Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

As this work of mans salvation was great, so we cannot but observe how every piece of it was carried on in its due time, even from eternity to eternity. The very time of Christ's passage depended not on the will of man; for his enemies sought many a time before to slay him▪ as Herod in his Infancy, Matth. 2.16. The Jews in his riper age, when sometimes they took up stones to stone him, John 8.59. and sometimes they would have broke his neck from an hill, Luke 4.29: but his time was not then come. We read of the Paschal Lamb, that it was to be slain on the fourteenth day of the first Month called Abib, or Nisan: ¹at the full of the Moon in the evening or between the evenings; some think this Month answers to our March, others to our April, I shall not be too curious in the Inquisition; for I think it not worth the while: only this, I cannot but observe, that the same day that the Lamb must be slain, must our Paschal Lamb begin his sufferings; and as then it was full Moon, so it notes unto us the fullness of time which now was come; and as it was in such ⟨p. 340⟩a Month, as when light prevails against darkness, and every thing revives and springs; so Christ by his sufferings was to chase away our darkness and death, and to bring in light and life, and a blessed spring of Grace and Glory; and as it was to be slain in the evening, or between the evening; so must Christ the true Paschal Lamb be sacrificed about the very same hour that the Mystical Lamb was slain: to understand which, we must know, that the Jews distinguished their Artificial day into four parts; from six to nine, from nine to twelve, from twelve to three, from three to eight; this last part was counted the Evening of the Day, and the next three hours the Evening of the Night; now in this last part of the Day used the Paschal Lamb to be slain; and after it was slain, some time was taken up to dress it whole for Supper; so Christ at the fourth part of the day, at their nineth hour, that is, at our three of the Clock in the afternoon, between the Evenings, ²