separated from the fold. Thus also it was with Christ, if we reckon prophetic days, for years: fee Ezek. iv. 6. For at his thirtieth year, he left his mother's houfe, as a fold; where he was born and brought up, and was crucified the fourth after. But it likewise deserves obfervation, that Christ came to Jerufalem to the feast, and to his laft paffover, on that very day, on which God had commanded the lamb to be kept up in Egypt; namely, the tenth of the month Nifan. For, fix days before the paffover, he came to Bethany, John xii. 1. That is, on the ninth of the month Nifan: the day after he went to Jerusalem, ver. II. to present himself to be offered to God.

XXXVIII. Let us now confider the sufferings of Chrift, the manner, place, and time, these being all fignified by the paff

over.

XXXIX. As to the manner. ift, The lamb was to be killed, and that by the whole multitude of the congregation of Ifrael. So the priests, fcribes, and pharifees, with the whole body of the people confpired to the flaying of Chrift; for not being fatisfied with mockings, fmitings, and scourgings, they ceafed not, till he was given up to death, Luke xxiii. 18. and "they cried out, all at once, faying, away with this man. 2dly, There is likewife an argument as to the kind of death. For, as the blood of the lamb, so that of Christ was also shed: both for the people. Nor was the blood of the lamb poured out on the ground, but, as fomething precious, received in a bafon; because it reprefented the "precious blood of Chrift, as of a lamb without fpot," I Pet. i. 19. For, that blood is the perpetual treasure of the church, which Chrift even at this day offers to the Father, and is for ever to offer, or prefent. 3dly, The lamb was not to be eaten raw, or not fufficiently done. Chrift was also to suffer indeed, and not in a superficial manner. His cup was not to pass, till it was drunk up to the bottom. 4thly, The roafting of the lamb at the fire, expreffes the burning heat of divine wrath, juftly kindled against finners, with which Chrift, who prefented himself as furety for finners, was to be fcorched. Hence thofe complaints, Pfal. xxii. 14, 15. "My heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels: my ftrength is dried up like a potfherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws." See what we have obferved concerning the peculiar manner of this roafting, Book II. Chap. 10. §. 26.

XL. The place, where both the paffover and Christ was flain, is exactly the fame. For the pafchal lamb, was, from the days of David, to be killed at Jerufalem; the place which God had chofen for himself, to caufe his name to dwell there. But it was there' that Chrift fuffered, as himself foretold. "It cannot

be

be that a prophet perish out of Jerufalem," Luke xii. 33. And Luke xviii. 31. Behold, we go up to Jerufalem, and all things. that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man, fhall be accomplished."

XLI. There is also a manifeft fimilitude with refpect to the time. The paffover was killed in the middle of the month Nifan, at the full moon, between the two evenings, that is, according to Jofephus, from the ninth to the eleventh hour. On that very month, day and hour, Chrift was cut off; as is remarked, not without reafon, by Matthew, chap. xxvii. 46, 50. Some obferve, that, in the month Nifan, after the equinox, the days come to be longer than the nights; to fignify that a new light then arose upon the world, when Chrift difpelled the darkness of error, and ignorance. And there are others, who, by the full moon, will have the fulness of time, and by the two evenings, the evening of the world, and the last times to be fhadowed forth, in which Chrift offered himself a facrifice, according to that of the apostle, Heb. ix. 26. "once in the end of the world hath he appeared, to put away fin by the facrifice of himself." Which, are at least ingenious, if not folid reflections.

XLII. It now follows, that we confider the confequences and fruits of this facrifice; and indeed, they are most excellent and abundant. For, first, the posts and lintels of the Ifraelites were fprinkled with the blood of this lamb, that they might avoid the common calamity, and be preferved from the destroying angel: to teach us, that the juftice of God fpares all, whofe confciences are sprinkled with the blood of Chrift, Ifa. lii. 15. "he fhall sprinkle many nations." This is that fprinkling of the blood of Chrift, this is that blood of sprinkling, spoken of by Peter and Paul, 1 Pet. i. 2. Heb. xii. 24. We are therefore no longer to dread the fword of the avenging angel. For, whether an angel of darkness, "God hath delivered us from the power of darkness, through the blood of his Son," Col. i. 13, 14. or an angel of heaven, "having made peace through his blood, he hath reconciled all things unto himself, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven," ver. 20.

