with you before I ſuffer: For IT fay unto you, 1 will not any more eat thereof unitl it be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. And he took the Cup, and gave Thanks, and ſaid, Tabe ths, and divide it amongſ(! your ſelves : For T ſay unto you, I will not drink of the Fruit of the L ine, until the Kingdom of God ſhall come. Then Luke pafſeth co our Lord's Inſticution of the Supper: Lube mixeth the Diſcourſe about the Perſon thar ſhouid berray him, with che Relation a- bour the Inſticurion of the Supper, contrary to the Relacion borh of Matthew, and Mark, and 7ohn , ſo as we may reaſonably think, that Luke miſplacerh ir, giving us an accoun; of thar Paſſage, V. 21, 22, 23. Within his Relation of the Hiſtory of his receiving the Paſſover, and inſtiruting of the Supper, which immediacely followed each other, bur nor ſtriftly in thar Order in which our Saviour ſpake them; which appeareth plainly, by che other three Evangeliſts, ro have been during the Eating of the Paſſover, and before the Inſticution of the Lurd's Supper. For che underſtand- ing of the Hiſtory, we muſt underſtand ſomething of the Fewiſh Order, 1n their Eating of the Paſſover ; which was this, as we have it deſcribed by the Learned Dr. Lightfoot. © Their ſicting ar Mear was commonly upon Beds or Couches, made for that . Purpoſe, with the Table before them : Now at other Meals, they either fat as we do, with their Bodies ere&, or when G they would enlarge themſelves to more Freedcm of Feaſting, - or Refreſhing, they ſar upon the Beds, and leaned upon the ; Table on their Left Eibow ; and this, or the other Poſture, x they uſed indifferently ar other times, as chey were diſpoſed z ; buc on the Paſſover-Night they thought they were obliged to _ ule this leaning Compoſure; and you may take their Reaſon ; for it in ſome of their own Words. They uſed their leaning ; Poſture as Freemen do, in memorial of their Freedom. And * Levi ſaid, Becauſe it is rhe manner of Servanes co Ear ſtand- _ Ing, theretore -now they Ear fitting and leaning, to ſhew chac ' they were got our of Servicude into Freedom, ———Upon ; rhis Principle and Conceir of Freedom, they uſed rhis manner ot Diſcumbency, trequent!y, at other times, bur indiſpenſibly chis Night, fo far different from the Poſture enjoyned and ; practiſed ar the firſt Paſſover in Egypt,when they are ic with their : Lotns girded, rheir Shoes on their Feer, their Sraves in their . Hands, and in haſte, Exod. 12. 11. And as the Thoughe of : rheir Freedom diſpoſed them to this Leaning, repoſed, ſecure , Compoſure of their Elbow upon the Table, and their Head : leaning on their Hand; ſo ro Emblem our the Matter the more highly, they laid their Legs under them, fitcing on them,
and laying our their Feer behind them. (Thus che Woman, Luke 7.38. could conveniently come at our Saviour's Feer to waſh, anoint and wipe them.) * Thus removing and acquitring * their Legs and Feer, as far as poſſible, from the leaſt ſhew of * ſtanding to attend, or readineſs to go upon any one's Imploy- © ment, which might carry with it the leaſt colour of Servitude, * or*Contrariety to their Freedom. Now according to this man- * ner of Sirring and Leaning are the Texts to be underſtood, a- © bout the beloved Diſciples leaning in the Boſom of Jeſus, 7cn * 13. 23. and on the Breaſt of Jeſus, Fohn 13. 25. and 21. 20. « Avaxeiuey©- i x0aTw &X 6nd, 6h T2 Sn; which
ſome Tranſlators, nor having obſerved, or ar leaſt nor expreſ- © ſed, they have intricated the Reader, in ſuch groſs Conceprions - abour chis Matter, as that ſome have thought, and ſome have
piftured Fohn repoting himſelf, or lolling on the Breaſt of Je- « ſus, contrary to all Order and Decency, Whereas the manner « of ſitring together wasonly thus : Jeſus leaning upon the Ta- « ble with his Left Elbow, and fo turning his Face and Breaſt « away from the Taule, on one fide: Fohn ſar in the ſame Po- « ſture nexr before him, wich his Back towards Jeſus, his Breaſt c Or Boſom nor ſo nearas that Fohn's Back and Jeſus his Breaſt . did joyn together, and touch one another, bur ar ſuch a di- , ſtance, as that there was ſpace for Jeſus ro uſe his Righr- . Hand upon the Table, to reach his Mear ar his Pleaſure; and ſo tor all the reſt, as they ſain like manner. For ir is bur a ſtrange ; Fancy, with which ſome have farisfied themſelves abour this . Matter; conceiving either, thar they lay upon the Beds betore : the Table, one tumbling upon, or before the Breaſt of ano- : ther ; or if they ſar leaning on the Table, thar they ſar ſo cloſe, : thar the Back of one joyned to the Breaſt of another; chey
far leaning, bur with ſuch diſtance berween each other, thar * the Right-hand of every one of them had Liberty ro come, * and go, berwixt himſelf and his Fellow, to reach his Meat, as * he had occaſion, ———Thus far that Learned Man in his Diſcourſe of the Temple Service, in the time of our Saviour, Chap. 13. By which Diſcourſe we may learn, 1. Thar the Fews, at the Eating of the Patlover, uſed the very ſame poſture as at other rimes they did Eat their Mear in. 2. That this was not lying along, bur ficting upon their Legs, and ſomerimes leaning their Head upon their Left Eibow ; yer at ſuch a diſtance one from another, as every one that ſat mighr freely uſe theit Rightr-hand to take their Meat, and reach it co their Months: Nor did they always fic at Mear ſo leaning, bur ar their Pleaſure, leaned, or not leaned, only at the Pſch11 Supper they always leaned, as an Emblem of their more periet Liberry. By this we eaſily underſtand what is meant by Chriit's ſzrtinz down with the Twelve, aſter the manner of that Country in earinz cheir Meat. { And as they did eat, he ſaid urto them. ] For the un- ſtandins of this, we muſt a lircle enquire into the Jewiſh man- ner of Eating that Holy Supper, which I will rake our ot the atore-mentioned Learned Author, in the ſame Bok and Chap- rer, Paragraph chird. ©* They being rhus ſer, che firſt ching « rowards this Paiſover-Supper, thar they went about, was, thar © they every one drank off a Cup of Wine. Sc do their own Diretories and Riruals about this thing inform us. Now the Conſideration of this is of mighry uſe to us to help us co under- ſtand che rwo Cups mentioned by Luke, Chap. 22. 17. And again, ver. 20, The latter was the Cup which cur Saviour coft- ſecrared for the Inſtirurion of his Supper, as is plain by the Con-