Sect. IV.

IV. In eating the Paschall Lambe, Jesus Christ was ty∣pified. * To this eating many conditions are required, con∣cerning 1. Time. 2. Place. 3. Persons. 4. Manner. 5. Measure.

The Time. It must be eaten at the sametime; and in one evening must all Israel eat the Passeover.

1. In the evening, to signifie our estate of darknesse and misery by sinne and death, till Christ came, and when Christ came to be our ransome.

2. In one and the same evening, to note the holy agree∣ment and consent of the whole Church in the faith of Christs death and passion: to which well agrees the constitution of our Church, ordaining the Supper succeeding it in the same time, so all superstition and formality be avoided.

The Place. 1. Every particular Lambe must be eaten in * one house: to signifie the unity of the Church of God, the house of the living God, and the spirituall conjunction and agreement of all the faithfull in one bread and one body, 1 Cor. 10. 17.

2. If one house sufficed not to eat up one Lambe, they might call in their neighbours to a competent number; which might be about a dozen, as in our Saviours family: to signifie 1. That the Gentiles in time, by the voice of the Gospel, should be called in to the participation of Christ the Lambe of God, and to the fruition and feeding of the same Lambe with the Israelites. 2. No number is assigned, be∣cause the Lord onely knowes who are his. 3. Because there were many Lambes to be slain, they must be eaten in many houses; so as no man must abstain from the Passeover in pain of death: signifying the speciall application of the same Christ to severall persons, families, and houses; that every one might taste the sweetnesse of Christ in his own heart, and no man expect to be helped or saved by another mans cating, that is, by the faith and devotions of others with∣out Page  209 his own. This is contrary to Romish doctrine.

The Persons. 1. Onely Israelites, no stranger from the * Covenant. For what have they to doe with the seales, that are excluded the writing? To signifie, that none without the bounds of the true Church have any part of the re∣demption of Christ; neither are capable of the priviledges of Gods people. This Lambe gives his life for his sheep one∣ly: the merit of his death is childrens bread onely.

2. No uncircumcised person might eat the Passeover: signifying, that no unsanctified person can truly partake of Christ and his merits, and that none is fit to come to the Lords table (our Evangelicall Passeover) that is not first baptised, which Sacrament is come in the room of Circumcision.

3. Yet a stranger Proselite, if he would be Circumcised, and joyn himself to the people of God, might eat the Passe∣over as a Jew: to signifie both the calling in of the Gen∣tiles, (of whom divers came in still, as Jethro, Rabab, Ruth, the Queen of Saba, Job, as first fruits of them) as also that the Lord is no accepter of persons, but in every Nation he that feareth him is accepted of him, Acts 10. 34, 35. Gal. 3. 27, 28.

The Manner, which was twofold. 1. Proper to the first * Passeover in AEgypt. 2. Common to that and all other that followed.

I. Proper to the first Passeover in four things.

1. They must eat it standing, now on the suddain departing out of Egypt, This was a law of the first Passeover (for Christ and his Disciples sate, and stood not in celebrating the Passeover, and yet broke no law, as all the Evangelists observe) to signifie, that Christians must stand before God as prest and intent upon his service, but especially at the time of our departure out of this AEgypt. See we be in a readi∣nesse to receive our full deliveries from the servitude of sin, Satan, and all their present oppressions, of which theirs was but a type.

2. They must eat it in haste: To admonish them not to stay or dwell any longer in that AEgypt: And to teach us, 1. To hasten out of our spirituall AEgypt quickly, least we Page  210 partake of her plagues; and 2. To hasten to our Canaan and Countrey; even that heavenly Countrey, as they must to their earthly.

3. They must eat it like Pilgrims, with their loynes girt, staves in their hands, and shooes on their feet, ver. 11. signifying how we must eat and enjoy Christ our Paschall Lambe; e∣steeming our selves strangers and pilgrims here in the AEgypt of the world, to stand with our loynes girt with verity and truth, Eph. 6. 14. alluding to this very occasion, with the shooes of the preparation of the Gospel on our feet, and with the staffe of Gods heavenly Word in our hands, both to strengthen us in our way, to defend our selves in our right, and propulse whatsoever is in doctrine or manners contrary to heavenly doctrine. Thus must Christians acknowledge their condition on earth, and frame themselves to it, as the Rechabites, Jer. 35. 7. not forgetting the commandement of our Father. This was the third condition proper to the first Passeover, of which we read nothing in Christ and his Apostles.

