On the fifth day, the eighty first Psal. Sing aloud unto God our strength, make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob, &c.
On the sixth day of the week, the ninety third Psal. The Lord reigneth, he is cloathed with Majesty, &c.
On the sabbath day they sang the ninety second Psal. which bears the Title of A Psalm or Song for the Sabbath day.
These were the known, and constant, and fixed Psalms, that the singers sang, and the musick plaid to, on the several days of the week: And the reason of the choice of these several Psalms for the several days; the Gemara on the Treatise Rosh hashanah, and the Gloss upon the Treatise Tamid, do give to this purpose.
On the first day of the week they sang the Psalm, The earth is the Lords, and the fulness thereof, &c. Because on the first day of the week of the Creation, God possessed the world, and gave it in possession, and ruled in it.
On the second day of the Week they sang the Psalm, Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, &c. For on that day the Lord divided his works, the waters, and reigned over them.
On the third day they sang the Psalm, God standeth in the Congregation of the migh∣ty, &c. Because on that day the earth appeared, on which is Judging and Judges; and by his Wisdom he discovered the Earth, and established the World by his Understand∣ing.
On the fourth day they sang the Psalm, O Lord God to whom Vengeance belongeth, &c. Because on the fourth day he made the Sun, Moon and Stars, and will be avenged on them that worship them.
On the fifth day the Psalm, Sing aloud unto God our strength, &c. Because of the variety of Creatures that were made that day to praise his name.
On the Sixth day the Psalm, The Lord reigneth, he is cloathed with Majesty, &c. Because on the sixth day God finished his works, made man, who understands the glory of the Creator, and the Lord ruled over all his works. Thus they descant.
4. Now the singers, in singing of these Psalms, divided every one of them into three parts, making three large pauses or rests in them; and ceased their Musick and Singing for a while; these parts and pauses the Talmudicks call 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and they say thus of them, that they were 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Pausings or intermissions in the vocal musick, and when the voices ceased, the instruments ceased also, and so in every Psalm the musick made three intermissions.
5. At these intermissions the Trumpets sounded, and the People worshipped 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 For at every pause [saith the Talmud] there was a soun∣ing with the Trumpets, and at every sounding there was a worshipping, their sounding with the Trumpets, was, as hath been spoken before, a Taratantara, [as we have chosen to call it,] and they never sounded otherwise than so, when they sounded, namely, three strains, a plain, a quavering, and a plain again: and thus did the Trumpets sound one and twenty blasts every day; three at the opening of the Court gate, nine at the morn∣ing sacrifice, and nine at the evening sacrifice: namely, three soundings at the three pau∣sings of the Musick, and the three strains named, at every sounding: and so we see that the Trumpets were never joyned with the Quire in Consort, but sounded only when the Quire was silent.
Thus was the Song, and these were the Psalms sung ordinarily throughout all the year: but at some certain days there were other Psalms and Songs used, and the Trumpets also sounded extraordinary soundings, besides that number now mentioned.
As 1. On the Eve of the Sabbath, the Trumpets sounded two soundings more than they used to do at other days; namely one [which consisted of the three strains] to cause the People to cease from work, and another to distinguish between the common day, and the holy day that was now come in.
2. On the Sabbaths themselves, there was an additional sacrifice, besides the daily sacri∣fice, according to the appointment, Num. 28. 9, 10. And at the time of this additio∣nal sacrifice, the Levites sang Moses his Song, in Deut. 32. Hear O Heavens, and I will speak, &c. but they sang it not all at one time, but divided into six parts, and sang one part of it every Sabbath, and so in six Sabbath days they finished it, and then began again. Thus did they at the additional morning sacrifice: and at the evening sacrifice they sang Moses song in Exod. 15. And the consideration of this [that on the Sabbaths they sang both the songs of Moses] helpeth to illustrate that passage in Rev. 15. 3. where the Saints are said to sing the Song of Moses the servant of God: because they were now come to their ever∣lasting Sabbath, having gotten the Victory over the Beast, and over his Image, and over his Mark, and over the number of his Name, and having the Harps of God in their hands: Now at the additional sacrifice, and song of the Sabbath, the Priests sounded