A bone of the paschal lamb was not to be broken; which pointed to Christ hanging on the cross, in whom this was fulfilled, as the apostle John says, who speaking concerning the soldiers breaking the legs of the malefactors who were crucified with Christ, tells us, "When they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs, but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came thereout blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done that the scriptures should be fulfilled, "A bone of him shall not be broken." Exod. xii. 46. And again another scripture saith, "They shall look on him whom they have pierced." Zech. xii. 10. See John xix. 34-37. No stranger or uncircumcised persons were to eat of it; none but such as are born again by the agency of the Holy Spirit, can spiritually partake of Christ, and feed on him in their hearts by faith.

Thus the passover was a type of Christ, the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world: he was in it evidently set before them as crucified. The tremendous wrath which he would sustain when the curse of the broken law would fall on him, was expressed very lively to them in the roasted lamb, who bore the curse, and carried the sorrows of all his people. Thus

the death of Christ was shewn forth and commemorated by the Israelites in Egypt, the blood sprinkled, and all commanded closely attended unto by Moses and the people, who were safe and secure under the protection of the sprinkled blood; a very lively figure of our present and eternal salvation from all evil, through the death and blood of Jesus Christ sprinkled upon us, and imputed unto us.

It may not be unpleasing to point out the form and manner in which this ordinance was celebrated; I will quote it from the learned Ainsworth, the substance of which follows: first, a cup of wine is filled for every one, and the master of the family blesseth for it, him that created the fruit of the vine, and drinketh it; after that he blesseth for the washing of hands, and washeth his hands; then is brought in a table furnished, and upon it bitter sauce (charoseth), also bitter herbs, unleavened bread, and the body of the paschal lamb, &c. then he beginneth to bless God which created the fruit of the earth, and taketh an herb, and dippeth it in the sauce, and eateth it, he and all that lie at the table with him, and none eat less than the quantity of an olive; then the master of the family maketh the declaration concerning the deliverance of their forefathers from Egypt, according to the command in Exodus xiii. 9. then a second cup of wine is filled, and the son asketh the father, or

master, the meaning of this service, according to Exodus xii. 26. to which, among other things, he replies, this passover which we eat is in commemoration of the Lord's passing over the houses of our fathers in Egypt; then he holdeth up the bitter herbs, and saith, these bitter herbs which we eat, are in respect and remembrance of our fathers in Egypt, whose lives were made bitter unto them by the cruel oppression and tyranny of the Egyptians over them; then he holdeth up the unleavened bread, and saith, this unleavened bread which we eat, is in commemoration that the dough of our fathers had not time to be leavened when the Lord appeared unto them, and brought them out of the land of Egypt; "And they baked unleavened dough, and made cakes of it;" Exodus xii. 39. to which he adds, therefore are we bound to confess, to praise, to laud, to celebrate, to glorify, to honor, to extol, to magnify, and to ascribe victory unto him, who did to our fathers and to us, all these things, and brought us forth from servitude to freedom, from sorrow to joy, from darkness to light, and we say before him, hallelujah; then they sing the 113th and 114th Psalms; then they bless the Lord, who redeemed them and their fathers out of Egypt, and hath brought them to that night to eat unleavened bread and bitter herbs; then the master of the family blesseth God, who createth the fruit of the vine, and drinketh the second cup;

after this, he blesseth for the washing of hands, and washeth his hands the second time, and taketh two cakes, parteth one of them, and blesseth God that bringeth bread out of the earth, because it is said to be the bread of affliction, or of poverty, Deut. xvi. 3. as is the manner of the poor to have broken meat, so here is á broken part; afterwards, he wrappeth up of the unleavened bread and of the bitter herbs toge. ther, and dippeth them in the sauce, and blesseth God which commanded to eat unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and they eat; then he blesseth God, which commanded the eating the sacrifice, and he eateth the flesh of the feast offering, and again blesseth God, which commanded the eating of the passover, and then he eateth of the body of the passover; after this, they sit long at supper, and eat every one so much as he will, and drink every one so much as he will drink; afterwards he eateth of the flesh of the passover, though it be but so much as an olive, and tasteth nothing at all after it, that it may be the end of his supper, and that the taste of the flesh of the passover may remain in his mouth; after this, he lifteth up his hands, and blesseth the third cup of wine, and drinketh it; then he filleth the fourth cup of wine, and the 15th, 116th, 117th, and 118th Psalms were sung, and they also said over it what they call the blessing of the song. “All thy works praise thee, O Lord."

Psalm cxlv. 10. And he blessed God that created the fruit of the vine, and tasted nothing after it all night, except water. He might fill the fifth cup, and say over it the great hallel, or hymn, which was the 136th Psalm; but the jews say he was not bound to this as to the former." I need not say this belongs not to the passover in Egypt, but to the observance of it afterwards. So that as some circumstances were peculiar to the passover in Egypt, so there were in its observance in succeeding times, some additions to it, which were not contrary to the nature, end, and design of its institution, though we do not read expressly of their being commanded.

This quotation concerning the form and manner of the administration of the passover among the jews, and which was in use in our Lord's time, may give some light into the reason why our blessed Jesus, at the close of the paschal supper, instituted his own supper, and blessed or gave thanks for the bread apart, and for the cup apart; also why it is said, he took the cup after supper, and what hymn he sung at the close of it, and why he did so. We may also see the reason why Paul calleth the Lord's supper, "A shewing forth the Lord's death," as the jews call their passover, a shewing, or declaration. It appears that the bread of old, sanctified by God's command in the use of the passover, and during