XLIII. Secondly, On the night the lamb was flain, the Ifraelites received full power to deliver themselves from the Egyptian bondage to teach us, that Chrift, by his blood, has redeemed us from the bondage of the devil, the world and fin, in order to call us to the glorious liberty of the fons of God, Heb. ii.. 14, 15. John viii. 36.

XLIV. Thirdly, In that very night the God of Ifrael inflicted his judgments on the gods of the Egyptians, Exod. xii. 12.

Numb.

Numb. xxxiii. 4. namely, four judgments, if we may credit Jonathan, whose words in his paraphrase are these: "Their molten images were melted down, their idols of ftone cut down, those made of earth, ground to powder; in fine, thofe of wood reduced to ashes." Though we cannot avouch this for truth, as the fcripture is filent; yet it is certain, God's threatenings were not without their effect. And whatever they fignified, we fee an illuftrious fulfilment of them in the death of Chrift; whereby, the middle wall of partition being broken down, by which many nations, who had been feparated from the Jews, being called to the knowledge of the true God, caft their idols to the moles, and to the bats, Ifa. ii. 20.

XLV. Fourthly, As the month Abib, before the institution of the paffover, was the feventh month of the Jewish year: but when God inftituted the paffover, he commanded, that it should for the future, be accounted the first, and from it begin to reckon their facred or ecclefiaftical year. This month began with the spring; at which time, when God fendeth forth his Spirit, all things are created, and the face of the earth is, renewed, Pfal. civ. 30. And this may also be applied to Chrift," who introduced a new age, and abolished old things, in order to change them for the better: behold, says he, I make all things new, Rev. xxi. 5. So that now we juftly reckon time, not from the firft creation of the world, which feems to have happened on Tifri, the first month of the civil year, but from the rifing of a more aufpicious ftar, at the illustrious epiphany or manifeftation of our Saviour: for, such new miracles of divine goodness cause former things, in comparison of these, not to be remembered, nor come into mind, Ifa. lxv. 17.

XLVI. Moreover, we are to fhew, in what manner the Ifraelites were made partakers of the benefits they obtained by means of the lamb. And here two things were required. 1ft, That they were to fprinkle the lintel and door-pofts of their houfes with the blood of the lamb. 2dly, To eat its flefh. For if any of the Ifraelites neglected either of these, they thereby rejected the grace annexed to these commands.

XLVII. By the door-pofts of the houses are meant our hearts, becaufe God fprinkles thefe with the blood of his Son, Heb. x. 22. "our hearts sprinkled from an evil confcience." And the hearts of men lie as open before God, as the door-posts of our houses to us, 1 Sam. xvi. 7. the doors of our hearts are to be fet open, that by them the king of glory may come in, Pfal. xxiv. 7. Rev. iii. 20. But we may be faid to fprinkle our hearts with the blood of Chrift, when, by a stedfast faith, we embrace the doctrine of the crofs, and apply to ourselves the merits of

his fufferings. We are however, to take care that we do not sprinkle on the threshhold, what we are commanded to sprinkle on the lintel, and pofts of the door, that it may not be trampled under foot, leaft the apoftle's threatenings fhould be executed on us, which he denounced against thofe, who "tread under foot the Son of God, and account the blood of the covenant, wherewith they were fanctified, an unholy thing," Heb. x. 29.

XLVIII. By the fame faith also, the flesh is to be eaten, For why haft thou teeth, and a ftomach? [Is it not to eat?] Believe, and thou haft eaten. This eating is abfolutely neceffary to falvation, John vi. 53. " Verily, verily, I fay unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, ye have no life in you.

