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xxviii. 9.

Lev.

upon as Part of the Duty of keeping boly the fabbath day.

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There were likewise peculiar Offerings Numb. appropriated to this Day; and, at the fame Time, the Shew-Bread was to be chang'd for new; Aaron is commanded to provide it, and fet it in order before the xxiv. 8. LORD, every fabbath-day continually. The Celebration of the Sabbath was to begin the Evening before; and continue to the Evening of the Sabbath-day. From even unto even fhall ye celebrate your fabbath.

Lev.

xxiii. 32.

SECT. IX.

The Feast of the PASSOVER.

Another great Festival among them was the Feast of the Passover, and unleavened Bread. Which, tho' two diftinct Feasts, and instituted in Commemoration of two different Transactions, yet because they happen'd at one and the fame Time, and related to one and the fame fignal Deliverance, (their being brought out of the Land of Egypt, from the House of Bondage, by the extraordinary Affiftance of

God)

God) therefore were to be obferv'd *

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on the fame Day of the Month, for ever. That of the Passover, in Remembrance Exod. of God's paffing over their Houses when xii.3.&c. he flew the First-born of the Egyptians ; That of unleavened Bread, to fix and con- Exod. 39. tinue fuch Remembrance; by bringing to their Minds the great distress and hurry they were in, at that Time, when they could not fo much as stay to put Leaven in their Bread. Both typically predictive of Christ our Paffover; who, becoming a Sacrifice for the Sins of the whole World, will fave all thofe who, putting away the 1 Cor. leaven of malice and wickedness, conform v.7. themselves to his Inftitution, with the unleavened bread of fincerity and truth.

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Again, Thou mayst not facrifice the Paf Deut. fover within any of thy gates which the xvi. 5. LORD thy God giveth thee; but at the

It was customary to fpeak of them, as all one Feaft. Therefore St. Luke mentions them as one, The Feaft of unleavened Bread, which is call'd the Paffover. And, The Day of unleavened Bread when the Paffover muft be kill'd, Luke xxii. 1. 7. and St. Matth. quite blends them together, by calling the Eve of the Paffover, the firft Day of unleavened Bread. Matth. 16, 17. and fo it t was. Exod. 12. 18.

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&c.

Lov. xxiii. 5. &ze.

place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in. Therefore it was celebrated at firft in Shiloh; and afterwards at Jerufalem. It was to be kept upon the fifteenth Day of the first Month, (March) to last seven Days, and (as all their Feafts were) to begin, the Evening before. In the fourteenth day of the first month, at even, is the LORD's paffover. And on the fifteenth day of the fame month, is the feaft of unleavened bread unto the LORD; seven days fhall ye eat unleavened bread.

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Yet the Jews, in after times, made void, or difpens'd with, this Law by their Traditions, fo far as, * by an Order of Council, to forbid its being kept upon either Monday, Wednesday or Friday, if it should happen to fall upon any of those Days; and to appoint the Observation of it, upon the Day following. At the time of our LORD'S Paffion therefore, tho' it fell upon the Friday, and he, who came to fulfil the Law, kept it accordingly, by eating the Pafchal Supper with his Difciples on Thursday Night; yet we find the

*Seder Olam.

L

Jews

xviii. 28.

Jews did not propofe keeping it till Saturday. And, according to their Account, Friday being the Eve or Preparation of it, they would not go into the judgment hall, Joh. left they should be defiled; fo Pilate was obliga to go out to them, to know what they accufed our LORD of. And, just before Pilate configns him over to Death, we are told, It was the preparation of the paf- Joh. fover, and about the fixth hour, or twelve o' xix. 14. clock at noon. The Jews therefore, (after Joh. he had hung above three Hours upon the xix. 31. Crofs, with the two Malefactors who were crucified with him) because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the fabbath-day (for that fabbath was an high day) befought Pilate, that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. It was an high day, because it was both the Sabbath and the Feast of the Paffover.

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Thus therefore the other Evangelists may be eafily reconciled with St. John. They mention our LORD's eating the Paffover on Thursday, as the first day of it; which it really was according to the Institution of Mofes, which our LORD ob

ferv'd;

ferv'd; He mentions Friday, as only the Preparation or Eve of the Passover; which, according to the Jewish Act of Council, it was. So that, tho' they feemingly differ, yet in Reality, they harmoniously agree; and, accordingly, when they come to mention the Day of the Refurrection (which was to be, for ever after, the Sabbath of Chriftians) to prevent all Poffibility of mistaking about the Obfervance of it, They all declare, that it was very early upon the first Day of the Week; juft as the Sabbath was ended *.

And that this Day was thereafter accordingly observ'd as the great Day of Ceffation from fervile Work and Devotion to the Service of God and Works of Charity, we learn from the Ufage of the Chriftians in the Apoftolic Age; when, Acts xx. upon the first day of the week, the difciples came together to break bread, and Paul

7.

* Matt. xxviii. 1. As it began to dawn towards the first day of the week. Mark xvi. When the fabbath was paft, very early in the morning, the first day of Luke xxiv. 1. Upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning. John xx. 1. The first day of the week, when it was dark.

the week.

preach'd

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