It was the method of the ancient planters of colonies, to begin their work with building temples, I mean our patriarchal temples, for there were then no other. And they instituted festival and religious games, which contributed very much to polish and civilize mankind, and make them have a due notion and practice of religion, without which it is impossible for any date to subsist. Of this _Strabo_ writes very sensibly in IX. treating on this very place. The _Pæanick_ or _Pythian_ are the most ancient games we have any account of. _Strabo_ writes very largely concerning them. These great festivals were at the four solar ingresses into the cardinal signs, which were the times of publick sacrificing, as I suppose, from the creation of the world. The _Pythian_ festival was celebrated on the sixth day of the _Athenian_ month _Thargelion_, _Delphick Busius_. ’Tis between _April_ and _May_. But we learn, from the scholiast of _Pindar_, _prolegom. ad Pythia_, that _Apollo_ instituted the _Pythia_ on the seventh day after he had overcome the serpent _Python_; and that at _Delphos_ they sung a hymn called _Pæan_ to _Apollo_ every seventh day. The _Athenians_ did the like, every seventh day of the moon, whence _Hesiod_’s Ἑβδόμη ἱερὸν ἦμαρ———— Because, says he, _Apollo_ was born on that day. The learned _Gale_ observes from this, in his court of the _Gentiles_, p. 150. that it means the sabbath as the patriarchal custom, before the _Jewish_ institution. _Usher_ before him, of the same opinion, in his discourse on the sabbath. _Porphyry_ in his book concerning the _Jews_, quoted by _Eusebius pr. ev._ I. 9. tells us, the _Phœnicians_ consecrated one day in seven as holy; he says indeed, it was in honour of their principal deity _Saturn_, as they call’d him, and _Israel_. We are not to regard his reason, any more than _Hesiod_’s aforementioned, but his testimony of a matter of fact, has its just weight. He means to prove a custom older than _Judaism_. I take all this to be an illustrious proof of the patriarchal observation of the sabbath, before the _Mosaick_ dispensation. Their sabbath was intirely like our Christian, the greatest festival of all, and deservedly the most to be regarded, as being religion properly, or practical religion. We cannot easily determine on what day the patriarchal sabbath was kept, _Hesiod_’s reason being the birth day of _Apollo_, pleads for Sunday; _Porphyry_’s for saturday, consequent to which thus _Martial_ XII. 63. _In Saturnum._ _Antiqui Rex magne poli, mundique prioris, Sub quo pigra quies, nec labor ullus erat._ But both shew evidently the antiquity of the hebdomadal division of time, and the planetary names of the week days, and the primæval sabbatical rest. _Pausanias in atticis_ writes, at _Megara_ was a statue of _Apollo_ carrying the _Docimæ_ or tithe, another patriarchal usage.