curfe the Ifraelites, and, with the strongest inclination to do so, was compelled, by an irrefiftible power, to bless them. "54. Jefus, therefore, walked no more openly among the Jews; but went "thence unto a country near to the wil"derness, into a city called Ephraim, and "there continued with his difciples. "55. And the Jews' paffover was nigh at hand and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the pasfover, to purify themselves. "56. Then fought they for Jefus, and spake among themselves, as they ftood " in the Temple, What think ye, that he "will not come to the feaft? 57. Now both the chief priests and "the Pharifees had given a commandment, that if any man knew where he were, he should fhew it, that they might "take him." The Jews, without hesitation, adopted the opinion of Caiaphas: all the ceremoFff 2 nies nies of their law, confirmed by their tra ditions, were in favor of it; and they seem to have difregarded the guilt or innocence of the person they meant to offer up as a facrifice, and to have fixed upon our Lord as the object most obnoxious to them. Judging, therefore, from his known attention to all the duties of religion, that he would not be abfent at this great feftival, they took their meafures for fecuring his perfon: nor were they deceived; for though it appears that he never exposed himself to unneceffary and useless danger, yet he never fuffered any apprehenfion of it to prevent his performance of a positive duty, Chrift was the true pafchal Lamb; and all those which had been offered up from the first inftitution of the pallover, were types of him he chofe, therefore, to offer up his life at that feast, and so to put an end to all those types and fhadows of himself, in the inftitution of the Chriftian religion, teaching his followers to celebrate a much more glorious deliverance, than that which the the Jews commemorated in their deliver ance from the Egyptian bondage. For this purpose, he instituted the holy facrament in the room of the paffover, that the remembrance of what he had done and suffered for us might be constantly preferved in our minds. As it is not my intention to en ter fully into this, fubject at prefent, but to reserve it for another place, I fhall content myself with observing, that, if Chriftians would allow themselves to meditáte upon this divine fubje&t, they would feel themfelves fo interested in it, and fo happy at the thought of being acceptable guests at the table of their bleffed Lord and Master, that they would not fuffer it, as is too frequently the cafe, to be thinly attended, but would take care to be always ready and provided with a wedding garment, instead of making their want of preparation a plea for abfenting themselves. May, we, by conftant attendance upon God in all holy and religious duties, receive fuch fresh fupplies of grace, as to enable us to serve, honor, and obey him, with the utmoft humility and grati tude, acknowledging that we are unwor thy of all his mercies, both temporal and spiritual, but in and through the sufferings of our bleffed Redeemer; and whenever it may please God to afflict us, whe ther by the loss of health, fortune, friends, or by any other calamity, may we submit with that true refignation which becomes our Christian profeffion-with that true faith in holy Scripture by which we are taught that they are fent for our good, to prepare and fit us for a glorious immortality; being content to wait with the ut most refignation till the day of retribution for an explanation of God's difpenfations; which, though at present above our limited comprehenfion, are, we may be affured, both wife and merciful. And that the reft of the world who have not been blessed with the pure light of the Gofpel, may act up to the beft of their knowledge, God, of his infinite mercy, grant, that fo we may be all admitted into the mansions of blifs, and all unite in one general choir, |