Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/107

 Their fefttvalst religious rites, ?V. 95

bondage. Seven days were appointed, Lev. xxiii. To thefe they added an eighth, through a religious principle, as preparatory, to clear their houfes of all leaven, and to fix their minds before they entered on that religious duty. The name of this feftival is derived from a word which fignifies to " pafs over j" becaufe, when the deftroying angel flew through the Egyptian houfes, and killed their firft-born, he pafied over thofe of the Ifraelites, the tops of whofe doors were flamed with the blood of the lamb, which they were ordered to kill. This folemnity was inftituted with the ftrongeft injunctions, to let their children know the caufe of that ob- fervance, and to mark that night through all their generations.

Three days before this facred feftival, they chofe a lamb, without fpot or blemim, and killed it on the evening of the fourteenth day of Abib which was the firft moon of the ecclefiaftical, and the feventh of the civil year ; and they ate it with bitter herbs, without breaking any of the bones of it, thus prefiguring the death of Mefliah. This was the reafon that this was the chief of the days of unleavened bread, and they were ilrictly forbidden all manner of work on that day, befides, no uncir- cumcifed, or unclean perfons ate of the pafchal lamb. Thofe of the peo ple, whom difeafes or long journies prevented from obferving the pafibver on that day, were obliged to keep it in the next moon.

On the fixteenth day, which was the fecond of the paflbver, they offered up to God a fheaf of the new barley-harveft, becaufe it was the earlieft grain. The prieft carried it into the temple, and having cleaned and parched it, he grinded or pounded it into flower, dipt it in oil, and then waved it before the Lord, throwing fome into the fire. The Jews were for bidden to eat any of their new harveft, till they had offered up a flieaf, the grain of which filled an omer, a fmall meafure of about five pints. All was impure and unholy till this oblation was made, but afterwards it be came hallowed, and every one was at liberty to reap and get in his harveft.

On the tenth day of the moon Ethanim, the firft day of the civil year, they celebrated the great, faft, or feaft of expiation, afflidled their fouls, and ate nothing the whole day. The high-prieft offered fcveral facrifices, and having carried the blood of the victims into the temple, he fprinkled it upon the altar of incenfe, and the veil that was before the holieft ; and went

into,

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