FIRST DAY.-MORNING.

'Christ our passover is sacrificed for us,' 1 Cor. v.7. WERE an inspired teacher to go through the Old Testament in a series of comments upon it, there can be little doubt that he would find and preach Christ in every part of it, and that he would discover types of his person and work where, did an uninspired interpreter find them, he would expose himself to the charge of following his own fancies. Who, for example, would have seen a type of our Lord's death in the elevation of the brazen serpent in the wilderness, or of his lying in the grave, in the history of Jonah, had not our Lord himself condescended to notice it! True, the interpreter of scripture must beware that he do not yield to his imaginations, where he has not an inspired guide to lead him. But the necessity of this caution arises only from his incompetency. And we are well persuaded, that when the light of the upper world bursts upon our view, and when in it we contemplate the ancient law in its ceremonies and institutions, it will be found to reflect the glory of Christ in a much fuller degree than we ever saw it before, that it will be seen to exhibit his person and work in places where these did not formerly appear to us; in short, that in the law, as in every thing else, Christ is all. He is the treasure hid in the word of God, and it is only when we find him there that our search for it has been successful.

But our attention is now confined to a single type or illustration, the ancient passover. And how striking the form of expression used to point out its reference to Christ. He is called our Passover, intimating that the substance of the ceremony was Jesus Christ,—that whatever other purposes it may have served, it was designed mainly to be typical of him, and illustrative of his person, and history, and work. Hence, the mind of the apostle naturally passes away from the ancient ceremony to the great feast of the gospel, in which Christ is manifestly set forth crucified And both are represented as having all their meaning and design in setting forth his truth and glory. They are two spectators, gazing upon the same object; two witnesses, testifying to the same person; two columns, bearing like inscriptions; two signs, pointing the same way.

among us.

Let us then for a little, contemplate the passover as illustrative of Christian doctrine.

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1. And who will not here think of the paschal lamb? It must be chosen from the flock with care,-the best of its kind,-free from every blemish,-and in due time sacrificed and eaten. have not been left to conjecture in finding here an emblem of Jesus Christ. Even the apparently trivial command, 'neither shall ye break a bone thereof,' is afterwards quoted in the history of Christ, as having been designed to have reference to him, and a whole train of circumstances is put into order and motion to bring about the intended allusion. 'These things were done,' saith the historian, 'that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.' We would not have seen this meaning had it not been pointed out. And O! how fitting is the type. Jesus is indeed well set before us as 'the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.' The emblem is tenderly illustrative of his character, and history, and work, and well expresses his innocence, and patience, and sacrifice. Particularly does it exhibit him as the satisfying food of the believer's soul, and in this point the lines of the Jewish and the Christian passover meet, and both proclaim that the slain Lamb is the sacrifice to be eaten.

2. Equally clear and united is their testimony to the great blessing that has been obtained by the sacrifice which has been offered. They both commemorate deliverance. Of the one we are told, it is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses.' That was a great deliverance. They cried by reason of their taskmasters, and God heard them and rescued them from bondage. But even that deliverance was only typical of a better. How largely is the language descriptive of it employed to set forth the higher deliverance of the soul from the dominion of sin and satan! Often do the prophets commence with the one theme, and then rise to the other, elevating our minds from things temporal to those that are spiritual, and teaching us to see in the former the greater blessings of the latter.

3. The very manner of deliverance is strikingly in unison, under both dispensations. The last and awful judgment upon Egypt was the death of the first-born. There was a great cry in

4. The very sign employed in the time of Israel's deliverance is full of meaning and instruction. 'Ye shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts with blood.' This was the sign to the destroying angel to pass by and leave the inhabitants within unhurt. And it is by the sprinkling of blood the sinner must now be preserved from the destroyer. The mark of Christ's blood forbids his entrance upon the security and peace of the believer.

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5. Nor let us omit to notice in what manner passover must be eaten. 'Thus shall ye eat it, with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; ye shall eat it in haste.' Emblem of the believer's condition upon earth! He is a pilgrim and a stranger here. Earth is only a lodge, heaven is his home, and he must maintain the spirit of one who is travelling to Zion.

6. In the passover they must use unleavened bread, with bitter herbs. And the meaning here is plain. Bitterness of soul, in exercises of deep humiliation, is well becoming in him who commemorates the death of Jesus as the sacrifice for his sins. While towards others there must be the suppression of evil passion, and no leaven of iniquity allowed to disturb the soul, well is it enjoined by the apostle, '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.' And this agrees to our Lord's own lesson, ‘if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee, leave there thy gift, first go and be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.'

FIRST DAY. EVENING.

And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead,' Rom. i. 4. How many and how weighty are the themes of meditation here. The passage bears the ordinary mark of the word of God, clothed in the simplest

ments, truly apples of gold in pictures of silver.' The Son of God-declared to be the Son of Godwith power-according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. Help us, O Spirit of truth, to apprehend and receive these gracious announcements.

