A Handful of Gleanings out of the Book of Exodus, Section 18 – Section 22
SECT. XVIII. Particulars concerning the Passeover, Exod. 12.
1. THE Paschall Lamb was Christs body in a figure. Compare Exod. 12. 46. with John 19. 36. and to this it is that the word hoc, in the words of our Saviour, Hoc est corpus meum, had reference and respect. They had but newly eaten the Pasteover Lambe, and that had beene the body of Christ Sacra mentally to the Jewes hitherto: but now Jesus tooke bread, and blessed, and brake it, and told them that this hence forward must be his body under the Gospell in that same manner that the paschall Lambe had beene his body under the Law.
Secondly, the Lambe must not be eaten raw, vers. 9. which would never have beene forbidden, if the very raw flesh and bloud of Christ, as it was upon the Crosse, were eaten in the Sacrament, as transubstantiation dreameth, for then had the raw Passeover represented it the better. And especially among those People who sometimes used to eate raw flesh in their hasty meales as the Jewes did.
Necessity sometimes transfers the Passeover to another monethmonth, but never further then the next. So the first Passeover but o…e, was kept by some on the fourteenth day of the second monethmonth, because uncleannesse by a dead corps necessitated them to foregoe it at the right time, Num. 9. 11. And so the last Passeover but one that we read of before the Captivity was kept in the second monethmonth, 2 Chron. 30. 2. because Hezekiah comming to his Crowne but just in the beginning of the yeare, or very little before, could not procure the Temple, and the Priests to be sanctified and purged sufficiently, and the People to be assembled against the right Passeover day, See 2 Chron. 29. 3.
This translation of the Feast a monethmonth out of its place, did the more enforce its significancy of things future then of things past; as rather recording the death of Christ to come, then their delivery from Aegypt: for the force of the commemoration of that was infeebled much, when it hit not upon the very night. Againe, this mooveablenesse of this Feast, which so neerely represented the death of our Saviour, received its equity when our Saviour dyed, not upon the very Passeover day, but deferred the Sacrificing of himselfe to a day after.
Object. But it seemeth that Christ did not eate his Passeover on the fourteenth day, For Job. 18. 28. The Jewes went not into the Judgement Hall, lest they should be defiled: but that they might eate the Passeover.
Now it is most apparent that our Saviour had eaten the Passeover, over night: which as soone as he had done he was apprehended, and arraigned all night, and the next morning earely he is brought to Pilate, into whose house the Jewes durst not come for feare of defiling, but that they might eate the Passeover: so that it appeares that either Christ or the Jewes hit not upon the right Passeover day injoyned by the Law, either hee a day too soone, or they a day too late.
Answ. Neither the one nor the other. For the text expressely saith, that Jesus ate his Passeover, and the Jewes theirs upon the same night, which was on the fourteenth day at even.
Mat. 26. 17. Now the first day of the Feast of unleavened bread, the Disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eate the Passeover?
Mark. 14. 12. The first day of unleavened bread when they killed the Passeover, So Luk. 22. 7.
So that the Passeover which the Jewes reserved themselves to the eating of, when they durst not enter into Pilates Judgement Hall for feare of defiling, is not to be understood of the Paschall Lamb, which they had eaten the evening past, but of the Passeover bullocke where of mention is made, Dent. 16. 2. 2 Chron. 35. 7, 8, 9.
Now these bullocks were indeede slaine at Passeover time, but not for the Passeover beast properly taken, for that must be of a Lambe or kid unalterably: but these bullocks were slaine as attendants upon the Paschall, from the nature of which Sacrifice they differed in these particulars.
First, the Paschall Lambe was alwayes, and all of him rost…d: these were sodden, 2 Chron. 35. 13.
Secondly, the Paschall Lambe was rosted whole, and eaten without breaking the bones, these were broken peecemeale, and so parted among the people.
The Paschall Lambe was a necessary service to which they were bound by command: these were arbitrary according to their stay in Jerusalem in the Passeover weeke; for if they would they might returne home the next morning after the Paschall Lambe was eaten, Deut. 16. 7. and then they needed no bullocke to be killed for their dyet the rest of the Feast: but if they stayed any more dayes of the feast at Jerusalem then the first, then was not their dyet arbitrary to eat any thing what they would, but they must eate of these bullockes because their dyet must bee holy at that time. Hence resulteth another difference betwixt the Paschall Lambe, and these, which is this; that these were not of the first institution of the Passeover, nor had they any bullockes slaine at the Passeover in Aegypt, but Lambes onelyonly.
SECT. XIX. That the Supper in Job. 13. was not the Passeover Supper.
