" THE MOSAIC CALENDAR." 



141 



the fruits thereof : But the seventh year thou shalt let it 

 rest and He still ; that the poor of thy people may eat : and 

 what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like 

 manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy 

 ohveyard. Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the 

 seventh day thou shalt rest : that thine ox and thine ass 

 may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, 

 may be refreshed." (Exodus xxiii, 9-12.) 

 An analogous regulation dealt with the case of a Hebrew who 

 had fallen into poverty and had been sold into servitude : — 



" If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years shall he serve : 

 and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing." (Exodus 

 xxi, 2.) 



" And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou 

 shalt not let him go away empty." (Deuteronomy xv, 13.) 

 The significance of the observance of the seventh day and of the 

 seventh year was that of rest, and release from slavery. 



The seventh month of each year was distinguished in the 

 same spirit. There were special sacrifices over which the silver 

 trumpets were blown on the first day of every month, but it was 

 only on the first day of the seventh month that it was commanded: 

 "Ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no 

 servile work : it is a day of blov^ang the trumpets unto 

 you." (Numbers xxix, 1.) 



" Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall 

 be a day of atonement : it shall be an holy convocation 

 unto you ; . . . Ye shall do no manner of work : it shall 

 be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all 

 your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, 

 and ye shall afflict your souls : in the ninth day of the 

 month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your 

 sabbath." (Leviticus xxiii, 27-32.) 



Sevex Times Seven. 

 This principle of the sanctification of the seventh day and of 

 the seventh year received a yet further application. Seven 

 times seven was to be cotmted from the sabbath of the week of 

 unleavened bread : — 



" When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, 

 and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a 

 sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest : 