XLIX. The flesh of the lamb was to be eaten neither altogether raw, nor half done. And they are guilty of this crime, who digeft not these myfteries by proper and diligent meditation: meditation is to the foul, what concoction or digestion is to the ftomach. Hence according to Petronius, to publish to the public indigefted thoughts, is to publish things not yet properly concocted and digested by an attentive meditation.

L. The whole lamb was likewife to be eaten, that nothing might remain: neither is it fufficient to receive Christ in part: as if one would be willing to enjoy his glory, but not partake of his fufferings. Or to have him for his Redeemer, but not for his Lawgiver and Lord: or as if one, not thinking it fufficient to truft in the merits of Chrift, fhould place his hope of falvation, partly in his own works, or in the interceffion and mediation of others.

LI. What remained that could not be confumed, because of the small number of guests, was not suffered to be reserved to the next day; but was to be burnt with fire. This may be арplied partly to the type, partly to the thing fignified. The type was not to be reserved to another time. From the day the light of the gospel appeared, what regarded the fhadows, was to cease and be abolished. As to the thing fignified, whoever feeds upon Christ by a true faith, will not be found empty, or hungry on the morrow; nor does he ftand in need of a new Chrift, or a new offering of him. For as " by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are fanctified," Heb. x. 14. fo " he that cometh to him shall never hunger, and he that believeth on him shall never thirst," John vi. 35. Wherefore, thou art under no neceffity to referve any thing of thine own for thyfelf, with which to make up a deficiency in Chrift, when thou haft once apprehended him by faith.

LII. In the mean time, they were fo to eat the flesh of the

lamb,

lamb, as not to break a bone of it. To break the bones of the lamb, is to pry and search into things that exceed our capacity. As if it was not fufficient for faith to be fed with things obvious, unless we attempted to fearch into those things, the knowledge of which is forbidden, and the discovery dangerous. To pry into fuch things, is to come off with damage in the attempt. This brings to mind, that faying of Mofes, Deut. xxix. 29. "the fecret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed, belong unto us and to our children for ever:" and that excellent saying of Jerome, Prov. xxv. 27. though not fo agreeable to the Hebrew," the curious pryer into his majesty, shall be overwhelmed with his glory."

LIII. The bitter herbs, with which the lamb was to be eaten, fignify the neceflity of communion with him in his sufferings, Phil. iii. to. if we would have communion with him in his glory: we are to wear a crown of thorns with Chrift, that a crown of glory may fucceed; "if we fuffer, we fhall also reign with him," 2 Tim. ii. 12. Nor are these things to be applied only to the external afflictions of the body; but alfo to the internal diftreffes of the vexed foul, grieving for fin in a godly manner, fearing the wrath of God; without which the fweet confolations of the Lord Jefus, which he applies only to the mourners in Zion, Ifa. xi. 3. are ufually neither tafted nor felt.

LIV. Nor is it in vain, that leaven is fo often, and so exprefsly forbid thofe, who are invited to eat of the lamb. For in Scripture leaven is the fymbol of corruption, and especially of hypocrify, Luke xii. 1. Paul has writ very properly to this purpose, 1 Cor. v. 7, 8. "Chrift our paffover is facrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feaft, not with old leaven, neither with leaven of malice and wickednefs, but with the unleavened bread of fincerity and truth." Leaven might alfo be applied to pride, because the leavened lump directly rises or puffs up; or to hatred and animosity, which embitter the foul. Now whoever has communion with Chrift, ought doubtless to be purged from all thefe vices; because he, in whofe mouth was found no guile, 1 Pet. ii. 22. cannot endure hypocrites; nor he, who became obedient even unto the death of the cross, Phil. ii. 8. the proud; nor he, who is our peace, Eph. ii. 14. the contentious; and therefore he offered himself, in order to reconcile us both to God, and to one another.

LV. But ftrangers, the defiled, the uncircumcifed, were excluded from the pafchal lamb: because righteousness hath no fellowship with unrighteoufnefs, nor light any communion with darknefs, nor Christ any concord with Belial, 2 Cor. vi. 14, 15. Nevertheless whoever he be, that from a sense of his

own