Exercitations on the Epistle to the Hebrews

§ 18 This Sacrifice of the Passover with its attendant Feast of Unleavened Bread, to be annually observed on the fourteenth day of the month Abib, unto the end of the twenty second, was the second solemn Ordinance of that people, as the People and Church of God. And the Jews observe, that no other positive Ordinances, but only Circumcision and the Passover had that sanction of the [Greek or Hebrew], Excision, or Extermination annexed unto them. Concerning Circumcision, the words are plain, Gen. 17.14. The uncircumcised Man-Child whose flesh of his foreskin shall not be circumcised, [Greek or Hebrew], that soul shall be cut off from his People, he hath broken my Covenant. And with reference to the Passover, Exod. 12.15. Whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. Whereas they observe, as Aben Ezra upon this place, that it is annexed to above twenty negative Precepts; intimating that there is a greater provocation and sin in doing any thing in the Worship of God against his Commandment, then in omitting what he had commanded, though both of them be evil. The Observation I acknowledge in general is true, but the Application of it to the Passover is not so. For although we should suppose that the words of Exod. 12.15. do relate unto the Passover also, although they seem to respect only the seven days of the feast of Unleavened Bread, yet they do not require the observation of the Passover it self under that penalty; but upon a supposition of the observation of the Passover, they were to eat the Lamb with unleavened Bread, which was a negative Precept, namely, that they should have no leaven in their bread, and so was justly attended in its transgression with this cutting off. And this cutting off, the Jews generally interpret when it is spoken indefinitely, without a prescription of the manner how it should be done, or by whom, to respect [Greek or Hebrew], the hand of Heaven, or the vindictive Justice of God, which in due time will find out the Transgressor. But we know that God long bare with them in the omission of this Ordinance of the Passover its self.

§ 18 This Sacrifice of the Passeover with its attendant Feast of Ʋnleavened Bread, to be annually observed on the fourteenth day of the moneth Abib, unto the end of the twenty second, was the second solemn Ordinance of that people, as the People and Church of God. And the Jews observe, that no other positive Ordinances, but only Circumcision and the Passeover had that sanction of the , Excision, or Extermination annexed unto them. Concerning Circumcision, the words are plain,