An explication of the iudiciall lawes of Moses. Plainely discovering divers of their ancient rites and customes. As in their governours, government, synedrion, punishments, civill accompts, contracts, marriages, warres, and burialls. Also their oeconomicks, (vizt.) their dwellings, feasting, clothing, and husbandrie. Together with two treatises, the one shewing the different estate of the godly and wicked in this life, and in the life to come. The other, declaring how the wicked may be inlightned by the preaching of the gospel, and yet become worse after they be illuminated. All which are cleered out of the originall languages, and doe serue as a speciall helpe for the true understanding of divers difficult texts of scriptures. ... / By Iohn Weemse, of Lathocker in Scotland, preacher of Gods word.

CHAPTER XXVIII. Of their Yeare.

2 CHRO. 24. 23. And it came to passe at the end of the yeare, (or in the revolution of the yeare) that the Host of Assyria came up.

THe Iewes had a twofold beginning of the recko∣ning of their yeare; the first was from Tishri, the second was from Nisan.

They began their first reckoning from Tishri, in the moneth Elul their yeare ended, and in this moneth their new yeare began; this was called [Tekuphah] revolutio anni. 1 King. 20. 26. it was in this moneth that the Kings went forth to battaile, 2 Sam. 11. 1. And it came to passe when the yeare was expired at the time when Kings went out to battaile. They went out to battaile at this time of the yeare, because then the heat of the yeare was declining; and the Chaldees called this moneth, Mensis Ethanim, id est, veterum, 1 King. 8. 2. In this moneth they began to reckon before they came out of Egypt, because the Iewes held that the world was created in this moneth; this moneth is called [Hhoreph] pueritia, for as Tishri is the beginning of the yeare, Gen. 8. 22. so the beginning of our age is our childhood, Iob 29. 4.

Their Ecclesiasticall reckoning began in Nisan, Ex∣od. 12. 1 Chron. 12. 15. These are they who went over Ior∣dan in the first moneth, when Iordan had overflowed all the bankes: this was in the moneth Nisan, for then the snow melteth upon the mountaines of Libanus, and the wa∣ters

overflow the banks of Iordan. Ioh. 4. 35. Say ye not there are yet foure moneths and then commeth the harvest? that is, the Pascha and the Pentecost; the first was the be∣ginning of the harvest, and the last was the end of the harvest; the beginning of the harvest fell in the first moneth of the yeare in Nisan; for on the fourteenth day was the Pascha, & on the fifteenth day they brought in handfuls of new Corne; and Zach. 7. 1. The word of the Lord came unto Zachariah in the fourth day of the ninth moneth, even in Chisleu, that is, in the ninth from Nisan. So the feast of the Tabernacles was kept in the seventh moneth Tishri, which is the seventh from Nisan.

From Nisan they reckoned their feasts, the reigne of their Kings, their contracts, bonds, and Obligations.

From Elul answering to our August; they reckoned the age of their young beasts which they were to offer to the Lord, none of their beasts were offered before E∣lul.

Thirdly, from Tishri answering to our September, they reckoned the seventh yeare of the resting of their land, and their Iubilees; and from this time they rec∣koned how long their trees were circumcised or uncir∣cumcised.

Fourthly, from Shebat answering to our Ianuary, they reckoned all their trees which payed fruit, they payed tithe onely of these trees which began to flourish at that time.

The conclusion of this is; As the Lord changed the [Conclusion.] reckoning of the Iewes from Tishri to Nisan, because the Iewes then were delivered out of Egypt; so the Lord hath changed our reckoning now from the old Sab∣bath of the Iewes, to the new reckoning of our Sabbath, because this day our delivery and redemption was fini¦shed; 2 Cor. 5. 17. Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.

Notes

• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Revolutio.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Mensis Anti∣quorum.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 chaldaicè Pueritia et Hye••s.
• Their Ecclesiasticall reckoning began in Nisan.
• What they reckoned from every moneth.
• Vide Buxt••r. Synag.