But although the service of the incoming 'course' of priests had begun with the renewal

of the 'shewbread,' that of the outgoing had not yet completely ceased. In point of fact,

the outgoing 'course' of priests offered the morning sacrifice on the Sabbath, and the

incoming the evening sacrifice, both spending the Sabbath in the sanctuary. The

inspection of the Temple before the Sabbath morning service differed from that on

ordinary days, inasmuch as the Temple itself was lit up, to obviate the necessity of the

priests carrying torches on the holy day. The altar of burnt-offering was cleansed before

the usual hour; but the morning service commenced later, so as to give an opportunity

of attending to as many as possible. All appeared in their festive garments, and each

carried in his hand some contribution for religious purposes. It was no doubt from this

that the practice was derived of 'laying by in store upon the first day of the week,' which

St. Paul recommended to the Corinthians (1 Cor 16:1,2). Similarly, the apostolic practice

of partaking the Lord's Supper every Lord's -day may have been in imitation of the

priests eating the shewbread every Sabbath. The Sabbath service was in every respect

the same as on other days, except that at the close of the ordinary morning sacrifice the

additional offering of two lambs, with its appropriate meat- and drink-offerings, was

brought (Num 28:9,10). When the drink-offering of the ordinary morning sacrifice was

poured out, the Levites sang Psalm 92 in three sections, the priests drawing, at the close

of each, three blasts from their trumpets, and the people worshipping. At the close of

the additional Sabbath sacrifice, when its drink-offering was brought, the Levites sang

the 'Song of Moses' in Deuteronomy 32. This 'hymn' was divided into six portions, for as

many Sabbaths (v 1-6; 7-12; 13-18; 19-28; 29-39; 40-end). Each portion was sung in three

sections with threefold blasts of the priests' trumpets, the people worshipping at each

pause. If a Sabbath and a 'new moon' fell on the same day, the Sabbath hymn was sung

in preference to that for the new moon; if a feast day fell on the Sabbath, the Sabbath

sacrifice was offered before that prescribed for the day. At the evening sacrifice on the

Sabbath the song of Moses in Exodus 15 was sung.

Though not strictly connected with the Temple services, it may be desirable briefly to

refer to the observance of the Sabbatical year, as it was strictly enforced at the time of

Christ. It was otherwise with the year of Jubilee. Strangely, there are traces of the latter

during the period before the return from Babylon (1 Kings 21:3; Isa 5:8; 37:30; 61:1-3, Eze

1:1; 7:12; Micah 2:2), while the Sabbatical year seems to have been systematically

neglected. Hence Jewish tradition explains, in accordance with 2 Chronicles 36:21, that

the seventy years' captivity were intended to make up the neglected Sabbatical years --

commencing the calculation, if it be taken literally, from about the accession of King

Solomon. But while, after the return from Babylon, the year of Jubilee was no longer

kept, at least, as a religious ordinance, the Sabbatical year was most strictly observed,

not only by the Jews (Neh 10:31; 1 Macc vi. 49, 53; Jos. Antiq. xiii. 8, 1; xiv. 10, 6; xv. 1, 2;

Jew. Wars,, i. 2-4), but also by the Samaritans (Antiq xi. 8, 6). Jewish tradition has it, that

as it took seven years for the first conquest, and other seven for the proper division of

the Holy Land, 'tithes' were for the first time paid fourteen years after the entrance of

Israel into Canaan; and the first Sabbatical year fell seven years later, or in the twenty-

first year of their possession of Palestine. The Sabbatical law extended only to the soil

of Palestine itself, which, however, included certain surro unding districts. The Rabbis

add this curious proviso, that it was lawful to use (though not to store or sell) the

spontaneous produce of the land throughout the extent originally possessed by Israel,

but that even the use of these products was prohibited in such districts as having