Tricoenivm Christi in nocte proditionis suæ The threefold svpper of Christ in the night that he vvas betrayed / explained by Edvvard Kellett.

PAR. 18.

THe houre of the day, was another of the durable observations, belonging to the Passeover. It is a generall rule, Num. 9.3. Yee shall keepe the Passeover, in the appointed Season: which words extend to the moneth of the yeare, to the day of the moneth, and to the houre of the day, what houre of the day, it was to be killed and eaten, is now inquirable. Concerning the first point, it is most apparent, that the Passeover was to be slaine, betweene the two Evenings, Exod. 12.6. The whole Congregation shall kill it in the Evening, according to the Originall, it is to be read, betweene the two Evenings, in the duall number: for the clearing of which intri∣casie; know, that the word (Evening) is not here taken, as it is, in the first of Genesis for the whole night, or the halfe of the naturall day, consisting of twelve houres, because some distinct things are appointed to be done, in this evening, as the eating it, and some distinct things appointed to be done in the night, as the burning of the remainder, before the morning: so that, the Evening here com∣prehends not the whole night; yea, the two Evenings involve part of the prece∣dent day, and therefore cannot be interpreted, for the darke-halfe of the naturall day, opposed to the other lightsome halfe thereof: but the first Evening is here ta∣ken for the time (towards) the Evening, when the Sunne was yet in their Horizon, though past its middle declination; the day being farre spent, and the Sun hastening to its lodging; any time betweene three of the clocke, and sixe, might the Lambe be slaine. Thus are our afternoone-devotions called Ʋespers, or, preces vespertinae: Eve∣ning prayers, though begun, and ended sometimes, divers houres, before Sun-set; so Suppers are called Vespernae, by Tertullian, though ended, in Summer Evenings, long before Sun-set; this, I say, was the first of those two Evenings, Exod. 12.6. be∣ing used for late day, or early night; somewhat improperly so called, beginning, at the end of three of the clocke, and ending, at the end of sixe of the clocke. I can∣not agree to Maymonides; that immediatly, so soone as it was Noone, began the Evening; or, that they might kill the Passeover any time, after twelve of the clocke till sixe; for he may be confuted by this; that the daily Evening Sacrifice, was alwayes slaine before the Passeover, and that sacrifice in all tooke up about one houres time; and in their greatest haste, or businesses, the daily Evening Sacrifice, was never offered neare high-noone; in exigents perhaps; about two of the clocke, and then, how could the subsequent Passover be sacrificed, within a while of Mid∣day? Secondly, the word [Evening] or the second of the two Evenings, before mentioned, is used more properly, for that space of time, which we call Twi-light. In Scripture phrase, it is termed, the lodging of the day, Jud. 19.9. and is a min∣gled compound, or partaker, both of some light of the day departing, and of some darkenesse of the night incroaching; which Twi-light dured somewhat more, than an houre. Observeable is the place, where the Evening, and Sun-set are Synonyma's and of the same signification, Iosh 10.26.27. They were hanged on the trees untill the (Evening) and at the time of the (going downe of the Sunne) they tooke them downe off the trees; and Deut. 16.6. Thou shalt sacrifice the Passeover at Even, at the going downe of the Sunne; at the season, that thou camest forth out of Aegypt, or, begannest to comforth out

of Aegypt, inchoatè, non completè; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, say the 70. thou shalt sacri∣fice the Passeover of the Evening; the Originall hath it, Sacrificabis Pesach in Ve∣sperâ circa ingredi solem; Thou shalt sacrifice the Passeover, in the Evening, about the Sunnes entring in at Sun-setting; Occumbente sole, as it is in the Interlineary, How then was it lawfull to slay the Passeover (as Maymonides saith) any time after mid-day was passed? The words, Occumbente sole, may signifie the last quarter, the last watch of the day; from three, till fixe: and the Septuagents, Pascha 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, may well denote the (approach) of the Evening, from that time. Lastly, the Hebrew phrase, Circa ingredi solem, doth intimate; in my judgement, the descending of the Sunne; almost out of our sight; or, rather the Time, about which he is entring, as it were, towards, or, into his lodging; which may well be reckoned, from the second quar∣ter of the Sunnes declination, but cannot without violence, be extended to the be∣ginning of the first quarters declining, immediatly after Noone-tide, as the Iew would have it, Luke 9.12. when the day began to weare away. Briefely, the slaying of the Passeover, was to be, betweene these two Evenings; not on the fourteenth day before the first Evening, that is, not before three in the after-noone (that had beene a breach of the Law) not after the beginning of the second Evening; no, nor after sixe of the clocke; for then they should have had no time sufficient to kill it; flay it, wash it, disembowell, or paunch it, dresse it, and rost it, that they might have eaten it, in the appointed season. In other termes conceive the matter thus; these words (betweene the two Evenings) may be taken, either Divifim, or Con∣junctim, disjoyntly, or joyntly; disjoyntly, for the two Evenings of one day, di∣stant far asunder: the first Evening beginning from the Sun-set of the precedent day; and ending in the first houre of the night succeeding (which evening begun the day, with the Iewes) the second Evening of the same day beginning, about three of the clocke, in the afternoone, ending in Sun-set; which Sun-set closed up the prece∣ding day, and opened the Evening of the day following. These words (betweene the two Evenings) are not thus meant, in this place; nor used for the two divided, and seperated Evenings of one day; but, the two Evenings are to be taken, Conjun∣ctim, joyntly; namely, as the end of the last Evening of one day, is the beginning of the first Even of the next day; one Evening almost, if not immediately touch∣ing the other. Betweene these two Evenings of two severall dayes, was the Passe∣over to be slaine, and prepared. This is the Reason, why the Passeover is said to be kept, sometimes on the fourteenth day of the moneth, sometimes, on the Feast of unleavened bread; which feast was, in the beginning of the fifteenth day of the moneth, and not before; because, the first Evening partaked of the fourteenth day; the second Evening of the fifteenth day; like as our Evangelist saith, Christ was crucified, on the third houre, Marke 15.25. which Matthew, and Luke imply, was about the sixth houre, because he was crucified, and hung on the Crosse, about both those two times; so, the Passeover is said to be kept, both in the fourteenth, and fifteenth dayes, because, betweene the last Evening of the fourteenth day, and the first Evening of the fifteenth day, it was to be killed, and prepared.