Agreeable to this divifion, when Mofes afterwards points out the time for killing the pafchal lamb, offering the evening facrifice, and lighting the lamps, he orders it to be done between the evenings. So it ought to be read in Exodus 12. 6. and 30. 8. Numbers 9. 3. 5. and 28. 4. 8. The Belgick, and others render it, between the two evenings. The first thing then which Mofes does, is to give us the certain measure and divifion of time; which is into a horizontal, and meridional day. The horizontal, confifting of what we commonly call, day and night. The meridional, confifting of evening and morning. Both thefe days are used in scripture, to give dates to events, feverally, as circumstances made the one, or the other more eligible. The work of creation went on according to the meridional day, which begins at noon, the firft part of which, therefore, must be the evening. And so Mofes in clofing his account of each day's work, calls the day, evening and morning. Paradife being placed for the firft meridian, the first day's work begins there, or at leaft where it afterward flood, and goes on to fun fet; then refts till fun rifing, and fo goes on again till noon, which begins the fecond day's work, and fo on till Paradife forms fo the the fixth meridian, which was our friday noon. This begins the fixth day, upon the first part of which, being from noon to fun fet, the cattle were created. Then night coming on, and cutting the day in two as above, the work refts, and a council is called, and a decree made for the creation of man, wherein it was refolved to create him in the image and likeness of God, and form him for dominion. The after part of this day therefore was taken up in executing this decree, creating man according to the plan laid, fetting him up in his government over all the creation, fettling what his diet fhould be: and then taking a view of the work, and approving of the whole. This was the laft piece of creation work, and was evidently done upon the laft part of the last working day, which ran from fun rifing to twelve at noon, upon our faturday, when Paradise formed the seventh meridian, and brought on the first fabbath, which ended at twelve at noon upon our funday. Adam then was created but just before the fabbath came on, and fo the first thing which he had to do, was to join the creator in the observation of the holy reft, which begun foon after the the breath of life was breathed into his noftrils. The primitive fabbath, was not then a horizon tal, but a meridional day; beginning and ending and where-ever the feventh meridian was formed, there the fabbath began; and where and when the eighth meridian took place, it ended. at noon: The Jewish fabbath, was removed from the meridian backward about eighteen hours; and was made a horizontal fabbath, beginning and ending with the fetting of the fun. This, it feems, was to intimate, that they were created a new, and entered upon a new state of existence, the evening in which the manna came down from heaven with the dew. They were therefore commanded to reckon fix days from its coming down, and on the fixth, to gather twice the ufual quantity, and keep the feventh for a fabbath unto the Lord, Exodus 16; The Jewish fabbath then, as adminiftered to the Jews, was temporary and peculiar; removed out of its primitive ftate, in order to perpetuate the memory of their new and miraculous ftate of existence, wherein they were upheld for forty years by manna, the corn of heaven, and the bread of angels. They alfo entered upon a new flate of civil and ecclefiaftical exiftence, which was in order to honor the memory of Abraham, the friend of God, wherein they were God's peculiar nation and elect people, beloved above all others. Their fabbath then began in the evening, that is, the second evening, which is after fun fet; because then their miraculous fupply came down; and perhaps to intimate also, that the dark and fhadowy difpenfation, under which they were then entering, was to terminate in the glory and brightness of the gofpel day: therefore their fabbath-day began under the fhadow of the night, and terminated in the light and fplendor of the fucceeding day. On the other hand, the chriftian fabbath-day, is removed from the primitive meridian, twelve hours forward, to the midnight point. Tis then evident that Adam was created the laft working day of the creation week, that he was created the laft part of the day, and that it was the laft part of a meridional day, which runs from from fun rifing to noon; for a meridional day is not morning and evening, but evening and morning; beginning and ending at noon. So that the first thing which Adam had to do, was, to join the Creator in the obfervation of the fabbath. The history indeed does not name him in the business, but neceffarily includes him. The ftory of Adam's fall, the very day in which he was created, is a wicked fiction; calculated to fink the credit of the facred hiftory, by confounding the order in which it is delivered. So far from it, that it does not appear, that there was a fallen creature then in the universe. For Mofes runs over every day, gives us the number, work and events of each day orderly, and mentions a review of the work in the clofe of the fixth day, wherein every thing individually, was found to be not only good, but very good. And with this furvey, and with this ftate of the univerfe, while it ftood in that finifhed condition which was given it, he joins the fabbath. I fay therefore, that the fourth command is not one of the leaft, but of the greateft of the divine commandments. It is a moral precept, and the very first delivered to |