Commentary on Genesis and Exodus, Book 2 · Chapter 12 · Doctrines
4. Places of doctrine.
1. Doct. How the Lords holy dayes should be kept.
Vers. 16. IN the first day shall be an holy convocation. The word is mikra, which also signifieth reading: which sheweth how holy and festivall dayes ought to be spent, in assembling the people together, and in reading and preaching unto them the mercies and benefits of God: Pellican. And this was the use among the people of God, as S. Peter saith: Moses hath of old time, them that preach him in every City, seeing he is read in the Synagogues every Sabbath.
2. Doct. A particular application of our redemption by Christs death needfull.
Vers. 21. CHuse out of every of your households a lambe. God would as it were by a speciall application have every private house and family admonished of this singular benefit and mercy: Calvin: whereby we learne, that it sufficeth not onelyonly to have a generall apprehension of our spirituall redemption, but a particular application is necessary: as the Israelites every one in particular eating of the paschall lambe in their private families, had a proper and particular sense and feeling of the benefit, as they severally did eat and taste of the lambe. This particular application of the redemption of Christ, S Paul sheweth, saying, I live by the faith of the Sonne of God, who hath loved mee and given himselfe for mee, Galath. 2.20.
3. Doct. How the paschall Lambe prefigured Christ.
Vers. 21.12. TAke a lamb and kill the passeover &c. Take a bunch of hyssope and dip it in the bloud, &c. Because Christ was prefigured in the paschall lambe, as is evident Ioh. 9.36. 1. Cor. 5.7. the particular resemblances are to be considered, wherein the lambe prefigured Christ. 1. The lambe was without blemish, vers. 5. and Christ was without sinne, and so the unspotted lambe, 1. Pet. 1.19. 2. The lambe must be killed; so Christ was sacrificed for us, 1. Cor. 5.7. 3. As the postes of the house must be sprinkled with the bloud of the lambe; so our hearts must bee dipped by faith in Christs bloud to deliver us from eternall death, as they were from a temporall, Heb. 12.24. 1. Pet. 1.2. 4. As the lambe was to be rosted with fire; so Christ did feele the wrath of his father for our sinnes, being made a curse for us, Galath. 3.13. 5. As they were to eat unleavened bread with the lambe; so wee that eat Christ by faith must study for newnesse of life, 1. Cor. 7.8. 6. As they were to eat it with sower herbes▪ so wee must frame our selves to suffer affliction for the faith. 7. As the Lambe should be eaten whole, so wee must receive the whole doctrine of Christ, omitting nothing, Heb. 1.1, 2, 3, 4. 8. As no stranger was to eat of the lambe, being uncircumcised, so no unbeleever can be partaker of Christ: Piscator.
4. Doct. Divers sorts of men in the visible Church.
Vers. 38. ANd a great multitude of sundry sorts of people went out with them. As among the Israelites there were many other people mingled, which were to have no part in the inheritance of Canaan: so there are many hypocrites and carnall men in the visible Church▪ which shall have no part in the Kingdome of God: for many bee called but few are chosen. And as there were fewer companies in that great multitude: the first of those which were fighting men: the second, of weake persons, as women and children: the third, of strangers: the fourth, of their beasts and cattell: so in the Church of God there are, first, such as are strong in the faith: secondly, the weake and fraile: thirdly, Hypocrites, which in outward shew joyne themselves to the Church, as those strangers did: fourthly, carnall and worldly, which may be compared unto beasts. Ferus