4. They must not goe forth of the house all night till the morning, nor ever mingle themselves again with the AEgypti∣ans, ver. 22, 23. This was also proper to that Passeover, for our Saviour Christ after the Passeover went out into the gar∣den. This signified, 1. Our perseverance and continuance in the family of Christ the Church of God, not going out any more in action or affection to the AEgypt of this world. 2. That we can lie hid and safe onely under the bloud of Christ, and in the house of Christ the Church of God, where∣on and wherein that bloud is sprinkled, the revenging Angel is abroad, and out of the Church is no salvation. 3. In the night of errors, heresies, afflictions, and persecutions for the truth (when God revengeth the worlds contempt of his grace) if we would be safe, we must keep our selves within the Church, not departing from the particular house or Church in which we are, to joyn to Idolatry or errors, least Gods re∣venge overtake us, as the waters overwhelmed all that were without the Arke.

Page  211 II. The manner prescribed to all Passeovers ensuing, stood * in three observations.

1. They must eat it with unleavened bread: signifying, that if we would feed on Christ our Passeover, we must purge out all old leven, and become a new lumpe, 1 Cor. 5. 7. This old leaven is the fusty, swelling, and spreading corruption of our own wicked nature, the leaven of sinne, false doctrine, he∣resie, corruption of manners, soure and tart affections, that will not stand with the receiving of Christ and his benefits. All this we must purge out, and study for sincerity and truth in judgement, in affection, in action.

2. They must eat the Passeover with soure hearbs, as sauce: signifying, 1. True repentance, and godly sorrow of heart, to be inseparable with the true apprehender of Jesus Christ: 2. That Christ and his Crosse are inseparable, and that af∣flictions (as soure hearbs) are the most wholsome sauce of Christianity: Soure indeed, and unpleasing to the flesh, but profitable, 1. To prepare and provoke the appetite with more chearfulnesse and ardency to all godly duties of Prayer, Hearing, Sacraments, Mercy, Patience, Hope, &c. Rom. 5. 3, 4. 2. To whet and provoke to the practise of all Chri∣stian duties of mercy and love. 3. To excite the desire to be fully fed with that sweet tree of life, and that blessed Man∣nah (in which is no sourenesse) in the kingdome of glory, Rev. 2. 17.

3. They must alwayes in eating repeat and conferre of their deliverance out of AEgypt, and in memory of that benefit provoke their thankfulnesse to God, ver. 26, 27. adding as it were to the Sacrament a word of instruction: signifying,

1. That we should alwayes remember the death and passi∣on of Christ, with due thankfulnesse for so great a delive∣rance by it: if they must still speak of their temporall deli∣verance, much more we of so great and eternall deliverance by it, from the spirituall servitude of sinne, death, the devill, and damnation.

2. It shadowed herein its successor in the new Testament, for the Sacrament of the Supper was therefore instituted, to keep in remembrance the death of Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. 11. 26. Page  212 As often as yee shall eat this bread, and drink this cup, yee shew the Lords death till he come.

3. To be a rule for all Sacraments, wherein it is necessary, that the word be joyned to the Element: I mean the word of In∣stitution, * and (if it may be conveniently) of exhortation, that the seal may goe with the Charter, as (even in these shadowes) the Lord himself straitly enjoyned: these were the Lawes prescribed for the Anniversary Passeover, both in Exod. 12. 14. and Numb. 9. in neither of which is any men∣tion of any of the former Laws proper to the first Passeover.

The last condition in eating concerned the measure. The Lambe must be whole eaten: signifying, *

1. Our perfect communion with Christ, who are as nearly united unto Christ, as the meat we eat, which is turned into our own substance.

2. That nothing in Christ is unprofitable.

3. That Christ must be received wholly without dividing of his natures, or destroying any of his offices. Arrius di∣vides the Lambe in denying his Godhead. Manichees im∣pugned his humanity. Neither eat the whole Lambe. The Papists destroy all his Offices. Whosoever deny any funda∣mentall Article of Religion, they divide the Lambe. To eat the whole Lamb, is to believe whole Christ; according to the rule. Faith is but one, yet a copulative: Deny one, overthrow all. Hitherto served that Injunction, that no part * of the Lambe must be reserved till the morrow; but if any remained it must be burnt with fire, verse 10. The Lord in his infinite wisdome would prevent all the occasions of ido∣latry, which is easily admitted in the reservations of holy things: As in Popery, what a deal of idolatry is crept into the Church by reserving superstitious relicks, and especially their consecrated or conjured bread; as if this condition did not condemn expresly that Popish reservation of the hoast or breaden god? Add hereunto, that the Jewes, requi∣ring the body of Christ on the Crosse to be taken away that night before the Sabbath, Joh. 19. 31. fulfilled (against their knowledge) this Prophecy: Nothing of the Paschall Lambe must be left till the morning.