Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 1 · Part 22
EXERCITAT. XXII. Of the New Moones. A ceremoniall appendix of Command. 4.
Pſal. 81.3. Blow up the Trumpet in the New Moone, in the time appointed on our ſolemne feaſt day.
foreign Novilunium a foreign texit, quodtunc Luna Sole tegitur: vel foreign Feria ſtativa, tempas ſtatum; quod in numeratum anni diem ſemper recurrit, a foreign numeravit, ſupputavit.THe New Moone hath two names in the Scripture, Firſt, it is called Ceſeh or Ceſe. Secondly, it is called Hhodeſh from [Hhiddeſh] renovare.
They kept the New Moones holy as they did their Sabbaths, Wherefore wilt thou goe unto him to day, it is neither New Moone nor Sabbath. 2 King. 4.28. So the Apoſtle joyneth them both together. Coloſſ. 2.16. Let no man therefore judge you, in reſpect of an Holy day, or of the New Moone, or of the Sabbath.
Their new Moones and other feaſts were Holy dayes, they might doe no ſervile worke in thoſe dayes, as to reape, ſow or plough, buy or ſell, but they might kindle fire, dreſſe meat, and ſuch upon them, which they might not doe upon the Sabbath.
foreign Noviluniū, menſis a foreign Innovavit.In all their other Holy dayes, the Paſſeover, pentecoſt, feaſt of Tabernacles, and firſt day of the new yeare, their ſacrifice had a feaſt joyned with it; but the firſt day of the new Moone had no feaſt added to it.
Obj. 1 Sam. 20.11.12.13. It is ſaid that it was the day of the new Moone, and David deſired to goe to Bethlehem to keepe the feaſt.
Anſw. The feaſt was not kept here for the new Moone, but becauſe it was the day of the feaſt of Trumpets, or the firſt day of the New yeere; for the firſt day of the MonethMonth, and the firſt day of the New yere fell together; therefore the Iewes when they ſet downe their Haphtorah in the Margent upon, 1 Sam. 20.foreign They ſet downe Haphtorah beroſh Har…ſh, as ye would ſay, a diviſion to be read in the firſt of the firſt, that is, on that which was both the firſt day of the MonethMonth, and the firſt day of the New yeere; and it was for the firſt day of the New yeere that the feaſt was kept, and not for the firſt day of the New Moone.
The New Moone was celebrated ever upon the firſt day of the MonethMonth,The new Moone kept ever upon the firſt day of the monethmonth. and therefore the Moone and the MonethMonth began both in one day, although not at the ſame houre; for the Moone had twentynine dayes and twelve houres, but the MonethMonth had twentynine or thirty dayes ſucceſſively; therefore the twelve houres of the firſt New Moone, excreſſing over the twentynine dayes of the firſt monethmonth, were reſerved untill the ſecond New Moone, which had other twelve houres, and thoſe two being joyned together, made up the thirty day of the ſecond Month.
The Lord would have them to keepe theſe New Moones Holy to him, to teach them,Why they kept the new Moones. that it was he who ruled and governed the world, and all the changes and viciſſitudes of it; for as the Moone is predominant over all inferior creatures, ſo doth Gods providence rule all things below here; the heathen groaped after this, when they ſet a god or a goddeſſe to every MonethMonth, as Iuno to Ianuary; Neptune to February; The heathen ſet a god over every monethmonth.Minerva to March; Venus to Aprill; Apollo to May; Mercury to Iune; Iupiter to Iuly; Ceres to Auguſt; Vulcan to September; Mars to October; Diana to November; and Veſta to December. But the Lord hath made ſummer and winter, Pſal. 74.17. And it is he that crowneth the yeere with his goodneſſe. Pſal. 65.21.
The keeping of theſe New Moones taught them the eſtate of the Church in this world;A compariſon betwixt the moone and the Church. the Church is compared to the Moone, the Moone is lightned by the Sunne, and beautified by it, the Church is ſaid to be faire as the Moone, Cant. 6.10. She is faire as the Moone, when ſhe is cloathed with Chriſts righteouſneſſe: and as the moone hath her light from the Sunne, ſo hath the Church her light from Ieſus Chriſt. The Sunne giveth light and receiveth none; the Moone giveth light, and receiveth; the aire onelyonly tranſmitteth light, but it giveth no light; ſo the Lord onelyonly giveth light, but receiveth none; the Church receiveth light and communicateth light to others; but the worldlings neither receive light nor doe communicate light to others.
