gogue on the paschal lamb; and two days afterwards all their furniture must be washed clean; they search their houses that no leavened bread may be found, and are extremely scrupulous in making up the unleavened bread. Most commonly the master of the house makes it; and if any of it falls to the ground, the dogs and cats are not suffered to eat it. It must be kneaded in a place where the sun does not shine; and the cake, which used formerly to be given to the priests, is burned to ashes.

They are obliged to sit at a table like persons in haste to begin a journey, in memory of their departure from Egypt. The master of the family is surrounded by his children and domestics, when some cakes and part of a lamb are set before them; they are then served with a composition of fruits, in a pie, made in the form of a brick, in remembrance of the bricks made by their ancestors in Egypt. They afterwards eat bitter herbs, in remembrance of the bitterness of Egyptian bondage; and the shoulder of a lamb being held up in a dish, the master of the house repeats the following words: Behold the bread of sorrow and oppression, which our forefathers did once eat in Egypt; let him that is hungry draw near and eat; this is the sacrifice of the paschal lamb. This ceremony being over, a hymn is sung, by all the company present: and when they come to that part, mentioning the ten plagues of Egypt, they pour a little wine on the ground, wishing that those plagues may be far removed from them: then they drink off the wine, and finish the hymn. The master of the house then washes his hands in clean water, and breaking one of the cakes, presents a part of it to each of the guests; this being done, they begin to eat the lamb; and what is left must be burnt; and the ceremony concludes with a glass of wine.

In this account of the method, in which the modern

Jews celebrate the passover, we may observe a great resemblance of the original institution; and when we consider in what a wonderful manner the Jews, who were formerly a large united body of people, have been dispersed, and what obstructions their religion hath met with, it is astonishing to think, that they have preserved any of their ceremonies.

The feast of the passover *was calculated to furnish an incontestable proof to succeeding generations, that such an event, as the deliverance of Israel, had happened, because it must have been ordained in the lifetime of those who had escaped from the Egyptian bondage; for, however their descendants might have listened to fabulous tales, they never could have believed that they themselves had, from their very infancy, observed a ceremony in commemoration of a thing, of which they had never before heard; nor would Moses have been so foolish as to attempt to introduce this rite in remembrance of imaginary transactions, and to ap peal to the knowledge and experience of six hundred thousand men, each of whom could have proved him an impostor.

We find, from this section, that the lives of children are in the hand of GoD; and that he can in an instant of time frustrate the ambitious views of those, who think only of the worldly prosperity of their offspring. It should therefore be the tender parent's care, to live a life of piety himself, and to dedicate, from the earliest infancy, not only his first born, but every dear child, which is given him, to the service of GoD, as Christians have blessed the opportunity of doing, in the sacrament of baptism, without excluding them from the common offices of life.

Lesley's plain and easy Method with the Jews.

SECTION

2

SECTION LXVIII

THE ISRAELITES PASS THROUGH THE RED SEA

THE EGYPTIANS DROWNED.

From Exodus, Chap. xiii. and xiv.

AND it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the peo ple go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for GoD said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.

But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up, harnessed *, out of the land of Egypt.

And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.

And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.

And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them in the way: and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.

He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak unto the children of Israel that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.

For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They

Or five in a rank. Margin of the Bible.

are intangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them: and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so.

And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?

And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him. And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.

And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel : and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.

But the Egyptians pursued after them, (all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army,) and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.

And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid; and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD,

And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness; wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? for it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will

shew

shew to you to-day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.

But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots and upon his horsemen.

And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

And the Angel of God which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them, and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them.

And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these; so that the one came not near the other all the night.

And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea: and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong eastwind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left.

And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

And it came to pass that in the morning-watch the