not have suffered Moses to live, nor would the "people" of Israel have followed his directions. And there is yet one other lesson of like kind, here insisted on, that God does, in extreme cases, even harden the heart to resist his will; "and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land." Which it seems he could not have refused to do, with such determined obstinacy, against such overwhelming force of signs and wonders, had not God endued him with a more than common resolution to resist.

Now these three truths, that God knows every thing before hand, that He moves men's hearts to do his will, and that He hardens them to resist it, seem hard to be reconciled with that other truth quite as manifest throughout this history, that man has a free will of his own, is able to choose whether he will obey God, or disobey Him. Here for instance it is plainly intimated, that the Egyptians would be willing to give to the Israelites their "jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.' And when the Egyptians refrained from laying hands on Moses, and when the Israelites followed the directions of Moses, this was because in each case it so seemed good in their eyes. And when this one plague more should be fulfilled, in the death of all the firstborn of Egypt, and this cry of mourning, such as never was before or since, should burst forth throughout all the land, then the Egyptians of their own accord would come down unto Moses, and bow down themselves unto him, as he here tells Pharaoh, and say, "Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee."

How then may we best reconcile these several truths, which appear to be inconsistent with each other? Certainly not by underrating the freedom of the will of man, for this is to underrate the might, and skill, and love, of our Creator. Certainly not by denying with our lips the freedom which we exercise in our actions. No, we must assert our own liberty to its just amount; and then ascribing all the glory to Him who gave it us, we must magnify the power, and wisdom, and goodness of God. We cannot too highly praise his workmanship, either in the fleshly tabernacle, or in the living soul, of which He has made us to consist. He spake the word; and we were made. He willed; and we were made capable of willing. And yet his will rules supreme over ours; whether we will or no. Yes, and He knows beforehand which way we shall choose; and He also overrules our choice for our advantage or harm, according as He sees fit to bless or punish us. Why should not God foresee the issue of our choice, just as easily as of our necessity? Why may not our will be influenced for our good, or be made to minister to our punishment; quite as justly as our sense, or our affections? Why; except for this most vain of all objections, when we are speaking of the dealings of God, that this is past the comprehension of man?

The Lord's passover ordained.

LECTURE 125.

The use of ordinances.

In the passover we ought to pay particular attention to the objects which God appears to have had in view, both in this ordinance, and in others like to it, which He has enjoined in his word. To keep up amongst his people the remembrance of any remarkable event, and to be a pledge both on his part and on theirs, on his that He would be merciful unto them, and on theirs that they would be thankful for benefits received, these seem to

be the chief uses designed by God in establishing such rites and ceremonies as this before us. And amongst the many mercies to which they might refer, we must always receive for the first and foremost the death of our Saviour Christ, and the blessings of which we become partakers thereby. God would have these things kept in remembrance, not only by written histories, but also by solemn acts, repeatedly and publicly performed. By the same means He represents Himself as pledged to us, to impart to us the blessings which we celebrate; and He would have us feel ourselves pledged to Him, to love Him and serve Him accordingly.

Now in appointing the solemn acts which are to be done for these purposes, God must without doubt know best, which upon the whole are the most fit to answer the end designed, amongst the people for whose use He designs them. But it is well for us to observe, as far as we can, the reasonableness of that which He ordains; if it were only to impress on ourselves this manifest truth, that whether we understand his designs or not, all must be alike wise, and just, and good. Much we find to give us these impressions, in the institution of the passover. If the year was to be commenced anew from this month, how aptly did this signify, that God was about to commence a new dispensation towards the children of Israel! If the lamb was to be taken by one household or more according to their numbers, and so eaten by them with their assembled families, how well was this calculated to connect their religious worship with their domestic affections! If the lamb must be the most valuable of its kind, how suitably may this teach us, not to sacrifice unto the Lord our God of that which costs us nothing, and also signify the inestimable love of God, in that He spared not his own beloved Son!

Many other lessons were herein conveyed to the Israelites; many others may here be learnt by ourselves. Let us especially observe that the sprinkling of blood is the ordained token of deliverance from death; and so let us thankfully remember how we ourselves are delivered by the blood of Christ. Let us note what care was taken to distinguish this feast from the idol sacrifices then prevalent in Egypt, by the manner of preparing, and eating the lamb, and by burning with fire whatsoever remained; and hence let us be on our guard, if we have been devoted to the service of Christ, that we be not conformed to the idolatry of the world. And if it was to be eaten in haste, as by a people who were eager to set off on their journey from Egypt to Canaan; let us also be always watching, whether we eat or drink, whether we work or worship, always watching for our summons to depart, and always willing to take our departure, from the best of the blessings we enjoy here, to the better joys prepared for us in heaven above, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

The seven days of unleavened bread ordained.

15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.

17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.

18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.

lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.

22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.

23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.

26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?

27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israelin Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. 28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. LECTURE 126.

20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a

Christ our passover.

The Lord's supper.

"Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." 1 Cor. 5. 7, 8. Thus forcibly does St. Paul apply the

two connected tokens of the paschal feast, the lamb, and the unleavened bread, to our instruction both in doctrine and in practice; to teach us, both what Christ has done for us, and what we are bound to do for Him. He was "sacrificed for us." Surely as the blood of the lambs, slain by the several members of the congregation of Israel, see ver. 6, when duly sprinkled on the lintel, and on the side posts of their houses, prevented "the destroyer" from coming in to smite them; so surely does the blood of Christ, sprinkled on our hearts by faith, save us from death eternal.

Yes "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us ;" and for his sake we have pardon, through his blood. "Therefore let us keep the feast." Let us observe his ordinances, because we are thankful for the inestimable benefits, which by his precious blood shedding He has obtained for us. Let us note the spiritual application of the eating unleavened bread, in order to fulfil it in our own lives and hearts. The Israelites were to put away leaven out of their houses for seven days. And on the first and seventh day they were to do no manner of work, except what was necessary in connexion with the feast they had to eat. Now their leaven was a portion of dough kept from one baking till it fermented; and then used to prepare their bread at the next baking. And to eat bread without any leaven intermixed for seven days, from the night of their departure from Egypt, would prevent them from carrying away with them any of the leaven of Egypt; which would otherwise have been perpetuated in their food. How aptly did this signify to them, the duty of putting away from them all the evil habits they had learnt from the Egyptians! And on us how well does it inculcate, the duty of sincerity and truth, both in our prosion of faith in Christ crucified, and in our attendance on the ordinances of our Lord!

And more especially what a striking resemblance is seen here, between the passover and the Lord's supper! This is the lamb whereof we must eat, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Rev. 13. 8. 66 Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." John 6. 53. And this is the way in which He has ordained that we should feed on Him, "Take, eat: this is my body." "This cup is the new testament in my blood." 1 Cor. 11. 24, 25. Let us be careful to "keep this service." And let us diligently explain to our children after us, that the bread and wine, which we thus eat and drink, are the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ; who has delivered our families and saved our lives; and who has commanded us to observe this feast in our generations, "by an ordinance for ever." Oh how fearful it is to think that he who despised Moses' law, that soul was to be "cut off from the congregation of Israel!" Oh how grievous to know that so many Christians give no heed to this law of Christ; and thus in reality excommunicate themselves!