FIRST, It is very commonly held that the Supper in John 13. was the Passeover Supper, and that Judas stayed not the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, for that our Saviour having dipped a sop into the bitter or sowre sawce, which they used to the Paschall Lambe, and given it to him, Satan with it entring into him, he packed him away with, What thou doest doe quickly: An opinion mistaken in the ground-worke that it builds upon, and consequently in the structure built upon it. For that that was no passeover at all, the Evangelist maketh it most plaine in ver. 1. when he saith, it was before the Feast of the Passeover, and Matthen in Chap. 26. 2. telleth, it was two dayes before, and indeed, two miles from Jerusalem, namely in Betbany: The serious Harmonizing of the foure Evangelists together, at this place, will make this most cleare.
Secondly, if then it were not the Passeover Supper, there can be no Paschall Lambe looked for at it, nor no Haroseth, or sawce of bitter herbes to eate it with, but the meate that they were then eating, and the sawce in which our Saviour dipped the sop, was ordinary meate, and ordinary sawce.
Thirdly, Judas when he was packed away with his Quod facis fac cito, went not from Jerusalem to G…thsemani, where Christ was apprehended by him on the Passeover night, but he went from Be…hany to Jerusalem, to bargaine with the chiefe Pri…st, for his betraying, which when he had done, he returned to Be…hany againe.
SECT. XX. Borrowing Aegyptian Jewels, Exod. 12. 35, 36.
IT may be equally questionable, whether Israel shewed lesse honesty in borrowing what they meant not to restore, or Aegypt lesse wisedome, in lending what they knew would not be restored?
For the first, it is easily answered, that they had the expresse warrant of God, who cannot command unrighteousnesse, and whom to obey in all things is piety.
The second is as easily resolved thus, that Idolaters, in the worship of their Idols, used to decke themselves with Jewels, and Eare-rings, and fine things, thereby to make them as they thought the more acceptable, to their fine decked deity. So doe the Aegyptians now conceive of Israel, that seeing they desired these their fine knacks, being now going to sacrifice, they intended to sacrifice to the Aegyptian gods, as they had done heretofore, and they thought, sure there can be no danger of departing the Land, because they still adhere to our Religion. For Moses had but still spoken of going but three dayes journey into the Wildernesse to worship.
SECT. XXI. Rameses, and Succoth, ver. 37.
THe most famous of the Deities of Aegypt, was their Goddesse Isis, mentioned in all Heathen Authours, of her doth the last syllable in Raam-ses, and Rame-ses, seeme to sound, as being Townes that bare the name of this Goddesse, and importing the Towne, or Temple, or some such thing of Isis. For that which the Aegyptians called Ses, or Sis, other languages in pronouncing would augment with a vowell before, for so was it ordinary. Aegypt at home was called Cophti, but forainers did call it Esophti, and so it came to be Egypti. So the Sea that lay among the Gentiles of Greece, was in Hebrew Mare Goiim, the Sea of the Gentiles, but other Nations would put E before, and so it came to be called EGoiim or EGaeum. The Syrian and Arabicke Testaments, and the writing of Jewish Authors are full of examples of this nature. Succoth, is held to have beene so called, because Israel here lodged and pitched their tents in their March out of Aegypt: but they marched too much in suspition of Pharaohs pursuit, to settle a Campe, and to pitch tents so neere him. But it rather seemeth to have taken denomination from the cloud of glory comming upon them in this place, which was as a covering to them, Psal. 105. 39.
This their Divine conducter, stayed with them till Moses death, save that it was taken up for a while, because of the golden calfe: at Moses death it departed from them; for when they are to march through Jordan, the Arke is to lead the way, which while the cloud was with them it never did, but went in the body and very heate of the Army.
As the cloud departed at the death of Moses the first Prophet, so is it restored and seene apparently at the sealing of the great Prophet, Luk. 9. 30.
SECT. XXII. The decree at Marab, Exod. 15: 25.
SHam Sam lo hhok umishpat: There he set a decree, and a judgement for them: God is beginning now to compose and platforme the people into a setled policy, which while they were under the feare and danger of Pbaraoh could not be done; And here he passeth a decree and judgement upon them, what they must looke for in the wildernesse, according to their dealing with him. If they will diligently hearken to his words, &c. he will heale and keepe them free from diseases, as he healed those brackish waters, and of bitter had made them sweet; but if otherwise, they must expect accordingly. Those that have obscured this place by questioning whether this Ordinance at Marah, were for the Sabbath, or for the red Cow, or for the tryall of the suspected Wife, or for the dimensum of their diet in the Wildernesse, have made obscurity where there is none at all, and have supposed this to have beene an Ordinance whereafter Israel was to walke, whereas it was rather a decree whereafter God would deale with them according to their walking; And answerably seeme the latter words, Vesham Nissahu, to beare this sense, for there he had tryed them.
The word Hhok, is taken in a signification agreeable to this, Psal. 2. 7. I declare it for a decree, that since the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Sonne, &c. That therefore, ye Kings, and Potentates, &c. submit to the obedience of him, or else his anger will shortly kindle, &c.