'The Son of God.' A title which belongs exclusively to Jesus Christ. True, Adam is called the son of God, so are angels, and even sinful men; but not in the sense in which Christ is so called. He is the only Son of God, in the sense of being a partaker of his nature, and an equal sharer of his glory. The phrase is habitually so employed in the scriptures, and was understood in this highest acceptation by the Jews. For when Christ called himself by the name of the Son of God, they charged him with blasphemy, alleged that he thus made himself equal with God, and proceeded to inflict the punishment of the law for blasphemy, even to stone him to death. In this name let us receive and adore him for

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'He has been declared to be the Son of God.' Declared ! The term is well chosen, and is fraught with meaning and deep allusions. By the resurrection he has been declared, not made, to be the Son of God, as some would teach. And this peculiar style of language accords with what we observe in another place, where the angel, announcing the miraculous conception and birth of Christ, says, that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God'called, not made the Son of God at that time, nor by that means. In all such passages the allusion is to the eternal generation of the Son of God. As Son he is eternal. And it is only upon this principle we can interpret many portions of the word of God. It is written, 'God gave his only begotten Son.' Then he must have been the Son of God when the Father gave him, and this was from eternity. How blessed is our privilege to have such a Saviour, one whom we call the Son of God, and with whose name we associate the honours of the Godhead. And for what purpose is he thus announced? Glorious reply!

He is declared to be the Son of God 'with power.' As Son of God he is proclaimed to be Mediator, and as Mediator all power is given to him in heaven and in earth. As Son all power belongs to him essentially, but as Mediator all power is delegated to him for the salvation of his people. How often are these two thoughts brought together in the scriptures, the sufficiency of Christ, and the security of his people. It

1. It is eternal. How deep the thoughts, how elevated the conceptions of the apostle Paul when, meditating on the love of God, as exercised towards man in eternity, he exclaims, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love!' Here is love in all its condescension, entering into the case of man, long before he had existence; love in all its ingenuity, providing against his condition as a sinner. What importance this view attaches to the expression of Jehovah's love. It made sure the redemption of his people before they became men or sinners. The whole plan was laid and fixed in eternity.

2. As the love of God is eternal in its origin, so is it immutable in its nature. This is only what should be expected as a natural and necessary consequence. For if God set his love in eternity upon his people, it is not to be expected that he would suffer its great design to be frustrated by the accidents of time. His love is occupied in time carrying out and consummating the plans it formed in eternity. Those whom he then chose, he now effectually calls. And having called them in his sovereign pleasure, he keeps them by his almighty grace. It is thus we are to account for their still abiding the objects of his love, notwithstanding their provocations and unworthiness. I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.' 'Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.' 'Saints are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.' But let us not abuse this feature of the divine love. In eternity it chose its objects that they might be holy, and its immutability maintains and confirms their holiness. If the love of God changes not, that is not merely an argument why our love should not change, but it is a security that it shall not change. And our Lord makes our perseverance an essential mark of our discipleship, saying, 'If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.'

3. In the exercise of this eternal and immutable love, God sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.' His Son was chosen; for no other being was competent to the work, and the Father freely gave him up. He came as the messenger of the Father's love; and to carry out purposes of his grace he assumed our nature, stood as our surety, bare our sin, and expiated

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pitiation, reconciling his people to their offended God. He provided that the sentence of death should be reversed under which they lay; that their souls should be quickened and made alive unto God; that they should have opened before them the prospect of eternal life; and that, finally, they should be possessors of an inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away.' Surely herein is love! Well may we acquiesce in the emphatic language of our Lord, God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but might have everlasting life.'

4. And for whom did God thus signify his love? For sinners. And how is it enhanced by this consideration! Hear how an inspired apostle regards it, 'When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.' God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' Helpless, ungodly, sinful-these were the features of that creature upon whom God set his love. Not only was there nothing to attract, but everything to repulse. How lothesome to a renewed mind is the conduct of the ungodly; and how distressing to be obliged to hold communion with them. And if this be the case with believers, who are still men encompassed with infirmity, and bearing about a body of sin and death, how must it be with that pure and holy God who cannot behold evil nor look upon iniquity. This truly is the mystery of mysteries, the love of God for sinners.

O that this love may be shed abroad in our hearts, and that we may live continually under its constraining and sanctifying power!

SECOND DAY.-EVENING.

We love him, because he first loved us,' 1 John iv. 19.

THE great secret of the gospel, in its influence upon the sinner, consists in its use of the principle

of love. God is there manifested to the soul in the exercise of love, and that discovery produces love. The apostle Paul, proceeding upon this principle, thus states the great burthen of his ministry, ‘God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them;' and then on the ground of this revelation, addresses himself to sinners, saying, 'we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.' So close is the