord aſcended from mount Sinai. Laſtly, every one is bound to have his table well furniſhed with platters …raught with delicate bits of meat, and his goblets overflowing with the choiſest wine, becauſe without theſe there is no pleaſure; and alſo by reason of the command, which ſaith, Thou ſhalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou and thy ſon and thy daughter. For a concluſion, lets ſee what the Prophets ſay concerning theſe Jewes, who have taken the Law to wife.Iſa. 24. 5. The ſentence of Iſaiah is, The earth is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, becauſe they have tranſgreſſed the Lawes, changed the Ordinance, and broken the everlaſting Covenant. And the Lord by the mouth of Ez…kiel ſaith, The Prieſts have out of malice perverted my law, Acts 7. 51.and profaned my ſanctuary. Stephen cries out against them, Ye ſtifnecked and uncircumciſed in heart and eares, you doe alwaies reſiſt the holy ghoſt; as your fathers did, ſo do yee. Who have received the Law by the diſpoſition of Angels, and have not kept it.