The diverſe changes of the Moone.Againe the Church is like the Moone for her alterations, and change, for the moone hath many changes; ſhe is ſomtimes [Ceſe] in ab ſcondito, or in foreign, or foreign, in the conjunction; Secondly, ſhe is foreign, or in foreign, when ſhee is in the prime; Thirdly, ſhe is foreign, Corniculata; Fourthly, ſhe is foreign, halfe Moone; then ſhe is foreign, Gibboſa; and then foreign, full Moone: ſo in declination, Firſt, ſhe is foreign, then foreign; Thirdly, foreign, and fourthly, in foreign, many are the alterations which are in the Moone; ſo there are in the Church.
Pſal. 89.2. Salomons Kingdome is compared to the Moone;Solomons Kingdome compared to the Moone. the Moone in twenty eight dayes finiſheth her courſe, fourteene dayes to the full, and fourteene dayes to the wane: ſo from Abraham were fourteene generations to Salomon, then the Moone was at the full; then from the end of Salomons dayes, untill Zedokiah are fourteene generations; and then the Kingdome decayed and waned.
Laſtly, obſerve here that they are commanded to keepe the New Moone, and not the full Moone, to teach the Church that her greateſt perfection here is to bee growing to perfection.
The Moone keepeth three courſes,Three motions of the Moone. the firſt is called menſis peragrationis, The ſecond is menſis illuminationis, and the third is menſis conjunctionis.
Menſis peragrationis is this,Menſis peragrationis what, when the Moone goeth from the point of the Zodiacke to the ſame point againe; and this ſhee doth in twentyſeaven dayes and eight houres; the Iewes obſerved not this monethmonth, becauſe it hath no reference to the Sunne, but reſpecteth onelyonly the owne proper courſe of it.
The ſecond is menſis illuminationis, that is,Menſis illuminationis what. when the Moone is entring in under the Sunne, and when ſhe is wearing out under the ſunne againe; this monethmonth comprehendeth twentyeight dayes, the Greekes call it foreign, the old and new, and this monethmonth the Iewes keepe not.
The third is menſis conjunctionis, Menſis conjunctionis, what.the monethmonth of the Moones conjunction with the Sunne, conſiſting of twenty nine dayes and twelve houres, ſhe remained under the beames of the Sunne twelve houres before the point of the change: when ſhe is comming out under the Sunne, in thoſe twelve houres ſhe is ſaid to bee in foreign, or foreign, but becauſe ſhe could not be ſeene immediately after theſe twelve houres were paſt for the brightneſſe of the Sunne beames, they ſtayed untill the Sunne went downe,What time of the new Moone they blew the Trumpets. then they went up to the Turrets of their Synagogues and then they blew their Trumpets and killed their ſacrifices in the ſpace of thoſe eighteene houres; her twelve houres after ſhe came out under the Sunne, and the ſixe houres to the prime the Iewes marked them with thoſe two letters [Iod He] which make eighteene.foreign. 18.
Againe,Motus Velo cisſimus, tardiſsimus, medius. obſerve that the Moone hath Motum velo cisſimum, tardisſimum, et medium; her ſwifteſt courſe is when ſhe is fartheſt from the earth, and then ſhe is in foreign, in this courſe ſhe runneth 17 degrees in one day, and ſhe remaineth not under the ſhadow of the Sun; the Iewes obſerved not this motion.
The ſloweſt motion of the Moone is in foreign, neareſt the earth, then ſhe runneth but ten degrees in one day, and ſhee remaineth under the Sunne more than two dayes: This courſe of the Moone the Iewes obſerved not.
The Iewes obſerved the firſt apparition …f the Moone in her middle motion.The third motion of the Moone is a middle motion, and in one day ſhe runneth thirteene degrees, and then remaineth under the ſhadow of the Sunne two dayes, and the Iewes obſerved her firſt apparition in this courſe for their New Moones; the Moone keepeth alwayes a conſtant courſe, but yet when ſhe is fartheſt from the earth the ſeemeth to us to runne more ſwiftly, therefore they could not make their obſervation, of the change of the Moone from that courſe; neither when ſhe is neereſt to us: for then ſhe ſeemeth to make too ſlow a courſe, therefore they obſerved this courſe, when ſhe was in her middle motion, neither too ſlow nor too ſwift.
Of their feaſt of Trumpets.In the firſt day of the ſeventh monethmonth they had the feaſt of blowing of Trumpets, the Iewes commonly hold, that this feaſt was kept in remembrance of Iſaacs deliverie, when the Lambe was killed for him, but Pſal. 81. verſ. 5. David biddeth them blow up the Trumpet, becauſe it was a ſtatute in Iſrael, and a law of the God of Iacob, this he ordained in Ioſeph for a Teſtimony, when he went out through the Land of Egypt.