and his atonement! how spiritual our views we have of Jesus's full atoneworship and how great the danger ment! what a joyful sound of salvaof Papists, and others, who corrupt || tion preached through him! what rest it! How much more glorious the rest from legal ceremonies and spiritual of heaven, where, with endless and slavery! what instruction in the knowredoubled devotion, we, ceasing from ledge, and feasting on the fulness of every sinful, contentious, and legal our God!-When the last trumpet work, shall behold, rejoice, and glory shall be blown, at the coming of our in the Lamb once slain, and now in once crucified Redeemer, what full the midst of the throne! In the view deliverance from sin, from servitude! hereof, let us with pleasure remember what views of, and rest in God, shall the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy: let we for ever enjoy! Numb. x. 10. and Jesus, the atonement, and the soul xxviii. 11—15. Amos viii. 5. 2 Kings nourishing provision and joy that at- iv. 24. Psal. lxxxi. 1, 2. 1 Sam. xx. tend him, be our all and in all, Exod. 5, 18. xxxi. 12-17. and xxxv. 2, 3. Numb. xxix. 9, 10. and xv. 32-35.

4. The PASSOVER was observed at the time we call Pasch. The design of it was, to commemorate the Israelites deliverance from Egypt; to seal the new covenant with the believers among them; to prefigure our redemption by Christ, and represent our spiritual fellowship with him and his people. It was first observed on that night on which the Hebrews went forth out of Egypt. On the tenth day of the month Abib, each man, for his family, or if his family was small, he, for his and his neighbour's family, took a male lamb, or kid, of a year old, and quite unblemished. It was

3. The design of the FEAST of newmoons, was to acknowledge God as the giver of the moon to rule by night, and as the gracious governor of the world, who hath the times and seasons in his own power; and to expiate the sins, and acknowledge the mercies of the finished month, and lay an evangelic foundation for the duties of the commencing one. It was observed on the first day of the appearance of the new-moon; and, to prevent mistakes, the Jews often observed two days. They rested from their servile labour; met, for instruc-kept in the house alive till the fourtion in the law of their God, in their synagogues, &c. and offered two bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs for a burnt-offering, with their respective meat-offering and drink-offering, and a kid for a sin-offering; over which, as they lay burning on the altar, the priests blew the silver trumpets; the people too had generally feasts in their own houses. Did not this typify the renovation of all things by Jesus Christ? Our nature being united to his, again shone forth fair as the moon and the moon-ruled ceremonies of the Jewish church were abolished, that the gospel-church might shine forth fair as the moon. Quickly shall this moon-like world vanish away, and be succeeded by endless brightness, never to withdraw its shining. Under the gospel, what large

teenth day of the month: on the evening of which, after a careful search for, and destruction of all leavened bread in their houses, it was slain; and with the blood thereof received into basons, they, with a bunch of hyssop, sprinkled the upper lintel and posts of their doors, that the destroying angel might not enter their houses. The flesh of the lamb was then roasted whole on a spit, and eaten by the circumcised Hebrews, and such circumcised servants as they had bought with their money, or such Gentiles as, being proselytes, had been circumcised, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and amidst pious conference with their children; but no bone of it was to be broken in the killing, roasting, or eating of it. What of the flesh remain

The Hebrews twice observed the passover in the wilderness. Joshua caused them observe it a third time, when he had just passed the Jordan, in his entrance into Canaan. It was solemnly observed in the times of David and Solomon, and in the time of Hezekiah and Josiah, 2 Chron. xxx.

ed over night was burnt with fire. || cond opportunity to feed on Christ" At first they did eat it with their loins our passover sacrificed for us: Satan girded, their shoes on their feet, and has been forced to yield to our escape; their staff in their hand, and in great idolatry has been overturned; and a haste, to signify their immediate de- people consecrated to the Lord, Exod. parture from Egypt. In after ages, xii. Numb. ix. and xxviii. 16. Deut. they used to drink a cup of wine, and xvi. sing a sacred hymn, probably, Psal. cxiii. to cxviii. While they did eat || the first passover, the first born of Egypt were slain; Pharaoh was forced to allow their departure, and judgments were executed on the gods of Egypt. Before the passover, they used to busy themselves in finishing their ceremonial purifications, if pos-xxxv; but there is too much reason sible. Such as were on a journey, to believe, that before the captivity, or under sickness, or ceremonial un- the Jews were often negligent as to a cleanness, at the proper time, were punctual observance thereof. After obliged to observe the feast on the the captivity, particularly in the time 14th day of the second month and of Christ, they seem to have attendsome of their Rabbins say, that if the ed more exactly to the rites thereof. greater part of the congregation was At it, and the two other more geneat any time unclean, the whole obser- ral feasts, it is said, such as came vation was delayed till the second from a distance, had free lodging at month. He that wilfully neglected || Jerusalem. the passover was condemned to death. Did these rites prefigure, that Jesus, the precious, mighty, and unspotted Son of God, who was set up from everlasting, and promised and typified since the fall, should, in the fulness of time, assume our nature, and in the 4th year of his public ministry, and on the 4th day from his solemn entrance into Jerusalem, should endure bitter sufferings, and be roasted in the fire of his Father's wrath, but not a bone of him broken, that he might be our complete protection from the wrath of God, and the means of destroying sin, Satan, and death; and be, with unfeigned faith, sincere candour, and bitter grief for sin, fed upon, as the heart-supporting and cheering food of our soul, enabling us to go up from the world, towards our everlasting inheritance in the Canaan above? Blessed be the Lord, that we Gentiles are || taken in among his people to eat thereof; and that though of old we were far off, and in our uncleanness, yet now, under the gospel, we have a se

