[46]: HARMER"S Observations, vol. i. p 4.
[47]: The first day of the month was kept with burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. Vide Numb. x. 10. and xxviii. 11. In imitation of the Jews, the calends, or first days of the month, and the fourth and seventh of the week, were sacred to Deity.
[48]: PASCAL"S Thoughts, pp. 229, 244.
[49]: See The Life of Philip Melancthon, by the author of this work, p.
225, second edition.
[50]: "The salutations of the East often take up a long time. The manner of salutation as now practised by the people of Egypt, is not less ancient.
The ordinary way of saluting people, when at a distance, is bringing the hand down to the knees, and then carrying it to the stomach; marking their devotedness to a person, by holding down the hand; as they do their affection, by their after raising it up to the heart. When they come close together afterward, they take each other by the hand, in token of friendship. What is very pleasant, is to see the country-people reciprocally clapping each other"s hands very smartly, twenty or thirty times together, in meeting, without saying any thing more than _Salamant aiche halcom?_ that is to say, _How do you do? I wish you good health_. If this form of complimenting must be acknowledged to be simple, it must be admitted to be very affectionate. Perhaps it marks out a better disposition of heart than all the studied phrases which are in use among us, and which politeness almost always makes use of at the expense of sincerity. After this first compliment, many other friendly questions are asked about the health of the family, mentioning each of the children distinctly, whose names they know," &c. MAILLET, Descript. de l"Egypte.
"If the forms of salutation among the ancient Jewish peasants took up as much time as those of the modern Egyptians that belong to that rank of life, it is no wonder the prophet commanded his servant to abstain from saluting those he might meet with, when sent to recover the child of the Shunammitess to life. They that have attributed this order to haste, have done right; but they ought to have shown the tediousness of Eastern compliments." HARMER"S Observations, vol. ii. pp. 331, 332.
[51]: BISHOP HALL.
[52]: Ps. I. 15. The thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of the apocryphal book of Esther contain appropriate prayers for this occasion, attributed to Mordecai and Esther, well worthy of perusal.
[53]: In the Persian language _Pur_ signifies a _lot_; and the reference is to Haman"s casting lots to ascertain the lucky month for the execution of his iniquitous project against the Jews.