the place which God had chosen for himself, to cause his name to dwell there. But it was there that Christ suffered, as himself foretold; It cannot be, that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem, Luke xiii. 33. And Luke xviii. 31. Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man, shall be accomplished.

XLI. There is also a manifest similitude with respect to the time. The passover was killed in the middle of the month Nisan, at the full moon, between the two evenings, that is, according to Josephus, from the ninth to the eleventh hour. On that very month, day, and hour, Christ was cut off; as is remarked, not without reason, by Matthew, chap. xxvii. 36, 50. Some observe, that, in the month Nisan, after the equinox, the days came to be longer than the nights; to signify that a new light then arose upon the world, when Christ dispelled 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 shadowed forth, in which Christ offered himself a sacrifice, according to that of the apostle, Heb. ix. 26. Once in the end of the world hath he appeared, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Which are at least ingenious, if not solid reflections.

XLII. It now follows, that we consider the consequences and fruits of this sacrifice; and indeed they are most excellent and abundant. For, 1. The posts and lintels of the Israelites were sprinkled with the blood of this lamb, that they might avoid the common calamity, and be preserved from the destroying angel: to teach us, that the justice of God spares all, whose consciences are sprinkled with the blood of Christ, Is. lii. 15. He shall sprinkle many nations. This is that sprinkling

of the blood of Christ, 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 sword 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. 2. On the night the lamb was slain, the Israelites received full power to deliver themselves from the Egyptian bondage; to teach us, that Christ, by his blood, has redeemed us from the bondage of the devil, the world, and sin, in order to call us to the glorious liberty of the sons of God, Heb. ii. 14, 15. John viii. 36.

XLIV. 3. In that very night the God of Israel inflicted his judgments on the gods of the Egyptians,. Exod. xii. 12. Numb. xxx. 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 stone cut down, those made of earth ground to powder; in fine, those of wood reduced to ashes." Though we cannot avouch this for truth, as the scripture is silent; yet it is certain, God's threatenings were not without their effect. And whatever they signified, we see an illustrious fulfilment of them in the death of Christ; whereby, the middle wall of partition being broken down, by which many nations, who had been separated from the Jews, being called to the knowledge of the true God, 'cast their idols to the moles, and to the bats, Is. ii. 20.

XLV. 4. As the month Abib, before the institution of the passover, was the seventh month of the Jewish year; but when God instituted the passover, he com manded, that it should, for the future, be accounted

the first, and from it begin to reckon their sacred or ecclesiastical year. This month began with the spring; at which time, when God sendeth forth his Spirit, all things are created, and the face of the earth is renewed, Psal. civ. 30. And this may be also applied to Christ, 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 justly reckon time, not from the first creation of the world, which seems to have happened on Tisri, the first month of the civil year, but from the rising of a more auspicious star, at the illustrious epiphany or manifestation 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, Is. lxv. 17.

XLVI. Moreover, we are to shew, in what manner the Israelites were made partakers of the benefits they obtained by means of the lamb. And here two things were required. 1. That they were to sprinkle the lintel and door-posts of their houses with the blood of the lamb. 2. To eat its flesh. For if any of the Israelites neglected either of these, they thereby rejected the grace annexed to these commands.

XLVII. By the door-posts of the houses are meant our hearts, because God sprinkles these with the blood of his Son, Heb. x. 22. our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience. 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 set open, that by them the King of glory may come in, Psal. xxiv. 7. Rev. iii. 20. But we may be said to sprinkle our hearts with the blood of Christ, when, by a stedfast faith, we embrace the doctrine of the cross, and apply to ourselves the merits of his sufferings. We are however to

take care, that we do not sprinkle on the threshold what we are commanded to sprinkle on the lintel, and posts of the door, that it may not be trampled under foot, lest the apostle's threatenings should be executed on us, which he denounced against those who tread under foot the Son of God, and account the blood of the covenant, wherewith they were sanctified, an unholy thing, Heb. x. 29.

XLVIII. By the same faith also, the flesh is to be eaten. For why hast thou teeth and a stomach? (Is it not to eat?) Believe, and thou hast eaten. This eating is absolutely necessary to salvation, John vi. 53. Verily, verily I say 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 digest not these mysteries by proper and diligent meditation. Meditation is to the soul, what concoction or digestion is to the stomach. Hence, according to Petronius, to publish to the public indigested thoughts, is to publish things not yet properly concocted and digested by an attentive meditation.

L. The whole lamb was likewise to be eaten, that, nothing might remain: neither is it sufficient to receive Christ in part; as if one would be willing to enjoy his glory, but not partake of his sufferings; or to have him for his Redeemer, but not for his Lawgiver and Lord : or as if one not thinking it sufficient to trust in the merits of Christ, should place his hope of salvation partly in his own works, or in the intercession and mediation of others.

LI. What remained that could not be consumed, because of the small number of guests, was not suffered to be reserved to the next day, but was to be VOL. III:

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burnt with fire. This may be applied partly to the type, partly to the thing signified. The type was to be reserved to another time. From the day the light of the gospel appeared, what regarded the shadows, was to cease and be abolished. As to the thing signified, whoever feeds upon Christ by a true faith, will not be found empty, or hungry on the morrow; nor does he stand in need of a new Christ, or a new offering of him. For as by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified, Heb. x. 14. so 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 necessity to reserve any thing of thine own for thyself, with which to make up a deficiency in Christ, when thou hast once apprehended him by faith.

LII. In the mean time, they were so to eat the flesh of the 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 sufficient for faith to be fed with things obvious, unless we attempted to search into those things, the knowledge of which is forbidden, and the discovery dangerous. To pry into such things, is to come off with damage in the attempt. This brings to mind that saying of Moses, Deut. xxix. 29. The secret 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 so agreeable to the Hebrew, The curious prier into his majesty shall be overwhelmed with his glory.

LIII. The bitter herbs, with which the lamb was to be eaten, signify the necessity of communion with him in his sufferings, Phil. iii. 10. if we would have communion with him in his glory: we are to wear a crown of thorns with Christ, that a crown of glory may suc