5. The feast of UNLEAVENED BREAD was an appendage to the pas sover, and immediately succeeded it. It continued seven days, on none of which any leavened bread was to be eaten, but unleavened, to commemorate the Hebrews hasty departure from Egypt before their dough was leavened. To commemorate the beginning of their march on the first, and perhaps their passage through the Red sea on the seventh, the first and last days of this feast were to be holy convocations, no servile work was to be done thereon. On every day of it, two bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year, were offered for a burnt-offering, and a kid for a sin-offering, with their respective meat-offerings and drink-offerings; and the silver trumpets were blown over the burnt-offering, as it lay on the altar. On the second day, a sheaf of barley publicly reaped, was given to the priest; and it being threshed, winnowed, and dried by the fire, and ground in the mill, an homer

of the meal was taken, heaved, and || for a sin-offering; next, one bullock, waved with oil and frankincense; part two rams, and seven lambs, for a of it was burnt on the altar, together burnt-offering, and a kid of the goats with a lamb of the first year for a for a sin-offering; finally, two lambs burnt-offering, with two tenth deals for a peace-offering, the flesh of which of fine flour for a meat-offering, and was wholly sacred to the priests; aa fourth part of an hin of wine for a long with which, two loaves of leavendrink-offering; and after this, they ed bread of fine flour were presented might begin their harvest. Before at the altar. At this time also, they this feast began, not only was leaven presented their first-fruits in a soput from all their dwellings, but their lemn manner, and the silver trume houses were often whitened. Did pets were blown over the burnt and this feast represent Jesus's state of de- peace-offerings. By the threefold basement his week of life, fulfilled burnt-offering, they acknowledged in sanctity, sorrow, and suffering? God their sovereign, and the proprieand our constant living on him as tor of their country, in whose sight the incorrupted nourishment of our their sins needed much atonement. soul; carefully avoiding the leaven By the two sin-offerings, they conof malice, hypocrisy, error, and cor- fessed their guilt, and implored his rupt practices? Was not the first pe- pardon; by their peace-offering, riod of the gospel-church a time of so- loaves, and first-fruits, they confessed lemn convocation to Christ? and shall his goodness, and begged his blessing not the millenial period be more so? on their increase. Did this prefigure Did not Jesus, the corn of wheat, once the plentiful effusion of the Holy die for our offences, and on the se- Ghost at Pentecost, and the marvelcond day of unleavened bread, rise for lous spread of the gospel, and the disour justification, as the first fruits, covery of the nature and virtue of that he might sanctify his people, and Christ's death, that should follow introduce the harvest period of the thereon? Did it portend, how plentigathering of multitudes to himself, by fully the first-fruits of the Gentiles means of the gospel? Exod. xii. and should then, with great humility and xiii. Lev. xxiii, 6-14. Numb. ix.9- thankfulness, give themselves, and all 14. and xxviii. 17-25. Deut. xvi. they had, to the service of Christ? 7. Josh. 5. 2 Chron. xxx. and xxxv. Is it not observable, that as on the day of Pentecost, God gave the law from Sinai; so on that very day, the gospel-law began remarkably to come › out of Zion? Lev. xxiiii. 9—21. Numb. xxviii. 26-31. Deut. xxvi. 1 11. Acts ii.

6. To render thanks to God for the quiet possession of Canaan, and for the mercies of the finished harvest; to commemorate the giving of the law from Sinai; and to prefigure the descent of the Holy Ghost on the Apostles, the Jews observed the feast of PENTECOST, on the 30th day after the second of the feast of unleavened bread; which being a week of weeks, or forty-nine days, occasioned its being called the FEAST OF WEEKS. No servile work was done thereon; but they offered one he-lamb for a burntoffering, with a double meat-offering; next, two bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs, for a burnt-offering, with their respective meat-offering and drink-offering, and a kid of the goats

7. When the Hebrews had ended their vintage, they observed the feast of TRUMPETS, on the same day with that of the new-moon of the seventh sacred month, and which was the first day of their civil year. It seems to have happened in our September. The design of it was, to commemo. rate the creation of all things; to give thanks for the mercies of the finished year; to sanctify the commencing civil year, to prepare the people for the great day of expiation. On it, there