The inftructions concerning the festival were thefe. On the tenth day of the month Nifan, which answered in part to our March, and was thence forward to be the first month of their ecclefiaftical year, every family of Ifrael, or, if one family was too fmall, two neighbouring families joining together, were to take a male lamb of the firft year, without blemish, and fhut it up until the fourteenth day, and then flay it in the evening. In the blood of the lamb they were to dip a bunch of hyffop, and fprinkle with it the doors of every house where the lamb was eaten, and to continue in the house until the morning. This was the condition of their exemption from the judgment, which, in that night, was to fall on the Egyptians. This lamb was to be dreffed whole; not a bone of it was to be broken; it was to be roafted with fire, and eaten all at once, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; and if any part was left, it was to be burnt with fire ; and they were to eat it in the posture and habit of pilgrims, with their girdles around their loins, their fhoes on their feet, and their ftaves in their hands.

After the Jews were fettled in the land of promise, some of these circumstances were omitted, and others were added. The firft paffover was celebrated in their own houfes: after the order of divine worship was fettled, all the males were to appear before God in Jerufalem. The firft paffover was eaten in a standing posture: but it ap. pears, by our Saviour's example, that it was afterward eaten in the more eafy pofture of guefts fitting around a table. In the firft inftitution there is no mention made of the ufe of wine but this in future time was added to the folemnity. To this there are fome allufions in the book of Pfalms; VOL. V.

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and there is exprefs mention of it in our Lord's celebration of the feftival.

To commemorate the deliverance of the Ifraelites from Egypt was the primary defign of the paffover, and to this defign the circumftances of the feftival were pertinently adapted. The facri fice was a lamb without blemish to fignify their obligation to innocence and holiness of life. It was fet apart from the reft of the flock, to denote that they were a peculiar people unto God. A$ the moft expeditious manner of preparation, it was roafted with fire, to fignify that they were to hold themselves in readinefs for an immediate depar ture. The whole was eaten by them, or confumed with fire, that no part of it might be profaned by the Egyptians. It was eaten in the pofture of travellers, to indicate their expectation of orders to begin their march. It was feasoned with bitter herbs, in memory of their cruel bondage and in thankfulness for their deliverance. The bread eaten with it was made without leaven, in recog nition of their fudden emigration, which allowed them no time for the ufual method of preparing their bread.

This feftival, however, had a farther and more important defign, which was to lead the thoughts of the Jews to Jefus Chrift, and to the great redemption effected by his death. Hence the apoftles call him our paffover the lamb of God-a lamb flain from the foundation of the world—a lamb without blemish and without spot. The order, that not a bone of the pafchal lamb should be broken, is faid to have been fulfilled in Chrift, whofe bones, contrary to the common ufage, were left unbroken at his crucifixion. His blood is called the blood of Sprinkling in allufion to the sprinkling of the blood of the paffover. And Chriftians are directed to

keep the gospel feast, with the unleavened bread of fincerity and truth.

The Jewish paffover, then, was an ordinance of much the fame nature and defign as the Chriftian fupper. The former had the fame intention with respect to the Jews, as the latter has with refpect to Chriftians, which is to lead their minds to the Saviour. The chief difference is, that the paffover prefigured his future death; the fupper commemorates his death already paft. This was instituted at the time when that was abolished, and doubtlefs fucceeded in its place.

Our divine Lord, knowing, that the time of his death was at hand, faid to his difciples, "With defire I have defired to eat this paffover with you before I fuffer." As it was the iaft paffever which he should ever fee on earth, and the laft that ever ought to be celebrated, he felt a peculiar folicitude to attend it with his difciples; and his defire probably was increased by the confideration, that this would be a favorable opportunity to institute his commemorative fupper.

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At the ftated feafon for the celebration of the paffover, he forefaw, that he fhould be in the hands of his enemies; he therefore folemnized it the day before. And as foon as he and his difciples had done eating of the pafchal fupper, he intituted his own. He took fome of the bread which was on the table, and, having confecrated it by prayer, brake it and gave it to his difciples. And then he took fome of the wine prepared for the paffover, and, in like manner, blessed that, and diftributed it among them. On this occafion, he inftructed them, that the bread and the wine were fymbols of his body broken, and of his blood poured forth to procure pardon for finners, and to ratify the promises of the covenant.

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he required them to attend upon this ordinance, not in remembrance of the redemption from Egypt, of which the paffover was a memorial, but in remembrance of a more glorious redemption foon to be accomplished by his own death. He adds, "I will not henceforth drink of the fruit of the vine until the day, when I drink it new with you in my father's kingdom." The fame he had faid juft before concerning the cup in the paffover. And his meaning was, that he fhould not any more partake of either of these ordinances perfonally but he should rejoice to behold the things fignified by them happily accomplished under his new difpenfation, which was now about to be introduced.

From these observations it is manifeft, that the facramental fupper is appointed to fucceed the paffover; that both have refpect to the Saviour, and to the benefits procured by his death; and that the fupper in the Chriftian church has much the fame use, as the paffover had in the Jewish church. The inftructions therefore relative to the paffover may, in many refpects, be applied to the Chriftian institution.

We will particularly attend to the inftructions contained in the paffage felected for our text.

I. The pafchal inftitution refpected the whole congregation. "Ye fhall obferve this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy fons forever-and when ye fhall come into the land, which the Lord fhall give you, ye fhall keep this fervice."

There were fome ceremonial pollutions, which difqualified a Jew for an immediate attendance on this folemnity; but his general obligation to obferve it, nothing could cancel; for this was founded in divine authority. The facred nature of the ordinance required all to make fuitable pre

paration for it, that they might attend upon it acceptably; but the neceffity of preparation was never a just cause for customary neglect. In the time of Hezekiah, many who had not opportunity to obferve the ufual forms of purification, ventured to eat of the paffover otherwise than it was written; but Hezekiah prayed for them, faying, “The good Lord pardon every one who prepareth his heart to feek unto God, though he be not cleanfed according to the purification of the fanctuary." The external form was of ufe only as a mean of preparing the heart, which was the main thing neceffary to an acceptable attendance.

This obfervation may be applied to the fupper. The obligation to attend upon it is common to all Chriftians. The command of Chrift, "Do this in remembrance of me," was indeed first given to the twelve. But Saint Paul tells us, that it refpected all Chriftians, in all ages, down to the time of Chrift's fecond coming. No man, who believes the gospel, can claim a right to live in difobedience to this, more than to every divine command.

There are indeed, certain moral disqualifications for an acceptable attendance on the fupper. But whatever they be, we must remove them, that we may attend on the ordinance; not plead them in excufe for neglecting the ordinance. We ought not to come to it with impenitent, unbelieving hearts, or with malevolent, unfocial paffions. What then?-Are we to turn from it ?-No: we are to make preparation for it by examining ourfelves, by repenting of our fins, by repairing injuries, by feeking reconciliation with offended brethren, and by cultivating benevolence toward all men. Whether we come to the ordinance or not, we can have no right to indulge a wicked